Predictions: Chelsea, Arsenal & Manc duo backed

Mark Holmes
Manchester United: Working hard, insists Young

Manchester United: Working hard, insists Young

Manchester United, Stoke, West Ham, Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal have been backed – now join our prediction league and make your calls.

 

As well as Mark and some of our other writers, a different band or artist will also be making their predictions each week, giving you the chance to not only beat the TEAMtalk journalists but also some famous faces from the world of music.

Baz from the Fratellis did well in his slot last week, correctly predicting six of the 10 results to move Shoot Music up to sixth in the overall table, but last week’s top 10 was once again made up solely of fans. Mark got only two of his predictions right and is down in 49th overall.

This week we have predictions from George Runciman of the band Storms, whose new track ‘Shame’ is available as a free download – stormsband.com

Week 3 Predictions

Manchester United v Newcastle: Mark 2-0, George 2-0
Crystal Palace v Aston Villa: Mark 2-2, George 1-1
Leicester v Tottenham: Mark 1-2, George 2-2
Norwich v Stoke: Mark 1-2, George 0-1
Sunderland v Swansea: Mark 1-1, George 1-2
West Ham v Bournemouth: Mark 2-0, George 2-0
West Brom v Chelsea: Mark 0-2, George 1-3
Everton v Manchester City: Mark 0-2, George 1-2
Watford v Southampton: Mark 1-0, George 0-0
Arsenal v Liverpool: Mark 3-1, George 2-1

Five from George Runciman

How did you come to support your club and what are your favourite memories from your time as a fan?
My dad’s a Hammer so he introduced me to West Ham at a very young age. My dad’s mate Bob, however, tried to convert me into a Man United fan by sneakily lending me his Man United VHS of them winning the league, which I loved. This apparently scared the sh*t out of my dad and brother but I was never gonna be a glory hunter, it was all about West Ham for me.

My favourite memory is when Di Canio scored the winner at Old Trafford in the FA Cup and it will take me a while to forget us beating Spurs three times last season. The best moment was the 3-0 win at White Hart Lane – Ravel Morrison’s goal at the end was just pure genius.

Who have been your biggest heroes during your time supporting the club?
Tony Cottee, Julian Dicks, Rio Ferdinand, Paolo Di Canio, Carlos Tevez, Bobby Zamora, and Ludek Miklosko.

What do you make of the current team? What are your hopes for the season?
I think our best 11 is really strong but our squad could definitely do with strengthening in certain areas. I like that we’re linked with Tom Huddlestone and Lucas Leiva; if we can sign either one of them along with Alex Song then we’ll have a great pool of central midfielders to choose from.

We could probably do with adding another winger too, Jarvis just isn’t up to it. Slightly controversial but I’d love us to put a cheeky 7 or 8million pound bid in for Mario Balotelli too, which if accepted would be half the price of Charlie Austin. The last time we gambled on an Italian maverick that nobody wanted to touch, it paid off, and I just think our fans would love him and we’d get the best out of him.

I think our aim, if we can keep the injuries to a minimum, should be to try and win a domestic cup and get a top-half league position this season.

Everyone has a soft spot for another team. Who’s yours and why?
Sheffield Wednesday. My Mum was born in Hillsborough, they were her team, and all my cousins support them too. They’re a great club; hopefully we’ll see them back where they belong soon, in the Premier League.

What’s going on with the band at the moment?
We’re getting a decent amount of plays from BBC Introducing and XFM at the moment, which is good. We’re finishing our residency at St. Moritz, London, for Blow Up on August 28. Then we’ve got a footy team together for Soccer Six at Mile End Stadium on September 6 with The Darkness and The Enemy which we’re looking forward to. I’m gonna go in goal though cause my ankles are made of plasticine.