There's been plenty of football on offer in the last couple of weeks for those of you who are impatient for the summer transition to the new season. It started with the Eredivisie and then last weekend saw the kick-off to the English Football Leagues, as well as the new Bundesliga and Ligue 1 campaigns (more of which next week).
Today though is the big one, the quickest, most physical and most commercial of the world's domestic leagues- the Premier League is due to get underway. Millions of fans will go through the turnstiles this season and many more will watch on TV, ideally it would be the other way round, but that's another story.
There will be plenty of excitement, news and turning points over the next 9 months, and what adds to the spice of this season is the fact that a World Cup looms at the end of it. Not only do we get the normal season, once every four years there is no respite at the end of it either. A festival of football, the real greatest show on Earth no matter what the Olympics may claim.
What will this season behold then? It is always a lose-lose situation to make predictions, you're either correct or you leave yourself open to ridicule. Despite that I'll be brave, after all it wouldn't be right to laud the beginning of the new season without suggesting what I think will happen.
It's probably easier to start with the Premier League new boys, those that made the leap up from the Championship at the end of last season. Wolverhampton Wanderers earned themselves the Championship title under the tutelage of Mick McCarthy, and they look to have a large and solid squad. The likes of Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, who has scored more than a goal every two games for Wolves, gives the team a pacier option which is critical in the top division.
New acquisitions Kevin Doyle and Marcus Hahnemann from Reading, both have much-needed Premier League experience. Record signing Doyle proved that he could cope well with the elite when Reading had their two seasons in the sun. Also the signing of Michael Mancienne on a season-long loan from Chelsea, appears to be shrewd business.
Despite Mick McCarthy's disastrous time with Sunderland in the 2005-06 Premier League season, I fancy the former Republic of Ireland manager to do a lot better this time around. Famous last words, but I expect Wolves will extend their top-flight stay to this time next year.
Birmingham FC, who finished 2nd in the Championship, will be a difficult team to predict. Alex McLeish failed to secure Birmingham's Premier League survival after he took over in November 2007, but last season he fulfilled his remit and guided the club straight back up.
Like Wolves they have a lot of Premier League experience, although a more aged squad. The still going strong Kevin Phillips has been prolific in the Championship for the last three seasons, but when last in the top flight with Aston Villa he failed to shine.
Other notable players include Lee Carsley, Barry Ferguson, James McFadden, Stephen Carr and dare I say Lee Bowyer. So, lots of potential and with Joe Hart in goal, they could well survive relegation. Something about them though tells me that they won't, just.
Finally Burnley, the play-off victors. Usually such a promotion makes you the automatic favourite to go straight back down, but with Burnley there is some expectation. Most of this stems from the way in which they marched their way to the League Cup semi-final last season. During their run they defeated Fulham, Chelsea and Arsenal, with impressive displays too.
They were in fact just two minutes away from defeating Tottenham over the two-legged semi as well, and if their run proved anything it was that Burnley are very difficult to play at their Turf Moor ground. Still, they have not made many summer signings and a lot will rely on the capabilities of set-piece specialist Robbie Blake and their captain Steven Caldwell.
I think Burnley will certainly have some memorable results and that they will battle relegation until the very last moment, but I suspect that they will run out of luck when it comes to the crunch. Expect Burnley to have a season similar to what Hull did last time around, but most likely without the happy ending.
With all that in mind I guess I should be bold and predict who will be relegated! I feel sure that Phil Brown will fail to keep Hull up for another season, the signing of Stephen Hunt is a very good one but it is a rarity for them. For the other two slots I can't see past Birmingham and Burnley, although I hope to see Burnley confound me.
As for the rest of the Premier League, here are some general predictions for which I can be strung up with come the season's end! The top four will remain the top four once again, but the title race will be a closer-run thing this time around, I'm certain. All four Champions League clubs have failed to spectacularly strengthen, particularly Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea. The latter two are arguably weaker.
Ferguson can argue as much as he likes, but the losses of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez make his team look decidedly less threatening. I feel that Michael Owen is possibly one of the signings of the summer and will be on the plane to South Africa with England, but other than that the Scot has little to phone home about.
Chelsea meanwhile put their lot in with a manager who is clearly designed to win them the Champions League. The former AC Milan manager has a fine record in Europe, but Ancelotti only managed to secure the Serie A title once in 8 seasons- not very convincing. On top of this Chelsea have spent relatively little and are left with an impressive but ageing team that could be vulnerable to injuries.
Liverpool will be under pressure to mount an even more convincing title challenge after their near miss last season. The selling on of Xabi Alonso may end up being a massive regret, but Rafa Benitez has at least gone out with intent and bought a like-for-like replacement in Roma's Alberto Aquilani. They will come close again this season, but I'm not convinced that Anfield's eighteen-year wait for the title will end.
As for Arsenal, well where do I begin? As I've said in the past, the selling on of Emmanuel Adebayor has been immensely popular, the worry is that the revenue is yet to be outlaid at all. Arsenal's one signing of note has been the well –regarded defender Thomas Vermaelen from Ajax, who should be a decent replacement for Kolo Touré. The manager Arsène Wenger has a devoted following amongst the fans, and likewise he has the same for his squad.
For the Gunner's to realistically challenge they must spend on strengthening their depth. Players such as Eduardo and Tomáš Rosický (when he gets back from his latest injury), will feel like new signings due to their long absences, and Arsenal do have the potential to win trophies. The Premier League is a long path of conquest though, and that is where they may run out of puff like they did the season before last.
With regards to the rest of the league, more of the same will come from Everton and David Moyes. They are now an established top six team and will be there or thereabouts again this time, but they face challenges from not only Aston Villa but also Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur.
Of those three, Aston Villa are the most in danger. They have signed few players, most memorably Stewart Downing who looks likely to miss half the season, and Fabian Delph who has no top-flight experience. They do have a great manager in Martin O'Neill, but I can see them slipping down from their finish in the last campaign.
Obviously Manchester City have taken up most of the summer's back pages, but despite their outlandish spending I think it is too early for them to snatch a top four spot. Much more likely will be that they will creep into the top six as a platform for next season.
Tottenham cannot be discounted either, they have one of the shrewdest managers in the business. Their fans have pointed to how well the team turned itself around once Harry Redknapp was appointed following the Juande Ramos debacle. They will at least match their top eight finish from last term.
So, expect a season that will be just as exciting as the last and full of twists and turns, but on the other hand do not expect a tearing up of the established order. Although Manchester City, and possibly Roy Hodgson's Fulham have it in them. One thing that is for sure, 90minutesonline will be here to guide you through all the talking points and we can't wait to get started!