Manchester United
It's been a relatively quiet summer in terms of transfers in for Manchester United. Michael Carrick continues to improve but will he be worth the huge fee United have paid for him? The price of English footballers these days eh? Marcos Senna and Owen Hargreaves are the players who could join Carrick to fill the huge "gap" in the centre midfield. Senna is a good player but I wouldn't call him a world beater and if I was a United fan I'd rather United signed Hargreaves who proved how good he is during the World Cup when played in the right position.
Staying on the subject of the midfield United have plenty of width in the side but whether they're good enough to challenge for the title is another matter altogether. Giggs isn't the player he was though is still capable of the odd moment of magic, Park Ji-Sung is a better player than he is given credit for but he wouldn't get into either Chelsea or Liverpool's midfield and then we have everyone's favourite person Christiano Ronaldo. Full of tricks and flicks but no end product is he really worth keeping faith in? One thing I will ask of every Premiership fan is not to boo him simply because he thrives on jeers being the attention seeker he is, he's very similar to Diouf in that respect and is more likely to throw a hissy fit if people aren't giving him the attention he craves. I feel this plea is in vain however. Paul Scholes has a point to prove after almost a season out with injury but as for Darren Fletcher he wouldn't even get into our side.
There's not much to say about United's defence. On form Rio Ferdinand is world class as is Gabriel Heinze. Gary Neville will forever be reliable whilst Silvestre, Brown and Vidic will all slot in and do a decent job when required. Behind them is safe hands Edwin van Der Sar backed up by another new signing in Tomasz Kuszczak who is also a decent stopper. Where I think the Red Devils will be left wanting is up front and how the hell they are going to replace Ruud van Nistelrooy. Wayne Rooney speaks for himself (usually more often than not) but won't get you 25 goals a season and neither will Solskjaer, Saha or Rossi. I can't think of anyone United could possibly sign who is available right now and the loss of Ruud is going to be a big blow I imagine.
Key Man: Wayne Rooney - If he doesn't score United's goals then he usually creates them. A constant thorn in our side he continues to develop as one of the worlds best young players and United are going to have to rely on the 20 year-old a lot following van Nistelrooy's departure to Real Madrid.
Final Prediction: 4th - Out of the "big 4" I think United look the weakest. The midfield is a pale shadow of past United midfields whilst Ferguson has a massive job to replace a 25-goal-a-season striker. Might do better to win one of the other cup competitions.
Middlesbrough
I think appointing Gareth Southgate is a huge risk. One that may pay off eventually but as for this season I think a struggle is on the cards. Boro have got some quality players but I think they will miss the players that have left more than they may think. Hasselbaink has gone leaving Viduka and Yakubu as the main strike partnership. I don't rate Viduka anymore, his best days are clearly behind him and if Yakubu hits a lazy streak which can happen as Pompey fans know then you just as well be playing with 10 men. I think Southgate himself will be missed in the centre of defence too leaving Riggott and perhaps Distin to do the job.
I think a lot rests on how well the Boro academy take to the Premiership along with Southgate and management. If all goes well the likes of Cattermole, Wheater, McMahon etc will all flourish and become established Premiership players and Southgate takes management like a duck takes to water then my final prediction is going to look very silly indeed. However, I don't think a team of kids and lazy forwards is going to get you far and I feel poor Southgate has been thrown in right at the deep end of Teeside where the fans can be very unforgiving very quickly. It wouldn't suprise me if Stewart Downing ends up playing for someone else before the season is out too.
Key Man: George Boateng - The powerful midfielder has the job of defending the back four and is something he does very well. Whether he can become a good Boro captain remains to be seen.
Final Prediction: 17th - It's all about Southgate really. The squad looks OK on paper (although Birmingham's was better and they still went down) and if Southgate finds management dead easy this prediction will soon be forgotten about. However with no previous management experience Southgate could find himself in for a shock and I reckon he's going to struggle as Boro try to stave off relegation.
Newcastle United
Glenn Roeder has a tough job at Newcastle as over-expectant fans will want to finish in the top 6. However with Alan Shearer retired and Michael Owen possibly out injured for the entire season the battle is likely to be an uphill one. That's not to say that Newcastle don't have what it takes to finish there as looking at their midfield it oozes quality. Charles N'Zogbia is looking better every game, Emre is quality (when he isn't injured), Nobby Solano and James Milner will provide plenty of decent service on the right whilst Scott Parker will make a great successor to Shearer as Newcastle captain and I still wonder why he hasn't been selected for England when he's one of the most complete English midfield players in the league and superior to Michael Carrick in my opinion. Oh yeah, they've signed Damien Duff for £5 million too which should be bargain buy of the season!
Albert Luque now has the chance to shine up front because of Owen's abscence and prove that he isn't another "Souness flop" like Jean-Alain Boumsong. Shola Ameobi also actually looked like a football player under Glenn Roeder, is this finally the season he lives up to his potential? Whether he does or not, I would expect Newcastle to invest in another frontman before the end of August but they will have huge boots to fill after Alan Shearer's departure.
The other area of concern is of course, the defence. Shay Given would be forgiven for thinking he is the one-man defence considering who he has in front of him. Titus "Shamble" has that nickname for a reason and Boumsong is likely to leave making veteran Craig Moore a current first choice centre back. Steven Carr and Celestine Babayaro are the full-backs which would probably worry any Geordie despite their occasional good days. I reckon this area will need investing in to stop comedy goals going in for another season.
Key Man: Scott Parker - I think Parker is a great player. He'll chip in with goals and make plenty of goal saving tackles to stop Shay Given doing all the work. He's a Toon legend in the making.
Final Prediction: 7th - Way off breaking into the top 4 and I think they'll just fall short of Europe because of defensive errors and lack of a top striker. If these two problem areas are addressed then a UEFA cup spot should be attainable. Either way the Toon Army are a force at home and have enough quality in midfield to achieve a top 10 spot.
Portsmouth
There's not much I want to say about ourselves for now. I will save the Pompey preview for tommorow in a seperate article but for the sake of completion...
Key Man: Gary O'Neil - For Non-Pompey fans reading this O'Neil was overwhelmingly voted our player of the season last time. He's full of energy, gets into the box a lot, scores goals, creates chances, has a very good and accurate passing range and does his fair share of defensive duties too. All this and he's not even playing in his correct position!
Final Prediction: 12th - I'm basing this prediction on the basis that Harry gets his men eventually. Fratton Park can be revived to be the fortress it was when we first graced the Premiership and if Gaydamak's money is spent well we can add quality to a team that already has a good core in the midfield. I would certainly be happy with our best ever Premiership finish anyhow, but more to come...
Reading
Reading are in the Premiership for the first time ever and their only aim is survival and who can blame them? Steve Coppell has struggled to make any signings with the only two being the unpredictable Seol and the untried Sam Sodje from Brentford. There's no reason Reading can't stay up though considering Coppell is likely to go with near enough the same team that broke the record for most points scored in the second tier last season having only lost two games. The big question will be if the team can make the step up to what is regarded as a much higher level.
One advantage Reading have is that they will be an unknown quantity to the other teams in this league. Kitson, Lita, Doyle, Sidwell, Murty, Convey, Sonko and more. None of these players have ever graced the top flight and will no doubt all have hunger to succeed at the top whilst carrying the unknown factor that helped Wigan to such a high placed finish last season. Of course, it could work the other way and the majority of these players could find the Premiership too tough and the season could well ultimately end in relegation. Steve Coppell is no mug though and I'm sure he will bring in a couple of players with Premiership experience before the end of the month. Whatever happens, it's going to be a very exciting season for Reading fans tasting life at the top for the very first time and the main thing is to enjoy it whatever happens.
Key Man: Steve Sidwell - The "Ginger Genius" needs to be kept hold of as contract talks continue to stall. Sidwell was regarded as the top performer of Reading's Championship season and has a lot to offer a promoted side.
Final Prediction: 16th - I see no reason why the team that wiped the floor with the Championship cannot survive in the Premiership. It's a significant step up though and I believe Reading will struggle but I'm backing the likes of Sidwell, Convey, Doyle, Sonko and Shorey to make a name for themselves in the Premiership.
Sheffield United
It was only a matter of time before Sheffield United got promoted under Neil Warnock (Or Colin Wanker as he is more affectionately known) and he'll be determined that the stay in the top flight is a prolonged one. However I think the Blades are going to struggle this season but as you'd expect from a Neil Warnock side, they will fight for everything.
I feel that despite United's attacking style of play they do not have a striker capable of banging them in regularly at this level as Warnock has opted for quantity over quality it seems when it comes to strikers. Steve Kabba, Danny Webber, Neil Shipperley, Ade Akinbiyi and Rob Hulse are all strikers who can do a decent job at Championship level but I'll be very suprised if any of them are prolific in the Premiership. As for the other new signings David Sommeil and Li Tie were below average for their previous clubs, I feel Leigertwood and Lucketti will find the step up too hard although Claude Davis could be an inspired buy. Christian Nade scored a total of 0 goals for Troyes whilst Horsfield has been sent on loan to Leeds.
The Blades do have some quality in midfield with Tonge, Jagielka and Ifil all very promising players and they could well be burdened with carrying Sheffield United to safety as I can't see a defence consisting of Chris Morgan, David Unsworth, David Sommeil and Leigh Bromby keeping many clean sheets. A Neil Warnock side will never go down without a fight, but I think this battle might be too great even for him.
Star Man: Phil Jagielka - Has been touted to Premiership clubs in recent seasons and even we were linked with him last December. Out of all of the Blades' players, I would expect Jagielka to make the biggest impression.
Final Prediction: 20th - Sorry Sheffield United fans but someone has to finish there and I believe it will be your team that takes the dubious honour. There is a small chance that Warnock's side can suprise us all but I don't see your strikers stepping up to the plate and the defence does not look Premiership quality to me either. I think Neil Warnock has a huge task to get his side to finish outside the bottom three.
Tottenham Hotspur
How painful it must have been to have fourth place stolen from you by your arch rivals at the end of last season. It must have been very hard to stomach for Spurs fans (excuse the pun). This season though, Tottenham look even stronger and if any side is going to break into the top four it will be them again as they almost did last season.
The new signings look very promising. Didier Zakora had a very impressive World Cup and should be able to fill Michael Carrick's boots whilst Dimitar Berbatov has looked great in pre-season. Benoit Assou-Ekotto should also settle in very well into the Premiership I am reliably informed by my Lens supporting friend. The continuing emergence of Aaron Lennon will also be a big plus for Tottenham as will the influence of Ledley King and Michael Dawson in the centre of defence. Spurs' weakness will come away from home once again where they were poor most of the time and Jol will need them to focus for their upcoming UEFA Cup campaign too. I think it will be another season of success for Tottenham Hotspur.
Key Man: Ledley King - I've always been a fan of Ledley King and I believe he could easily play for one of Europe's top clubs. He will be an England regular by Euro 2008 I reckon. He could be a miss at the start of the season considering he's injured though.
Final Prediction: 5th - I think Spurs don't quite have the squad to break into the top four yet considering they now have the UEFA Cup to play for too. Under Jol's leadership they will continue to progress however and could find themselves winning a trophy at the end of the season.
Watford
It's still hard to believe that last season's Championship relegation favourites under the management of "Aidy Who?" will be starting this campaign among the big boys which just shows you that absolutely anything can happen in football. Adrian Boothroyd produced a miracle to get Watford to the promised land but it would surely take divine intervention for Watford to stay there. If anyone can do it though, it will be Boothroyd.
Watford have a strong team spirit that will get you so far in this league although you need quality as well and it will be up to the Championship's top scorer of last season; Marlon King to prove he has what it takes at this level. Talented youngsters Ashley Young and Matt Spring will also want to show the Premiership what they're about. Whether they are good enough remains to be seen and I have my reservations. The defence is marshalled by Malky Makaay who I think could be an asset at this level and I believe Norwich made a mistake in not giving him his chance. Revelation Jay DeMerit will also be one to watch though I'm not sure he'll be good enough for the demands of the Premiership. Although you could say that about any of the players if the Watford team.
Joining DeMerit and Makaay in the Hornets' back line is veteran Chris Powell whose experience will be vital and can do a job at this level and along with him Danny Shittu has joined from QPR and could prove to be a Boothroyd inspired signing. The bottom line is that Watford will be all about having a point to prove this season and they could suprise people and win many admirers with their fast-flowing, physical style of play but there will be a huge question mark over every one of their players as well as Boothroyd himself.
Star Man: Ben Foster - Whenever I saw Watford play last season I was always impressed by this young man. On loan from Manchester United I think he has a bright future ahead of him and he could well keep Watford in many games this season.
Final Prediction: 19th - If any Watford fans are reading this then don't take this prediction too seriously. I predicted the Hornets to finish bottom of the Championship last season! Watford could well spring a few suprises on the Premiership this season but I doubt that the actual team are good enough to survive in this league despite Boothroyd's miracle working ways.
West Ham United
So much for "Pardew Out!" eh? The man can do no wrong at the moment following a very impressive first season back in the Premiership along with an FA Cup Final that they were very unlucky to lose. West Ham have the base of a good squad that could even challenge for the top 6 and I also fancy them to do well in the UEFA Cup. Pardew has kept the squad that did so well last season but the problem was the lack of depth as proved when we went there and thrashed them last season. So how do you solve this problem? You add some quality to it! Whether the likes of Carlton Cole, Tyrone Mears, Jonathan Spector, George mcCartney and John Pantsil will have the same impact on the Premiership as Harewood, Ferdinand, Gabbidon, Reo-Coker and Benayoun did will remain to be seen but I think Lee Bowyer and Robert Green will be solid buys once they find their fitness.
I'm sure West Ham will have a good season in the Premiership once again and could even improve on last seasons finish however occasionally Pardew makes a couple of tactical gaffs and I just hope that the West Ham fans won't be too over-expectant after such a successful season last time round.
Star Man: Dean Ashton - Another player I was gutted that we missed out on and what's worse is that he is injured for what could be some time. When fit however he is a very useful player that can score and create chances for other players.
Final Prediction: 9th - West Ham are easily talented enough for a top half finish and now have a larger squad to deal with the amount of cups they're going to be in. However until we find out how well these new players do I will reserve judgement on them and I think Pardew will save his strongest team for the cup competitions which will have an effect on how well they will finish this season. There will be good times ahead for the Hammers as long as they don't expect to win the league...
Wigan Athletic
Wigan holds great memories for 5,200 Pompey fans after what happened at the JJB Stadium last season. Many thought it would be the Latics that would fight relegation but they took the Premiership by storm and for a while it looked certain that they would finish in the top 6! A very good finish in 10th was the end result and Paul Jewell will want to better that this coming year.
It's been a strange summer for Wigan. Pascal Chimbonda looks as if he's going to stay with Wigan after a long drawn out saga. He has a lot of work to do to win back the fans that's for sure. Jimmy Bullard has been replaced by Denny Landzaat who could be a great buy from AZ Alkmaar but the main signing is the big money move for Emile Heskey. Pompey fans breathed a huge sigh of relief when Wigan signed him because of an extremely poor goal tally last season. He will have a point to prove but Henri Camara is certain to score plenty this season and Nathan Ellington could also return to his former club.
Wigan don't have the biggest squad and I think they will struggle to cope with the entire season using the same squad despite a solid base formed around Arjan de Zeeuw, Paul Scharner and Graham Kavanagh to work around. Wigan also liked to play attacking football which might see them come unstuck against the more physical teams in the league. The Latics do have young talent in Ryan Taylor and Leighton Baines who could really be noticed this season as well as consistant performers already mentioned in this piece. Many people expect Wigan to struggle and whilst they are possible relegation battlers if things go wrong at the start I don't expect Wigan to be anywhere near relegation and I think they'll have a similar season to last which will undoubtedly please all piefaces in the north-west.
Key Man: Arjan De Zeeuw - Despite his age, we all know how influential and powerful he can be. An inspirational and assured captain who has plenty of experience.
Final Prediction: 11th - I don't expect Wigan to struggle at all as long as the signings prove to be adequate replacements for the players that left. If they don't, Wigan could struggle but I think they will be fine personally.
Finally, for those of you who couldn't be arsed to read all of that, or maybe even any of it, here is my predicted Premiership table:
1. Chelsea
2. Liverpool
3. Arsenal
4. Manchester United
5. Tottenham Hotspur
6. Everton
7. Newcastle United
8. Blackburn Rovers
9. West Ham United
10. Manchester City
11. Wigan Athletic
12. Portsmouth
13. Fulham
14. Aston Villa
15. Charlton Athletic
16. Reading
17. Middlesbrough
18. Bolton Wanderers
19. Watford
20. Sheffield United
It'll be interesting to look back at this after Christmas and at the end of the season to see how right or wrong I was. If you want to comment on my predictions no matter if you're a fan of another club then please do by using the appropriate link on the homepage. I will reply!