Kickoff

It's finally about to start! After 3 long months, the waiting is finally over. There's been a lot to keep me occupied sports wise over these 3 months, not least Euro 2008 and Wimbledon and the Olympics. But nothing comes close to the Premiership for me. Mainly cause I support Man Utd. Personally I think the Bundesliga is more entertaining overall. Honestly who gets excited over Bolton vs Wigan? But in any case, there can be no doubt that the Premiership is the greatest league in world football. The Champions League last season was ample proof. Three semifinalists. And that was the second time in as many seasons. Case closed.

Well since I'm not going to do an in-depth preview of the upcoming season, I have taken the liberty of linking to the BBC's Premiership guide. The top 4 will be exactly the same this season. The only question is whether Chelsea or Man Utd will finish first and whether Arsenal or Liverpool will finish third. I can see Spurs pushing to get into the top 4 if they have a good run of results but I think a successful season for them would be a top 6 finish. Then again, half the league are aiming for a top 6 spot. Everton, Villa, Spurs, Man City and Blackburn just to mention a few. Even Newcastle believe their defense is sufficient to challenge for a UEFA Cup spot. A dose of realism never hurt anyone. Only Thaksin.

The BBC has also done a decent piece on the Premiership newbies. I'll be keeping an eye on some players this season. Especially the ones who've joined Spurs. Gomes, Modric and dos Santos are not inexperienced teenagers and Spurs fans will be expecting them to lift their side to greater heights this season. It's the least they'd expect after shelling out over £16m on a player who's spent his entire career in the Bosnian and Croatian leagues. Personally I don't get the fuss over Modric. He played some decent games at the Euros and in qualification but apart from that what else? I haven't seen anything from him that suggests he would be an instant hit in the Premiership. Then again my opinion could change completely by the end of the weekend.

I'm more excited about dos Santos. That's one player I'd like to see hit the heights. Already highly rated, he only left Barcelona because he could not compete with Messi. No shame in that. I'll expect a lot more from him than Modric. Especially if Berbatov heads off to Old Trafford. He'll be used as a support striker for Bent a lot if that transfer goes through. Speaking of Bent, he's been very impressive in pre-season. Whether he can transfer that form into the Premiership is yet to be seen. He'd better. I have him in my fantasy team!

I'll also be watching Behrami of West Ham closely. Why he chose to leave a decent team like Lazio for the underachievers of West Ham I'll never know. A short list of others I'll be watching - Ramsey, Nasri, Degen, Deco, Elmander, Coloccini and of course the promoted sides. I don't know much about them as the Championship isn't exactly broadcast live around the world.

Bring on the new season! I've waited too long.