Premiership Preview - West Ham United and Wigan Athletic

West Ham United
Last Season: 15th

Alright, lets try and get through this without mentioning a certain Argentine. Not that West Ham fans should be thinking too much about him given the exciting signings made by Alan Curbishley this summer.

Scott Parker, Freddie Ljungberg and Craig Bellamy are quality additions to the Upton Park ranks. Parker will add bite to the midfield while Ljungberg, although his best days are behind him, will perform well for Curbishley.

Much was made of the ‘golf club incident’ in Portugal playing a large part in Bellamy’s departure from Liverpool, but in reality the reason he left was simple; five strikers into four positions doesn’t go. Hammers fans should ignore what happened in the Algarve and focus instead on the Welshman’s star performance in the Nou Camp a few days later. He’ll score goals for Curbishley.

Although not officially ‘new signings,’ the return of two players to the West Ham fold will certainly freshen up the squad. Dean Ashton, out for the entire last campaign, has the potential to strike up a lethal partnership with Bellamy, while if Matthew Upson can stay fit he’ll step straight into the Hammers back four.

Lucas Neill is Curbishley’s new captain, replacing the departed Nigel Reo-Coker, while goalkeeper Robert Green will look to force his way back into the England fold.

West Ham are of course very lucky to be in the top flight at all, and they’ll be looking to make the most of their good fortune.

Their squad is certainly capable of European qualification, and they are likely to spend the majority of the season in the top half of the table. If their new signings find form they could progress in the cups too, but don’t expect Sheffield United fans to be cheering them on.

Key Man: Matthew Upson. A rock at the heart of the Hammers defence, if he stays fit of course.
One to Watch: Mark Noble. Broke into the team towards the end of last season, the youngster will be looking to establish himself in the Hammers midfield.
This Season: No more relegation worries, and the Hammers will be looking towards Europe.

Wigan Athletic
Last Season: 17th

After escaping by the skin of his teeth last season, Paul Jewell decided that enough was enough and called time on his Wigan career. His departure paves the way for his former assistant Chris Hutchings to take over, but is he good enough?

Hutchings was relegated with Bradford City a few years back, but he undoubtedly has better players at his disposal at the JJB Stadium.

Say what you like about Emile Heskey, and most people do, he is one of the most experienced strikers in the Premier League, and was probably the main reason that the Latics stayed up on the last day of last season, turning in an excellent performance in both attack and defence in the 2-1 win that relegated Sheffield United.

Losing Leighton Baines is a blow, but Jason Koumas is an astute signing, although doubts remain over his ability to transfer his Championship form to the top flight. The Welsh international is a classy player though, and on his day can tear apart even the best defences.

New additions Mario Melchiot and Michael Brown add experience, while the signing of Titus Bramble raised eyebrows of course, but maybe, just maybe, he’ll thrive in the less pressurized atmosphere of the JJB Stadium. It could happen. Equally likely is that he’ll wreak havoc in the Wigan back line and cause Lancashire’s biggest mass tearing out of hair since Massimo Taibi was in goal for Manchester United.

Wigan just don’t look capable of scoring enough goals to keep out of trouble. None of Heskey, Caleb Folan, Henri Camara, Julius Aghahowa or new boy Antoine Sibierski will get into double figures in the league, while Rangers new boy Lee McCulloch will be a miss.

Wigan will struggle again this season, and Hutchings will do well to keep them up. If you offered him 17th place now he'd snap your hand off.

Key Man: Michael Brown. The hardman adds much needed solidity to Wigan’s midfield.
One to Watch: Jason Koumas. Needs to get rid of that ‘good in the Championship’ tag by performing well in the top flight.
This season: Hutchings is faced with a difficult job, if his side get off to a slow start it will be a long, long winter.