Who is the Best Side Outside the Top Four? Arsenal, Aston Villa, Blackburn, Bolton, Chelsea, Everton, Fulham, Hull, Liverpool, Man City, Manchester United, Middlesbrough, Newcastle, Portsmouth, West Ham, Sunderland, Tottenham, West Brom, Stoke & Wigan Fans Have Your Say!
Few of us can realistically see anyone other than the usual four finishing in the Champions League spots come May though an increasing number of clubs have ambitions of ousting those clubs such as last season’s 5th placed Everton, FA Cup winners Portsmouth, Martin O’Neill’s ever improving Aston Villa side and of course big spending Tottenham.
As the chasing pack grows stronger the teams attempting to catch the big four are often grouped into the 2nd tier category but we at the New Football Pools want to know who Premier League fans regard as the best of the rest.
Is it last season’s 11th placed finishers Spurs who have made a number of high profile signings this summer but look likely to lose both their main forwards from the last campaign. Can the arrivals of Luka Modric, Giovani Dos Santos, David Bentley and co realistically claim to be the next best side in England when it’s likely they will need time to gel under relatively new coach Juande Ramos?
How about Everton who finished just outside the top 4 with a side built on a solid defence and the goals of Yakubu. Are they really the next best side when they have yet to bring in any new players, sold Andrew Johnson and already suffering with a lack of numbers through injury?
Then there’s Villa, a side young and ever improving whilst making some useful signings this summer particularly at the back and who have secured a number of their young stars on new long-term deals as the feel-good factor returns to the Second City giants?
Then there’s Portsmouth who boast a top strikeforce in Jermain Defoe and Peter Crouch to complement an experienced defence and superb away record. Is Harry’s team your choice as best of the rest?
There’s also the likes of Newcastle and Sunderland who’ve both made signings that should improve their Premier League standing as well as a host of other sides.
So who do you vote as best of the rest? Let’s hear your views on why.
Read our other guest columnists thoughts on the start of the Premier League season.
Read our statistical guide to the New Foreign Signings, ‘Home Bankers’ & ‘Away Specialists’.
Tags: Arsenal, Aston Villa, Chelsea, Everton, Hull, Liverpool, Man City, Manchester United, Newcastle, Premier League, Stoke, Sunderland, Tottenham, West Brom, West Ham, Wigan
