From: timh@extro.ucc.su.OZ.AU (Timothy James Hatfield)
Subject: English League - 'Expert' Predictions
Organization: Sydney University Computing Service, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1992 12:21:35 GMT


With roughly 1/3 of the English Premier League season over, I thought it would
be interesting to look back and see what was predicted by some of the 'experts'
for the league in its new guise.

The 'expert' predictions I refer to came from the weekly English Soccer program
we get here in Australia. I presume it is taped or satellited from English TV
so doubtless many British and/or Europeans know which show I mean. In case you
are wondering it is an hour-long show with one 'feature match' (about 30 or 40
minutes' worth), a 10-minute section with all the 'Goals of the Day' and
usually a 10-minute extended highlights section at the end from some other
interesting match. It is usually presented by Peter Brackley or Ian Darke and
usually has commentary for the main match by Martin Tyler, John Helm, Allan
Parry, Brian Moore etc. (I presume it is a BBC programme but I may be wrong
here.) 

Anyway to get to the point of this article, here is all I can remember from
what they said in the special 'League Preview' edition of the show ...

[these comments are all verbatim, I can't remember what they said for EVERY
team since it was a while ago now :-) ]

------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
TEAM		WHAT 'THEY' PREDICTED FOR THIS TEAM	      WERE THEY RIGHT ?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Leeds United	"Winning the title will be a hard act for        YES 
		Leeds to follow"

Arsenal		"With reasonable luck with injuries (ie lack
		of them) Arsenal will be there at the finish"    YES (it seems)

Blackburn Rvrs	"A good outside bet for a European place"        YES (presently)

Liverpool	"Top 3 material"			         NO !!!

Manchester City	"Top 6 again - main target: Euro qualification"  PROBABLY ...

Wimbledon	"Signing Dean Holdsworth to partner John Fashanu APPARENTLY ... 
		 up front has probably secured Wimbledon's long
		 term future in the Premier League" 

Notts Forest	"Without Des Walker, can expect a mediocre season"  MOST
								    DEFINITELY
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Interesting to see how it all pans out isn't it ?

My apologies for the shortness of the list, as I said before that's all the
LITERAL (ie exact) comments I can recall. The only other thing I can remember
is that the 'other' promoted teams (Ipswich and Middlesbrough) would both
have "survival [in the Premier League] as their first priority" or words to
that effect.

I hope a few of you found that as interesting as I did ... any comments,
additions, contradictions, flames etc. please email me.

Later soccer fans,
  
-- 
Tim Hatfield (B Sc)      _--_|\  | "Indeed in nothing is the power of the Dark 
EX-University of Sydney /      \ |  Lord more clearly seen than in the  
timh@extro.ucc.su.oz.au \_.--._* |  estrangement that divides all those who 
ak530@po.cwru.edu             v  |  still oppose him." Haldir, Lord Of The Rings
Newsgroups: rec.sport.soccer,eduni.football