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Revisiting PST’s preseason Premier League predictions

By Nicholas MendolaMay 16, 2018, 5:16 PM EDT

Back in August, we asked our staff to pick its 1-20 table and answer a bevy of roundtable questions.

The crystal ball ain’t so crystal clear.

The table

— Five of six writers had Manchester City lifting the Premier League trophy, with Nick Mendola’s (me) audacious 90-point total the closest to City’s actual 100 points. Kyle Bonn picked Manchester United to win the league.

–Nick Mendola’s (me) equally audacious prediction that Burnley would finish 20th with 18 total points has had him apologizing on this page for months. Way to go, numbskull.

— No one called more than one relegated team correctly. Swansea had three people pick it for the drop, while I was the lone one to tab West Brom. JPW and Andy Edwards failed to name a single relegated team.

— Who had a team finishing the most spots higher than they did? JPW and Andy Edwards had 16th place Southampton finishing 8th. I had eventually relegated Stoke in 11th, while JPW had them 10th, and Andy Edwards had them 7th!

— Chelsea’s fifth place finish was a surprise to everyone; Only JPW had them finishing lower than second… in third.

— Surprised Arsenal finished in sixth? Kyle Bonn, Andy Edwards, and Matt Reed aren’t.

The roundtable

— We asked who’d go the further in the Champions League, and JPW was the only one to name Liverpool (although he hedged in a bit by saying the Reds and Man City).

— We asked who’d score the most league goals between Romelu Lukaku, Harry Kane, Alvaro Morata, Alexandre Lacazette, or Sergio Aguero? Four correctly went with Kane, with Kyle Bonn wrong with Lukaku and this humble writer wrong with Lacazette.

— We asked which Premier League player would feel worst about his decision to leave his previous PL club, and we were all wrong (except perhaps JPW’s choice of Wayne Rooney, but that’s debatable). Dan Karell said Virgil Van Dijk, Matt Reed said Nemanja Matic, and I said Kyle Walker. All are probably quite happy with the manner of their seasons.

— We asked who’d fare better between manager Marco Silva, Frank De Boer, or Mauricio Pellegrino. They were all fired, though Silva’s departure was least his fault. So JPW wins again.

— We predicted who’d get fired first. The winner was Frank De Boer, but we all named men who’d get the sack. Craig Shakespeare (JPW), Paul Clement (me), Marco Silva (Matt Reed and Kyle Bonn), and Mark Hughes (Dan Karell).

— We asked which newly-promoted club will finish higher. Four of the five said Newcastle, with someone trying to hide his bias by saying Brighton.

— We asked who’d finish highest and lowest of this group: Southampton, Stoke City, West Bromwich Albion, West Ham United, Leicester City.

Leicester finished highest and West Brom finished 20th. Dan and I correctly tabbed Leicester, while four of us correctly pegged the Baggies as the lowest.

— As for who would get promoted from the Championship, so far we’re 1/12. That could move to three if Dan and Kyle are correct in picking Fulham. Matt tabbed Cardiff City.

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Marcel Brands joins Everton as Director of Football

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By Joe Prince-WrightMay 16, 2018, 11:46 AM EDT

Moyes, Allardyce out at West Ham, Everton

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By Joe Prince-WrightMay 16, 2018, 8:26 AM EDT

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Two managerial departures took place on Wednesday in the Premier League as David Moyes wasn’t handed a new deal at West Ham and Sam Allardyce was shown the door at Everton.

Fans of both clubs will be feeling slightly optimistic but there’s no hiding behind the fact that both West Ham and Everton have become anything but models of stability of recent years.

Moyes was only on a short-term deal at the Hammers after arriving in November and guiding them to safety after an intense relegation scrap. West Ham beat Everton 3-1 on the final day of the season to finish in 13th place on 42 points. But with plenty of unrest behind-the-scenes amid fan protests against the owners which sparked pitch invasions during the season, there are a lot of issues for West Ham’s hierarchy to sort out. Moyes’ reputation has been rebuilt somewhat after his debacle at Manchester United and Sunderland, so he may well be happy to move on.

West Ham’s joint-chairman David Sullivan explained the decision for West Ham and Moyes going their separate ways.

“When David and his team arrived, it was the wish of both parties that the focus be only on the six months until the end of the season, at which point a decision would be made with regards to the future,” Sullivan said. “We feel that it is right to move in a different direction. We aim to appoint a high-calibre figure who we feel will lead the club into an exciting future for our loyal supporters within the next 10 days.”

Allardyce arrived at Everton in November and still had 12 months to run on his contract with the Toffees, with Big Sam dragging Everton out of a relegation battle (Ronald Koeman was sacked in October) and into eighth place in the table but a late charge for a Europa League spot faltered.

Despite that huge upturn in results, plus the likes of Theo Walcott and Cenk Tosun arriving in January, Everton’s fans didn’t enjoy the direct style of play Allarydce preferred and often booed the manager and his tactical decisions. He was adamant until last week that he would be in charge next season but Everton’s owner Farhad Moshiri has listened to the fans as the Toffees are searching for a third manager in the space of eight months.

Everton chief executive Denise Barrett-Baxendale had the following to say on Big Sam’s departure.

“Sam was brought in at a challenging time last season to provide us with some stability and we are grateful to him for doing that,” Barrett-Baxendale said. “However, we have made the decision that, as part of our longer-term plan, we will be appointing a new manager this summer and will be commencing this process immediately.”

What is next for West Ham and Everton?

It has been reported that West Ham are in talks with Shakhtar Donetsk manager Paulo Fonesca, while Everton are said to be interested in bringing Marco Silva to Goodison.

The latter left Watford in January after he was initially linked with taking charge of Everton before Big Sam did, but the Hornets blocked the move and then Silva’s side slumped drastically as he was fired.

The Premier League managerial merry-go-round keeps spinning…

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Statistical guide to 2017-18 Premier League season

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By Nicholas MendolaMay 15, 2018, 10:14 PM EDT

Everton to let Allardyce go, chase Silva (again) as replacement

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By Andy EdwardsMay 14, 2018, 6:32 PM EDT

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Sam Allardyce did exactly what he was expected to do in his first — and probably final — six months as Everton manager: stabilize a wayward side and guide them as far away from the Premier League’s relegation zone as possible.

[ MORE: Grades for all 20 PL clubs ]

Following the Toffees’ eighth-place finish, Allardyce is expected to be ~~rewarded~~ compensated with a hefty severance package — the full $8 million remaining on the 18-month contract he signed upon taking charge in November — when he is relieved of his duties as Everton boss this week.

According to widespread reports out of the UK, Farhad Moshiri, Everton’s major shareholder, is expected to meet with Allardyce later this week at which point he’ll inform him that his services are no longer required at the club. Allardyce’s brash demeanor and defensive style quickly rubbed the Goodison Park faithful the wrong way despite the massive uptick in form which coincided with his arrival following Ronald Koeman‘s departure (and David Unsworth‘s month of interim work).

[ PL REVIEWS: Clubs 20-15 | Clubs 14-10 | Clubs 9-5 ]

Moshiri is expected to renew his pursuit of former Watford manager Marco Silva, whom he chased — to no avail — to replace Koeman in the fall. Relations between Everton and Watford soured quickly, as the Hornets claimed an “unwarranted approach by a Premier League rival” unsettled the Portuguese manager and played a part in his side’s sharp downturn in form — one win in 11 PL games — which resulted in his dismissal in January.

The future of Wayne Rooney is also expected to be discussed — and, perhaps decided — when Moshiri meets with Rooney and/or his agent this week. A report from the Washington Post indicated on Monday that Rooney and MLS side D.C. United were “inching closer” to an agreement.

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