Some action from today, Jozy Altidore’s first Premiership goal:

George Boateng’s goal:

Gerrard experiencing one of the many crunching challenges from todays Merseyside derby:

There were some nice moments from todays premier league action

First was a lovely own goal from Anthony Gardner

also, Chelsea’s first goal was a lovely move

There were some quality goals in the Chelsea Sunderland game today, from Malouda:

and Ashley Cole:

At last, after almost a whole month of no top-class football on TV, the premiership season arrives to save us all! With Chelsea continuing to spend as if there is no tomorrow, with their signings of Ballack and Shevchenko, the season could well be over before it starts, but with Liverpool snapping up virtually anyone, and Arsenal making the shrewd signing of Rosicky, it may not be that one-sided. Here are my views on each teams chances in the coming season.

Arsenal
Retaining the services of Thierry Henry could be a very good move, with Rosicky providing excellent service (along with a cracking shot), and with young players like Fabregas and Van Persie constantly improving, they could have a chance of winning the league, and I’m sure Arsene would like to go one step better in the Champions League.

Aston Villa
IMO, Villa have had probably the worst build up out of any side in the premiership, however, the recent acquisition of Martin O’Neill as manager could prove vital, although with the takeover talks still being decided, money to make changes may arrive to late for the August transfer window.

Blackburn Rovers
Securing UEFA Cup football last year was an excellent result for Mark Hughes’ team, however selling Craig Bellamy to Liverpool may not have been such a good decision, but with the signing of South African striker Benni McCarthy they have signed one of Africa’s leading marksmen.

Bolton Wanderers
Bolton’s key problem currently is in the strikeforce department, and currently they are yet to have signed anyone to improve their chances infront of goal. Holding on to big Sam was important for them, and he will be hoping to continue his good work.

Charlton Athletic
As much as Simon Jordan will protest, Charlton begin a new era under Iain Dowie this season, and he’s been busy signing several players, including Ireland international Andy Reid, who struggled at Spurs (IMO he was a big podgy), and Amady Fae from Newcastle. Securing the signature of Darren Bent is key, and in a new era Charlton will be hoping their usual end-of-season slump will be a thing of the past.

Chelsea
Judging by Chelsea’s continuing signings over the summer, yet again they are going to be the team to beat, capturing Ballack on a free (albeit with a rather hefty pay-cheque) and Shevchenko for over £30m could add to the team something they have been missing. Selling Duff to Newcastle shows a shift in the teams emphasis in wing play, although looking at their performance in the Community Shield, Shevchenko & Drogba need to work together a bit more

Everton
Securing the services of Andy Johnson could prove a very good signing for Everton, and with James Beattie they have an all English strike pairing (you don’t see that very often eh). With Nigel Martyn retiring, and Richard Wright in a constant state of injury, they have signed Tim Howard from Manchester United on a season-long loan. Fans will be hoping their defence is of a better standard this year, particularly IMO Joesph Yobo who seems to make too many mistakes at times.

Fulham
Fulham will be hoping to score more goals this year, however Chris Coleman has yet to add to his strikeforce, however with the signing of Jimmy Bullard from Wigan, and Franck Queudrue from Middlesbrough they added some interesting players. Personally, I don’t rate their chances much, and I fear they may be relegated.

Liverpool
As I write this Liverpool are in the process of signing yet ANOTHER player, Dirk Kuyt from Feyenoord. Rafa is definitely making a push for it this season, adding Pennant, Bellamy and Gonzales to an attack already containing Luis Garcia and Stevie G, and after beating Chelsea (again) in the Community Shield they could have the makings to take a long awaited Premiership title. That said, if they lose 4-1 at home to Chelsea this season Rafa may have to look again at how he plays the champions in the league.

Manchester City
Stuart Pearce has strengthened City’s defence over the summer, bringing in Andreas Isaakson, the Swedish international keeper, and Micah Richards is constantly improving as he matures. Paul Dickov adds to the options upfront, with Andrew Cole still scoring plenty, and Darius Vassell providing a constant threat.

Manchester United
Selling Ruud Van Nistelrooy could scupper United’s chances of taking any silverware this season, although they have strengthened their midfield with Carrick and quite possibly Owen Hargreaves, I can’t see them scoring that many currently, and they are likely to be left relying on Wayne Rooney too much.

Middlesbrough
With McClaren off to manage England, ‘boro chairman Steve Gibson made a very bold move to make untested Gareth Southgate manager, and I’m not too sure whether it was a good decision. Sylvain Distin is believed to be on his way to the Riverside, but I think they may rely too much on Yakubu to get the goals, and be left in the lower half of the table.

Newcastle United
Managing to persuade the FA to enable Glenn Roeder to stay on will please the toon army, as he has pushed them on into the UEFA Cup after a disastrous start to the season under Graeme Souness. However, losing Michael Owen to his freak knee injury in the world cup could cause them problems especially with Kuyt likely to join Liverpool, leaving them to rely on Ameobi and Luque. That said, the signing of Damien Duff (at a bargain £5m) was fantastic, and I think they could scrape a UEFA Cup spot again, but they still need to find a proper goal-scorer from somewhere.

Portsmouth
After Harry Redknapp’s remarkable turnaround at Fratton Park last year was amazing, whether they can avoid the drop this year will depend on whether the signings of Sol Campbell & David James can strengthen their defence. The signing of Kanu yesterday could be important, although whilst at WBA he wasn’t particularly sparkling, and pairing with one of LuaLua and Mwaruawari, who aren’t the most prolific of strikers, could be interesting. I think they are likely to avoid relegation, but struggle and finish in the lower half of the table.

Reading
After romping away with the Championship title last year, Steve Coppell will be looking to emulate what Wigan and West Ham did last year, and avoid any relegation worries in mid-table. They may have quality goalscorers, in Leroy Lita, Dave Kitson & Kevin Doyle, but I’m not sure there defence will be able to hold out against world-class strikers such as Henry and Shevchenko, and I think they too will finish in the lower half of the table, but are likely to avoid relegation.

Sheffield United
After 12 years in Division One, the blades are back, and I’m quite sure Neil Warnock will provide plenty of entertainment in the coming season. Whether his team will is a different question, after signing as many strikers as possible last year, I don’t really think any of them have any real chance of scoring, and defensively I think they are relatively weak. I can’t see them avoiding relegation I’m afraid.

Tottenham Hotspur
Narrowly missing out on a Champions League shows the progress Martin Jol has made with Spurs, signing Dimitar Berbatov should add to their goalscoring, although losing Carrick to Manchester United could affect their midfield. I think that with the squad Spurs have, a place in the UEFA Cup should be achieved, and with a bit more effort a Champions League place could be theirs.

Watford
Gaining promotion was a fantastic achievement for Adie Bothroyd’s side, but I don’t think they will be able to avoid relegation this year. They have a relatively weak defence, and with very little money to spend I can see them finishing bottom of the league.

West Ham United
West Ham’s young squad still have room to improve, and with Rob Green joining (once he’s recovered from his excruciating groin injury) they have added a quality young keeper, although losing Dean Ashton for the foreseeable future is a big blow. I think they will be able to do at least as well as last year, and maybe go one better in the FA Cup.

Wigan Athletic
I don’t think Wigan will do as well as they did last year, with Jason Roberts and Jimmy Bullard already leaving, and with everyone’s favourite donkey Emile Heskey joining the club. With loan keeper Chris Kirkland finally getting his first England cap they have a quality keeper, but I don’t see them finishing as high up, possibly just scraping a top half finish.

With premiership season finished, I thought I’d sum up my prediction scores and see how accurate I am, the results are as follows:

So, the final premiership games approach, and thanks to Chelsea and Portsmouth, the only things that are not finalised are the ordering of 2nd to 5th in the table. Here are my predictions for the final premiership games of the 2005/06 season:

Arsenal vs Wigan: This will be the last Arsenal games at Highbury, and Arsene Wenger will be hoping his side can win to keep the pressure on north london rivals Spurs in the race for 4th place. Wigans season has stalled recently, however they can be proud of what they have achieved in their first ever season of top flight football. My Prediction: 3-1 Arsenal.

Aston Villa vs Sunderland: Villa fans will be glad the season is over after this game, after having one of their worst seasons in recent years, they will also be hoping that David O’Leary is given the boot. Sunderland fans will also be pleased to end an appalling season, and will be hoping to bounce back next year. My Prediction: 1-1 draw.

Blackburn vs Man City: In recent weeks, Man City have been in free fall whilst Blackburn have recovered to grab a UEFA Cup spot in 6th, and I can see this trend continuing in the match tomorrow. My Prediction: 2-0 Blackburn

Bolton vs Birmingham: Neither side here has anything but pride to fight for, so this is likely to be a dull match. My Prediction: 2-1 Bolton.

Everton vs West Brom: Another match where each side has very little to play for, a win for Everton could lift them into the top half of the table however. My Prediction: 1-0 Everton.

Fulham vs Middlesbrough: With Middlesbrough preparing for their UEFA Cup final on wednesday, this should be an easy win for Fulham, and could put them 12th in the league. My Prediction: 2-0 Fulham.

Man Utd vs Charlton: A win here for Man Utd guarantees them 2nd place, and an automatic Champions League place next season. This will be Alan Curbishley’s final match in charge of Charlton, and he will be hoping that they will do him proud, however at Old Trafford this is very unlikely. My Prediction: 3-1 Man Utd.

Newcastle vs Chelsea: After clinching the title last weekend, this will be a celebratory match for Chelsea, and with Newcastles hopes of a UEFA cup spot being dashed by Blackburn, Newcastle have little to play for. My Prediction: 2-1 Chelsea.

Portsmouth vs Liverpool: Securing their premiership safety last weekend will have been a huge relief for Harry Redknapp considering their next opponents. Liverpool are on a charge for 2nd place, and if they win here they will keep the pressure on Man Utd. My Prediction: 2-0 Liverpool.

West Ham vs Tottenham: This is quite possibly the biggest game in Spur’s history, a win and they clinch 4th place, and aside from Barcelona having a mare in Paris, a Champions League place. West Ham will have the FA Cup final next weekend on their minds, and will try not to suffer any suspensions or injuries. My Prediction: 3-1 Spurs.

No predictions this week, I’ve just handed in my final year project report, so I’m off to get smashed!

Even though this weekend is a bank holiday, there is no extended fixture list, although Sky have managed to get the delights of Man Utd vs Sunderland for viewers tonight. If ever there was a one-sided this is it, United have won their last 8 fixtures, whilst sunderland have gained only a solitary point in their last 7 games. My Prediction: 3-0 United.

Onto the rest of the weekends predictions:

Arsenal vs West Brom: A must win match for both teams, with WBA in the relegation zone and Arsenal still battling for 4th place. Arsenal will be hoping they don’t have any more trouble with a team in the relegation zone following their draw at Fratton Park on wednesday, whilst WBA will be hoping they can find the net after squandering chances at Villa Park. My Prediction: 2-1 Arsenal.

Bolton vs Chelsea: With Chelsea’s thumping of West Ham last weekend, and Bolton’s slump of form making them drift away from the european spots, this could be an interesting game. My Prediction: 3-1 Chelsea.

Everton vs Tottenham: After Arsenal’s slip-up at Fratton Park, Spurs have to ensure they win all thier games aside from the North-London derby and 4th place is theirs. Both teams have had topsy-turvy form of late, so this could be an interesting match, but with Robbie Keane still banging the goals in, I fancy spurs to win. My Prediction: 2-1 Spurs.

Fulham vs Charlton: With Charlton being dumped out of the FA Cup on wednesday, and Fulham seeming to have pulled themselves away from the relegation zone, this is a London derby with little to play for but pride. My Prediction: 1-1 draw.

Newcastle vs Wigan: Wigan are beginning to struggle in the league, and with Newcastle winning their last two fixtures, this could be an interesting game. My Prediction: 2-1 Newcastle.

Portsmouth vs Middlesbrough: Portsmouth surge in form has brought life to the relegation battle, whilst Middlesbrough have been concentrating on their cup challenges, and I suspect that ‘boro might not put much of a fight up here. My Prediction: 3-1 Portsmouth.

West Ham vs Man City: Man City have suffered a tremendous slump in their form late, having lost their last five matches, and West Ham still have a chance of finishing seventh, which could still reap a UEFA cup place depending on the FA Cup result. My Prediction: 2-0 West Ham.

Aston Villa vs Birmingham: This is huge match for Birmingham, with it being their local derby and with them just sitting above the relegation zone, albeit on goal difference. The Villa fans will be hoping they win this as it would be the first time they have done the double over their second city rivals since Birminghams return to the top divisions, and it could help send them down. My Prediction: 1-1 draw.

Blackburn vs Liverpool: Liverpool have won their last 5 matches, whilst blackburn have been struggling recently, and with Liverpool still scoring freely this could be an easy win for Liverpool. My Prediction: 2-0 Liverpool.