Premier League Kick-Off day !! 20 Clubs: Bournemouth FC

So the day is upon us, the kick off to the 2017/18 Premier League season is just four hours away with London team Arsenal taking on Leicester City in the first Friday Night Football of the season.

But that comes later and hopefully its a game with goals and full of entertainment. But for now a bit about Bournemouth FC a club that seems to  over achieve  almost every season. A club that has the smallest stadium in the Premier League, but probably the most heart as well, not to forget their talented manager Eddie Howe.

The Cherries were formed in 1890 and the original name of the club was Boscombe St. John’s Institute F.C. but nine years later the club reformed as Boscombe F.C. But these weren’t the only names the club have taken on with them being called both Boscombe Athletic, and just Bournemouth before 1923.

They finally settled in 1972 on the current name and hopefully they stick with it. They have played their football at Dean’s Court since 1910 and is currently one of the more outdated stadiums within the Premier League.

The clubs trophy room over the years have become pretty dried out, with the only recent silverware coming from when they gained promotion to the Premier League back in the 2014-15 season. And there over only notable trophy was in the form of the League Cup which the club won in the 1983-84 season.

The club have in later season saw some very talented players wear the red and black strip. One of these players was called Ted MacDougall only played for the club for three seasons, but scored 103 goals in 146 appearances with 49 goals being scored in a single season, he will go down as one of the clubs greatest forwards.

Sean O’Driscoll played 11 seasons for the club playing 422 games, he later returned to the club in a managerial position. One player that possibly could have had a great career but injury saw his playing time at the club cut short and only ended up playing five seasons, but was the only player to score a goal at the old Wembely stadium.

The Cherries seem to be doing what most mid-table team are doing, that is raiding Chelsea reserve, or under 21 teams. They brought back on a permanent basis versatile defender Nathan Ake for a fee believed to be around £20m which for a player that had a great time on the south coast last season is a small fee to pay.

They didn’t just bring Ake to the club this transfer widow, but reliable shot stopper Asmir Begovic for a cheaper fee of just £10m which has been one of the best buys for the amount of money spent this season. And not to forget veteran striker Jemaine Defoe being brought in on a free transfer from Sunderland, a player that goals could mean the club finishing either bottom half of the table or top half of the table come end of the season.

So the Premier League is finally upon us, the excitement has overshadowed any football fans other emotions for the past week. And whilst other games kick off over the weekend, the Arsenal vs Leicester game will be a great insight into what fans can expect in the coming weeks. But will Bournemouth be able to keep their Premier League status another season? have the signings been right so far? what are your opinions, leave a comment below and have your say.

 

 

One day until the start of the Premier League 20 clubs: Arsenal FC

The Premier League is upon us with Arsenal starting of the proceedings tomorrow night in the first Friday Night Football of the season against Leicester City. After the club securing the community shield against Chelsea on Sunday, Arsenal now look to tomorrow nights first game of the season as a way to quite pundits and football fans up.

But lets talk about the proud history that the club holds, from humble beginnings the club was formed by a group of workers at the Woolwich armaments factory which was situated in South London. The teams first of many names was Dial Square which took their name from the sun-dial which was situated outside the factory, but changed their name to Royal Arsenal in 1891 when they turned professional then again to Woolwich Arsenal not soon after.

The club eventually dropped Woolwich from the name, and was known to many of the football faithful as The Arsenal but was never an official name of the club. in 1893 a few years after the Football League was formed, Arsenal was elected into the Second Division of the league, which gained promotion to the First Division in 1904.

You also can’t forget the infamous move the club made going from south of the river up to North London where fierce rivals still to this day do not forgive, this doesn’t help when the club in recent years have been the more dominant with winning trophies and performances within the league itself.

Talking about the clubs achievements they have really had some misfortune times where they have been expected to do better in the league as they havent won a title since 2004, which has left a sour taste in Arsenal fans ever since there move to the Emirates stadium in 2006/07 season. But with 13 Division One and Premier Leagues under their belts surely its only a matter of time until the team get that 14th title.

Most prominent within the FA Cup, Arsenal have won the competition a record 13 times with them winning the trophy as recent as last season. The club has struggled to play in the English League Cup, with them only winning it on two occasions and with current manager Arsené Wenger admitting the competition is only good for playing fringe and youth players in the past.

The club has failed to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in Wenger’s tenure as manager, which could see the club fall in popularity with a lower caliber of player becoming available to come to the club. This will give the club an opportunity to win a trophy within Europe instead of crashing out in the last 16 which has been a common problem for the Arsenal team in recent years.

With such a rich history with a club such as the Gunners, they have graced the league with many great footballers that will be remembered for years to come. Two players that were involved with the club in their successful period during the late 90s and early 00s are Thierry Henry (club all time top goalscorer) and Dennis Bergkamp whose vision and eye for goal was possibly on par with Zinedine Zidan. Henry played 254 times for The Arsenal scoring 228 times in total, quickly became a fan favourite for the team after a goal drought at the start of his career. Then there’s Bergkamp who had it all played 315 times finding the net 87, the Dutch international was far ahead of his time, and was involved with the 49 unbeaten team same ad Henry and will go down as a legend of the club.

Now for as some may call him Mr. Arsenal, Tony Adams started his footballing career as a youngster at arsenal in 1980, and put in the hard work and effort to become a regular for the team when the club had so many options in defense. His pro career lasted 22 years, even with the player struggling from a drinking problem that was part of the culture back before the Elite of the Premier League. Not to forget his 6 months jail sentence which again didn’t stop him from gaining legendary status at the club.

The team being brought back to the present day seem to be struggling, with a manager who has refused for so many years to change his transfer policy has left the club clutching at string for the past couple of season, and with only the FA Cup being seen as a competition the club can really perform in it doesn’t look like the squad could win a title in the near future.

That would be if the club could keep hold of their world-class players such as Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil, and not to forget Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain who are all going into the last years of their contracts. And with just one signing this season in the form of former Lyon striker Alexandre Lacazette, could prove to be another below average year for the Arsenal faithful.

If the club loose players to running down their contracts it will possibly see the end for long ruling manager Arsené Wenger as the fans have in recent years protested against him being the manager for much longer. But will the club be able to challenge for the league this season? or will the main focus just be for the team to reach the top four which they fell out of last season? Leave your comments below.

 

 

 

3 days until the start of the Premier League 20 clubs: Brighton & Hove Albion FC

It’s the first time ever that Brighton FC have been part of the highest tier in English football with the club having new investment in the background resulting in a brand new stadium being built which holds 31,000 fans. It’s a very exciting for the seagulls as a football club and for Brighton as a city.

The club was founded in 1901 three years after the football league was created, they started their life in the southern league before getting elected to the football league in 1920. The club enjoyed there golden years between 1979-1983 where they played in the old First Division, reaching an FA Cup final in that time.

The club gained automatic promotion last year to the Premier League for the first time, which is most notably there most successive season ever. They have reached an FA Cup final as mentioned earlier, where they played against Manchester United and lost in a replay which saw them relegated in the same season. The one trophy the club have claimed was the FA Charity Shield in 1910,

Some of the clubs more notable players have ranged throughout the seagulls history. Michel Kuipers is a player that was ever-present for the club from 2000-2010 and made 247 appearances. Peter ward was a prolific goalscorer in Brighton’s terms Peter Ward scored 79 goals in 178 appearances for the club which isn’t  the worst return in a five-year spell at the club.

In defense saw a player that loved the club that much he spent two different spells there playing 287 games in 9 seasons, Steve Foster played for the club in 1979-84, then again in 1992-96. The club saw striker Gary Hart as a player that was loyal to the club which saw him stay for 13 seasons even if he didn’t play every game, having played a small amount of 373 games in his time at the club and scoring only 45 goals.

For Brighton to stay in the Premier League this season there has to be some players with real talent come into the squad even with the club having the foundations to becoming a Premier League club, there is a lot of work to do when it come to behind the scenes. I believe that they are the club that has come up this season that could find the transition most difficult.

The Seagulls haven’t been scared of spending money though with them bringing in talent from abroad such as Davy Propper a central midfielder from PSV for a fee of around £12m, and goalkeeper Mathew Ryan a goalkeeper from Valencia for £6m which could be seen as some great business by the club. The club seem to be trying to cover all positions when bringing in players for the new season with Markus Suttner being brought in as a new left back from German outfit FC Ingolstadt for £4m, and on loan stinker Isaiah Brown from Chelsea being brought in to bolster their strike force.

With this being the clubs first season in the top flight its difficult to asses how they will do, but as the club has been knocking on the door for the promotion for a while they could prove to be a surprise package to the Premier League this season, but what’s your opinion where will Brighton end this season? leave your comments below.

 

4 days until the start of the Premier League 20 clubs: Burnley FC

Just four days until the first game in the Premier League kicks off, and the anticipation is killing supporters throughout the country with fans wanting to know the next player to turn up to the clubs, and to know whether pre season has been a success to get the players ready.

Burnley FC are a club with a rich history within the football league being a founding member of it when it began in 1881. They initially started out as a Rugby Club as Burnley Rovers and in 1882 they became the Burnley city we now know today. One of their most famous wins was the 1914 FA Cup win against Liverpool, a 1-0 win brought the trophy to Turf Moor just months before he out break of World War 1.

The Clarets have a rich footballing history with the club also having in their own rights some great players play for them, one is goalkeeper Jerry Dawson who made 522 appearances in the league for the club. Also not to forget leading top goalscorer George Beel who has over 300 appearances for the club scoring 179 times.

The clarets have had many great defenders in the past but Jimmy Adamson played 426 games during his time at the club and was notably one of the best in a time where the club weren’t there best. Kieran Trippier on the other hand was one of the major players that brought the club forward and was in the team when they gained promotion to the Premier League, but secured himself a place in Tottenham’s team in recent years.

With Burnley being saved from the drop last season by finishing 16th in the Premier League, it looks like the club need to strengthen to be able to be saved from the drop again this year. With their best player leaving to play for Everton, Michael Keane for a fee which will help the club bring in new players to replace the defender.

Players brought into the club so far are Premier League veterans Jon Walters, and Phil Bardsley both for a fee of around £3m which for the experience they process is some great business by club officials. The most effective signing maybe Jack Cork a player who has great experience within the league, and also played for the clarets in the 2009/10 season when he spent a season on loan at the club.

With one or two more signings Burnley could be a club that will push on what their finishing position was last year, and the club will hopefully stay in the Premier League for the foreseeable future, but where will they finish in this years competition? have your say in the comments below.

 

5 days until the start of the Premier League 20 clubs: Chelsea FC

Chelsea have taken part in the Community Shield this afternoon, with them loosing on penalties to rivals Arsenal in a close match up against the two teams. The competition is seen as somewhat an unimportant trophy, but it’s a chance for the two teams to show off new signings and try out new tactics before the start of the Premier League 5 days time.

The club was found in 1905 and were a team that grew a reputation on spending money and signing the big name players, which it really helped with the crowds at the old Stamford Bridge and helped the club win major trophies. The club have suffered with lulls within the history but this was broken with famous manager Ted Drake who led the club to a league title in 1955.

In the last two decades the club have seen there best winning tally when it comes to winning trophies this is predominately down to owner Roman Abramovich pouring billions into the club since he became owner in 2003 winning five Premier League titles, and winning two European trophies. Back on English soil the club have also won seven FA Cups, five League Cups, and four Community shields.

With the club always having a kind of cycle of fortune when it comes to winning trophies, they have created world-class teams that on their day would challenge for any competition in world football. Ron Harris the defender that was famously known as Choppa was the face of the team for almost two decades, he played for the squad 795 times as still to this day people remember Ron (Choppa) Harris. Also a player between the sticks and probably will go down as one of the greatest goalkeepers who played for the club Peter Bonetti famously known as ‘the cat’ played 600 games for Chelsea FC.

Coming a  bit more forward with a player that many people will remember and will still call Chelsea’s golden boy, Frank Lampard was a hero for many not just Chelsea fans but many admired his services for England and loyalty to the club that made him the player he ended up being. The England international playing 429 times for the Blues scoring an impressive 177 times, and making 110 assists. For many no one will ever be able to beat what Lampard has achieved for the club which is probably right as he will go down as a player that was unbeatable within the league.

The previous league champions will be looking to retain their trophy this season if not for the fans, but for the manager Antonio Conte who will be looking to take his Chelsea tenure further than many of his predecessors. But that will be difficult after seeing many players leave the club to make way for new signings. Some of the players that have departed the club are Kurt Zouma, Nathan Ake, Nemanja Matic, and Nathaniel Chalobah who all featured in the Premier League last season for the club. Not to mention striker Diego Costa leaving the club,

Chelsea have lost a lot of experienced players within the squad, but have replaced these players with overseas players that have preformed well enough to be noticed by the club. These players are Monaco midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko who moved from the club after an impressive league win and champions league run last season. Antonio Rudider from AS Roma who left the club for a fee believed to be around £30m, and Spanish striker Alvaro Morata has once again left Real Madrid in the tempt to cement a place in a starting line up for a fee around £60m. So Chelsea are strengthening for the new season but will it be enough for the club to retain their title? or will they fall short and drop off top spot, have your say in the comment sections below.