Férias

That's it! I've had enough! Enough of this miserable excuse for a summer.

We were promised a barbecue summer by Met Office experts (although they later claimed this line came from its press office only), but it has turned out to be only marginally better than the last two washouts.

So much for the so-called 'staycation' in which Britons have gone on holiday here due to the credit crunch and the false promise of sunshine.

I'm off to the warmer climes on holiday, or férias as the Portuguese call it.

I'm escaping for nine days to Albufeira on the Algarve with some friends to soak up the rays and make an attempt to match the average consumption of alcohol by a Briton abroad on holiday.

I think I've made the right choice. The forecast for Albufeira looks a lot better than another unsettled bank holiday weekend here.

I'm back on September 7th from when I hope to update this blog on a more regular basis.

I know it's a promise which you have heard before from me but I really will need something to do when the nights draw in and the weather gets even colder.

Bye for now,
The Intrepid Reporter.

A costly lapse

A SINGLE lapse of concentration was the difference between me being a driver this week and not being one as I failed my first practical driving test.

The critical moment came as I turned right on a light-controlled t-junction near the MetroCentre with around five minutes left on my way back to the Gateshead test centre on Wellington Road in Dunston.

Rather inexplicably, I had failed to take into account oncoming traffic and attempted to follow the car in front round the junction.

But, in doing so, I only narrowly avoided an accident as the examiner had to slam on the brakes and I got the shock of my life.

Unsurprisingly, this was marked down to be dangerous and completely spoiled a competent drive up until then during which my nerve had held out better than expected.

I had 'only' picked up eight minors but, obviously, I cannot argue with the result.

Indeed, I am satisfied in a way that I did not pass as it should hopefully stop me from doing something so stupid again when I am on the roads myself.

But I was also naturally gutted to have done such a stupid move at the end of one of my best drives.

The test started at the somewhat precise time of 10.24 in typical British summer weather - i.e. heavy rain.

After the standard eye-sight test and show-me, tell-me questions, I was asked to perform my first manoeuvre straightaway - a bay park at the test centre.

Fortunately, I had only just practiced this on the way in with my driving instructor, David Convery, and replicated it to make a strong start.

I then drove north on the A1 carriageway for four miles to Westerhope in Newcastle where I was asked to do my second manoeuvre, a reverse around a curved corner.

This was less successful as I went too fast to follow my reference properly and at one stage my tyres touched the kerb.

But I was able to correct the car successfully and quickly enough to avoid anything more than that being one of my eight minors.

After this, I headed back to Dunston via the West Road, Denton and Scotswood Bridge.

But then came the gut-wrenching feeling of failure after my horrific error with only a few junctions left.

As well as the cost of taking another test, another hugely disappointing factor is the unavoidable delay until my next go.

My second attempt will be on October 2nd, the gap of five weeks being caused by both myself and my instructor going away straight after one another in the meantime.

Hopefully, by then, I will have cut out the ridiculous mistakes and that good things indeed come to those who wait.

The Ashes - For the record: Aussies top the stats but England have the magic moments

ENGLAND may have won The Ashes series 2-1 but, in a cruel twist for Ricky Ponting's men, it was Australia who dominated the stats.

The tourists had eight centurions to England's two, although four of the eight came in the opening Test when England clung on for a draw.

The top three bowlers, in terms of wickets taken, were also all Aussies with Ben Hilfenhaus leading the way on 22.

But in captain Andrew Strauss, England had a man who led from the front. He scored 474 runs, the highest aggregate, at an average of 52.66 and was an unsurprising choice for man of the series.

Australian vice-captain Michael Clarke was not far behind on an aggregate of 448 runs and took the tourists' man of the series award.

The Australians may have taken more wickets overall, but the English bowlers had more five-fors and enjoyed purple patches which turned the game in their favour.

Another statistical anomaly appears in Stuart Broad's effort in the heavy defeat at Headingley.

He took his Test best figures of 6-91 which was also the only occasion in the series that more than five wickets were taken by an individual bowler in a single innings.

But it will be the spells of Andrew Flintoff who took 5-92 at Lord's and Broad (5-37 at The Oval) which will live much longer in the memory.

And so, despite the Aussies' better stats, England had the brighter moments as the little urn returned home.

SERIES SUMMARY
First Test (Cardiff): England 435 & 252-9 drew with Australia 674-6dec Scorecard
Second Test (Lord’s): England 425 & 311-6dec beat Australia 215 & 406 by 115 runs Scorecard
Third Test (Edgbaston): Australia 263 & 375-5 drew with England 376 Scorecard
Fourth Test (Headingley): Australia 445 beat England 102 & 263 by an innings and 80 runs Scorecard
Fifth Test (The Oval): England 332 & 373-9dec beat Australia 160 & 348 by 197 runs Scorecard
ENGLAND WON THE SERIES 2-1

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
MAN OF THE SERIES: Andrew Strauss (ENG)
ENGLAND MAN OF THE SERIES: Andrew Strauss
AUSTRALIA MAN OF THE SERIES: Michael Clarke

BATSMEN (*not out)
HIGHEST AGGREGATE: Andrew Strauss (ENG), 474 runs at 52.66
BEST SCORE: Andrew Strauss (ENG), 161 in the second Test at Lord’s
CENTURY MAKERS:
Simon Katich (AUS), 122 in the first Test at Cardiff
Ricky Ponting (AUS), 150 in the first Test at Cardiff
Marcus North (AUS), 125* in the first Test at Cardiff
Brad Haddin (AUS), 121 in the first Test at Cardiff
Andrew Strauss (ENG), 161 in the second Test at Lord’s
Michael Clarke (AUS), 136 in the second Test at Lord’s
Michael Clarke (AUS), 103* in the third Test at Edgbaston
Marcus North (AUS), 110 in the fourth Test at Headingley
Jonathan Trott (ENG), 119 in the fifth Test at The Oval
Mike Hussey (AUS), 121 in the fifth Test at The Oval

BOWLERS
LEADING WICKET TAKER: Ben Hilfenhaus (AUS), 22 wickets
BEST FIGURES: Stuart Broad (ENG), 6-91 in the fourth Test at Headingley
FIVE-FORS:
Andrew Flintoff (ENG), 5-92 in the second Test at Lord’s
James Anderson (ENG), 5-80 in the third Test at Edgbaston
Peter Siddle (AUS), 5-21 in the fourth Test at Headingley
Stuart Broad (ENG), 6-91 in the fourth Test at Headingley
Mitchell Johnson (AUS), 5-69 in the fourth Test at Headingley
Stuart Broad (ENG), 5-37 in the fifth Test at The Oval

TEAMS SCORES
HIGHEST
Australia 674-6dec, in the first Test at Cardiff
Australia 445, in the fourth Test at Headingley
England 425, in the second Test at Lord’s
LOWEST
England 102, in the fourth Test at Headingley
Australia 160, in the fifth Test at The Oval
Australia 215, in the second Test at Lord’s

The Ashes - Fifth Test: England regain Ashes after victory at The Oval

England 332 & 373-9dec beat Australia 160 & 348 by 197 runs
Scorecard

ENGLAND regained the Ashes with a 2-1 series victory after bowling out Australia with a day to spare in the fifth Test at The Oval.

In scenes reminiscent of four years ago when England also won 2-1, captain and man of the series Andrew Strauss gained revenge for the miserable whitewash in Australia in 06-07.

This was a truly remarkable finish to a remarkable series which may have lacked the quality of play in the 2005 success but made up for it with the same topsy-turvy drama.

Set an unlikely 546 to win the match, Australia resumed their world record chase attempt on 80-0 with Shane Watson and Simon Katich at the crease.

But, within the first half an hour, both openers were gone and tide was going in England's favour as expected.

Katich fell first on 43, lbw to Graeme Swann whose spin would prove to be vital as he took four wickets on a pitch which broke up.

Watson followed shortly afterwards on 40, lbw to Stuart Broad, the man of the match for his five-for in the first innings as Australia were bowled out for 160.

But Australia showed typical resilience as skipper Ricky Ponting joined Mike Hussey at the crease to build a partnership which guided them to lunch for no further loss on 171-2.

When the pair were still going almost an hour after the interval, anticipation of an England win was starting to be replaced by a sense of trepidation that the Aussies might just pull it off.

But the match turned decisively in England's favour when Andrew Flintoff - who else? - ran out Australian skipper Ricky Ponting with a direct hit at the stumps in his final Test match.

Michael Clarke followed in the next over for a duck, quite incredibly through another run out, with the blow delivered this time by Strauss.

And next man Marcus North did not last much longer, stumped by Matt Prior off Swann for 10 having just survived being dropped by Paul Collingwood.

That left Australia on 236-5 but Hussey remained in good nick and he achieved his first century in 28 Test innings shortly after tea.

Hussey and Brad Haddin ensured a veneer of tension remained at The Oval but Australia still looked a long way off their target.

Then Haddin, who had edged a few in the air during his innings of 34, got another one wrong and this time it proved costly.

Swann induced a rash shot which was taken by Strauss and it left poor Hussey without any more specialist batsmen.

Again the wickets fell in clumps and in the next over, Mitchell Johnson was gone for a duck.

Collingwood made up for his earlier drop to help Durham team-mate Steve Harmison take his first wicket of the match and the Ashington-born paceman was not finished there.

Peter Siddle had scored just 10 when he got a leading edge which was taken by Flintoff as Harmison took his second.

And Harmison put England on the brink of victory by dismissing Stuart Clark first ball as Alastair Cook took the catch.

Ben Hilfenhaus survived the hat-trick ball but only five more runs were added to the Aussies' tally before the coup de grace was applied.

Appropriately, it was Swann who did the damage as another Cook catch meant he took his eighth wicket of the match, that of Hussey who was finally out for an excellent 121.

That signalled the start of the party for England as red and white confetti and fireworks filled the sky.

But for Australia captain Ponting, this would have been a horrendous case of deja-vu as he became the first Aussie skipper to lose two Ashes series since 1890.

The lack of a frontline spinner cost Australia badly in this match and the series. Just as much was acknowledged by Ponting in his bowling selection during the game as well as in his post-match interviews.

Even more surprisingly, the selection error came just as they had regained all the momentum in the series with their crushing win at Headingley.

Before then, of course, England had enjoyed the better momentum in the series.

First, the hosts somehow survived at Cardiff in the first Test when the last two men James Anderson and Monty Panesar batted for 11 overs to save the match.

And that uplift in mood resulted in an easy win at Lord's, the first against the Aussies since 1934 before England also dominated the third Test at Edgbaston, a rain-affected draw.

This was also a remarkable series because statistically it looks a lot better for Australia, yet England won.

Hussey's century this afternoon made it eight as compared to England's two and the tourists also had the three top wicket-takers.

But while the Aussies may have piled up more runs and exposed the sometimes brittle English batting, England had almost all the vital moments.

That last-wicket stand of Panesar and Anderson at Cardiff, the Strauss century and Flintoff spell at Lord's and, finally at the Oval, Broad's spell and Jonathan Trott's debut ton.

After the Headingley disaster, I wrote that any Ashes victory for England would be so reliant on Flintoff, it would be won on foundations of sand.

But, while England undoubtedly remain a horribly inconsistent side, the emergence of Broad and discovery of Trott have at least proved in this Test that I was wrong on that count.

It must also be remembered that the 2005 series victory was the culmination of a brilliant unbeaten 18 months by Michael Vaughan's men.

Maybe the 2009 series win is the first chink of brilliance from this England era.

---
EARLIER CLOSE OF PLAY REPORTS
Day Three (close)
England 322 [Strauss 55, Bell 72] & 373-9 dec [Strauss 75, Trott 119, Swann 63] v Australia 160 [Katich 50; Broad 5-37] & 80-0

ENGLAND look set for Ashes glory after leaving Australia a huge target by batting for most of the third day of the decider at The Oval.

Andrew Strauss declared on 373-9, a mammoth lead of 545 which the tourists had reduced by 80 at close of play.

Strauss had resumed the day at the crease with debutant Jonathan Trott and the pair continued where they had left off the night before, piling on the runs and the agony for the Aussie bowlers.

Both reached half centuries in the opening session, but in the final over before lunch, Strauss finally fell on 75, caught at slip by Michael Clarke off Marcus North.

Trott went on undeterred after the interval. But his partner, Matt Prior, had none of the same staying qualities and was run out by Simon Katich for four, attempting a run that was never there.

At least Prior's fall brought out the man everyone at The Oval wanted to see and, for the final time in Test cricket, Andrew Flintoff made his way to the middle.

Perhaps the match situation helped but everyone was relieved to see Flintoff play in typical style.

He hit 22 runs off just 18 balls before he holed out to Siddle, attempting another audacious shot off North.

After Flintoff's fireworks, Trott was next assisted towards his century by hero of the Aussie innings, Stuart Broad.

Broad, who took 5-37 as the Aussies collapsed to 160 all out on day two, played positively as well and scored at nearly a run a ball for his 29 before part-time spinner North struck again.

But the most impressive stand came from Trott and Graeme Swann who put on 90 runs for the eighth wicket.

While Trott edged towards his personal landmark, Swann pulverized the Aussie bowlers and struck 63 off 55 balls including nine fours to equal his Test high score either side of tea.

It was a devastating display of batting from the pair and one which bordered on humiliating for the Aussie bowlers.

Ben Hilfenhaus finally got Swann out after he skied a simple catch to Brad Haddin behind the stumps.

By this stage, Trott had progressed to 95 as James Anderson joined him at the crease on a pair for the time in his Test career.

Within minutes, Trott had gone onto 99 and, just one ball later, he made it to three figures.

Anderson also avoided his pair and with the nerves settled, another decent partnership of 40 for the ninth wicket was established.

Stuart Clark eventually dismissed Trott who edged a simple catch to North at gully on 119 and that action concluded the England innings.

It left Australia a nervy 20 overs to navigate before close of play and, in fairness, openers Shane Watson and Katich did well to reduce the arrears by 80 for no loss of wicket.

But the match and series remain very much in England's hands.

Though the Aussies have two days in which to do it, a successful chase would smash the Test record for a winning fourth-innings score, currently 418-7 for West Indies v Australia in 2003.

And, despite a decent start for the tourists this evening, Messrs Broad, Swann and of course Flintoff should ensure the open-top bus can be prepared for its parade.

---
Day Two (close)
England 322 [Strauss 55, Bell 72] & 58-3 v
Australia 160 [Katich 50; Broad 5-37]

BRILLIANT Stuart Broad hauled England back into Ashes contention as Australia collapsed to 160 all out on day two of the fifth Test at The Oval.

Notts seamer Broad took 5-37, including a spell of 4-15, and the Aussies conceded a first innings deficit of 162.

There was still time for late drama when England collapsed to 39-3 and completed the most dramatic day of the series on which 15 wickets fell.

But captain Andrew Strauss remained unbeaten on 32 to guide England to 58-3 at close, an already decent lead of 230.

At the start of day two, England had resumed their first innings on 309-8 and were in a seemingly unfavourable position, needing to win this match to regain the Ashes.

In the second over of the day, the situation looked even worse as the hosts lost an early wicket for the fourth successive session.

James Anderson was the victim, trapped lbw by Ben Hilfenhaus for a duck, his first in 54 Test innings.

After a few lusty blows by Broad and Steve Harmison, Hilfenhaus wrapped up the innings by inducing Broad to edge to Ricky Ponting at second slip on 38.

Having bowled England out for a below-par score, the tourists unsurprisingly started confidently against some hostile bowling to reach 61-0 at lunch.

But England had similarly started their innings well and the morning had still given signs that this would avail plenty of chances for the bowlers.

Broad had faced speculation about his place in the team earlier in the series but responded with his best Test figures of 6-92 in the losing cause at Headingley.

He will undoubtedly take more cherished memories of this five-for as he enjoyed another glory day and maybe earned himself a mention in Ashes folklore.

After an extended lunch due to rain, Broad began to tear into the Aussie openers. Shane Watson who had scored three successive half-centuries since his call-up, could not make it four.

He was out lbw to Broad on 34 with Australia on 73-1 but the first crack had started to show.

Broad then took the massively important wicket of Ponting. The Aussie skipper was on just eight when he chopped a short delivery onto his own stumps.

But Broad was not finished by a long stretch and next to fall was the uncertain Mike Hussey, plumb lbw and out for a duck.

Then Michael Clarke, the top Australian run scorer in the series, fell for just three, caught by Ashes debutant Jonathan Trott off that man Broad.

Australia were at this point 93-4, Broad was on fire, and belief surged through the crowd in south London. More wickets were inevitable.

It was Graeme Swann who would be next to deliver, the spinner trapping Marcus North lbw for just eight.

And Swann did not just there, either. While wickets fell all around him, Simon Katich had played a professional innings to reach 50.

But Katich was unable to extend his score past the half-century and was caught by Alastair Cook after being bamboozled by Swann's spin.

Not to be outdone, Broad took out Brad Haddin's stumps with a full-length ball with a wicked swing.

The wicket-keeper was out for a solitary run and Australia were 111-7 without any remaining specialist batsmen, having been 73-0.

Swann cleaned up the tail either side of tea as Australia scraped together just enough runs to pass the follow on target of 133, though it is unlikely that England would have chosen to bat last on this pitch anyway.

Mitchell Johnson was caught behind the stumps by Matt Prior off Swann for 11 in the penultimate over before tea.

And in the third over after the break, the Notts spinner had struck again. Stuart Clark received a rotten decision, though, and was given out caught by Cook on six after the ball hit his thigh.

But the decision, nevertheless, left the Aussies on the brink after a woeful performance with the bat.

Aptly, Andrew Flintoff took the tourists' final first innings wicket, this being his final Test appearance, and he did it in typical style, clean bowling tail-ender Hilfenhaus.

And, remarkably, England ended day two as they began it, batting and losing wickets on a regular basis, only this time with the insurance of an innings of lead of 162.

Cook was first to be out on nine, caught in the slips by Clarke after a full-length delivery from part-time spinner Marcus North.

Ian Bell then failed to replicate his fine 72 from the first innings, out for just four to a brilliant catch by Katich at short leg off Johnson.

And when the same combination of Johnson and Katich removed Paul Collingwood for one, it was England's turn to feel the pressure on 39-3.

But Strauss remained calmly at the crease and, with Trott, guided England to close on 58-3, a lead of 230 runs.

After the woe of Headingley and some early Aussie dominance in this match, few would have predicted this turnaround on an amazing day of Ashes cricket.

And perhaps it added to the occasion even more that it was inspired by Stuart Broad, Flintoff's natural successor, rather than the tired talisman himself.

England should win this Test - and the Ashes - from this position.

Whatever their score with the bat is, and it already looks to be a decent lead, there should be ample time to take 10 more Australian wickets and cap an incredible, topsy-turvy series.

But if this series, and indeed this match, has proved anything, it is that nothing is a certainty in cricket.

---
Day One (close)
England 307-8 [Strauss 55, Bell 72] v Australia

ENGLAND wasted a positive early position, closing the first day of the Ashes decider at the Oval on 307-8 after losing five wickets after tea.

Captain Andrew Strauss and Ian Bell made half centuries in a stand of 102 for the second wicket to reach lunch on 108-1 as the hosts recovered well from the early loss of Alastair Cook.

Cook's wicket fell early and he had only scored 10 before he edged to Australia captain Ricky Ponting at second slip off the bowling of Peter Siddle.

But Strauss and Bell fought back well and scored at four an over, taking England past their shameful first innings total of 102 at Headingley.

Shortly after the interval, though, Strauss needlessly hung his bat out at a wide ball from Ben Hilfenhaus, gifting a catch behind the stumps by Brad Haddin.

Despite this, England seemed undeterred as Paul Collingwood joined Bell at the crease for what looked to be a vital partnership.

It ended prematurely, however, with Collingwood on 24 as he drove at another delivery wide of off-stump off Siddle, succeeding only in steering the ball to Mike Hussey at gully.

The run rate had been slowed by the Aussie bowlers but England still looked in decent shape on 177-3 at tea.

Then, in keeping with the two earlier sessions, England lost a quick wicket as Bell failed to convert his score into a century.

The Warwickshire batsmen got an inside edge as Siddle picked up his third wicket of the day to leave England on 181-4.

Debutant Jonathan Trott overcame early nerves and began to look composed as he and Matt Prior took the hosts past 200.

Yet again, however, an England batsmen was guilty of a cheap wicket as Prior chased a wide ball from Mitchell Johson on 18, only to be caught at point by Shane Watson.

Andrew Flintoff was the new the batsman and after earlier in the series announcing his retirement from Test cricket, he was unsurprisingly given a raucous reception by the crowd in south London.

But Flintoff will not want to recall his first innings effort of just seven runs. He lasted only four overs before he was caught behind by Haddin off yet another ball outside off-stump by Johnson.

And when Trott was run out on 41 by some excellent fielding from Simon Katich, England looked in a perilous state on 268-7.

As seen previously, Graeme Swann and Stuart Broad provided solid resistance and batting down the order to take England past 300.

But Siddle, who has figures of 4-63, ensured it was the Aussies' day by removing Swann on 18 with the last ball as Haddin took his third catch.

Unlike the Headingley disaster, England have at least given themselves a fighting chance to win this Test and regain the Ashes with a 2-1 series victory.

Australia will be happier tonight, though, especially having lost the toss for the fourth time out of five matches.

They have not only rained on Flintoff's farewell so far but will know that by keeping England below 350, then gaining an innings lead, they will almost certainly retain the little urn.

The Premier League 2009-10 Guide

ARSENAL
Emirates Stadium, Ashburton Road, Islington, London, N5 1BU. Capacity 60,355 http://www.arsenal.com/
Last season: 4th, FA Cup Semi finals, League Cup Quarter finals, Champions League Semi finals
Last major trophy: FA Cup 2005
Manager: Arsene Wenger (since October 1996)
Players In: Thomas Vermaelen
Players Out: Kolo Toure, Emmanuel Adebayor, Abu Ogogo, Amaury Bischoff, Rene Steer, Paul Rodgers, Rui Fonte
Pre-season form: The Gunners enjoyed a fruitful warm-up with a second victory in three years in their home tournament, the Emirates Cup, after wins against Atletico Madrid (2-1) and Rangers (3-0). Earlier, a tour of Europe brought easy wins against Austrians SC Columbia (7-1) and Hungarians Szombathelyi Haladas (5-0) before a tighter 1-0 win against German Bundesliga side Hannover 96. A disappointing 2-0 loss in Valencia completed an otherwise solid start to the campaign.
Prediction: 4th
Arsenal fended off another challenge to their place in the top four after Aston Villa fell apart and Everton were kept at arm's length. Add in a run to the Champions League semis and, for most clubs, this would have been another successful season. But 2008-09 made it four successive seasons without a trophy which is really starting to grate. Worse news is that next year the Gunners are likely to face their stiffest challenge yet from Manchester City to whom they have sold two of their first-teamers, Emmanuel Adebayor and Kolo Toure. Arsene Wenger will be hoping experience counts in their favour.

ASTON VILLA
Villa Park, Trinity Road, Birmingham, B6 6HE. Capacity 42,640 http://www.avfc.co.uk/
Last season: 6th, FA Cup 5th round, League Cup 4th round, Uefa Cup Last 32
Last major trophy: League Cup 1996
Manager: Martin O'Neill (since August 2006)
Players In: Habib Beye, Stewart Downing, Fabian Delph
Players Out: Gareth Barry, Zat Knight, Stuart Taylor, Martin Laursen
Pre-season form: Martin O'Neill's men began with a 3-0 win against Peterborough and a 2-2 draw with Colchester United. The Villans then came back from Spain with the Peace Cup, beating Juventus on penalties in the final after a 0-0 draw. An early loss to the hosts Malaga was put aside after wins against FC Porto (2-1) and Mexicans FC Atlante (3-1). Pre-season was completed with a good 1-0 home win against Fiorentina.
Prediction: 8th
Villa mixed it with the top four for much of last season only for their relative success to become their downfall. After being knocked out of the FA Cup by Everton, Villa then fielded a weakened team in the Uefa Cup and were knocked out of that as well. Though the personnel changed, the mood of the club was set and Martin O'Neill's men somewhat fell over the finishing line, still comfortably in the top six. The loss of Gareth Barry to Man City over the summer was no great surprise after his flirtation with Liverpool previously but the lack of inbound activity means it is unlikely an already thin squad will do any better this term.

BIRMINGHAM CITY
St Andrew's, St Andrew's Road, Birmingham, B9 4NH. Capacity 30,000 http://www.bcfc.com/
Last season: 2nd (promoted from Championship), FA Cup 3rd round, League Cup 2nd round
Last major trophy: League Cup 1963
Manager: Alex McLeish (since November 2007)
Players In: Barry Ferguson, Lee Bowyer, Gregory Vignal, Jay O'Shea, Christian Benitez, Giovanny Espinoza, Roger Johnson, Scott Dann, Joe Hart
Players Out: Artur Krysiak, Krystian Pearce, Mehdi Nafti, Stephen Kelly, Radhi Jaidi, Robin Shroot
Pre-season form: The Blues have suffered a wretched pre-season on the field with a record of just one win and one draw from seven games. Birmingham fans will be hoping they do not carry this form into the actual campaign after their early tour of Austria ended with three defeats - to Germans VfB Stuttgart and FC Augsburg (both 0-2), and a 3-0 reverse against Saudi Arabians Al-Hilal. Back in Britain, results did not improve and a narrow 1-0 win in Dagenham was followed up by defeats away to Nottingham Forest (1-2) and Crewe Alexandra (1-4). Blues belatedly showed some form in the 0-0 home draw with Sporting Gijon.
Prediction: 18th
Blues chief Alex McLeish may have achieved his remit of promotion but he was not averse to criticism throughout last season. Birmingham's basis for promotion was a strong defence - it had to be, as despite fielding Kevin Phillips, the attack scored just 54 goals in 46 league matches, three fewer than relegated Norwich City. Fans have waited all summer for a big name striker to be brought in but none has arrived as of yet. A long, hard campaign awaits the second-city club.

BLACKBURN ROVERS
Ewood Park, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB2 4JF. Capacity 31,367 http://www.rovers.co.uk/
Last season: 15h, FA Cup 5th round, League Cup Quarter finals
Last major trophy: League Cup 2002
Manager: Sam Allardyce (since December 2008)
Players In: Nikola Kalinic, Franco Di Santo, Gael Givet, Steven N'Zonzi, Elrio van Heerden, Lars Jacobsen
Players Out: Roque Santa Cruz, Matt Derbyshire, Aaron Mokoena, Andre Ooijer, Alex Marrow, Gavin Gunning, Alan Judge, Mark Bunn, Keith Treacy, Josh O'Keefe, Dean Winnard, Tony Kane, Tugay
Pre-season form: After a 4-0 drubbing of Blue Square Premier side Cambridge United, Rovers finished pre-season on the back of four draws. Rovers look hard to beat but may not possess enough to win too many games after stalemates against AS Roma (2-2), Leeds United (1-1) and Sheffield Wednesday (2-2) away and Hibernian (0-0) at home.
Prediction: 9th
After his unsuccessful spell at Newcastle, Sam Allardyce went some way to restoring his reputation last season when guided Blackburn away from the bottom following Paul Ince's poor start. Allardyce tightened the defence and results improved, and had his results been achieved over a full campaign, Rovers would have finished in the top half. A realistic aim for this term then, despite the loss of Roque Santa Cruz.

BOLTON WANDERERS
Reebok Stadium, Burnden Way, Lostock, Bolton, BL6 6JW. Capacity 28,723 http://www.bwfc.co.uk/
Last season: 13th, FA Cup 3rd round, League Cup 2nd round
Last major trophy: FA Cup 1958
Manager: Gary Megson (since October 2007)
Players In: Zat Knight, Paul Robinson, Sean Davis, Sam Ricketts
Players Out: None
Pre-season form: Similar to rivals Blackburn, Wanderers have remained unbeaten during pre-season but four of their five matches have been draws. Megson's men began with a 1-1 draw against Germans Borussia Moenchengladbach before a 2-1 win against the Dutch side FC Den Bosch and a 2-2 draw against SBV Eindhoven. Wanderers then drew 1-1 in Edinburgh against Hearts before a 0-0 stalemate against Hibernian at home.
Prediction: 14th
Gary Megson is the epitome of mediocrity and, while it might keep the Trotters in the Premier League for another year, it is no surprise to see the average attendance at the Reebok as just 22,485. Wanderers even went without a cup run last season, being knocked out at the first stage of both domestic competitions, as survival was prioritised. Bolton should survive this time as well, but once again it will be through the weaknesses of others more than anything else.

BURNLEY
Turf Moor, Harry Potts Way, Burnley, Lancashire, BB10 4BX. Capacity 22,546 http://www.burnleyfootballclub.com/
Last season: 5th (promoted from Championship), FA Cup 5th round, League Cup Semi finals
Last major trophy: League title 1959-60
Manager: Owen Coyle (since November 2007)
Players In: Tyrone Mears, David Edgar, Richard Eckersley, Brian Easton, Steven Fletcher
Players Out: Alex MacDonald, Alan Mahon, Gabor Kiraly, Steve Jones
Pre-season form: Worrying signs in the warm-up for the Clarets after they finished on the back of three straight losses. The early 2-1 loss to Bradford could be put down to fitness and Burnley did manage to record a win against Morecambe (3-1) in their next match, and a win (5-0 v Ventura Country Fusion) and a draw (2-2 v Portland Timbers) in their tour of the USA. Back home, they scraped a 2-2 draw with Accrington Stanley having been 2-0 down with ten minutes left before those three losses to Leeds United (1-2), Kilmarnock (0-1) and St Johnstone (0-1).
Prediction: 20th
Burnley had a truly remarkable campaign in 08-09, reaching the semi finals of the League Cup and through three rounds of the FA Cup before winning the last match of the season in the playoff final at Wembley. Along the way, they beat Fulham, Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and West Brom in a 61-match season. Their resilience should stand them in good stead for another tough campaign. There may only be 38 league matches this time but the Clarets will struggle against a permanent step up in class. After all, they are deservedly a Premier League club in name but remain a mid-table Championship club at best in budget.

CHELSEA
Stamford Bridge, Fulham Road, London, SW6 1HS. Capacity 42,449 http://www.chelseafc.com/
Last season: 3rd, FA Cup Winners, League Cup 4th round, Champions League Semi finals
Last major trophy: FA Cup 2009
Manager: Carlo Ancelotti (since June 2009)
Players In: Yuri Zhirkov, Ross Turnbull, Daniel Sturridge
Players Out: Mineiro, Miroslav Stoch, Michael Mancienne, Scott Sinclair, Ryan Bertrand, Franco Di Santo, Morten Nielsen, Lee Sawyer, Jimmy Smith, Tom Taiwo, Ben Sahar, Slobodan Rajkovic
Pre-season form: Chelsea can reflect on a successful pre-season after four wins in the United States, three of which came in their victory in the World Football Challenge where they beat former manager Jose Mourinho's Internazionale 2-0, AC Milan 2-1 and Mexico's Club America 2-0 to finish top. They had also earlier beaten Seattle Sounders 2-0. Back home, Chelsea found it tougher against Reading and needed two late goals for a 2-2 draw before another 2-2 draw against Manchester United in the Community Shield which the Blues then won 4-1 on penalties.
Prediction: Champions
Another season, another new face in the hot-seat at Stamford Bridge. This time, it is Carlo Ancelotti's turn to attempt to emulate Jose Mourinho's dominance of the Premier League. Ancelotti arrives with an excellent pedigree - two Champions League wins and a Serie A win - and has kept John Terry from straying north to Manchester. So far, however, Ancelotti has failed to make a big-name signing though it seems that a bit of stability at Stamford Bridge is exactly what is needed.

EVERTON
Goodison Park, Goodison Road, Liverpool, L4 4EL. Capacity 40,157 http://www.evertonfc.com/
Last season: 5th, FA Cup Runners up, League Cup 3rd round, Uefa Cup 1st round
Last major trophy: FA Cup 1995
Manager: David Moyes (since March 2002)
Players In: Jo, Seamus Coleman
Players Out: Lars Jacobsen, Nuno Valente, Andy van der Meyde, John Paul Kissock, John Ruddy
Pre-season form: An unconvincing set of pre-season results for David Moyes' men with mixed results. An early loss to Bury (1-2) was reversed with victory over Rochdale (4-1) but their tour of North America did not go exactly to plan with a loss to River Plate (0-1) in Alberta, Canada and only a 1-1 draw against the MLS All-Stars in Utah, though the Toffees did win 4-3 on penalties. Back home, the inconsistency continued in the 2-2 draw with Coventry City and 2-1 defeat in Blackpool before a much-improved display in the 2-1 home win against Malaga.
Prediction: 6th
After overcoming poor early home form to overhaul Aston Villa for fifth place and reaching an FA Cup Final, Everton can once again claim with ease to be the best of the rest outside the top four. That they achieved another good season without a striker on the pitch for parts of the campaign is all the more remarkable. But a failure to win any match in the league against the four sides above them shows the Toffees have hit a glass ceiling and they are likely to be too busy holding off the threat of others below them to better that statistic.

FULHAM
Craven Cottage, Stevenage Road, London, SW6 6HH. Capacity 26,600 http://www.fulhamfc.com/
Last season: 7th, FA Cup 6th round, League Cup 3rd round
Last major trophy: None
Manager: Roy Hodgson (since December 2007)
Players In: Bjorn Helge Riise, Stephen Kelly
Players Out: Collins John, Moritz Volz
Pre-season form: A shock 2-1 reverse to Gold Coast United, with two goals conceded in the last ten minutes, was not how the Cottagers envisaged they would start their tour of Australia. But comfortable wins against Melbourne Victory (3-0) and Perth Glory (5-0) made up for it. Back in England, two draws followed against Bournemouth (0-0) and Peterborough United (3-3) but Fulham completed their most important job of the summer by qualifying for the Europa League playoff stage after 3-0 wins in both legs against their Lithuanian opponents FK Vetra.
Prediction: 11th
After their great escape in 07-08, few would have predicted how well Fulham would have kicked on last season. They finished in a good seventh place and pre-season wins against FK Vetra have resulted in Europa League qualification. A solid defence was the Cottagers' blueprint for success and they conceded just 34 goals, the third lowest in the league. But a smattering of 0-0 draws away meant they rarely threatened the goal either and they only scored 39 in all, one less than relegated Newcastle. Fulham's back-line has unsurprisingly turned heads and if Brede Hangeland is sold to Arsenal, as reported, the Cottagers could find their top-half status was only temporary.

HULL CITY
The Kingston Communications Stadium, Walton Street, Hull, East Yorkshire, HU3 6HU. Capacity 25,404 http://www.hullcityafc.net/
Last season: 17th, FA Cup 6th round, League Cup 2nd round
Last major trophy: None
Manager: Phil Brown (since December 2006)
Players In: Stephen Hunt, Jozy Altidore, Seyi Olofinjana, Steven Mouyokolo
Players Out: James Bennett, Matt Plummer, Sam Ricketts, Ryan Francce, John Welsh, Wayne Brown, Dean Windass, Michael Bridges
Pre-season form: The Tigers had two early warm-up wins against North Ferriby United (6-1)and Carlisle United (2-1) before a 0-0 draw with Sheffield Wednesday. Phil Brown's men then took part in the Barclays Asia Premier League trophy and scraped past hosts Beijing Guoan on penalties after a 1-1 draw before a poor display in the final in a 3-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur. The 1-0 home loss to Aberdeen in their final match does little to inspire confidence.
Prediction: 19th
The Tigers roared at the start of the 08-09 campaign with six wins and 20 points from their opening nine matches and it was this blistering start which ultimately kept them up. Reality soon caught up with Hull, however, and from Christmas onwards in particular, they plummeted down the table and shipped a load of goals. Phil Brown's infamous half-time team talk on the pitch when 4-0 down at Man City only seemed to worsen the situation and they won only once in the league in the second half of the campaign - at Fulham with a last-minute goal. It is unlikely Hull will enjoy such a good start this time around or find three teams as generously incompetent as Newcastle, Middlesbrough and West Brom to finish below them.

LIVERPOOL
Anfield, Anfield Road, Liverpool, L4 0TH. Capacity 45,522 http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/
Last season: 2nd, FA Cup 4th round, League Cup 4th round, Champions League Quarter finals
Last major trophy: FA Cup 2006
Manager: Rafael Benitez (since June 2004)
Players In: Alberto Aquilani, Glen Johnson
Players Out: Xabi Alonso, Alvaro Arbeloa, Jermaine Pennant, Sami Hyypia, Paul Anderson, Adam Hammill, Ryan Flynn, Sebastian Leto, Jack Hobbs, Miki Rogue
Pre-season form: A patchy pre-season for the Reds began in Europe and a 0-0 draw with Swiss side St Gallen before a 1-0 loss to Austrians Rapid Vienna. Even the tour to the Far East brought little early joy after a 1-1 draw with Thailand before, finally, a victory - and, indeed, a 5-0 thumping of Singapore. The Reds then beat Norweigans Lyn (2-0) before showing their vulnerabilities once again in a 2-1 home loss against Atletico Madrid.
Prediction: 3rd
Liverpool had their best Premier League season under Rafa Benitez in 2008-09, finishing second and achieving doubles over Manchester United and Chelsea including a memorable 4-1 win at Old Trafford. Indeed the Reds became the only English club ever to lose just twice in a campaign but fail to win the league. The failure to break down teams from outside the top four, especially at Anfield, proved their undoing although the team at least looked less reliant on Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres than previously. Even for £30m, the loss of Xabi Alonso is a huge blow, however, and splurging over half the money on Glen Johnson is questionable at best. It all means Liverpool end the summer with a squad which looks no closer to winning their 19th title, 19 years after their last.

MANCHESTER CITY
City of Manchester Stadium, SportCity, Manchester, M11 3FF. Capacity 47,726 http://www.mcfc.co.uk/
Last season: 10th, FA Cup 3rd round, League Cup 2nd round, Uefa Cup Quarter finals
Last major trophy: League Cup 1976
Manager: Mark Hughes (since June 2008)
Players In: Kolo Toure, Emmanuel Adebayor, Carlos Tevez, Gareth Barry, Roque Santa Cruz, Stuart Taylor
Players Out: Valeri Bojinov, Elano, Ched Evans, Donal McDermott, Shaleum Logan, Felipe Caicedo, Gelson Fernandes, Jo, Daniel Sturridge, Joe Hart, Berti Glauber, Richard Martin, Angelos Tsiaklis, Danny Mills, Michael Ball, Darius Vassell, Dietmar Hamann
Pre-season form: City's pre-season form has been patchy at best with the new signings taking time to bed in. City came from behind for a 1-1 draw with Germans 1860 Munich before embarking on the Vodacom Challenge in South Africa. In Polokwane, they were beaten 2-0 by Orlando Pirates before a 1-0 win over Kaizer Chiefs in Durban. When they met the Chiefs again in Pretoria, it finished 1-0 to the hosts, however. Back home, City scraped a 1-1 draw with Barnsley before a 3-2 loss to Rangers in Glasgow and a 2-1 home win against Celtic.
Prediction: 5th
Backed by Sheikh Mansour in Zayed al-Nahyan, who has a fortune estimated at £33bn, moneybags Manchester City have spent the summer putting the noses of the top four out of joint by competing directly. Much was made of the capture of Carlos Tevez, not least by the Argentine himself who confirmed what was largely suspected about Manchester United not wanting to keep him. City will pinpoint Arsenal as the most likely of the top four to be caught and have arguably weakened the Gunners further by signing Emmanuel Adebayor and Kolo Toure. But they have so far failed to plug a leaky defence with John Terry opting to stay and Chelsea and with so many strikers at the club but no European football, it will be interesting to see how manager Mark Hughes keeps them all satisfied. Hughes has pleaded for patience from the fans but can expect little of it from the owners if matters tailspin out of control.

MANCHESTER UNITED
Old Trafford, Sir Matt Busby Way, Manchester, M16 0RA. Capacity 76,000 http://www.manutd.com/
Last season: Champions, FA Cup Semi finals, League Cup Winners, Champions League Runners-up
Last major trophy: Premier League 2008-09
Manager: Sir Alex Ferguson (since November 1986)
Players In: Michael Owen, Antonio Valencia, Gabriel Obertan
Players Out: Cristiano Ronaldo, Manucho, Richard Eckersley, Fraizer Campbell, Lee Martin, Rodrigo Possebon
Pre-season form: United's traditional tour of East Asia was a success on the field as well as off it with four wins out of four, including an 8-2 thumping of Hangzhou Greentown in the fourth game. Earlier, new signing Michael Owen scored in both wins over Malaysia XI (3-2, then 2-0) before a 3-2 win over FC Seoul. United then took part in the Audi Cup, beating Boca Juniors 2-1 before losing on penalties to Bayern Munich after a 0-0 draw in the final. United followed up the tournament with a 2-0 home win against Valencia in front of a full-house before more penalty misery against Chelsea in the FA Community Shield after a 2-2 draw.
Prediction: 2nd
Manchester United enter the season chasing history - no other club has won the English league title for four successive seasons. But they also enter the season on the back of a Champions League final humbling to Barcelona and the inevitable loss of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid in a world-record £80m transfer. In response, Sir Alex Ferguson has taken a gamble on the former England attack partnership of Wayne Rooney and Owen, particularly after Owen's dreadful last six months at Newcastle. Antonio Valencia is unproven at this size of club and there are early injury problems to Nani and Nemanja Vidic. But United's squad remains strong throughout as shown by their young prodigy Federico Macheda bursting on the scene at the back end of 08-09. A repeat of the 14 consecutive clean sheets is surely too much to ask for, but United's strong defence will be the basis for another strong challenge from Old Trafford.

PORTSMOUTH
Fratton Park, Frogmore Road, Portsmouth, PO4 8RA. Capacity 20,224 http://www.portsmouthfc.co.uk/
Last season: 14th, FA Cup 4th round, League Cup 3rd round, Uefa Cup Group stage
Last major trophy: FA Cup 2008
Manager: Paul Hart (since February 2009)
Players In: Anthony Vanden Borre, Antti Niemi, Steve Finnan, Aaron Mokoena
Players Out: Peter Crouch, Glen Johnson, Sol Campbell, Glen Little, Martin Cranie, Arnold Mvuemba, Noe Pamarot, Jerome Thomas, Andre Blackman, Andrea Mbuyi-Mutombo, Sean Davis, Lauren, Djimi Traore
Pre-season form: Pompey began their warm-up as usual with matches against local sides to build fitness, drawing 2-2 with Havant & Waterlooville and 0-0 with Basingstoke Town before thrashing Eastleigh 6-1. The tour of Portugal which followed was not a success, however, as they lost 2-0 to Guimaraes and 4-0 to Benfica. The 2-0 home win against SPL champions Rangers on their return has eased some concerns.
Prediction: 17th
Just 15 months ago, all looked rosy in the Pompey garden. A brilliant FA Cup win backed up an excellent 2007-08 campaign in which they finished eighth. But dark times were just around the corner and all was not what it seemed with the finances. Harry Redknapp left for Tottenham and Jermaine Defoe followed him back to Spurs in January. This summer, Peter Crouch made it a hat-trick of departures to White Hart Lane, leaving Pompey short up front. Pompey survived last season, safe in the knowledge that there were at least five teams worse than them - but this year looks like being a much closer call.

STOKE CITY
Britannia Stadium, Stanley Matthews Way, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 4EG. Capacity 27,500 http://www.stokecityfc.com/
Last season: 12th, FA Cup 3rd round, League Cup Quarter finals
Last major trophy: League Cup 1972
Manager: Tony Pulis (since June 2006)
Players In: Dean Whitehead
Players Out: Seyi Olofinjana, Robert Garrett, Vincent Pericard, Jimmy Phillips
Pre-season form: The Potters finished pre-season without a single win to their name in eight matches and will hope last season's away woes will not continue into this campaign. The warm-ups started with two losses on the same day to local sides Newcastle Town (0-2) and Nantwich Town (1-2) before another loss in Germany to St Pauli (1-3). A 1-1 draw in Israel against Hapoel Tel Aviv was followed by a disappointing 2-1 loss at Deepdale to Preston before three successive draws at Nottingham Forest (1-1), Derby County (2-2) and at home against Real Valladolid (2-2).
Prediction: 13th
Written off as no-hopers before the start of last season, then derided as long-ball merchants during it, Stoke City surprised many to finish in a comfortable 12th place. The latter part of the criticism was actually true for much of the season and almost a quarter of the Potters' goals were as a direct result of Rory Delap's huge throw-ins which slow and distort the match. But, with their place in the top flight looking more and more secure, City undoubtedly improved in the second half of the campaign and added some guile to their play through Matthew Etherington and James Beattie, both signed in January. Their away form could do with much improvement, however, and Pulis will want to ensure his team is safe before visits to Stamford Bridge and Old Trafford in last three games of the season.

SUNDERLAND
Stadium of Light, Sunderland, SR5 1SU. Capacity 49,000 http://www.safc.com/
Last season: 16th, FA Cup 4th round, League Cup 4th round
Last major trophy: FA Cup 1973
Manager: Steve Bruce (since June 2009)
Players In: Darren Bent, Lee Cattermole, Lorik Cana, Fraizer Campbell, Paulo Da Silva
Players Out: Dean Whitehead, Nick Colgan, Greg Halford, Michael Chopra, Peter Hartley, Arnau Riera, David Connolly, Dwight Yorke, Darren Ward, Jean-Yves Mvoto, Martyn Waghorn, David Dowson, Jamie Chandler, Jack Colback
Pre-season form: The Black Cats have had a generally good pre-season with early wins against Darlington (4-0) and Oldham Athletic (2-1). Bruce's men then took part in the annual Amsterdam Tournament and did well to come back after a 2-0 loss to Benfica by winning with the same score against Atletico Madrid. Back in Britain, new signing Darren Bent scored in a 2-1 win against Celtic before another win against Peterborough United (2-0) and a draw against Hearts (1-1).
Prediction: 12th
Six weeks after their first home Tyne-Wear derby victory against Newcastle since 1980, Roy Keane was gone. A drop in form after the landmark match in October and behind the scenes changes left the Irishman frustrated but it also left Sunderland in trouble. A brief resurgence under Ricky Sbragia came and went quickly and the second half of the season became a familiar struggle. Indeed, the Black Cats were somewhat fortunate to stay up on just 36 points as neighbours Newcastle and Middlesbrough miserably failed to take advantage. Sbragia honourably fell on his sword and Steve Bruce was brought in after relative success
at Wigan. The signing of Darren Bent, who rarely looked happy at Spurs, should mean Sunderland improve on a terrible return of 34 league goals in 2008-09. But the defence, which conceded 23 points from winning positions, remains a concern.

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
White Hart Lane, Bill Nicholson Way, 748 High Road, Tottenham, London, N17 0AP. Capacity 36,300 http://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/
Last season: 8th, FA Cup 4th round, League Cup Runners-up, Uefa Cup Last 32
Last major trophy: League Cup 2008
Manager: Harry Redknapp (since October 2008)
Players In: Peter Crouch, Sebastien Bassong, Kyle Naughton, Kyle Walker
Players Out: Darren Bent, Gilberto, Chris Gunther, Jacques Maghoma, Didier Zokora, Ricardo Rocha, Jonathan Obika, Jake Livermore, Adel Taarabt, Adam Smith, Andros Townsend, Kyle Walker, Ben Alnwick, David Button, Ryan Mason, Troy Archibald-Henville
Pre-season form: Spurs enjoyed early pre-season wins against Exeter City (3-0), Bournemouth (3-0) and Championship outfit Peterborough United (4-0) before disappointment in their Wembley Cup campaign during which they drew one match, albeit against European Cup winners Barcelona (1-1), and lost one match, to Celtic (0-2). Spurs did much better in their next pre-season tournament, beating West Ham United (1-0) and Hull City (3-0) to win the Barclays Asia Premier League trophy, before a surprise 2-0 loss to South China. But a final 3-0 home victory over Olympiacos showed Spurs were ready for the new season.
Prediction: 7th
Spurs' customary slow start cost them again last season and they had to settle for eighth. Indeed 2008-09 looked as if it was going to be a carbon copy of the 07-08 campaign when a slow start resulted in a change of manager before an upturn in fortunes peaked with an appearance in the Carling Cup final. This time, however, Spurs lost the final to Manchester United on penalties as new manager Harry Redknapp made his third personal visit to Wembley in under a year after his success at Portsmouth. His time at Fratton Park undoubtedly made him top choice for Spurs and, having raided his old club for Peter Crouch, it is now up to wily Redknapp to prove his worth.

WEST HAM UNITED
Boleyn Ground, Green Street, Upton Park, London, E13 9AZ. Capacity 35,303 http://www.whufc.com/
Last season: 9th, FA Cup 5th, League Cup 3rd round
Last major trophy: FA Cup 1980
Manager: Gianfranco Zola (since September 2008)
Players In: Fabio Daprela, Peter Kurucz, Herita Ilunga, Luis Jiminez
Players Out: Diego Tristan, Lee Bowyer, Joe Widdowson, Kyel Reid, Freddie Sears
Pre-season form: The Hammers had just one warm-up win as they began with a two-week training camp in Austria and a 1-1 draw with local side SVL Flavia Solva. Their big match of the week against Germans Werder Bremen fell victim to torrential Austrian rain but the Hammers did manage another 1-1 draw in the match against Turks Bursaspor and a third draw against Slovenians ND Mura (0-0). United then played in the Barclays Premier League Asia trophy but were beaten 1-0 by Tottenham Hotspur before a reassuring 2-0 win against Beijing Guoan in the 3/4th place match. A disappointing 1-0 home defeat against Napoli in the Sir Bobby Moore match completed a build-up which featured just four goals.
Prediction: 10th
West Ham will be looking to avoid a repeat of the start of last season when the club was thrown into turmoil after Alan Curbishley's unexpected decision to resign. Then, to make matters worse, the economy in Iceland collapsed leaving the Hammers' owners skint. In the circumstances, Gianfranco Zola did an excellent job in guiding West Ham to a typical haven of mid-table safety. Indeed, his finishing position of ninth was one place higher than Curbishley had achieved in 07-08. But with money still tight, Zola will have to work wonders again for another repeat.

WIGAN ATHLETIC
DW Stadium, Loire Drive, Robin Park, Wigan, WN5 0UH. Capacity 25,135 http://www.wiganlatics.co.uk/
Last season: 11th, FA Cup 3rd round, League Cup 4th round
Last major trophy: None
Manager: Roberto Martinez (since June 2009)
Players In: Jason Scotland, James McCarthy, Hendry Thomas, Jordi Gomez, Scott Sinclair
Players Out: Antonio Valencia, Antoine Sibierski, Henri Camara, Lewis Montrose, Lee Cattermole
Pre-season form: Except for a 4-1 thumping of rivals Preston at Deepdale, the Latics have not enjoyed the best of pre-seasons. A 1-0 loss to Crewe Alexandra was followed by a 1-1 draw against German side Hannover 96. A draw and a loss were also the results of their tour of East Europe against Romanians FCU Timisoara (0-2) and Bulgarians PFC Minyor (1-1) before they hit Preston for four on their return. Wigan then lost 3-2 to League One Norwich City before a 3-1 win in their last match at home against SPL team St Mirren.
Prediction: 16th
Life after Steve Bruce for Wigan Athletic does not look easy. Bruce had guided the Latics to 11th place which could have been higher but for a drop in form after Christmas following the departure of Emile Heskey and the loss of form and attitude by Amir Zaki, who was a revelation in the opening months but a pain as winter hit. The tough second half of the season probably made Bruce's mind up about the offer from Sunderland, leaving Wigan to pick up the pieces. In fairness, the Latics have done as well as they could have hoped and new manager Roberto Martinez was lauded for his excellent style of football with Swansea in the Championship. Latics fans will be hoping the youngest manager in the league at 36 will overcome his inexperience of the top flight quickly and the same carpet football is replicated at the DW Stadium. Some goals from new signing Jason Scotland, also brought in from Swansea, could be the difference between safety and the drop.

WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS
Molineux, Waterloo Road, Wolverhampton, WV1 4QR. Capacity 28,525 http://www.wolves.co.uk/
Last season: 1st (promoted from the Championship), FA Cup 4th round, League Cup 2nd round
Last major trophy: League Cup 1980
Manager: Mick McCarthy (since July 2006)
Players In: Kevin Doyle, Andrew Surman, Marcus Hahnemann, Nenad Milijas, Greg Halford, Ronald Zubar, Michael Mancienne
Players Out: Darren Potter, Lewis Gobern
Pre-season form: After success in an early Australian tour with wins against Perth Glory (1-0) and North Queensland Fury (2-1), Wolves have had patchy form in the warm-ups with three wins and three losses from six matches, five of which were away. An early 1-0 win against Black Country opposition Walsall was followed by losses to Port Vale (1-2) and Bristol City (0-2). Mick McCarthy's men then beat Crewe Alexandra 1-0 and Scunthorpe United 4-2 in their best performance of the summer before a disappointing 2-0 home defeat to Real Valladolid.
Prediction: 16th
Wolverhampton Wanderers and Mick McCarthy both have unfinished business with the Premier League. Wolves were last in the top-flight in 03-04 but an opening 5-1 loss to Blackburn set the scene for a season of struggle in which they ended bottom with just seven wins, and no away success. McCarthy, of course, has few good memories of this league himself, leading Sunderland to relegations in 2003 and 2006 with then-record low points totals of 19 and 15. Six seasons on, Wolves arguably have the same Achilles heel that undermined their last Premier League campaign - a leaky defence which conceded 52 goals last season. But another blistering start like last year will give Wolves and McCarthy a real chance of absolution.

All transfers and pre-season results correct as of 2pm on Friday, August 14. Transfer window shuts on Monday, August 31.

The Ashes - Fourth Test: Australia wrap up emphatic win to level series

Australia 445 beat England 102 & 263 by an innings and 80 runs
Scorecard

AUSTRALIA completed a crushing innings victory over England inside three days at Headingley to level the series at 1-1.

Mitchell Johnson took 5-69 in England's second innings as the hosts were dismissed for 263 on Sunday afternoon to round off a nightmare match from start to finish.

Before play had even begun on the opening day, it had already gone horribly wrong.

A fire alarm went off at the Leeds hotel where England were staying at 5.30am to disrupt their sleep.

Then Andrew Flintoff, playing in his last Test series, was forced to pull out with his knee injury.

And, to make matters worse, wicketkeeper Matt Prior went down after a back spasm from playing football in the warm up.

Australia captain Ricky Ponting agreed to delay the toss for 10 minutes which allowed time for Prior to declare himself fit. England won the toss and elected to bat.

By lunch, however, England were 72-6 after an inspired bowling performance from Stuart Clark who replaced spinner Nathan Hauritz and led a four-pronged seam attack.

Strauss should have been out lbw first ball to Ben Hilfenhaus but was out shortly afterwards for three to a brilliant catch by Marcus North off Peter Siddle.

The middle order of Ravi Bopara, Ian Bell and Paul Collingwood failed, scoring one, eight and a duck respectively as Hilfenhaus, Johnson and Clark joined the fun.

Clark then took the wickets of Cook (a respectable 30) and Broad (three) to leave England in a desperate situation less than two hours after deciding to bat.

Matters deteriorated further after lunch as Siddle ran through the tail to finish with figures of 5-21.

Graeme Swann and Steve Harmison departed without scoring and James Anderson followed for just two.

Siddle wrapped up the innings as Graham Onions fell first ball to become the fourth England player in the innings to be out for a duck.

Having been bowled out for 102, England's only chance was to produce a similarly excellent, disciplined bowling performance.

But, despite Harmison taking an early wicket of Katich for nought, England somehow managed to bowl worse than they had batted.

Their balls were consistently pitched short and wide to the delight of Shane Watson and Ricky Ponting who both made easy half centuries to give the Aussies the lead after tea.

The wickets of Watson and Ponting both fell one after another in the evening session to lbw decisions as Onions and Broad belatedly pitched it up.

But after Broad removed Mike Hussey again off an lbw, North joined Michael Clarke at the crease to start compiling another huge partnership as Australia closed day one on 196-4, 94 runs ahead.

At the start of day two, England would have hoped for quick wickets to try and somehow stay in the game but Clarke and North took advantage of more woeful bowling.

They scored at the rate of a limited overs match in the opening session and both recorded half centuries to build another large partnership of 152.

Just before lunch, Clarke was dismissed, seven short of his ton, when Onions trapped him lbw off a full-toss.

And, though North lost Brad Haddin for 14 shortly after the break, he continued to rack up the runs and move towards his century.

North was ably supported by Johnson who made 27 before Broad took two wickets in two balls to remove Johnson and then Siddle.

Stuart Clark survived the hat-trick ball and played an entertaining cameo for 32 before Broad took his wicket and that of North in quick succession to finish with Test best figures of 6-91.

By then, North had scored 110 as Australia reached 445, a massive lead of 343 runs.

England were in an impossible situation and would need to bat for at least two days to save the match when before they were all out inside two sessions.

This time, Strauss started much better against the aggressive Aussie attack and, along with his fellow opener Cook, they guided England to 58-0.

But then England collapsed again and proceeded to lose five wickets for 20 runs off 44 balls.

Ben Hilfenhaus began the carnage, trapping Strauss for a plumb lbw on 33 before Bopara departed next ball to a harsh lbw call.

Bell almost edged the hat-trick ball but was out moments later to a catch by Ponting off buoyant bowling from Johnson for three.

Johnson took two more wickets before stumps as Collingwood fell lbw for four and Cook was caught behind by Haddin on 30 again.

England were 82-5, still an embarrassing 261 runs behind and few expected the match to last more than one session of the third day.

That presumption was only further strengthened when England lost a wicket in the opening over of the day.

Hilfenhaus was again responsible for the early damage as nightwatchman Anderson edged straight to Ponting at second slip on four.

Half an hour later, Hilfenhaus had also dismissed Prior for 22 as Haddin took another catch behind the stumps and left England on the brink.

But, with the match over, Swann and Broad were freed from the responsibility of serious chasing and instead provided a hugely entertaining stand of what was described by TMS as "cultured slogging".

Clark's bowling was attacked in particular as a remarkable 73 runs were taken from just 5.3 overs in a partnership of 108 from just 78 balls to the delight of a Headingley crowd which had until then had very little to cheer.

Broad was finally out for 61, attempting another pull off Siddle, only to be caught at backward square leg by Watson.

But Swann continued attacking and reached his second Test half-century as England unexpectedly survived until lunch.

It wasn't to last, however, and Johnson came out with renewed vigour to lead the Aussies to victory.

Swann on 62 hung his bat out at a wide ball and nicked it behind to Haddin who took his sixth catch of the game.

And, two overs later, Johnson finally put England out their misery when Onions was bowled through the gate for his pair.

It is rather remarkable that, after this horror show, England could still win the Ashes for only the second time in 20 years.

But, having somehow survived at Cardiff, got the lead at Lord's and kept the momentum at Edgbaston, England have undone all their good work in just over two days.

The urn is in Australian hands and theirs to lose.

Serious questions must be asked about England's middle order which failed in the absence of Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen.

Bopara, Bell and Collingwood managed just 16 runs between them in two innings.

England's bowling will also have to be much more consistent if they are to stand a chance of winning at the Brit Oval in the decider.

It remains to be seen if Harmison will be used again after his limited influence on this match and it looks as if the selectors will be praying Flintoff is fit.

But, even if Flintoff crowns his career and England manage a repeat of four years ago, the Ashes will once again have been won on foundations of sand.

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EARLIER CLOSE OF PLAY REPORTS
Day Two (close)
England 102 [Siddle 5-21] & 82-5 v
Australia 445 [Watson 51, Ponting 78, Clarke 93, North 110; Broad 6-91]

DISMAL England faced the prospect of an innings defeat inside three days as Australia continued their utter dominance of the fourth Test on the second day at Headingley.

Andrew Strauss's men were on 82-5 in their second innings at close, still 261 runs behind the Australians' score of 445.

Australia resumed the day on 196-4 with Michael Clarke and Marcus North at the crease as England searched for quick wickets as their only way back into the game.

But the pair, who put on a stand of 185 in the last match to ensure a draw, took advantage of more woeful bowling.

They scored at the rate of a limited overs match in the opening session and both recorded half centuries to build another large partnership of 152.

Just ten minutes before lunch, Clarke finally fell. He was seven runs short of his century and, unsurprisingly, highly frustrated in the manner in which he was out - lbw to a full toss from Graham Onions.

England had more joy after the break as Brad Haddin was dismissed for just 14, unable to deal with a short-pitched delivery from Steve Harmison and caught at leg slip by Ian Bell.

Mitchell Johnson hung around for a bit and assisted North, and in doing so he recorded 27 before being caught by Ravi Bopara off Stuart Broad's bowling.

Peter Siddle could not do likewise and was out first ball as Broad removed his off-stump to move onto a hat-trick opportunity.

In the meantime, North brought up his century with a smashing six off Graeme Swann before, in the next over, new man Stuart Clark scored a streaky four off Broad's hat-trick ball.

Clark's cameo at number ten ended with an inside edge onto his stumps as Broad picked up his fifth wicket.

And, though it will come as little consolation to the young Notts seamer, he finished the job for Test best figures of 6-91 when North attempted another big six, only to find James Anderson on the square leg boundary.

North was eventually out for 110, and Australia were all out for 445, a mammoth innings lead of 343 as tea was taken.

England were in an impossible hole and would need to bat for at least two days to save the match and even then that might not be enough.

Strauss and his opening partner Alastair Cook started reasonably well against some hostile bowling as Strauss fended off Siddle's own hat-trick ball, carried over from his tidying up of England's first innings.

The pair surprised many to surpass the half century without the loss of a wicket but it was only a matter of time before the Aussie pressure told.

Strauss was lbw to an inswinger from Ben Hilfenhaus for 33 and the dreadfully out-of-sorts Bopara followed in identical fashion first ball to put Hilfenhaus on a hat-trick.

Bell hung out a bat and was fortunate not to nick the hat-trick ball but he was gone shortly afterwards.

He had scored just three when the much improved Johnson induced an edge and Ponting snaffled a catch in the slips to leave England on 67-3 with six overs of play left for the day.

But, still the wickets fell. Paul Collingwood had only just surpassed Bell's measly effort when he was out lbw to Johnson for four.

Then, to the bemusement of everyone in Leeds, England had the nerve to send out James Anderson in his role as nightwatchman.

Anderson managed to score to extend his record of not being out for a duck to 54 innings but he failed to protect Cook who became Johnson's third victim of the innings on 30, caught behind by Haddin.

Thankfully, with wickets tumbling anyway and the match long gone, England did not send out another bowler to see out the rest of the day.

But Matt Prior was lucky to reach the close when he edged the last ball of the day from Johnson and was dropped in the slips by North.

It was probably the only thing that went wrong for the Aussies, however, and they will carry all the momentum into the final Test at the Oval, as well as a 1-1 score in the series.

England must play for pride and hold off their opponents for as long as possible on the third day to give themselves some hope for the decider which begins on August 20.

But, the destiny of this match has long since been decided, and in just the two days, the series has turned unquestionably in the Aussies' favour .

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Day One (close)
England 102 [Siddle 5-21] v Australia 196-4 [Watson 51, Ponting 78]

ENGLAND had a disastrous start to the fourth Test as they lost talisman Andrew Flintoff to injury before being bowled out for just 102 on a typically dramatic day at Headlingley.

It started to go wrong for the hosts before a ball had even been bowled when Flintoff, playing in his last Test series, was ruled out due to his knee problem and replaced by Steve Harmison.

And there was further chaos in the build up when wicketkeeper Matt Prior suffered a back spasm playing football in the warm up.

Australia captain Ricky Ponting agreed to delay the toss for 10 minutes and so returned the kind gesture from England in the last match which allowed Brad Haddin to be replaced at the last minute.

By the time toss took place, with England winning it and electing to bat, Prior was declared fit to the relief of some England fans who had seen Paul Collingwood don the gloves.

But the nightmare had only just begun as England went on to score their lowest Ashes total since 1997.

Flummoxed with their own selection problems, Australia brought in Stuart Clark for Nathan Hauritz and so took the unusual step of fielding a bowling attack without a frontline spinner.

But in humid conditions under partly cloudy skies at Leeds, the decision paid dividends as the Australians' four-pronged seam attack ripped into England from the very start.

England captain Andrew Strauss should have been out first ball to Ben Hilfenhaus but somehow survived a strong lbw shout.

It didn't matter much. With just a score of three runs, Strauss got an outside edge to Peter Siddle's ball and he was caught magnificently in the slips by Marcus North.

Ravi Bopara was next to go for a single run, as he wafted vaguely outside of off-stump only to be caught by Mike Hussey as Hilfenhaus got his man.

Shortly afterwards, Mitchell Johnson signalled his intent with a bouncer which Ian Bell could only manage to glove behind to Haddin on eight.

Then, in the run-up lunch, the recalled Clark showed why he should have featured for Australia earlier in the series.

He got his first wicket as Collingwood departed for a duck after edging to Ponting to leave England in dire straits on 42-4.

Alastair Cook departed in identical fashion - Ponting taking the catch in the slips off Clark - though he had at least contributed to 30 of England's 63 runs at that stage.

And in the last over of the session, Stuart Broad completed a miserable morning for England when he played Clark off his pads but rammed the ball straight to short square-leg.

After lunch, matters predictably deteriorated further as Siddle took centre stage to clean up and ended the innings with 5-21, only his second Test five-for.

Prior tried in vain to look after the tail while compiling an unbeaten 37, England's only respectable score except maybe for Cook.

But, with Siddle in fine form, Prior had little support. Graeme Swann spooned a simple catch to Michael Clarke at first slip, for a duck.

Then Harmison added to his collection of 19 Test ducks by edging Siddle behind to Haddin.

James Anderson at least scored two runs before also being caught by Haddin and so the Lancastrian maintained his remarkable record of never having been out for a duck in 53 Test innings.

But Graham Onions perished first ball, caught by Simon Katich off Siddle, to become the fourth England batsmen in the innings to get out without scoring.

Onions' wicket was the last to fall and, at 102 all out, left England in a sorry state, needing a mammoth bowling performance to haul themselves back in the match.

The first over of the Aussie innings was given to Anderson but his first two balls were both despatched to the boundary for the worst possible start.

England did manage to claim an early breakthrough when Harmison had Katich caught at gully by Bopara without scoring.

But, generally, England's bowling was somehow even worse than their batting.

Short and wide balls from all of the bowlers were punished by the Aussies who scored freely at around five an over to reach tea on 69-1, just 33 runs behind.

There was some improvement after tea with Onions and Broad pitching the ball up more with both rewarded by lbw decisions.

First, Onions took the wicket of Watson who had just scored his third half-century in three innings.

Then, Broad took the prize scalp of Ponting but only after the Aussie captain had scored 78, including 12 fours and a delightful six.

Broad won another lbw decision when he trapped Mike Hussey for just 10 with a ball that would have clipped leg according to Hawkeye.

But that brought Clarke and North to the crease, and the in-form pair, who enjoyed an 185-run partnership to ensure a draw in the third Test, guided Australia to the close on 196-4, a lead already of 94.

Having worked so hard to hold off the Aussies in Cardiff, take the lead convincingly at Lord's and keep the momentum going at Edgbaston, it all seems such a waste with the series destined to be 1-1 and the prospect of this match finishing inside three days.

Australia are almost certain to carry a big lead into the second innings, meaning England will be required to bat for at least two days to save the Test.

Today they failed to bat for two sessions.

The Ashes - Third Test: Aussies regain form to save the draw with ease

Australia 263 & 375-5 drew with England 376
Scorecard

AUSTRALIA secured the draw with ease by batting out the whole of the final day of the third Test at Edgbaston.

Michael Clarke (103 not out) and Marcus North (96) shared a huge partnership of 185 runs to keep the series at 1-0 to England.

The hosts had done well to arrive on the final day with genuine hopes of forcing a victory out of a match which lost six sessions to rain.

The Aussies resumed on 88-2, still 25 behind, and they lost another two wickets in the morning session to keep England's chance of victory alive.

Shane Watson reached his half century an hour into the day's play. But he departed just three runs later in the next over when he nicked an edge behind to Matt Prior off a full delivery from James Anderson.

And when Mike Hussey, who also made a cool half-century after his duck in the first innings, was caught by Prior off the bowling of Stuart Broad, there were still 20 minutes until lunch.

Australia were, in effect, at 50-4 and on shaky ground as England sensed the chance to go two up with two to play.

When North joined Clarke at the crease, however, neither batsmen panicked and they were soon each hitting some shots to compile a big score.

England's bowlers struggled for the swing which put the Australians in trouble in the first innings though it could have been so different if captain Andrew Strauss had held onto a catch from Clarke just after lunch.

As it was, that dropped catch was just about the last opportunity on a disappointing final day as the Aussie batsmen expertly relieved the pressure and reached 293-4 at tea, a lead of 180 runs.

After tea, there was one final late wicket when North fell four runs short of his ton, attempting to drive a slower ball from Broad, only to be caught magnificently by Anderson.

Play continued for less than an hour after that as Graham Manou (13 not out) assisted man of the match Clarke who reached his century before the captains agreed on a draw at 1750BST with 13.4 overs remaining.

So ultimately the weather was the key factor of this Test. Play did not start until after tea on the first day and the second day was cut short before a complete washout on the third.

By then, England had manoeuvred themselves into a good position after seven wickets fell on the morning session of day two with Australia all out for 263.

On Sunday, a good day of positive batting from England, especially by the ailing and wicketless Andrew Flintoff and Prior, gave them a lead of 113 runs and set up an unlikely push for victory.

But, if anything, the momentum then shifted in favour of the Aussie batsmen after several - Watson, Hussey, Clarke and North - used the time to play themselves into form.

Indeed, the Aussies ended up with a handsome enough lead of 262 with five wickets still remaining at close.

And they could easily argue that, had there been more time in the match, they would have put pressure on England's chase in the second innings.

Strauss should not feel too downhearted, though. England controlled most of this game and at least put themselves in a position where they could not lose it with a day left.

Looking forward, England know that a win at Headlingley will give them an unassailable 2-0 lead and a return of the Ashes urn.

The majority of the pressure remains with the Aussies.

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EARLIER CLOSE OF PLAY REPORTS
Day Four (close)
Australia 263 [Watson 62; Anderson 5-80] & 88-2 v
England 376 [Strauss 69, Bell 53, Flintoff 74, Broad 55]

ANDREW Flintoff has given England the chance to pull off victory with a fine batting display on the fourth day of the third Test at Edgbaston.

Flintoff scored 74 as England established an innings lead of 113 runs before the wickets of Simon Katich and Ricky Ponting fell to leave the Aussies still 25 behind on 88-2 at close.

After play was abandoned on day three without a ball being bowled, on top of a rain-affected opening two days, this match looked like it would simply amble to a tame draw.

But some positive batting by Flintoff, aided by Matt Prior, has put England in with an outside chance of an unlikely win and, importantly, batted Australia out of the game.

England resumed on 116-2 but the tourists enjoyed the best of the curtailed morning session which began at midday and lasted only an hour.

Skipper Andrew Strauss added only five runs to his overnight 64 before he snicked a ball by Ben Hilfenhaus behind into the hands of Graham Manou.

Then, two balls before lunch, Paul Collingwood irresponsibly edged straight to Ponting at second slip as Hilfenhaus struck again.

The momentum looked as if it was going to stay with Australia after the break.

Ian Bell, who had previously survived two strong lbw shouts for his 53, was not reprieved for a third time as Mitchell Johnson took his first wicket of the innings.

But Bell's departure brought Flintoff to the crease alongside Prior and the pair proceeded to take the game away from the Aussies completely with a free-scoring partnership of 89.

Prior was eventually out caught by sub fielder Philip Hughes after a sloppy shot off the bottom of his bat to an average-looking ball by Peter Siddle on 41.

And, although England also lost Flintoff by tea, most of the damage had been done by then with the hosts enjoying a lead of 53.

Flintoff departed in a most anti-climatic manner which was completely out of keeping with the rest of an innings which featured 10 fours and a six.

Nathan Hauritz spun a ball which spat and turned slowly off the pitch to Flintoff who could only glove it to Michael Clarke at first slip.

After tea, Stuart Broad batted well with the tail as England took their lead beyond 100.

Graeme Swann provided some assistance for Broad before he was out for 24, caught by Marcus North off Johnson's bowling.

James Anderson could not repeat his past heroics but still managed to score a single run before being caught by Manou off Hilfenhaus.

Thus, Anderson preserved his remarkable record of never having been out for a duck in Test cricket in 52 innings.

Finally, Graham Onions helped Broad achieve his half-century before the Notts all-rounder hit a return catch to Siddle on 55 to end the innings.

The Aussie openers took the crease under pressure with a deficit of 113 runs but Shane Watson and Katich started intelligently to reach 47-0.

Katich then suffered a moment of madness and snicked a full delivery from Onions behind to Prior.

When skipper Ponting was magnificently bowled moments later by the spin of Swann for just five runs, Edgbaston erupted and an Aussie collapse was in the air.

Better still, the out-of-form Mike Hussey was next to the crease, on a king pair.

On his first ball, delivered by Onions, he got a nervous inside-edge which looped up off his pad and only just evaded the Durham seamer's hands.

But after that Hussey settled and, along with Watson, guided Australia to 88-2 at stumps.

Their unbeaten 36 partnership has once again made the draw the firm favourite but Ponting will be well aware that his men are not out of the woods.

He knows that another inspired bowling performance, akin to the morning of the second day when seven wickets fell, could yet give England a 2-0 series lead.

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Day Three (close)
Australia 263 [Watson 62; Anderson 5-80] v England 116-2 [Strauss 64*]. No play at all possible on day three.

PERSISTENT rain at Edgbaston meant no play at all was possible on the third day of the third Test which now looks destined for a draw.

England had hoped to capitalise on their excellent day yesterday when they reached 116-2 at close of play after a brilliant morning session of seven wickets helped restrict Australia to 263 all out.

James Anderson took 5-80 and Graham Onions 4-58 as the seamers looked to have swung the match in England's favour.

Despite the early loss of Alastair Cook and Ravi Bopara, skipper Andrew Strauss and Ian Bell had guided the hosts to a healthy position when bad light stopped play.

But the chances today of England establishing an innings lead, or alternatively, of an Aussie comeback, were thwarted by wretched weather.

Once again, huge puddles covered the outfield and, after several inspections, the umpires abandoned the day's play at 1430BST.

Expectations that this match can be anything other than a draw have been severely dampened.

Although brighter weather is forecast for the final two days, it would require an extraordinary effort by either of the sides.

England would need to score quickly enough to build up an innings lead before bowling out Australia cheaply for a second time and knocking off any runs required.

The Aussies are in an even tougher position and are in desperate need for a session akin to England's morning yesterday.

Ricky Ponting's men need to take the eight remaining first innings wickets as quickly as possible before batting positively for the rest of day four and some of day five.

The tourists would then need to dismiss England again in little more than two sessions to come back and level the series at 1-1.

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Day Two (close)
Australia 263 [Watson 62; Anderson 5-80] v England 116-2 [Strauss 64*]

SEAMERS James Anderson and Graham Onions put England into a healthy position as Australia capitulated on day two of the third Test at Edgbaston.

Anderson picked up his seventh five-for in Tests and his first against Australia to finish with figures of 5-80.

He was ably assisted by Durham bowler Graham Onions who took 4-58 in an amazing morning session in which England took seven wickets.

With the ball swinging, the impact was immediate and Onions made the vital early inroads to claim two wickets in the opening two balls of the day.

First Shane Watson, who was brought in for the out-of-sorts youngster Philip Hughes, was out lbw for a handy knock of 62.

Then, Mike Hussey suffered the first golden duck of this Ashes series after offering no shot to a straight ball that hit off-stump.

Michael Clarke survived the hat-trick ball and, along with Ricky Ponting, set about attempting to rebuild the Aussie innings.

But their stand of 37 for the fourth wicket came to an end when Ponting nicked a thin edge behind to Matt Prior on 38.

Once Clarke had also departed on 29 to a plumb lbw off Anderson's bowling, the blip became a collapse more often associated in the past with England.

Marcus North offered little before Prior made an outstanding full-stretch catch as Anderson's swing caused all sorts of panic from the Aussie batsmen.

He then became the second England bowler of the day to put himself on a hat-trick when he trapped Mitchell Johnson for a second golden duck of the innings.

Like Onions, the Lancastrian was unable to oblige with the hat-trick ball but struck again in his next over, the last before lunch.

Anderson splattered the stumps of Graham Manou, a late wicket-keeper change after Brad Haddin broke a finger in the warm-up, to leave the Aussies reeling on 203-8 at lunch.

Matters got little better for the tourists after the break.

Matt Prior took his third catch of the innings as Peter Siddle nicked an outside edge to another brilliant ball which viciously swung in from Anderson.

A stand of 34 for the last wicket by Nathan Hauritz and Ben Hilfenhaus offered some resistance.

But it was all brought to an end when Graeme Swann, who took the only wicket on day one, took an easy catch at gully after Hilfenhaus edged a full delivery from Onions.

Australia had resumed on a comfortable 126-1 after only 30 overs were bowled on the opening day due to torrential rain before the match which had covered the outfield in water.

But, within a session and a half, Anderson and Onions looked to have changed the course of the match completely.

Predictably, England suffered an early set-back in their reply when Alastair Cook was out for nought, caught behind by Manou after playing a loose shot to Siddle.

The hosts reached tea with no further loss on 56-1 and skipper Andrew Strauss looked particularly composed as he compiled 64 not out by close.

But the Aussies struck early in the final session when Ravi Bopara played an inside edge onto his stumps off Hilfenhaus for another disappointing score of 23.

That wicket brought Ian Bell to the crease. The Warwickshire batsman was always likeliest to replace the injured Kevin Pietersen and survived a big lbw shout to reach 26 not out when bad light stopped play.

A further 19 overs were lost in the final session of day two and the start of play was delayed again on the third day as more rain fell over Birmingham.

And so, despite the efforts of Anderson and Onions, the poor weather makes a draw the firm favourite.