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After two fifth place finishes, last seasons frustrating (albeit after a disastrous start, quite relieving) eleventh, it looks less likely now than it has previously. The articles here on Helium reveal how much expectation there was back then (this article is being written on the second of August, 2008, just as Keane has left, and we are waiting for Manchester United to take Berbatov). One commonality amongst them all, apart from the ones who obviously do not speak English, who was 7/8 at the time of writing, is that they all seemed to feel that Spurs were the most likely of the chasing pack to break through, which evidently did not happen.

Now that chasing pack seems stronger than ever before, Spurs still seem the team most to. Portsmouth seem to have reached their potential as a club with last season's FA cup triumph, Everton too seem to have plateued. Aston Villa and Newcastle have ambitions of breaking up the quadopoly, and have significant funds and large fanbases, but seem to be progressing slowly (assuming that Newcastle actually are getting better, that is). All these teams are dark horses in terms of the race to get into the Champion's League. Blackburn, Sunderland and West Ham are the teams I would pick just beneath them (the Underdogs, if you will). Yet of all these teams, only Manchester City and Spurs, and Spurs more so, have the potential to provide a sustained challenge to the big four. Not necessarily this season, or even at all, but if there is to be a team to eventually make a big five', it will come from one of those two teams. What I mean by that is, not a one-season-wonder, like Everton a few years back, and not to take permanently a Champions League place either, but to at least seem like they are playing in the same league with them. Tottenham have somewhat managed to do this in head-to-head meetings with them in recent years, matching them for pace and possession, often missing eminently-takeable chances, but still losing, failing at the most important points of the match.

The potential evident in recent years is not just down to a talented collection of players either-evidence that we have reached a different plane is evidenced by the links with players like Arshavin and Villa (though probably neither will come) who actually sounded pretty positive about the prospect. This is in contrast to players like Robinho turning us down in previous pre-seasons-though respectfully, the premiership is very strong now, and many teams seem to be capable

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