Gribz

De Ligt goes to Juventus from Ajax for 67million. The Ajax side will be broken up but they will have a good few quid in the bank. Its not a bad method yet Id like to see a side like Ajax be back in with the elite of Europe, yet playing outside England, Spain, Italy or Germany dents that nowadays.

I think Bruce will do OK so long as the fans dont get on this back. Its a big backwards move from Benitez but Allardyce would have been a final straw for the Toon Army.

Got to be all about players getting full match fitness and a bit of gelling with the new faces. A good few goals will go down well also. It will be interesting to see who SG goes with.

As for the Bruce stuff. He has maybe just done a Harry Redknapp (i.e resign before getting the job). Sheff Wed are a huge club and have mass potential to get back up but I suppose Bruce isnt going to turn down his own club yet there are reports of the former Lyon manager getting the job.

How have you been up all night working that out? West Ham are spending bit in the transfer market. I think its Arsenal who are Poundland at the moment. Chelsea are relegated from Next to Gap.

Plus Tripper is moving to Atletico Madrid. A good move for him. He was one of Englands best players at WC 18 yet had a bit of criticism last season.

McGregor Tavernier Goldson Helander Flanagan Davis Kamara Candieas Aribo Ojo Morelos I like Katic but I can only see Helander being signed as a start. I havent see too much of Barisic so Ive pit Flanagn in for now. In midfield its harsh on Arfield to not be in this team and I think SG will play him but Davis still has that class and Kamara will only get better in that role. Going forward that 3 could cause havoc with Aribo being box to box. Im a massive Kent fan but if we dont get him back this team still looks good. Upfront Defoe would score for fun in that team but Morelos is still the best striker in the country.

If Palace lose Zaha aswell as the full back then they are going to need strong reinforcements, I cant see it. West Ham HAVE to start punching their weight away to the likes of Wolves and if they get a goalscorer then they could be awesome. Defence and Midfield is solid.

I'll do a short club by club prior to the first matches.

Maybe a tad early to start the predictions but 4 weeks is super fast these days and then the most entertaining league in the world starts again - (noted entertaining and not best nor competitive). This can be the thread where me, Scott, Compo and Buster (with a few others) make a bum of ourselves with terrible weekly predictions. Until the transfer window shuts its hard to judge where teams will be. However as it stands I think we could have a shift in the top 6. For me - at the moment Arsenal would drop out the top 8. Their away form is relegation form and they are only weaker to date. I see a horrendous defensive and no creative midfield and therefore Leicester, West Ham, Everton and Wolves are all better on paper and would go above Arsenal. Man Utd are really interesting from a neutral perspective right now. I keep actually expecting them to turn a corner but they still have issues. Pogba is obviously a bad apple and Ive never seen the fascination of him as a player either, he couldnt lace Hazard, De Bruyne or David Silvas boots. But management wise they still havent got it right. OGS failed at Cardiff and has only had Molde. His honey moon period went away and they looked awful again. The only good thing for Man U is compared to Arsenal they actually do have players on paper who can win things. Rashford, Martial, Lingard, Mata, Sanchez on their day is a frightening 5. If I was a betting man - As it stands id go. Man City Liverpool Tottenham Chelsea Man Utd Leicester Wolves Everton Arsenal West Ham Watford Southampton Bournemouth Crystal Palace Norwich Burnley Aston Villa Newcastle Brighton Sheff Utd

Like Tannoch says we seem to be a team who need that first goal before taking absolute charge. But the scare is over and the second leg should be all about match fitness and hitting up a cricket score.

A poll would be interesting on this with options of title win, close 2nd, cups, Euro Group Stages etc. Personally I think its got to be going for the league - I firmly expect us to be capable of it and I think Gerrard is the type who will drive on and learn from where we dropped points last season and will demand more. I dont see Celtic being as strong so a swing in the point gap is possible.

Who exactly will want to work with Ashley anyway? They will end up with someone who is needing a job like Moyes as the up and coming managers wont fancy working with Ashley.

Yup the black coaches training top with orange will be bought, its as good a shirt as ive seen in many a year. Pity it wasnt a 3rd kit. But currently sold out online shop in medium upwards.

Watched the final and that was a waste of 2 hours although id did provide some funny moments. How this is being portrayed as improved games / standard and pitched in the media is funny. The standard is terrible and that was the WC final. I wish a pundit or someone in the media would just come out with it and say its awful standard. Typical yanks being unsportswomen like. There was a drop ball in the first half which the dutch didnt go in for meaning they expected the ball back and the amercians played on with it.

I think Sheff Utd and Brighton will go down. If Burnley lose Dyche then Id have them as my 3rd team to go. Palace odds will drop if Zaha goes, but even if he doesnt his head has been turned and he may drop in performances.

A bit surprising for me, I thought he would be quite key as a back up holding midfielder and centre half. But if he comes back a better player then so be it.

30 years, unreal. I think it was a masterstroke from Souness to add goals to Rangers and remove goals from Celtic - at the time he was in the top 3 of Scottish strikers. My memories of it was seeing Mo Jo signing for Celtic and I remember saying that may help Celtic win the league then all of a sudden he is unvealed at Ibrox and I recall the evening news interviewing Bears outside Ibrox who were throwing their season tickets back.

The gap on the pitch isnt as big as reflected in the final table last season. We need to stop having silly home draws which we did last season against likes of St Johnstone and I think their luck of scoring winners in the 96th minute runs out.

Not having Hazard is possibly 10 points less straight away. Yet others need to raise their game and Lampard needs to find that 10 points. Moving Kante back to his position will be a starter and instantly improve them defensively. I still think they will get 4th. As you say City and Liverpool should be clear top 2 and I think Spurs will sit 3rd all season, they wont lose as many games next season. Until Man Utd get a few signings over the line I dont know where they will be and at the way Arsenal are at the moment they wont be near top 4, their away form is relegation form. Yet I'll wait until the end of the month before judging and then start up a new Premier League preview thread for the seasons predictions also.

Lampard officially unveiled. I think he will do OK. For a start he will put Kante back into his proper holding midfield position which will improve them and going forward they still have Pedro, Willian, Barkley, Hudson-Odoi with the new player Pulisic coming in. So I think they will get 4th.

It makes you wonder when the next non OF side will win the title again and in what decade if anything. Hearts have flirted a few times (1986, 2006) but never managed to maintain for throughout the season. Aberdeen late 80s and early 90s again had a chance but bar that the gaps have been massive and in theory most seasons the OF winner could have played about 8 less games and still won it. Will we have a Leicester scenario one year soon? I cant see that, the rest arent consistent enough against each other which is where they have a problem. The odd Cup will always throw up a different winner, just a shame the League Cup isnt the same as it was in the 80s and 90s when it was a cracking comp. Moving it away from an October final killed a lot of it.

It crossed my mind

Couldnt agree more. I'll check the defence and forwards, you get the midfielders and keeper then we split the bench.

I just dont get it. It doesnt look right. Am I the only one who thinks it doesnt look right? Yet in this day in age there is a fear whether to say this and then expect a lambast back saying Im anti female or what ever. But some of the play in that semi yesterday, defender trying to do a dummy in her own box (penalty box) and gifting the opposition the ball, then a full back doing a solo the length of the pitch only to run it out of play for a throw in. It was worse than a over 50s exhibition match bar one or two decent moves. Even the aussies next to me were chuckling and they werent even football fans.