2007/08 SEASON - WRITER'S PREDICTIONS - PART ONE
Peter Hillerby (ComeOnBoro.com Editor).
Where will Boro finish?
3rd (of the bottom ten).
Who will go down?
Birmingham, Fulham & Derby.
Who will win the title?
Manchester United.
Who will be Boro's top scorer?
Yakubu.
Which academy player will have the biggest impact?
Seb Hines.
Other thoughts:
I am predicting a tough season ahead, which may not come as a surprise to many. If we take the Carling Cup seriously this season we could, yet again, find ourselves back in Europe. We have no chance of qualifying though the league. Sunderland & Newcastle will both finish above us.
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Alastair Brownlee (Eternal optimist).
Where will Boro finish?
I think Boro will finish in 7th place in the Premiership and hopefully have a good run in one of the cup competitions.
Who will go down?
Heading for the championship will be Fulham, Wigan and I think that local rivals Sunderland could also face the drop.
Who will win the title?
After spending millions in the summer to add to a squad that were already champions it's odds on that Sir Alex and Manchester United will retain their title.
Who will be Boro's top scorer?
Tuncay will make a big impact on the Premiership and the Turkish international will, in his first season, pick up the Boro golden boot award.
Which academy player will have the biggest impact?
Josh Walker will be the one to watch: a talented midfielder who has captained England at under 16 and under 17 level. I expect Josh to make a number of first team appearances this season and a midfield partnership of Cattermole and Walker could serve Boro well in the future.
Other thoughts:
Gareth Southgate's second season in charge will see Boro playing the style of football the manager believes in: full of pace, with an ability to excite the fans. Here's hoping!
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James Bassett (Disco superstar).
Where will Boro finish?
Between 13th and 17th.
Who will go down?
The three teams that don't have Carlos Tevez playing for them.
Who will win the title?
Chelsea or Manchester United.
Who will be Boro's top scorer?
In a stunning turn of events, The Gookster will become not just Boro's, but the league's top scorer.
Which academy player will have the biggest impact?
Nathan Porritt will emerge as Chelsea's premier boot polisher.
Other thoughts:
Can't really get excited about this season. Sorry.
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Steve Goldby (ComeOnBoro.com big cheese).
Where will Boro finish?
Between 13th and 17th.
Who will go down?
Derby, Wigan and Birmingham.
Who will win the title?
Manchester United.
Who will be Boro's top scorer?
Tuncay Sanli.
Which academy player will have the biggest impact?
Adam Johnson. His time is coming.
Other thoughts:
It's time we qualified for Europe again and we are due another cup final. A winning one this time. But that doesn't mean I think these things will happen. The squad seems a touch light to me but there is still time to address that. If we do strengthen, we could do reasonably well but that may be the best we can realistically hope for.
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Graham Frankland (Writer - Refwatch).
Where will Boro finish?
With the players we have brought in during the summer (where did all that rain come from?) I have a good feeling about this season and confidently expect us to finish in the top half and, with a bit of luck with injuries, I think a finishing position of 7th beckons.
Who will go down?
Derby, Wigan and Bolton.
Who will win the title?
Liverpool are desperate to be challenging for the title, after a long time not being sighted. For that reason I think they will just about do it.
Who will be Boro's top scorer?
As long as the referees keep being fooled by the Yak's "falling over in the box" trick then he will get enough penalties to keep him top of our scoring charts.
Which academy player will have the biggest impact?
If we mean any past academy player, I think Andrew Taylor will continue to impress, but if we mean any of the new kids on the block, I think Tom Craddock might just show us enough to finally end our drought of not producing a striker from the academy.
Other thoughts:
Gareth Southgate has really impressed me with the efficient way he has gone about his first job in football management. This season promises to be a very successful one and if we can continue our impressive recent record in cup competitions and hopefully bag one of the cups, he will cement his place as one of the most popular people to play and manage our club. I am excited about our future and hopefully if we do perform well the crowds will return to the Riverside.
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Toby Higgins (Chairman of the Fabio Rochemback fan club).
Where will Boro finish?
"Boro to finish 13th" is fast becoming one of the most readily used clichés in the world, let alone the Premiership, and it's hardly perplexing to work out why. As a team, our constant ability to stun the 'big boys' and provide the relegation favourites with crucial points in the fight against the drop does nothing but further the stereotype that our 'stars' lack the motivation to take the club beyond simply survival. Woodgate and Huth should be solid enough to ensure a top half finish, but, given their record with injuries, one shouldn't hold one's breath on the defensive reliability that will be crucial in bailing the team out when Yakubu stops scoring at the end of February. Anywhere between 12th-14th.
Who will go down?
A genuine toughie this year. Wigan and Bolton are names that jump to the forefront, both being relatively small north-western clubs, who have both lost managers with bags of experience, and both having replaced them with managerial rookies. Add to that names like Derby, Sunderland, Fulham and Birmingham and it could be a thriller come mid-April. And of course, Reading's bubble is probably due a burst anytime now.
I'll pitch for Wigan, Derby and Fulham.
Who will win the title?
Seriously, am I the only one who thinks Manchester United's name isn't on the trophy already? I'm going out on a limb and predicting Arsenal to win it. United have made too many changes over the summer (Nani, Anderson, Hargreaves and maybe Tevez) to be able to pick up where they left off last season. Ronaldo was woeful when he first arrived, and I expect Nani and Anderson to take a similar amount of time to adapt to their new surrounding and team mates. Liverpool have too many players for Benitez to possibly know his best XI, and if Didier Drogba has a lean spell Chelsea might struggle for regular goals.
Step forward Wenger's youngsters who, without the domineering presence of Thierry Henry demanding the ball every time it's in the same half as him, could finally gel into a side who can not only play entertaining football, but also get results. It's common knowledge that the Premiership can't be won in the first ten matches, but it can certainly be lost, and so long as Wenger's men start well, there is no reason they can't push Chelsea and United all the way. The importance of Cesc Fabregas can't be overstated - he'll need to up his goals tally by ten if it's going to happen for the Gunners.
Who will be Boro's top scorer?
Difficult, obviously, given we are sporting two new attackers in Aliadiere and Tuncay, particularly if Tuncay is going to be used as a winger. Then again, Ljunberg, Giggs, Ronaldo and Gamst Pederson, amongst others, have proved that a goals tally in double figures is possible for a winger. Still, if he plays for us all season, I'll have to say Yakubu; so long as he takes the penalties.
Which academy player will have the most impact?
I suppose Taylor and Cattermole are well beyond academy level, which is remarkable given their respective ages. Last season I predicted Seb Hines, who, despite scoring on his debut, didn't really feature at all, so I could stick to my guns and go with him again. David Wheater will probably play a bigger role than expected, which is the reward for being sixth choice centre half behind a gaggle of injury prone team mates (Woodgate, Huth, Riggott and Bates all spring to mind). But I must say, given that he is the most 'heard of' member of our youth academy, are we ever going to see what all the hype is surrounding Nathan Porritt?
Other thoughts:
I suppose I've covered most things already. The reliance on Yakubu to score goals could mean it's a difficult season if Tuncay and Aliadiere, who hasn't cut the mustard at Arsenal, Celtic, West Ham and Wolves before coming here, fail to find the net frequently. The partnership of Rochemback and Arca in central midfield could hold the key to a more progressive style of play that we'd all love to see more often. Oh, and Mark Viduka's return will prove a total anti-climax; there is simply no way he will appear at the Riverside on August 26th.
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Peter Holmes (Writer - Letter From Australia).
Where will Boro finish?
7th.
Who will go down?
Derby County, Wigan Athletic and Reading.
Who will win the title?
Liverpool.
Who will be Boro's top scorer?
Yakubu if he stays, our new signing Arthur Norman Other if he doesn't!!!!
Which academy player will have the biggest impact?
Seb Hines / Tom Craddock.
Other thoughts:
That rare association of flair and Middlesbrough will re-appear in articles and match reports written about football at the Riverside. I suggest, mainly due to the influence of Tuncay and the effect he has on liberating Downing and Arca in an attacking sense. All allowed in the framework adopted by Southgate and Cooper. Through a quick passing, more attack-focused style of play!
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Rob Dixon (Writer - The Rob Dixon Column).
Where will Boro finish?
A good 8th, Southgate's lads will be a bit of a surprise package.
Who will go down?
Derby, Fulham and Wigan. Any side that buys Bramble AND Sibierski must be dooooomed.
Who will win the title?
Manchester United because, unfortunately, they have the best players.
Who will be Boro's top scorer?
The Yak...or if he leaves, Aliadiere will stun everyone with fifty-five goals...all direct tap-ins from Tuncay's good work.
Which academy player will have the biggest impact?
I'd like Adam Johnson and James Morrison to have absolutely storming seasons. However if we're looking at the younger lads, wouldn't it be great if another exciting attacking talent made the grade? Maybe Owens or Craddock.
Other thoughts:
It would be great to see Southgate's XI come into its own and ditch any memories of the staid McClaren era. I hope the Riverside is set alight by some great football, and the new signings prove themselves to be heroes for us all. Either that, or I look nervously forward to another season of nerve-wracking, inconsistent and fantastically frustrating performances. Whatever the new year brings, I'll still be supporting the lads by next May... though I'll probably also be more of an alcoholic.
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Stuart Thompson (Writer).
Where will Boro finish?
Top half - just.
Who will go down?
Fancy Derby, Wigan and Birmingham to go down.
Who will win the title?
Manchester United.
Who will be Boro's top scorer?
Yakubu.
Which academy player will have the biggest impact?
I hope to see Jon Franks come through, otherwise Taylor will build on an excellent first full season.
Other thoughts:
I'm more and more confident about Gareth's management style and the blueprint for success. I'm so looking forward to seeing Boro play with pace, and being comfortable on the ball. It'll be interesting to evaluate Boateng's form by Christmas, and if he has a similar level of performance to last season, whether GS will ship him out in January. That would convince me that he has balls the size of melons.
READ PART TWO HERE...
