Despite Tottenham & Newcastle’s best efforts there have been no real surprise packages this season:

Looking at the league table this morning and I really can’t understand what all the fuss is about. There’s been a lot of talk about misplaced expectations and surprise packages this season, but I’m having none of it.

Of the top 7 clubs only Newcastle can be classed as the surprise package. I think most would of had the two Manchester clubs at the top and Arsenal are around about where you would expect. A Tottenham “team” has shown a Chelsea “bunch of individuals” what can be achieved. Liverpool’s off field dramas seem to have hampered their on field capabilities. Slight under achievers in 7th, but given a few duff signings, it wasn’t impossible to see coming.

At the opposite end of the table and 4 out of the bottom 5 I tipped to struggle. QPR, Wigan, Wolves and Blackburn are all struggling as expected. Bolton are the surprise team languishing at the bottom.

And in between eight teams are separated by 6 points. Norwich and Swansea will be happy with how their seasons have gone, Aston Villa’s financial problems have seen them struggle but in relative safety. Fulham, West Brom and Sunderland couldn’t expect to finish much higher.

Stoke are mounting a decent run to the end of their season and Everton have also found their end of season form which should see both finish in the top half. That’s where Everton usually end up and Stoke have slowly but surely established themselves as a mid-level Premier League side, so there are no real surprises here.

So who isn’t roughly where they deserve to be? You have to feel sorry for 3 of the managers sacked this season with QPR and Wolves hardly turning their form around and whoever takes over at Chelsea facing a near impossible task when it comes to Champions League qualification. The only club that has improved by changing manager is Sunderland who plucked a point away from Newcastle despite being a man down throughout the game.

For me pretty much every club is where they should be give or take a place or to. So why is everybody acting so surprised?

What are your thoughts on your clubs position and how can they improve for next season? Comment below.

Written by Wesley Hillier @armchairstato.blogspot.com.

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