Lawro's Premiership review

BBC Sport's Mark Lawrenson gives his team-by-team review of the Premiership season.

Click for your team:
Arsenal | Liverpool | Manchester United | Newcastle United | Leeds United | Chelsea | West Ham | Aston Villa | Tottenham | Blackburn | Southampton | Middlesbrough | Fulham | Charlton | Everton | Bolton | Sunderland | Ipswich | Derby | Leicester

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Arsenal had a fantastic season - probably beyond their wildest beliefs. They should now have the confidence to do well in the Champions League next season.

Arsenal had an unbelievable season

Liverpool improved on their performances in the Premiership the previous season. If they strengthen their midfield over the summer they can be confident of winning silverware next season.

Manchester United had a barren season, which is something their supporters are not used to. But they will spend over the summer, improve and be back with a bang.

Newcastle enjoyed a brilliant season under Bobby Robson. Next season they must aim to match the benchmark they have set themselves. But with most teams certain to strengthen over the summer they must also spend if they are to keep moving in the right direction.

Leeds United had a poor season - one that was decimated by the effects of the court cases against Lee Bowyer and Jonathan Woodgate. They have to sell to balance the books over the summer but I expect them to remain a top-six club.

Chelsea probably finished about level par for the season. A big plus is that Claudio Ranieri is improving as Blues boss, but he needs to sign a right back and a midfielder over the summer if they are to win a trophy next season.

Roeder recovered from a poor start

West Ham had a very, very good campaign - mainly due to their outstanding home form. Manager Glenn Roeder was written off after his team won just one of their first six games - but that was nuts. People should have realised that only one of them was at home and that the situation would quickly improve.

Aston Villa have been through a period of change - that I expect to continue over the summer now Graham Taylor is in charge. I would not be surprised to see some of the club's foreign players leave and the team adopt a more direct style of play. Villa are not currently a top-six club and are unlikely to become one next season.

Tottenham have improved as a team. They should have won the Worthington Cup final and I expect Glenn Hoddle's team to continue progressing next season. But - like Villa - they need to invest heavily if they are to break the top six.

Blackburn had a top season back in the Premiership, winning the Worthington Cup - and thus qualifying for Europe - as well as finishing in the top 10. They have talent going forward and will improve if they strengthen at the back.

Southampton had a poor start but - after Gordon Strachan's appointment - bounced back and are now a steady Premiership club.

McClaren has made solid progress at Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough boss Steve McLaren made a good start to his new job - building from the back and sticking to his principles when the team struggled. He needs to find a partner for Alen Boksic and hope the Croatian is fit more often next season.

Fulham were disappointing. Quite simply, they did not score enough goals considering how much possession they enjoyed. They must find a cutting edge.

Charlton are a well-run club, with a good manager and a sensible board. They had a steady season and have already started preparing for the next campaign by signing Gary Rowett.

Everton fans must be delighted to have stayed-up considering what happened prior to David Moyes' arrival. But they have not got much money and what happens next season will depend a lot on how they spend it over the summer.

Bolton - and particularly boss Sam Allardyce - did brilliantly. Allardyce made two awesome loan signings in Youri Djorkaeff and Fredi Bobic when the team were struggling. The masterstroke was not just that he signed quality players but also footballers with a point to prove, so he knew they would perform.

Djorkaeff was an inspired signing for Bolton

Sunderland had a poor season - no question. But lets not forget that they had massively over-achieved in finishing seventh over the previous two campaigns. The key thing was that they stayed up - just ask Ipswich!

Ipswich Town's relegation is a blow not only for the club itself but also for the Premiership in general. But they are a well run club and if they can keep their key players I think they can bounce back.

Derby paid the price for employing four managers over a season. You cannot do this and expect to avoid problems. The gamble with Fabrizio Ravanelli did not pay off either. They must now hope they can keep hold of their talented young players.

Leicester had a traumatic season. In truth they were never good enough to avoid the drop. It is a shame their brand new ground will be hosting Division One football next season.