Liverpool’s run of four straight defeats has generated a lot of discussion about what has gone wrong, but precious little about how to put it right, aside from the suggestion that it might be nice to see Kenny Dalglish back in the dugout.

So let’s leave aside for a moment Rafa’s handling of big players and whether he should have kept hold of Sami Hyypia and Xabi Alonso, and consider what the club’s next moves should be.

As many have noted, without Fernando Torres they look impossibly ordinary in attack, and when Andriy Voronin was brought on with a few minutes to go against Lyon it seemed to many fans an indictment of the Spanish coach’s transfer dealings.

Certainly Liverpool could do with another top class forward but with money short the chances of them landing David Villa or someone similar in the transfer window are remote. And in any case, I’m not sure pitching in a player like Villa at the halfway stage of the season would provide the answer.

What Liverpool really need is a player with a touch of gravitas, the sort of performer who can command respect from team mates and opponents alike, can put his foot on the ball, weigh up the options and give players around him a lift.

Arguably the best signing Gerard Houllier made, apart from Hyppia, was Gary McAllister. The Scot was 35 when he moved to Anfield yet he still had a profound effect on the team, playing an instrumental role in the run to the Cup treble of 2000-01 and, more importantly, the club’s first qualification for the Champions League.

How Benitez could do with a player cut from the same cloth. But where should he turn?

David Beckham might have been a solution — well, Michael Owen did sign for United, after all – but the England man seems set for another stint with AC Milan.

He is no McAllister, but in the absence of such a player Liverpool might consider making a bid for Rafael van der Vaart, a player with the same sort of quality on the ball and the experience of leading a team during his time at Hamburg SV.

He is currently warming the bench at Real Madrid and might jump at a chance to show what he can do in the Premier League.

But if not the Dutchman, who would you suggest? They certainly need to find inspiration from somewhere, as they contemplate the possibility of falling 10 points behind Manchester United on Sunday.

The Ballon d’Or shortlist was announced on Sunday, but what about the Ballon de Plage? Liverpool’s inflatable nemesis must surely get a category of its own in the end-of-season awards.

Sunderland’s absurd winning goal at the Stadium of Light was symbolic not just of Liverpool’s woes but of a season that just keeps rattling along in ever more gloriously unpredictable style.

Here are a few reasons why this might just be the best Premier League season ever, or at least for quite a while.

1. Big Four? What Big Four? The worst thing about the Premier League, everyone said before the start of the season, was that you could always predict the top four. I wouldn’t put much money on it being the same old same old this time. Liverpool look especially vulnerable after losing four games already this season but the others have had their unconvincing moments as well.

2. Vaulting ambitions. Manchester City have serious aspirations to make the Champions League and there are a few others hoping to join them. Tottenham look to have a new confidence about them after spending a lot of money, and most of it wisely, and Aston Villa have beaten Liverpool and Chelsea.

3. Goals galore. Arsenal have scored 27 goals, conceding 11, in eight games and they are only fourth. Liverpool, for all the problems that have seen them slip to eighth place, have bagged 22, while conceding 13. At the same stage last season, Arsenal had scored 16 and conceded six, while Liverpool, top at the time, had scored 14 and conceded six.

4. Greatest. Upset. Ever. Burnley beating Manchester United 1-0 at Turf Moor in their first home game back in the top flight in 33 years. Who would have predicted that?

5. Hardly any draws. When England’s league introduced three points for a win back in 1981 the idea was it would inspire a lot more risk-taking by teams. It was slow to catch on elsewhere but eventually the rest of the world came round and 28 years on we are seeing the benefit. This year, we’ve had 10 draws. At the same stage last year (more or less) we’d had 19 of them. 

6. Wigan Athletic. And Sunderland. And Stoke City. And Burnley (again). Roberto Martinez is back at Wigan, now as coach, and he’s stuck with the ball-playing philosophy. It hasn’t been totally successful — just look at the Hull defeat — but they have beaten Chelsea and are winning a lot of admirers. Sunderland can point to even better results, reward for playing two up front even against the best, while Stoke continue to be utterly fearless at home and Burnley like to pass it as well.

So what do you think? Best. Premier League. Ever? Let us know in the comments.

Oh, almost forgot. Reason number 7. We now know what happened to Nena’s 100th red balloon. (Or beachball, if you prefer). Altogether now… “Hast Du etwas Zeit fuer mich/Dann singe Ich ein Lied fuer Dich/Von 99 Luftballons…”

PHOTO: Sunderland’s Darren Bent (R) shoots to score against Liverpool, October 17, 2009. REUTERS/Nigel Roddis

While the IOC are busy making a rather more important decision in Copenhagen, it’s time again to make fools of ourselves by trying to predict the weekend’s Premier League scores.

There’s no President Obama to help you make your mind up, just gut instinct or my preferred way — the toss of a coin.

Chelsea v Liverpool is the standout game. After all their up and down contests at home and in Europe over recent years it is a tough one to call. That’s exactly why I’m making it this week’s double-pointer, so you’d better study hard.

Their last few results don’t help much in the prediction stakes. The Reds were truly dreadful in the first half of their 2-0 defeat at Fiorentina on Tuesday while Chelsea only beat Apoel Nicosia by one goal having surprisingly lost at Wigan last weekend.

Speaking of which, after a stewards’ inquiry which lasted long into the night, Mitch Phillips has been awarded five extra points after producing documentary evidence that we promised him a bonus for at least guessing the end of Chelsea’s winning run.

So here are the updated scores from the Reuters Soccer Blog Panel: Simon Evans 59, Mitch Phillips 57, Kevin Fylan 56, Patrick Johnston 48, Paul Radford 46, Mike Collett 43, Miles Evans 38, Justin Palmer 35, Neil Maidment 34, Julien Pretot 32, Mark Meadows 30, Asia Sports Desk 28

In the outside world, maid leads with an enormous 80!

See if you can catch him up this week with the following games. Put your Premier League predictions in the comments below and your Olympic 2016 guess here. I’m voting for Scarborough.

Playing Saturday:
Bolton Wanderers v Tottenham Hotspur: Simon Evans 1-1, Mitch Phillips 1-0, Kevin Fylan, Patrick Johnston 1-2, Paul Radford 0-2, Mike Collett 0-3, Miles Evans 2-1, Justin Palmer 0-0, Neil Maidment 0-2, Julien Pretot 1-2, Mark Meadows 1-2, Asia Sports Desk

Burnley v Birmingham City: Simon Evans 1-1, Mitch Phillips 1-1, Kevin Fylan, Patrick Johnston 2-1, Paul Radford 2-0, Mike Collett 2-1, Miles Evans 2-1, Justin Palmer 0-0, Neil Maidment 2-1, Julien Pretot 2-1, Mark Meadows 1-0, Asia Sports Desk

Hull City v Wigan Athletic: Simon Evans 2-2, Mitch Phillips 1-0, Kevin Fylan , Patrick Johnston 2-1, Paul Radford 1-2, Mike Collett 1-3, Miles Evans 1-3, Justin Palmer 0-2, Neil Maidment 0-2, Julien Pretot 1-3, Mark Meadows 0-0, Asia Sports Desk

Wolves v Portsmouth: Simon Evans 2-1, Mitch Phillips 2-2, Kevin Fylan , Patrick Johnston 1-2, Paul Radford 1-1, Mike Collett 1-3, Miles Evans 0-2, Justin Palmer 2-1, Neil Maidment 1-2, Julien Pretot 2-1, Mark Meadows 0-1, Asia Sports Desk

Manchester United v Sunderland: Simon Evans 4-0, Mitch Phillips 2-1, Kevin Fylan , Patrick Johnston 3-1, Paul Radford 3-0, Mike Collett 3-1, Miles Evans 2-0, Justin Palmer 3-0, Neil Maidment 3-0, Julien Pretot 4-0, Mark Meadows 2-0, Asia Sports Desk

Playing on Sunday:
Arsenal v Blackburn Rovers: Simon Evans 3-0, Mitch Phillips 2-0, Kevin Fylan , Patrick Johnston 3-0, Paul Radford 3-1, Mike Collett 3-0, Miles Evans 4-1, Justin Palmer 1-1, Neil Maidment 3-1, Julien Pretot 3-0, Mark Meadows 4-1, Asia Sports Desk

Everton v Stoke City: Simon Evans 2-0, Mitch Phillips 3-1, Kevin Fylan , Patrick Johnston 1-1, Paul Radford 3-1, Mike Collett 2-1, Miles Evans 1-3, Justin Palmer 2-1, Neil Maidment 2-1, Julien Pretot 1-1, Mark Meadows 3-1, Asia Sports Desk

West Ham United v Fulham: Simon Evans 2-0, Mitch Phillips 2-0, Kevin Fylan , Patrick Johnston 1-1, Paul Radford 2-1, Mike Collett 1-0, Miles Evans 2-1, Justin Palmer 2-1, Neil Maidment 1-2, Julien Pretot 2-2, Mark Meadows 1-0, Asia Sports Desk

Chelsea v Liverpool: Simon Evans 2-1, Mitch Phillips 1-1, Kevin Fylan , Patrick Johnston 2-0, Paul Radford 2-0, Mike Collett 1-2, Miles Evans 2-1, Justin Palmer 1-1, Neil Maidment 3-2, Julien Pretot 2-3, Mark Meadows 2-2, Asia Sports Desk

Playing on Monday:
Aston Villa v Manchester City: Simon Evans 1-1, Mitch Phillips 1-0, Kevin Fylan , Patrick Johnston 2-1, Paul Radford 1-1, Mike Collett 2-0, Miles Evans 1-2, Justin Palmer 2-1, Neil Maidment 2-3, Julien Pretot 2-2, Mark Meadows 2-2, Asia Sports Desk

PHOTO: Chelsea’s Didier Drogba (L) beats Liverpool’s Martin Skrtel to score his goal during their Champions League quarter-final second leg soccer match at Stamford Bridge in London April 14, 2009. REUTERS/Eddie Keogh

He looks a bit like Screech from that U.S show “Saved by the Bell”, but there is nothing clumsy about Fiorentina striker Stevan Jovetic.

With a glorious crop of shaggy hair, the Montenegro striker destroyed Liverpool in the Champions League on Tuesday with two first-half goals that probably even shocked the Florence faithful.

The 19-year-old was thrown in at the deep-end with Alberto Gilardino suspended but responded in stunning fashion. Can anyone remember Liverpool being so overrun for 45 minutes?

If he wasn’t already, Jovetic will definitely be on the big clubs’ radars now.

The famous win for Fiorentina, fourth in Serie A last year, came at just the right time for the club. Things had been difficult with their president resigning last week while poor Adrian Mutu is still fighting against his enormous fine following his sacking by Chelsea.

It was also a glimmer of hope for the embattled Italian game after two years of flops in the Champions League.

Inter Milan racked up seven Champions League games without a win in the 1-1 draw at Rubin Kazan but they did battle hard after going down to 10 men.

Juventus visit the might of Bayern Munich later while AC Milan and coach Leonardo desperately need a win at home to FC Zurich after a dreadful start to the campaign which owner Silvio Berlusconi has, half-jokingly, labelled a “disaster”.

Could Jovetic’s showing be just the boost they all need?

PHOTO: Fiorentina’s Stevan Jovetic (R) challenges Yossi Benayoun of Liverpool during their Champions League soccer match at the Artemio Franchi Stadium in Florence September 29, 2009. REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi

Let’s be honest here, people, predicting the English football scores has proved to be a lot trickier than many of us imagined.

You’d have thought that the frankly obsessive interest most of us here at Reuters Soccer Blog Heights take in football would see us approach this competition with the pitiless, sweeping brilliance of Celta Vigo in their ‘EuroCelta‘ heydey of 1998-2000*.

But no. It turns out we’re strictly second division, rather like Celta now, in fact, when it comes to predicting the scores. Still, at least we now know why.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger puts his success in football down to being brought up in the Croix d’Or bistro in Duttlenheim. Wenger said:

“I even learned about tactics and selection from the people talking about football in the pub… who plays on the left wing and who should be in the team.”

This is good news for me, as my dad was brought up in a pub so I’m going to get him to do my predictions this week. Expect great things.

To recap, briefly, you get one point for predicting the right result, and make that five points if you get the score spot on. This week there are double points, and possible forfeits, for Stoke v Manchester United, and there are always bonus points available, but I’m afraid they are entirely on my whim. Here’s how things stand at the moment:

Reuters Soccer Blog: Simon Evans 46, Kevin Fylan 42, Paul Radford 41, Patrick Johnston 40, Justin Palmer 35, Miles Evans 35, Mitch Phillips 35, Mike Collett 28, Neil Maidment 26, Julien Pretot 25, Mark Meadows 16, Asia Sports Desk 15

Rest of the World: Maid leads with a whopping 63, Chipking is second on 54 and UTV got a mighty 15 on debut.

How are the rest of you doing? Remember, the scoring has been so poor that you can still join in at any time and expect to overtake most of us within a couple of weeks. Look at UTV: another week like last week and she’ll be in mid-table security.

So, here are this week’s games. I’ll add in our predictions as they come in from around the Reuter Soccer Blogosphere. And please, give us yours in the comments section.

Portsmouth v Everton: Simon Evans: 1-1; Terry Fylan: 0-2; Paul Radford: 0-0; Patrick Johnston:1-2 ; Justin Palmer: ; Miles Evans: 2-2; Mitch Phillips:1-0; Mike Collett: 0-2 ; Neil Maidment: 0-2; Julien Pretot : 2-1; Mark Meadows: 0-1; Asia Sports Desk: 1-1

Birmingham City v Bolton Wanderers: Simon Evans: 2-1; Terry Fylan: 1-0; Paul Radford: 2-1; Patrick Johnston: 1-0 ; Justin Palmer: ; Miles Evans: 2-1; Mitch Phillips:1-1; Mike Collett: 1-0 ; Neil Maidment: 1-1; Julien Pretot : 1-0; Mark Meadows: 2-1; Asia Sports Desk: 1-1

Blackburn Rovers v Aston Villa: Simon Evans: 1-2; Terry Fylan: 1-2; Paul Radford: 0-1; Patrick Johnston: 0-2; Justin Palmer: ; Miles Evans: 1-3; Mitch Phillips: 1-0; Mike Collett: 0-2; Neil Maidment: 1-3; Julien Pretot : 1-1; Mark Meadows: 0-2; Asia Sports Desk: 0-1

Liverpool v Hull City: Simon Evans: 2-0; Terry Fylan: 6-0; Paul Radford: 6-0; Patrick Johnston: 5-0 ; Justin Palmer: ; Miles Evans: 2-1; Mitch Phillips: 1-1; Mike Collett: 5-0; Neil Maidment: 4-0; Julien Pretot : 4-0; Mark Meadows: 2-0; Asia Sports Desk: 3-0

Stoke City v Manchester United: Simon Evans: 0-2; Terry Fylan: 0-2; Paul Radford: 0-0; Patrick Johnston: 1-2 ; Justin Palmer: ; Miles Evans: 1-1; Mitch Phillips: 0-2; Mike Collett: 0-2; Neil Maidment: 1-2; Julien Pretot : 1-3; Mark Meadows: 0-1; Asia Sports Desk: 0-2

Tottenham Hotspur v Burnley: Simon Evans: 1-1; Terry Fylan: 3-1; Paul Radford: 3-1; Patrick Johnston: 4-1 ; Justin Palmer: ; Miles Evans: 3-2; Mitch Phillips: 2-0; Mike Collett: 3-1; Neil Maidment: 3-0; Julien Pretot : 3-1; Mark Meadows: 2-0; Asia Sports Desk: 2-1

Wigan Athletic v Chelsea: Simon Evans: 0-2; Terry Fylan: 0-3; Paul Radford: 0-3; Patrick Johnston: 0-2 ; Justin Palmer: ; Miles Evans: 0-2; Mitch Phillips:1-1; Mike Collett: 0-4; Neil Maidment: 0-3; Julien Pretot : 0-2; Mark Meadows: 1-4; Asia Sports Desk: 0-3

Fulham v Arsenal: Simon Evans: 1-1; Terry Fylan: 2-2; Paul Radford: 1-2; Patrick Johnston: 0-2 ; Justin Palmer: ; Miles Evans: 1-4; Mitch Phillips: 0-1; Mike Collett: 1-3; Neil Maidment: 1-3; Julien Pretot : 1-3; Mark Meadows: 1-1; Asia Sports Desk: 1-3

Playing on Sunday:

Sunderland v Wolverhampton Wanderers: Simon Evans: 2-1; Terry Fylan: 0-0; Paul Radford: 2-1; Patrick Johnston: 3-0 ; Justin Palmer: ; Miles Evans: 1-1; Mitch Phillips:0-0; Mike Collett: 1-1; Neil Maidment: 2-1; Julien Pretot : 1-0; Mark Meadows: 0-0; Asia Sports Desk: 0-0

Playing on Monday:

Manchester City v West Ham United: Simon Evans: 3-0; Terry Fylan: 4-1; Paul Radford: 3-0; Patrick Johnston: 2-1; Justin Palmer: ; Miles Evans: 2-2; Mitch Phillips: 0-1; Mike Collett: 3-0; Neil Maidment : 3-0; Julien Pretot : 3-0; Mark Meadows: 3-1; Asia Sports Desk: 3-0

* They really were good, as well. Lubo Penev, Valery Karpin, “After You” Claude Makelele, Alexander Mostovoi, Mazinho… (And sorry to any fans of Aston Villa, Liverpool, Benfica or Juventus for bringing back unpleasant memories).

PHOTO: Michael Owen gets a rude awakening from Mazinho as Alexander Mostovoi looks on during their UEFA Cup third round first leg match at Balaidos, November 24, 1998. Celta won 3-1. REUTERS/Sergio Perez

It’s that time of the week again, folks. The best brains at Reuters Soccer Blog are off, so it’s just the usual crew of no-hopers here to embarrass ourselves trying to predict the outcome of the weekend Premier League action, and with no help from that lottery bobbins bloke.

To recap: with one point available for getting a correct result — and make that a whopping five for the correct score — there are at least 50 points up for grabs each week. Given that most teams have played five matches the total number of points a perfect tipster would have got by now would be well over 200.

Nobody’s perfect, of course (The Beatles released Wild Honey Pie, remember) but you might expect someone to have done a bit better than the following rogue’s gallery:

Reuters Soccer Blog: Kevin Fylan 35, Paul Radford 34, Patrick Johnston 34, Simon Evans 32, Miles Evans 30, Mitch Phillips 24, Mike Collett 18, Neil Maidment 14, Julien Pretot 14, Asia Sports Desk 10, Mark Meadows 8

The Rest of the World: How are you doing? Maid? Chipking? Angel? Have you overtaken us yet?

Now, just to add a bit of spice here, I’m introducing a Game of the Weekend feature, which will carry double points for anyone getting it right, de-merits for those getting it wrong and other bonuses and penalties entirely at my whim and discretion.

This week, it’s Manchester United v Manchester City. So choose your score carefully…

Burnley  v Sunderland: Patrick Johnston: 0-2; Mike Collett: 2-2; Asian Sports Desk: 1-1; Kevin Fylan: 2-0; Miles Evans: 1-1; Justin Palmer: 2-2; Simon Evans: 1-0; Neil Maidment: 1-2; Mark Meadows: 0-1; Paul Radford: 1-2; Mitch Phillips: 3-2; Julien Pretot: 2-2

Arsenal v Wigan Athletic: Patrick Johnston: 3-1; Mike Collett: 4-1; Asian Sports Desk: 3-1; Kevin Fylan: 2-1; Miles Evans: 3-0; Justin Palmer: 2-0; Simon Evans: 4-1; Neil Maidment: 3-0; Mark Meadows: 2-0; Paul Radford: 1-1; Mitch Phillips: 4-0; Julien Pretot: 4-1 

Aston Villa v Portsmouth: Patrick Johnston: 3-1; Mike Collett: 3-0; Asian Sports Desk: 3-0; Kevin Fylan: 1-0; Miles Evans: 2-2; Justin Palmer: 3-0; Simon Evans: 2-0; Neil Maidment: 3-0; Mark Meadows: 1-0; Paul Radford: 3-0; Mitch Phillips: 1-0; Julien Pretot: 2-0 

Bolton Wanderers v Stoke City: Patrick Johnston: 0-1; Mike Collett: 0-1; Asian Sports Desk: 0-1; Kevin Fylan: 1-2; Miles Evans: 1-3; Justin Palmer: 2-1; Simon Evans: 1-1; Neil Maidment: 1-1; Mark Meadows: 2-1; Paul Radford: 1-0; Mitch Phillips: 0-0; Julien Pretot: 0-1 

Hull City v Birmingham City: Patrick Johnston: 2-0; Mike Collett: 0-0; Asian Sports Desk: 2-2; Kevin Fylan: 1-2; Miles Evans: 1-2; Justin Palmer: 1-1; Simon Evans: 1-1; Neil Maidment: 1-0; Mark Meadows: 0-0; Paul Radford: 1-1; Mitch Phillips: 0-0; Julien Pretot: 1-0 

West Ham United v Liverpool: Patrick Johnston: 1-1; Mike Collett: 1-2; Asian Sports Desk: 1-2; Kevin Fylan: 2-1; Miles Evans: 2-1; Justin Palmer: 1-3; Simon Evans: 2-2; Neil Maidment: 0-2; Mark Meadows: 1-3; Paul Radford: 1-2; Mitch Phillips: 0-1; Julien Pretot: 1-2 

Playing on Sunday

Manchester United v Manchester City: Patrick Johnston: 3-1; Mike Collett: 2-1; Asian Sports Desk: 1-2; Kevin Fylan: 4-0; Miles Evans: 2-0; Justin Palmer: 2-0; Simon Evans: 1-2; Neil Maidment: 2-1; Mark Meadows: 2-1; Paul Radford: 3-0; Mitch Phillips: 1-0; Julien Pretot: 2-1

Wolverhampton Wanderers v Fulham: Patrick Johnston: 1-2; Mike Collett: 2-1; Asian Sports Desk: 1-1; Kevin Fylan: 0-0; Miles Evans: 1-1; Justin Palmer: 1-1; Simon Evans: 0-0; Neil Maidment: 0-2; Mark Meadows: 1-1; Paul Radford: 1-2; Mitch Phillips: 1-0; Julien Pretot: 1-2

Everton v Blackburn Rovers: Patrick Johnston: 2-0; Mike Collett: 0-0; Asian Sports Desk: 2-1; Kevin Fylan: 2-0; Miles Evans: 3-1; Justin Palmer: 3-1; Simon Evans: 2-1; Neil Maidment: 2-0; Mark Meadows: 1-0; Paul Radford: 4-1; Mitch Phillips: 1-1; Julien Pretot: 3-1 

Chelsea v Tottenham Hotspur: Patrick Johnston: 3-1; Mike Collett: 1-1; Asian Sports Desk: 4-1; Kevin Fylan: 2-2; Miles Evans: 2-0; Justin Palmer: 2-1; Simon Evans: 2-1; Neil Maidment: 2-1; Mark Meadows: 2-1; Paul Radford: 2-1; Mitch Phillips: 2-2; Julien Pretot: 2-0

We’d love it, love it, if you have a go as well … Who knows, if we get plenty of entries we might start thinking about prizes…

Canary Wharf Kev

SOCCER PIC OF THE WEEK: Austria Vienna’s Szabolcs Safar fails to save a ball from Athletic Bilbao’s Fernando Llorente (not pictured) during their Europa League match at San Mames in Bilbao, September 17, 2009. REUTERS/Robert Zolles

Now we’ve got that pesky international interlude behind us (it’ll all end in tears, you know it will) we can get back to the serious business of predicting the scores in the Premier League.

Remember how it works: We, at Reuters Soccer Blog, publish our individual predictions for the weekend Premier League matches here on a Friday. You, laughing snidely at our pathetic efforts, send in yours in the comments section below the post.

As the weekend goes by, we get embarrassed and you get to poke fun. You get a point for predicting the right result, and make that a whopping five points if you get the exact score. Simples.

And if you’re thinking of joining in for the first time now … go ahead. The scoring has been so low that with a couple of correct scores you’ll catch up in no time. Really, we don’t seem to be very good at this here at RSB.

Even better, The Contest is operated on the honour system, in the great tradition of Seinfeld, so feel free to keep your own score. I do sometimes award bonus points, though, so keep checking back to the home page at Reuters Soccer Blog to see how you’re doing.

The Reuters scores so far: Paul Radford 31, Justin Palmer 28, Patrick Johnston 25, Simon Evans 25, Miles Evans 24, Kevin Fylan 23, Mitch Phillips 16, Mike Collett 14, Neil Maidment 11, Asia Sports Desk 5, Mark Meadows 5 (last three on debut)

The Rest of the World: Insert your score here (or in the comments).

So, without further ado, here are this weekend’s matches, and the predictions we have so far. I’ll update the post as we get more.

Blackburn v Wolves: Patrick Johnston: 1-0; Mike Collett: 0-1; Asian Sports Desk: 1-0; Kevin Fylan: 2-0; Miles Evans: 1-1; Justin Palmer: ; Simon Evans: 0-1; Neil Maidment: 1-1; Mark Meadows: 1-1; Paul Radford: 2-1; Mitch Phillips: 1-1; Julien Pretot: 1-1

Liverpool v Burnley: Patrick Johnston: 4-1; Mike Collett: 4-2; Asian Sports Desk: 4-1; Kevin Fylan: 0-1; Miles Evans: 3-0; Justin Palmer: ; Simon Evans: 1-1; Neil Maidment: 2-0; Mark Meadows: 2-0; Paul Radford: 3-0; Mitch Phillips: 2-0; Julien Pretot: 4-0

Manchester City v Arsenal: Patrick Johnston: 1-2; Mike Collett: 1-0; Asian Sports Desk: 1-1; Kevin Fylan: 0-2; Miles Evans: 1-0; Justin Palmer: ; Simon Evans: 1-2; Neil Maidment: 1-2; Mark Meadows: 2-2; Paul Radford: 1-0; Mitch Phillips: 1-1; Julien Pretot: 1-1

Portsmouth v Bolton: Patrick Johnston: 1-0; Mike Collett: 0-1; Asian Sports Desk: 0-0; Kevin Fylan: 0-0; Miles Evans: 2-2; Justin Palmer: ; Simon Evans: 0-0; Neil Maidment: 1-0; Mark Meadows: 0-0; Paul Radford: 3-1; Mitch Phillips: 0-1; Julien Pretot: 1-2

Stoke v Chelsea: Patrick Johnston: 1-1; Mike Collett: 2-1; Asian Sports Desk: 0-0; Kevin Fylan: 1-2; Miles Evans: 3-1; Justin Palmer: ; Simon Evans: 0-3; Neil Maidment: 0-0; Mark Meadows: 0-2; Paul Radford: 1-1; Mitch Phillips: 0-0; Julien Pretot: 0-3

Sunderland v Hull City: Patrick Johnston: 3-0; Mike Collett: 2-3; Asian Sports Desk: 2-0; Kevin Fylan: 0-0; Miles Evans: 1-2; Justin Palmer: ; Simon Evans: 1-0; Neil Maidment: 2-1; Mark Meadows: 1-0; Paul Radford: 2-0; Mitch Phillips: 2-0; Julien Pretot: 3-1

Wigan v West Ham: Patrick Johnston: 1-1; Mike Collett: 0-2; Asian Sports Desk: 2-2; Kevin Fylan: 1-0; Miles Evans: 0-1; Justin Palmer: ; Simon Evans: 1-1; Neil Maidment: 0-1; Mark Meadows: 0-1; Paul Radford: 1-1; Mitch Phillips: 1-1; Julien Pretot: 0-2

Spurs v Manchester United: Patrick Johnston: 1-2; Mike Collett: 3-1; Asian Sports Desk: 1-1; Kevin Fylan: 1-4; Miles Evans: 1-3; Justin Palmer: ; Simon Evans: 2-1; Neil Maidment: 2-1; Mark Meadows: 1-1; Paul Radford: 2-1; Mitch Phillips: 1-3; Julien Pretot: 2-2

Birmingham City v Aston Villa: Patrick Johnston: 1-1; Mike Collett: 2-0; Asian Sports Desk:2-0 ; Kevin Fylan: 2-2; Miles Evans: 2-0; Justin Palmer: ; Simon Evans: 1-1; Neil Maidment: 1-3; Mark Meadows: 2-2; Paul Radford: 1-1; Mitch Phillips: 1-1; Julien Pretot: 2-0

Fulham v Everton: Patrick Johnston: 2-1; Mike Collett: 2-0; Asian Sports Desk: 2-0; Kevin Fylan: 1-2; Miles Evans: 0-0; Justin Palmer: ; Simon Evans: 2-1; Neil Maidment: 2-2; Mark Meadows: 1-0; Paul Radford: 0-1; Mitch Phillips: 1-0; Julien Pretot: 1-0

PHOTO: Germany’s Miroslav Klose scores against Azerbaijan in their World Cup qualifier in Hanover September 9, 2009. REUTERS/Christian Charisius

Do you feel you’ve been sitting on the bench too long this season? Are you itching for a chance to get out there and show what you can do? Confident you can show all those pundits how little they know about the game?

Well, my friends. Now. Is. Your. Chance.

Scores have been so low in our modest little predictions slot that one good week — one! — could see you overtake the vast majority of the Reuters Soccer Blog panel.

With one point for a correct result but a whopping five for a correct score — and untold bonus points on offer for predicting the apparently unpredictable — you could find yourself top of the league in no time.

And considering that The Contest is run on the honour system, you could even award yourself points for style.

The bar being so low here among the Reuters Soccer Blog panel has prompted a few new entries from our bloggers this week, including a combined effort from our Asian Sports Desk, fronted by Ossian Shine. Good luck, newbies.

Right, here are our predictions. Please enter yours in the comments below and keep us posted on how you’re doing score-wise.

Saturday:

Chelsea v Burnley: Two great wins for Burnley in their last two outings. Never two without three, they say in Spain, but this is England and it’s got to be Chelsea. Patrick Johnston: 3-1; Mike Collett: 3-1; Asian Sports Desk: 2-0; Kevin Fylan: 3-1; Miles Evans: 2-1; Justin Palmer: 3-0; Simon Evans: 0-0; Neil Maidment: 2-0; Mark Meadows: 2-1; Paul Radford: 2-0

Blackburn Rovers v West Ham United: I thought West Ham were a bit unlucky against Spurs last weekend and a lot of people seem to fancy an away win on this. Patrick Johnston: 1-1; Mike Collett: 0-1; Asian Sports Desk: 1-1; Kevin Fylan: 1-2; Miles Evans: 1-3; Justin Palmer: 1-3; Simon Evans: 1-2; Neil Maidment: 2-2; Mark Meadows: 0-1; Paul Radford: 2-1

Bolton Wanderers v Liverpool: Two defeats for Liverpool already and this is a fixture that has caused them problems when they’ve come in looking short of form. Patrick Johnston: 0-3; Mike Collett: 0-2; Asian Sports Desk: 0-0; Kevin Fylan: 2-1; Miles Evans: 0-1; Justin Palmer: 0-1; Simon Evans: 1-3; Neil Maidment: 1-2; Mark Meadows: 0-2; Paul Radford: 0-1

Stoke City v Sunderland: Stoke had a pretty formidable home record last season and only one member of the panel, newbie Neil, has been brave enough to predict a Sunderland win. Patrick Johnston: 0-0; Mike Collett: 1-1; Asian Sports Desk: 3-1; Kevin Fylan: 2-0; Miles Evans: 1-1; Justin Palmer: 2-2; Simon Evans: 1-1; Neil Maidment: 1-2; Mark Meadows: 1-1; Paul Radford: 1-1

Tottenham Hotspur v Birmingham City: Three out of three for Spurs and this looks a winnable game as well (except from the point of view of the Asian Sports Desk…) Patrick Johnston: 4-0; Mike Collett: 3-1; Asian Sports Desk: 1-3; Kevin Fylan: 3-1; Miles Evans: 3-0; Justin Palmer: 2-0; Simon Evans: 2-0; Neil Maidment: 3-0; Mark Meadows: 3-0; Paul Radford: 3-0

Wolverhampton Wanderers v Hull City: 14th plays 15th, and Justin Palmer has gone for 4-0 to 15th. Bizarre, eh? Patrick Johnston: 2-1; Mike Collett: 2-1; Asian Sports Desk: 2-2; Kevin Fylan: 1-0; Miles Evans: 2-0; Justin Palmer: 0-4; Simon Evans: 2-1; Neil Maidment: 0-0; Mark Meadows: 1-0; Paul Radford: 1-0

Manchester United v Arsenal: This is what I had in mind with the predicting the unpredictable headline. United got their mojo back with a 5-0 win over Wigan but even then they had to wait a long time for the first. Arsenal have had the pundits weeping with joy but they haven’t played anyone of United’s calibre yet. Patrick Johnston: 1-4; Mike Collett: 1-2; Asian Sports Desk: 0-2; Kevin Fylan: 2-1; Miles Evans: 0-0; Justin Palmer: 1-0; Simon Evans: 2-2; Neil Maidment: 0-2; Mark Meadows: 0-0; Paul Radford: 1-2

Sunday:

Portsmouth v Manchester City: City have just signed “the best centre-back in the Premier League” so this is a foregone conclusion, no? Patrick Johnston: 0-2; Mike Collett: 0-2; Asian Sports Desk: 0-3; Kevin Fylan: 1-1; Miles Evans: 0-0; Justin Palmer: 2-3; Simon Evans: 0-1; Neil Maidment: 0-2; Mark Meadows: 0-2; Paul Radford: 0-2

Everton v Wigan Athletic: Everton are rock bottom but they’ve only played a couple of games, remember. Can Wigan recover from that caning by United and pile on the agony at Goodison? Patrick Johnston: 1-2; Mike Collett: 3-1; Asian Sports Desk: 1-1; Kevin Fylan: 2-0; Miles Evans: 2-2; Justin Palmer: 2-1; Simon Evans: 2-1; Neil Maidment: 2-1; Mark Meadows: 3-1; Paul Radford: 3-2

Aston Villa v Fulham: Villa helped themselves to the three points at Anfield but then suffered a rude awakening in the Europa League play-off, making this another very tricky one to call. Good luck, sports fans! Patrick Johnston: 0-1; Mike Collett: 1-1; Asian Sports Desk: 2-2; Kevin Fylan: 1-0; Miles Evans: 2-1; Justin Palmer: 3-1; Simon Evans: 4-0; Neil Maidment: 1-1; Mark Meadows: 1-1; Paul Radford: 2-1

So there we have it, please give us your predictions and thoughts in the comments and keep checking back.

PHOTO: A football is rests on the pitch during the English Premier League soccer match between Burnley and Everton in Burnley August 23, 2009. REUTERS/Nigel Roddis

Last season, Liverpool dropped too many points against teams from the bottom half of the table and finally it cost them that long awaited title.

It may well be, then, that the signing of the impressive, energetic Glen Johnson at full-back turns out to be a more significant bit of transfer business than the much criticised decision to sell Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid.

With the arrival of Johnson, Liverpool have found an extra man who can torment well-packed defences and the evidence was there in the 4-0 win over Stoke City last week.

What a difference from the two goalless draws Liverpool had against The Potters last season, as Johnson scored one and provided another.

The England man needed no time to establish a good working partnership with the tireless Dirk Kuyt and make the fans see just why Benitez spent so much money to buy a right-back.

It might sound strange to say you can replace a midfield maestro with a defender but that is what Liverpool have done.

As they showed last season, getting the better of your direct rivals is not good enough to win the league — you have to beat just about every other team as well, and a player with Johnson’s aggression and ability to make things happen is going to make a big difference, I expect.

PHOTO: Liverpool’s Glen Johnson celebrates his goal against Stoke City during their Premier League soccer match at Anfield in Liverpool, August 19, 2009. REUTERS/Darren Staples

UPDATE: Have added the panel predictions that were emailed to me on Friday night/Saturday before kick-offs. (Mike Collett loses 10 points for shamelessly trying to predict Saturday’s scores on Sunday morning … and getting them all spot on.)

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So come on, be honest, who was expecting Burnley to beat Manchester United in the Premier League on Wednesday?

That shocker on the midweek programme really threw our panel, as did Wigan Athletic’s home defeat… See here for our original predictions.

Read em and weep. I know I did.

So, with one point for the right result and five for the exact score, plus the odd bonus point added pretty much arbitrarily, here are our scores after two (or one-and-a-half) rounds of matches:

Miles Evans - 17 points, Owen Wyatt 14, Patrick Johnston 10, Mitch Phillips 9 (including one bonus point for being the only person not to put Man Utd down for a win), Kevin Fylan 8, Paul Radford and Simon Evans 7, Mike Collett 6.

Shamefacedly, I must admit that I got no points at all this week. Are you keeping up your own score at home (or, let’s face it, at the office)? If you had Burnley beating Man Utd, award yourself an extra five points for being so clever.

Chipking, showing us up badly in the comments, gets at least one bonus point, and possibly five or six, for tipping Spurs to beat Hull 4-0 with a Jermain Defoe hat-trick. It was actually 5-1 but with Defoe indeed bagging three that was a spectacular effort.

Maid also did well, getting the right score on Birmingham-Pompey, and getting pretty close with Liverpool-Stoke as well.

Anyway, looking to the future, here are the weekend’s fixtures, with the laughable predictions of our panel at the end… or at least they will be, when they get round to filling them in:

Saturday:

Arsenal v Portsmouth: Awesome Arsenal against the early season crisis club… A no-brainer, no? Mitch Phillips:1-0 ; Owen Wyatt: 3-1; Patrick Johnston: 3-1; Mike Collett: ; Paul Radford: 2-0; Kevin Fylan: 4-0; Miles Evans: 2-0; Martyn Herman: ; Justin Palmer: 5-0; Simon Evans: 3-0.

Birmingham City v Stoke City: Stoke were mauled by Liverpool at Anfield. Birmingham picked up a first win. Could this be the first draw of the season? Mitch Phillips: 1-0; Owen Wyatt: 0-0; Patrick Johnston: 0-1; Mike Collett: ; Paul Radford: 0-0; Kevin Fylan: 2-1; Miles Evans: 2-1; Martyn Herman: ; Justin Palmer: 0-0; Simon Evans: 2-1.

Hull City v Bolton Wanderers: Hull are just about everyone’s tip for the drop this season. Watch them prove people wrong here… Mitch Phillips: 0-1; Owen Wyatt: 1-1; Patrick Johnston: 2-2; Mike Collett: ; Paul Radford: 1-0; Kevin Fylan: 0-0; Miles Evans: 0-1; Martyn Herman: ; Justin Palmer: 0-1; Simon Evans: 1-1.

Manchester City v Wolverhampton Wanderers: City beat Barcelona 1-0 in a friendly in midweek. Things really are looking up. Mitch Phillips: 1-1; Owen Wyatt: 2-0; Patrick Johnston: 3-2; Mike Collett: ; Paul Radford: 3-1; Kevin Fylan: 3-1; Miles Evans: 1-1; Martyn Herman: ; Justin Palmer: 3-2; Simon Evans: 4-2.

Sunderland v Blackburn Rovers: Sunderland had a bad second half against Chelsea but this should be a much more comfortable outing, shouldn’t it? Mitch Phillips: 1-0; Owen Wyatt: 0-2; Patrick Johnston: 2-0; Mike Collett: ; Paul Radford: 1-1; Kevin Fylan: 1-0; Miles Evans: 0-0; Martyn Herman: ; Justin Palmer: 1-1; Simon Evans: 0-0.

Wigan Athletic v Manchester United: United need to show a bit of character after that Burnley defeat. Surely they won’t produce another Lancashire hodge-podge of a performance… Mitch Phillips: 1-1; Owen Wyatt: 1-4; Patrick Johnston: 0-1; Mike Collett: ; Paul Radford: 1-1; Kevin Fylan: 0-2; Miles Evans: 0-2; Martyn Herman: ; Justin Palmer: 1-2; Simon Evans: 1-2.

Playing on Sunday:

West Ham United v Tottenham Hotspur: Spurs are the leaders after two games. How long before the bubble bursts? Mitch Phillips: 1-0; Owen Wyatt: 2-1; Patrick Johnston: 1-3; Mike Collett: 1-3; Paul Radford: 1-2; Kevin Fylan: 1-1; Miles Evans: 3-1; Martyn Herman: ; Justin Palmer: 2-1; Simon Evans: 1-1.

Burnley v Everton: Burnley performed heroics in midweek, while Everton atoned for their opening day shocker with a good European League display. Tricky one to call. Mitch Phillips: 1-0; Owen Wyatt: 1-2; Patrick Johnston: 0-0; Mike Collett: 2-1; Paul Radford: 1-2; Kevin Fylan: 0-1; Miles Evans: 0-2; Martyn Herman: ; Justin Palmer: 1-3; Simon Evans: 2-1.

Fulham v Chelsea: 100 percent Chelsea to maintain their advantage over United and Liverpool? Mitch Phillips: 1-1; Owen Wyatt: 0-2; Patrick Johnston: 0-2; Mike Collett: 0-3; Paul Radford: 1-3; Kevin Fylan: 1-2; Miles Evans: 0-3; Martyn Herman: ; Justin Palmer: 0-2; Simon Evans: 0-1.

Playing on Monday:

Liverpool v Aston Villa: Liverpool found some form to beat Stoke handily in midweek and with Villa starting poorly this looks like another home win, doesn’t it? Mitch Phillips: 1-1; Owen Wyatt: 2-0; Patrick Johnston: 4-0; Mike Collett: 4-0; Paul Radford: 3-0; Kevin Fylan: 0-0; Miles Evans: 2-0; Martyn Herman: ; Justin Palmer: 1-0; Simon Evans: 2-1.

That’s as far as we’ve got so far … give us your predictions in the comments section, and feel free to lord it over us on Monday.

PHOTO: The Burnley mascot poses with a photographer’s camera ahead of their English Premier League soccer match against Manchester United in Burnley, August 19, 2009. REUTERS/Nigel Roddis