A year or so ago, Muse's vision for their 7th album seemed to indicate a more stripped down tour than their recent jaunts.
In recent years, Muse have bought with them satellites, antenna, skyscrapers, pyramids, upside down revolving pyramids, mock power stations, pyro, actors, acrobats and even more to the world's stadiums and arenas.
By contrast, the campaign to back 7th album Drones began in a much more restrained fashion, to fit in with Muse's announcement this was a "back to 3-piece rock" record. So, it began with six intimate theatre concerts in the UK, then a festival tour with video screens - a production that was kept for South America & Asian touring commitments.
So, its quite a contrast to the moment about 80-90 minutes into the third of their fifth night run at the London O2 Arena. Here, as the 10 minute prog-rock nightmare of The Globalist reaches its enormous Drop A crescendo, a giant inflatable shaped like a Reaper drone - but looking a bit like Thunderbird 2 - orbits around the stage via its own AI program looking menacing.
Least that's the theory. In reality it looks a little bit silly - the moment when Muse may well have pushed their prog-rock box of tricks a bit too far - and that's before it veers off course and attempts to land either on top of Matt Bellamy, his piano and the audience.
Such moments are perhaps the unexpected side to this evening's entertainment, which sees the band take on a very ambitious production. The band's stage sits in a 360 configuration, with a circular light-studded rotating stage plonked in the middle of the O2, while a circular screen, cylindrical lighting rig, retractable projection scrims and a whoppingly huge lighting rig provide extra visual touch.
And that's before the flying centrepieces. As well as the aforementioned drone, there is also a collection of 16 spherical drones that descend from a rig above the stage. Indeed, this is just the beginning, as the drones descend to the choral refrains of the title track, and gracefully hover over the GA pit of the venue.
As the choir sing their last, the band rise onto the stage, and kick straight into Reapers. This is then followed in a Drop D one-two with Psycho, the duo of which are loud and boisterous and packed full of riffs that get the crowd bouncing immediately - almost in sync to the thuds of Dom Howard's bass drum. As a start to the gig, its top notch.
The bounce continues for a trip back to 2001 with Plug in Baby - a tune that, even with overprocessed FX pedals saturating Bellamy's guitar, still has in its corner the brute force of one of 21st century rock's most loved riffs. This may not be its best performance, but it is still delightful.
Its obviously one thing to focus on the visual aspect of the gig, which is an outstanding array of styles and tropes. A visual shows a creation of puppeteers during World War Z theme Isolated System, before morphing into visuals that depict Bellamy and bassist Chris Wolstenholme as puppets on string during The Handler. For Supermassive Black Hole, the drones orbit the centre-stage like planets orbiting a sun, while encore opener Take a Bow sees the band members lit up against the scrims in orange fire.
As a visual show, it is outstanding, even if taking a misstep with that errant inflatable Reaper, and lacking the conceptual narrative of The Wall tour that Bellamy had as inspiration. London is also at least greeted to it all working properly, as opposed to the inadvertant spectacle in Detroit when the spherical drones fell into the audience. But a high-quality visual extravaganza would be nothing without a performance to match, and Muse are more than capable of living up to it.
Yes, there are a few moments that aren't as good - Starlight maybe a pretty pop song and gets a nice singalong, but it loses something when Bellamy leaves the guitar to auxiliary musician Morgan Nicholls, and the same can also be said when it happens again for the first half of Uprising. It could also be longer, with a shorter set as far as songs played than previous tours and the dubiousness of a 45 minute gap between support and headliner - although long queues getting into the O2 and the assorted last minute checking of all manner of gear may not have helped.
But as for what is performed, there is a top drawer performance. The band give it their all throughout, and there's very little here tonight to keep people bored as far as the musicianship goes. Map of the Problematique surges with throbbing, electro-infused paranoid energy, and is followed up the earth-shaking delights of Absolution duo Hysteria & Time is Running Out.
Even the less heralded moments sparkle, with the pretty piano work of debut album opener Sunburn and throbbing electronics of politician-baiting Take a Bow sounding at home in the set despite not being regulars in the last few years.
Lack of regulars is obviously a major complaint, and while these are good old friends, it is something that Muse can afford to rotate previous big hitters like Bliss, Citizen Erased, Stockholm Syndrome and the rest.
The only other major complaint as well as length is faff - two goes of the choral Drones track, the Isolated System video link, a heavy rock drum & bass jam, a sweeping string and piano intro to Starlight, a JFK monologue - but at the very least, there's very little in the show's 1hr50+ run time that induces boredom.
It all ends in suitably ludicrous fashion, with the pop-rock Mercy surging through the speakers as a veritable hurricane of confetti and streamers rains down on the venue, before the seemingly now-traditional Knights of Cydonia finale brings the curtain down in suitably melodramatic style.
At the end of it all, what is mainly apparent is wondering if this is the culmination of many of Bellamy's prog-rock stage show fantasies, and what, if anything, he may have in mind to try and top this for future tours - indeed, in a recent Q magazine feature, some of Muse's road crew have said he has ideas prepared.
As far a the 2015/16 Drones World Tour goes, this stage production is a two-pronged and impressive attack. Muse could certainly have played for longer, but what they do put on is an excellent show backed by a visual extravaganza that justifies what is no doubt the vast expenditure spent on this undertaking.
It may well be they've reached the end of the prog-rock epic stage show capable of plenty of Spinal Tap-style moments of embarrassment, but if this is the end, then what an end.
7.5/10
Opening for Muse were New York electronic rock band Phantogram, whose set sees core duo of co-vocalists Sarah Barthel and Josh Cartel supported by a second guitarist and live drummer. The intricate mix of electronic melody, spaced out vocals and spindly guitar takes a while to really make itself home in the gargantuan surroundings of The O2, but after a little while, it adjusts, and by the closing rush of When I'm Small, the band look at home, and will have no doubt done themselves a favour in attracted extra fans outside of the States with this slot.
Wednesday, 13 April 2016
Tuesday, 29 March 2016
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - Film Review
In many respects, Batman v Superman is less of a film and more of an unsinkable concept.
This film is high-concept film production in a pure form. The title itself is a high-concept pitting two of the biggest names in superhero-dom into a battle of wits, enough to inspire a frenzied debate on the merits of such a super-heavyweight bout, and sell millions of dollars in advance tickets before opening night.
Sure, the numbers aren't as big as the advance buzz for Star Wars, but such a concept is, in all-likelihood, not sinkable by negative reviews - and there's been more than a few of those - or by rival productions (both superhero & otherwise). It may well be the case this is a film that will need to make at least $625-700million to so much as break even, but the goodwill and interest means its likely to reach that.
As far as a film-plotting exercise, this has to do a lot of work. What this film is basically doing is taking the end to 2013's Man of Steel and putting it towards the creation of a two-part Justice League franchise, and in quicker time than Marvel's background work before its Avengers movies, which saw five movies put out before combining them to take down Tom Hiddleston's Loki.
There's an interesting split in opinion for this one, with some people saying the film is a colossal misfire, and others heralding it as a superb comic book movie. But in real truth, its probably neither.
The basic story of the movie is that it serves backstory to a confrontation between the two heroes, beginning with the building up of the Bat's corner. This is of course done in a more rapid-fire manner than 2005's Batman Begins, featuring the latest killing of Bruce Wayne's parents and his stumbling across the Bat Cave.
After that, which is shot in a super slow-motion style, the main film begins in the shadow of the city-dismantling Man of Steel climax, with Wayne (Ben Affleck) running around trying to save his employees.
This is a rather impressive opening scene, replete with ominous imagery of the collapse of cities similar to disasters, and the reaction to the collateral damage superheroes bring. It also sets in motion Wayne's side in his conflict with Clark Kent's world-saving alter-ego.
Eyebrows were raised when Affleck was given the cape and the cave, but he is a firm presence in the role. His role is a more murkier role than the one occupied by Christian Bale - nevermind the George Clooney one of infamy - and he's perhaps not helped by a bulky & unflattering Batsuit, but he brings a confidence to the role. In a timeframe when Bale has recently said he felt that he didn't get the character right, Affleck looks at home in the role as a bedraggled near end-of-career Bat who has gone somewhat rogue. He's also supported by a high-quality Alfred in Jeremy Irons, who brings sardonic wit in his scenes - even if he appears and disappears throughout as the plot requires.
The film mainly works to build up the Batman, with the scenes taken up by Superman (Henry Cavill) more of a concurrent, but not as resonant, pair. He does a reasonable enough job but isn't given a great deal to do, or a high-quality narrative arc, beyond habitually saving the misfortunate Lois Lane (Amy Adams), who is oddly misused in an almost habitual "damsel in distress" sequence.
Misuse of high calibre acting talent is a recurring criticism, with Laurence Fishburne given a few scenes to slag off Kent's journalism, while Holly Hunter's tough-nut Senator is a good presence but feels like it needs more depth. Indeed, for a 150-minute blockbuster, it often feels like its juggling a lot with its mechanics, and as a result, while the majority of the actors bring high quality roles for their salaries, where and when they appear is another issue.
This is as much a problem for the third wheel of the pre-emptive Justice League, which is scheduled to be launched to the screen in November next year. Gal Gadot shows potential as Wonder Woman, both in spoken voice as Diana Prince, and as the Amazonian warrior queen herself, but we're going to have to wait for her own film to see more. Even so, her role is still more than 3 over "meta-humans", who get MPEG files as their backstory ahead of the next wave of movies.
The obvious exception in performances as far as critics and a lot of fans have seen is that of the baddie. For a lot of people, Jesse Eisenberg was seen as an odd choice to play the businessman Lex Luthor, and certainly disappointed the number of people who felt the role was Bryan Cranston's.
Eisenberg is not terrible - certainly not as much as others have made out. His motivation is also explained, albeit not clearly, as an attempt to prove Man can destroy God, in one of the many quasi-religious symbols this film insists upon - a scene given a real heavy-handed touch when Superman rescues a child from a burning building in Mexico after seeing it on TV at Luthor's party.
Nevertheless, Luthor was re-cast for this from bald capitalist evil to snarky upstart - sort of like Eisenberg's Mark Zuckerberg channelled through the spectrum of Heath Ledger's Joker, and in truth, more of it doesn't work than does.
It may well be possible somewhere in the maelstrom of ideas thrown at the feature by credited screenwriters Chris Terrio & David S. Goyer is something that will give everything the depth and clarity such a film needs. But ultimately, what hinders Batman v Superman is the plotting, which often runs into never-fully explained story tropes, or messy interludes.
In essence, the film is two movies of roughly 75 minutes - one convoluted story, the other a massive elongated fight sequence, although at least unlike Transformers, its fairly clear who's fighting who. But it also feels like more was needed to give the story the strength to match its pretensions. There is plenty of reference and allusion to lofty thematic conceits such as fear, immigration, manipulation of political discourse, rich man's superiority, and dozens of religious metaphors.
However, rather than building these into a whole, it dabbles before moving on to something different. Its not helped by an episodic "let's see what everyone else is doing" approach, and there are further moments when the dialogue takes on almost unintentionally hilarious quality. There's also the sense the production could also have shed the absurd Wayne dream sequences - one of which seems to take on qualities reminiscent of Mad Max, Inception and World War 2 movies - or at the very least one of its many CGI building demolitions.
On a technical level, the biggest star is cinematographer Larry Fong, who brings a great visual palette to the production. The film certainly has an outstanding aesthetic element, even when going for CGI heavy explosions, and fully realises the colours in all of its moods. His work is certainly more nuanced than that of composers Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL, who have seemingly been told to take their usual bombast and turn it to a volume louder than it will go. Such eardrum-bursting is particularly noteworthy on Wonder Woman's theme - all processed guitar and a battering of tribal drums.
It all adds up to an unusual piece of work. The unsinkable concept means it was very unlikely to lose money or fail to attract interest. But with a reported $250million budget to throw at the screen, the writing staff behind the acclaimed Christian Bale Batman movies - all 3 of which were better, it has to be said, even the similarly convoluted CGI heavy mess that was Dark Knight Rises - an excellent Batman, and more high-calibre acting talent, and a director famed for his visual panache backed by the well-admired Christopher Nolan on production duties, it just feels... ok.
No spoilers will be discussed here of an ending that was perhaps the most affecting and interesting part of this exercise. But while it was a film with merit and decent moments, and for all the bombast, it could well have been more than what it transpired to be.
3/5
This film is high-concept film production in a pure form. The title itself is a high-concept pitting two of the biggest names in superhero-dom into a battle of wits, enough to inspire a frenzied debate on the merits of such a super-heavyweight bout, and sell millions of dollars in advance tickets before opening night.
Sure, the numbers aren't as big as the advance buzz for Star Wars, but such a concept is, in all-likelihood, not sinkable by negative reviews - and there's been more than a few of those - or by rival productions (both superhero & otherwise). It may well be the case this is a film that will need to make at least $625-700million to so much as break even, but the goodwill and interest means its likely to reach that.
As far as a film-plotting exercise, this has to do a lot of work. What this film is basically doing is taking the end to 2013's Man of Steel and putting it towards the creation of a two-part Justice League franchise, and in quicker time than Marvel's background work before its Avengers movies, which saw five movies put out before combining them to take down Tom Hiddleston's Loki.
There's an interesting split in opinion for this one, with some people saying the film is a colossal misfire, and others heralding it as a superb comic book movie. But in real truth, its probably neither.
The basic story of the movie is that it serves backstory to a confrontation between the two heroes, beginning with the building up of the Bat's corner. This is of course done in a more rapid-fire manner than 2005's Batman Begins, featuring the latest killing of Bruce Wayne's parents and his stumbling across the Bat Cave.
After that, which is shot in a super slow-motion style, the main film begins in the shadow of the city-dismantling Man of Steel climax, with Wayne (Ben Affleck) running around trying to save his employees.
This is a rather impressive opening scene, replete with ominous imagery of the collapse of cities similar to disasters, and the reaction to the collateral damage superheroes bring. It also sets in motion Wayne's side in his conflict with Clark Kent's world-saving alter-ego.
Eyebrows were raised when Affleck was given the cape and the cave, but he is a firm presence in the role. His role is a more murkier role than the one occupied by Christian Bale - nevermind the George Clooney one of infamy - and he's perhaps not helped by a bulky & unflattering Batsuit, but he brings a confidence to the role. In a timeframe when Bale has recently said he felt that he didn't get the character right, Affleck looks at home in the role as a bedraggled near end-of-career Bat who has gone somewhat rogue. He's also supported by a high-quality Alfred in Jeremy Irons, who brings sardonic wit in his scenes - even if he appears and disappears throughout as the plot requires.
The film mainly works to build up the Batman, with the scenes taken up by Superman (Henry Cavill) more of a concurrent, but not as resonant, pair. He does a reasonable enough job but isn't given a great deal to do, or a high-quality narrative arc, beyond habitually saving the misfortunate Lois Lane (Amy Adams), who is oddly misused in an almost habitual "damsel in distress" sequence.
Misuse of high calibre acting talent is a recurring criticism, with Laurence Fishburne given a few scenes to slag off Kent's journalism, while Holly Hunter's tough-nut Senator is a good presence but feels like it needs more depth. Indeed, for a 150-minute blockbuster, it often feels like its juggling a lot with its mechanics, and as a result, while the majority of the actors bring high quality roles for their salaries, where and when they appear is another issue.
This is as much a problem for the third wheel of the pre-emptive Justice League, which is scheduled to be launched to the screen in November next year. Gal Gadot shows potential as Wonder Woman, both in spoken voice as Diana Prince, and as the Amazonian warrior queen herself, but we're going to have to wait for her own film to see more. Even so, her role is still more than 3 over "meta-humans", who get MPEG files as their backstory ahead of the next wave of movies.
The obvious exception in performances as far as critics and a lot of fans have seen is that of the baddie. For a lot of people, Jesse Eisenberg was seen as an odd choice to play the businessman Lex Luthor, and certainly disappointed the number of people who felt the role was Bryan Cranston's.
Eisenberg is not terrible - certainly not as much as others have made out. His motivation is also explained, albeit not clearly, as an attempt to prove Man can destroy God, in one of the many quasi-religious symbols this film insists upon - a scene given a real heavy-handed touch when Superman rescues a child from a burning building in Mexico after seeing it on TV at Luthor's party.
Nevertheless, Luthor was re-cast for this from bald capitalist evil to snarky upstart - sort of like Eisenberg's Mark Zuckerberg channelled through the spectrum of Heath Ledger's Joker, and in truth, more of it doesn't work than does.
It may well be possible somewhere in the maelstrom of ideas thrown at the feature by credited screenwriters Chris Terrio & David S. Goyer is something that will give everything the depth and clarity such a film needs. But ultimately, what hinders Batman v Superman is the plotting, which often runs into never-fully explained story tropes, or messy interludes.
In essence, the film is two movies of roughly 75 minutes - one convoluted story, the other a massive elongated fight sequence, although at least unlike Transformers, its fairly clear who's fighting who. But it also feels like more was needed to give the story the strength to match its pretensions. There is plenty of reference and allusion to lofty thematic conceits such as fear, immigration, manipulation of political discourse, rich man's superiority, and dozens of religious metaphors.
However, rather than building these into a whole, it dabbles before moving on to something different. Its not helped by an episodic "let's see what everyone else is doing" approach, and there are further moments when the dialogue takes on almost unintentionally hilarious quality. There's also the sense the production could also have shed the absurd Wayne dream sequences - one of which seems to take on qualities reminiscent of Mad Max, Inception and World War 2 movies - or at the very least one of its many CGI building demolitions.
On a technical level, the biggest star is cinematographer Larry Fong, who brings a great visual palette to the production. The film certainly has an outstanding aesthetic element, even when going for CGI heavy explosions, and fully realises the colours in all of its moods. His work is certainly more nuanced than that of composers Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL, who have seemingly been told to take their usual bombast and turn it to a volume louder than it will go. Such eardrum-bursting is particularly noteworthy on Wonder Woman's theme - all processed guitar and a battering of tribal drums.
It all adds up to an unusual piece of work. The unsinkable concept means it was very unlikely to lose money or fail to attract interest. But with a reported $250million budget to throw at the screen, the writing staff behind the acclaimed Christian Bale Batman movies - all 3 of which were better, it has to be said, even the similarly convoluted CGI heavy mess that was Dark Knight Rises - an excellent Batman, and more high-calibre acting talent, and a director famed for his visual panache backed by the well-admired Christopher Nolan on production duties, it just feels... ok.
No spoilers will be discussed here of an ending that was perhaps the most affecting and interesting part of this exercise. But while it was a film with merit and decent moments, and for all the bombast, it could well have been more than what it transpired to be.
3/5
Thursday, 18 February 2016
Foals at Wembley Arena - Gig Review
When it was announced Foals would be headlining Reading & Leeds Festivals - or rather co-headlining with Disclosure - there were many eyebrows raised.
Sure, there were equally as many who saw the rise of the Oxford five-piece into such lofty rock real estate as overdue, and a refreshing change from the usual names who headline these events. But they were equally as many who seemed to wonder if it was still too soon, and not least given the band is still yet to get a Number One album on the UK album charts.
Nevertheless, four albums in and with a long list of sing-a-longs in their favour, the band are now breaking into the arena rock circuit. Fresh of taking their production to several other of the UK's big indoor halls, an arrival at Wembley Arena had the air of being a very big deal.
Yet while Foals make no special setlist changes just with it being Wembley - no Hummer, for one - the band look genuinely amazed to be here. Certainly, this is reflected when frontman Yannis Philippakis introduces oldie Balloons by remarking how the band went from Oxford house parties in 2006/07 to selling out 12,000+ tickets to this shindig.
The band certainly begin with confidence. Opener Snake Oil is a snarling beast that starts with just synths and syncopated percussive loops, before drummer Jack Bevan wanders onto the stage and replaces the loops with drums, and the rest of the band then join in to knock out the swaggering rock riffs.
Things keep going from there. Olympic Airways shimmers, with the high guitars and staccato drumwork that dominated the band's early work and lead to their math-rock tag, while third track My Number is the cue for moshpits, and is thrust forward on every note of Walter Gervers' throbbing bassline.
An outsider wandering in could mistake Foals for a band who have been in this circuit for longer, as their soundscape comfortably fills the arena while not compromising the intricacies of the music and the band have a tightly-knit feel. The newer Mountain At My Gates is a huge beast filled with a mix of intricate and pummeling guitars, plus a long line of choruses instead of verses, while video screens hover and monitor above the band's heads and lasers search out the back row.
There may be the odd pacing issue - while Birch Tree and Give It All are pleasant listens that translate very well live, they probably could've gone later than fourth and fifth, and after My Number - but the band for the most part get it right. Mountain... gives way to Balloons, the snarling but bouncy Providence, and the understated beauty of Spanish Sahara, and the crowd eats it up.
The morph from Spanish Sahara to the spindly Red Socks Pugie is also played with an almost sheer-effortlessness, and such coherence is also a plus point in favour of the suggestion the band is ready to do the big festival slots.
Its a compelling view, and the end of the main set brings it to primacy, with the tumbling singalong of "What Went Down" closer A Knife in the Ocean then followed up by Inhaler. The latter's surging riffs, and extended outro is the cue for bedlam in the rows immediately up front, who pogo as if their lives depend on it, while it also generates the night's biggest singalong.
For some bands, ending with such a large ending would be the cue for an exit for good, but after a brief respite, the band return for a three song encore. It begins with the subtle piano-led London Thunder, then morphs into the pummelling riffs of What Went Down itself.
An extended Two Steps Twice - during which Yannis jumps in the crowd for the sixth time of the gig, and this time with added crowdsurf - brings the curtain down on the night. For some, this might be played out, given Foals have been closing most of their gigs with this one since their first album Antidotes appeared. But it defiantly works as closer, and is seen off with a huge blast of ticket tape and streamers that (mostly) get stuck in the roof of the venue.
At the end of all, the main conclusion to be drawn is that Foals put on an excellent ride of a gig, and contrary to the negative opinion of some, the band are very much at home in the big roles. For a band on their first arena tour, they look at home and fill the space massively effectively.
As Philippakis waves goodbye by saying "we should do it again sometime" and engage in a guitar duel with the rhythm guitarist Jimmy Smith, presumably the next step is to conquer more of the shows on their tour itinerary. If the A-game comes to Reading and Leeds in August, the doubters will be very much eating their words.
4/5
Sure, there were equally as many who saw the rise of the Oxford five-piece into such lofty rock real estate as overdue, and a refreshing change from the usual names who headline these events. But they were equally as many who seemed to wonder if it was still too soon, and not least given the band is still yet to get a Number One album on the UK album charts.
Nevertheless, four albums in and with a long list of sing-a-longs in their favour, the band are now breaking into the arena rock circuit. Fresh of taking their production to several other of the UK's big indoor halls, an arrival at Wembley Arena had the air of being a very big deal.
Yet while Foals make no special setlist changes just with it being Wembley - no Hummer, for one - the band look genuinely amazed to be here. Certainly, this is reflected when frontman Yannis Philippakis introduces oldie Balloons by remarking how the band went from Oxford house parties in 2006/07 to selling out 12,000+ tickets to this shindig.
The band certainly begin with confidence. Opener Snake Oil is a snarling beast that starts with just synths and syncopated percussive loops, before drummer Jack Bevan wanders onto the stage and replaces the loops with drums, and the rest of the band then join in to knock out the swaggering rock riffs.
Things keep going from there. Olympic Airways shimmers, with the high guitars and staccato drumwork that dominated the band's early work and lead to their math-rock tag, while third track My Number is the cue for moshpits, and is thrust forward on every note of Walter Gervers' throbbing bassline.
An outsider wandering in could mistake Foals for a band who have been in this circuit for longer, as their soundscape comfortably fills the arena while not compromising the intricacies of the music and the band have a tightly-knit feel. The newer Mountain At My Gates is a huge beast filled with a mix of intricate and pummeling guitars, plus a long line of choruses instead of verses, while video screens hover and monitor above the band's heads and lasers search out the back row.
There may be the odd pacing issue - while Birch Tree and Give It All are pleasant listens that translate very well live, they probably could've gone later than fourth and fifth, and after My Number - but the band for the most part get it right. Mountain... gives way to Balloons, the snarling but bouncy Providence, and the understated beauty of Spanish Sahara, and the crowd eats it up.
The morph from Spanish Sahara to the spindly Red Socks Pugie is also played with an almost sheer-effortlessness, and such coherence is also a plus point in favour of the suggestion the band is ready to do the big festival slots.
Its a compelling view, and the end of the main set brings it to primacy, with the tumbling singalong of "What Went Down" closer A Knife in the Ocean then followed up by Inhaler. The latter's surging riffs, and extended outro is the cue for bedlam in the rows immediately up front, who pogo as if their lives depend on it, while it also generates the night's biggest singalong.
For some bands, ending with such a large ending would be the cue for an exit for good, but after a brief respite, the band return for a three song encore. It begins with the subtle piano-led London Thunder, then morphs into the pummelling riffs of What Went Down itself.
An extended Two Steps Twice - during which Yannis jumps in the crowd for the sixth time of the gig, and this time with added crowdsurf - brings the curtain down on the night. For some, this might be played out, given Foals have been closing most of their gigs with this one since their first album Antidotes appeared. But it defiantly works as closer, and is seen off with a huge blast of ticket tape and streamers that (mostly) get stuck in the roof of the venue.
At the end of all, the main conclusion to be drawn is that Foals put on an excellent ride of a gig, and contrary to the negative opinion of some, the band are very much at home in the big roles. For a band on their first arena tour, they look at home and fill the space massively effectively.
As Philippakis waves goodbye by saying "we should do it again sometime" and engage in a guitar duel with the rhythm guitarist Jimmy Smith, presumably the next step is to conquer more of the shows on their tour itinerary. If the A-game comes to Reading and Leeds in August, the doubters will be very much eating their words.
4/5
Monday, 26 October 2015
U2 at the O2 Arena - Live Review
FOR many bands, a crowd of 20,000 packing the O2 Arena for them is a sign of big things.
Indeed, when Las Vegas band Imagine Dragons turn up for a two night residency on November 4th and 5th, this will represent a big moment in their career trajectory, much as it has done for many bands to have rocked up at the tent with its inconsistent acoustics.
For the band here before the Vegassians, their first show of their current residency also represents their first visit to this corner of London. But its safe to say U2's career trajectory has taken them to bigger steps than their six night residency here.
The band's last full tour concert in the UK's capital was in August 2009, when they packed a record-breaking crowd into Wembley Stadium to gawp at their stadium-dwarfing 360 Claw. Here, the toys on display when the crowd arrives - no thanks to technical difficulties that meant people were still getting in after the show started - are seen as a two-sided video wall, and a solitary light-bulb.
A dash before 8pm, the show begins when Bono comes out the back of the venue and onto the smaller stage in the middle of the O2, where he applauds the crowd before chanting the opening "wooahoh" that opens The Miracle (of Joey Ramone) to a piano backing.
The rest of the band then pile in, but in truth, the song lacks a certain power as a concert opener. While some could call it fatigue of the band's comically hated Songs of Innocence and its controversial launch, the song doesn't exactly sparkle.
But before fears could be the band has lost their live chops, they then go for it. A rousing rendition of 1980's The Electric Co then gives way to a rousing Vertigo, and then that itself leads straight into the band's rousing early single I Will Follow.
That is certainly much more like it. But the show then takes a curious turn for the autobiographical through the new stuff. It could well be the case that for a band now some 39 years into their career, some would take them as a toilet break, but the tracks introduce an impressive dimension to the gig.
In many respects, the songs soon turn into confessional therapy for the band's frontman. The soaring Iris (Hold Me Close) sees the video wall flicker on with home movies of Bono's long-lost mother, who died when he was 14, while following track Cedarwood Road brings out the show-stopper moment, as Bono climbs inside the video wall and walks down an animated recreation of his home street.
The trend continues, with Song for Someone showing an animation of an 18-year-old Bono trying to write music. But what's more striking is the fact that despite the hit-and-miss nature of the record, the new songs sound very much alive in the gigantic canvas tent - quite an achievement given the nature of the room.
The detour to something of U2's older hits is a stripped down Sunday Bloody Sunday, which sees The Edge's guitar shorn of its usual effects pedals, and Larry Mullen Jr emerge from his kit to tap away on a lap-snare on the runway in the middle of the stadium. But the end is the most striking part, given it ends in '70s radio broadcasts and the almighty sounds of a car exploding.
This cascades into a pulsing Raised by Wolves, which end in cries to bring to justice the perpetrators of the 1974 Dublin bombing. It then heads into a titanic rendition of Until the End of the World, which sees trickery with the screen as Edge stands inside it, before it ends in cartoon waves while pages of books fall from the sky above the moshpit.
Screen trickery continues, as after an intermission video recalling the Zoo TV days synced to a remix of The Fly, the band re-emerge inside Berlin Wall styled-graphics to perform first Invisible and then the first half of Even Better Than The Real Thing.
The second half of the funked-up monster sees the band move to the smaller stage en masse, where they continue through a punchy one-two of Mysterious Ways and Elevation. The latter two see an audience member bought on stage, first to dance, and then to hold a phone to live stream the second song on Meerkat.
But much more stripped away to good affect is a very nice rendition of Every Breaking Wave, with just piano and vocals. This cascades into a section on the current crises on Europe's borders, which takes in sombre drone footage of deserted and destroyed Syrian cities during October, footage of refugees, extremists, and protests in a powerful Bullet the Blue Sky, and a sombre stripped-down Zooropa, which gives poignant synth backing to the song's lyrics of uncertainty.
While Bullet... is mainly dominated by the song's still relevant anti-war rant being replaced by an argument between 19-year-old Bono and the millionaire he grew into, the section does make some form of narrative sense. It particularly rings true when the sombre synths and cries of "what do you want?" segue into the classic Where the Streets Have No Name, and a still-enormous Pride (in the Name of Love).
In many respects, despite an initial misstep, the band's performance demonstrated that nearly some four decades on from when they first started playing music, the band's style still works. Mullen's drum work retains its tribal power, while Adam Clayton - very much U2's under-the-radar man - provides a titanic wall of bass that sweeps all before it, and the Edge's continuous attention to detail sees him ring out guitar lines with a simple but well-harnessed power.
Sure, the show ends a little anti-climactically in the form of a rendition of One used more as audience karaoke than traditional show-stopper. And there's a long long list of omissions that would've made the show better, although such is the catalogue they amassed that U2 can omit Bad, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, Running to Stand Still, Desire, Out of Control, Love is Blindness, and pretty much everything between 1991 and 2000.
But at the heart of it, U2 remain an excellent proposition live, and one that can even make a space like the O2 feel for 2 and a quarter hours like the venue its proprietors think it is. Indeed, with six nights here as part of their UK tour, the band is certainly doing well at reminding people of its powers, albeit this time with their permission.
4/5
Indeed, when Las Vegas band Imagine Dragons turn up for a two night residency on November 4th and 5th, this will represent a big moment in their career trajectory, much as it has done for many bands to have rocked up at the tent with its inconsistent acoustics.
For the band here before the Vegassians, their first show of their current residency also represents their first visit to this corner of London. But its safe to say U2's career trajectory has taken them to bigger steps than their six night residency here.
The band's last full tour concert in the UK's capital was in August 2009, when they packed a record-breaking crowd into Wembley Stadium to gawp at their stadium-dwarfing 360 Claw. Here, the toys on display when the crowd arrives - no thanks to technical difficulties that meant people were still getting in after the show started - are seen as a two-sided video wall, and a solitary light-bulb.
A dash before 8pm, the show begins when Bono comes out the back of the venue and onto the smaller stage in the middle of the O2, where he applauds the crowd before chanting the opening "wooahoh" that opens The Miracle (of Joey Ramone) to a piano backing.
The rest of the band then pile in, but in truth, the song lacks a certain power as a concert opener. While some could call it fatigue of the band's comically hated Songs of Innocence and its controversial launch, the song doesn't exactly sparkle.
But before fears could be the band has lost their live chops, they then go for it. A rousing rendition of 1980's The Electric Co then gives way to a rousing Vertigo, and then that itself leads straight into the band's rousing early single I Will Follow.
That is certainly much more like it. But the show then takes a curious turn for the autobiographical through the new stuff. It could well be the case that for a band now some 39 years into their career, some would take them as a toilet break, but the tracks introduce an impressive dimension to the gig.
In many respects, the songs soon turn into confessional therapy for the band's frontman. The soaring Iris (Hold Me Close) sees the video wall flicker on with home movies of Bono's long-lost mother, who died when he was 14, while following track Cedarwood Road brings out the show-stopper moment, as Bono climbs inside the video wall and walks down an animated recreation of his home street.
The trend continues, with Song for Someone showing an animation of an 18-year-old Bono trying to write music. But what's more striking is the fact that despite the hit-and-miss nature of the record, the new songs sound very much alive in the gigantic canvas tent - quite an achievement given the nature of the room.
The detour to something of U2's older hits is a stripped down Sunday Bloody Sunday, which sees The Edge's guitar shorn of its usual effects pedals, and Larry Mullen Jr emerge from his kit to tap away on a lap-snare on the runway in the middle of the stadium. But the end is the most striking part, given it ends in '70s radio broadcasts and the almighty sounds of a car exploding.
This cascades into a pulsing Raised by Wolves, which end in cries to bring to justice the perpetrators of the 1974 Dublin bombing. It then heads into a titanic rendition of Until the End of the World, which sees trickery with the screen as Edge stands inside it, before it ends in cartoon waves while pages of books fall from the sky above the moshpit.
Screen trickery continues, as after an intermission video recalling the Zoo TV days synced to a remix of The Fly, the band re-emerge inside Berlin Wall styled-graphics to perform first Invisible and then the first half of Even Better Than The Real Thing.
The second half of the funked-up monster sees the band move to the smaller stage en masse, where they continue through a punchy one-two of Mysterious Ways and Elevation. The latter two see an audience member bought on stage, first to dance, and then to hold a phone to live stream the second song on Meerkat.
But much more stripped away to good affect is a very nice rendition of Every Breaking Wave, with just piano and vocals. This cascades into a section on the current crises on Europe's borders, which takes in sombre drone footage of deserted and destroyed Syrian cities during October, footage of refugees, extremists, and protests in a powerful Bullet the Blue Sky, and a sombre stripped-down Zooropa, which gives poignant synth backing to the song's lyrics of uncertainty.
While Bullet... is mainly dominated by the song's still relevant anti-war rant being replaced by an argument between 19-year-old Bono and the millionaire he grew into, the section does make some form of narrative sense. It particularly rings true when the sombre synths and cries of "what do you want?" segue into the classic Where the Streets Have No Name, and a still-enormous Pride (in the Name of Love).
In many respects, despite an initial misstep, the band's performance demonstrated that nearly some four decades on from when they first started playing music, the band's style still works. Mullen's drum work retains its tribal power, while Adam Clayton - very much U2's under-the-radar man - provides a titanic wall of bass that sweeps all before it, and the Edge's continuous attention to detail sees him ring out guitar lines with a simple but well-harnessed power.
Sure, the show ends a little anti-climactically in the form of a rendition of One used more as audience karaoke than traditional show-stopper. And there's a long long list of omissions that would've made the show better, although such is the catalogue they amassed that U2 can omit Bad, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, Running to Stand Still, Desire, Out of Control, Love is Blindness, and pretty much everything between 1991 and 2000.
But at the heart of it, U2 remain an excellent proposition live, and one that can even make a space like the O2 feel for 2 and a quarter hours like the venue its proprietors think it is. Indeed, with six nights here as part of their UK tour, the band is certainly doing well at reminding people of its powers, albeit this time with their permission.
4/5
Friday, 25 September 2015
Florence and the Machine at Alexandra Palace - Live Review
SO far, Florence and the Machine's 2015 has had a lot defined by broken limbs.
The band made its big return to the live stage at Coachella back in April, but the gig is mainly remembered for singer Florence Welch breaking her foot and having to do the following month of shows on a stool.
In some respects, a lot of people picked up on it as suiting the art. Welch had said that there was a lot of rough experiences in the gap between the end of the Ceremonials Tour and the writing of the new album, and the new LP was restrained in comparison with the first two. This lead to some saying the stripped down live shows with Welch sitting on a stool - despite being forced - suited the material.
Welch recovered in time for the summer festivals, but a different broken limb - that of Dave Grohl's leg - got the band bumped up into major UK music real estate. Florence and the Machine were initially scheduled to sub-headline Grohl's Foo Fighters on the opening night at Glastonbury, but were given the headline gig.
This has catapulted a band many held up before as good live into supernova territory, and at the same time the new album How Big How Blue How Beautiful became a chart-topper in both the UK and the USA.
Having achieved this feat, this consequent UK tour is something of a victory lap, culminating in a four night residency at Alexandra Palace. But there's no slowing down. The menacing opener What The Water Gave Me is began by an immensely assembled backing band, which includes the signature harp player, 2 keyboardists, 2 backing vocalists and a 3-piece choir/brass section. Before her cue begins, Welch jumps out from the row between the crowd and stage and races across the stage in front of a shimmery mirror-like background, before dropping in a vocal without missing a beat.
The backing band is certainly in powerful fashion, and provides an adept backing through all the respective guises. After the opener, the spry acoustic-led Ship to Wreck is confidently put forward, before a slightly re-worked version of Shake It Out emerges.
Before that one kicked off, Welch urged the crowd to "be our choir", and the sell-out London crowd rises to the challenge. They fill the room with their voices with gusto, much to Welch's delight, and it helps gives the gig a sense of being a mighty event from the very off.
Barefoot and seemingly chased by the mane of bright orange hair that adorns her head, Welch has a stage routine down and a confidently done sunter. During Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up) - itself a rabble-rousing anthem to follow the opening trio, and the first debut album cut - Welch urges crowd members to jump on someone else's shoulders.
Then comes the dive into the photographers pit, and a little bit of singing while basically on the crowd control barrier. It maybe conventional of a rock troupe to try and break down the barriers by jumping into the crowd, but its an impressive feat Welch manages not to miss a note while doing this, and while collecting a crown of roses from the crowd to wear for a bit.
In some respects, the new album was something of a way for Welch to show a versatile range, which is shown on the more restrained likes of the subtle-but-powerful title track and the sparse Long & Lost. But a very lovely moment vocally is a stripped back rendition of early track Cosmic Love, which allows Welch's voice to soar and shimmer alongside the restrained pairing of a 12-string acoustic and a harp.
For the most part the new album tracks are greeted and performed like classic anthems, and even get greeted by singalongs. A lot of them certainly shine, with a one-two of Third Eye and Delilah standing firm and strong in the arena environment.
Naturally, its the hits that get the big attention. The middle of the set sees the standard cover of You've Got The Love get a hearty singalong, but its the disco thump of number one hit Spectrum that gets the room bouncing and singing their hearts out like their lives depend on it.
This is a direct lead into Dog Days Are Over - still arguably the finest harp-rock track of recent years - which closes the main set with a mighty thump. Its also accompanied by Welch urging the crowd to hug one another, and then remove items of clothing. It maybe rehearsed, sure, but it gets the crowd involved, and it doesn't let up a manic groove.
In some respects, the slightly longer gap between the end of the main set and the encore is a necessary chill period both for crowd and performer. But the re-emergence for the final songs is a grand one, with the bleak synths of What Kind of Man building into its earworm riff and chorus of scorned cries, before ending with Welch collapsing onto the stage floor.
There is still time after that for one final run through of Drumming Song, which brings the night to a suitably large conclusion.
Its safe to say that the third album has catapulted Florence and the Machine into the stratosphere. Sure, their live sets may not contain a space for the earlier singles like No Light No Light or Kiss with a Fist, but this is a well-honed touring... er, machine operating at the top of its game, and has the live shows to match the big guns.
It'll be exciting to see where they go from here.
4/5
Acoustic sister choiral-folk sister trio The Staves is, at first glance, a somewhat unusual choice as opener. Their more relaxed folksy stylings have gained momentum in the pop charts of late, which was reflected by a healthy portion of the crowd coming in early to see them. Impressively and somewhat bravely, they open with the three sharing a central mic and singing an acapella ballad. Its an interestingly different direction to what the main event musically provide, but they provide a pleasing set nevertheless.
The band made its big return to the live stage at Coachella back in April, but the gig is mainly remembered for singer Florence Welch breaking her foot and having to do the following month of shows on a stool.
In some respects, a lot of people picked up on it as suiting the art. Welch had said that there was a lot of rough experiences in the gap between the end of the Ceremonials Tour and the writing of the new album, and the new LP was restrained in comparison with the first two. This lead to some saying the stripped down live shows with Welch sitting on a stool - despite being forced - suited the material.
Welch recovered in time for the summer festivals, but a different broken limb - that of Dave Grohl's leg - got the band bumped up into major UK music real estate. Florence and the Machine were initially scheduled to sub-headline Grohl's Foo Fighters on the opening night at Glastonbury, but were given the headline gig.
This has catapulted a band many held up before as good live into supernova territory, and at the same time the new album How Big How Blue How Beautiful became a chart-topper in both the UK and the USA.
Having achieved this feat, this consequent UK tour is something of a victory lap, culminating in a four night residency at Alexandra Palace. But there's no slowing down. The menacing opener What The Water Gave Me is began by an immensely assembled backing band, which includes the signature harp player, 2 keyboardists, 2 backing vocalists and a 3-piece choir/brass section. Before her cue begins, Welch jumps out from the row between the crowd and stage and races across the stage in front of a shimmery mirror-like background, before dropping in a vocal without missing a beat.
The backing band is certainly in powerful fashion, and provides an adept backing through all the respective guises. After the opener, the spry acoustic-led Ship to Wreck is confidently put forward, before a slightly re-worked version of Shake It Out emerges.
Before that one kicked off, Welch urged the crowd to "be our choir", and the sell-out London crowd rises to the challenge. They fill the room with their voices with gusto, much to Welch's delight, and it helps gives the gig a sense of being a mighty event from the very off.
Barefoot and seemingly chased by the mane of bright orange hair that adorns her head, Welch has a stage routine down and a confidently done sunter. During Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up) - itself a rabble-rousing anthem to follow the opening trio, and the first debut album cut - Welch urges crowd members to jump on someone else's shoulders.
Then comes the dive into the photographers pit, and a little bit of singing while basically on the crowd control barrier. It maybe conventional of a rock troupe to try and break down the barriers by jumping into the crowd, but its an impressive feat Welch manages not to miss a note while doing this, and while collecting a crown of roses from the crowd to wear for a bit.
In some respects, the new album was something of a way for Welch to show a versatile range, which is shown on the more restrained likes of the subtle-but-powerful title track and the sparse Long & Lost. But a very lovely moment vocally is a stripped back rendition of early track Cosmic Love, which allows Welch's voice to soar and shimmer alongside the restrained pairing of a 12-string acoustic and a harp.
For the most part the new album tracks are greeted and performed like classic anthems, and even get greeted by singalongs. A lot of them certainly shine, with a one-two of Third Eye and Delilah standing firm and strong in the arena environment.
Naturally, its the hits that get the big attention. The middle of the set sees the standard cover of You've Got The Love get a hearty singalong, but its the disco thump of number one hit Spectrum that gets the room bouncing and singing their hearts out like their lives depend on it.
This is a direct lead into Dog Days Are Over - still arguably the finest harp-rock track of recent years - which closes the main set with a mighty thump. Its also accompanied by Welch urging the crowd to hug one another, and then remove items of clothing. It maybe rehearsed, sure, but it gets the crowd involved, and it doesn't let up a manic groove.
In some respects, the slightly longer gap between the end of the main set and the encore is a necessary chill period both for crowd and performer. But the re-emergence for the final songs is a grand one, with the bleak synths of What Kind of Man building into its earworm riff and chorus of scorned cries, before ending with Welch collapsing onto the stage floor.
There is still time after that for one final run through of Drumming Song, which brings the night to a suitably large conclusion.
Its safe to say that the third album has catapulted Florence and the Machine into the stratosphere. Sure, their live sets may not contain a space for the earlier singles like No Light No Light or Kiss with a Fist, but this is a well-honed touring... er, machine operating at the top of its game, and has the live shows to match the big guns.
It'll be exciting to see where they go from here.
4/5
Acoustic sister choiral-folk sister trio The Staves is, at first glance, a somewhat unusual choice as opener. Their more relaxed folksy stylings have gained momentum in the pop charts of late, which was reflected by a healthy portion of the crowd coming in early to see them. Impressively and somewhat bravely, they open with the three sharing a central mic and singing an acapella ballad. Its an interestingly different direction to what the main event musically provide, but they provide a pleasing set nevertheless.
Thursday, 6 August 2015
Newcastle United Season Preview 2015/16
It was fairly clear that something has had to change at Newcastle United.
Last season was an absolute disaster, with the team opening with no wins in the first eight league matches, and ending with a run of eight straight defeats as part of a greater run of 11 defeats in the final 13 games.
Big changes have been made off the field, with owner Mike Ashley saying he is in the helm for the long term and he wants success. Seemingly this is a change of heart from his publicly perceived ambition of harvesting the cash, although given Newcastle spent around £45million last year, its not as if he hasn't been that afraid of spending before.
Nevertheless, a new management team has been installed, while high ticket players have been purchased at a total cost of over £30million. More should be targeted, but a quick integration may negate the need.
Knowing what the results will be is a challenge given Newcastle make their lives out of unpredictability. After all (more or less) the same squad contrived to follow 5th place in 2012 with 16th and a relegation near-miss a year later.
Nevertheless, as an attempt to speculate the Mag's direction, here goes nothing.
What Would Be A Great Season?: Making good on the noises that Newcastle United are targeting a top 8 position in the Premier League, and a trophy run. Even better would be a run like in 2011/12, even if that's perhaps unlikely.
What Would Be A Horrible Season?: The defensive issues resurface, leading to a limp in form and yet more relegation dangers and/or consistent defeats.
What's The Likelier Outcome?: Had it not been for a cataclysmic run of eight defeats in a row, Newcastle would have most likely finished midtable, and that seems a fairer bet than either extreme. Or at least should - predicting anything related to Newcastle can be a fallacy.
Key Player: Georgino Wijnaldum. The Dutch league Player of the Year was the club's first signing of the summer, with £14.5million pocketed by Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven. The attacking midfielder looks like being a key option, and has had a lively pre-season. The hope is that he can provide some attacking energy and impetus.
Needs To Improve: Once again, question marks have to be raised on Newcastle's defenders. Only relegated QPR conceded more than the Magpies' 63 concessions last year, and with Newcastle only keeping two clean sheets in pre-season, its fairly clearly that more has to be done to tighten up the back.
Will Be Missed: Jonas Gutierrez. The Argentine was seemingly on a single-minded mission to keep Newcastle in the league on the final game of last season, with his all-action display yielding an assist and a goal. Plenty of those who coasted through the second half of the campaign could learn a lesson from him.
Good That He's Still Here: Ayoze Perez had been linked with moves away after a fantastic first campaign on Tyneside. The youngster will be a great asset in the future for Newcastle, and it will be exciting to watch him progress.
Why Is He Still Here: Mike Ashley is the obvious one, but bodging him is unlikely to happen for the moment. In terms of players, there is a wide playing field. The utterly inept Mike Williamson, aimless Yoan Gouffran and hopeless Emmanuel Riviere lead the way in the awful stakes. Questions can also be raised over other performs, be it captain Fabricio Coloccini, wantaway midfielder Moussa Sissoko, ball-donater Chieck Tiote, injury-prone Steven Taylor and even last year's top scorer Papiss Cisse, who is out of contract in May and missed 10 games last year through unnecessary suspensions.
Incoming: As well as the new face of Steve McClaren in the dugout and a whole new backroom team, Newcastle have been active in the transfer maket. Only 3 players have moved to the North East, but big fees have been spent. At £14.5million, Wijnaldum is the third most expensive purchase in the team's history, and the priciest that isn't an England international striker. The midfielder is no doubt key to the attack strategy. A big fee has also been spent on Alexsandar Mitrovic, who moves from Anderlecht for £13.5million. The Serbian striker arrives with a big reputation for goalscorer and lunacy, and will be interesting to watch. Also moving from the Belgian capital to the North East is Congolese defender Chancel Mbemba, who is an £8.5million capture. Northampton youngster Ivan Toney has also joined, although he will presumably be in the development squad for now.
Outgoing: The big out was Jonas, who was released less than a month after his heroics. Also leaving on a free is Ryan Taylor, who had spent most of the time out with injury since 2012. Taylor joins Championship side Hull City. Davide Santon has made his loan at Inter Milan permanent, while highly rated on FM young'uns Adam Campbell and Remie Streete are released. John Carver and Steve Stone - widely regarded as the architects of the awful form that nearly relegated the Toon - are also gone.
The Manager: Steve McClaren is the new Newcastle manager, having previously turned down the Mags three times last season. This has been seen by some fans of Derby County as providing a distraction that ultimately cost them promotion last year under McClaren.
Something To Keep From Last Year: In all truth, nothing.
Something To Improve: The hideous excuse of a defensive unit.
Pre-Season:
Gateshead (A) 2-1 win
Club Atlas (Milwaukee) 2-1 defeat
Sacramento Republic (A) 1-0 win
Portland Timbers 2 (A) 4-3 defeat
Sheffield United (A) 2-2 draw
York City (A) 2-1 defeat
Borussia Monchengladbach (A) 1-0 defeat
A Word On The New Kits: The new home strip was unveiled shortly before the decisive game with West Ham on the final day of last season. Like a number of Puma kits unveiled this summer, its aesthetically poor, with the worst part being blue lines over the black stripes in the same colour as the (outdated) wonga logo. Poor effort. The away kit is in Puma's diamond design, with a white/grey main colour and blue detailing, while the third kit is a dark blue number with a broken sash that is one half pink and one half white. A word also on the training wear, which is pretty hideous.
Personal Starting XI:
Krul - Janmaat, Mbemba, Taylor, Haidara - Sissoko, Colback - Wijnaldum, de Jong/Cisse, Aarons - Mitrovic
Likely Starting XI:
Krul - Janmaat, Mbemba, Coloccini, Dummett - Tiote, Colback - Sissoko, de Jong, Wijnaldum - Mitrovic
So, the all important final question...
Where Will We Finish?
McClaren and the players have been making noises about a top 8 league spot and a cup run, possibly a trophy. The latter might be achievable - Capital One Cup Quarter Finals reached last night, while the FA Cup is a trophy Newcastle are overdue a tilt at. The league however is an odd one, given eight teams fancy themselves in the "best behind the top 6" spot. Newcastle can easily beat and lose to many of these squads, and in truth, a middle of the road spot seems likely enough.
Last season was an absolute disaster, with the team opening with no wins in the first eight league matches, and ending with a run of eight straight defeats as part of a greater run of 11 defeats in the final 13 games.
Big changes have been made off the field, with owner Mike Ashley saying he is in the helm for the long term and he wants success. Seemingly this is a change of heart from his publicly perceived ambition of harvesting the cash, although given Newcastle spent around £45million last year, its not as if he hasn't been that afraid of spending before.
Nevertheless, a new management team has been installed, while high ticket players have been purchased at a total cost of over £30million. More should be targeted, but a quick integration may negate the need.
Knowing what the results will be is a challenge given Newcastle make their lives out of unpredictability. After all (more or less) the same squad contrived to follow 5th place in 2012 with 16th and a relegation near-miss a year later.
Nevertheless, as an attempt to speculate the Mag's direction, here goes nothing.
What Would Be A Great Season?: Making good on the noises that Newcastle United are targeting a top 8 position in the Premier League, and a trophy run. Even better would be a run like in 2011/12, even if that's perhaps unlikely.
What Would Be A Horrible Season?: The defensive issues resurface, leading to a limp in form and yet more relegation dangers and/or consistent defeats.
What's The Likelier Outcome?: Had it not been for a cataclysmic run of eight defeats in a row, Newcastle would have most likely finished midtable, and that seems a fairer bet than either extreme. Or at least should - predicting anything related to Newcastle can be a fallacy.
Key Player: Georgino Wijnaldum. The Dutch league Player of the Year was the club's first signing of the summer, with £14.5million pocketed by Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven. The attacking midfielder looks like being a key option, and has had a lively pre-season. The hope is that he can provide some attacking energy and impetus.
Needs To Improve: Once again, question marks have to be raised on Newcastle's defenders. Only relegated QPR conceded more than the Magpies' 63 concessions last year, and with Newcastle only keeping two clean sheets in pre-season, its fairly clearly that more has to be done to tighten up the back.
Will Be Missed: Jonas Gutierrez. The Argentine was seemingly on a single-minded mission to keep Newcastle in the league on the final game of last season, with his all-action display yielding an assist and a goal. Plenty of those who coasted through the second half of the campaign could learn a lesson from him.
Good That He's Still Here: Ayoze Perez had been linked with moves away after a fantastic first campaign on Tyneside. The youngster will be a great asset in the future for Newcastle, and it will be exciting to watch him progress.
Why Is He Still Here: Mike Ashley is the obvious one, but bodging him is unlikely to happen for the moment. In terms of players, there is a wide playing field. The utterly inept Mike Williamson, aimless Yoan Gouffran and hopeless Emmanuel Riviere lead the way in the awful stakes. Questions can also be raised over other performs, be it captain Fabricio Coloccini, wantaway midfielder Moussa Sissoko, ball-donater Chieck Tiote, injury-prone Steven Taylor and even last year's top scorer Papiss Cisse, who is out of contract in May and missed 10 games last year through unnecessary suspensions.
Incoming: As well as the new face of Steve McClaren in the dugout and a whole new backroom team, Newcastle have been active in the transfer maket. Only 3 players have moved to the North East, but big fees have been spent. At £14.5million, Wijnaldum is the third most expensive purchase in the team's history, and the priciest that isn't an England international striker. The midfielder is no doubt key to the attack strategy. A big fee has also been spent on Alexsandar Mitrovic, who moves from Anderlecht for £13.5million. The Serbian striker arrives with a big reputation for goalscorer and lunacy, and will be interesting to watch. Also moving from the Belgian capital to the North East is Congolese defender Chancel Mbemba, who is an £8.5million capture. Northampton youngster Ivan Toney has also joined, although he will presumably be in the development squad for now.
Outgoing: The big out was Jonas, who was released less than a month after his heroics. Also leaving on a free is Ryan Taylor, who had spent most of the time out with injury since 2012. Taylor joins Championship side Hull City. Davide Santon has made his loan at Inter Milan permanent, while highly rated on FM young'uns Adam Campbell and Remie Streete are released. John Carver and Steve Stone - widely regarded as the architects of the awful form that nearly relegated the Toon - are also gone.
The Manager: Steve McClaren is the new Newcastle manager, having previously turned down the Mags three times last season. This has been seen by some fans of Derby County as providing a distraction that ultimately cost them promotion last year under McClaren.
Something To Keep From Last Year: In all truth, nothing.
Something To Improve: The hideous excuse of a defensive unit.
Pre-Season:
Gateshead (A) 2-1 win
Club Atlas (Milwaukee) 2-1 defeat
Sacramento Republic (A) 1-0 win
Portland Timbers 2 (A) 4-3 defeat
Sheffield United (A) 2-2 draw
York City (A) 2-1 defeat
Borussia Monchengladbach (A) 1-0 defeat
A Word On The New Kits: The new home strip was unveiled shortly before the decisive game with West Ham on the final day of last season. Like a number of Puma kits unveiled this summer, its aesthetically poor, with the worst part being blue lines over the black stripes in the same colour as the (outdated) wonga logo. Poor effort. The away kit is in Puma's diamond design, with a white/grey main colour and blue detailing, while the third kit is a dark blue number with a broken sash that is one half pink and one half white. A word also on the training wear, which is pretty hideous.
Personal Starting XI:
Krul - Janmaat, Mbemba, Taylor, Haidara - Sissoko, Colback - Wijnaldum, de Jong/Cisse, Aarons - Mitrovic
Likely Starting XI:
Krul - Janmaat, Mbemba, Coloccini, Dummett - Tiote, Colback - Sissoko, de Jong, Wijnaldum - Mitrovic
So, the all important final question...
Where Will We Finish?
McClaren and the players have been making noises about a top 8 league spot and a cup run, possibly a trophy. The latter might be achievable - Capital One Cup Quarter Finals reached last night, while the FA Cup is a trophy Newcastle are overdue a tilt at. The league however is an odd one, given eight teams fancy themselves in the "best behind the top 6" spot. Newcastle can easily beat and lose to many of these squads, and in truth, a middle of the road spot seems likely enough.
Wednesday, 5 August 2015
Premier League 2015-16 Season Preview
After a tournament-less summer, rampant speculation and all the rest, the Premier League roadshow is back in town.
Ten months of convoluted sporting storylines and feats of sporting prowess (or stupidity) loom, set to dominate the Saturdays for the majority of time. With any luck, these will be improvements on last season, which is widely regarded as a season that failed to truly ignite.
Last year's title race was more or less decided by the end of February, while the relegation dogfight was fairly straight-forward, save for Leicester City's late dash for freedom, and Newcastle's late plunge to the bottom.
With a busy summer window underway - and still not done - the teams have been keen to strengthen, while three enter the campaign with new faces at the helm. All 20 teams have no doubt set their goals, and here, we run the rule over them, and whether or not they're achievable goals.
Arsenal
Last Season In Four Words: Title form too late
What Do They Want?: A title challenge. Again. Arsenal may have won a pair of FA Cups, but questions remained over Arsene Wenger after a slow start. Arsenal fans are aching for a title challenge, and they're assembling a squad for the job. The goal now is to make good on that promise.
Transfers: A quiet window at the Emirates Stadium has seen only one signing, but its a big one in the form of the £11million Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech. Jose Mourinho did not want to lose him to a potential title rival, and he could be an excellent candidate. Midfielder Jeff Reine-Adelaide signed from Rennes and has excited in pre-season. Lukas Podolski has joined Galatasary, while Abou Diaby has been released. Wojciech Szczseny, Carl Jenkinson, Yaya Sanogo and Chuba Akpom have left on loan.
Ones To Watch: Cech will be eager to prove he can still be a title-winning number one. Olivier Giroud also has to demonstrate he can lead the line, after criticism he is little more than a flat-track bully. With Alexis Sanchez set to miss the opening games, he has to hit the ground running. Francis Coquelin also has a big season after being a key lynchpin in the second half of last season
The Gaffer: Arsene Wenger was the target of some criticism last season but English football's longest serving manager has still won a pair of FA Cup trophies, and is still in place. Nevertheless, it is now time to see if, some 11 years on from The Invincibles, he has a full blown title run in him.
Prediction: This season is a big one for the Gunners, who expect a title challenge and have the playing squad to match. Whether or not they have enough to overhaul Chelsea and Manchester City is a moot point, but they should at least build on last season's impressive late form.
Aston Villa
Last Season In Four Words: Gratefully took Sherwood bailout
What Do They Want?: It has to be scraping survival once more. This has been an eventful summer at Villa Park, and the team that opens their campaign at Bournemouth will be substantially different to the one that was mauled by Arsenal in the FA Cup Final. Whether or not too much has changed too quickly is another matter.
Transfers: Villa's summer has been defined by a topsy-turvy Fabian Delph saga, who signed a new deal in January, turned down Manchester City, and then signed for them anyway. Christian Benteke has also left, with Liverpool snapping him up. Shay Given, Andreas Weimann, Darren Bent, Matt Lowton and Yacob Sylla have also left. Villa have been busy with incomings. Scott Sinclair and Micah Richards moved from the Etihad to the West Midlands. Sherwood has turned to France to replace Delph and Benteke, with Lille's Idrissa Gueye and Lorient's Jordan Ayew incoming. Defenders Jordan Amavi and Jose Angel Crespo also come in, while Norwich's Mark Bunn arrives as back-up.
Ones To Watch: The new look forward line means Ayew and Sinclair have to hit the ground running. So to does Gabby Agbonlahor, who only has 10 goals in his last two campaigns. After being dropped for the now-gone Given, Brad Guzan has to reclaim his lost 2012-13 form, while Micah Richards has a great chance to show he is not a spent force.
The Gaffer: Tim Sherwood was not a universally popular choice to replace Paul Lambert, but his attacking football has pleased Villa fans. The team spirit looked improved, but essentially he's starting again with a newly composed side.
Prediction: Villa have known nothing but struggle since 2011, and in truth, are likely to face it once more. They might show signs of improvement, but the base goal is once more to be staving off a stint in the Championship. In theory, they should manage it, but it won't be a comfortable ride.
Bournemouth
Last Season In Four Words: Dramatic rise reaches top
What Do They Want?: Prolong the top flight stay. The Cherries' first ever campaign in the top level of English football will be a surreal feeling regardless of whether or not they stay in the top flight. But it would an excellent sign of progress if they can manage to keep themselves in the Premier League for more than a season.
Transfers: The biggest signature at Dean Court is Tyrone Mings, who reportedly turned down moves to Aston Villa, Newcastle and West Ham to move to the South Coast in an £8million deal. Money has also been spent on Middlesbrough midfielder Lee Tomlin and Saint Etienne's ex-Leeds winger Max Gradel, while Blackburn winger Josh King signed in a deal that will require a tribunal. Artur Boruc, Adam Federici and Sylvain Distin arrive on freebies, while winger Christian Atsu and defender Fillipo Costa move in on loan deals. Brett Pitman and Ryan Fraser both move to Suffolk, while Ian Harte has been released.
Ones To Watch: It will be interesting to see how the Cherries' big names adapt to the top level of English football. Striker duo Callum Wilson and Yann Kermorgant scored a lot to get the Cherries into the top flight, while the likes of Harry Arter and Matt Ritchie will be keen to show they can adapt to the top flight. Also looking to adapt is Mings, who will be seeking to prove good on his reputation.
The Gaffer: Eddie Howe now has legendary status among Bournemouth fans thanks to his efforts in the last few years taking the Cherries from the brink of armageddon to the top. The man crowned Football League Manager of the Decade now has the big test.
Prediction: Bournemouth will be looking to make a lovely impression in their debut campaign and will likely shock a number of the big teams. But the big test is making sure they can adapt to the fact they will be winning less outings. They will be in the battle to avoid an immediate return from whence they came, but they don't need to fear the mission.
Chelsea
Last Season In Four Words: Dominated from the start
What Do They Want?: To be the first champions to retain the title since Manchester United won three in a row in 2007-09. This season is likely to be a tighter run than last year, which saw Chelsea zoom to the top on day one and (six days in August aside) stay there. But the goal remains retention.
Transfers: Chelsea undertook their big renovation this time last year, with this summer seeing the priority on replacing back-ups. Petr Cech's somewhat surprising departure to Arsenal sees him replaced by Stoke goalkeeper Asmir Begovic. Meanwhile, Didier Drogba's second exit is replaced by the surprise loan of Radamel Falcao, who was a target of Chelsea's in 2012 but flopped at Manchester United. Youngsters Nathan and Danilo Pantic are also in, while Patrick Bamford, Marco van Ginkel, Christian Atsu, Tomas Kalas and Pantic are on the club's annual loan cavalcade. Perennial loanees Gael Kakatu and Josh McEachran make their permanent exits. Chelsea have been in a high-profile pursuit for Everton defender John Stones, but nothing yet after 2 rejections.
Ones To Watch: The key core of last year's Chelsea team are still around and still about to ensure they can retain their success. Thibaut Courtois, John Terry, Eden Hazard, Cesc Fabregas, Nemanja Matic and Diego Costa represents the core trusted by Jose Mourinho, and he will be aiming for big things from the lot. Falcao also has a big campaign, as he seeks to prove he is not a spent force.
The Gaffer: Jose Mourinho's 8th title was achieved in impressive fashion, and he will be keen to ensure his team once more take a spot of dominance. The key goal is also improvement in Europe, after Chelsea's away goals exit in last year's Champions League first knockout round.
Prediction: The bookies' favourites for the title are Mourinho's boys again, and they retain something of the formidable streak that got them to the top last season. Its probably not going to be as smooth, but the fact remains that the Premier League is likely to go to either the Blues, or the team that can finish above them.
Crystal Palace
Last Season In Four Words: Pardew inspires remarkable resuscitation
What Do They Want?: A smoother ride. Both of Palace's last two seasons were tales of a relegation battle, a mid-season managerial alteration, and a late burst into midtable positions. Top 10 is an excellent platform for Alan Pardew to build on, and the Eagles will be eager to continue their streak.
Transfers: Palace's summer has been somewhat quieter than most expected, but the club have pulled off something of a coup in the signing of Yohan Cabaye. The former Newcastle playmaker is an impressive signature, not least given he'd been linked with clubs in the Champions League. After successful loan spells with MK Dons, Derby and Middlesbrough, Patrick Bamford gets his chance in the top flight in a loan move, while QPR goalkeeper Alex McCarthy signs. Sunderland striker Connor Wickham has also arrived, while more are expected. Shola Ameobi and Owen Garvan are the highest profile departures.
Ones To Watch: The new boys bring intrigue, with Cabaye looking to get back into the French squad's reckoning ahead of Euro 2016 and Bamford looking to prove he can cut it in the Premier League. Yannick Bolasie and Jason Puncheon will be looking to follow up excellent campaigns, while Glenn Murray will be seeking to build on his line-leader status in the second half of last season.
The Gaffer: After a chaotic time at Newcastle, Alan Pardew has taken to life like a duck to water in South London. His exploits even saw him suggested as an outsider for Manager of the Year, and he knows he now has to build on it.
Prediction: A second successive top 10 finish is the goal, and while Palace have to avoid complacency, they have the quality and talent to challenge for the position. The hope is also they avoid getting sucked into yet another demotion battle, which they should do.
Everton
Last Season In Four Words: Endured regression at home
What Do They Want?: A return to the higher end of the league. Everton still have a core of players that saw them to their highest Premier League-era points total two seasons ago, and now free of Europa League-related distractions, fans can be expecting an improvement. Whether or not that improvement is top 5 again remains to be seen.
Transfers: Two years after his loan spell, Gerard Deulofeu returns on a £4.25million deal from Barcelona, which will no doubt help an Everton attack that was stodgy at times. Tom Cleverley turned down the chance to join Aston Villa and re-unites with Martinez, but the club were frustrated in a deal to sign Aaron Lennon. Sylvain Distin and Antolin Alcaraz have left on free transfers, while highly rated young full-back Luke Garbutt has moved to Championship side Fulham on loan.
Ones To Watch: Romelu Lukaku was Everton's top scorer last season but questions about his attitude and temperament regularly appeared last season. He faces a big campaign to get himself back in the big leagues. The same can also be said for Kevin Mirallas, who had an inconsistent season, while Cleverley will seek to justify his move amid Everton's crowded central midfield. John Stones will also seek to continue his growing reputation, provided he doesn't move to Chelsea first.
The Gaffer: After a decent time, Roberto Martinez stalled last year, and some fans were openly calling for his dismissal at points. He remains at Goodison Park, but a big season looms as he seeks to silence his growing chorus of critics.
Prediction: The Toffees should improve on last year's below-par 11th spot, and they have a playing squad that should be among the many different challengers for the top 10. Despite that, a return to the heady heights of the top 6 currently looks beyond them.
Leicester City
Last Season In Four Words: Final weeks' best side
What Do They Want?: After a chaotic summer, survival remains the big requirement. Nigel Pearson's sacking came out of the blue the day before pre-season training was meant to start, although in truth felt inevitable after his son was among those caught in a racist orgy on a post-season Thailand tour. New boss Claudio Ranieri was the surprise choice, and as well as facing a battle to convince supporters, he needs to hit the ground running to convince he can still manage in the top flight after 11 years.
Transfers: The big signing is Japanese international Shiniji Okazaki, who has signed from Mainz for £7.5million and is their third big striker signing in as many transfer windows. After his impressive campaign last season, Robert Huth makes his loan from Stoke permanent, while Austrian defender Christian Fuchs signs on a free from Schalke. Midfielder N'Golo Kante and defender Yohan Benalouane also move to the East Midlands. Leicester were frustrated in an approach for Charlie Austin, but will have been more upset by the departure of Esteban Cambiasso. Last season's player of the year failed to agree a new deal at the King Power Stadium. In terms of other outs, Chris Wood leaves for Leeds, Paul Gallagher makes his loan at Preston permanent, Ben Hamer has been loaned to Nottingham Forest, and the high-profile exits of both Pearsons has already been discussed.
Ones To Watch: Leicester's frontline boasts a wealth of options, and it will be interesting to see how Okazaki fits in with Leonardo Ulloa, David Nugent, Jamie Vardy and Andrej Kramaric. This will also be a big season for Andy King, Danny Drinkwater and Dean Hammond, with Leicester yet to get more central midfielders despite Cambiasso leaving and Matty James picking up a major injury that will keep him out for the bulk of the campaign.
The Gaffer: Claudio Ranieri was the surprise choice as Leicester manager after Pearson's sacking. His first role in England since being sacked by Chelsea in 2004 comes after spells with a lot of Italian sides, and Leicester fans will be hoping the positive experiences of his time with the likes of Juventus and Monaco is here, rather than his disastrous spell as manager of the Greek national side.
Prediction: Leicester's almost miracle-like run to survival is an interesting fore-run for the Foxes to set themselves. Ranieri faces a challenge to get the team on the right side of the bottom line. They have the talent and the options to manage it, but its too early to out-and-out predict survival.
Liverpool
Last Season In Four Words: Completely wasted Suarez cash
What Do They Want?: The top four is the height of ambition. Liverpool have spent big in an effort to cope with the departure of Steven Gerrard and the unceremonious exit of Raheem Sterling. The team that takes to the field at the Britannia Stadium on the opening day will be a different one to the one mauled there on the final day of last season, but whether or not its an improvement is a tricky one to know.
Transfers: The big in at Anfield is £32.5million Belgian striker Christian Benteke, who signs from Aston Villa. Joining him in a new-look frontline are Brazilian international Roberto Firmino from Hoffenheim and Burnley striker Danny Ings. James Milner arrives on a free from Manchester City, while £12.5million Nathaniel Clyne is the latest to move from Southampton. Young Charlton defender Joe Gomez and Bolton keeper Adam Bogdan complete the ins. The outs is headed by the big names, with Gerrard's long-term association with the Reds ending in a move to MLS side Los Angeles Galaxy. His out lead to a lot of eulogising and marking his career, while Raheem Sterling had a less marked one when his arguments over a whole range of topics ended in a £49million move to Mancheter City. Glen Johnson joins Stoke on a free-transfer, while Sebastian Coates and Brad Jones also leave, and Andre Wisom makes yet another loan move.
Ones To Watch: The departures of Gerrard and Sterling leaves room for some new heroes on Merseyside. Benteke has to hit the ground running to justify the huge fee, while Daniel Sturridge will also need to chip in, provided he can ever stay fit for more than a few games at a time. Phillipe Coutinho is also looking to build on a decent season, while Jordan Henderson will look to step in as the club's new captain.
The Gaffer: Brendan Rodgers said he would leave if the owners wanted him out, but no desire for his exit is yet coming. But he needs to show that 2013/14's title challenge was not a Suarez-fuelled over-achievement, and also needs a trophy. Whether or not he can get either is another matter.
Prediction: Liverpool's ambition has to be getting a Champions League place and a trophy. Whether or not they're capable of matching these ambitions with a new look arguably star-less squad is another matter. In all probability, the former is beyond them, while the latter is a question of holding their nerve better in semi-finals.
Manchester City
Last Season In Four Words: Aguero masked many sins
What Do They Want?: A return to trophy winning. Last year was a difficult year for the Citizens, but they have to try and challenge again. To do that requires tighter defending and better performances from an at-times weak midfield, which was particularly poor in games away from home.
Transfers: The big money arrival in east Manchester is Raheem Sterling, who arrives from Liverpool for £49million after a frequently controversial and at times rather tedious transfer saga. So far, the Citizens' transfers have largely been on boosting their homegrown player quote, with Fabian Delph joining from Aston Villa after a bizarre series of U-turns, while Fulham's highly rated Patrick Roberts joins for £11million. Youngster Enes Unal also joins from Turkey, although he will be loaned to Belgium for the next two years. James Milner leaves on a free transfer after 5 years at the club, while Villa made the signings of Scott Sinclair and Micah Richards. Dedryck Boyata joins Celtic, while John Guidetti leaves for Spain on a free transfer. Stevan Jovetic has moved to Inter, despite his move seemingly being mainly Instagram posts, while Edin Dzeko currently remains, although probably not for much longer, given Roma have agreed a fee.
Ones To Watch: Last year's top scorer Sergio Aguero is still the man Man City will rely on for momentum and goalscoring, and certainly has the high quality attributes. After an inconsistent season, all of Man City's centre-backs need to show signs of improvement, including captain Vincent Kompany, while Fernando and Fernandinho need to provide better protection to Yaya Toure's marauding persona.
The Gaffer: Questions were asked about Manuel Pellegrini but the Chilean remains in post at the recently expanded Etihad Stadium. His goal is to ensure more silverware is delivered for the billions invested, and to stave off the background rumours that Pep Guardiola is being lined up as a replacement.
Prediction: Manchester City's squad is one of top 4 quality and will no doubt remain there. In terms of title challenging, it has the experience and quality, and in Sterling it has one of Europe's finest young attackers. Whether or not that's enough to translate into overhauling Chelsea is another matter, and it may be that as yet, their defensive deficiencies are too much of a handicap.
Manchester United
Last Season In Four Words: Heading back towards top
What Do They Want?: A title challenge is the ultimate goal. After two years where the thought of challenging for the top spot were never likely, Louis van Gaal will now most likely be tasked with challenging for honours. The team has spent big in his tenure, and has still held on to key individuals, but they must now be meshed into a squad worthy of the high honours.
Transfers: The big signing at Old Trafford is PSV attacker Memphis Depay, who joins for £30million and reportedly turned down Liverpool before signing. Strengthening midfield has been the key area, with Bastian Schweinstiger and Morgan Schneiderlin undoubted improvements on their old squad. Full-back Matteo Darmian joins from Torino, while Argentine international keeper Sergio Romero join as competition for David de Gea, or possibly a replacement. The Spanish goalkeeper has been continually linked with an exit for Real Madrid, with talk even including a swap for Sergio Ramos, but no move has happened and talk has recently cooled. A year on him from his British record transfer fee, Angel di Maria is set to leave for PSG, while Falcao's loan has ended and Robin van Persie moves to Fenerbache. Nani has also moved to the yellow corner of Istanbul, while Rafael joins Lyon and Tom Cleverley moves to Everton. Saidy Janko, Ben Amos and Angelo Henriquez have also left.
Ones To Watch: With van Persie and Falcao gone and Javier Hernandez injured/set to leave, Wayne Rooney starts the campaign as the only senior centre-forward at Old Trafford. He needs a big goalscoring run, or at least stronger competition than the youngster James Wilson. The adjustment of Depay and Schweinstiger will also be crucial to the team's title hopes, while de Gea will also be expected to follow up his goalkeeping heroics last year, even after his "will-he-won't-he" saga. Phil Jones also needs to prove he can actually defend.
The Gaffer: Louis van Gaal had a good, if at times not entirely convincing, maiden campaign in England. He clearly wants to win titles before ending his distinguished career, and is at a club with a similar silverware desire. Whether or not he has enough talent at his disposal for that is another matter.
Prediction: Manchester United are back in the top 4 and should have the quality to maintain a spot there. They also have enough to give the trophy hunt in the cups a good go. But with the centre of defence still quite soft and the options in attack limited, a true run at the highest place still looks a step too far.
Newcastle United
Last Season In Four Words: Narrowly avoided self-inflicted catastrophe
What Do They Want?: A less unbearable finish. After only winning 5 from 20 in the second half of 2013/14, Newcastle only won 3 from 19 in the second half of 2014/15 and only avoided relegation by grabbing the third of those on the final day. New boss Steve McClaren could also avoid repeating last season's run of taking eight games to get a win, although he could've used a more generous opening fixture list than the one he has been given.
Transfers: Mike Ashley hinted at a change of policy to buying high-end players and big money has been spent. At £14.5million, Dutch midfielder Georgino Wijnaldum is the third highest buy in the club's history, while £13million was spent on Serbian international Alexsandar Mitrovic. As yet, Newcastle have not turned the constant rumours of signing Charlie Austin into reality, but an £8.5million move for defender Chancel Mbemba has been done. Jonas Gutierrez has been released despite beating cancer and essentially single-handedly getting Newcastle the win that kept them up, while Ryan Taylor has joined Hull after his own release. Sammy Ameobi has moved to Cardiff City on loan.
Ones To Watch: The onus is on all 3 of Newcastle's buys to improve a squad that includes players who lost their way alarmingly last season. Wijnaldum looks an astute buy, while Mitrovic needs support from pacy wingers, which puts the onus on Gabriel Obertan, Remy Cabella and Rolando Aarons to deliver. After a wretched 2014/15, the likes of Fabricio Coloccini, Mike Williamson and to some degree Tim Krul need to show they can keep out more goals.
The Gaffer: After reportedly turning the Magpies down on 3 occasions last year, and on more occasions in the previous 10 years, Steve McClaren has wound up in the Tyneside hotseat. Fans remain cynical,
Prediction: The target for the Magpies is a top 8 finish and a cup run. The latter can be done if they take tournaments seriously for the first time in too long, but the former is a competitive field given half the league has a similar target. An improvement on last year's struggles is at least a start.
Norwich City
Last Season In Four Words: Turned things around expertly
What Do They Want?: Survival. Norwich's late dash into and then successful victory in the play-offs was impressive, but they need to hit the ground running. The good news is a lot of the key players from their previous top-flight stint remain, but this is new territory for a some of the people in the set-up, including boss Alex Neil, and the Canaries still need to avoid the ghosts of their largely self-inflicted demotion in 2014.
Transfers: Norwich boss Neil said 5 or 6 new boys were needed, and has reached it. One of the signings had already been there, with Graeme Dorrans making his loan permanent. Following him from West Brom is midfielder Youssuf Mulumbu, who signs on a free, while Andre Wisdom - a loanee at the Hawthorns last year - signs on a season long loan from Liverpool. After a long pursuit, Robbie Brady arrives for £7million from Hull City. Blackburn goalkeeper Jake Kean has also arrived. The only first teamer to leave so far is back-up keeper Mark Bunn, who joins Aston Villa. More signings are expected before the deadline.
Ones To Watch: Nathan Redmond was a key player during last season's promotion push, and will need an excellent campaign in the top flight. Cameron Jerome also needs to prove he can still cut it in the top flight, while record signing Ricky van Wolfswinkel has returned to the fold after a year on loan in France. The defence also faces a testing year, while John Ruddy will want to show the form that earned him England call-ups in the past.
The Gaffer: Alex Neil enjoyed an excellent first half-campaign in England, taking a Canaries side struggling in mid-table to third and an instant return. The Premier League is a huge step up for the Scotsman, and he will be eager to make the most of his rise into the top tier.
Prediction: The basic goal for the Canaries is ensuring they knock up consecutive campaigns. They have the on-pitch experience to get it, but need to make sure they can, and a number of players need to make things right after poor campaigns in the relegation of two years ago. They will most likely be spending a campaign battling it out at the lower end, but have enough to stay out of trouble.
Southampton
Last Season In Four Words: Exceeded expectations once again
What Do They Want?: In all truth, its a bit of a strange one. Since the start of the 2010/11 campaign, which ended in promotion from League One, Southampton have constantly defied expectations and had a fantastic campaign that saw them spend most of the time challenging for the top 4. The next step for the rise would be a top 4 spot, but with the added Europa League challenge, and more key exits, that won't be easy.
Transfers: Last year was not an easy on on the South Coast, while several exits. This one hasn't been so brutal, but Morgan Schneiderlin and Nathaniel Clyne have still flown the nest. Their replacements are Feyernoord midfielder Jordy Clasie and Sporting Lisbon full-back Cedric Soares. Cuco Martina also joins to strengthen the full-back part, while Spanish striker Juanmi arrives from Malaga. With Fraser Forster a long-term absence, Maarten Stekelenburg arrives on loan from Fulham, while Steven Caulker is borrowed from QPR. As well as Schneiderlin and Clyne, Saints' record buy Dani Osvaldo leaves, albeit on a freebie. Artuer Boruc, Jos Hoovield and Cody Cropper are also among the leaving freebies.
Ones To Watch: Southampton will be hoping many of last year's key men retain their form. Graziano Pelle is still searching for the form that had him as the league's top scorer at one point, while Dusan Tadic and Saido Mane will also be key. With Jay Rodriguez back after injury hell, and Juanmi a highly rated prospect, there is plenty of competition up top. Forster's absence means that Stekelenburg and Kelvin Davis will be competing for the de facto number one spot.
The Gaffer: Ronald Koeman 's first campaign in English football was a definite success. The goal now is keeping that momentum moving, and also juggling the demands of a Europa League position, which is something a wide variety of English clubs have found an issue of late.
Prediction: Southampton do have a squad that is good quality for the 7th/8th positions in the Premier League. But as far as the aspiration of higher goes, the team still feels like it could use further acquisitions to make the top 4/5.
Stoke City
Last Season In Four Words: Continued excellent recent progression
What Do They Want?: To continue their climb up the league places. Stoke have had some good form and now feel like they belong among the upper tier of the top flight. But they now need to keep going, and bridge the gap between themselves and the European spots - an ambition seemingly shared by a large number of league teams.
Transfers: Its been a busy summer for the Potters, who welcome eight new faces. The one that could make fans extremely excited is former Barcelona winger Ibrahim Afellay, who arrives from the Nou Camp on a free. Also moving from the Spanish and European champions is Moha El Ouriachi, who is another wing option, while former Spanish U21 Joselu signs from Hannover. Phillipp Wollscheid also moves from Germany to the Potteries after a successful loan spell last season. Chelsea midfielder Marco van Ginkel arrives on loan, while Glen Johnson signs on a free from Liverpool. With Asmir Begovic leaving for Chelsea, the goalkeeping area receives attention, with veteran Shay Given and Danish keeper Jakob Haugaard signing for the club. Steven Nzonzi leaves for Europa League winners Sevilla, while Victor Moses' loan has not been continued. Robert Huth, Thomas Sorensen, Wilson Palacios and Andy Wilkinson are also among the outs.
Ones To Watch: Spanish attacker Bojan was coming into excellent form before suffering a long-term injury in January, and will be keen to pick up where he left off. Afellay is also an excellent signing, while Marko Arnautovic will seek to improve after a somewhat disappointing campaign last time. There will also be an intriguing battle between Haugaard, Given and Jack Butland for the number one spot.
The Gaffer: We're a world away from the protests that greeted Mark Hughes' arrival in 2013. Hughes has been the architect of consecutive top 10 finishes for the Potters, and will love to continue his increasingly impressive streak with a further rise.
Prediction: Despite the recent finishes and the playing squad available, Stoke will be tricky to predict. They have got some good looking new acquisitions into the club and have kept most of their key individuals, but have lost key men in Begovic and Nzonzi, while Ryan Shawcross' fitness is a concern. The team should be good enough for midtable, and will no doubt fight to retain their top 10 spot.
Sunderland
Last Season In Four Words: Yet another late escape
What Do They Want?: To finally avoid a season of struggle. The last few seasons have all seen Sunderland maintain survival with a late accumulation of points, and a high success rate in clashes with Newcastle. But Sunderland fans would undoubtedly prefer it if they just had a boring drift in midtable rather than needing a late bailout.
Transfers: Sunderland have been quieter than anticipated but have still made signings, with defence a particular focus. Younes Kaboul signs from Spurs, while right-back Adam Matthews moves from Celtic. Sebastian Coates makes his loan move from Liverpool permanent. The biggest signing is midfielder Jeremain Lens, who has arrived for £8.5million from Dynamo Kiev. Sunderland had been quiet on outs, with only El-Hadji Ba and Santiago Vergini making (loan) exits in the early part of window, but a deal was made to take Connor Wickham to Crystal Palace. More signings are likely, with midfielders Yann M'Villa and Leroy Fer likely to move in.
Ones To Watch: Dick Advocaat's teamsheets have seen an attacking look, and much is expected of Jermaine Defoe, Steven Fletcher and Danny Graham in order to find greater goalscoring feats than last season. They also need to tighten up at the back, which means the likes of John O'Shea and Wes Brown need to be tighter than they recently have been.
The Gaffer: Dick Advocaat was initially planning to leave Wearside after last season, and officially left at one stage, but was persuaded to stick around at the Stadium of Light. Advocaat is yet to be relegated in his long career in professional football management, and will at the very least want to see that streak continue.
Prediction: In all truth, Sunderland still lack the bodies and quality to increase their distance from the relegation fight and could be set for another brush with it. Nevertheless, they have the management and some key options to keep them out of trouble come the end, although presumably the hope is that this time it won't take a panic button press to keep them in it.
Swansea City
Last Season In Four Words: Significant improvement on previous
What Do They Want?: More of the same. Swansea had an excellent 2014/15, which ended in their best finish and points total since the early 1980s. The Welsh side's goal is therefore to continue that, and close down the gap on the top 6, or at the least in continuing their top half positions.
Transfers: The biggest and most exciting signing is French winger Andre Ayew, who signs from Marseille on a free transfer. Franck Tabanou also moves from France to South Wales, with the Saint-Etienne defender signing for £3.25million. Swansea have also signed striker Eder from Portuguese side Braga, and goalkeeper Kristoffer Nordfelt from Heerenveen. Young striker Oliver McBurnie has signed from Bradford. The highest profile outs are defender Jazz Richards, who joins Fulham, and back-up keeper Gerhard Tremmel, who leaves on a free.
Ones To Watch: Bafetimbi Gomis had a good second half of the campaign after Wilfried Bony left for Manchester City, and the onus is on him to lead the line. Ayew also provides an excellent counterpoint, while Jefferson Montero and Gylfi Sigurdsson are anticipated to be contributing as they did last year. After a summer of links away, Ashley Williams will also look to deliver.
The Gaffer: Former captain and centre-back Garry Monk was somewhat thrown in at the deep end to replace Michael Laudrup, but had a fantastic first season as full manager. This campaign will have undoubtedly raised the hopes the Swans have emerged a gem, and the top-brass will hope he can continue.
Prediction: Swansea will certainly look to push on and look in a good place to do so. The team are arguably among the best place of the cavalcade of league teams aiming for a top 8 spot in the division, although its still a tall order for them to gatecrash the top 6.
Tottenham Hotspur
Last Season In Four Words: Champions League remained elusive
What Do They Want?: Champions League football is still the goal, although how they will achieve that is still a question without an answer. The likes of Kane, Lloris and Eriksen may remain despite links away, but a lack of back-up quality is an issue. Equally so is the problem of throwing away points at home, and Spurs need to sort that out.
Transfers: All of the focus on incomings is on defence. Toby Alderweireld is the biggest incoming at £11.5million - much to Southampton's irritation - while full-backs Kieran Trippier and Kevin Wimmer also move in. Much is expected of Dele Alli and Alex Pritchard, who are anticipated to have first team roles after time out on loan. This is even more so with 3 central midfield departures, with Paulinho moving to China, Ettiene Capoue joining newboys Watford, and Benjamin Stambouli returning to France. Younes Kaboul joins Sunderland, while Lewis Holtby makes his loan at Hamburg permanent. As yet, Emmanuel Adebayor and Roberto Soldado remain at the club, although both are expected out by the end of the window.
Ones To Watch: Spurs' success story of 2014/15 was Harry Kane, who became the first Spurs player since Gary Lineker to score 30 in a season. The homegrown hero needs an excellent season to prove it was not a one-off, and to justify an ever-escalating pricetag. After being linked with Manchester and Paris moves, Hugo Lloris will look to continue his impressive moves between the sticks, while the defensive unit needs to convince after letting Spurs down at various points last season.
The Gaffer: Mauricio Pochettino had an odd season last year. 5th was a decent finish, but came after doubts over his selections and tactics at times, and frequent dropping of points at home. Nevertheless, he remains highly rated, and it will be interesting to see if he can help the North Londoners progress.
Prediction: If Spurs can get the top 4, then they will have undeniably had an excellent campaign, and their defensive unit is more convincing this time. But in attack, it feels like Spurs are over-reliant on Kane, and if they fail to strengthen their attacking options, they're likely to come up short in the top four pursuit yet again.
Watford
Last Season In Four Words: Only needed four managers
What Do They Want?: The basic goal is getting consecutive top flight campaigns for the first time since a six year stint in the mid-1980s. The Pozzo family will be very eager to see it done, given they have spent lots of time, money and player shuffling between their European clubs to get the Hornets into the top 20. Maintaining a spot among them has to be the goal.
Transfers: No team has more incomings than Watford, who so far have 10 in, although the face of Matej Vydra will no doubt be the most familiar. He finally makes a permanent move to Vicarage Road after two loan spells. A reported club record fee of £6million was paid for Spurs midfielder Ettiene Capoue, while former West Ham winger Valon Behrami has also arrived. Steve Berghuis signs from AZ Alkmaar, while Jose Manuel Jurado signs from Spartak Moscow, and goalkeeper Giedrius Arlauskis signs as back-up to Gomes. Watford have been paying focus on strengthening their defence, with Jose Holebas, Sebastian Prodl, Essaid Belkalem, Allan Nyom and Miguel Britos all signing. The biggest out is Lewis McGugan, who joins Sheffield Wednesday, while Juanfran was loaned out to Deportivo less than 3 weeks after signing from Real Betis.
Ones To Watch: For certain key men, its a chance to get acquainted with the top flight. This includes Troy Deeney, who has been repeatedly linked with the likes of Newcastle and Aston Villa after continually impressive form. Scotsman Ikechi Anya is also looking to impress in the top flight, while Joel Ekstrand will seek to come good on his good form. Gomes is also looking to impress on his return to the top tier after inconsistency at Spurs, while of the new boys, Jurado, Behrami and Berghuis could provide excellent signatures.
The Gaffer: In keeping with the rotational wheel that saw Watford change manager three times before Christmas, they begin with a new man. Replacing Slavisa Jokanovic is Quique Flores, who comes to England for the first time. He has previously enjoyed success with Valencia, Benfica and Atletico Madrid, while Watford's board presumably hope will be more long-lasting than he was at Getafe earlier this year, whom he quit after less than a month in charge.
Prediction: Watford will be looking to survive, and in truth, much of that revolves around how quickly they adjust to having new management and an entire new team of players being on board. Flores faces a complex balancing act in Hertfordshire, but the club do seem very well placed to at least attempt it. Nevertheless, it will be a tricky mission.
West Bromwich Albion
Last Season In Four Words: Pulis to the rescue
What Do They Want?: A greater barrier from the bottom battle. West Brom were lucky to avoid demotion in 2014 and looked likely for it until Pulis' arrival last season. Pulis is certainly more than capable of yielding survival, and while he's head a quieter summer than he would've liked, he will nevertheless like his chances at ensuring WBA do not go down.
Transfers: In contrast to their somewhat scattergun recruitment this time last year, West Brom have been content to make a small number of additions. James McClean was first in and signed from Wigan, although has already caused controversy by refusing to acknowledge the Union Jack during a game in America. Centre-back James Chester is a big money buy at £8million from Hull City, while Rickie Lambert signs after a disappointing year at Liverpool. The Baggies had previously targeted Demba Ba, but the Senegal striker opted to move to China instead. Duo Graeme Dorrans and Youssuf Mulumbu have made moves to newly promoted Norwich City, while Chris Baird has joined Derby.
Ones To Watch: Despite some poorly thought-out comments and links with moves to Spurs, Saido Berahino remains in the Midlands. Holding on to him will be key to WBA's ambitions. Brown Ideye will also look to improve after a slow adjustment last year. Chester represents a big step in defence, but it remains to be seen if he can fit in with the likes of Craig Dawson, Joleon Lescott and Jonas Olsson, while Craig Gardner will look to continue after a promising first year.
The Gaffer: Tony Pulis remains without a relegation in his management career, and admitted that the job was one of the toughest he has so far done. Provided he doesn't walk out on the edge of the season again, whomever owns the Baggies should stick behind him.
Prediction: West Brom seem likely to make a grab for more secure ground after some recent travails. It won't necessarily be smooth or enitrely free from fears of the drop, but they should make it into those receiving the TV mega-deal next year.
West Ham United
Last Season In Four Words: Allardyce drifted into exit
What Do They Want?: The basic goal is ensuring the first year at the London Olympic Stadium is not as a Championship side. This will be the last of West Ham's 112 years at Upton Park, and while in theory new manager Slaven Billic has a squad that looks capable of more than simply avoiding the drop, it would be a major blow to the club if they managed to get a second demotion in the last 15 years and ended up in the lower tier.
Transfers: The big arrival is Marseille winger Dimitri Payet, who was the second highest chance creator in Europe last season. He arrives from Marseille for just shy of £11million, and will be keen to impress. Defender Angelo Ogbonna signs from Juventus, while Pedro Obiang signs from Sampdoria - most likely as a replacement for Alex Song, whose loan was not renewed. Carl Jenkinson's loan from Arsenal is renewed, while Darren Randolph signs on a free from Birmingham City and Manuel Lanzini signs on loan from the Middle East. Stewart Downing returns to Middlesbrough for £5.5million, while Carlton Cole, Jussi Jaaskelainen, Guy Demel and Nene are among those releassed.
Ones To Watch: All eyes are on Payet, who seeks to justify his big fee and big reputation. Diafra Sakho is also looking for a good campaign after starting with 6 in 6, and being the Hammers' top scorer last season, while Enner Valencia and Andy Carroll seek to improve their positions up top. New boy Ogbonna moved from the Italian champions and should provide steel at the back.
The Gaffer: Former Hammers centre-back Slaven Billic was the name chosen to replace Sam Allardyce, who was sacked within minutes of the final game of last season. His first job in English football is an interesting one, and he will be keen to help the Hammers show form closer to that which got them into the top 4 at Christmas, as opposed to the site who only won three league games in 2015 and imploded at West Brom in the FA Cup.
Prediction: In truth, the Hammers shouldn't be in the demotion battle, and have a squad to get midtable comfortably enough. But they're yet to get the squad right for a tilt at the top 7, and remain somewhat unbalanced in key areas. If their Europa League Fair Play qualifying run is a sign of indication, there could be a fair few red cards involved too.
With the teams ready to go, all eyes will be on stadia up and down the country. Here's hoping the season produced is a great one.
Ten months of convoluted sporting storylines and feats of sporting prowess (or stupidity) loom, set to dominate the Saturdays for the majority of time. With any luck, these will be improvements on last season, which is widely regarded as a season that failed to truly ignite.
Last year's title race was more or less decided by the end of February, while the relegation dogfight was fairly straight-forward, save for Leicester City's late dash for freedom, and Newcastle's late plunge to the bottom.
With a busy summer window underway - and still not done - the teams have been keen to strengthen, while three enter the campaign with new faces at the helm. All 20 teams have no doubt set their goals, and here, we run the rule over them, and whether or not they're achievable goals.
Arsenal
Last Season In Four Words: Title form too late
What Do They Want?: A title challenge. Again. Arsenal may have won a pair of FA Cups, but questions remained over Arsene Wenger after a slow start. Arsenal fans are aching for a title challenge, and they're assembling a squad for the job. The goal now is to make good on that promise.
Transfers: A quiet window at the Emirates Stadium has seen only one signing, but its a big one in the form of the £11million Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech. Jose Mourinho did not want to lose him to a potential title rival, and he could be an excellent candidate. Midfielder Jeff Reine-Adelaide signed from Rennes and has excited in pre-season. Lukas Podolski has joined Galatasary, while Abou Diaby has been released. Wojciech Szczseny, Carl Jenkinson, Yaya Sanogo and Chuba Akpom have left on loan.
Ones To Watch: Cech will be eager to prove he can still be a title-winning number one. Olivier Giroud also has to demonstrate he can lead the line, after criticism he is little more than a flat-track bully. With Alexis Sanchez set to miss the opening games, he has to hit the ground running. Francis Coquelin also has a big season after being a key lynchpin in the second half of last season
The Gaffer: Arsene Wenger was the target of some criticism last season but English football's longest serving manager has still won a pair of FA Cup trophies, and is still in place. Nevertheless, it is now time to see if, some 11 years on from The Invincibles, he has a full blown title run in him.
Prediction: This season is a big one for the Gunners, who expect a title challenge and have the playing squad to match. Whether or not they have enough to overhaul Chelsea and Manchester City is a moot point, but they should at least build on last season's impressive late form.
Aston Villa
Last Season In Four Words: Gratefully took Sherwood bailout
What Do They Want?: It has to be scraping survival once more. This has been an eventful summer at Villa Park, and the team that opens their campaign at Bournemouth will be substantially different to the one that was mauled by Arsenal in the FA Cup Final. Whether or not too much has changed too quickly is another matter.
Transfers: Villa's summer has been defined by a topsy-turvy Fabian Delph saga, who signed a new deal in January, turned down Manchester City, and then signed for them anyway. Christian Benteke has also left, with Liverpool snapping him up. Shay Given, Andreas Weimann, Darren Bent, Matt Lowton and Yacob Sylla have also left. Villa have been busy with incomings. Scott Sinclair and Micah Richards moved from the Etihad to the West Midlands. Sherwood has turned to France to replace Delph and Benteke, with Lille's Idrissa Gueye and Lorient's Jordan Ayew incoming. Defenders Jordan Amavi and Jose Angel Crespo also come in, while Norwich's Mark Bunn arrives as back-up.
Ones To Watch: The new look forward line means Ayew and Sinclair have to hit the ground running. So to does Gabby Agbonlahor, who only has 10 goals in his last two campaigns. After being dropped for the now-gone Given, Brad Guzan has to reclaim his lost 2012-13 form, while Micah Richards has a great chance to show he is not a spent force.
The Gaffer: Tim Sherwood was not a universally popular choice to replace Paul Lambert, but his attacking football has pleased Villa fans. The team spirit looked improved, but essentially he's starting again with a newly composed side.
Prediction: Villa have known nothing but struggle since 2011, and in truth, are likely to face it once more. They might show signs of improvement, but the base goal is once more to be staving off a stint in the Championship. In theory, they should manage it, but it won't be a comfortable ride.
Bournemouth
Last Season In Four Words: Dramatic rise reaches top
What Do They Want?: Prolong the top flight stay. The Cherries' first ever campaign in the top level of English football will be a surreal feeling regardless of whether or not they stay in the top flight. But it would an excellent sign of progress if they can manage to keep themselves in the Premier League for more than a season.
Transfers: The biggest signature at Dean Court is Tyrone Mings, who reportedly turned down moves to Aston Villa, Newcastle and West Ham to move to the South Coast in an £8million deal. Money has also been spent on Middlesbrough midfielder Lee Tomlin and Saint Etienne's ex-Leeds winger Max Gradel, while Blackburn winger Josh King signed in a deal that will require a tribunal. Artur Boruc, Adam Federici and Sylvain Distin arrive on freebies, while winger Christian Atsu and defender Fillipo Costa move in on loan deals. Brett Pitman and Ryan Fraser both move to Suffolk, while Ian Harte has been released.
Ones To Watch: It will be interesting to see how the Cherries' big names adapt to the top level of English football. Striker duo Callum Wilson and Yann Kermorgant scored a lot to get the Cherries into the top flight, while the likes of Harry Arter and Matt Ritchie will be keen to show they can adapt to the top flight. Also looking to adapt is Mings, who will be seeking to prove good on his reputation.
The Gaffer: Eddie Howe now has legendary status among Bournemouth fans thanks to his efforts in the last few years taking the Cherries from the brink of armageddon to the top. The man crowned Football League Manager of the Decade now has the big test.
Prediction: Bournemouth will be looking to make a lovely impression in their debut campaign and will likely shock a number of the big teams. But the big test is making sure they can adapt to the fact they will be winning less outings. They will be in the battle to avoid an immediate return from whence they came, but they don't need to fear the mission.
Chelsea
Last Season In Four Words: Dominated from the start
What Do They Want?: To be the first champions to retain the title since Manchester United won three in a row in 2007-09. This season is likely to be a tighter run than last year, which saw Chelsea zoom to the top on day one and (six days in August aside) stay there. But the goal remains retention.
Transfers: Chelsea undertook their big renovation this time last year, with this summer seeing the priority on replacing back-ups. Petr Cech's somewhat surprising departure to Arsenal sees him replaced by Stoke goalkeeper Asmir Begovic. Meanwhile, Didier Drogba's second exit is replaced by the surprise loan of Radamel Falcao, who was a target of Chelsea's in 2012 but flopped at Manchester United. Youngsters Nathan and Danilo Pantic are also in, while Patrick Bamford, Marco van Ginkel, Christian Atsu, Tomas Kalas and Pantic are on the club's annual loan cavalcade. Perennial loanees Gael Kakatu and Josh McEachran make their permanent exits. Chelsea have been in a high-profile pursuit for Everton defender John Stones, but nothing yet after 2 rejections.
Ones To Watch: The key core of last year's Chelsea team are still around and still about to ensure they can retain their success. Thibaut Courtois, John Terry, Eden Hazard, Cesc Fabregas, Nemanja Matic and Diego Costa represents the core trusted by Jose Mourinho, and he will be aiming for big things from the lot. Falcao also has a big campaign, as he seeks to prove he is not a spent force.
The Gaffer: Jose Mourinho's 8th title was achieved in impressive fashion, and he will be keen to ensure his team once more take a spot of dominance. The key goal is also improvement in Europe, after Chelsea's away goals exit in last year's Champions League first knockout round.
Prediction: The bookies' favourites for the title are Mourinho's boys again, and they retain something of the formidable streak that got them to the top last season. Its probably not going to be as smooth, but the fact remains that the Premier League is likely to go to either the Blues, or the team that can finish above them.
Crystal Palace
Last Season In Four Words: Pardew inspires remarkable resuscitation
What Do They Want?: A smoother ride. Both of Palace's last two seasons were tales of a relegation battle, a mid-season managerial alteration, and a late burst into midtable positions. Top 10 is an excellent platform for Alan Pardew to build on, and the Eagles will be eager to continue their streak.
Transfers: Palace's summer has been somewhat quieter than most expected, but the club have pulled off something of a coup in the signing of Yohan Cabaye. The former Newcastle playmaker is an impressive signature, not least given he'd been linked with clubs in the Champions League. After successful loan spells with MK Dons, Derby and Middlesbrough, Patrick Bamford gets his chance in the top flight in a loan move, while QPR goalkeeper Alex McCarthy signs. Sunderland striker Connor Wickham has also arrived, while more are expected. Shola Ameobi and Owen Garvan are the highest profile departures.
Ones To Watch: The new boys bring intrigue, with Cabaye looking to get back into the French squad's reckoning ahead of Euro 2016 and Bamford looking to prove he can cut it in the Premier League. Yannick Bolasie and Jason Puncheon will be looking to follow up excellent campaigns, while Glenn Murray will be seeking to build on his line-leader status in the second half of last season.
The Gaffer: After a chaotic time at Newcastle, Alan Pardew has taken to life like a duck to water in South London. His exploits even saw him suggested as an outsider for Manager of the Year, and he knows he now has to build on it.
Prediction: A second successive top 10 finish is the goal, and while Palace have to avoid complacency, they have the quality and talent to challenge for the position. The hope is also they avoid getting sucked into yet another demotion battle, which they should do.
Everton
Last Season In Four Words: Endured regression at home
What Do They Want?: A return to the higher end of the league. Everton still have a core of players that saw them to their highest Premier League-era points total two seasons ago, and now free of Europa League-related distractions, fans can be expecting an improvement. Whether or not that improvement is top 5 again remains to be seen.
Transfers: Two years after his loan spell, Gerard Deulofeu returns on a £4.25million deal from Barcelona, which will no doubt help an Everton attack that was stodgy at times. Tom Cleverley turned down the chance to join Aston Villa and re-unites with Martinez, but the club were frustrated in a deal to sign Aaron Lennon. Sylvain Distin and Antolin Alcaraz have left on free transfers, while highly rated young full-back Luke Garbutt has moved to Championship side Fulham on loan.
Ones To Watch: Romelu Lukaku was Everton's top scorer last season but questions about his attitude and temperament regularly appeared last season. He faces a big campaign to get himself back in the big leagues. The same can also be said for Kevin Mirallas, who had an inconsistent season, while Cleverley will seek to justify his move amid Everton's crowded central midfield. John Stones will also seek to continue his growing reputation, provided he doesn't move to Chelsea first.
The Gaffer: After a decent time, Roberto Martinez stalled last year, and some fans were openly calling for his dismissal at points. He remains at Goodison Park, but a big season looms as he seeks to silence his growing chorus of critics.
Prediction: The Toffees should improve on last year's below-par 11th spot, and they have a playing squad that should be among the many different challengers for the top 10. Despite that, a return to the heady heights of the top 6 currently looks beyond them.
Leicester City
Last Season In Four Words: Final weeks' best side
What Do They Want?: After a chaotic summer, survival remains the big requirement. Nigel Pearson's sacking came out of the blue the day before pre-season training was meant to start, although in truth felt inevitable after his son was among those caught in a racist orgy on a post-season Thailand tour. New boss Claudio Ranieri was the surprise choice, and as well as facing a battle to convince supporters, he needs to hit the ground running to convince he can still manage in the top flight after 11 years.
Transfers: The big signing is Japanese international Shiniji Okazaki, who has signed from Mainz for £7.5million and is their third big striker signing in as many transfer windows. After his impressive campaign last season, Robert Huth makes his loan from Stoke permanent, while Austrian defender Christian Fuchs signs on a free from Schalke. Midfielder N'Golo Kante and defender Yohan Benalouane also move to the East Midlands. Leicester were frustrated in an approach for Charlie Austin, but will have been more upset by the departure of Esteban Cambiasso. Last season's player of the year failed to agree a new deal at the King Power Stadium. In terms of other outs, Chris Wood leaves for Leeds, Paul Gallagher makes his loan at Preston permanent, Ben Hamer has been loaned to Nottingham Forest, and the high-profile exits of both Pearsons has already been discussed.
Ones To Watch: Leicester's frontline boasts a wealth of options, and it will be interesting to see how Okazaki fits in with Leonardo Ulloa, David Nugent, Jamie Vardy and Andrej Kramaric. This will also be a big season for Andy King, Danny Drinkwater and Dean Hammond, with Leicester yet to get more central midfielders despite Cambiasso leaving and Matty James picking up a major injury that will keep him out for the bulk of the campaign.
The Gaffer: Claudio Ranieri was the surprise choice as Leicester manager after Pearson's sacking. His first role in England since being sacked by Chelsea in 2004 comes after spells with a lot of Italian sides, and Leicester fans will be hoping the positive experiences of his time with the likes of Juventus and Monaco is here, rather than his disastrous spell as manager of the Greek national side.
Prediction: Leicester's almost miracle-like run to survival is an interesting fore-run for the Foxes to set themselves. Ranieri faces a challenge to get the team on the right side of the bottom line. They have the talent and the options to manage it, but its too early to out-and-out predict survival.
Liverpool
Last Season In Four Words: Completely wasted Suarez cash
What Do They Want?: The top four is the height of ambition. Liverpool have spent big in an effort to cope with the departure of Steven Gerrard and the unceremonious exit of Raheem Sterling. The team that takes to the field at the Britannia Stadium on the opening day will be a different one to the one mauled there on the final day of last season, but whether or not its an improvement is a tricky one to know.
Transfers: The big in at Anfield is £32.5million Belgian striker Christian Benteke, who signs from Aston Villa. Joining him in a new-look frontline are Brazilian international Roberto Firmino from Hoffenheim and Burnley striker Danny Ings. James Milner arrives on a free from Manchester City, while £12.5million Nathaniel Clyne is the latest to move from Southampton. Young Charlton defender Joe Gomez and Bolton keeper Adam Bogdan complete the ins. The outs is headed by the big names, with Gerrard's long-term association with the Reds ending in a move to MLS side Los Angeles Galaxy. His out lead to a lot of eulogising and marking his career, while Raheem Sterling had a less marked one when his arguments over a whole range of topics ended in a £49million move to Mancheter City. Glen Johnson joins Stoke on a free-transfer, while Sebastian Coates and Brad Jones also leave, and Andre Wisom makes yet another loan move.
Ones To Watch: The departures of Gerrard and Sterling leaves room for some new heroes on Merseyside. Benteke has to hit the ground running to justify the huge fee, while Daniel Sturridge will also need to chip in, provided he can ever stay fit for more than a few games at a time. Phillipe Coutinho is also looking to build on a decent season, while Jordan Henderson will look to step in as the club's new captain.
The Gaffer: Brendan Rodgers said he would leave if the owners wanted him out, but no desire for his exit is yet coming. But he needs to show that 2013/14's title challenge was not a Suarez-fuelled over-achievement, and also needs a trophy. Whether or not he can get either is another matter.
Prediction: Liverpool's ambition has to be getting a Champions League place and a trophy. Whether or not they're capable of matching these ambitions with a new look arguably star-less squad is another matter. In all probability, the former is beyond them, while the latter is a question of holding their nerve better in semi-finals.
Manchester City
Last Season In Four Words: Aguero masked many sins
What Do They Want?: A return to trophy winning. Last year was a difficult year for the Citizens, but they have to try and challenge again. To do that requires tighter defending and better performances from an at-times weak midfield, which was particularly poor in games away from home.
Transfers: The big money arrival in east Manchester is Raheem Sterling, who arrives from Liverpool for £49million after a frequently controversial and at times rather tedious transfer saga. So far, the Citizens' transfers have largely been on boosting their homegrown player quote, with Fabian Delph joining from Aston Villa after a bizarre series of U-turns, while Fulham's highly rated Patrick Roberts joins for £11million. Youngster Enes Unal also joins from Turkey, although he will be loaned to Belgium for the next two years. James Milner leaves on a free transfer after 5 years at the club, while Villa made the signings of Scott Sinclair and Micah Richards. Dedryck Boyata joins Celtic, while John Guidetti leaves for Spain on a free transfer. Stevan Jovetic has moved to Inter, despite his move seemingly being mainly Instagram posts, while Edin Dzeko currently remains, although probably not for much longer, given Roma have agreed a fee.
Ones To Watch: Last year's top scorer Sergio Aguero is still the man Man City will rely on for momentum and goalscoring, and certainly has the high quality attributes. After an inconsistent season, all of Man City's centre-backs need to show signs of improvement, including captain Vincent Kompany, while Fernando and Fernandinho need to provide better protection to Yaya Toure's marauding persona.
The Gaffer: Questions were asked about Manuel Pellegrini but the Chilean remains in post at the recently expanded Etihad Stadium. His goal is to ensure more silverware is delivered for the billions invested, and to stave off the background rumours that Pep Guardiola is being lined up as a replacement.
Prediction: Manchester City's squad is one of top 4 quality and will no doubt remain there. In terms of title challenging, it has the experience and quality, and in Sterling it has one of Europe's finest young attackers. Whether or not that's enough to translate into overhauling Chelsea is another matter, and it may be that as yet, their defensive deficiencies are too much of a handicap.
Manchester United
Last Season In Four Words: Heading back towards top
What Do They Want?: A title challenge is the ultimate goal. After two years where the thought of challenging for the top spot were never likely, Louis van Gaal will now most likely be tasked with challenging for honours. The team has spent big in his tenure, and has still held on to key individuals, but they must now be meshed into a squad worthy of the high honours.
Transfers: The big signing at Old Trafford is PSV attacker Memphis Depay, who joins for £30million and reportedly turned down Liverpool before signing. Strengthening midfield has been the key area, with Bastian Schweinstiger and Morgan Schneiderlin undoubted improvements on their old squad. Full-back Matteo Darmian joins from Torino, while Argentine international keeper Sergio Romero join as competition for David de Gea, or possibly a replacement. The Spanish goalkeeper has been continually linked with an exit for Real Madrid, with talk even including a swap for Sergio Ramos, but no move has happened and talk has recently cooled. A year on him from his British record transfer fee, Angel di Maria is set to leave for PSG, while Falcao's loan has ended and Robin van Persie moves to Fenerbache. Nani has also moved to the yellow corner of Istanbul, while Rafael joins Lyon and Tom Cleverley moves to Everton. Saidy Janko, Ben Amos and Angelo Henriquez have also left.
Ones To Watch: With van Persie and Falcao gone and Javier Hernandez injured/set to leave, Wayne Rooney starts the campaign as the only senior centre-forward at Old Trafford. He needs a big goalscoring run, or at least stronger competition than the youngster James Wilson. The adjustment of Depay and Schweinstiger will also be crucial to the team's title hopes, while de Gea will also be expected to follow up his goalkeeping heroics last year, even after his "will-he-won't-he" saga. Phil Jones also needs to prove he can actually defend.
The Gaffer: Louis van Gaal had a good, if at times not entirely convincing, maiden campaign in England. He clearly wants to win titles before ending his distinguished career, and is at a club with a similar silverware desire. Whether or not he has enough talent at his disposal for that is another matter.
Prediction: Manchester United are back in the top 4 and should have the quality to maintain a spot there. They also have enough to give the trophy hunt in the cups a good go. But with the centre of defence still quite soft and the options in attack limited, a true run at the highest place still looks a step too far.
Newcastle United
Last Season In Four Words: Narrowly avoided self-inflicted catastrophe
What Do They Want?: A less unbearable finish. After only winning 5 from 20 in the second half of 2013/14, Newcastle only won 3 from 19 in the second half of 2014/15 and only avoided relegation by grabbing the third of those on the final day. New boss Steve McClaren could also avoid repeating last season's run of taking eight games to get a win, although he could've used a more generous opening fixture list than the one he has been given.
Transfers: Mike Ashley hinted at a change of policy to buying high-end players and big money has been spent. At £14.5million, Dutch midfielder Georgino Wijnaldum is the third highest buy in the club's history, while £13million was spent on Serbian international Alexsandar Mitrovic. As yet, Newcastle have not turned the constant rumours of signing Charlie Austin into reality, but an £8.5million move for defender Chancel Mbemba has been done. Jonas Gutierrez has been released despite beating cancer and essentially single-handedly getting Newcastle the win that kept them up, while Ryan Taylor has joined Hull after his own release. Sammy Ameobi has moved to Cardiff City on loan.
Ones To Watch: The onus is on all 3 of Newcastle's buys to improve a squad that includes players who lost their way alarmingly last season. Wijnaldum looks an astute buy, while Mitrovic needs support from pacy wingers, which puts the onus on Gabriel Obertan, Remy Cabella and Rolando Aarons to deliver. After a wretched 2014/15, the likes of Fabricio Coloccini, Mike Williamson and to some degree Tim Krul need to show they can keep out more goals.
The Gaffer: After reportedly turning the Magpies down on 3 occasions last year, and on more occasions in the previous 10 years, Steve McClaren has wound up in the Tyneside hotseat. Fans remain cynical,
Prediction: The target for the Magpies is a top 8 finish and a cup run. The latter can be done if they take tournaments seriously for the first time in too long, but the former is a competitive field given half the league has a similar target. An improvement on last year's struggles is at least a start.
Norwich City
Last Season In Four Words: Turned things around expertly
What Do They Want?: Survival. Norwich's late dash into and then successful victory in the play-offs was impressive, but they need to hit the ground running. The good news is a lot of the key players from their previous top-flight stint remain, but this is new territory for a some of the people in the set-up, including boss Alex Neil, and the Canaries still need to avoid the ghosts of their largely self-inflicted demotion in 2014.
Transfers: Norwich boss Neil said 5 or 6 new boys were needed, and has reached it. One of the signings had already been there, with Graeme Dorrans making his loan permanent. Following him from West Brom is midfielder Youssuf Mulumbu, who signs on a free, while Andre Wisdom - a loanee at the Hawthorns last year - signs on a season long loan from Liverpool. After a long pursuit, Robbie Brady arrives for £7million from Hull City. Blackburn goalkeeper Jake Kean has also arrived. The only first teamer to leave so far is back-up keeper Mark Bunn, who joins Aston Villa. More signings are expected before the deadline.
Ones To Watch: Nathan Redmond was a key player during last season's promotion push, and will need an excellent campaign in the top flight. Cameron Jerome also needs to prove he can still cut it in the top flight, while record signing Ricky van Wolfswinkel has returned to the fold after a year on loan in France. The defence also faces a testing year, while John Ruddy will want to show the form that earned him England call-ups in the past.
The Gaffer: Alex Neil enjoyed an excellent first half-campaign in England, taking a Canaries side struggling in mid-table to third and an instant return. The Premier League is a huge step up for the Scotsman, and he will be eager to make the most of his rise into the top tier.
Prediction: The basic goal for the Canaries is ensuring they knock up consecutive campaigns. They have the on-pitch experience to get it, but need to make sure they can, and a number of players need to make things right after poor campaigns in the relegation of two years ago. They will most likely be spending a campaign battling it out at the lower end, but have enough to stay out of trouble.
Southampton
Last Season In Four Words: Exceeded expectations once again
What Do They Want?: In all truth, its a bit of a strange one. Since the start of the 2010/11 campaign, which ended in promotion from League One, Southampton have constantly defied expectations and had a fantastic campaign that saw them spend most of the time challenging for the top 4. The next step for the rise would be a top 4 spot, but with the added Europa League challenge, and more key exits, that won't be easy.
Transfers: Last year was not an easy on on the South Coast, while several exits. This one hasn't been so brutal, but Morgan Schneiderlin and Nathaniel Clyne have still flown the nest. Their replacements are Feyernoord midfielder Jordy Clasie and Sporting Lisbon full-back Cedric Soares. Cuco Martina also joins to strengthen the full-back part, while Spanish striker Juanmi arrives from Malaga. With Fraser Forster a long-term absence, Maarten Stekelenburg arrives on loan from Fulham, while Steven Caulker is borrowed from QPR. As well as Schneiderlin and Clyne, Saints' record buy Dani Osvaldo leaves, albeit on a freebie. Artuer Boruc, Jos Hoovield and Cody Cropper are also among the leaving freebies.
Ones To Watch: Southampton will be hoping many of last year's key men retain their form. Graziano Pelle is still searching for the form that had him as the league's top scorer at one point, while Dusan Tadic and Saido Mane will also be key. With Jay Rodriguez back after injury hell, and Juanmi a highly rated prospect, there is plenty of competition up top. Forster's absence means that Stekelenburg and Kelvin Davis will be competing for the de facto number one spot.
The Gaffer: Ronald Koeman 's first campaign in English football was a definite success. The goal now is keeping that momentum moving, and also juggling the demands of a Europa League position, which is something a wide variety of English clubs have found an issue of late.
Prediction: Southampton do have a squad that is good quality for the 7th/8th positions in the Premier League. But as far as the aspiration of higher goes, the team still feels like it could use further acquisitions to make the top 4/5.
Stoke City
Last Season In Four Words: Continued excellent recent progression
What Do They Want?: To continue their climb up the league places. Stoke have had some good form and now feel like they belong among the upper tier of the top flight. But they now need to keep going, and bridge the gap between themselves and the European spots - an ambition seemingly shared by a large number of league teams.
Transfers: Its been a busy summer for the Potters, who welcome eight new faces. The one that could make fans extremely excited is former Barcelona winger Ibrahim Afellay, who arrives from the Nou Camp on a free. Also moving from the Spanish and European champions is Moha El Ouriachi, who is another wing option, while former Spanish U21 Joselu signs from Hannover. Phillipp Wollscheid also moves from Germany to the Potteries after a successful loan spell last season. Chelsea midfielder Marco van Ginkel arrives on loan, while Glen Johnson signs on a free from Liverpool. With Asmir Begovic leaving for Chelsea, the goalkeeping area receives attention, with veteran Shay Given and Danish keeper Jakob Haugaard signing for the club. Steven Nzonzi leaves for Europa League winners Sevilla, while Victor Moses' loan has not been continued. Robert Huth, Thomas Sorensen, Wilson Palacios and Andy Wilkinson are also among the outs.
Ones To Watch: Spanish attacker Bojan was coming into excellent form before suffering a long-term injury in January, and will be keen to pick up where he left off. Afellay is also an excellent signing, while Marko Arnautovic will seek to improve after a somewhat disappointing campaign last time. There will also be an intriguing battle between Haugaard, Given and Jack Butland for the number one spot.
The Gaffer: We're a world away from the protests that greeted Mark Hughes' arrival in 2013. Hughes has been the architect of consecutive top 10 finishes for the Potters, and will love to continue his increasingly impressive streak with a further rise.
Prediction: Despite the recent finishes and the playing squad available, Stoke will be tricky to predict. They have got some good looking new acquisitions into the club and have kept most of their key individuals, but have lost key men in Begovic and Nzonzi, while Ryan Shawcross' fitness is a concern. The team should be good enough for midtable, and will no doubt fight to retain their top 10 spot.
Sunderland
Last Season In Four Words: Yet another late escape
What Do They Want?: To finally avoid a season of struggle. The last few seasons have all seen Sunderland maintain survival with a late accumulation of points, and a high success rate in clashes with Newcastle. But Sunderland fans would undoubtedly prefer it if they just had a boring drift in midtable rather than needing a late bailout.
Transfers: Sunderland have been quieter than anticipated but have still made signings, with defence a particular focus. Younes Kaboul signs from Spurs, while right-back Adam Matthews moves from Celtic. Sebastian Coates makes his loan move from Liverpool permanent. The biggest signing is midfielder Jeremain Lens, who has arrived for £8.5million from Dynamo Kiev. Sunderland had been quiet on outs, with only El-Hadji Ba and Santiago Vergini making (loan) exits in the early part of window, but a deal was made to take Connor Wickham to Crystal Palace. More signings are likely, with midfielders Yann M'Villa and Leroy Fer likely to move in.
Ones To Watch: Dick Advocaat's teamsheets have seen an attacking look, and much is expected of Jermaine Defoe, Steven Fletcher and Danny Graham in order to find greater goalscoring feats than last season. They also need to tighten up at the back, which means the likes of John O'Shea and Wes Brown need to be tighter than they recently have been.
The Gaffer: Dick Advocaat was initially planning to leave Wearside after last season, and officially left at one stage, but was persuaded to stick around at the Stadium of Light. Advocaat is yet to be relegated in his long career in professional football management, and will at the very least want to see that streak continue.
Prediction: In all truth, Sunderland still lack the bodies and quality to increase their distance from the relegation fight and could be set for another brush with it. Nevertheless, they have the management and some key options to keep them out of trouble come the end, although presumably the hope is that this time it won't take a panic button press to keep them in it.
Swansea City
Last Season In Four Words: Significant improvement on previous
What Do They Want?: More of the same. Swansea had an excellent 2014/15, which ended in their best finish and points total since the early 1980s. The Welsh side's goal is therefore to continue that, and close down the gap on the top 6, or at the least in continuing their top half positions.
Transfers: The biggest and most exciting signing is French winger Andre Ayew, who signs from Marseille on a free transfer. Franck Tabanou also moves from France to South Wales, with the Saint-Etienne defender signing for £3.25million. Swansea have also signed striker Eder from Portuguese side Braga, and goalkeeper Kristoffer Nordfelt from Heerenveen. Young striker Oliver McBurnie has signed from Bradford. The highest profile outs are defender Jazz Richards, who joins Fulham, and back-up keeper Gerhard Tremmel, who leaves on a free.
Ones To Watch: Bafetimbi Gomis had a good second half of the campaign after Wilfried Bony left for Manchester City, and the onus is on him to lead the line. Ayew also provides an excellent counterpoint, while Jefferson Montero and Gylfi Sigurdsson are anticipated to be contributing as they did last year. After a summer of links away, Ashley Williams will also look to deliver.
The Gaffer: Former captain and centre-back Garry Monk was somewhat thrown in at the deep end to replace Michael Laudrup, but had a fantastic first season as full manager. This campaign will have undoubtedly raised the hopes the Swans have emerged a gem, and the top-brass will hope he can continue.
Prediction: Swansea will certainly look to push on and look in a good place to do so. The team are arguably among the best place of the cavalcade of league teams aiming for a top 8 spot in the division, although its still a tall order for them to gatecrash the top 6.
Tottenham Hotspur
Last Season In Four Words: Champions League remained elusive
What Do They Want?: Champions League football is still the goal, although how they will achieve that is still a question without an answer. The likes of Kane, Lloris and Eriksen may remain despite links away, but a lack of back-up quality is an issue. Equally so is the problem of throwing away points at home, and Spurs need to sort that out.
Transfers: All of the focus on incomings is on defence. Toby Alderweireld is the biggest incoming at £11.5million - much to Southampton's irritation - while full-backs Kieran Trippier and Kevin Wimmer also move in. Much is expected of Dele Alli and Alex Pritchard, who are anticipated to have first team roles after time out on loan. This is even more so with 3 central midfield departures, with Paulinho moving to China, Ettiene Capoue joining newboys Watford, and Benjamin Stambouli returning to France. Younes Kaboul joins Sunderland, while Lewis Holtby makes his loan at Hamburg permanent. As yet, Emmanuel Adebayor and Roberto Soldado remain at the club, although both are expected out by the end of the window.
Ones To Watch: Spurs' success story of 2014/15 was Harry Kane, who became the first Spurs player since Gary Lineker to score 30 in a season. The homegrown hero needs an excellent season to prove it was not a one-off, and to justify an ever-escalating pricetag. After being linked with Manchester and Paris moves, Hugo Lloris will look to continue his impressive moves between the sticks, while the defensive unit needs to convince after letting Spurs down at various points last season.
The Gaffer: Mauricio Pochettino had an odd season last year. 5th was a decent finish, but came after doubts over his selections and tactics at times, and frequent dropping of points at home. Nevertheless, he remains highly rated, and it will be interesting to see if he can help the North Londoners progress.
Prediction: If Spurs can get the top 4, then they will have undeniably had an excellent campaign, and their defensive unit is more convincing this time. But in attack, it feels like Spurs are over-reliant on Kane, and if they fail to strengthen their attacking options, they're likely to come up short in the top four pursuit yet again.
Watford
Last Season In Four Words: Only needed four managers
What Do They Want?: The basic goal is getting consecutive top flight campaigns for the first time since a six year stint in the mid-1980s. The Pozzo family will be very eager to see it done, given they have spent lots of time, money and player shuffling between their European clubs to get the Hornets into the top 20. Maintaining a spot among them has to be the goal.
Transfers: No team has more incomings than Watford, who so far have 10 in, although the face of Matej Vydra will no doubt be the most familiar. He finally makes a permanent move to Vicarage Road after two loan spells. A reported club record fee of £6million was paid for Spurs midfielder Ettiene Capoue, while former West Ham winger Valon Behrami has also arrived. Steve Berghuis signs from AZ Alkmaar, while Jose Manuel Jurado signs from Spartak Moscow, and goalkeeper Giedrius Arlauskis signs as back-up to Gomes. Watford have been paying focus on strengthening their defence, with Jose Holebas, Sebastian Prodl, Essaid Belkalem, Allan Nyom and Miguel Britos all signing. The biggest out is Lewis McGugan, who joins Sheffield Wednesday, while Juanfran was loaned out to Deportivo less than 3 weeks after signing from Real Betis.
Ones To Watch: For certain key men, its a chance to get acquainted with the top flight. This includes Troy Deeney, who has been repeatedly linked with the likes of Newcastle and Aston Villa after continually impressive form. Scotsman Ikechi Anya is also looking to impress in the top flight, while Joel Ekstrand will seek to come good on his good form. Gomes is also looking to impress on his return to the top tier after inconsistency at Spurs, while of the new boys, Jurado, Behrami and Berghuis could provide excellent signatures.
The Gaffer: In keeping with the rotational wheel that saw Watford change manager three times before Christmas, they begin with a new man. Replacing Slavisa Jokanovic is Quique Flores, who comes to England for the first time. He has previously enjoyed success with Valencia, Benfica and Atletico Madrid, while Watford's board presumably hope will be more long-lasting than he was at Getafe earlier this year, whom he quit after less than a month in charge.
Prediction: Watford will be looking to survive, and in truth, much of that revolves around how quickly they adjust to having new management and an entire new team of players being on board. Flores faces a complex balancing act in Hertfordshire, but the club do seem very well placed to at least attempt it. Nevertheless, it will be a tricky mission.
West Bromwich Albion
Last Season In Four Words: Pulis to the rescue
What Do They Want?: A greater barrier from the bottom battle. West Brom were lucky to avoid demotion in 2014 and looked likely for it until Pulis' arrival last season. Pulis is certainly more than capable of yielding survival, and while he's head a quieter summer than he would've liked, he will nevertheless like his chances at ensuring WBA do not go down.
Transfers: In contrast to their somewhat scattergun recruitment this time last year, West Brom have been content to make a small number of additions. James McClean was first in and signed from Wigan, although has already caused controversy by refusing to acknowledge the Union Jack during a game in America. Centre-back James Chester is a big money buy at £8million from Hull City, while Rickie Lambert signs after a disappointing year at Liverpool. The Baggies had previously targeted Demba Ba, but the Senegal striker opted to move to China instead. Duo Graeme Dorrans and Youssuf Mulumbu have made moves to newly promoted Norwich City, while Chris Baird has joined Derby.
Ones To Watch: Despite some poorly thought-out comments and links with moves to Spurs, Saido Berahino remains in the Midlands. Holding on to him will be key to WBA's ambitions. Brown Ideye will also look to improve after a slow adjustment last year. Chester represents a big step in defence, but it remains to be seen if he can fit in with the likes of Craig Dawson, Joleon Lescott and Jonas Olsson, while Craig Gardner will look to continue after a promising first year.
The Gaffer: Tony Pulis remains without a relegation in his management career, and admitted that the job was one of the toughest he has so far done. Provided he doesn't walk out on the edge of the season again, whomever owns the Baggies should stick behind him.
Prediction: West Brom seem likely to make a grab for more secure ground after some recent travails. It won't necessarily be smooth or enitrely free from fears of the drop, but they should make it into those receiving the TV mega-deal next year.
West Ham United
Last Season In Four Words: Allardyce drifted into exit
What Do They Want?: The basic goal is ensuring the first year at the London Olympic Stadium is not as a Championship side. This will be the last of West Ham's 112 years at Upton Park, and while in theory new manager Slaven Billic has a squad that looks capable of more than simply avoiding the drop, it would be a major blow to the club if they managed to get a second demotion in the last 15 years and ended up in the lower tier.
Transfers: The big arrival is Marseille winger Dimitri Payet, who was the second highest chance creator in Europe last season. He arrives from Marseille for just shy of £11million, and will be keen to impress. Defender Angelo Ogbonna signs from Juventus, while Pedro Obiang signs from Sampdoria - most likely as a replacement for Alex Song, whose loan was not renewed. Carl Jenkinson's loan from Arsenal is renewed, while Darren Randolph signs on a free from Birmingham City and Manuel Lanzini signs on loan from the Middle East. Stewart Downing returns to Middlesbrough for £5.5million, while Carlton Cole, Jussi Jaaskelainen, Guy Demel and Nene are among those releassed.
Ones To Watch: All eyes are on Payet, who seeks to justify his big fee and big reputation. Diafra Sakho is also looking for a good campaign after starting with 6 in 6, and being the Hammers' top scorer last season, while Enner Valencia and Andy Carroll seek to improve their positions up top. New boy Ogbonna moved from the Italian champions and should provide steel at the back.
The Gaffer: Former Hammers centre-back Slaven Billic was the name chosen to replace Sam Allardyce, who was sacked within minutes of the final game of last season. His first job in English football is an interesting one, and he will be keen to help the Hammers show form closer to that which got them into the top 4 at Christmas, as opposed to the site who only won three league games in 2015 and imploded at West Brom in the FA Cup.
Prediction: In truth, the Hammers shouldn't be in the demotion battle, and have a squad to get midtable comfortably enough. But they're yet to get the squad right for a tilt at the top 7, and remain somewhat unbalanced in key areas. If their Europa League Fair Play qualifying run is a sign of indication, there could be a fair few red cards involved too.
With the teams ready to go, all eyes will be on stadia up and down the country. Here's hoping the season produced is a great one.
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