The Club

Crystal Palace have always been a perennial strugglers club. Known for decent youth production and always trying to play football the right way, Palace rarely have the ability to compete at the top end of the table. Financial instability, too, has regularly been a problem for one of the smaller London clubs.

In their classic red and blue kit, though, The Eagles have always been a club that people respect. Their famous FA Cup final appearances against Manchester United have always earned them a ‘neutral’s favourite’ tag.

16-17 – How Was It?

Challenging. Club legend Alan Pardew rightfully moved on, before Sam Allardyce returned from disgrace to take the club to safety. Impressive wins – again, with a win at Anfield – helped to seal the clubs safety and they managed to stay up. A lack of movement on and off the pitch since, though, has seen a rather stressful summer come together.

A lack of improvement on a rather imbalanced playing staff could see major problems for Palace, who while they managed to finish 14^th in the league never really looked particularly safe, with some big name signings never truly settling in.

17-18 – What Lies Ahead?

A battle. The hiring of Frank de Boer seems ambitious but also misguided. A good coach, he managed to lose it with Ajax in the end (despite rebuilding them) and also managed to fall apart at Internazionale in a record space of time. A good coach, he lacks the right kind of profile for a club like Palace – he’s too ambitious in playing style for it to likely work, and not pragmatic enough to make it stick.

Either way, it’s going to be interesting. We expect Palace to be battling relegation, although we expect them to stay up – just about.

The Club

The Swans are the sole representative in the Premier League outside of England, having been joined be eternal rivals Cardiff in 2013/14. Swansea were in regular trouble for many years, bar a rather wild time under John Toshack in the 80s. Once the residents of the charismatically awful Vetch Field, they moved to the Liberty Stadium and done very well. Now, they are one of the more established clubs, having lifted the League Cup in 2013, culminating years of work from chairman Huw Jenkins. Now under manager Paul Clement, The Jacks want to take another step forward.

16-17 – How Was It?

Poor. The sacking of several coaches, including US coach Bob Bradley, seen the club go through a period of relative flux. Under Paul Clement, though, the club maintained a decent run of things after a crazy 3-2 win at Anfield vs Liverpool. They went on to finish an impressive 15^th, given the relative mess of the club that season. The season, though, was one of serious issues for the clubs fans.

Fallouts and a lack of trust in the new ownership meant things went wrong, with survival only achieved late on.

17-18 – What Lies Ahead?

More stress, we suggest. Summer moves have been slow and a lack of quality in the market could see them struggle further. Coach Paul Clement is very good at his job but can only do what he can with the squad he has. With an ageing team and everyone a year older, doubts exist as to whether they can survive again without more intelligent investment.

Either way, the season is not likely to be one that is memorable for the right seasons. Swans fans should be ready for another battle at the bottom: not enough progress looks to be made in summer.

The Club

Formed in 1881, The Hornets have long been a club of little consequence. Their incredible rise under Graham Taylor and Elton John was a true fairytale, missing out on a league title and the FA Cup. However, before and since the club has, at best, enjoyed top-flight football. Now owned by the Pozzo family of Udinese, they are a team that has never been known for winning things. They’ve never won a major trophy and, under the smart but rather unemotional leadership they are at present, that does not show much signs of change.

16-17 – How Was It?

Awkward. Coach Walter Mazzarri done poorly given the squad he had as they finished 17^th in the league. A rather crazy squad building platform and a total lack of any kind of progress on the field left many fans concerned with the direction of the club in recent years. The season was mostly one of dour and dull frustration, with an inability to really capitalize on the work they had done in the transfer window.

With a relegation dogfight and a total lack of any kind of impetus, it was a rather forgetful season for all.

17-18 – What Lies Ahead?

Under charismatic young coach Marco Silva, that could change. Watford are emboldened by a bit more cash thanks to the Premier League survival, and the level of talent coming through the door could make a big impression on Hornets fans. The likes of Kiko Femenia have signed up, joining a rather decent collection of players.

We expect a safer season with a slow level of development regarding the kind of football the club plays. A squad that feels like it’s the work of several philosophies, though, will need to be trimmed to make the chance of long-term success possible.

The Club

As one of the largest and most well-supported clubs in the country, Newcastle United are a rather unique enterprise. Their total lack of success and consistent European football is a scourge for a city with such open and incredible fans. A lack of success has become a major problem for a club that, for many years, was seen as one of the cornerstones of English football.

Now, they are better known for their support rather than trophies. With potential ownership changes on the horizon, though, that may change.

16-17 – How Was It?

As expected. The best team in the 2^nd tier, the won the league on the last day. However, their quality of playing squad, immense changes to the playing staff and managerial mastermind in Rafa Benitez meant anything other than top two would have been a sackable offence at most clubs!

However, they came up with ease and are a welcome addition to the top tier once again. They have a good squad and with some smart signings being linked, there is no reason to think that they cannot take further momentum after what was a rather arduous and challenging campaign.

17-18 – What Lies Ahead?

A boring season, we think. Newcastle have a manager who should be aiming for Europe and a squad that should come in the mid-table places. They are a very good team to watch at times, but they lack a bit of thrust for the top-flight. Some big names are being linked but not many through the door.

Links to Joe Hart should cause palpations for Geordies, and a lack of real stellar progression on the name front could be a concern. With ownership wrangles still going on, though, that could all change in a flash – it depends on Mike Ashley.