Premiership Talk – 2008/09 Premier League Preview 8

By Brian Lofrumento | 12th August 2008

Premiership Talk - 2008/09 Premier League Preview 8 | read this item

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Part 8 of Premiership Talk’s season preview features Stoke City and Sunderland.

Stoke City
Best Case: 16th place. Stoke finished in second place in the Championship last year, ensuring automatic promotion to the big time. Their squad, however, is full of Premiership rejects. Their main addition of the summer is former Reading striker Dave Kitson, who surely doesn’t have enough to single-handedly keep the club in the Premier League. This absolute best case scenario banks on the fact that Stoke’s rivals Hull, West Brom, Wigan, and Bolton falter while Stoke have lady luck on their side. I can’t see this happening, so the optimistic scenario of 16th place is exactly that: an optimistic scenario. I can’t see it happening.
Worst Case: 20th place. The worst case scenario for any promoted side is finishing in dead last in the Premiership, and I can see that happening for Stoke. Premier League rejects like Salif Diao, Danny Pugh, and Ryan Shawcross don’t really have what it takes to endure a 38 game season in the world’s toughest league, and Stoke fans will be the first to admit that. I can see Stoke in the Championship again next year, but the Premier League parachute payments will help.
They Need: Luck. Not only does Stoke need to perform at their best, but they also need to be lucky enough that other clubs struggle. Stoke’s best isn’t necessarily enough, and that’s why I say this. They simply don’t have the resources to compete at this level. Who knows, though? Stoke can look at Wigan for inspiration and could surprise a lot of people, including myself.
Look out for: Dave Kitson. The redheaded striker has scored goals in the Premiership before, and Stoke will be counting on him to finish their opportunities. Since such opportunities won’t come too often, Kitson will need to be at his best at all times. He is their big money signing, so he is obviously the basket that all of Stoke’s eggs are in.

Sunderland
Best Case: 7th place. Sunderland are one of the toughest teams to predict for this upcoming season. On paper, Sunderland have spent a lot of money for some decent players. Steed Malbranque, Pascal Chimbonda, and co. possess a lot of talent, but that hasn’t always shown. Under a manager like Roy Keane, however, everything changes. Keane has the ability to fire up the troops for battle and this shouldn’t be underestimated. I think players like Malbranque, Chimbonda, Diouf, Richardson, Gordon, etc. are enough to propel Sunderland into a position like 7th place (or near there) and they’ll surprise a lot of people along the way.
Worst Case: 12th place. If Sunderland finish lower than this, I’ll be disappointed. Roy Keane is a great motivator and he doesn’t accept anything less than perfection. A lot will be hinging on whether or not the Black Cats can find goals, and if Kenwyne Jones can’t regain his form after injury and El-Hadji Diouf is a bust then 12th should be the lowest place Sunderland can drop. I hope this worst case scenario doesn’t happen, but the threat is always there.
They Need: Belief and consistency. Roy Keane will put belief into the players’ minds, but they need to actually realize that Sunderland is a huge club that can one day be on the same level as Manchester United or Chelsea. The fans are great and the stadium is big, now the players just need to bring themselves up to a high level of competition. Once they’re there, they need to stay there.
Look out for: Kieran Richardson. I’ve always been a huge fan of this left winger, and was disappointed to see him leave United. We still are yet to see the very best out of Richardson, and his pace and powerful long shot show that he can do a lot of damage. He always performed for United when on the pitch and often grabbed crucial goals (also when he was with West Brom), and Sunderland fans will be hoping he can do the same for them.