It's A New Dawn It's A New Day

Just to prove that football still has that power to drag me kicking and screaming to a computer keyboard I thought I'd better post my thoughts on a new Premiership season the day before it starts rather than being a clever sod and posting my predictions in May!

Over 100 English based players played in this summers World Cup in South Africa but only two of the winning side will be playing in the Premiership this season, but apparently we are still watching the best and most competitive league in the world - don't tell the Germans who statistically have the most competitive and best supported league in the world, truth will just ruin Sky's hype. Talking of hype how nauseating was it to witness Richard Keys proclaiming "welcome back to the best league in the world," last Sunday and then on Tuesday night in a profile of Zinedine Zidane he said, "when Zidane joined Juventus in 1996 it was then regarded as the best league in the world." How I moaned, before checking my subscriptions to Sky and ESPN were up to date.

Post South Africa it's been a time for reflection and consolidation with few big name transfers taking place away from Eastlands. The Manchester City 'project' shows no signs of abatement and it will either all end in Italian tears or City will win everything including the Grand National and Eurovision. Personally I think it will all end in tears. Best story of the summer almost inevitably comes courtesy of Ian Holloway who, whilst he may be the manager of the worst team ever to step over the white line of a Premiership ground, will at least keep us chuckling through those the long Autumn and Winter nights. Explaining the lack of transfer activity at the club he said that he'd found out that his Chairman thought that once the other Premiership clubs had decided on their squads Blackpool could choose from the players not allocated a first team place. Presumably he thought that in a playground somewhere there was a fat kid and a kid who needs glasses waiting to be picked, well he did until somebody pointed out that Frank Lampard and Nicholas Bendtner already have clubs.

Talking of Arsenal, last seasons most jaw dropping statistic goes to the North London club, 15,699 completed passes and no trophies. Arsene Wenger has once again said, as he does every August, that he believes they can win the Premiership this season well, in the words of Miss Rice-Davies, he would wouldn't he. He's as likely to come out and say, "Let's face it, there's more chance of Spuds winning the League than us," as he is saying, "Go Cesc, enjoy the rest of your career in Spain." Arsene Wenger is a clever man and a very good coach, a student of the game and this season I get the feeling that he needs to win something or even the most ardent Gooner will start to lose belief. After all it's now five complete seasons since Arsenal last won a trophy, the longest trophyless period since 1980-1986 when they went seven successive seasons without requiring the services of either an engraver or somebody with a can of silver polish.

It looks like the Premiership will again be won by Manchester United or Chelsea, with respect to Arsenal, Manchester City, Tottenham and Liverpool it's hard to see anybody in the chasing pack who have the strength in depth to challenge over a full season. I wonder what odds Paddy Power would give on the number of days before we hear Harry Redknapp say, "We're down the bare bones." Spuds over achieved last season but this year that squad is a year more experienced and they have an easy Champions League draw which could give them the momentum they need to move up a stage. You hope for Liverpool's sake that Roy Hodgson works out what is his best side quicker than the five years it took Rafa Benitez, Liverpool need to move on from the Spanish years and quickly. Joe Cole looks like a good buy but the defence is their weak spot and finding a replacement for Mr Angry when he goes.

Of the second tier clubs it's worth noting, for fellow anoraks, that if last season had begun in January then Everton would have finished last season as runners-up (behind United), unfortunately for David Moyes it begins in August, on the plus side he does at least appear to have an injury free squad to pick from at the start of this season.

At the bottom it's hard to see beyond Blackpool, West Brom and Newcastle as the three sides who will be relegated next May. Newcastle are coming back with more or less the same bunch of mercenaries they went down with, apart from Andy Carroll, and I can't see them surviving. West Brom are the latest in a long line of clubs who are just not good enough for the top level whilst being 'too good' for the Championship. I expect West Ham, Wigan, Wolves, Stoke and Blackburn to be nearer the bottom than the top once again, it would be great if West Ham could have a worry free season, after all we finished 9th and 10th two and three seasons ago.

So here's my predictions:

1. Manchester United

2. Chelsea

3. Tottenham

4. Manchester City

5. Arsenal

6. Liverpool

7. Everton

8. Sunderland

9. Fulham

10. Bolton Wanderers

11. Birmingham City

12. Aston Villa

12a West Ham United

14. Blackburn Rovers

15. Stoke City

16. Wolves

17. Wigan

18. Newcastle United

19. West Bromwich Albion

20. Blackpool