Cardiff City - Craig Bellamy
The first of the promoted clubs from last year covered is the winners of the Championship Cardiff City, who will be the 46th team in the history of the competition. Alongside the rest of the clubs that have ever been promoted to the top flight, they are immediately placed as one of the favourites for relegation. But, recent promoted clubs such as Norwich, West Ham, Southampton and their national rivals Swansea have bucked that trend by having reasonably successful tenures in the Premier League whilst the established clubs have fallen to the wayside. Cardiff will hopefully want to continue this mini-trend, especially considering the success that their Welsh neighbours have had since they joined the elite two years previously. But, the success of other teams should not be any indication that it is getting easier for clubs to make the transition to the next level. Cardiff City will have to work very hard to make waves in the top division, as they have a large number of players that are certainly not used to this degree of competition. Malky Mackay is yet to taste Premier League management after some years learning his trade in the Championship, and whilst the team has shown a willingness to spend big on a number of players, including Andreas Cornelius, Steven Caulker and Gary Medel, these players are a mix of young and not used to regular Premier League action. Therefore, I have made Craig Bellamy the key player for Cardiff City, because he brings experience to the side that it desperately needs. And not many players can boast the experience of the Premier League that Craig Bellamy has had. He has played for a range of clubs, from the heights of Liverpool and Manchester City, to more of a battling mid-table side like West Ham and even suffering relegation himself with Coventry City. He is a proven goalscorer, though has featured more on the wings in his recent campaigns. Though he is certainly approaching the conclusion of his long career, his impact on the season will be incredibly important in determining whether Cardiff survive or crumble. A quick player with a powerful shot, who has seemingly matured as the years have passed to the point that he is now a model for the rest of his younger team mates to look to for advice, his past experiences in the Premier League could prove the tipping point for Cardiff in their attempt to ensure their first season in the division is not also their last. However, not being the most prolific of goalscorers, he may have to hope that other team-mates can finish the chances he will inevitably provide them.
Where will they finish? - 17th