The Premiership season is only days old, but all of a sudden the world is wall to wall football. Finally. Thankfully.

Two matches featuring new sides are on tap for today. I will not watch Tottenham play Sheffield United tonight. Promise. Call the bookies now and throw the money at Spurs. They will win today. They really are much better than that first match. That was my fault.

I will watch West Ham and Watford instead. Watford are going to struggle for any points at all this season. An absolute sure bet for relegation. West Ham have managed to do things the right way. Despite the financial knock when they went down, and actually needing a bit of good fortune to win promotion when they did, they have built up a solid team again. On an aside worth mentioning concerning West Ham, I recently watched the movie ‘Green Street Hooligans’. It’s not much in the way of a football movie, but warrants a look if only to give the uninitiated a look at the firm culture that once abounded in England.

Lovely Ipswich will surely notch a win today. Unfortunately, it’s in the Carling Cup against lowly Peterborough instead of league competition, so it’s not going to move them out of the drop zone. Still, at this point, I’ll take anything.

Desperate Manchester United are just about to get slapped for topping-up with the whole Owen Hargreaves situation. Bayern Munich says he’s not for sale, and that’s that. Stirring that mess, trying to steal the newly popular Hargreaves isn’t going to be helpful. That, and a loss or two, could start the troubles at Old Trafford.

As an added treat, the second leg of some Champions League qualifiers take place today as well. The disreputable AC Milan will officially get back into the competition proper after tonight. Also, suddenly financially stretched, Liverpool are in Kiev to face Maccabi Haifa. The Ukraine deemed a much safer place to host the match than Israel, despite the cease-fire that has already been going on for many, many, many hours now. A loss by ‘Pool will bring about some worry for the one side that can challenge Chelsea back at home–and their form has been decidely hit or miss so far. No time for a slip.

While I’m grateful for the return of the league, it was one of those weeks where almost every result was a poke to the heart.

Man United barely looked bothered and showed absolutely no problems up front after sticking 5 (well 6, actually) into the net against a hapless Fulham. Good-bye Chris Coleman, it was nice knowing ye. Even Christiano and Wayne seemed delighted to be playing in the same sandbox. It was so bad, Rio Ferdinand felt obliged to knock one in for the visitors in an apparent attempt to keep the Cottagers hopes up enough to stay on the pitch until the final whistle.

Chelsea looked all-world against a struggling Man City, thrashing them 3-0. This is the sort of match Roman’s millionaires would have slept through and won 1-0 last year. I’m praying they get bored quickly and go back to that tactic. I won’t be able to stand seeing them playing up to their sizable abilities. It’ll make for a long season.

I was so over-confident that I broke my promise and watched the Tottenham match. As could be expected, they looked horrible and went down to Bolton 2-0. So the curse remains intact. They are incapable of winning any match I see. Big Sam looks to be just ticking off the days until he can find a decent way to exit a Bolton side he has strengthened into a solid Premierhip team, but they’re just not capapble of rising to the next level. Sooner or later, it all comes down to money. Allardyce has done the best with what he was given.

One of my other favorite teams, Charlton, looked absolutely awful. Their relegation battle began Saturday, and they’ll be in that battle all year.

Liverpool were given a very dodgy penalty late in the match to rescue a point from lowly Sheffield United. That was 2 points dropped. They can’t draw with minnows and have a prayer of challenging for the title. Week One or not. Those were important points left on the pitch.

Arsenal also dropped 2 as Randy Lerner’s (or soon to be) Aston Villa nearly stole the opening match in the Gunner’s sparkling new stadium. Martin O’Neill will be enough to keep Villa in the middle of the pack. If Lerner can add some quality, they’ll rise from the ashes and surprise many teams this season.

In the believe it or not catagory, new boys Reading came back after going down 2-0 to beat Boro 3-2. That match was just a pleasure to watch. Reading’s only mode is full forward and attack. They won’t be able to hold a lead and don’t bother trying. They just continue to try to add to one. That’ll result in some lopsided losses against the better teams, but more power to them. I’d be happy to watch them play every week.

In the Coca Cola Championship match that matterd, the glorious Ipswich Town finally earned point number one in four attempts after a snooze 0-0 match against Hull. Mid-table obscurity and safety look to be completely out of reach for now.

On a scale of 1 to 10, this week’s results have been off the scale for me, personally. Wouldn’t have been good to get my hopes up early anyway. I hate when I do that–at least I think I would.

After a dismal stretch after the World Cup, the Premier League finally kicks-off Saturday. Time for football to move back into its rightful place in the list of priorities. While I’m thinking of lists, it seems to be a good time to think about some hopes and expectations for the upcoming season.

Chelski will struggle to gel despite the roster of superstars and they’ll get pipped for the title, shocking the world, and sending Abramovich scurrying back to the bank for even more fodder to stuff an already overstuffed squad. They’ll be distracted running for the one bit of silverware they’re lacking, the Champions League. They won’t be having that either, and joy and happiness will reign throughout the land.

So, somebody has to win the title out of the rest of the usual suspects. It can really only be one club. Liverpool are coming together as a team and strengthened the side even further in the off season. They’re strong everywhere except for up front. They’ve just added Dirk Kuyt, but I can see him being a bust in England. Crouch remains more of a freak show than a big-time striker. All that said, I still think they’ll somehow find the net often enough to give the most storied team in England its first Premiership title.

Tottenham can sneak into the third spot, but the pack of 5 or 6 teams should be fairly tight in spots 3 through 8. I love Martin Jol. Of the quality teams near the top of the table, Spurs were one of the very few teams that actually improved their lot over the summer. They generally find ways to shoot themselves in the foot, but I think Tony Soprono, I mean Jol, will have them gunning at the others for a change.

Arsenal are bleeding quality players at the moment. Fortunately for them they can afford to bleed some. Other than managing to hold on to Thierry Henry, nothing positive has happened for the Gunners. The new stadium won’t be a help, at least not in the standings. They’ll be near the top all year, but won’t ever pose a serious threat.

I really don’t think Manchester United are going to be in as much trouble as many seem to fear. It’s just that for one of the first times in eons, they aren’t real threats for the title. A lot depends on their start. If they start poorly, it could be a disasterous year. The Glazers could be run out of town. Sir Alex could finally be sacked. Ronaldo and Roonaldo could kill each other. Well, Christiano will just pretend to be dying. It could all end in tears for the most famous club in the world. But probably not. They’ll be okay, but even that’s unacceptable in Manchester.

For the stragglers at the other end of the table, Watford is headed right back down. They haven’t a prayer. Wigan will find it much tougher going this year. Fulham have problems and Coleman could be the next coach looking for work. Randy Lerner has rescued an abyssmal Aston Villa and he and Martin O’Neill will keep them up somehow. ‘Arry Redknapp will find a way to keep Portsmouth going. Despite now having the most colorful manager in the league, Sheffield United will probably be back playing Ipswich next year. Reading shocked with the ease with which they won the Coca Cola Championship last year–it won’t be so easy now. They’ll stick for another year, though.

The rest will be mired in so-called mid-table obscurity. Good enough to draw against one another, beat the minnows, and get thrashed by the big clubs. I look for Newcastle to plummet. Charlton to struggle at the end as usual, and not start much better. Sam Allerdyce will want out of Bolton very soon. Going the other way, Psycho will have Manchester City continuing to improve.

I’m looking forward to a great year. Even if Chelsea does the expected and wins the title by September, the rest of the league seems to be tightening up. It’s still the best league going, and I can’t wait for it to start.

The Champions League gets things kicked off today. So the wait is coming to an end finally. These early qualifying matches aren’t anything very interesting and are very unlikely to produce any surprises. They’re never meant to. At least we can finally begin to watch matches that count for something again.

Arsenal faces Dinamo Zagreb today. Liverpool will get Maccabi Haifa tomorrow–this leg is in England, so there’s no danger of Hezbolla disrupting things yet. Both England sides should take comfortable leads into the second legs. That goes for AC Milan as well. The undisputed powerhouses of the disreputable Serie A shouldn’t need to break a sweat against Crvena Zvezda on Wednesday. They may even be able to give Chelsea reject, Hernan Crespo, a decent run-out.

Unless you have access to Setanta Sports Channel, though, you’ll have to follow the results on the internet. Satanta is usually only available on the Dish Network or in pubs. They also have snapped up many of the Premier League games for this season along with the Champions League, The Championship, and various other leagues and tournaments. They are the channel you need if you want to follow football live.

Unfortunately, Setanta remains a little difficult to get. No major cable outlets offer them. I’ve heard there is something called IPTV which is supposed to let you get it without a dish for about $14/month. I’ve been trying to look into that in time for the season, but there’s not a lot of information on it yet. The Fox Soccer Channel is slipping under this stiff competition, so an early (and lengthy) trip to the pub will practically be a necessity for most Americans wanting to follow European football.

I should mention Ipswich will also be going for loss number 2 against Wolves today. The good guys look even worse than I feared–even through cringing eyes.

The Community Shield match between Chelsea and Liverpool will give us a taste of the Premiership a week early on Sunday. A match that will be carried by the Soccer Channel. Liverpool is picked by many to be the main competition for Chelski this year. I may be alone in this, but I think Chelsea will get nipped at the post for the title this year–and that’s not just wishful thinking.

It has been a very quiet and uneventful off-season. Not even the rumors have been very interesting lately.

Tottenham look to spend some of the buckets of money Man Utd. gifted them for Carrick on Boro’s Stuart Downing and Wigan’s Pascal Chimbonda. They look to be a team headed in the right direction, finally. I’ll still try not to watch many matches until they get their footing. Apparently, my television being tuned to their matches disrupts the delicate cosmic energy and throws the team into disarray.

Other than maybe Liverpool, none of the other big guns in the Prem seem to be improving much. Most are treading water. ‘Arry will have Portsmouth playing better again, especially if he lands Sol Campbell. The two happened to be spotted in a north London pub together.

Villa, without a big influx of cash from a possible take-over, have to be one of the relegation favorites. The ship is sinking–only the rats are still aboard. Despite their amazing good showing last year, Wigan will probably be right down their with them this time around. I think they’re pretty much neck and neck with all the just promoted teams. They remain a nice story, though. I, for one, will be rooting for their survival

I expected Fulham to struggle last year–more than they did. I’m thinking the same way again. If they start off slowly, I think Chris Coleman could be the first sacked manager. There are more than a couple big names floating about, and Mo Fayed should start thinking about someone to try to take them to the next level.

So bring on the season already before we all die of the boredom. Ipswich and the rest of the Championship begin this weekend. They’ve signed exactly nobody this off-season. Their struggle to stay up begins against Crystal Palace on Saturday. Mid-table obscurity is about as much as can be hoped for this year.

UEFA did do a little tweaking to their rules that might improve things. Slightly harsher penalties on any racism incidents, but even better–a two match ban now for anyone whistled for diving. What is Christiano to do? His Plan A was continuous step-overs until everyone hypnotically fell asleep–didn’t work. Plan B was flopping–now that’s being taken away. Hopefully, Plan C is actually attempting to play the game he’s supposed to be pretty good at.

About everywhere you look these days you run across a Manchester United fan with his hair on fire worrying himself to death about the state of the biggest team in sport. It doesn’t help that on this side of the pond, being an English football fan is almost synonymous with being a ManU supporter. I’m not, but I never hated them, either. I never understood the old ‘you either love them or hate them’ adage. My feelings for them are on the lower end of indifference. Maybe my take on their state of things is a bit more balanced than the ‘sky is falling’ wail of the supporters or the gleeful gloating of the detractors.

Initially, it seems the Mancunians that were burning Malcolm Glazer in effigy a year ago might have been on the money. He doesn’t seem willing to readily part with much of his own. The free-wheeling days of buying any player Sir Alex takes a fancy to, look to be over. They’ve been much more notable for the player that they shipped out than any they have bought this year.

They dumped Ruud van Nistlerooy on Real Madrid. The Spanish side, already loaded with more egos than talent, apparently had room for one more. He’s a perfect fit there. It could be argued that Manchester didn’t get a fair return on him, but he had to go and the world knew it. I’m no fan of Ruud. He rarely creates anything (other than tears for Christiano, of course). He gets his 20 odd goals a year off rebounds and mistakes. You could say that he has a knack for getting into position to get those kinds of goals. I could say that he’s just a lucky git. Regardless, I wouldn’t want him on my team. The Dutch didn’t even want him on theirs.

United supporters seemed shocked that some highly priced replacement wasn’t immediately bought up in his place, though. In truth, Ferguson very much wanted the 22 year old, Fernando Torres at Atletico Madrid, but he couldn’t lure him. That they couldn’t just snatch up a player they eyed at will might be a surprise–the power in the football world has shifted. But, it doesn’t really matter. It’s a very slight shift.

They are already blessed with some kid that is rumored to be able to play a bit. Wayne Rooney remains at Old Trafford, afterall. Louis Saha can play beside him. He’s no slouch, he ‘s just been waiting for an opportunity since joining the team from Fulham–where he was the huge fish in the small pond. He’ll settle in this year. Solskjaer is also coming off of a two-year absence with knee injuries. He probably won’t ever be the old Ole anymore, but he should be fine as the third option off the bench. They also have taken a flyer on the young Guiseppe Rossi. If he comes around, the strike force is suddenly as formidible as ever.

For some unknown reason, they also have the flopping showboat, Christiano Ronaldo. His feelings should be in a much better state now that Ruud isn’t there being rude to him. Some people remain high on him. I can’t stand him. I’m told Ferguson will make a proper footballer out of him yet. If so, this is the year for it.

The major signing for them this off-season has been getting Michael Carrick from Tottenham. That is a significant improvement to the team right there. The midfield could use some more help, and the defense isn’t as iron-clad as possible, but there isn’t much wrong with Manchester United. If you take Chelsea out of the picture, they look about as strong and dominant as usual in the Premier League.

They don’t have to buy every player on the planet. Chelsea is doing that (and if they get Ashley Cole from Arsenal it would take an act of God to stop them this year). Madrid did it before them. Manchester has more competition in that department now, but that doesn’t mean they are doomed. Smarter, more prudent buys might not be what their supporters are used to, but it will probably pay off just fine in the long run. Overpaying for the likes of Ballack, Shevchenko, Drogba, Kezmann, Ronaldo, Beckham, Owen, van Nistlerooy–is not smart and will eventually kill those teams, I don’t care how much money they throw around.

That said, The Red Devils will still be chasing Chelski all year. Somewhere in the second tier with an improved Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham. But, don’t worry, they’ll never be in the second tier for long. And that group of teams are already closer to the Chelsea bastards than it looks on paper. If United can swing something to get Owen Hargreaves from Bayern, they’ll already be sitting in tier 1-b.

It would be monumentally sad if it wasn’t so expected. The Italian justice system, or what passes for it, has eased the penalties in the match fixing scandal to a light tap on the wrist. This is just the sort of thing that makes Italy a bit of a joke in the rest of the civilized world.

The original penalties were hardly the sharp retribution the offense deserved, but it was more than I expected from the notoriously dodgy Italian judges. On appeal, the verdicts are much more lenient. Juve still has to go down to Serie B, but without the harsh point reduction that would have probably kept them there for another year. Lazio and Fiorentina get to stay up, AC get to play in the cups.

On top of it all, the clubs have vowed to keep appealing to get even this wrist tap reduced. There is no reason for any of the teams to not carry-on just as they had been. No incentive for Juve not to buy the Serie B championship and the next 50 Serie A’s after that. Might someone not begin to get suspicious? Who cares. Obviously, not Italy.

I won’t be watching Italian football. There’s no point for me to do so. There are legitimate leagues around the world more deserving of the attention. Ipswich is about to play Lazio in a friendly. They should withdraw the invitation.

You could easily imagine the outrage and resulting fall-out had this match fixing occurred in England. Even their generally laughable FA would have hammered the teams involved. There wouldn’t even be a doubt. The US, being the US, would probably blast the individuals involved rather than the teams, but you’d think even here, the Yankees would be severely spanked. That’s what keeps them from even thinking of pulling a scam like this.

Enjoy the World Cup. Italy. You deserved it. You also deserve the scorn and ridicule the rest of the football world should now heap upon you. Your club football has lost whatever credibilty it had. Why should any decent player in the world want to ply their trade in that cesspool? And, above all, why should any fan care? Ciao, Italia.

The hot new rumor in the football world is that Cleveland Browns owner Randy Lerner is attempting to buy Aston Villa.

There are uncanny similarities between the Birmingham squad and the Browns. A Lerner would be taking over for the most reviled owner of a sports team since Art Modell. Again. Doug Ellis is loathed in England. The fan base is long suffering (and moan even longer about it). The purse strings have always been held tight and that has prevented the ‘big’ team ever competing with the usual front runners. Brum might be England’s ‘second city’, but it is gritty and blue collar–much like Cleveland. No one wants to be in the city, let alone play there. Lerner can begin to change all that–at least as far as the football goes.

The Manchester fans might have went ballistic when Malcolm Glazer sprung for their beloved Red Devils, but the Villians should welcome Lerner with open arms. He has loads of dosh and is a hands-off owner. Preferring to let people who know what they’re doing run the show.

This could be the perfect solution for every one. Aston Villa will be rescued from tyranny, and Lerner will be allowed to spend some of his billions without being hindered by a salary cap. They’d immediately be a better bet to win a championship sooner than his Browns back home. All of a sudden, the high profile managers that turn their noses up at Villa (maybe Martin O’Neill?) might be interested.

Steve Bruce and Birmingham City should be very worried. Aston Villa would be the dominant team in the Midlands.

If Lerner can pull this off, I’ll buy a Villa shirt tomorrow. That’s already 30 or 40 extra quid in the coffers and one more supporter. Well, at least a half-hearted one. Ipswich will always be my team. In fact, what is Lerner thinking? Ipswich is a much more deserving spot for his largesse. What is his number? I hope I’m not too late.

I had to look at the calendar to make sure it wasn’t the 13th. Nothing is going right today in my world or the football world.

Darren Bent, who was much more intelligent while playing for Ipswich, apparently came close to cutting his arm off trying to make a sandwich. He’s going to miss several weeks for Charlton. Football 365 has compiled a list of quirky injuries. I’m desperately looking for something to brighten the day and those helped.

One of my favorite gaffers, Mick McCarthy is taking over at Wolves. Welcome back to the Championship. That means Wolverhampton Wanderers has to now be added to the list of teams sure to be promoted before Ipswich Town. Oddly enough, Ipswich was recently looking for a manager themselves. McCarthy would have been perfect and would have proven Ipswich really wanted back in the top flight. Instead they pop for Jim Magilton, career coaching record (0-0). We will be mired in the Championship until I’m old. Older.

Alan Curbishley has said he’s not interested in filling what has to be the least attractive post in the Premiership–coaching at Villa. Aston Villa, with the worst chairman in the history of sport in Doug Ellis, has just sacked the worthless David O’Leary, only to find he might well have been the only person on the planet that wanted the job. You can forget any of the big names going there to die. Glenn Hoddle maybe. He’s about as worthless, so there may be some kind of weird balance in that move.

In one bright spot, Damien Duff appears headed for Newcastle. He was one of the few Chelski players I sort of liked. However, they seem to be clearing the way to sign Arsenal’s Ashley Cole. A move that can only be looked at with dread by the rest of the Premiership (and all mankind). I rather like seeing them dump loads of money on worthless pieces and parts, but it hurts when they get it right occasionally. Shipping Del Horno to Valencia opens it up for Cole, and they’re the one team in the league willing to overpay for him now.

Ruud Van Nistlerooy is supposed to return to training with ManU Monday despite all efforts to get rid of him. Unlike their northern rivals, Liverpool, who tend to dump quality players for next to nothing, United have a bit of business sense, and are waiting until they get a reasonable offer. Poor Christiano won’t get a wink of sleep all weekend now.

Or he could–if he tried to watch the second legs of the Intertoto Cup which resumes tomorrow. In what is easily the most worthless and unnecessary Cup competition in Europe. I might even opt for an MLS match over one of those. No. It’s not quite that bad.

Bruce Arena was quickly snatched up by the Red Bulls as the new joke coach of a joke team in a joke league. After his dismal running of an overrated American squad in the World Cup, I guess he had to take what he could get. He publicly complained right after the Cup that the American players had to go abroad to hone their skills in order to become competitive. He was absolutely correct there. The first thing he’d gotten right in a month. The advice didn’t apply to him, apparently. Sorry Bruce, Europe has all the bog standard coaches it needs at the moment–good luck in Jersey.

I’ve been looking over the transfer lists, but there really hasn’t been much to raise the eyebrows over yet. I don’t really think Chelsea has improved over last year despite dropping even more dosh. Ballack, Shevchenko, Mikel–so what? They’re going to be focused on the Champions League this year, since that’s the coveted bit of silverware they haven’t won. The race might be tighter in the Premier League. They just might end up with nothing. There’s always hope.

The Premiership challenge has to come from the usual suspects, though. There’s no new teams sneaking into the upper echelon yet. I think Arsenal are slipping a bit rather than gaining. Their defense is getting worse by the day. Cambell is gone. Senderos is out. Cole wants to leave. The new stadium isn’t going to be hosting the same quality that has been on the pitch at Highbury the last few years. The Invincibles, they aren’t. Chelsea probably won’t dip far enough for the Gunners to be a factor.

ManU need a few signings–and no, Ole Gunnar isn’t one. He’ll never be quite the same after his destroyed knee. They’re in the process of getting rid of Ruud, but dead set on keeping prissy Crissy Ronaldo (on the same team as his best mate in the world, Wayne Rooney). When they need help, and they do especially in the midfield, they’ve always gone out and got it. They’re still the biggest team in the game. As long as the Glasers keep up that tradition, they should add enough talent to push that London team.

Liverpool might be the strongest of the lot. They trimmed some dead weight. Bruno Cheyrou, the next Zidane, wasn’t and never will be. Morientes, Hamann, Cisse, were all superfluous parts. Adding Gabriel Paletta may help in the back. I’ve never cared for Craig Bellamy (Norwich bloke that he was), but Liverpool might be the perfect spot for him–if there is one. They want a few more signings, but the purse strings seem to be tightening. If they can wrestle away one of the relegated Italians or two–they could be right there at the end.

I always have a soft spot for Tottenham. Especially with Martin Jol coaching now. I always support them, but they only win when I’m not watching. They haven’t really bulked up any over last year, but the pack may come to them. I’ll do my part. I refuse to watch a live Spurs match until October (unless they’re playing Chelski). I’ll give them until then. Can’t say fairer than that.