With those three teams being promoted into the premier league, next season is going to be extremely tight. We may well expect Man Utd to be champs, followed by Arsenal, Leeds and Pool. I think Chelsea are about to go backwards for a few years - while we have to be strong contenders for a top six finish.

But the real interest will probably be on who will go down. The three clubs coming up look much stronger than usual - while everone seems to argue that Bradford's 2nd year will be easier than their first. So who will go down?

I'll plump for Southampton, Bradford and Manchester City.

My money is on B

-- Anonymous, May 30, 2000

Answers

Southampton, Derby, Bradford

-- Anonymous, May 30, 2000

Mackems, Man U, Southampton. You heard it here first.

-- Anonymous, May 30, 2000

Every year the teams coming up seem deceptively good. Usually it's Sunderland, Bolton, Barnsley or Charlton who "must have learned a lot from their previous time up".

The gulf is still enormous. I worry for Man City and Ipswich as their managers are saying that think they are good enough and the players deserve a chance to prove them right. Just doesn't work like that. Otherwise they would have won the First Division.

Charlton still have essentially the same players as two years ago.

Bradford survived on blood and guts and 36 points, no way will they do that again. It's unlikely that anyone will move to Bradford so they'll struggle again, particualrly as the likes of Saunders and McCall slow down even further.

Relegation for ..... Bradford, Charlton and Man City. Ipswich will challenge hard.

-- Anonymous, May 30, 2000

Bradford, Ipswich and mackems, when they lose Phillips!!

-- Anonymous, May 30, 2000

Bradford, Ipswich, Southampton.

-- Anonymous, May 30, 2000

In line with Shadda....I would like to go for: Makems, Newton Heath and the Gunners....but in reality I'll go with Southampton, Coventry and either the Makems (if they do lose the Munchkin) or Bradford.

-- Anonymous, May 30, 2000

Charlton(I refuse to like them until they get rid of cheating Pringle potato chip!), Soton, Bradford

-- Anonymous, May 30, 2000

Bradford...seem to be everyone's favourites again. Middlesborough will be the ShefWed of next season (ie the biggest underachievers despite the chemically contaminated lucre), with Bryan Robson leaving before Christmas. Final spot a fight between the newly prmoted clubs and Southampton, Derby, Sunderland and perhaps even Leicester.

-- Anonymous, May 30, 2000

Bradford, Charlton and Soton

-- Anonymous, May 30, 2000

Everton , Leicester , Coventry

-- Anonymous, May 30, 2000

One of the hardest ones for years. I'll go for Leicester as the surprise plus Man City and Ipswich. More interesting is whether the midtable bottleneck, which has been getting tighter every year, shows any change.

-- Anonymous, May 30, 2000