For what it's worth (and from a neutral perspective, given Charlton’s decision not to compete in this year’s Premier League) my pre-season selections for the Top Four and relegation:

Champions - Manchester United: They have only strengthened this season with the signings of Carlos Tevez and Owen Hargreaves and will surely back up their win from last year. Doubts remain around Wayne Rooney's ability to play with Tevez, and a distinct lack of full-back options with want-away Gabriel Heinze and the aging Gary Neville, but will anyone get close enough to test them out?

Runners-up - Liverpool:  Said it last year, but Liverpool have to get it right sometime. If Dirk Kuyt can show the form he did last year, and FernandoTorres and Ryan Babel can add some flair, this might finally be the year the Reds show enough consistency to challenge.

'If Dimitar Berbatov can continue to impress, and Robbie Keane and Jermain Defoe can deputise, Spurs have the most fearsome strike force in the country'


3rd - Chelsea: Not the force they were, and I seriously doubt they have enough goals in them to challenge. Andriy  Shevchenko is likely to be a bit part player at best, and much is reliant on Didier Drogba. Also suspect at the back if John Terry is out for too long.

4th - Spurs: I think I tip Spurs more often than Spurs fans do, but they have got themselves a bargain in Dareen Bent. The lad is an out-and-out star, the most trustworthy striker in England, and will, mark my words, lead England's assault on Euro 2008. If Dimitar Berbatov can continue to impress, and Robbie Keane and Jermain Defoe can deputise, they have the most fearsome strike force in the country. Will be good to watch if nothing else.

At the other end of the table, perm any three from five:

Bolton: Take a strong, settled manager from a strong, settled club, stand well back and watch the fireworks. For Charlton in 2006 read Bolton in 2007. Poor, holding pattern signings, inexperienced manager, grumpy striker - can it end in anything but tears?

Birmingham:  Look up ‘panic’ and 'buying' in the dictionary and you'll find a picture of Steve Bruce. Desperately devoid of quality, I cant see them being out of the bottom three all year.

Middlesbrough: Have deceptively moved from being 'high fliers' to 'selling club' in recent years, and the route to success is rarely 'sell your best strikers'. Sadly, with Yakubu likely to follow Mark Viduka in plying his trade away from Teeside, it’s hard to see where the goals are going to come from. Add to that a (blindly) loyal chairman, and the writing could be on the wall very early on.

Derby: Four words - out of their depth.

Wigan: Like Bolton, have lost their driving force. They have recruited better and more widely than the other stragglers, but it remains to be seen if Chris Hutchings can pull it together. A more experienced man at the helm may have a chance to save them late in the season but if Hutchings fails to succeed . . . Neil Warnock, anyone?

www.reallifenews.com