THE 93:20 NEWSLETTER:- ISSUE 65

Author

Howard Hockin
October 10, 2025

Hello, and welcome to Issue 65 of the 93:20 Newsletter, and a slightly different approach this week, during an international break. For all football chat, check out the Weekend Show and all our other content too!

The usual reminder that the Newsletter cannot survive without your support. As has been the case for many years, there has never been a greater need for independent coverage of City – without bias, but WITH emotion.

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But above all, we all know a certain legal decision is imminent. And when that decision is made, there is only one place where you should be taking in the inevitably huge fallout, whatever the decision may be. There will be A LOT to unpack. That place is on the 93:20 Player, of course. If you are not already a subscriber, this is the time to change that – you’re going to get even better value over the next month.

Let’s crack on! 

So the topic of discussion for this week? I thought I would take a look at where every football club is at right now in the Premier League, from the bottom of the table to the top.

END OF TERM REPORT

Wolves

We’ve seen it before, a team incapable of getting over the finishing line in matches. Brave to offer a new contract to the manager of the bottom club therefore, but I respect that – at least they are attempting to look at the wider picture.

But – two points from seven games. And in a rut that was predicted by many Wolves fans pre-season, after a poor summer, where top players left and were not adequately replaced. Despondency reigns at Molineux.

Still, this is quite normal for the club. A 2nd half of the season rally will no doubt follow, and then the process will repeat itself once more. It’s what they do. Sunderland, Burnley and Fulham next. Six points minimum needed, you feel.

West Ham United

Another failed appointment, another period of zero introspection from the owners who created the entire situation at the club. Despondency has been the dominant force at the club for a while, punctured by European glory, and is my go-to word as I look at the bottom clubs. Hard to be anything else when in the relegation zone.

Those owners are something else, eh? It’s quite pitiful to allow your manager to sit in a press conference answering face-swap meme questions the day before he is sacked. Classy.

Nevertheless, Nuno Espirito Santo seems like a sensible move, before he inevitably falls out with the owners in 18-24 months’ time, so expect them to creep up the table. But for the fans, it’s just not good enough. Sitting in a stadium they despise, the only way to placate them is with success, and that seems a million miles away right now.

Burnley

Doing alright, but as we know for promoted clubs, that’s not enough. I bigged up all the promoted clubs last week after they collectively had the best start to a season in many, many years, and they subsequently lost their next game. The season only gets tougher and tougher for promoted sides, so if you’re near the bottom at this stage, even if performances have been promising, then it does not bode well.

But – they are doing ok. Showing fight, organisation, and enough there to feel that Premier League survival is a distinct possibility. As always, home form will be key. Four of those seven games have been against members of the Big Six, so opportunity now knocks, against Leeds and Wolves.

Nottingham Forest

How the mighty fall. Spent the summer sticking their nose into Crystal Palace’s affairs, and it worked. But on and off the field, has been a downward spiral since around March time. And it has been almost totally self-inflicted, and judging on recent actions, there is no other club that has more deserved it, a two-year cycle of paranoia and anger headed by a “larger-than-life” character who may or may not own the club. Hey, he’s just passionate. And dodgy as anything, allegedly.

And so to another manager. Ange is not a great manager. Why are Nottingham Forest fans turning on a manager after six games? Because they know this. Because they know it was an unsuitable appointment, succeeding a manager who had performed wonders and should still be there. Big Ange has been “successful everywhere he has been” cry his supporters, but none of those jobs compare to a Premier League job. It would be harder not to win the league with Celtic. He has his pluses, obviously, but he is flawed, and Forest are undoing all the good work of the previous year. A penny for Morgan Gibbs-White’s thoughts, signing a new contract at gunpoint.

Brentford

Near the bottom, but plenty to be bullish about. Their tight defeat to City was their first at home this season. Problem is, their away form does not match. They were an easy pre-season pick for relegation, as the summer saw the heart ripped out of them. Manager gone, key players, and a promotion of the set-piece coach. But Brentford keep doing what they doing, and stylistically, there is little change, with the addition of the dreaded long-throws, and Keith Andrews’ hair. Can’t see them bothering the top half of the table, but there are enough signs they will be just fine this season. Some of their fans may want more, though.

Leeds United

Big team, supposedly, but also promoted, so what should we have expected? Summer cash injection and a busy transfer window showed their intent, and they have done well. But not well enough to get too giddy just yet. However - coming up next - Burnley, West Ham, Brighton and Nottingham Forest. By the time of the next international break (you knew about that, right?), we may know more about their chances of staying up. They look lively anyway, and have goals in them. Still think that should they stay up, but it won’t be by much. And they are led by a manager I am still not convinced is little more than an excellent Championship manager, of which there are many.

Fulham

Will be nervously looking over their shoulders after a couple of 3-1 defeats. It’s the same old Fulham, really. Some pretty play, competitive, bit meh. Silva permanently furious on the touchline, some good results, some bad ones, stuck in purgatory, if the lower reaches of the table can be called that. This is where they belong in the table it seems, and where they will likely remain.

Aston Villa

Were in crisis, are no longer in crisis. Put that cracked badge back together again. Failed to win any of their opening five games, also failing to score in four, and out the Carabao Cup (the shame), they have now won four on the bounce, just in time for the visit of City on the horizon. Great. They’ve got Spurs, Liverpool and Bournemouth too, so their revival may be short-lived, as they are yet to get close to last season’s highs – but are clearly moving in the right direction.

Brighton

File under erratic. Beat City of course, but dropped points to lesser teams, they forge their usual path. Great recruitment, canny young manager, do things the “right way”, and competitive against anyone. Rinse and repeat.

Newcastle United

Doing alright, I guess, especially considering the stressful summer.

Nick Woltemade has been fun, and may never reach the heights of Isak (figuratively), but a cult hero may be forming already. Newcastle remain competitive, and a tough nut as home, basically everything you would expect. But – nine points from seven games, and despite what may be viewed as a tricky opening fixture list, sitting below Manchester United is truly shameful. Brighton away lies on the other side of the international break, but some winnable fixtures over the next couple of months should see them edge up the table. I do wonder how much depth the squad has after that frustrating summer, and losing Livramento for the rest of the year is a big blow.

Manchester United (Man U)

Offshore Jim said yesterday that Amorim needs three years to succeed, which probably explains why I have woken up with a hangover. Town!

Thing is, I do see shoots of recovery, small improvements, but boy are we setting the bar low when we have to look so hard after all this time, after all this money. Still, at least they’ve fixed the roof, which is a step forward considering the recent erratic weather in Manchester and its environs. Still haven’t won two games in a row, mind. I hope they do though, very soon, as that would put Liverpool in full crisis mode.

Sunderland

Wins over West Ham, Brentford and Forest alongside points against Palace and Villa, plus the manager with the coolest name in the Premier League. One bad month and all this will be forgotten, so key is whether they can remain competitive well into next year and keep picking up points.

It was a big, big jump up for Sunderland, and meekly succumbing to United showed their limitations. Time will tell if a bright start is enough. Should injuries hit, then probably not.

Everton

I’ll be honest, I was getting ready to slag David Moyes once more, the manager who makes me flip flop on my opinions more than perhaps any other, as they were being given the runaround last week by Crystal Palace. An hour later and they were victorious, and one performance at this stage can transform what was already an acceptable start to the season.

Morale will be high for once amongst the fan base. The predictable good start for Jack has brought the predictable response, and anti-Pep sentiment, but good luck to him. Shame he didn’t put this much effort in last season. New stadium, new hope, things are looking good, and Everton will be a stern test as always in City’s next game.

Chelsea

A club that embraces crisis. They welcome it, invite it in, put the kettle on and make sure it feels at home. Not that they are currently in one, after their late win over Liverpool, but how do you assess the club that makes no sense? If a team that spends a billion pounds and sells a billion pounds (players, hotels, women’s teams and more), but are 25/1 for the title, what should we expect of the World Champions? Answers on a postcard. Results are all over the place, from terrible, to average, to good, to excellent.

Should we expect them to challenge for the title? Is Maresca any good? What is their best XI? So many questions, so few answers. One thing I do know - the media should stop excusing them for not competing for the major honours.

Crystal Palace

If we were judging solely on fan satisfaction. Palace would surely be top, which is saying something coming off the back of a defeat. But when it is the first defeat since April, after a 19-match run, that is satisfaction has been well-earned. What a six-months it has been, what a manager Glasner has proved to be, showing up Amorim’s formation flaws in the process. The loss of Eze has not hindered them at all, and with European football to boot, even if it is not in the competition it should be, things have never been better. As they are one of the few clubs I find impossible to have any hatred for, I am happy for them. Now go and knock Liverpool out of the Carabao Cup for good measure.

Citeh

I think everything’s fine, right? It’s certainly better than a month ago, and a couple of late goals have deprived us of a perfect six weeks or so. Pep isn’t finished just yet, so the media have scurried off to protect Liverpool instead.

I’m still conflicted on where this season leads, but a repeat of last season at least seems rather unlikely. Baby steps have been taken for weeks, Erling is on one, individual performances within the squad offer optimism, the mentality and morale is clearly fine, which is half the battle, and there are hopefully players to return after the international break. Like most teams on this list, the games in between the international breaks will tell us a lot more about where they are. I still don’t have the confidence that City can go on a fourteen-match winning run like in the old days, but they may not have to. The league as a whole is more competitive than ever.

Bournemouth

Maybe a struggle could have been predicted over the summer, when they lost most of their defence to the vultures, and it seemed only a matter of time before a “big club” swooped for Iraola. And yet here we are, they are flying, and keeping Semenyo is a big factor in that. Their manager is the real deal, and they’re a team no one fancies playing, and there is no higher praise than that. Without European football, he can play the intense style demanded of his players, without burning out later in the season, hopefully.

Tottenham Hotspur

I forget what I am allowed to call them these days. Anyway, I’m not sure they deserve to be in 3rd position, but the table never lies, apparently. Except when it does. Spurs have a serious manager now, Champions League football, Daniel Levy has been disposed of, and things are looking good. Still feels like they need another two good transfer windows minimum before I even begin to contemplate them as title contenders, but they are moving in the right direction. Shame, as their fans’ deluded sense of entitlement may eventually be justified.

Liverpool

The team sat in 2nd are the current crisis club! Doesn’t take much does it?

For us blues, for any of their rivals, there is an inherent frustration that they are near the top of the table. Fact is, they have barely put in a good performance all season, and if results married to performances, they would be in mid-table, and under even more pressure. Their downturn has forced the media to switch to reverse quicker than an Arsenal trophy parade bus, but it is a slump that may quickly be fixed. There is real uncertainty though over what happens next. I think the easiest way to summarise the situation is to cut and paste from the last newsletter.

So, remember when league champions Liverpool had the most successful transfer window in Premier League history, spending hundreds and hundreds of millions of pounds in the process? A time when many, including many blues, felt they would walk the league?

Well, merely six weeks later, they are officially rubbish. They have barely deserved to win any of their games. Konate has been terrible. Both full backs have been a mixture of injured, underwhelming and rubbish. They failed to sign Guehi, a much-needed defensive signing. Just a few weeks ago, Dominik Szoboszlai was a revelation as a stand-in right back v Arsenal. Now there are grumblings that he is not good enough in that position. They signed two of their ageing, greatest players onto huge new contracts. One has been terrible, and will miss January due to the African Cup of Nations. The other is covering over cracks, and for his error-prone partner in defence. One of their record signings has had a disastrous start, with no assists or goals, and some pundits are already questioning how he fits in the team. The other record signing has barely been fit enough to contribute anything of note yet, and his signing pissed off the previous high-money signing who plays in the same position. The young back-up signing in central defence has snapped his cruciate ligament. The goalkeeper who has single-handedly kept them at the top of the table is out for six weeks.

But, apart from that, things are going well.

Liverpool may still go on to win it all. But it does show how things can change very, very quickly. One key injury has derailed many a title challenger’s season. Poor form from a player you least expected. Tactical changes that do not come off, with little time available with the players to tweak. A week is a long time in politics, and football too. Maybe Slot is a modern-day Pellegrini, maybe not. Time will tell.

Arsenal

Bit early for Arsenal fans to be sweating nervously, but sweat they will despite the autumnal feel, as it is once more in their hands, and the narratives have changed, to insert Arsenal as clear favourites. And they should be, in many respects. What they have above all else, is a settled squad and style of play, and the deepest squad in decades. The tools are there to succeed, but none of can predict if they can get over the line this time around. Considering their fanbase, we all hope not.

WHAT WE HAVE BEEN UP TO THIS WEEK

The Hub:- Episode 46

Sam joins Bailey to discuss the tactical roles and standout stats from City so far this season. Doku's relationship with O'Reilly, Erling's record-breaking shooting numbers and more.

Here We Go:- The Media Show

Howard is joined once more by Ahsan to talk all things media. Rewriting history, balance, transitions, living online and much more.

It’s LB Show:- Episode 3

LB is joined by Ahsan to reflect on where City are at, at the moment. Title challengers? Are the team improving? Has Donnarumma made us better? Lots to chat about on another bumper show!

The Weekend Show

Howard is joined by Adam and Ste to reflect on Brentford, the international break, England v Wales and more.

COMING OVER THE WEEKEND

Room 101

Ste, Howard and Chris choose four items to be banished into Room 101 forever. One is football-related, along with three wildcards, then as a group decide whether their picks can go in.
Olive, anyone?

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