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Wigan
Soccer: The Premiership: Portsmouth,
Sunderland
Portsmouth
Last year: 16th
Ground: Fratton Park
Capacity: 19,179
Manager: A/am Perrin
(4 months: W2, 02, L3)
We say: 17th 3000-1
SOUTHAMPTON’S demise last May has not obscured the Fratton
Park faithful from their own slide into the Premiership
dog-fight zone. Three wins in the second half of
last season and more defeats (19) and fewer clean sheets
(five) than any other side over the whole campaign left them
with nothing to chime about during the summer.
To make matters worse, top-scorer Yakubu had little
hesitation in swapping the south coast for Tee-side.
Untried ex-Kaiser Chiefs striker Coffins Mbesuma and
former Newcastle wide-man Laurent Robert have been brought
in by Alain Perrin to provide inspiration.
But new goalkeeper Sander Westerveld, centre-half Andy
O’Brien and Colombian midflelder John Viafara are the more
likely contributors to Pompey’s efforts to maintain their
top-flight status.
Sunderland
Last year: 1st, Championship
Ground: Stadium of Light
Capacity: 48,300
Manager: Mick McCarthy
(29 months: W59, 022, L34)
We say: 18th 5000-1
MICK McCARTHY’S record as a Premiership manager leaves a lot
to be desired.
This time round though, he has the whole dressing room
playing for him rather than the majority wanting away from
Wearside as was the case at the back-end of 2002/03 when the
Black Cats were relegated.
Indeed, there would certainly have been no second-half
return of 51 points without such a team spirit, as
Sunderland proved a cut above the rest of the Championship
in terms of quality football.
However, although the ex-Ireland boss has not been slow in
adding to the squad pre-season -Jon Stead, Alan Stubbs,
Kelvin Davies, Nayron Nosworthy and Tommy Miller are amongst
the permanent signings - the gulf in class between
relegation battle and mid-table safety looks too big to
breach.
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