Now we’re getting to the business end of the season, a few players who could make the difference…

1. Mikel Arteta

Recently back from injury, Arteta has looked like he’s never been away. One of the most naturally gifted players in the league, he seems to have taken up a position off the striker which offers even more points potential. He takes penalties and direct free kicks too, and with Everton’s favourable run-in and impending double gameweek he is a stand out selection.

2. Alexandre Song

Arsenal also have an easy run-in, making them many peoples’ favourites for the title (we tipped them at the start of the season…). Song, after the ACN and then injury and suspension, is now fit to slot back into the holding midfield role – and he’s registered as a defender, always a good thing. Cheap too.

3. James Milner

The fantasy football form player, Milner has been consistently excellent for Villa this season, contributing goals, assists, and bonus points. Villa again have a decent last few games and like Everton begin with a double gameweek.

In fact, you could do a lot worse than load your team with players from those three sides – other appealing options are Bendtner (cheap, and playing and scoring points in the absence of Van Persie), Sylain Distin (Everton have nice fixtures plus he is cheap), Steven Pienaar (probably Everton’s best player this season) and James Collins (by a margin Villa’s cheapest defender).

Courtesy of F365:

Arsenal
* The Gunners are scoring an incredible average of 3.37 goals per Premier League game this season.

* If games ended after 45 minutes, Arsenal would be top of the table with 19 points.

* All Arsenal’s points have been won against bottom-half opposition. They have lost both games – against Manchesters United and City – against top-half clubs.

* Cesc Fabregas has been credited with a massive nine assists in seven games.

Aston Villa
* Just three of their 12 goals this season have been scored from open play.

* Villa have the best defensive record in the Premier League this season.

* James Collins’ last Premier League goal came in April 2006 for West Ham…against Chelsea.

Birmingham City
* Lee Bowyer’s 38th-minute goal was the first Birmingham have scored before the 70th minute this season.

* Bowyer is the only player to score more than one goal for the Blues this season.

* The 3-1 defeat to Arsenal was their first of the season by more than a single goal.

* Birmingham have got the same points after nine games (7) as Stoke at the same stage last season.

Blackburn Rovers
* Blackburn have lost only one of their last eight Premier League games at Ewood Park – on the opening day of the season against Manchester City.

* With four goals, David Dunn has already scored more times this season than in any campaign since 2002/03.

* Rovers have come from behind to win twice this season – against Villa and now Burnley.

Bolton Wanderers
* Bolton have exactly the same record after eight games (W2, D2, L4) as last season.

* The Trotters have not kept a clean sheet this season.

* Didier Drogba is the only striker to be credited with more assists than Kevin Davies.

* Bolton have not beaten a team currently in the top half of the Premier League table since January.

Burnley
* Burnley and Blackburn are the only two teams in the 92-strong league without a single point away from home.

* Only Hull have conceded more goals than the Clarets this season.

Chelsea
* Chelsea have not lost two consecutive away games in the Premier League since September 2007.

* Didier Drogba has been directly involved in 13 of 19 Chelsea goals this season.

* They have not failed to score in any Premier League game since April 22 v Everton.

* Six of the eight goals they have conceded this season have come from set-pieces.

Everton
* The draw against Wolves was the first time they have failed to beat them at Goodison Park in seven attempts.

* The Toffees have conceded only six goals in their last seven games after that opening-day drubbing by Arsenal.

* Everton have three points more than at the same juncture last season.

Fulham
* Bobby Zamora’s opener against Hull was their first first-half goal since his strike on the opening day of the season against Portsmouth.

* Zamora has either scored or assisted four of Fulham’s eight goals.

* The Cottagers are two points better off than at the same stage last season.

* Fulham have had the same back four (Pantsil, Hangeland, Hughes, Konchesky) for all but 20 minutes this season.

Hull City
* Hull have won three games in the whole of 2009.

* They managed no shots on target in 90 minutes against Fulham.

* The Tigers’ last away win was at Craven Cottage in March.

Liverpool
* The last time Liverpool failed to score in consecutive Premier League games was September 2007.

* Jamie Carragher is the only outfield player to play every minute for Liverpool in the league this season.

* Liverpool were credited with 69% of the possession against Sunderland.

Manchester City
* For all their attacking talents, City have actually scored fewer goals in their first eight games that at this stage last season.

* City have drawn both games (v Villa and Wigan) they were losing at half-time.

* They have yet to win at Wigan in the Premier League.

Manchester United
* Despite their supposedly poor form, United have four more points from nine games (22) than they had amassed at the same stage last season

* They have not lost a single point from a winning position this season.

* They have benefited from three own goals at Old Trafford this campaign.

Portsmouth
*No striker has scored for Portsmouth in the Premier League since April 18.

* Six of Pompey’s eight defeats this season have been by a single-goal margin.

* Nine of the 15 goals conceded by Pompey this season have come from set-pieces.

Stoke City
* Stoke were credited with just 38% of possession at home to West Ham and had the worst pass completion rate in the division at 63%.

* No midfielder has scored for Stoke this season.

Sunderland
* Victory over Liverpool marked Sunderland’s first victory over Big Four opposition in seven years.

* Darren Bent has scored the first goal in six of Sunderland’s nine games.

* Sunderland are joint bottom of the disciplinary table with Tottenham. Captain Lorik Cana has picked up four of their 18 bookings.

Tottenham Hotspur
* Ledley King became Spurs’ 11th league scorer at Portsmouth.

* Four of Tottenham’s nine games have ended in a 2-1 win for Spurs.

* Jermaine Jenas has been booked four times in five games since his return from injury.

West Ham
* Carlton Cole has committed more fouls than any other player in the Premier League this season.

* West Ham have not started a season this badly since they were last relegated in 2002-03.

* The Hammers enjoyed 65% of the possession against Fulham last week and then 62% against Stoke.

Wigan
* No Wigan game has featured more than one first-half goal this season.

* The Latics have garnered two more points under Roberto Martinez than at the same stage under Steve Bruce last season.

* Wigan’s record against top-half opposition is the fifth best in the Premier League.

Wolves
* No Wolves game has featured more than one first-half goal this season.

* Middlesbrough and West Brom both had more points than this Wolves side at the same stage last season.

From Sky: Chelsea look to continue their formidable start to the 2009/10 Premier League season as they travel to Wigan Athletic, while bottom-of-the-table Portsmouth host Everton on a weekend of nine top-flight fixtures.

The above is a tale of two hugely contrasting beginnings to the new campaign. The Blues have powered their way to the summit and Carlo Ancelloti’s charges look unyielding. Pompey, though, are already, and worryingly so, considered an opponent whom three easy points are there for the taking.

Among the other encounters on the sixth weekend of the latest campaign, Manchester United head to the Britannia Stadium, Liverpool entertain struggling Hull City, Arsenal meet London rivals Fulham, Tottenham Hotspur host newly-promoted Burnley and Sunderland clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers in Sunday’s only game.

After an opening victory in the Midlands promised so much, Wigan Athletic have largely slumped. And the fixture compiler has been unfair to them as they prepare to tackle Chelsea after travelling to Arsenal seven days prior. And the omens are not good for the Latics, who have faired awfully against the so-called ‘big four’, having failed to win in 34 attempts.

For Chelsea, this is a chance to match their best-ever start to a Premier League term, as they eye a seventh straight win under Ancelotti. Next up for the Blues comes a fierce test at home against Liverpool, so three points at the DW Stadium is crucial to stand them in good stead ahead of their first meeting with a title rival.

Portsmouth are in action versus Everton on Saturday lunchtime, in a game that can be seen live on Sky Sports 1 & HD1. Having become the only team in Premier League history to lose their opening six games, the future is already looking bleak on the South Coast. However, Pompey can take heart from having beat Everton in both their meetings last season, while the Toffees have not yet won on the road this term.

Off the back of their dramatic success last weekend, Manchester United return to league action against Stoke City. A late goal saw the Red Devils take the spoils in last term’s corresponding fixture, and again this time around the encounter promises to be a tricky affair for the champions. But with striker Wayne Rooney rested during midweek and in frightening goalscoring form, boss Sir Alex Ferguson will be optimistic of disposing of the Potters.

Liverpool lock horns with Phil Brown’s Hull City spying a fourth successive triumph. The Reds showed character and grit to overcome West Ham United last week but will be hopeful Saturday’s test will be more of a routine outing. Goals can be expected, with 25 scored in five games between these two sides, while the leaky Tigers must call upon some of that early-season spirit from 2008/09 if they are to come away from Anfield with anything to show from their trip West on the M62.

Arsenal got back to winning ways against Wigan but visit a ghost of last campaign in shape of Fulham on Saturday’s evening kick-off. The Cottagers took four points off the Gunners last term, with Arsene Wenger’s men even failing to find the back of the net in those two clashes. But Fulham have looked unusually rocky to date, and as Wenger reinstates his more senior personnel the Frenchman will be optimistic that his side can avoid another poor showing against their London rivals.

Tottenham Hotspur’s momentum has been somewhat dented by match-ups versus United and Chelsea, but they tackle Burnley in a seemingly more winnable game. The two clubs met in the Carling Cup last season, with Spurs edging out the then-Championship outfit over two legs of 10 goals. The Clarets will of course be envisaging an upset, and they could see Tottenham’s weakness as their backline, which has failed to keep a clean sheet in their previous eight outings.

Blackburn Rovers welcome Aston Villa to Ewood Park, the former stuttering and the latter in fine temper. Interestingly, under the stewardship of Paul Ince at the time, after five games last campaign Rovers had three points more than their current total under Sam Allardyce. Villa, meanwhile, will look to the in-form Gabriel Agbonlahor to help fire them to a fifth straight league victory.

Birmingham City are in action against Bolton Wanderers in what is expected to be a low-scoring game, with neither side really finding their shooting boots to date. Trotters manager Gary Megson has come in for much criticism from supporters already this campaign, but a late point claimed last week and a midweek win in the Carling Cup has helped to ease what has been growing pressure.

On Sunday, Sunderland take on Wolves at the Stadium of Light live on Sky Sports 1 & HD1. The Black Cats suffered a surprise defeat last time out in the league so must look to respond from that setback at Burnley. Indeed, Steve Bruce’s side have lacked consistency, with each of their wins followed by a loss. For Wolves, who have faired poorly on Wearside, the encounter is a chance to record back-to-back Premier League triumphs.

There have only been 46 games so far this season but already there are some notable – or perhaps anomolous – statistics. Courtesy of Football365, here are the most salient in a club-by-club format…

Arsenal
*Tomas Rosicky’s first outing in 20 months also included a goal. Dating back to his last games in the winter of 2007/08, the midfielder has scored three goals in his last five matches.

*Arsenal have lost six of their last seven matches played in the city of Manchester. The exception was May’s draw at Old Trafford that saw United crowned as champions.

*Only Liverpool, Fulham and Manchester United produced more shots on target this weekend than Arsenal registered at Eastlands (seven) while no side had more shots off target (12). According to the Match of the Day statistics, Manuel Almunia failed to make a single save in the game while Shay Given successfully completed five.

Aston Villa
* Emile Heskey has seen just ten minutes of league action since the opening weekend of the season. Villa have also won all of their games since dropping the England forward following the defeat to Wigan.

* Sunday’s 85th-minute match-winner Gabby Agbonlahor also scored an 87th minute winner at Birmingham in the last derby Villa played at St Andrew’s.

* Both of Villa’s centre-halves against Birmingham, Richard Dunne and James Collins, were making their debuts, while left-back Stephen Warnock was making only his second appearance for his new employers.

* Villa have already used 20 players in four league games. They used only 21 in the whole of last season.

Birmingham City
* The second city derby was littered with thirty fouls – the highest such figure in the Premier League this weekend.

* Birmingham have failed to win any of their last six meetings with Villa.

* In five games, Birmingham have scored just one goal from open play – Lee Bowyer’s tap-in at Tottenham.

* 25,196 attended the first Birmingham derby in two years. St Andrew’s capacity is 30,016.

Blackburn Rovers
* Only two Blackburn players have played every minute this season: Paul Robinson and Gael Givet.

* Since Sam Allardyce’s appointment as their manager in December, Blackburn have lost just two games at Ewood Park.

Bolton Wanderers
* Gary Cahill scored the winner on his 50th start for Bolton – exactly twice as many as he made at Aston Villa.

* Bolton enjoyed just 36% of possession at Fratton Park. The next lowest figure in the league weekend was Burnley’s 39% and Man City’s 40%.

* The win at Portsmouth was the club’s first away victory in 2009.

Burnley
* Along with Birmingham, Burnley are the joint-lowest scorers in the league having scored just two goals.

* Burnley have played four of their first games against sides that finished in the top five last season.

* The replacement of Christian Kalvenes with Andre Bikey from the side that faced Stoke on the opening day of the season accounts for the only change that the Clarets have made to their starting line-up so far.

Chelsea
* Having beaten Stoke in January with an injury-time goal from Frank Lampard, both of Chelsea’s goals at the Britannia on Saturday occurred in injury time.

* Lampard is one of seven players credited with three goalscoring assists this season. The others are Didier Drogba, Robin van Persie, Cesc Fabregas, Steven Gerrard, Glen Johnson and Shaun Wright-Phillips.

* Chelsea last failed to win a league game eleven matches ago when they were held to a 0-0 draw at home to Everton on April 22.

* The Blues have trailed in three of the five games they’ve won this season.

Everton
* A scorer at Fulham from a free-kick at which he was marked by the 6ft 2 Dickson Etuhu, the 5ft 10 Tim Cahill has netted more headed goals than any other player in the Premiership since 2002.

* The defeat at Fulham was the first fixture in a run of seven games featuring three different competitions in 21 days for Everton.

* Yakubu’s appearance as a substitute was his first in the league since November.

* Everton are currently conceding at a rate of 2.5 per game having had the league’s sixth-best defence in 2008/09.

Fulham
* On the 17 occasions that Fulham and Everton have met in the Premier League, the home side has won 16 times.

* Paul Konchesky’s only other goal for the club was against West Ham in January.

Hull
* Hull have scored one goal in each of their five league outings this season.

* This time last year they were fourth in the table.

* Hull have lost ten of their last fifteen league matches, winning just one.

Liverpool
* Yossi Benayoun has scored three hat-tricks in his Liverpool career having also netted trebles in the thrashings of Besiktas and Havant and Waterloo.

* Liverpool have scored 33 goals in their last ten home matches.

* Their tally of 25 shots against Burnley was the highest of the weekend.

* Having started only 14 of Liverpool’s 38 league games last term, Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres have started all five to date this season.

Manchester City
* City have made their best start to a season since 1961 while Saturday’s attendance of 47,339 set a new stadium record for a football match.

* Despite winning all four of their games so far, City have, according to The Times, made 15 shots fewer than the combined total of their opponents in those games.

* City were credited with registering four shots on target against the Gunners by the BBC and five by The Guardian. Their total of three shots off target was also nine fewer than that of their opponents.

* Emmanuel Adebayor has scored in three of the last four meetings between City and Arsenal. He didn’t play in the other.

* Of the City team that beat Arsenal by a three-goal margin last November, Micah Richards, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Stephen Ireland were the only survivors on Saturday.

Manchester United
* United are now unbeaten in 20 games against Tottenham.

* Scholes’ red card was the ninth of his career. Of the eight that have occurred in United colours, seven have been issued in the past five years.

* United have deployed a different defence in each of their five league games so far and used four different central-midfield partnerships.

* United would be ninth in the league table if all matches ended after 45 minutes.

* Just thre players have started all of their five league games: Ben Foster, Patrice Evra and Wayne Rooney.

* Ryan Giggs’ goal ensured he remains the only player to score in every Premier League season. One more goal will take him to the 150th mark and equal the haul of Ruud van Nistelrooy, currently eighth in the club’s list of all-time scorers.

Portsmouth
* Four of Pompey’s five defeats this season have been by a single goal.

* Their fans are remaining loyal: Each of their three home games this season was watched by between 17 and 18 thousand specatators.

* From the team that faced Middlesbrough on September 13 last year, only David James featured against Bolton.

Stoke City
* With five minutes added on at the end of the first-half and eight for the second, Saturday’s game at Britannia lasted 103 minutes.

* Two of the five home defeats inflicted on Stoke since their promotion have been by Chelsea.

Sunderland
* Sunderland scored with all four of their shots on target against Hull.

* Saturday’s attendance of 38,997 was bettered at only Anfield and Eastlands.

* Lorika Cana has made more fouls than any other player so far: 17. His tally of three cautions is also unbeaten.

* Three of Darren Bent’s four goals have been scored before the 20th minute.

Tottenham Hotspur
* Jermain Defoe and Wayne Rooney are the current league topscorers with five goals apiece.

* During the last international break, Fabio Capello observed that “When Jermain Defoe plays in the second half, he scores goals.” In fact, five of Defoe’s last seven league goals have occurred before the half-time interval.

* Spurs are yet to keep a clean sheet in any of their fixtures this season.

* In his 19 league appearances for Liverpool, Robbie Keane scored five goals. In his 19 league appearances since rejoining Tottenham, Keane has scored six times.

West Ham
* Having drawn two successive blanks on their travels, the Hammers have scored just one goal in their past three games.

* Their team at Wigan included eight Englishmen.

Wigan
* Saturday’s attendance at the JJB of 17,142 was the lowest of the weekend.

Wolves
* Wolves scored 16 goals in their first five Championship matches last season. In the Premier League this term, they’ve managed just three.

Man United Re-Ignited

United’s 5-0 destruction of Wigan did much to reassure their fans all is well within Old Trafford. However, by all accounts they were ropey in the first half and Wigan’s spirit was broken after conceding. Berbatov and Rooney looked good together yes, and Owen got on the scoresheet – but it was never the worry that United would struggle to break down the likes of Wigan. Burnley can be put down to an early season blip – it will be in the big games that United could fall short, miss that spark that Ronaldo (and Tevez) provided. Don’t get carried away – this side is still very much unproven, and indeed, unconvincing.

Arsenal Continue Apace

Arsenal won their third straight game, scoring four in the process, by inflicting defeat on sorry Portsmouth (who already look to be in a relegation battle). The only worry for Gunners fans will be the lack of a clean sheet (again) – against better sides than Paul Hart’s sorry shambles that could be their Achilles heel.

Some Good Refereeing

It’s a constant gripe for us that goalkeepers get SO much protection, and it was a refreshing change to see Steve Bennett give the benefit of the doubt to the attacker. Younes Kaboul simply beat Almunia in the air with a great leap – it would have been all too easy to put it down to a foul, but Bennett bravely and correctly deemed it a fair challenge. Let’s hope we see more of that.

And Some Not So Good…

Howard Webb has received many plaudits for the way he dealt with Hugo Rodellega. However, not all referees can grab and push a huge Columbian striker away from his opponent – and refereeing should be consistent. Webb was set on using his own physicality to run the game, rather than administering the rules. And for that he deserves criticism. Plus, Rodellega threw an elbow at him, and should have been sent off.

Lescott FINALLY Goes to City

It has been confirmed that Joleon Lescott has completed a £24m move to City form Everton. That is just a ridiculous price. £24m could buy you pretty much any defender in the world, and Joleon Lescott is nowhere near the top echelon of international defenders. Everton, although they didn’t want to lose him, have done an excellent piece of business. Steven Taylor plus £16m in the bank is just miles better.

Liverpool v Aston Villa

Liverpool finish off the weekend by taking on struggling Villa – both sides will be desperate for points, Liverpool to keep pace with the leaders after already suffering one defeat, and Villa to turn round what has been a poor start to the season. O’Neill will be happy with a draw – Rafa will want the win. See what happens at 20.00 tonight.

The Premier League kicks off tomorrow – here is the second part of our preview, you can read Part One here.

Man Utd

It could be a difficult season for United. Ronaldo is irreplaceable, and only time will tell if Owen is a suitable replacement for Tevez. Giggs, Scholes and Neville are all a season older… it will need the likes of Nani and Anderson to really step up this season if they are to make it four in a row. But never underestimate Alex Ferguson.

Portsmouth

There has been a run on Portsmouth for relegation, which considering their financial problems and exodus of players seems to make sense. Kranjcar must be next out of the door, and though they have signed the likes of Finnan and Mokoena, they are not ones to get the pulse racing. It could be a difficult season.

Stoke

An excellent season for Tony Pulis and Stoke last season, where their home record was amongst the best in the division. If they can maintain fortress Brittannia, and Beattie can fire them in at the other end, mid-table security beckons.

Sunderland

Who knows how they will get on this year – they only just avoided relegation last time, after looking safe, but now have Steve Bruce at the helm and a raft of new signings. Darren Bent is the most high profile, but Lorik Cana, Paolo Da Silva and Lee Cattermole are also excellent acquisitions. They could be top eight – or they could struggle. I’m inclined to think that with the Old Lesbian’s canny management it can be the former.

Tottenham

Their record under Redknapp is strong, and despite him changing the strike force every five minutes there is quiet confidence around the Lane that they can actually push for a European place this year. Much will rely on Luka Modric.

West Ham

Zola did a super job last year, and having trimmed their squad and acquired several (presumably superior) replacements, they will hope to equal or better their top ten finish. Luis Jiminez could prove the signing of the summer.

Wigan

A new manager, the loss of their two best players – now three with Cattermole’s exit – Wigan fans will be shuffling uncomfortably in their seats at the JJB. Only Jason Scotland has come in, who at 30 probably would have made the grade already if he was good enough. Could struggle.

Wolves

Wolves comfortably won the Championship last season, but there are worries about their ability to compete at the highest level. They lack players with Premier League experience, and McCarthy seems to set new points records (lows) with each promotion.

And the Footballsup Premier League 2009/10 Predicted Table (an Ashley Young style mouthful, that):

1. Chelsea
2. Liverpool
3. Man Utd
4. Arsenal
5. Everton
6. Spurs
7. Man City
8. Aston Villa
9. Sunderland
10. Stoke
11. Blackburn
12. West Ham
13. Fulham
14. Bolton
15. Portsmouth
16. Burnley
17. Birmingham
18. Wigan
19. Wolves
20. Hull

We’ll find out just how wrong we are come May…

With only days to go until the start of the Premier League, we take a whirlwind look through the division (no-one likes long, lengthy previews) – count yourself lucky if your side gets more than a couple of lines. We also have our final table prediction, which will no doubt come back to haunt us. That will come in Part Two – here is Part One…

Arsenal
Starting with one of the more controversial ones… People are writing Arsenal off this season, saying this is the year they drop out of the top four – but if their wealth of attacking talent (RVP, Arshavin, Fabregas, Eduardo, Walcott, Bendtner, Rosicky, et al) clicks, they will be irresistible. On their day Arsenal can blow any team away, and if they add a strong defensive midfielder they could make the 10/1 odds for them to win the league look enormous.

Aston Villa
Villa fans will be hoping they can push on this season, but the loss of Gareth Barry – and more importantly Martin Laursen – are huge blows. Villa’s record at the end of last season, without Laursen, was awful, and it remains to be seen how much of a loss Barry is. They will be hard pushed to match last season’s achievements.

Birmingham
A solid defence is a prime ingredient of staying in the Premier League – and Birmingham’s is miserly. They had the best goals against record in the Championship last season. The worry is where goals will come from – new signing Christian Benitez is rumoured to be a hot shot and if he fires, they could survive.

Blackburn
Big Sam has brought stability to Rovers – and has added a couple of strikers which in addition to Roberts and McCarthy gives them good attacking options. If they can hold onto the likes of Samba and Warnock they will be the definition of mid table.

Bolton
I always want Bolton to struggle, as their negative football and long ball tactics make for terrible viewing. But no doubt they will be safe again – and watch out for Johan Elmander, who I’m tipping to have a big season.

Burnley
Burnley are free scoring yet porous – they had the 18th best goals against last season. That will be ruthlessly exposed in the Premier League, and unless they shore up they will struggle.

Chelsea
Chelsea are the only one of the Big Four (perhaps with the exception of Arsenal) not to have been weakened over the close season, and despite a squad that looks a little on the old side are rightly favourites for the division. Zhirkov looks to be an excellent addition, and they won’t drop many points under the shrewd guidance of Ancellotti. His/their only problem could be an over zealous pursuit of European glory. The ones to beat.

Everton
David Moyes continues to work miracles on Merseyside, and with Jagielka, Lescott, Arteta, Cahill, Pienaar, Saha, Fellaini, Yakubu, he has a very good starting eleven. The likes of Rodwell and Vaughan are also excellent prospects. If Moyes can keep hold of most of his stars, they will be top six again. Lescott would be a big loss for them though.

Fulham
Fulham continue to baffle opposition, pundits, and fans alike. Without any really good players (Hangeland apart) they punched way above their weight last season. I expect them to suffer a reality check this year – but never underestimate Woy Hodgson.

Hull City
I hate Hull, I hate Phil Brown, and unless they radically turn around the form of the second half of last season they will go down. I hope they do (go down, that is). Stephen Hunt is a good signing though.

Liverpool
Xabi Alonso is a huge loss for Liverpool – Aquilani has some big boots to fill and the jury is out on whether he’s up to it. If he can, they will be challenging again. So much depends on Gerrard and Torres; if they stay fit they could fire them to a long overdue title.

Man City
The great unknown. Some tip them to challenge for the title, some, like me, think they will finish miles short. They were unable to get any of the top, top stars (think John Terry or Kaka) they were going for and instead paid over the odds for second tier players (think Roque Santa Cruz, who has only scored over ten goals in a season once in his entire career). There was a huge gulf between them and the top four last season, and thought that may shorten, it will still be there.

Part Two is here… plus our predicted table.

Tiger’s article has provoked a response from Ben Procter. Below he analyses Harry Redknapp’s claim, before looking at exactly why O’Neill deserves the prestigious Footballsup Coach of the Year Award...

Having read Tiger’s article on the footballing personalities of the year, I thought I might just expand on one of his nominations – the coach of the year winner, Martin O’Neill.

I feel there is a very strong case for Harry Redknapp. He took Portsmouth to the FA Cup title last season, and if you were to combine the points scored by him at Portsmouth and Spurs this season he would be sitting proudly in 6th position on 30 points with a goal difference of +1. It is testament to his quality as a manager that he has brought a group of players back together at White Hart Lane, who seemed down and out earlier in the season, and taken them to victory against the strongest Liverpool side we have seen in years and, more recently, to a hard fought and well deserved draw with Manchester United.

However, having said all this, I believe that Tiger is right in awarding the title to O’Neill. The obvious reason being the fantastic job he has done over the last few seasons, and more prominently this season, lifting Aston Villa to the brink of battling full time with the big four – at the same time disputing the aforementioned Harry Redknapp who, after the Spurs vs Man U game, implied that the big four would finish as the top four again this season.

Villa have everything required to join this elite group. A solid goalkeeper (Friedel), a titan of a centre back (Laursen), a battling and passing central midfielder (Barry) and a goalscoring striker (Agbonlahor). Add to this the youth and excitement of Ashley Young and James Milner, the experience of Jon Carew and Stilian Petrov, the battling qualities of Nigel Reo-Coker and Steve Sidwell and you have a formidable squad of players.

However, it is for the development of Gaby Agbonlahor that I believe he requires most credit. I think that most English football fans would place a national victory in the World or European Championships above club success. In recent times the most difficult job for the England manager (other than the Lampard and Gerrard issue) has been to find a partner for Wayne Rooney up front. In Gaby Agbonlahor, Martin O’Neill is moulding the perfect foil for Rooney. He has pace, can play on the break, has good vision, and has proved himself this season to be the best English born finisher in the league, to this point.

Martin O’Neill can take all the credit for this development, apart from Agbonlahor’s parents of course. One needs look only at the number of games started by premiership strikers since the start of the 2006/2007 season to see the reason for his development. O’Neill has shown an unerring will to start with Agbonlahor, indeed he has started 91 of a possible 93 games in this period, 13 more than Kevin Davies, who I think it is fair to say is not the perfect foil for Rooney, 15 more than the mercurial Dimitar Berbatov, who unfortunately is not English, and 16 more than Emile Heskey, who although throwing his name into the hat recently does not offer the same threat that Agbonlahor does. If other Premiership managers were to show the faith in young English talent which O’Neill has, then maybe there would be more future English World Class players developing in the premiership.

We must give kudos to Arsene Wenger for developing the precocious talent that is Theo Walcott, but Martin O’Neill’s devotion to developing young English talent is second to none. For that reason above any other, he is my coach of the season, and I look forward to the forthcoming years when the young Aston Villa starlets will be rife among the England set up.

So Chris Hoy is the 2008 BBC Sports Personality of the Year. So many questions – not least, is cycling even a proper sport?

With four cyclists and no footballers in the Top 10 candidates, we felt it entirely fitting to launch the inaugural FOOTBALLSUP Football Personality of the Year awards.

We’ve tried to remain relatively true to the rules of the actual event, but minus the law of the bleedin’ obvious. So here goes – have we got it as wrong as the British public? Let us know.

Young Personality of the Year:

Jack Wilshere: the rules state the winner must be under 17 years of age, making this Arsenal prodigy a shoo-in in our book. This year has seen 16-year-old Wilshere become Arsenal’s youngest ever player in both the Premiership and Champions League. But it is in the Carling Cup that Wilshere has really shown his massive potential.

In November, he turned in a virtuoso MOM display in the 3-0 win over a bemused Wigan side, showing remarkable poise and awareness, not to mention great end product – he produced the slide rule from his school satchel to put in Jay Simpson for a sumptuous first on the night.

Expect Arsene Wenger to wean this boy into the Arsenal first team over the next two years – England honours beckon before he can legally drink in a pub.

Overseas Personality of the Year:

Xavi: In the year that they finally ended their big tournament hoodoo, it has to be a Spaniard. There are perhaps more obvious choices, such as brilliant keeper Iker Casillas, or the electric Fernando Torres, but at the heart of everything good about Spain, and indeed Barcelona, is playmaker Xavi.

To watch Xavi orchestrate a game from the centre of the park is a joy to behold for the football purist. Constantly probing and directing, he is blessed with outstanding vision, balance and awareness of his surroundings. In Euro 2008, he scored the opener in Spain’s semi final win over surprise-package Russia, and in the final itself, it was Xavi’s weighted through-ball that allowed Torres to set Spain on their way to victory over the Germans.

If Barcelona are to end the English dominance of the Champions League in 2009, Lionel Messi is bound to get the plaudits. But you can bet your bottom dollar that Xavi’s contribution will have been integral to any success Barca enjoy.

Team of the Year:

Hull City: The Tigers’ rise to the top tier of English football has been the stuff of fairytales. An impressive run up the leagues in the 2000s culminated with the talismanic Dean Windass spanking in a magnificent volley at Wembley in May to propel Hull to the dizzy heights of the Premiership.

An immediate return to the reality of the Championship was roundly predicted – yet at the time of writing, Hull City comfortably sit 6th in the league. They have been to Anfield and the Emirates and come away with four points, and even had the temerity to score three at Old Trafford, albeit in a valiant 4-3 defeat.

Phil Brown has added shrewdly to a squad of players some of whom – such as skipper Ian Ashbee – have been there every step of the way from League Two. The fairytale looks set to continue for the time being.

Coach of the Year:

Martin O’Neill: OK, Fergie won the Premiership and CL but that would be too easy. In 2008, O’Neill has nurtured a group of young English players and moulded Villa into a genuine threat to the so-called ‘Big Four’.

There aren’t too many more exciting players at the moment than the rapid Gabby Agbonlahor or the classy Ashley Young. But O’Neill has surrounded his young tyros with an experienced spine containing the likes of Freidel, Laursen and Carew.

The results have been impressive, and expect the success to continue. Champions League qualification or an FA Cup win are distinct possibilities in 2009 under the Northern Irishman’s astute direction.

NOTE: As excellent as O’Neill’s work has been this year, nothing can compare to his acerbic deconstruction of Robbie Williams’ pop career on the BBC at World Cup 1998. Classic stuff:

Football Personality of the Year:

Theo Walcott: When Sven-Goran Eriksson picked a 17-year-old Walcott in his 2006 World Cup Squad, it looked like the Swede’s strangest decision since Nancy Dell’Olio. Just two years on, the only baffling thing is that he didn’t actually play the prodigiously talented Arsenal player in the tournament itself.

That experience thrust Walcott into the public eye, and this year he has lived up to the hype in a big way. Arsene Wenger could not resist holding back his starlet any longer, launching him into first team action with great results, fittingly wearing Thierry Henry’s eponymous number 14 shirt.

His sparkling pace and creativity clearly caught the attention of new England supremo Fabio Capello, who picked him for the vital World Cup qualifier away to Croatia. What followed was stunning, Walcott opening his international account with a hat trick, most notable for clinical finishing with the coolness of a sniper.

Injury has disrupted the end of his year, but this young man has the temperament and talent to be a world-class performer for the next ten years and beyond.