Here comes the Premiership!

[Jason]

Well, the World Cup has come and gone for better or worse, and that simply brings us on to the upcoming Premiership season.

There's been a few major changes since the end of the last season - the Anfield board have finally seen what just about everyone else outside of Liverpool has been saying for two years (that Rafa Benitez, while tactically astute, shouldn't be trusted to spend a tenner, let alone £30m) and got rid of the boss, replacing him with the safe, if unremarkable hands of Roy Hodgson.

Liverpool have snapped up Joe Cole from under the noses of Arsenal and Spurs, Man United have signed Mexican wunderkind Javier Hernandez, Arsenal have finally sealed a deal for striker Marouane Chamakh, as well as finally signing another decent centre-back in Laurent Koscielny for £10m. If he's anywhere near as good as the last defender Wenger bought for eight figures (Vermaelen), then Arsenal are laughing. Chelsea have been pretty quiet so far, with no major signings to note - a little worrying considering Joe Cole and Michael Ballack have both left the club for nothing. Yossi Benayoun has come in, but he's a squad player at best in a side like Chelsea's.

So, what are your thoughts on the coming season?

[CemeteryGates]

Since I follow football, I've always liked Arsenal and Manchester United in England. The latter I'll follow closer now, to see how Javier Hernández does. I hope he gets to play, unlike Arsenal's Carlos Vela, who is one of the best players in the Mexican national team. But because Man U has players like Rooney and Berbatov, who knows?

[Jason]

I can't see Berbatov playing too much this year. He was a massive disappointment last season, and I can't see Ferguson being too willing to play him much this season. The important thing is that Hernandez is in good hands with Sir Alex Ferguson. He's overseen the development of some of the best footballers in the world in his time, and if Hernandez is willing to put in the work, I can guarantee that the opportunities are there for him.

As for Vela, as my girlfriend is a big Arsenal fan, I get to see quite a bit of him, and I have to say that he's certainly got bags of potential, but doesn't seem to deliver on it when given the chance. With Van Persie out most of last season, Bendtner in indifferent form, and Eduardo coming back from serious injury, Vela had a big chance last year, and never really looked comfortable. Arsene Wenger is always willing to play young players if they're good enough and hungry enough, but I don't think Vela is suited to the English game - it's very physical, and chances are hard to come by - he usually needs two or three chances to get a goal, and he's easily knocked off the ball due to his size. It's a shame, as he's a hugely talented player technically, as he showed a few years ago in a cup game. I hope he sorts it out, because he's the sort of player I'd love to see in the Premiership.

[Lance]

See, I don't follow the EPL that closely - but I am a Hotspurs fan, and I'm happy to see they took 4th place last season :D Plus DeFoe was one of the better England players in the World Cup.

So I have hopes of another 4th place this year

Plus when I play Football Manager it's always at Blyth Spartans in the lower leagues

[Kino]

I'm a huge Chelsea fan and it's a bit disappointing to see Ballack and Cole leaving. Both incredible players that have contributed a lot to Chelsea the last few years. However, we're left with many incredible players who will still play a great game of football with no matter who they're teamed up with. Looking forward to this season greatly :)

[Jason]

That's the thing for Chelsea - for most teams the loss of a couple of players of the caliber of Cole and Ballack would be a big blow, but Chelsea have a very strong squad and should be able to fill the gaps. The only potential problem I see is if they get a few injuries in key positions.

Also of interest is the new ruling this year that teams must name a 'squad' of 25 players, who are the only players allowed to play in the Premier League until January. Any gaps in the team can be covered by an u19 player, however, in case of injuries etc.
This should be interesting to see, as to my mind, this hands Arsenal and Man Utd a big advantage, as they both have very promising youth teams. Chelsea, Liverpool and Man City might struggle a little, as their academies don't seem to have turned out the quality of players in recent years.

[Kino]

They allow u19 players to play in big games if there are major injuries?

[Jason]

Yeah.

Basically, every manager has to submit a squad of 25 players by the end of this month. These will be the only players over the age of 19 he is allowed to use in the Premier League until January. At any point during the season the manager can bring in a player under the age of 19, even if he wasn't included in the original 25.

I don't know what will happen in January, perhaps the managers will be allowed to modify their squads.

[Kino]

Oh wow that's awesome! Thanks for that, guess you do learn something new everyday.

[Jason]

No problem - it's not even all that widely known over here yet, so it's a good chance to look like you're in the know the next time you're talking about it with a buddy. ;)

[CemeteryGates]

Did anyone watch the Manchester United vs. Guadalajara game yesterday?
When Guadalajara sold Javier "Chicharito" Hernández to Manchester United, a game in their new stadium was part of the contract.
Well, Chivas beat Man U 3-2. :D
Javier Hernández was to play the first half with Chivas and the second with Man U.
He scored a great goal for Chivas (and the first goal of the new stadium!), and came close a few other times, but playing for Man U he got taken out after 5 minutes and nearly scoring a goal against Guadalajara.

Yes, it looks like he has a bright future ahead of him. :D