11. West Bromwich Albion
For the very first time in their history, West Bromwich Albion are on the verge of establishing themselves as a Premier League club.
Since his appointment after the sacking of Roberto Di Matteo last February, new manager Roy Hodgson has instilled a confidence into the Baggies that has made them incredibly difficult to break down and defeat.
The most important summer signing for the club is the arrival of Birmingham City goalkeeper Ben Foster, as Hodgson looks to shore up a leaky defence that conceded more goals than relegated West Ham United last season.
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| Roy Hodgson will be looking to continue his good work at the Hawthorns this season. (Times) |
With proven Championship goal grabber Shane Long and the talented Zoltan Gera also arriving at the Hawthorns during the summer, the Baggies posess one of the most talented squads in their history and they should be good enough to comfortably achieve a mid-table position.
12. Swansea City
Swansea City arrive in the Premier League playing a rich brand of attractive football that wouldn't be out of place in continental Europe.
Manager Brendan Rodgers has a small, but talented group of players at his disposal, who will be looking to defy the odds of many pundits that view the Welsh club as relegation candidates.
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| Play-off final winners don't have a great record in the Premier League. |
Play-off final hero Scott Sinclair and new signing Wayne Routledge are extremely talented players who can cause tremendous problems with their pace, whilst the likes of Alan Tate, Gary Monk and Leon Britton, who were all at the club when the Swans played at the Vetch Field, provide a good spine to the team.
Darren Pratley's move to Bolton will be a loss, but with other players like Nathan Dyer, Ashley Williams, Neil Taylor and Joe Allen all choosing to remain at the Liberty Stadium, people really should underestimate Swansea City at their peril.
13. Stoke City
Tony Pulis' side have been criticised by many and chastised by just about every opposing manager in the country, but the masters of the long ball game enjoyed their most remarkable season yet, securing European football by virtue of their FA Cup Final appearance.
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| Jonathon Woodgate - A new arrival at the Britannia Stadium this summer. |
The Stoke gaffer has been busy in the transfer market; adding Jonathon Woodgate and Matthew Upson to his defensive options, whilst there are also rumours about Peter Crouch joining the club to bolster the attack.
However, the prospect of European football coming to the Britannia this season is one that will whet the appetite of the Potters faithful, but could prove to be decisive to Stoke's season. If Pulis' team can cope with the demands of a busier fixture schedule then there is no reason why they can't challenge in the top half. If not, then it may be a case of groundhog day at the Britannia Stadium.
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| The Britannia Stadium will host European football for the first time. (Stoke City FC) |
14. Newcastle United
It has been quite a dramatic year in the North East. Depending on which Newcastle supporter you ask, it is difficult to assess whether the changes the club have made will have a negative or positive effect.
On the bright side, the club never looked out of place in the top flight last season and the thrashings of Sunderland and Aston Villa at St James Park will live long in the memory. On the negative side though is the departure of a number of key players in the last 12 months, with players to have left for pastures new including the likes of Andy Carroll, Jose Enrique and Kevin Nolan.
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| Mike Ashley has made some bold decisions at Newcastle. (Mirror) |
With Joey Barton's future remaining far from clear and the clubs transfer policy under intense scrutiny, it is probably a fair assessment to say that the Magpies are in a big period of transition.
15. Queens Park Rangers
After ending a fifteen year absence from the top flight, you would expect the multi-billionaire owners of the West London club to be pleased with how the club are progressing.
However, QPR seem to be a bit of an enigma, with the future of manager Neil Warnock less than certain and much of what the Super-hoops can achieve this season will depend on how the owners treat the 62-year-old Yorkshireman.
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| Neil Warnock is back in the Premier League - but for how long? (The Sun) |
Warnock has brought together a talented group of players that fully respect him, but if the sweeping winds of change blow through Loftus Road at some point in the season, the next incumbent into the managerial hot seat could have a tough job on his hands to get those same players working for him.
16. Bolton Wanderers
Although Owen Coyle's first full season as Wanderers manager was relatively successful, the undignified and humiliating exit at the hands of Stoke City in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley, and the subsequent dip in league form that followed left a bitter taste in the mouths of many at the Reebok Stadium.
Coyle has been busy in the transfer market this summer, with striker Tuncay replacing Johan Elmander and Nigel Reo-Coker, Darren Pratley and Chris Eagles all being snapped up. Another new signing, Tyrone Mears, already faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines though, after being seriously injured during his first training session.
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| Bolton can no longer call upon the services of Johan Elmander. (Guardian) |
The clubs results from what look to be some tricky fixtures in the opening few weeks of the new campaign could set the tone for what may be a long season at the Reebok.
17. Blackburn Rovers
When Sam Allardyce was sacked by the Indian owners of the Lancashire club last December, there was a whiff of condemnation in the air as many leading personalities within the game questioned the decision.
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| The Venky's - Blackburn Rovers' owners. (Telegraph) |
Exactly eight months on, it is difficult to see how the Ewood Park based club have benefited. Steve Kean has hardly set the world alight during his first managerial job and has suffered a major blow during the summer with the departure of highly-rated defender Phil Jones.
Although the signing of David Goodwillie will bring goals, many fans will be wondering whether or not Kean can motivate a group of players that were in freefall throughout the second half of last season.
If the 43-year-old Scotsman fails to do so, then it may not be long before the Venky's hand out another P45.
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| The pressure is on for Steve Kean this season. (Guardian) |
18. Wolverhampton Wanderers
In previous years, Ipswich Town, Reading and Birmingham City have all fallen victim to the bug that is known as 'second season-itis'.
After the most dramatic of final day escapes, Mick McCarthy and his team are now firmly looking to the future as Wolves begin the process of trying to firmly establish themselves in the Premier League.
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| Will Mick McCarthy be celebrating survival once again in May 2012? |
Roger Johnson, Dorus De Vries and Jamie O'Hara have arrived at Molineux during the summer and will all be eager to prove a point to their former employers, although McCarthy's failure to add more players to a team that flirted perilously close to the drop last season could prove to be Wolves' undoing.
19. Wigan Athletic
Fans of Wigan Athletic are begining to grow accustomed to the club's annual battle against relegation. Last year proved to be one of the most nail biting of escapes yet for Roberto Martinez's side, with Hugo Rodallega's winning goal on the final day of the season keeping the Latics in the top flight for another year at least.
| Rodallega's goal against Stoke kept the Latics in the top flight last season. (Mirror) |
Martinez's task of keeping the Latics away from the drop zone this season hasn't been made any easier following the departure of Charles N'Zogbia to Aston Villa and persistent rumours surrounding the future of the industrious Rodallega, who is now in the final year of his contract at the DW stadium.
With no notable new arrivals, it will therefore come as little surprise to the Wigan faithful that many bookmakers and pundits are tipping their team for the drop.
For once, this just may be the year when those pundits are proved to be correct in their expectations.
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| Wigan chairman Dave Whelan knows it could be a tough season. (Telegraph) |
20. Norwich City
Whilst Paul Lambert's magnificent achievements of the last two years will go down in Norwich folklore as one of the greatest periods in the club's history, to say the Canaries have come a long way in a short space of time would be a major understatement.
Arguably the most worrying feature of Lambert's squad, however, is the severe lack of Premier League experience amongst any of his players, and the squad as a whole will have to learn quickly if they are to face anything other than a long and arduous battle against relegation.
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| The Canaries are back in the big time - but for how long? |
Two players who may help the Canaries cause significantly this season are summer signing James Vaughan and the mercurial Republic of Ireland midfielder Wes Hoolahan.
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