Monday morning update, by Kevin Fylan: This was the weekend that the Reuters Soccer Blog panel struck back. Mark Meadows managed a stonking 22 points from the 10 games, the first time we’ve really had a score to shout about. Can anyone beat that? Leader Patrick Johnston got a solid 13, while Neil Maidment has made a great leap forward with 18. In any other week, Neil…

Remember, you bag five points for getting the score spot on, and just one if you got the result right but the wrong score. Here’s our updated league table. Where do you stand?

Reuters Soccer Blog panel: Patrick Johnston 105, Mitch Phillips 89, Paul Radford 87, Mike Collett 76, Simon Evans 74, Mark Meadows 72, Kevin Fylan 71, Miles Evans 70, Julien Pretot 69, Neil Maidment 62, Asia Sports Desk 53, Justin Palmer 38, Martyn Herman 20, Sonia Oxley 10 (plus belated bonus from last week, =15)

Original post from Friday: It’s that time of the week again. Yes time to humiliate ourselves by hopelessly trying to guess which Liverpool side will turn up, how many players will be out with swine flu and whether Dimitar Berbatov will actually resemble the good player he is supposed to be.

Apart from Mitch Phillips, who downright cheated, last weekend’s Premier League predictions contest was a sad tale of woe for all and this time it looks just as tricky.

Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur is always a feisty affair, just ask any North Londoner (not that there will be many on the pitch). 

Even avid Spurs fans (you know who you are) would be hard pressed to deny that Arsenal play the most beautiful football in England but Tottenham are seriously threatening to break into that top four this term and what better way to show your worth that to win away at the Gunners.

The derby will be our double pointer for this week. Remember one point for the correct result and a massive five for the correct score.

Below are the running scores for our not-so-expert panel at Reuters Soccer Blog Heights followed by this weekend’s fixtures and our predictions. Please play along in the comments and see if you can rival our top contributors like Chipking, Sean and maid.

Playing Saturday:

Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur: Patrick Johnston 5-2, Mitch Phillips 2-2, Paul Radford 2-0, Simon Evans 1-2, Mike Collett 2-3, Kevin Fylan 2-4, Miles Evans 3-1, Julien Pretot 3-1, Mark Meadows 1-1, Asia Sports Desk 3-1, Neil Maidment 2-1, Justin Palmer 2-2, Martyn Herman 3-1, Soxley 2-2

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

Burnley v Hull City: Patrick Johnston 2-0, Mitch Phillips 2-1, Paul Radford 2-0, Simon Evans 3-2, Mike Collett 4-1, Kevin Fylan 2-1, Miles Evans 1-1, Julien Pretot 1-1, Mark Meadows 2-0, Asia Sports Desk 1-2, Neil Maidment 2-0, Justin Palmer 1-1, Martyn Herman 2-1, Soxley 1-1 

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

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

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

Stoke City v Wolverhampton Wanderers: Patrick Johnston 3-0, Mitch Phillips 2-0, Paul Radford 2-0, Simon Evans 2-1, Mike Collett 1-1, Kevin Fylan 2-0, Miles Evans 4-1, Julien Pretot 2-1, Mark Meadows 1-1, Asia Sports Desk 1-1, Neil Maidment 3-1, Justin Palmer 3-1, Martyn Herman 0-0, Soxley 0-0

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

Manchester United v Blackburn Rovers: Patrick Johnston 2-1, Mitch Phillips 3-1, Paul Radford 1-0, Simon Evans 5-0, Mike Collett 3-0, Kevin Fylan 4-0, Miles Evans 2-0, Julien Pretot 4-0, Mark Meadows 2-0, Asia Sports Desk 3-0, Neil Maidment 3-0, Justin Palmer 3-0, Martyn Herman 1-0, Soxley 2-1          

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

PHOTO: Robbie Keane (L) of Tottenham Hotspur is tackled by Arsenal’s Bacary Sagna during their English Premier League soccer match at White Hart Lane in London February 8, 2009. REUTERS/Eddie Keogh

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

Never let it be said that we at Reuters Soccer Blog shirk a challenge. Our attempts at score prediction on the opening weekend produced results that were modest at best but never fear, we’re straight back in for another shot (that’ll doubtless be blasted over the bar).

Once again, please send in your own predictions … they can scarcely be any worse than ours, and if you do especially well, we’ll gladly let you lord it over us here on the blog.

The six matches this week are as follows:

Sunderland v Chelsea: After Chelsea’s scare in the opening game of the season, and Sunderland’s positive start, the predictions for this are a little more circumspect. Mitch Phillips: 1-1; Owen Wyatt: 0-2; Patrick Johnston: 1-1; Mike Collett: 0-2; Paul Radford: 0-2; Kevin Fylan: 1-0. Late entries: Miles Evans: 0-2; Martyn Herman: 0-2.

Wigan Athletic v Wolverhampton Wanderers: What a result from Wigan on Saturday, eh? Hardly anyone expected them to beat Aston Villa, but I suppose when you consider how badly Villa finished last season it wasn’t such a shocking result. Wigan to make it maximum points from two? Mitch Phillips: 2-0; Owen Wyatt: 4-4; Patrick Johnston: 3-0; Mike Collett: 1-1; Paul Radford: 1-0; Kevin Fylan: 1-0. Late entries: Miles Evans: 0-1; Martyn Herman: 2-1.

Wednesday:

Birmingham City v Portsmouth: Birmingham came close to getting something from Old Trafford on Sunday so that should have done something for their self-belief. Maybe. Another bad day for Portsmouth? Mitch Phillips: 1-0; Owen Wyatt: 2-0; Patrick Johnston: 2-1; Mike Collett: 2-1; Paul Radford: 0-0; Kevin Fylan: 0-0. Late entries: Miles Evans: 2-2; Martyn Herman: 4-1.

Burnley v Manchester United: It was a tough start for Burnley at Stoke and this is not going to be a cakewalk either, is it? Mitch Phillips: 0-0; Owen Wyatt: 0-3; Patrick Johnston: 1-2; Mike Collett: 0-3; Paul Radford: 0-1; Kevin Fylan: 0-2. Late entries: Miles Evans: 1-3; Martyn Herman: 0-3.

Hull City v Tottenham Hotspur: Spurs made a fantastic start to the season but with a little luck Hull might have pulled off just as big a surprise by taking something off Chelsea. It’s got to be Spurs, though, hasn’t it? Mitch Phillips: 1-0; Owen Wyatt: 0-2; Patrick Johnston: 1-1; Mike Collett: 0-2; Paul Radford: 1-2; Kevin Fylan: 1-1. Late entries: Miles Evans: 2-0; Martyn Herman: 1-3.

Liverpool v Stoke City: The temptation to write off Liverpool has been too much for a lot of people after what was, admittedly, a shoddy performance against Spurs. Will Gerrard drop back to midfield? Will Voronin start up front? Will Xabi Alonso’s reputation grow any further in his absence? Mitch Phillips: 1-0; Owen Wyatt: 3-1; Patrick Johnston: 0-0; Mike Collett: 2-1; Paul Radford: 3-1; Kevin Fylan: 0-0. Late entries: Miles Evans: 2-0; Martyn Herman: 2-0.

So, don’t be shy… Give us your predictions in the comments, and tell us where we’ve gone wrong. 

PHOTO: Manchester United’s Michael Owen reacts after missing a chance against Birmingham City at Old Trafford, northern England August 16, 2009. REUTERS/Darren Staples

Last November Spurs beat Liverpool 2-1 at White Hart Lane just after Harry Redknapp took over a side that had slumped to the bottom of the table. Redknapp admitted after that game that Spurs had been lucky to win after being battered by Liverpool, who squandered an early lead and then hit the woodwork three times before losing.

Spurs beat Liverpool 2-1 at White Hart Lane again on Sunday and this time there was no doubting that Spurs deserved their victory.

On the evidence of Sunday’s match a lot has changed at the two clubs since last November.

Spurs have clearly improved but fans have witnessed so many false dawns in the last 10 years or so that no one will get carried away by an opening day win — even over last season’s runners-up.

Likewise, Liverpool will not descend into doom and gloom at one opening day defeat but what is undeniable — and this began to be obvious in their pre-season matches — is that Liverpool are badly missing their gifted Spanish midfielder Xabi Alonso, sold for 30 million pounds to Real Madrid.

Liverpool failed to get the ball to Steven Gerrard as often as often as they used to when Alonso was distributing the ball, after putting his foot on it and finding the perfect pass.

Up front Fernando Torres looked jaded – he has hardly had a break after playing for Spain in the Confederations Cup — and Liverpool rarely threatened Spurs with a decisive attack.

The fact that Jamie Carragher and Martin Skrtel clashed heads with each other going up for a high ball in the first half was not the only reason Liverpool’s defence seemed disorientated, as young Argentine fullback Emiliano Insua was given a roasting by the pace of Aaron Lennon on the right wing.

Their bench looked devoid of depth too and generally Liverpool had an afternoon they will certainly want to forget, but one which may resonate for a few weeks yet.

It is now almost 20 seasons since Liverpool were last champions of England — the longest run they have ever had between winning titles (not including the break of competition for World War Two) since they entered the League in 1893.

They are desperate to be champions again — and stop Manchester United winning an unprecedented fourth successive title and an all-time record 19th.

Clearly they are still championship contenders. But they won’t be if they produce too many displays like Sunday’s at White Hart Lane. Benitez needs to strengthen now — but financial restraints off the pitch could yet add to his headaches.

PHOTO: Xabi Alonso waves as he leaves the pitch during Real Madrid’s friendly against Real Sociedad at the Anoeta stadium in San Sebastian, August 15, 2009. REUTERS/Felix Ordonez

The days when the details of transfer negotiations were closely guarded secrets could be coming to an end with the advent of the ‘Twitter transfer’.

On Wednesday, U.S. national team striker Jozy Altidore all but announced a move to English Premier League Hull City on the micro-blogging site, keeping his fans updated while Hull remained silent.

Altidore, who is owned by Spanish club Villarreal, alerted followers to a potential move on Tuesday when he informed them he would be up early on Wednesday morning for a flight to England.

After details about his flight and weather on arrival he held back from announcing the deal but gave the game away by posting info of his first game.

“First match is against Chelsea subject to a work permit *wink* *wink* lol thanks for the support and love keep it coming,” he wrote.

While Altidore’s upbeat updates are unlikely to upset anyone, England striker Darren Bent apologised to Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy last month about comments on Twitter relating to his move to Sunderland.

Bent aimed an expletive at Levy and said, “Do I wanna go Hull City? NO. Do I wanna go Stoke? NO. Do I wanna go Sunderland? YES.”

The forward’s wish was finally granted on Wednesday when he completed a move from Spurs to Sunderland for an initial fee of 10 million pounds ($16.98 million).

There was not a tweet out of Bent, though: his account was closed down after the dispute with Spurs.

Twitter appears harmless fun for many, many sportspeople — golfers, tennis players, cyclists, NBA and NFL players — who send snippets of their daily routine out to their followers. The problem, as the Bent case shows, comes when things aren’t going well for the individual.

There is a potential minefield involved with sportspeople broadcasting their thoughts at will — contract negotiations, dressing room disputes, personal problems are all topics that team and PR people would probably hope do not get broadcast to the world.

Those sportspeople using Twitter — and there are thousands of them — seem to regard it is a cool and easy way to keep in touch with their fans. So how can the control-freaks control other than to ban Twitter use? And that’s not going to happen, is it?

PHOTO: Jozy Altidore of the U.S. celebrates after scoring a goal during their Confederations Cup semi-final soccer match against Spain at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein June 24, 2009. REUTERS/Jerry Lampen

Champions League qualifying has begun so the new football season in Europe is well and truly underway.

But while Mogren of Montenegro celebrate their victory over Hibernians of Malta in the first qualifying round last week, spare a thought for those famous European sides who are unlikely to grace the competition even in a qualifying tie, let alone the group stage.

I live in London and there’s at least one good example right here. With Martin Jol at the helm, Tottenham Hotspur missed out on fourth spot in the Premier League (and a Champions League qualifying place) in the 2005/06 season by virtue of a defeat by local rivals West Ham United on the final day of the season.

Fans will always blame that on a virus that floored several first team players, but that’s another story…

They finished fifth again the following season but weren’t ever really in with a chance of coming fourth and since then they have reverted to their normal role of mid-table underachievers.

The future promises more of the same: too big to go down, too small to mix it with the big boys in the top four.

Tottenham’s billionaire owner Joe Lewis has the money — £2.5 billion according to Four Four two magazine’s latest annual Rich List (which puts him fourth behind the owners of Manchester City, Queen’s Park Rangers and Chelsea in British football) — but not the inclination to lavish hundreds of millions on transfers every season to bring in the world’s top players.

The club once snatched former England midfielder Paul Gascoigne from under the nose of Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United but it is inconceivable that a player of his class would choose White Hart Lane over Old Trafford today.

Without big-name signings Tottenham are unlikely to ever break into the top four. Finishing sixth to 10th seems their best hope.

There are a lot of other clubs in the same boat, too — not just in the Premier League but around Europe.  Sampdoria and Athletic Bilbao are examples in Italy and Spain. 

Playing in the Champions League itself probably still feels a long way away for Mogren, but for Tottenham and the like it’s even further.

As Dimitar Berbatov sluggishly rolled in Manchester United’s winner at Newcastle United on Wednesday it suddenly occurred to me that the Premier League season that threatened a different story is heading for a very familiar ending.

At the top, the midweek matches saw United record their 11th consecutive league win and strengthen their grasp on the title, while Chelsea and Liverpool consolidated Champions League spots and Arsenal made up ground on an Aston Villa side which might just be running out of steam.

At the bottom, this season’s potential shock began to evaporate as Tottenham Hotspur showed their true capabilities with a 4-0 drubbing of relegation-rivals Middlesbrough.

The season promised heroics.

Liverpool, who looked for much of the season to be in with a chance of the title have fallen away badly, while Chelsea have spent the campaign fighting internal battles and have nothing left for a title push.

So with no shock at the top, what about the bottom?

Well, Newcastle and Spurs finally look capable of avoiding the drop, despite dancing with relegation all season and if Middlesbrough were to join West Bromwich Albion in slipping into the Championship there wouldn’t be too many raised eyebrows.

It would appear normal service has been resumed and whilst the efforts of Aston Villa to mount a Champions League challenge and Hull City and Stoke City to compete with the big-boys are commendable, the Premier League will have wait another season for a shock.

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After a foray into the mix zone after the English League Cup final, the injured Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe replied to one journalist who asked him why he had cut all his hair off.

“I had to, I only ever seem to get injured when I have longer hair,” he said.

I am neither a hairdresser nor a medical man but I thought this was a bizarre theory, but perhaps a lengthy spell on the sidelines makes you think this way?

Defoe’s superstition was the second recent football oddity to have grabbed my attention after Arsenal’s Kolo Toure received an unnecessary yellow card in the Champions League tie against Roma.

The Ivory Coast defender failed to ask the referee for permission to enter the pitch after missing the kick-off at the start of the second half.

Toure’s delayed entrance was because he waited for team mate William Gallas to finish receiving treatment so he could maintain his routine of being the last man to leave the dressing room.

Despite this odd behaviour from the two Premier League players, my favourite football superstition remains Laurent Blanc’s serial smooching of goalkeeper Fabien Barthez’s head prior to each match in France’s victorious 1998 World Cup run.

Unless you can come up with another to change my mind?

PHOTO: Tottenham Hotspur’s Jermain Defoe celebrates scoring against Portsmouth during their English Premier League match at White Hart Lane in London Jan. 18, 2009. REUTERS/Kieran Doherty

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson dismissed the suggestion in his usual style.

After beating Spurs on penalties to win the English League Cup final on Sunday he was asked if United could complete a “quintuple” of trophies.

“It’s a media thing,” he shot back. “I’m not getting carried away with it. We’re keeping our feet on the ground.”

But with FIFA’s Club World Cup and the League Cup already in the trophy room and with the Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup all realistic targets, it is not just a media thing. It’s a real possibility. Throw in the Community Shield and it becomes a sextuple. Or a “double treble” — which sounds good if you are winning it or even drinking it.

Former United striker Frank Stapleton is among many who think Ferguson has assembled the best squad United have ever had – and although they failed to break Spurs down in 120 goalless minutes at Wembley, they still had the nerve, guile and experience to ease to a 4-1 victory in the shootout.

Spurs manager Harry Redknapp believes they can do it too.

“They’ve got a big chance of winning the lot,” he said after the game, “They are the team to beat, the best in Europe and have a fantastic squad.”

The fact that United’s hero was current third-choice keeper Ben Foster highlights the strength in depth of the squad. He was voted man of the match and Ferguson has tipped him to become England’s No.1 keeper in the not too distant future.

Other youngsters like Darron Gibson and Danny Welbeck looked assured next to the likes of Paul Scholes and Rio Ferdinand.

It wasn’t a classic performance by any stretch of the imagination, but the hallmark of great teams is that they win things even when they are not at their best.

They have ready replacements in every position and with confidence sky-high and the defence virtually impregnable, it will take something very special to get the better of United over the coming weeks.

Or as Ferguson also said, a deflected shot off someone’s backside that could see them knocked out of the FA Cup at Fulham on Saturday.

Barring that, the race for the High Five is on. I think they have the strength, the players and the desire to do it. Do you?

PHOTO: Manchester United players celebrate winning the League Cup final against Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley, March 1, 2009. REUTERS/Kieran Doherty

Twice UEFA Cup winners Tottenham Hotspur are most likely heading out of the competition after a 2-0 first-leg defeat at Shakhtar Donetsk in the first knockout round on Thursday.

The fact they fielded a ‘B’ team was not surprising. Manager Harry Redknapp had already stated several times that Premier League survival and the League Cup were his priorities. After the game Redknapp said: “I had a 17-year-old playing tonight and I will probably have four playing next week.”
 
The reason they will play with an under-strength team in the return leg next Thursday is that it comes three days after a crunch league match at Hull City and three days before their League Cup final against Manchester United.

Spurs have already lost to the Old Trafford side in the FA Cup fourth round after selecting a weakened team so it will be a welcome change for their fans that the starting lineup for the Wembley final will be the strongest they can muster.
 
The irony is that it was their surprise victory over Chelsea in last year’s League Cup final that got Spurs into the UEFA Cup in the first place. The delight that the supporters took in qualifying for a European campaign has been soured by the fact that it was not a priority to try to win the competition.

Fans spent their hard-earned money stumping up for tickets for the group stage matches only to find that the competition has almost turned into an irrelevance.
 
Of course, if Spurs were not struggling near the foot of the Premier League, cups would be more important but it is a sad indictment of the UEFA Cup’s standing that a team with a proud European history have had to relegate the competition to an irritant.

There will be a 48-team group stage in the competition next season when it is renamed the Europa League. I doubt Harry will be relishing the prospect.

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PHOTO: Shakhtar Donetsk’s Yevgen Seleznov scores against Tottenham Hotspur during their UEFA Cup match in Ukraine. Feb 19, 2009. REUTERS/Valery Belokryl