Mystic Taff's season's predictions 2010/11

So here we are only a couple of days away from the big kick-off and it's time once again to put on my Tommy Cooper fez and gaze into my crystal ball to see who's going to finish where next May. Now people laughed this time last year when, amongst other things, I said Stevenage would be promoted from the Conference; and that Spurs would finish 4th in the Premiership. Guess who's laughing now? So without further ado, here are this season's runners and riders:

Premiership: Another potentially fascinating season awaits. Six clubs, Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester City and Liverpool all have the wherewithall to finish in the top four, but four into six doesn't go. My gut feeling is that Man City will this season make the breakthrough into the top four, Spurs will consolidate into real title contenders, Arsenal will slip out of the elite group and Liverpool will improve now they have a competent manager, but perhaps not by enough. I just wonder about Man Utd. Last season they relied very heavily on Wayne Rooney bringing home the bacon and they've barely strengthened over the summer. Could they be surprise strugglers? One can only hope. At the other end of the table Blackpool have to be the biggest dead certs for relegation since er, Burnley last season.

Champions: Chelsea (Last seasons prediction: Chelsea - actual finish: 1st)
Runners-up: Manchester City (Manchester United - 2nd)
3rd: Tottenham Hotspur (Liverpool - 7th)
4th: Manchester United (Tottenham Hotspur - 4th)
Europa League: Liverpool, Arsenal (Manchester City - 5th, Aston Villa - 6th)
Relegated: Blackpool, Wigan, West Ham United (Burnley - relegated, Hull City - relegated, Stoke City - 11th)
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Championship: Normally one would expect all 3 clubs relegated from the Prem to have a good go at bouncing right back the following season but I can't see that happening this time. Portsmouth will more than likely be relegated again, Burnley were lucky to be promoted in the first place and will be play-off contenders at best, and Hull City will be happy enough with mid-table mediocrity and avoiding administration. My choices for automatic promotion are Nottingham Forest and Reading, with Leicester City, Queens Park Rangers, Middlesbrough and dark horses Doncaster Rovers vying for the play-offs. As mentioned above it doesn't take a Nostradamus to see Pompey doing a Leeds and sadly I can see Cardiff City going the same way unless the club's new Malaysian owners start putting some money where their mouths are.

Champions: Nottingham Forest (last season's prediction: Middlesbrough - actual finish: 11th.)
Runners-up: Reading (Cardiff City - 4th)
Play-off winners: Doncaster Rovers (West Bromwich Albion - 2nd)
Relegated: Portsmouth, Cardiff City, Scunthorpe United (Newcastle United - 1st [oops!], Barnsley - 18th, Swansea City - 7th)
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League One: Southampton have the stadium, money, team and resources to go the entire season without being beaten and must be red-hot favourites to go up as champions. Charlton's experience from last season will be enough to provide the impetus to make the other automatic promotion place their own. Huddersfield, Sheffield Wednesday, Peterborough and Plymouth are my tips for the play-off's. At the other end of the table there always seems to be one surprise struggler. Last season it was Southend, this season I have a feeling in my water about our 'friends' from up north. Keep your eye on the Gas.

Champions: Southampton (last season's prediction: Charlton Athletic - actual finish: 4th)
Runners Up: Charlton Athletic (Leeds United - 2nd)
Play-off winners: Huddersfield Town (Norwich City - 1st)
Relegated: Rochdale, Exeter City, Dagenham & Redbridge, Bristol Rovers (Exeter City - 18th, Swindon Town - 5th, Hartlepool United - 20th, Carlisle United - 14th)
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League Two: This division is looking more and more like the Conference in disguise these days and even though I forecast it happening I still can't believe Stevenage are a football league side now. The division is also one of the tightest of them all, especially at the top. My three to be promoted automatically: Bradford City, Port Vale and Morecambe. Play-off's between Burton Albion, Chesterfield, Rotherham and Aldershot. It could be equally tight at the bottom, with Accrington, Barnet, Macclesfield and Cheltenham all fighting for the right to party in the Blue Square Premier next year.

Champions: Port Vale (last season's prediction: Northampton Town - actual finish: 11th)
Runners-up: Bradford City (Notts County - 1st)
3rd place: Morecambe (Bradford City - 14th)
Play-off winners: Aldershot (Rotherham - 5th)
Relegated: Cheltenham, Accrington Stanley (Grimsby Town - relegated, Accrington Stanley - 15th)
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Blue Square Premier: Or League Three, or even Division Five depending on how old you are. The boundaries between league and non-league are becoming more and more blurred nowadays and this season half of the teams competing in non-league's premier division are ex-football league clubs and perhaps more to the point full-time. Luton will be once again the team to beat and I fancy York City, Wrexham, Cambridge United and Grimsby to make the play-off's. Can a part-time club bridge the gap? Almost certainly not, which doesn't bode well for the likes of our our old rivals Bath City or Forest Green Rovers.

Champions: Luton Town (last season's prediction: Luton Town - actual finish: 2nd
Play-off winners: York City (Stevenage - 1st)
Relegated: Hayes & Yeading, Bath City, Forest Green Rovers, Eastbourne Borough (Salisbury - relegated, Eastbourne Borough - 19th, Ebbsfleet - relegated, Chester City - relegated).
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And finally, proving once and for all that hope continually triumphs over experience I will again this season be putting a fiver on each of the Glover's games as they come along. Last season this resulted in me making a profit of, (drum roll....) £3.88p over the season. Well, at least it wasn't a loss.

We start off with Leyton Orient at home on Saturday. The Glovers are 5/4 favourites, the draw is priced at 9/4 and an Orient win at 11/5. In accordance with my unwritten rule that says I must always bet on the home win if we are odds against, then my fiver is going on the Glovers win. And the best of luck to us all!