Yes, folks, believe it or not, the pundits were nearly all in agreement. This season would see the elevation of Everton to top seven status.
This was hardly a mind-blowing revelation as the Toffees finished seventh last season! So what was the point of predicting that they would finish in exactly the same spot?
Well, dear readership, what they meant was that Everton would make seventh spot their own. This they would achieve by virtue of the fact that they now have a very rich man in charge and, not only that, one who isn’t afraid to splash the cash.
Their prediction was also based, to an extent, on the appointment of Ronald Koeman, who was the manager who had led them to seventh last season BEFORE spending any money.
So after a summer transfer window where £150 million was spent, give or take, and Wayne Rooney was wheeled back home in his luxury, 4×4 Silver Cross pram containing all of his favourite toys, an air of expectancy and quiet confidence enveloped Goodison Park.
But not for long! In a brave effort to prove to everybody that money does not buy success Ronald Koeman set about turning Everton into the third worst team in the Premier League. The Everton board then set about turning Ronald Koeman into the ex-Everton manager.
Replaced on an interim basis by David Unsworth who, according to ex-Aston Villa manager John Gregory, can only make decisions if he has his wife’s approval, Everton were soon to be ex-contenders for the Europa League as well.
So Everton have gone from turning the big six into the big seven, to turning the avoid-relegation-race into the remaining fourteen, not thirteen!
Manchester City and Manchester United are probably where they would have expected to be. Pep Guardiola and his team are setting a pretty fast pace at the top and the others are struggling to keep up with them.
United, in second place, will be hoping for better luck with injuries when their current crop eventually return and, if they can put together an unbeaten run and City have a downturn in form, they would still be optimistic about catching them.
At present, the likely outcome is that the top two will remain the top two at the end of the season, with City picking up another title.
Third placed Tottenham Hotspur need to find some consistency if they are to stay there or climb any higher.
They seem to have overcome their White Hart Wembley hoodoo and have recently been in excellent form away from home with the one exception being the loss at Old Trafford.
Inconsistency and mistakes are currently afflicting the teams below them and, if this state of affairs were to continue, then Tottenham would be nailed on for third at least!
Immediately below Tottenham are Chelsea who, having just lost 3-0 away to Roma, are giving the impression that there is a Jekyll-and-Hyde-type schizophrenia to their personalities.
One minute they can be scintillating but that can quickly and annoyingly become careless and error-strewn.
Antonio Conte needs to step up and prove he is the manager most people thought he was when he joined Chelsea and not just someone who can win one Premier League title without the added pressure of the Champion’s League!
Arsenal have sneaked into fifth place above Liverpool with some winning, if not entirley convincing, performances which haven’t really been noticed as they have played teams against whom they should be collecting three points.
Narrow home wins against the likes of Swansea City, Norwich City and Brighton, coupled with an away defeat at Watford hardly auger well for a top four finish.
We make no apology for repeating our opinion that Arsenal would be better off in fifth position but with a new manager getting to know his players and preparing for success, rather than Arséne Wenger getting bored with his players and preparing for retirement.
Finally Liverpool. Sitting where expected by the “experts”, they should be looking to finish above Arsenal while they still have the chance.
Another of the big six suffering from inconsistency whereby they fail spectacularly to win some of the games through which they are supposed to stroll!
Jürgen Klopp seems to be in a perpetual state of explanation. Explaining why his team can’t defend, explaining what a good goalkeeper Simon Mignolet is and explaining how well the opposition always seem to play against Liverpool.
The fans, however, would much prefer that he sort out the defensive problems, buy a decent goalkeeper and challenge for the top four. The other contenders for those spots, in general, have good goalkeepers and a good defence and it is this which will prevent Liverpool qualifying for the Champion’s League next time out, if they are not very careful.
So the big six is in no danger of becoming the big seven just yet and, depending who Everton can recruit as their next manager, it may be a while before it happens.
In fact, with the sale of Newcastle United now imminent and a very good manager already in place, events could very well see them emerge as contenders before Everton! Now wouldn’t that be something?
WHY SAY ANYTHING? 