Everyone knows that Liverpool practically owned every piece of worthy silverware throughout the late 70s and 80s, but equally everyone is aware that from 1990 to 2005 all this great club had to celebrate were two FA Cup wins (one against at the time lowly Sunderland) and a UEFA Cup win over Spanish minnows Alaves.

A succession of questionable managers - most notably the three years that Graeme Souness was in charge - took their toll on the club. Then Rafael Benitez arrived. Even after having taken unfashionable Valencia to two La Liga titles, there were still many Liverpool fans who were unsure of what the future might hold.

Since then Rafa has been slowly but surely winning over the Anfield faithful. He managed to persuade Steven Gerrard to not flee to free-spending Chelsea, an achievement that should be as greatly celebrated as the winning of the 2005 Champions League. He guided Liverpool to successive third place finishes in the league. And now, thanks to the financial backing of new owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett, an injection of real world-class talent in the shape of Fernando Torres, Yossi Benayoun and Ryan Babel could be the final piece of the jigsaw to turn them into true Premiership contenders.

'The pre-season ambitions of both the club and the fans have been sky-high for at least the last 15 years, but this time I think the Reds have finally got the formula spot on'


The pre-season ambitions of both the club and the fans have been sky-high for at least the last 15 years, but this time I think the Reds have finally got the formula spot on. The squad is big enough to cope with any injury problems. There's a good mix of youth and experience (cliché, I know!). And, at last, they have real muscle in the transfer market. We may just get the most open Premiership race for years.

Tottenham still attract a fair amount of scorn and humour from neighbours Arsenal, who continue to rub their noses in the fact that their last title success was way back in 1961. But, like Liverpool, the sleeping giants may be about to wake up thanks to a cash injection from their new owner - Daniel Levy.

They, too, posses their best manager in some time in the shape of Martin Jol and there is a real sense that after the previous two seasons ended painfully short of the all-important top four finish, this could be the year. But this is built out of more than just blind hope. Even the most hardened Arsenal fan would have to concede, albeit grudgingly, that Spurs are moving in the right direction.

They do have a squad packed with talent, some of it fully developed (Dimitar Berbatov, Ledley King, Paul Robinson to name three) and some of it raw and full of promise (Aaron Lennon, Darren Bent, and Tom Huddlestone spring to mind).

What have their rivals done to keep themselves one step ahead? Well, Sir Alex Ferguson has added even more talent to his title-winning Manchester United side. Chelsea will be looking for revenge after losing out to them last season. Arsenal might be everyone’s choice for the title in five years but what do they do in the mean time? They must hope that their youth set-up continues to revel at the deep end, without the mercurial Thierry Henry.

Again I know that there will be a certain amount of dubious response to the idea that Spurs can really turn the tide, and I’m not a Tottenham fan with delusions of grandeur. I really think that after two successive top-five finishes and some good business these last few weeks, Spurs, Liverpool - and maybe even Sam Allardyce’s Newcastle - could all contribute to what will hopefully be a mouth-watering season.

Maybe I am getting carried away. We are only weeks away from a new season and this is traditionally when supporters' expectations are at their highest. However, I will be putting a tenner on Liverpool to clinch the title, and maybe a fiver on Spurs for a top-four finish? Who’s with me!