Brian Reade Article

By Brian Reade.

A YEAR ago this week Harry Redknapp was doing his best to talk up Spurs prospects.
Worried
about his transfer targets and a defensive injury crisis, he put what
cynics thought was a brave spin on the new season. "I think we have got a
good chance of being a top six team this year.There's no reason why
not."
A year later he's talking about winning the title, and for
every cynic there's an optimist saying you probably won't but why not
believe you can?
A year ago when Sir Alex Ferguson was asked who
might relieve him of his title, he said he couldn't see past Chelsea and
Liverpool. This week he was looking way past them: "I can see the
progress at Spurs, Everton, Aston Villa and particularly Manchester
City. You can see a far more competitive table at the top."
Give
those old sages a free bet on next year's title winners and they'd
probably stick it on Chelsea or United. But ask who will finish in the
top four and they will be stumped. Because the top of the Premier League
is no longer tighter then a gnat's chuff dipped in super glue.
The closed shop has been broken into and it's as wide open as it's been since the mid 90s.
Any of the traditional big four plus City could win the title. And any of the top eight could win a Champions League place.
The
reason being Chelsea, United, Arsenal and Liverpool haven't improved in
the last couple of years while the four below have,and now take points
off off them.
In the season before last, the so-called big four lost
only 17 league games. Last season they lost 33. Two years ago the final
gap between third and 7th was 30 points but last season it had narrowed
to 12. The big Four concept is dead. It makes just as much sense to talk
about the big Two, big Six or big Ron Atkinson. Because if we're lucky
our top league may be about to become as exciting as it was in the days
his long leather coat graced the dug-outs.
So thank Harry for saying
what no manager outside of Fergie, Wenger, Rafa Benitez and whoever's
in charge at Chelsea has said this century: Of course we can win the
League. Why not?
How unambitious and soul destroying would it have
been to say we just want to consolidate in the top four. That never used
to be how top teams thought, so why should they now?
With the money
Roberto Mancini has splashed, he clearly believes his side can finish
top. Roy Hodgeson rightly plays down Liverpool's chances, but if he
keeps Fernando Torres and uses the Javier Mascherano money to bring in
two more class additions like Joe Cole, his squad is stronger than a
year ago when they were tipped to win the title. David Moyes knows that
if Everton start the season the way they finished the last they will be
in Champions League contention and Martin O'Neill knows if Villa can
finish a season the way they start, they'll be up there too.
England's
national side may be as dull as a wet Sunday in Malmo but our top
league is about to get very interesting again. Next season will see
scores of big, unpredictable clashes and we could go into the final
month with five teams capable of winning the title. I think we're in for
a thrilling ride.

yep guna be very intresting . i cant wait for aug 14