Premier League Preview 2009/2010 – Tottenham Hotspur & West Ham United

Tottenham Hotspur
(Last season – 8th)

When it comes to Tottenham Hotspur, rather than engage in the usual elaborate analytical critique of the squad and summer dealings there is a far easier way to gage the North London club’s chances heading into a new season. Simply write down numbers 1 to 20 on bits of paper, put them in a hat and pull one out. There’s your Spurs season prediction right there, such is their unpredictability.

Tottenham have in recent years been one of those teams who do great when people expect them to do badly and badly when expected to do great. Last season and indeed the season before that, all the talk was of Spurs being the team to finally break the top four monopoly on Champions League football. And yet, in both 2007 and 2008, by October Tottenham had sacked their manager for truly dismal starts to the season that had left the club playing serious catch-up.

Last year Juande Ramos’ failings left Spurs rooted to the bottom of the league – they had 2 points from 8 games you know, and by the time Harry Redknapp took over to harp on endlessly about that statistic any realistic chance of a top four spot was gone. By then even Hull were 15 points ahead of them.

Redknapp did a superb job turning Spurs’ season around in fairness, winning 14 out of 30 games to elevate the club to 8th, and just how well he did shows in the fact that from 20th, Tottenham ended the season merely a few points shy of a European place.

So what now for Spurs and Redknapp? Well, the club and it’s fans have a huge desire for success and the manager has always wanted the platform to be able to achieve big things, so for Redknapp in particular this is a huge season. Redknapp will start this campaign with 0 points from 0 games like everyone else, so rather than make excuses he now has the chance to show us all just how great a manager he really is.

The former Portsmouth boss has not been as busy in the transfer market as we have come to expect but he has made useful signings. Peter Crouch joins the strikeforce to compete for places alongside Robbie Keane, Jermain Defoe and Roman Pavlyuchenko, while Sebastien Bassong, Kyle Naughton and Kyle Walker all come in to bolster defence, although Walker stays at Sheffield United for now. Naughton and Bassong both come highly rated; the latter excelled in dreary circumstances at Newcastle and it was a surprise nobody tried to snap him up sooner, while Naughton was in the Championship Team of the Year last season and will slot comfortably in at right back.

Spurs’ squad appears extremely well-balanced at the moment. They have four very capable strikers, a good midfield, strength in numbers at the back and in Heurelho Gomes a keeper who finally appears to have adapted to his new surroundings. The signing of Bassong was an important one as the pacy centre back will fill in with Michael Dawson on the inevitable occasions Ledley King and Jonathan Woodgate miss out, but there are promising signs that with Redknapp’s inventive training regime King will play more games for Spurs than in recent years. His leadership is still crucially important to the club.

The previously quite lightweight midfield has been remedied too with the signing of Wilson Palacios. Palacios, who has had awful personal circumstances to deal with following the kidnap and death of his brother, is quickly growing in stature and looks like becoming a top class midfielder. Strong in the tackle, athletic and tenacious, Palacios brings bite and cohesion to Spurs’ midfield and has already become a terrace favourite. Look out too for Luka Modric this year, a player whose artistry can light up the division.

Overall, if Redknapp can find the right blend to make full use of his four strikers and can settle on a cohesive defensive unit then Tottenham should challenge for a European place once again. A top four slot however seems beyond them.

Key Man: Wilson Palacios
One to Watch: Luka Modric

In: Peter Crouch (Portsmouth, £9m); Sebastien Bassong (Newcastle United, £8m); Kyle Naughton (Sheff Utd, Undisclosed); Kyle Walker (Sheff Utd, Undisclosed).

Out: Darren Bent (Sunderland, £10m); Didier Zokora (Seville, £8.5m); Chris Gunter (Nottm Forest, £1.75m); Gilberto (Released); David Button (Crewe, Loan); Adel Taarabt (QPR, Loan); Ben Alnwick (Norwich, Loan); Troy Archibald-Henville (Exeter, Loan); Jacques Maghoma (Burton, Loan)

West Ham United
(Last season – 9th)

Freddy Shepherd once described Alan Shearer as a ‘Mary Poppins’ like figure on Tyneside such was the Geordie’s nice, cleaner than clean image. Gianfranco Zola is the Premier League’s own version of the cheery, floating, umbrella-wielding cleaner. Zola is popular with everyone – pundits, supporters, fellow managers, and it says a lot that both Chelsea and West Ham fans still hold the Italian in high regard, a remarkable thing given the tribal, aggressive nature of football fandom especially in what is a bitter London rivalry. Just ask Frank Lampard.

Due to his immense popularity it was no surprise therefore that Zola’s achievements in his first season at West Ham earnt him glowing praise. And it was deserved. Despite the financial turmoil at Upton Park, Zola still managed to construct a team that was both effective and entertaining to watch, and his reward came when the Hammers finished in a respectable 9th place, their highest league finish in three years. That it was achieved with a degree of panache and flair also won Zola high praise from a West Ham faithful that had become bored by Alan Curbishley’s less entertaining, more pragmatic style.

This year however things might be more difficult. The financial restraints at Upton Park are obvious, and the departure of 10 players from a squad that is already quite lightweight smacks of an exercise in cost-cutting. To replace the departed,
Zola’s most high profile arrivals are Herita Ilunga on a permanent deal, Luis Jimenez from Inter Milan on loan, Frank Nouble from Chelsea’s academy and the relatively unknown Fabio Daprela and Peter Kurucz. So far the manager has been frustrated in his attempts to add to the squad, with deals for the likes of Eidur Gudjohnsen, Luca Toni and Marouane Chamakh failing to get off the ground.

This is a worrying sign for West Ham. With just a few weeks until the transfer deadline the squad looks low on numbers and light in genuine quality. A long term injury to Luis Boa Morte picked up in pre-season represented yet another blow, and the problem is that not too much money is floating around the club to draft in top class replacements. Zola and his assistant Steve Clarke are going to have their work cut out, and player conditioning and work done on the training ground will be of huge importance for West Ham this season. If they can’t bring new faces in those already there will need to be in perfect shape for a long season.

Scoring goals could be a big problem for Zola’s side. David di Michele and Diego Tristan have left, young Freddie Sears has been loaned to Crystal Palace and Dean Ashton, while always dangerous when playing, seems to be persistently troubled by injury. Carlton Cole prospered under Zola’s guidance last season and will need to continue that resurgence if the Hammers are to get goals. Jimenez, a creative attacking midfielder, will hope to provide the ammunition.

With players like Scott Parker, Matthew Upson, Robert Green, Kieron Dyer and the steadily improving Mark Noble around West Ham shouldn’t struggle too desperately at the lower end of the table. Jack Collison is another emerging talent whose energy and skill will help the Hammers’ cause. But unless Zola is handed funds with which to strengthen key areas, West Ham do not look capable of finishing anywhere higher than lower mid-table this time around.

Key Man: Matthew Upson
One to Watch: Jack Collison

In: Herita Illunga (Toulouse, £2.75m), Luis Jiménez (Internazionale, loan), Frank Nouble (Chelsea, tribunal), Fabio Daprelà (Grasshopper, undisclosed), Peter Kurucz (Ujpest, undisclosed), Jack Lampe (Harlow, undisclosed)

Out: Lee Bowyer (Birmingham City, free), Kyel Reid (Sheffield United, free), Joe Widdowson (Grimsby Town, free), Freddie Sears (Crystal Palace, loan), Diego Tristán, Walter López, Jimmy Walker, Tony Stokes, Lucas Neill (released)

Comments/predictions welcome.

English Premier League, Premier League 09/10, Previews, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United