Here we go again....
It seems like an absolute eternity since that sunny afternoon at Villa Park, where we were consigned to football’s second tier for the first time since the 1992/1993 season. It was the uncertainty of what the future held that concerned me. All at the club deserve tremendous credit for last season though, from top to bottom. Hughton got the players enjoying their football once more, as well as making shrewd acquisitions in the transfer market. The players themselves were highly professional; realising quickly that their ability alone wouldn’t be enough to get us out of the league, and it would take every bit of grit and determination for us to go up at the first time of asking. And as much as it pains me to say it, those in the boardroom deserve credit too. They realised that the selling had to stop, so we had some sort of a squad to mount a challenge with, and they backed Hughton in the January transfer window.
Relegation taught Mike Ashley how NOT to run a football club.
no one wanted to sit with poor Mike...
It’s going to be a huge test for all concerned this season, of that there is no doubt. He has made two sound acquisitions in James Perch and Dan Gosling, both youngsters with a promising future, but I think that’s the direction the club needs to take. The days of throwing millions at unproven foreigners needs to be done with. With three or four more signings, whether they are loan signings or permanent transfers, we as fans should feel we’ve got a squad capable of giving things a right good go this season. Colocinni, Gutierrez and Enrique should be far better prepared for the Premiership second time around. Andy Carroll needs to prove that he can handle the pressure of the hallowed number 9 shirt. Mike Williamson is the one I’m most looking forward to seeing this year. Contractual clauses limited his playing time at Portsmouth, but I was very impressed with what I saw last season. He quietly went about his business; match after match, but to great effect. It’s what you want from a centre half.
Andy Carroll - legendary shirt, terrible hairstyles. 
I can’t wait for the season to start, and I really do believe that when the fixtures are published next July, we will once again be plotting our away days at Old Trafford, Anfield and Stamford Bridge.
Black ‘n’ White army...
Submitted by Dave Brown
22/7/2010
