Cameron urged to step back on Syria

WAR drums are being beaten again as the Syria crisis gradually reaches its international tipping point - but any action will almost certainly not involve British forces.

Prime Minister David Cameron cut short his holiday in Cornwall and recalled Parliament to raise a motion supporting the principle of yet more military intervention in the Middle East.

But, embarrassingly for Mr Cameron, the vote in the House of Commons was surprisingly lost last night by 285 to 272 as MPs from all sides used their conscience and listened to the public.

For better or worse, and probably for better, the shadow of the Iraq war still looms large - and, as a Yougov poll demonstrated this week, there is little support in the country for another bombing campaign.

Indeed, 50% of respondents said they would oppose a missile attack while 25% supported the idea. Even Conservative voters were against the strikes by 45% to 33%.

Now, undoubtedly, there are some absolutely horrible things happening in Syria at the moment. You only have to see the news headlines and the television pictures of the people dying and suffering to work that out.

President Bashar al-Assad also appears to be a tyrant in trouble, willing to do anything to stay in power - and so it hardly takes a huge leap of logic to consider he would use chemical weapons on his opponents.

Importantly, though, from a British perspective, the actual situation on the ground in Syria remains as clear as mud. Was it definitely Assad who used the chemical weapons or was it the rebels using it to raise stakes and effectively invite Western intervention?

For his part, even Mr Cameron admitted in the debate before the division that there was no "one smoking piece of intelligence" which made it 100% certain the Assad regime was behind the atrocity.

At least this represented a more honest presentation than the one delivered by Tony Blair a decade ago about Iraq's alleged possession of weapons of mass destruction.

Nevertheless, it was only the result of an intervention by Labour leader Ed Miliband which prevented Mr Cameron from ordering immediate military strikes.

The Prime Minister was also forced to back down and perform perhaps his biggest U-turn yet after deep reservations about rushing a decision were also raised by his own backbenchers.

In fact, with about 30 Labour MPs absent, it was then those very same backbenchers who caused him to be defeated last night.

Notably, the BBC political correspondent Iain Watson had mentioned earlier on Twitter: "Senior conservatives saying to me that [the] chief whip misread the mood of the party on Syria".

And so it came to pass. Mr Cameron, while obviously disappointed, was left in no position other than to respect the wishes of Parliament.

Thus, the vote has become a momentous, historical, shift in power away from the executive to the legislature.

Of course, theoretically, Prime Ministers do not need the support of the Commons to go to war. Realistically, from now on though, any future PM would need to consult Parliament for approval.

It is difficult to see that happening any time soon - as while, doubtless, the MPs who voted against intervening last night did so with a heavy conscience, it has been decided that British forces have been in enough conflict recently.

That will not necessarily stop the United States, of course - although Assad's long-time ally Russia seems sure to have something to say about any use of force.

Already, both ex-Cold War adversaries have sent warships to the Mediterranean while holding discussions with the other permanent members of the UN Security Council.

But, increasingly, it looks as if no resolution will come from the Security Council unless Russia and China abstain as they did for Libya, rather than use their veto.

If the vetoes were used on this occasion, and the USA (and other Western powers such as France) still launched missiles amid a civil war in Syria, it would surely only further worsen the situation there.

Bombs to stop bombs has rarely been the right answer in recent times.

And so, while it is a pipe dream at the moment, my final wishes on this posting must be simply to hope Syria - and indeed the wider Middle East - will eventually find peace.

It has to happen someday.

WHEN PARLIAMENT HITS BACK
Full list of 285 MPs who voted against the principle of military action in Syria
Conservative (30) David Amess, Steve Baker, Richard Bacon, John Baron, Andrew Bingham, Crispin Blunt, Fiona Bruce, Tracey Crouch, David TC Davies, Philip Davies, David Davis, Nick de Bois, Richard Drax, Gordon Henderson, Philip Hollobone, Adam Holloway, Dr Phillip Lee, Dr Julian Lewis, Tim Loughton, Jason McCartney, Nigel Mills, Anne Marie Morris, Andrew Percy, Sir Richard Shepherd, Sir Peter Tapsell, Andrew Turner, Martin Vickers, Charles Walker, Chris White, Dr Sarah Wollaston 
Labour (224) Diane Abbott, Debbie Abrahams, Bob Ainsworth, Douglas Alexander, Heidi Alexander, Rushanara Ali, Graham Allen, David Anderson, Jonathan Ashworth, Adrian Bailey, William Bain, Ed Balls, Gordon Banks, Kevin Barron, Hugh Bayley, Margaret Beckett, Anne Begg, Hilary Benn, Joe Benton, Luciana Berger, Clive Betts, Gordon Birtwistle, Tom Blenkinsop, David Blunkett, Kevin Brennan, Lyn Brown, Nicholas Brown, Russell Brown, Chris Bryant, Karen Buck, Andy Burnham, Liam Byrne, Alan Campbell, Ronnie Campbell, Martin Caton, Jenny Chapman, Katy Clark, Tom Clarke, Vernon Coaker, Ann Coffey, Yvette Cooper, Jeremy Corbyn, Mary Creagh, Stella Creasy, Jon Cruddas, Alex Cunningham, Jim Cunningham, Tony Cunningham, Margaret Curran, Simon Danczuk, Alistair Darling, Wayne David, Gloria De Piero, John Denham, Jim Dobbin, Frank Dobson, Thomas Docherty, Frank Doran, Stephen Doughty, Jim Dowd, Gemma Doyle, Jack Dromey, Michael Dugher, Angela Eagle, Maria Eagle, Clive Efford, Julie Elliott, Louise Ellman, Natascha Engel, Bill Esterson, Chris Evans, Paul Farrelly, Frank Field, Jim Fitzpatrick, Robert Flello, Caroline Flint, Paul Flynn, Hywel Francis, Mike Gapes, Barry Gardiner, Sheila Gilmore, Pat Glass, Mary Glindon, Roger Godsiff, Paul Goggins, Helen Goodman, Tom Greatrex, Kate Green, Nia Griffith, Andrew Gwynne, David Hamilton, Fabian Hamilton, Harriet Harman, Tom Harris, Dai Havard, John Healey, Mark Hendrick, Stephen Hepburn, Meg Hillier, Margaret Hodge, Kate Hoey, Jim Hood, Kelvin Hopkins, George Howarth, Tristram Hunt, Huw Irranca-Davies, Glenda Jackson, Sian James, Cathy Jamieson, Dan Jarvis, Alan Johnson, Graham Jones, Helen Jones, Kevan Jones, Susan Elan Jones, Tessa Jowell, Eric Joyce, Gerald Kaufman, Liz Kendall, Sadiq Khan, David Lammy, Ian Lavery, Mark Lazarowicz, Chris Leslie, Emma Lewell-Buck, Ivan Lewis, Ian Lucas, Fiona Mactaggart, Khalid Mahmood, Shabana Mahmood, Seema Malhotra, John Mann, Gordon Marsden, Steve McCabe, Michael McCann, Kerry McCarthy, Gregg McClymont, Andy McDonald, John McDonnell, Pat McFadden, Alison McGovern, Jim McGovern, Anne McGuire, Ann McKechin, Iain McKenzie, Catherine McKinnell, Michael Meacher, Alan Meale, Edward Miliband, Andrew Miller, Madeleine Moon, Jessica Morden, Graeme Morrice, Grahame M. Morris, George Mudie, Jim Murphy, Paul Murphy, Ian Murray, Lisa Nandy, Pamela Nash, Fiona O'Donnell, Chi Onwurah, Sandra Osborne, Albert Owen, Teresa Pearce, Toby Perkins, Bridget Phillipson, Stephen Pound, Lucy Powell, Nick Raynsford, Jamie Reed, Steve Reed, Rachel Reeves, Jonathan Reynolds, Linda Riordan, John Robertson, Geoffrey Robinson, Steve Rotheram, Frank Roy, Lindsay Roy, Chris Ruane, Joan Ruddock, Anas Sarwar, Andy Sawford, Alison Seabeck, Virenda Sharman, Barry Sheerman, Jim Sheridan, Gavin Shuker, Dennis Skinner, Andy Slaughter, Andrew Smith, Nick Smith, Owen Smith, Jack Straw, Graham Stringer, Gisela Stuart, Gerry Sutcliffe, Mark Tami, Gareth Thomas, Emily Thornberry, Stephen Timms, Jon Trickett, Derek Twigg, Stephen Twigg, Chuka Umunna, Keith Vaz, Valerie Vaz, Joan Walley, Tom Watson, Dave Watts, Dr Alan Whitehead, Chris Williamson, Phil Wilson, David Winnick, Rosie Winteron, Mike Wood, David Wright, Iain Wright
Liberal Democrats (9) Paul Burstow, Mike Crockart, Andrew George, Mike Hancock, Julian Huppert, Dan Rogerson, Andrew Stunell, Ian Swales, Sarah Teather, Roger Williams
Scottish & Welsh Nationalists (9) Jonathan Edwards, Stewart Hosie, Elfyn Llwyd, Angus MacNeil, Angus Robertson, Mike Weir, Dr Eilidh Whiteford, Hywel Williams, Pete Wishart
Various Northern Irish MPs (7) Gregory Campbell, Nigel Dodds, Jeffrey Donaldson, Brian Donohoe, Mark Durkan, Lady Hermon, Naomi Long, Alasdair McDonnell, Margaret Ritchie, Jim Shannon, Sammy Wilson
Others (2) George Galloway, Caroline Lucas

Ashes 2013 stats: Bell and the bowlers bail out England

THE ASHES 2013
RESULT: England won the series 3-0                                                                                         Boycott & Aggers Preview

10-14 July	First Test: England 215 & 375 beat Australia 280 & 296 by 14 runs	Trent Bridge	Report
18-21 July	Second Test: England 361 & 349-7dec beat Australia 128 & 235 by 347 runs	Lord's	Report
1-5 August	Third Test: Australia 527-7dec & 172-7dec drew with England 368 & 37-3	Old Trafford	Report
9-12 August	Fourth Test: England 238 & 330 beat Australia 270 & 224 by 74 runs	Riverside	Report
21-25 August	Fifth Test: Australia 492-9dec & 111-6dec drew with England 377 & 206-5	The Oval	Report

Man of the series: Ian Bell (England), an aggregate of 562 runs at 62.44


THE STYLISH strokeplay of Ian Bell and a stronger all-round bowling unit were the key factors in England's 3-0 Ashes success this summer.

In a series dominated by low scores, Bell (62.44) was the only man from either side to average over 50, having compiled three centuries - in the first, second and fourth Tests.

And, due to the failing top order, this was hardly Bell making hay from an already comfortable position.

England captain Alastair Cook - who averaged a magnificent 127.66 in the last series in Australia - could only boast a top score of 62 and an average of 27.70, this time.

His fellow opener, youngster Joe Root, fared a little better, averaging 37.66, but this was skewed by one huge innings of 180 at Lord's in which he could have been out early.

Excluding that innings then, the Yorkshireman's average for the series was paltry 19.88, and it must be said he looked much more comfortable batting at number six where he was protected from the new ball.

That said, his far more experienced colleagues - Jonathan Trott (29.30) and, particularly, Matt Prior (19.00) - never got going, and - outside of Bell - only Kevin Pietersen (38.80) showed glimpses of his top form. 

Consequently, Bell continually arrived at the crease to find his team in trouble.

But, from positions of 121-3, 28-3 and 49-3 respectively, the Warwickshire batsman's trio of tons guided England to 371-8, 271-5 and 251-6, and the hosts would go on to win each of those Tests.

Of course, none of Bell's centuries - a 113 and successive 109s - was particularly huge in terms of their total - but each of them was absolutely massive in terms of their impact on the game as a whole.

By contrast, two huge individual scores from Australians - 187 from skipper Michael Clarke in the third Test and 176 from Shane Watson in the fifth Test - went unrewarded as both of those matches ended in draws, England even coming very close to nicking the fifth match.

But, while the Aussies did indeed declare with two big first innings totals in those Tests, they were far less consistent with the bat, symptomatic of their ever-changing batting order, perhaps.

In all, Australia failed to score over 300 on eight occasions while, in completed innings, only England's opening day 215 at Trent Bridge was truly disappointing with the benefit of hindsight.

Goodness only knows what would have happened if rain had not intervened at Old Trafford with the hosts on 37-3.

Generally, though, the point stands. England, without being particularly good and having failed to pass 400 all summer long, were still consistent enough in compiling scores between 330 and 375 to win some Test matches. Australia just did not have that knack.

England held another big advantage which restricted the Australians' scoring at times: Cook's bowlers were better at seizing the day.

James Anderson, in the first Test, and Stuart Broad, in the fourth, produced five-fers in both innings in man of the match Test-winning performances.

Neither of them finished as top wicket taker, however. This was something which was not really a surprise, though, given the unusually slow nature of the pitches - they were instead prepared for a spinner.

Graeme Swann duly delivered, enjoying two five-fers (in separate matches) for himself on his way to topping the charts with 26 scalps.

Anderson and Broad shared third place with 22 victims, beaten by Aussie workhorse Ryan Harris, who took 24 in the series, despite missing the first Test.

No Australian got near the consistency of Harris, though - not even Peter Siddle, who - for the second Ashes series in a row - started with a five-fer before fading.

Consistency of selection was also a problem, here, for the tourists.

Ashton Agar surprisingly started ahead of Nathan Lyon as spinner in the first two Tests but ultimately contributed far more with bat than ball, and Australia eventually turned to Lyon from the third Test onwards.

In terms of the seamers, Jackson Bird and James Faulkner played just one match apiece, James Pattinson was ended after two games by injury, while Mitchell Starc (with three Test) and Harris (with four) also failed to play their full allocation. Indeed, of the regular seamers, only Siddle did.

Undoubtedly, excepting an extraordinary final day in which Clarke tried to force a victory which was never going to happen, Australia looked much more comfortable as the series wore on.

England are now aware, if they were not before, that the Aussies are capable of a big score - and Cook's men must bat much better on harder, bouncier surfaces Down Under.

Back to the series just finished, though - and it was a muddled, frankly pretty disastrous, start to the tour which cost the Aussies' dear.

Once 2-0 up, England - with a little help from the weather at Old Trafford, of course - were generally in control of proceedings.

Bell was in belting form throughout, Swann took to the pitches like a duck to water, and Anderson and Broad produced a few unstoppable spells to which Australia had no reply.

Notably, I have declined to mention, until now, the impact of the Decision Review System (DRS) on the series, mainly because it benefited and hindered each team pretty equally in the end.

Certainly, it is something which needs to be looked at again, with neither side fully confident of using it eventually.

But, for every decision which favoured England - such as the extraordinary not out verdict when Broad nicked behind to first slip in the first Test - there had been another which had favoured Australia.

How about, for example, when Agar was out stumped on six in the same match but was reprieved and went on to make 98 as the Aussies almost pulled off an amazing win?

In fairness, Australia skipper Clarke was brutally honest in his assessment of the campaign.

"It doesn't matter how you play, the result is there - England won 3-0," he said, not wishing to add that this was the first time since 1977, 1978/79 and 1981 that England had won three Ashes series in a row. 

By the way, it was 1886 the last time that England extended the sequence beyond that...

THE ASHES: A STATISTICAL PERSPECTIVE

TEAM SCORES
527-7dec Australia in the third Test, Old Trafford
492-9dec Australia in the fifth Test, the Oval
377 England in the fifth Test, the Oval
375 England in the first Test, Trent Bridge
368 England in the third Test, Old Trafford
361 England in the second Test, Lord's
349-7dec England in the second Test, Lord's
330 England in the fourth Test, Riverside
296 Australia in the first Test, Trent Bridge
280 Australia in the first Test, Trent Bridge 
270 Australia in the fourth Test, Riverside
238 England in the fourth Test, Riverside
235 Australia in the second Test, Lord's
224 Australia in the fourth Test, Riverside
215 England in the first Test, Trent Bridge
206-5 England in the fifth Test, the Oval
172-7dec Australia in the third Test, Old Trafford
128 Australia in the second Test, Lord's
111-6dec Australia in the fifth Test, the Oval
37-3 England in the third Test, Old Trafford

TEAM AGGREGATES
Runs scored England 2856, Australia 2735
Wickets taken England 89, Australia 84

BATTING 
BEST AVERAGES
62.44 Ian Bell (England)
47.62 Michael Clarke (Australia) 
42.00 Chris Woakes (England)
41.80 Shane Watson (Australia)
40.77 Chris Rogers (Australia) 
38.80 Kevin Pietersen (England)
38.33 Steve Smith (Australia)
37.66 Joe Root (England)
36.00 James Pattinson (Australia)
32.50 Ashton Agar (Australia)
 
HIGHEST RUN SCORERS (minimum 200 runs)
562 Ian Bell (England)
418 Shane Watson (Australia)
388 Kevin Pietersen (England)
381 Michael Clarke (Australia)
367 Chris Rogers (Australia)
345 Steve Smith (Australia)
339 Joe Root (England)
293 Jonathan Trott (England)
277 Alastair Cook (England)
206 Brad Haddin (Australia)
203 Jonny Bairstow (England)

CENTURIES (*not out)
England 5 - Australia 4
187 Michael Clarke (Australia), third Test
180 Joe Root (England), second Test
176 Shane Watson (Australia), fifth Test
138* Steve Smith (Australia), fifth Test
113 Kevin Pietersen (England), third Test
113 Ian Bell (England), fourth Test
110 Chris Rogers (Australia), fourth Test
109 Ian Bell (England), first Test
109 Ian Bell (England), second Test

BOWLING 
BEST AVERAGES (minimum 10 overs bowled)
11.33 Joe Root (England)
16.33 James Faulkner (Australia)
19.58 Ryan Harris (Australia)
26.50 Steve Smith (Australia)
27.45 Stuart Broad (England)
29.03 Graeme Swann (England)
29.59 James Anderson (England)
29.60 Tim Bresnan (England)
31.58 Peter Siddle (Australia)
32.45 Mitchell Starc (Australia)
33.66 Nathan Lyon (Australia)

WICKET TAKERS
26 Graeme Swann (England)
24 Ryan Harris (Australia)
22 James Anderson (England), Stuart Broad (England)
17 Peter Siddle (Australia)
11 Mitchell Starc (Australia)
10 Tim Bresnan (England)
9 Nathan Lyon (Australia)
7 James Pattinson (Australia)
6 James Faulkner (Australia)
4 Steve Smith (Australia)
3 Joe Root (England)
2 Ashton Agar (Australia), Jackson Bird (Australia), Steven Finn (England), Shane Watson (Australia)
1 Jonathan Trott (England), Chris Woakes (England)

FIVE-WICKET HAULS (~ 10 wickets in the match)
England 6 - Australia 3
7-117 Ryan Harris (Australia), fourth Test
~6-50 Stuart Broad (England), fourth Test
5-44 Graeme Swann (England), second Test
5-50 Peter Siddle (Australia), first Test
~5-71 Stuart Broad (England), fourth Test
5-72 Ryan Harris (Australia), second Test
~5-73 James Anderson (England), first Test
~5-85 James Anderson (England), first Test
5-159 Graeme Swann (England), third Test


PREVIOUS ASHES SERIES ON THEINTREPIDREPORTER
2009 Preview First Second Third Fourth Fifth Stats
2010-11 Preview First Second Third Fourth Fifth Stats

Ashes 2013: England lift the urn again at the Oval

Australia 492-9dec & 111-6dec drew with England 377 & 206-5 Scorecard
Man of the match: Shane Watson (176)
 
ENGLAND were forced to settle for a 3-0 series win after an exciting final day run chase at the Oval was agonisingly cut short by the umpires.

Bad light ended the hosts' chase just 21 runs short of the required 227 with 24 balls remaining.

The chance of victory was set up by a somewhat sporting declaration made by Aussie skipper Michael Clarke after his side thumped their way to 111-6 in only 23 overs this afternoon.

But Clarke's gesture should not be seen as solely altruistic. It was also a rather desperate move by a captain looking to go into his home Ashes series on a positive note after a run this year without a Test win which has now reached nine matches.

Indeed, as England closed in on victory, Clarke's face was quite a picture and he anxiously stalked on-field umpires Aleem Dar and Kumar Dharmasena about the gloomy conditions.

Ultimately, the decision was down to the umpires, of course, but Clarke will be relieved not to become the first ever Australia captain to lose a series by a 4-0 scoreline.

In fairness, that result would have been a very harsh reflection on a much-derided Australian outfit which has improved as the summer has worn on.

At the Oval, with the benefit of winning the toss, the Aussies set about compiling their second big first innings total in the last three matches.

Shane Watson, batting at three having appeared previously as an opener and as low as a number six in this series, finally converted a start into a really big score.

Player of the match Watson has 23 Test match fifties but this was only the third time he managed to make it to three figures.

Just behind him already, then, is youngster Steve Smith who reached his maiden Test century by smashing a six over long-on, before Australia eventually declared on 429-9.

Under scoreboard pressure, England responded solidly with, amazingly, their first half-century opening stand of the series from Alastair Cook and Joe Root.

There were no big totals on the home team's scorecard as each of the top seven got in and got out, with totals of between 25 and Root's 68.

It was really slow going, though, with Kevin Pietersen's 50 coming off 133 balls in over three hours, the third-slowest of his Test career.

In fact, only 212 runs were scored in a whole day's play - and, on the fourth day, the match officially ground to a halt as rain and a soaking wet outfield prevented anything from happening at all.

Thus, day five began with England still batting and only four wickets down in their first innings, and the draw was heavily odds on with the bookmakers.

Indeed, it went as far as being 1/200 once some positive batting by Matt Prior had saved the follow-on. By contrast, at that stage, it was 40/1 for either team to win.

Nevertheless, after a fine cameo with the bat by Graeme Swann - 34 off 24 balls, Australia decided to thrill the fifth day crowd at the Oval by setting up a run chase.

Watson and David Warner made a cracking start - but, once that was broken by James Anderson's superb caught and bowled, the tourists struggled to build any other meaningful partnerships.

Stuart Broad bowled well again to take 4-43 and their total at tea of 111 - Nelson, of course - was probably less than they would have originally hoped.

From early on in their reply, England eyed their target with positive intent, and the first two overs went for 14.

Root, though, did not last long, the Yorkshire youngster caught behind by Brad Haddin off the tireless bowling of Ryan Harris for 11.

It was a wonderful personal moment for Haddin who duly entered the record books as the wicketkeeper with the most dismissals in any Test series. With 29, he finished the series one ahead of his compatriot Rod Marsh from the 1982-83 campaign. 

The scoring rate then slowed and the asking rate increased but Cook's wicket, taken by impressive debutant James Faulkner, brought Pietersen to the crease.

And, while Pietersen's first innings 50 was an exercise in patience and frustration, the fireworks really flew in his second knock as he hit 10 fours to make 62 off 55 balls for his fastest ever Ashes half-century.

For much of his innings, Pietersen was ably supported by Jonathan Trott but, when England lost both men in quick succession, the chase had to be resurrected by man of the series Ian Bell and nerveless novice Chris Woakes.

Despite a lack of boundaries, the pair did well and rotated the strike to bring the target into sight.

But, just as it came within a few blows, the umpires checked their light meters and dictated that the conditions were unplayable, an unfathomable decision really, given the state of the match. 

Just imagine if the destination of the Ashes had rested on the decision! And, even though they did not, the pub bore's old joke about cricket pointlessly lasting for five days without a proper result feels somewhat apt tonight.

Rightly, disappointment lasted but for a few brief moments for the England players, though, as ticker-tape and pyrotechnics filled the blackened skies.

These are glorious times to be a fan of the national team too, with four Ashes series wins from the last five fast wiping out the painful, desolate years of the 1990s.

Australia - credit to them - competed well, particularly in the last three Tests. But, by then, they were already 2-0 down and, in fact, this was the first time since 1977 that Australia had failed to win a single Test in an Ashes campaign.

Fortunately for the Aussies, they have an almost immediate chance for revenge - the first Test of the next series Down Under begins in Brisbane on 21 November.

In fact, England will leave these shores in just a couple of months - but they will do so rightfully confident of yet more success.

Captain Cook's men may have failed to get over the line this evening at the Oval, but their canny knack of winning has continued this summer. It is just a habit which Australia do not have, and long may that be the case.

THE ASHES 2013
FIXTURES

10-14 July	First Test: England 215 & 375 beat Australia 280 & 296 by 14 runs	Trent Bridge
18-21 July	Second Test: England 361 & 349-7dec beat Australia 128 & 235 by 347 runs	Lord's
1-5 August	Third Test: Australia 527-7dec & 172-7dec drew with England 368 & 37-3	Old Trafford
9-12 August	Fourth Test: England 238 & 330 beat Australia 270 & 224 by 74 runs	Riverside
21-25 August	Fifth Test: Australia 492-9dec & 111-6dec drew with England 377 & 206-5	The Oval

CENTURIES (*not out)
187 Michael Clarke (Australia), third Test
180 Joe Root (England), second Test
176 Shane Watson (Australia), fifth Test
138* Steve Smith (Australia), fifth Test
113 Kevin Pietersen (England), third Test
113 Ian Bell (England), fourth Test
110 Chris Rogers (Australia), fourth Test
109 Ian Bell (England), first Test
109 Ian Bell (England), second Test

FIVE-WICKET HAULS (~ 10 wickets in the match)
7-117 Ryan Harris (Australia), fourth Test
~6-50 Stuart Broad (England), fourth Test
5-44 Graeme Swann (England), second Test
5-50 Peter Siddle (Australia), first Test
~5-71 Stuart Broad (England), fourth Test
5-72 Ryan Harris (Australia), second Test
~5-73 James Anderson (England), first Test
~5-85 James Anderson (England), first Test
5-159 Graeme Swann (England), third Test

World Athletics: Farah completes the 'Double Double' as lightning Bolt strikes again

MO FARAH added another two medals to his bulging collection in Moscow while Usain Bolt became the most decorated world champion of all time.

Team GB great Farah repeated his feat of winning the 5,000 and 10,000 metres double - thus achieving a brilliant Double Double following his two gold medals in the same races at the London 2012 Olympics.

His home wins, of course, resulted in the Mobot celebration and produced a sporting memory which will most likely stay with us all as he took gold on successive Saturday nights.

If anything, though, the World Championships in Moscow were even tougher for Farah with fewer days between his races added to the fact that he was very much now a marked man.

But, on both occasions in the Russian capital, Farah got himself in his favourite position at the front of the pack and sped for home.

As usual, his opponents were destroyed by the manoeuvre and it is a fact that Farah has now won his last five major championship races.

Is he the greatest British athlete of all time? Well, I have seen no one better myself, certainly no one look so calm and assured when the pressure is really on.

Another athlete excellent at dealing with the big moments is Christine Ohuruogu, undoubtedly the other big British success in Moscow.

The silver medallist from London 2012 always seems to raise her game for the big competitions - and, at the Luzhniki, she regained her 400 metres world title, which she originally won in Osaka in 2007.

Ohuruogu thus became the first ever British woman to win two world crowns, and this time she did it in style - pipping Amantle Montsho by 0.004 seconds, and beating Kathy Cook's long-standing national record with a time of 49.41s.

Ohuruogu also anchored Team GB to bronze in the 4x400m relay, a result which the women's 4x100m relay team matched on the last day of competition.

And, with Tiffany Porter also winning bronze in the 100 metres hurdles, Britain achieved its minimum target of six medals to finish seventh in the table.

World Championships are not necessarily all just about the medals, though, and it will have pleased British athletics bosses to see a couple of the younger team members perform well.

Adam Gemili ran in his first major championship final, taking fifth place in the 200 metres in a time of 20.08.

The 19-year-old from London had earlier qualified by running his semi final in 19.98, the second fastest time by a Briton at that distance, after John Regis.

Meanwhile, impressing in the heptathlon in the absence of injured Olympic champion Jessica Ennis-Hill, was Liverpool Harriers youngster Katarina Johnson-Thompson.

Like Gemili, KJT also finished fifth, with a personal best points score of 6449 having set four PBs in the seven events, taking second in the 200 metres and the long jump, and third in the 800 metres. It was all progress in the right direction.

But it was a tough championships for some established British names. Greg Rutherford - famously part of the Super Saturday triumvirate at the Olympic Stadium - failed to qualify for the final rounds of the long jump after struggling with a hamstring injury.

And injuries have hit Dai Greene hard in his bid to defend his world title in the 400 metres hurdles.

The Welshman finished fourth at London 2012 after having his build-up to the Olympics disrupted by knee trouble. In Moscow, beset by an Achilles problem, he did not even reach the final.

Perhaps the biggest British disappointment, though, was once again the men's 4x100m relay team. Having finished third in the final, the team was disqualified after passing the baton outside the takeover zone on the second changeover.

Thus, the British have now failed to get the baton around properly in six of their last seven major championships. It really is a remarkably poor record, surely unequalled.

Looking elsewhere, meanwhile, the championships went largely as expected with the Jamaicans finishing third in the medal table through their domination of the sprints.

Indeed, both Bolt and his female compatriot Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce took home their maximum haul of three golds apiece, meaning Bolt has now won an incredible eight world championship gold medals on top of his six in the Olympics.

But, while Bolt has come to expect success, Fraser-Pryce perhaps did even better than predicted, taking advantage of 200 metres Olympic champion Allyson Felix pulling up on the bend.

That snapped hamstring would ultimately mean that the Americans only finished second in the medal table, behind leaders Russia for the first time since 2001.

However, some strong home success - particularly in the field events - did not translate to big attendances at the Luzhniki, save for a few notable exceptions.

The most notable of these was the big crowd who turned up to see favourite Yelena Isinbayeva take gold in the pole vault.

It was unfortunate, then, that Isinbayeva chose to use her victory to spout misguided ire at a number of visiting athletes who had decided to protest against a recent Russian law banning the "homosexual propaganda".

"We are very afraid about our nation because we consider ourselves normal, standard people," said Isinbayeva. "We just live with boys with women, women with boys.

"It comes from history," she continued. "We never had these problems in Russia, and we don't want to have any in the future."

Quite rightly, Isinbayeva's comments were widely condemned with Jacques Rogge, president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) calling them "disappointing".

But the best (and cleverest) response came from BBC chief sports writer Tom Fordyce who tweeted, pointedly: "For someone who can clear 5m, Yelena appears to spend a lot of time with her head buried in the sand."

Isinbayeva has since apologised but her original remarks will not be easily forgotten in a championship marked as "a seven out of 10" by Bolt himself.

Ah yes, that man Bolt extended his legacy once more, his 100 metres triumph coming at an important time for the sport of athletics as a whole following the recent failed drug tests of Asafa Powell and Tyson Gay.

But, it was not only Bolt who was celebrating amid the Moscow thunderstorms.

Agence France Presse photographer Olivier Morin gained global recognition after capturing a perfect shot of the Jamaican storming to victory as lightning struck overhead.

Morin has admitted since that he did not anticipate just how much attention he would get - but, effectively, his photo had left the world's sub-editors with little work of their own to do. "Lightning Bolt" was a simply unavoidable pun.

It was indeed photojournalism at its very best - truly a moment of brilliance on and off the track.

WORLD ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS 2014

TEAM GB MEDALLISTS

GOLD	Mo Farah	M 10000m	10 Aug
GOLD	Christine Ohuruogu	W 400m	12 Aug
GOLD	Mo Farah	M 5000m	16 Aug
BRONZE	Tiffany Porter	W 100m hurdles	17 Aug
BRONZE	Child, Cox, Adeoye, Ohuruogu	W 4x400m relay	17 Aug
BRONZE	Asher-Smith, Nelson, Lewis, Jones	W 4x100m relay	18 Aug

FULL RESULTS

TRACK
Men

100m (11 Aug)			Time
GOLD	Usain Bolt	JAM	9.77
SILVER	Justin Gatlin	USA	9.85
BRONZE	Nesta Carter	JAM	9.95
200m (17 Aug)
GOLD	Usain Bolt	JAM	19.66
SILVER	Warren Weir	JAM	19.79
BRONZE	Curtis Mitchell	USA	20.04
400m (13 Aug)
GOLD	LaShawn Merritt	USA	43.74
SILVER	Tony McQuay	USA	44.40
BRONZE	Lugelin Santos	DOM	44.52
800m (13 Aug)
GOLD	Mohammed Aman	ETH	1:43.31
SILVER	Nick Symmonds	USA	1:43.55
BRONZE	Ayanleh Souleiman	DJI	1:43.76
1500m (18 Aug)
GOLD	Asbel Kiprop	KEN	3:36.28
SILVER	Matthew Centrowitz Jr.	USA	3:36.78
BRONZE	Johan Cronje	RSA	3:36.83
5000m (16 Aug)
GOLD	Mo Farah	GBR	13:26.98
SILVER	Hagos Gebrhiwet	ETH	13:27.26
BRONZE	Isiah Koech	KEN	13:27.26
10000m (10 Aug)
GOLD	Mo Farah	GBR	27:21.71
SILVER	Ibrahim Jeilan	ETH	27:22.23
BRONZE	Paul Tanui	KEN	27:22.61
110m hurdles (12 Aug)
GOLD	David Oliver	USA	13.00
SILVER	Ryan Wilson	USA	13.13
BRONZE	Sergey Shubenkov	RUS	13.24
400m hurdles (15 Aug)
GOLD	Jehue Gordon	TRI	47.69
SILVER	Michael Tinsley	USA	47.70
BRONZE	Emir Bekric	SRB	48.05
3000m steeplechase (15 Aug)
GOLD	Ezekiel Kemboi	KEN	8:06.01
SILVER	Conseslus Kipruto	KEN	8:06.37
BRONZE	Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad	FRA	8:07.86
4x100m relay (18 Aug)
GOLD	Jamaica	JAM	37.36
SILVER	United States	USA	37.66
BRONZE	Canada	CAN	37.92
4x400m relay (16 Aug)
GOLD	United States	USA	2:58.71
SILVER	Jamaica	JAM	2:59.88
BRONZE	Russia	RUS	2:59.90
20km walk (11 Aug)
GOLD	Aleksandr Ivanov	RUS	1:20:58
SILVER	Chen Ding	CHN	1:21:09
BRONZE	Miguel Angel Lopez	ESP	1:21:21
50k walk (14 Aug)
GOLD	Robert Heffernan	IRL	3:37:56
SILVER	Mikhail Ryzhov	RUS	3:38:58
BRONZE	Jared Tallent	AUS	3:40:03
Marathon (16 Aug)
GOLD	Stephen Kiprotich	UGA	2:09:51
SILVER	Lelisa Desisa	ETH	2:10:12
BRONZE	Tadese Tola	ETH	2:10:23

Women

100m (12 Aug)			Time
GOLD	Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce	JAM	10.71
SILVER	Murielle Ahoure	CIV	10.93
BRONZE	Carmelita Jeter	USA	10.94
200m (16 Aug)
GOLD	Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce	JAM	22.17
SILVER	Murielle Ahoure	CIV	22.32
BRONZE	Blessing Okagbare	NGR	22.32
400m (12 Aug)
GOLD	Christine Ohuruogu	GBR	49.41
SILVER	Amantle Monsho	BOT	49.41
BRONZE	Antonina Krivoshapka	RUS	49.78
800m (18 Aug)
GOLD	Eunice Jepkoech Sum	KEN	1:57.38
SILVER	Mariya Savinova	RUS	1:57.80
BRONZE	Brenda Martinez	USA	1:57.91
1500m (15 Aug)
GOLD	Abeba Aregawi	SWE	4:02.67
SILVER	Jennifer Simpson	USA	4:02.99
BRONZE	Hellen Onsando Obiri	KEN	4:03.86
5000m (17 Aug)
GOLD	Mereset Defar	ETH	14:50.19
SILVER	Mercy Cherono	KEN	14:51.22
BRONZE	Almaz Ayana	ETH	14:51.33
10000m (11 Aug)
GOLD	Tirunesh Dibaba	ETH	30:43.35
SILVER	Gladys Cherono	KEN	30:45.17
BRONZE	Belaynesh Oljira	ETH	30:46.98
100m hurdles (17 Aug)
GOLD	Brianna Rollins	USA	12.44
SILVER	Sally Pearson	AUS	12.50
BRONZE	Tiffany Porter	GBR	12.55
400m hurdles (15 Aug)
GOLD	Zuzana Hejnova	CZE	52.83
SILVER	Dalilah Muhammad	USA	54.09
BRONZE	Lashinda Demus	USA	54.27
3000m steeplechase (13 Aug)
GOLD	Milcah Chemos Cheywa	KEN	9:11.65
SILVER	Lydiah Chepkurui	KEN	9:12.55
BRONZE	Sofia Assefa	ETH	9:12.84
4x100m relay (18 Aug)
GOLD	Jamaica	JAM	41.29
SILVER	United States	USA	42.75
BRONZE	Great Britain	GBR	42.87
4x400m relay (17 Aug)
GOLD	Russia	RUS	3:20.19
SILVER	United States	USA	3:20.41
BRONZE	Great Britain	GBR	3:22.61
20km walk (13 Aug)
GOLD	Elena Lashmanova	RUS	1:27:08
SILVER	Anisya Kirdyapkina	RUS	1:27:11
BRONZE	Liu Hong	CHN	1:28:10
Marathon (10 Aug)
GOLD	Edna Kiplagat	KEN	2:25:44
SILVER	Valeria Straneo	ITA	2:25:58
BRONZE	Kayoko Fukishi	JPN	2:27:45

FIELD
Men

High jump (15 Aug)
GOLD	Bohdan Bondarenko	UKR	2.41
SILVER	Mutaz Essa Barshim	QAT	2.38
BRONZE	Derek Drouin	CAN	2.38
Long jump (16 Aug)
GOLD	Aleksandr Menkov	RUS	8.56
SILVER	Ignisious Gaisah	NED	8.29
BRONZE	Luis Rivera	MEX	8.27
Triple jump (18 Aug)
GOLD	Teddy Tamgho	FRA	18.04
SILVER	Pedro Pablo Pichardo	CUB	17.68
BRONZE	Will Claye	USA	17.52
Pole vault (12 Aug)
GOLD	Raphael Holzdeppe	GER	5.89
SILVER	Renaud Lavillenie	FRA	5.89
BRONZE	Bjorn Otto	GER	5.82
Shot put (16 Aug)
GOLD	David Storl	GER	21.73
SILVER	Ryan Whiting	USA	21.57
BRONZE	Dylan Armstrong	CAN	21.34
Discus throw (13 Aug)
GOLD	Robert Harting	GER	69.11
SILVER	Piotr Malachowski	POL	68.36
BRONZE	Gerd Kanter	EST	65.19
Hammer throw (12 Aug)
GOLD	Pawel Fajdek	POL	81.97
SILVER	Krisztian Pars	HUN	80.30
BRONZE	Lukas Melich	CZE	79.36
Javelin (16 Aug)
GOLD	Vitezslav Vesely	CZE	87.17
SILVER	Tero Pitkamaki	FIN	87.07
BRONZE	Dmitriy Tarabin	RUS	86.23
Decathlon (10-11 Aug)
GOLD	Ashton Eaton	USA	8809
SILVER	Michael Schrader	GER	8670
BRONZE	Damian Warner	CAN	8512

Women

High jump (17 Aug)
GOLD	Svetlana Shkolina	RUS	2.03
SILVER	Brigetta Barrett	USA	2.00
BRONZE	Anna Chicherova Ruth Beitia	RUS ESP	1.97
Long jump (11 Aug)
GOLD	Brittney Reese	USA	7.01
SILVER	Blessing Okagbare	NGR	6.99
BRONZE	Ivana Spanovic	SRB	6.82
Triple jump (15 Aug)
GOLD	Caterine Ibarguen	COL	14.85
SILVER	Ekaterina Koneva	RUS	14.81
BRONZE	Olha Saladuha	UKR	14.65
Pole vault (12 Aug)
GOLD	Yelena Isinbayeva	RUS	4.89
SILVER	Jenn Suhr	USA	4.82
BRONZE	Yarisley Silva	CUB	4.82
Shot put (12 Aug)
GOLD	Valerie Adams	NZL	20.88
SILVER	Christina Schwanitz	GER	20.41
BRONZE	Gong Lijiao	CHN	19.95
Discus throw (11 Aug)
GOLD	Sandra Perkovic	CRO	67.99
SILVER	Melina Robert-Michon	FRA	66.28
BRONZE	Yarelys Barrios	CUB	64.96
Hammer throw (16 Aug)
GOLD	Tatyana Lysenko	RUS	78.80
SILVER	Anita Wlodarczyk	POL	78.46
BRONZE	Zhang Wenxiu	CHN	75.58
Javelin (18 Aug)
GOLD	Christina Obergfoll	GER	69.05
SILVER	Kimberley Mickle	AUS	66.60
BRONZE	Mariya Abakumova	RUS	65.09
Heptathlon (12-13 Aug)
GOLD	Hanna Melnychenko	UKR	6586
SILVER	Brianne Thiesen-Eaton	CAN	6530
BRONZE	Dafne Schippers	NED	6477

FINAL MEDAL TABLE

Rank	Country	G	S	B	Total
1	Russia (RUS)	7	4	6	17
2	United States (USA)	6	14	5	25
3	Jamaica (JAM)	6	2	1	9
4	Kenya (KEN)	5	4	3	12
5	Germany (GER)	4	2	1	7
6	Ethiopia (ETH)	3	3	4	10
7	Great Britain & NI (GBR)	3	0	3	6
8	Czech Republic (CZE)	2	0	1	3
8	Ukraine (UKR)	2	0	1	3
10	France (FRA)	1	2	1	4
11	Poland (POL)	1	2	0	3
12	Colombia (COL)	1	0	0	1
12	Croatia (CRO)	1	0	0	1
12	Ireland (IRL)	1	0	0	1
12	New Zealand (NZL)	1	0	0	1
12	Sweden (SWE)	1	0	0	1
12	Trinidad & Tobago (TRI)	1	0	0	1
12	Uganda (UGA)	1	0	0	1
19	Australia (AUS)	0	2	1	3
20	Ivory Coast (CIV)	0	2	0	2
21	Canada (CAN)	0	1	4	5
22	China (CHN)	0	1	3	4
23	Cuba (CUB)	0	1	2	3
24	Netherlands (NED)	0	1	1	2
24	Nigeria (NGR)	0	1	1	2
26	Botswana (BOT)	0	1	0	1
26	Finland (FIN)	0	1	0	1
26	Hungary (HUN)	0	1	0	1
26	Italy (ITA)	0	1	0	1
26	Qatar (QAT)	0	1	0	1
31	Serbia (SRB)	0	0	2	2
31	Spain (ESP)	0	0	2	2
33	Djibouti (DJI)	0	0	1	1
33	Dominican Republic (DOM)	0	0	1	1
33	Estonia (EST)	0	0	1	1
33	Japan (JPN)	0	0	1	1
33	Mexico (MEX)	0	0	1	1
33	South Africa (RSA)	0	0	1	1

The Premier League 2013/14 preview: All change at the top

ARSENAL
The Gunners - Emirates Stadium, Ashburton Road, Islington, London, N5 1BU. Capacity 60,338
Last season: 4th, FA Cup 5th round, League Cup Quarter finals, Champions League Last 16
Last major trophy: FA Cup 2005
Manager: Arsene Wenger (since October 1996)
Players In: Yaya Sanogo
Players Out: Gervinho, Andrey Arshavin, Denilson, Sebastian Squillaci, Martin Angha, Craig Eastmond, Conor Henderson, Jernade Meade, Sanchez Watt, Vito Mannone, Andre Santos, Marouane Chamakh Pre-season form:
14.07 v Indonesia (A) W7-0
17.07 v Vietnam (A) W7-1
22.07 v Nagoya Grampus (A) W3-1
26.07 v Urawa Red Diamonds (A) W2-1
03.08 v Napoli (H) D2-2
04.08 v Galatasaray (H) L1-2
10.08 v Manchester City (N) W3-1
Prediction: 4th 
Frustrated Gunners fans remain without a marquee signing to welcome after a fruitless summer-long pursuit of Luis Suarez. Nevertheless, Arsene Wenger's men have proven time and time again that they will not give up their top four placing easily. Indeed, with Santi Cazorla and - fitness permitting - Jack Wilshere assisting settled striker Olivier Giroud, Arsenal will be as glorious to watch as usual when they are on their day.
 
ASTON VILLA
The Villains - Villa Park, Trinity Road, Birmingham, B6 6HE. Capacity 42,682
Last season: 15th, FA Cup 4th round, League Cup Semi finals
Last major trophy: League Cup 1996
Manager: Paul Lambert (since June 2012)
Players In: Aleksandar Tonev, Jores Okore, Leandro Bacuna, Nicklas Helenius, Antonio Luna, Jed Steer
Players Out: Richard Dunne, Eric Lichaj, Jean Makoun, Derrick Williams, Andy Marshall, Stiliyan Petrov~, Brett Holman
Pre-season form:
10.07 v SV Roedinghausen (A) D1-1
12.07 v SC Paderborn (A) D1-1
14.07 v VfL Bochum (A) D1-1
20.07 v Wycombe Wanderers (A) D2-2
23.07 v Luton Town (A) L0-2
26.07 v Crewe Alexandra (A) W5-1
31.07 v Walsall (A) W5-0
04.08 v Shamrock Rovers (A) W2-0
10.08 v Malaga (H) W3-2
Prediction: 8th
Keeping hot-shot Christian Benteke was the key to Aston Villa's summer after the Belgian international stunned manager Paul Lambert by handing in a transfer request. But Benteke eventually relented and Lambert can now concentrate on overseeing his young side's impressive development which saw them hit top half form in the second half of last season's struggle.

CARDIFF CITY
The Bluebirds - Cardiff City Stadium, Leckwith Road, Cardiff, CF11 8AZ. Capacity 26,896
Last season: Champions (promoted from Championship), FA Cup 3rd round, League Cup 1st round
Last major trophy: FA Cup 1927
Manager: Malky Mackay (since June 2011)
Players In: Gary Medel, Steven Caulker, Andreas Cornelius, John Brayford, Simon Moore
Players Out: Stephen McPhail, Heidar Helguson, Nat Jarvis, Robert Earnshaw
Pre-season form:
24.07 v Forest Green Rovers (H) W4-3
27.07 v Cheltenham Town (A) D1-1
30.07 v Brentford (A) L2-3
03.08 v Chievo (H) W1-0
10.08 v Athletic Bilbao (H) W2-1
Prediction: 15th 
Cardiff City may have sold their blue shirts down the river in place of their Malaysian owner's lucky red colour but most fans seem willing to forgive Vincent Tan, given he has funded a first appearance back in the top flight since 1962. A further splurge this summer has seen the club's transfer record broken on no fewer than three separate occasions leaving the Welshmen easily the most equipped of the three promoted teams to survive the rigours of the Premier League.

CHELSEA
The Blues - Stamford Bridge, Fulham Road, London, SW6 1HS. Capacity 41,798
Last season: 3rd, FA Cup Semi finals, League Cup Semi finals, Champions League Group stage Europa League Winners
Last major trophies: Europa League 2013
Manager: Jose Mourinho (since June 2013)
Players In: Andre Schurrle, Marco van Ginkel, Cristian Cuevas, Mark Schwarzer
Players Out: Jeffrey Bruma, Florent Malouda, Yossi Benayoun, Ross Turnbull, Paulo Ferreira~
Pre-season form:
17.07 v Singha All-Stars (A) W1-0
21.07 v Malaysia All-Stars (A) W4-1
25.07 v Indonesia All-Stars (A) W8-1
01.08 v Inter Milan (N) W2-0
04.08 v AC Milan (N) W2-0
07.08 v Real Madrid (N) L1-3
11.08 v AS Roma (N) W2-1
Prediction: Champions
Jose Mourinho is back and, as ever, has timed his arrival well considering it coincides with the two Manchester clubs are also having a change at the top. By contrast, for Chelsea, a change in manager is an almost annual tradition, although Mourinho was somewhat of an exception in his first spell, having stayed at Stamford Bridge for over three years and delivered successive Premier League titles. Of course, the Portuguese's uneasy working relationship with Russian owner Roman Abramovich brought an end to all of that early in the 2007-08 season and it will be worth keeping an eye out for any tension in this campaign. Otherwise, with arguably the best midfield in the league, everything seems to be set up for Mourinho to bring another bout of instant success to the Bridge.

CRYSTAL PALACE
The Eagles - Selhurst Park, Whitehorse Lane, London, SE25 6PU. Capacity 26,255
Last season: 5th (promoted from Championship via playoffs), FA Cup 3rd round, League Cup 2nd round
Last major trophy: None
Manager: Ian Holloway (since November 2012)
Players In: Dwight Gayle, Stephen Dobbie, Jerome Thomas, Jose Campana, Kevin Phillips, Elliot Grandin, Marouane Chamakh
Players Out: Jermaine Easter, Alex Marrow, Andre Moritz
Pre-season form:
20.07 v Dagenham and Redbridge (A) W2-1
23.07 v Gillingham (A) W3-0
27.07 v Crawley Town (A) L0-3
03.08 v Waterford United (A) W4-0
06.08 v Dulwich Hamlet (A) W4-1
10.08 v Lazio (H) L0-1
Prediction: 20th
The journalists' dreams came true with not only the return of Jose Mourinho to the Premier League but also rent-a-gob Ian Holloway, now at Crystal Palace, following an extraordinary promotion via the playoffs. Just three years ago, the Eagles were in administration and staring the third tier in the face, and yet here they are, back in the Premier League for a fifth spell. They will, of course, be aiming not to break their own record by being relegated for a fifth time - but, deprived now of Wilfried Zaha, some of their summer business looks sadly insufficient.

EVERTON
The Toffees - Goodison Park, Goodison Road, Liverpool, L4 4EL. Capacity 39,571
Last season: 6th, FA Cup Quarter finals, League Cup 3rd round
Last major trophy: FA Cup 1995
Manager: Roberto Martinez (since July 2013)
Players In: Arouna Kone, Antolin Alcaraz, Joel Robles, Gerard Deulofeu
Players Out: Thomas Hitzlsperger, Jan Mucha, Jake Bidwell, Phil Neville~
Pre-season form:
14.07 v Austria Vienna (A) L1-2
17.07 v Accrington Stanley (A) W4-1
27.07 v Blackburn Rovers (A) W3-1
31.07 v Juventus (N) D1-1 (won 6-5 on pens)
03.08 v Real Madrid (N) L1-2
06.08 v Valencia (N) L0-1
11.08 v Real Betis (H) W2-1
Prediction: 10th
It is a big season at Goodison Park for Everton and their new manager Roberto Martinez. Oddly, May's Wembley triumph means that the cup-winning Spaniard has already won more trophies in his managerial career than predecessor David Moyes - but, while he was very much the underdog at Wigan Athletic, Everton are a rather bigger proposition. Lauded for developing an easy-on-the-eye playing style with the Latics, Martinez could be held equally responsible for his team's joke of a defence. And, Toffees fans - so accustomed to seeing tight displays even against the top sides - will not stand for a drop in standards at the back.

FULHAM
The Cottagers - Craven Cottage, Stevenage Road, London, SW6 6HH. Capacity 25,700
Last season: 12th, FA Cup 4th round, League Cup 2nd round
Last major trophy: None
Manager: Martin Jol (since June 2011)
Players In: Sascha Riether, Derek Boateng, Fernando Amorebieta, Maarten Stekelenburg, Ange-Freddy Plumain, Adel Taarabt, Darren Bent
Players Out: Mark Schwarzer, Chris Baird, Simon Davies, Mahamadou Diarra, Csaba Somogyi, Mladen Petric, Tom Donegan, Alex Smith
Pre-season form:
14.07 v Cartagines (A) W3-0
17.07 v Alajuelense (A) W3-1
20.07 v Deportivo Saprissa (A) D2-2 (won 5-3 on pens)
28.07 v Werder Bremen (A) L0-1
05.08 v Real Betis (H) D1-1
10.08 v Parma (H) L1-2
Prediction: 16th
The biggest news at Craven Cottage this summer came off the pitch as Mohamed Al Fayed sold up to Shahid Khan, owner of the NFL side Jacksonville Jaguars. It is unclear so far exactly where Fulham lies in terms of priority for billionaire Khan but investment is badly needed to freshen up an squad past it best and far too reliant on Dimitar Berbatov. Fulham also seemed to let their heads go down easily last year, gaining just five points from losing positions all season, and shipping six result-changing goals in the last 10 minutes. An ageing squad with old habits which will no doubt die hard.

HULL CITY
The Tigers - KC Stadium, The Circle, Walton Street, Anlaby Road, Hull, HU3 6HU. Capacity 25,400
Last season: Runners-up (promoted from Championship), FA Cup 4th round, League Cup 2nd round
Last major trophy: None
Manager: Steve Bruce (since June 2012)
Players In: Yannick Sagbo, Ahmed Elmohamady, Allan McGregor, Curtis Davies, Maynor Figueroa, George Boyd, Steve Harper, Danny Graham
Players Out: Corry Evans, Sonny Bradley, Danny East, Mark Cullen, Andy Dawson, Jamie Devitt, Paul McKenna, Seyi Olofinjana, Jay Simpson
Pre-season form:
15.07 v North Ferriby United (A) W3-1
15.07 v Winterton Rangers (A) W6-0
20.07 v Sheffield Wednesday (N) D0-0
23.07 v SC Braga (A) D0-0
27.07 v Birmingham City (A) L1-2
29.07 v Peterborough United (A) W1-0
03.08 v Dynamo Dresden (A) W1-0
06.08 v Eintracht Braunschweig (A) L0-2
10.08 v Real Betis (H) W3-0
Prediction: 19th
Hull City are proof that there is hope after relegation from the Premier League, though their promotion last season was almost as surprising as their first. Following two seasons of struggle in the top flight, it felt as if it would be quite a while until the Tigers bounced back but, after former manager Nigel Pearson cleared out most of the dead wood, promotion specialist Steve Bruce took over and did what he does best. Bruce, like Hull, has always found it tougher in the top flight and unless they make another blinding start like last time, another season of struggle awaits.  

LIVERPOOL
The Reds - Anfield, Anfield Road, Liverpool, L4 0TH. Capacity 45,276
Last season: 7th, FA Cup 4th round, League Cup 4th round, Europa League Last 32
Last major trophy: League Cup 2012
Manager: Brendan Rodgers (since June 2012)
Players In: Simon Mignolet, Iago Aspas, Luis Alberto, Kolo Toure
Players Out: Andy Carroll, Stewart Downing, Jonjo Shelvey, Danny Wilson, Jamie Carragher~
Pre-season form:
13.07 v Preston North End (A) W4-0
20.07 v Indonesia XI (A) W2-0
24.07 v Melbourne Victory (A) W2-0
28.07 v Thailand (A) W3-0
03.08 v Olympiakos (H) W2-0
07.08 v Valerenga (A) W4-1
10.08 v Celtic (N) L0-1
Prediction: 5th
There was progress of sorts last season for Brendan Rodgers at Liverpool as, although his side finished down in seventh - and behind Everton for a second successive year, that was mainly down to another horrendously slow start. The second half of the season went much better and, in fact, the Anfield side hit more goals than any other Premier League team after 1 January. The Luis Suarez saga has, of course, threatened to derail Rodgers's rebuilding plan but Phillippe Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge looked excellent towards the end of last term, while Simon Mignolet is an astute signing between the sticks. 

MANCHESTER CITY
The Blues - Etihad Stadium, SportCity, Manchester, M11 3FF. Capacity 47,405
Last season: Runners-up, FA Cup Runners-up, League Cup 3rd round, Champions League Group stage Last major trophy: Premier League 2011-12
Manager: Manuel Pellegrini (since June 2013)
Players In: Fernandinho, Alvaro Negredo, Jesus Navas, Stevan Jovetic
Players Out: Carlos Tevez, Kolo Toure, Wayne Bridge, Ryan McGivern, Roque Santa Cruz, Jeremy Helan, Maicon
Pre-season form:
14.07 v SuperSport United (A) L0-2
18.07 v AmaZulu (A) L1-2
24.07 v South China (A) W1-0
27.07 v Sunderland (N) W1-0
31.07 v AC Milan (N) W5-3
01.08 v Bayern Munich (A) L1-2
10.08 v Arsenal (N) L1-3
Prediction: Runners-up
Manuel Pellegrini is the new man at the Etihad Stadium after Roberto Mancini paid the price for rumours of squad unrest and Man City's shock defeat at Wembley which left the club without a trophy last season. Unsurprisingly, considering the lack of silverware, Pellegrini has been given something of a war chest to wrestle the title back from the other side of Manchester and make progress for the first time in the Champions League. Most importantly, perhaps, the Blues have signed midfielder Fernandinho to play alongside Yaya Toure, meaning the days of the pedestrian Gareth Barry in the middle are surely over. Meanwhile, a trio of new strikers - Alvaro Negredo, Jesus Navas and Montenegrin Stevan Jovetic - will provide a further boost to a well-stocked forward line.

MANCHESTER UNITED
The Red Devils - Old Trafford, Sir Matt Busby Way, Manchester, M16 0RA. Capacity 75,731
Last season: Champions, FA Cup Quarter finals, League Cup 4th round, Champions League Last 16
Last major trophy: Premier League 2012-13
Manager: David Moyes (since July 2013)
Players In: Guillermo Varela
Players Out: Frederic Veseli, Reece Brown, Sean McGinty, Paul Scholes~
Pre-season form:
13.07 v Thai All-Star XI (A) L0-1
20.07 v A-League All Stars (A) W5-1
23.07 v Yokohama F Marinos (A) L2-3
26.07 v Cerezo Osaka (A) D2-2
29.07 v Kitchee (A) W5-2
06.08 v AIK Stockholm (A) D1-1
09.08 v Sevilla (H) L1-3
Prediction: 3rd
Stepping into Sir Alex Ferguson's shoes was never likely to be an easy task but compatriot David Moyes has perhaps found it even more difficult due to Cesc Fabregas's rejection and, of course, the troublesome Wayne Rooney. Unhappy that he has been usurped as the club's main striker by Robin van Persie, it seems unlikely that Rooney will be at Old Trafford for much longer, despite Moyes's declaration to the contrary. And so, while Man United may have rode away with the title by a considerable margin last season, it is strange just how much can change in a single summer. A tough start awaits Moyes with trips to Liverpool and Manchester City in the first five games, as well as a home clash with Chelsea. But, surely, the Scotsman will be afforded a bit of time to get it right. 

NEWCASTLE UNITED
The Magpies - St James Park, Barrack Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 4ST. Capacity 52,405
Last season: 16th, FA Cup 3rd round, League Cup 3rd round, Europa League Quarter finals
Last major trophy: UEFA (Fairs) Cup 1969
Manager: Alan Pardew (since December 2010)
Players In: Loic Remy, Olivier Kemen
Players Out: James Perch, Danny Simpson, Steve Harper
Pre-season form:
16.07 v Motherwell (A) W4-2
20.07 v Rio Ave (A) L1-3
23.07 v Pacos de Ferreira (A) D1-1
28.07 v Blackpool (A) W1-0
30.07 v St Mirren (A) W1-0
06.08 v Rangers (A) D1-1
10.08 v SC Braga (H) D1-1
Prediction: 12th
A typically tumultuous off-season at St James Park has resulted so far in just one major incoming signing, Loic Remy on loan, but plenty of boardroom politics. Loathed club managing director Derek Llambias has left but back again from the wilderness is the equally distrusted Joe Kinnear, now working as director of football alongside chief scout Graham Carr. All of this leaves manager Alan Pardew's position at the club rather uncertain, particularly after his difficulties last season. For, just a year on from finishing fifth, the Magpies fell to 16th and, towards the close of the campaign, suffered embarrassing home defeats to Liverpool and Sunderland. Of course, the squad was stretched beyond its limits by a freaky injury list and an enjoyable extended run in the Europa League. These will not be issues this time so surely things will get better - but they may do so without Pardew who is in the unenviable position of being favourite for the chop.

NORWICH CITY
The Canaries - Carrow Road Road, Norwich, NR1 1JE. Capacity 27,224
Last season: 11th, FA Cup 4th round, League Cup Quarter finals
Last major trophy: League Cup 1985
Manager: Chris Hughton (since June 2012)
Players In: Ricky van Wolfswinkel, Gary Hooper, Javier Garrido, Nathan Redmond, Martin Olsson, Carlo Nash, Leroy Fer
Players Out: Grant Holt, James Vaughan, Leon Barnett, Jed Steer, Chris Martin, Marc Tierney, Simeon Jackson, Korey Smith, Elliott Ward, Tom Adeyemi, George Francomb, Lee Camp
Pre-season form:
18.07 v Dorados de Sinaloa (N) W3-0
20.07 v San Jose Earthquakes (A) L0-1
24.07 v Portland Timbers (A) L0-1
30.07 v Brighton & Hove Albion (A) D1-1
02.08 v SC Braga (A) D2-2
06.08 v Real Sociedad (H) D1-1
10.08 v Panathinaikos (H) W2-0
Prediction: 9th
Spot the problem and fix it seems to have been Norwich's modus operandi this summer with investment up front in the wonderfully-named Ricky van Wolfswinkel from Sporting Lisbon and Gary Hooper who arrives from Celtic. Underrated manager Chris Hughton no doubt will hope that the pairing can strike up a connection quickly to spare the Canaries another difficult season in front of goal - Norwich failed to score in 13 of their league games last season. But, despite those issues and a worrying mid-term dip, the 11th-placed finish was a fourth successive season of improvement at Carrow Road. A top 10 finish is the obvious next step.

SOUTHAMPTON
The Saints - St Mary's Stadium, Britannia Road, Southampton, SO14 5FP. Capacity 32,589
Last season: 14th, FA Cup 3rd round, League Cup 4th round
Last major trophy: FA Cup 1976
Manager: Mauricio Pochettino (since January 2013)
Players In: Victor Wanyama, Dejan Lovren
Players Out: Vegard Forren, Frazer Richardson, Danny Butterfield, Danny Seaborne, Ryan Dickson, Ben Reeves, Sam Hoskins, Richard Chaplow, Steve de Ridder
Pre-season form:
17.07 v Llagostera (A) W2-1
20.07 v Palamos (A) W8-0
24.07 v Schalke (N) L0-2
27.07 v Besiktas (N) W3-1
03.08 v Celta Vigo (A) D0-0 (lost 1-4 on pens)
10.08 v Real Sociedad (H) W4-3
Prediction: 13th
What exactly was owner Nicola Cortese thinking of, replacing the highly-rated Nigel Adkins on the back of a fine run which had pulled Southampton away from the bottom? Well, as harsh as the sacking undoubtedly was on Adkins, sometimes risks in football are worth taking and, to be fair, the Saints looked even better under their new man, Mauricio Pochettino. Moreover, the owner has backed his Argentine coach with £12.5m spent on midfield powerhouse Victor Wanyama from Celtic. That is the kind of money which Saints fans could only dream of their club spending just a few short years ago. And, with Rickie Lambert on a high after capping his own meteoric rise by scoring for England at Wembley this week, Saints should have more than enough about them for another solid season on the south coast.

STOKE CITY
The Potters - Britannia Stadium, Stanley Matthews Way, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 4EG. Capacity 27,740
Last season: 13th, FA Cup 4th round, League Cup 2nd round
Last major trophy: League Cup 1972
Manager: Mark Hughes (since May 2013)
Players In: Erik Pieters, Marc Muniesa
Players Out: Dean Whitehead, Carlo Nash, Matthew Upson, Rory Delap, Matthew Lund, Mamady Sidibe, Michael Owen~
Pre-season form:
24.07 v Houston Dynamo (A) L0-2
27.07 v FC Dallas (A) W1-0
30.07 v Philadelphia Union (A) W2-0
04.08 v Wrexham (A) W1-0
10.08 v Genoa (H) D0-0
Prediction: 18th
Stoke City begin their sixth successive season in the top flight with a new man at the helm after parting company at the back of the last campaign with Tony Pulis. It seems odd then that the Potters opted for Mark Hughes as his replacement given that he is a man cut from same cloth with his previous teams often copying his aggressive playing style. Queens Park Rangers infamously took it too far and ended up with a horrendous disciplinary record - and, if Stoke fall into the same trap, they too will struggle. A tough start sees Hughes' side visit Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United in three of their first five away games. Results in their easier home matches are vital or it could be a long way back.

SUNDERLAND
The Black Cats - Stadium of Light, Sunderland, SR5 1SU. Capacity 48,707
Last season: 17th, FA Cup 3rd round, League Cup 4th round
Last major trophy: FA Cup 1973
Manager: Paulo di Canio (since March 2013)
Players In: Emanuele Giaccherini, Jozy Altidore, Vito Mannone, Modibo Diakite, Valentin Roberge, Duncan Watmore, Cabral, David Moberg Karlsson, El Hadji Ba, Ondrej Celustka
Players Out: Simon Mignolet, Ahmed Elmohamady, Titus Bramble, Matthew Kilgallon, Ryan Noble
Pre-season form:
17.07 v Chiasso (N) W1-0
24.07 v Tottenham Hotspur (N) W3-1
27.07 v Manchester City (N) L0-1
07.08 v Midtjylland (A) W1-0
Prediction: 14th
Never one to do things by halves, Paulo di Canio - dissatisfied with his team's failure to make 40 points last season - has made wholesale changes at the Stadium of Light over the summer. It is a big risk by the fiery Italian fascist with many of his signings unfamiliar with English football. On top of that, the Black Cats have lost perhaps their best player from last season, Simon Mignolet, and replaced him with Arsenal's third keeper, though - on a positive note - they will surely score more goals than their paltry 41 last season. If, or perhaps even when, things do go wrong, Di Canio is hardly the coolest cucumber in the salad box. Expect fireworks, whatever happens.

SWANSEA CITY
The Swans - Liberty Stadium, Morfa, Swansea, SA1 2FA. Capacity 20,750
Last season: 9th, FA Cup 3rd round, League Cup Winners
Last major trophy: League Cup 2013
Manager: Michael Laudrup (since June 2012)
Players In: Wilfried Bony, Jonjo Shelvey, Jordi Amat, Jonathan de Guzman, Alejandro Pozuelo, Gregor Zabret, Jose Canas, Alex Gogic, Jernade Meade
Players Out: Kemy Agustien, Mark Gower, Dwight Tiendalli
Pre-season form:
06.07 v FC 's-Gravenzande (A) W2-0
07.07 v Excelsior Maassluis (A) W5-1
10.07 v Haaglandia (A) W10-0
13.07 v ADO Den Haag (A) W1-0
19.07 v Yeovil Town (A) W5-0
21.07 v Exeter City (A) W2-0
27.07 v Reading (A) W3-0
Prediction: 7th
A first trophy in the club's 100-year history and a top half finish in the top flight - just how will Michael Laudrup improve on that? It will be difficult for sure but the Swans can head into the new season confident that their superior passing game will exhaust enough of their opponents to ensure they pick up plenty of Premier League points. Swansea's main trouble may come from the additional demands of the Europa League, a fact which Laudrup was keen to stress in pre-season. But, after early reports of managerial unrest, the Dane has been backed with club-record £12.5m signing Wilfried Bony all set to line up alongside the wonderful Michu.

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
Spurs - White Hart Lane, Bill Nicholson Way, High Road, Tottenham, London, N17 0AP. Capacity 36,284
Last season: 5th, FA Cup 4th round, League Cup 4th round, Europa League Quarter finals
Last major trophy: League Cup 2008
Manager: Andre Villas-Boas (since July 2012)
Players In: Roberto Soldado, Paulinho, Nacer Chadli
Players Out: Steven Caulker, Clint Dempsey, William Gallas, John Bostock, David Bentley, Jake Nicholson
Pre-season form:
16.07 v Swindon Town (A) D1-1
19.07 v Colchester United (A) D0-0
24.07 v Sunderland (N) L1-3
27.07 v South China (A) W6-0
31.07 v Milton Keynes Dons (A) L0-1
03.08 v Monaco (A) L2-5
08.08 v Enfield Town (H) W11-0
10.08 v Espanyol (H) D1-1
Prediction: 6th
Tottenham's campaign is so difficult to predict because, whether the Spurs fans like it or not, so much depends on the club's retention of Gareth Bale. Yes, Andre Villas-Boas seems to have bought well again for Spurs' latest assault on the top four with Roberto Soldado a proven goal-getter in Spain and Paulinho eager to secure a place into Brazil's World Cup midfield. However, when the going got tough last season, it was so often Bale who was the spark, with nine of his goals proving to be match-winners. Unfortunately for the Welshman, though, his efforts were ultimately in vain, Spurs missed out on the Champions League again and, when push comes to shove, Real Madrid hardly ever miss out on their man.

WEST BROMWICH ALBION
The Baggies - The Hawthorns, West Bromwich, B71 4LF. Capacity 26,445
Last season: 8th, FA Cup 3rd round, League Cup 3rd round
Last major trophy: FA Cup 1968
Manager: Steve Clarke (since June 2012)
Players In: Diego Lugano, Nicolas Anelka, Goran Popov, Matej Vydra
Players Out: Jerome Thomas, Gonzalo Jara, Marc-Antoine Fortune, James Hurst
Pre-season form:
18.07 v Hannover 96 (A) L1-2
22.07 v Puskas FC Academy (A) W3-0
27.07 v Derby County (A) W2-0
29.07 v Atromitos (N) W3-1
06.08 v Cork City (A) W6-0
10.08 v Bologna (H) W2-0
Prediction: 17th
Steve Clarke surprised just about everyone last season by taking West Brom to eighth in his first permanent managerial assignment. However, the Baggies' loftiest position in 31 years was achieved mainly through their form before Christmas and they failed in their bid to make it to 50 points after winning just four times in the New Year. Most significantly of all, top scorer Romelu Lukaku has now returned to parent club Chelsea, leaving Shane Long and new man Nicolas Anelka responsible for scoring the goals to keep Albion out of danger. This will undoubtedly be a tougher second season for Clarke.

WEST HAM UNITED
The Hammers - Boleyn Ground, Green Street, Upton Park, London, E13 9AZ. Capacity 35,016
Last season: 10th, FA Cup 3rd round, League Cup 3rd round
Last major trophy: League Cup 1981
Manager: Sam Allardyce (since June 2011)
Players In: Andy Carroll, Razvan Rat, Adrian, Danny Whitehead, Stewart Downing
Players Out: Rob Hall, Carlton Cole, Gary O'Neil
Pre-season form:
07.07 v Cork City (A) W6-2
10.07 v Boreham Wood (A) W3-0
13.07 v Bournemouth (A) W2-0
16.07 v Colchester United (A) W2-1
20.07 v FSV Mainz (A) L1-4
23.07 v SV Hamburg (A) W3-1
27.07 v Eintracht Braunschweig (A) W3-0
10.08 v Pacos de Ferreira (H) W2-1
Prediction: 11th
West Ham enjoyed a fine return to the top flight last season, even scraping a top-half finish, thanks almost exclusively to their home form. The Hammers won 34 of their 42 points at the Boleyn Ground and failed to win consecutive league matches as Sam Allardyce's safety-first pragmatism resulted in a divisional low of only 11 away goals. Nevertheless, Allardyce's side can be reasonably expected to trouble the top 10 again this season with Andy Carroll now signed permanently and looking unexpectedly comfortable at a London club alongside his old mucker Kevin Nolan.