Iceland

My wife and I have just returned from a 5 day trip to Iceland.

I'm blogging about this because quite a few people have told me they're considering a trip out there, and would like advice or suggestions on what to do.. Hopefully this will come in handy!

We have quite a lot of things to say about this beautiful country, so this almost certainly won't cover all of it but I'll give it a go - and if you can't be bothered to read all of it, skip to the end where I've bullet pointed the main things.

1. The People

As English speaking people, we were very lucky. It seems everybody in Iceland speaks English, and not one person misunderstood a word we were saying. There was no language barrier whatsoever, to the extent where we started to wonder whether English was actually their first language. It almost felt a bit like cheating, but there was simply no opportunity to test out our Icelandic - and even when we said 'Takk' as thank you, it was met with no response.

We were given the impression that Iceland is full of lovely, polite and happy people. Whilst this isn't entirely inaccurate, we also discovered a different type of person whilst on our trip.
Customer service, in general, is pretty poor. They make little conversation, don't say please or thank you and essentially do the very basics of the job without so much of a smile. Though this isn't the case in all places (the restaurants we went to were full of exceptional staff), a majority of our transactions felt like we were being served by a grumpy teenager. I recall one particular girl who was initially chatting to someone else at the till, took the item we were buying, scanned it, took payment, pushed it back towards us with no eye contact, no smile, nothing. It felt rude, but I think this is just the way some of them are..

2. The Prices

It is no lie that Iceland is very expensive. 1,000 Icelandic Krona is essentially £7.00. If you're looking to treat yourself in a restaurant, a starter may be 3,000KR, main course 6,000KR - so before you've even had a drink or dessert, you're looking at over £60.00 per person. The food and drink is particularly expensive as farming in Iceland is very difficult, yet there is a ban on imported goods. Sea food is usually well priced (lobster included), but anything else may feel like a rip off. The same is the case in supermarkets, especially if you're looking for bacon!

That said, there is one supermarket that offers reasonable value. Bonus! is the go-to place if you need to stock up.. Unless you're loaded, you'll need to rely on eating at home and Bonus is the ideal place to get some supplies. We managed to cover food for the trip for less than 5,000KR which really isn't all that bad at all. 

If I were to go again, I'd take very little cash with me. People in Iceland use credit cards for just about everything, and it's very difficult to get rid of any change you get. The exchange rate is probably more expensive than the small charge you'd receive for using your card abroad, so I wouldn't worry too much about changing over those pounds.

3. The Temperature

We visited Iceland in November, and the temperature was constantly around 0 or -1. The morning we left it was as low as -7, so wear plenty of layers and make sure you have some decent gloves. It's not actually too bad, but when the wind picks up it can get pretty unpleasant so be prepared for that.

4. The Smell

There is a bit of a smell that can't be ignored. Iceland is very good at using renewable energy sources, and so any hot water used comes from the geothermal power stations that pop up around the country. The drawback of this is the high levels of sulphur in the water, which creates a rotten egg smell.. It's still perfectly clean, but it comes along with any use of hot water.

5. Transport

We hired a car in Iceland, so I don't have any advice regarding public transport - but I will say that I was delighted to hire a car for the freedom is gives.

The first surprise, however, was that the company we used (Greenmotion) are not actually based at the airport but a short shuttle bus journey away. Though this isn't a major issue, it left us feeling a little lost when we landed. They had Europcar and Hertz at the airport, and in future I would probably book through one of those.

The service at Greenmotion was slow, but the staff were at least informative.

I've hired cars many times before, and know that you need to leave a deposit. In England it's usually around £200, which I thought would be manageable - but apparently I missed some small print somewhere (which I still can't find, though the lady assured me I would've known) that told me the deposit would be more like £2000! This absolutely caught me by surprise, and meant that I simply couldn't afford it. This forced my hand into purchasing the full insurance cover at £130 with no deposit. At the time I felt a bit conned as I wouldn't be getting that money back, but in hindsight I feel it was the right decision anyway.

The law in Iceland states that you and passengers must wear a seat belt at all times, and you must always drive with your lights on. That's because even in daylight, the sun can be pretty low in the sky and so visibility can be compromised.

The roads in Iceland are mostly in good condition, the majority of people drive safely and the speed limits are sensible. The weather is the main reason that I think full insurance is a good idea. We drove out in the dark to a national park in an attempt to get a view of the northern lights, and it was windy! It had also snowed and at times visibility was non existent. It took a lot of focus, and though it was exciting it could've been rather dangerous. The main roads are not icy, but if you turn into a quieter road it can be very slippery. Iceland is prone to the occasional snow storm, and with the strength of the wind it could be easy to bend the doors back when opening them, or the snow can even cause damage to the side of the car if you sit still.

The main benefit of having a car, as mentioned, was the freedom it gave. A tour to go on a boat to view the northern lights, if they come out at all, is just shy of 10,000KR per person. That's £70, and you might not even see them. At £130 for insurance, we got to drive out every night to a nice quiet spot, at whatever time we wanted... and that brings me nicely on to my next section;

6. The Sights

Iceland is BEAUTIFUL. Seriously. I've never been anywhere so stunning. If you can handle the cold weather, you can be treated to some seriously amazing scenery. I'll run down a list of things we saw...

• The Northern Lights.
• Everyone wants to see the Northern Lights when they go to Iceland, and we got the pleasure of seeing them twice. You need a certain amount of things to fall into place for this to happen, but essentially we broke it down to being a clear sky, pitch black, and limited light from the city. When we were there, the ideal time for the northern lights to appear was between 8pm and 2am. 
• I will admit that the lights themselves were a little underwhelming. The excitement of them appearing and sitting in the sky was thrilling, but once they were there I couldn't help but wish they were brighter! There's a scale that goes from 1-9, and our first night seeing them was rated a 3, the second night being a 5. The 3 was exciting at first, but our camera didn't really pick it up. The 5 was incredible, but the best parts of it were appearing whilst I was driving out to a quiet spot. By the time we'd parked up, they'd faded and we felt like we'd missed out a little bit.
• We were told that they can be in the sky from anything between 10 minutes and all night. This is true, so if you get the chance to see them, take it in while it lasts. You might never get the opportunity again.
• As for viewing spots, we used two. There's a lighthouse in Reykjavik that is secluded from the main city. It was pretty popular, though, and quite a few cars had pulled up where we were. With ideal conditions, you could potentially get a view of the lighthouse and the Northern Lights beaming over the top of the city. The main spot we used, however, was Þingvellir National Park - there are many places to stop here, and we found a great spot (coming in from Reykjavik, drive for about 40 mins, when you go past an Information Centre look for a space about 7-10 minutes up the road on your right hand side, and there's a little parking area with a bench on the top of a hill).

• The Golden Circle
• The Golden Circle is essentially a ring road of amazing natural sights, and we got to see most of it before daylight came in. Here's how we found it;
• Hveragerði - There's a little geothermal area in this town that costs 300KR to enter (£2) where there are natural hot springs, pools and streams which is nice enough but in hindsight, it took time out of our day a bit unnecessarily and we could've skipped this stop.
• Kerið - Potentially my highlight of the entire trip. For 400KR, you can go and see this volcanic crater lake, and you can walk down right next to it. It's beautiful, and with the sun quite low in the sky is a great area to get some good snaps. I loved this stop, but we had to move on whilst there was still sunlight. Definitely something worth viewing.
• Geysir/Strokkur - This is the reason why the first stop was a bit of a waste of time. These natural springs are far more impressive, and the very first Geysir ever named is here (called Geysir, the one all others are named after). Strokkur is actually a geysir that is more impressive, shooting water up to 20ft! We didn't spend long here as daylight was fading, but it was exciting and a fantastic piece of nature to witness.
• Gullfoss Waterfall - As waterfalls go, this one is pretty impressive. It's essentially two waterfalls, the first of which is 17m high, the second being 20m. The views around this place are incredible, and this is another great stop. There's also a little cafe here if you need a little break before turning around.
• Þingvellir National Park - Despite coming here on three occasions, we never got to see the national park in the daylight. I'm sure we missed out on some awesome sights, and wish we'd have got here earlier in the day.. That said, still a great place for a Northern Lights viewing session.

• The end of daylight ended our Golden Circle tour, and it was a truly amazing day. The volcano was just immense, and the other sights were pretty special too. If you're gonna do this, give yourself enough time to fit it in, because although it can be done quickly, to really take in the sights you need a good 5-6 hours, and whilst we were there, daylight hours were between 10.30-16:30.

• The Blue Lagoon
• On the Monday it was our anniversary, and I'd booked us in at the Blue Lagoon from 14:00, with a table reserved at the restaurant there for 19:00. I actually thought that we'd have loads of time to spare, but knowing we had a few hours to relax just made it more enjoyable. We upgraded our tickets when we arrived, mostly because the upgrade included free sparkling wine at the restaurant - knowing how much food a drinks cost, this seemed a sensible idea.
• The Blue Lagoon itself is a geothermal spa, using natural heated waters from nearby. There's a pool bar and a face-mask bar, as well as a sauna and multiple areas for simply wandering around in the warm water.
• We had read beforehand that some tourists find it awkward as it is a rule for a person to shower thoroughly before entering the pool. This means getting naked in front of other people whilst there is a shower guard to ensure you do clean yourself properly.. In our experience though, this wasn't the case. There was a chap in the gents, but there were also shower cubicles with doors for privacy if need be and he didn't seem particularly strict. Personally, I'm quite used to showering in front of other people at the gym or swimming pool anyway, so this didn't phase me either way. The one thing I will say though, is to take your towel/bath robe with you to the pool as you can't go back to the changing rooms whilst you're still wet. The bathrobe came with the upgrade we purchased, but towels are given out to everyone
• On the subject of towels and bathrobes - ours got taken. There are numbered pegs for you to leave your stuff, but with all robes and towels looking the same, and people having a poor memory, I had my robe taken and Jackeline had her towel swiped. It was annoying, but there's a cafe who will give you a fresh towel or robe if need be - I think it's a pretty common issue.

• Other things
• There were a couple of things we missed out on that we wish we'd have seen or done. Firstly, whale spotting was something certainly on our list - however, at around £65 per person, and it being the low season for it, we didn't want to waste our money. We were told there'd be around a 60% chance of seeing anything, and that just didn't feel certain enough to part with £130.
• Glaciers. On our final day we had time to kill and I found a book in a shop about glaciers in Iceland. There's one that looks to be about a 60 minute drive away from the capital where you can go inside, have a glass of champagne and get information on how nature works. It looks very impressive, but we simply didn't consider this as an option until it was too late.
• Snowmobiling - again, something that didn't cross our minds at all. Looks like fun, though is probably expensive! 

An Overview

1. Hire a car (ideally with Hertz or Europcar)
2. Be prepared to go over your budget, and don't make any promises to anyone about bringing back souvenirs
3. Stock up on food at Bonus!
4. If you get the chance to see the Northern Lights, don't pass it up
5. Drive the Golden Circle (ensure you see Kerið, Geysir/Strokkur & Gullfoss Waterfall)
6. Visit the Blue Lagoon
7. Wrap up warm!

Overall, Iceland is a beautiful country and well worth a visit - but if you want to keep to a budget, you do have to plan carefully.

Thank for reading.

Joe :) 

The Three Year Itch

...This post is going to be something a little different to the usual F1/Football kind of posts that I put up. This one is a little more personal, a little more 'real' and somewhat more candid.

I am in love with my fiancée. It seems like a straightforward enough concept. It makes sense, it is simple. It doesn't, however, reflect the entire story.

We have been unofficially seeing eachother for more or less three years. In June it will be officially 3 years, but I started loving her way before then.

The three year itch is thought to be the feeling you get after three years together. The feeling that either you have to commit to your relationship, or accept that it isn't going anywhere and drift apart. It isn't by any means a 'we must have the itch' but it is something I, and many other people, can relate to.

The following paragraphs are my thoughts on the concept.

There comes a point in almost every relationship where you start to take your partner for granted. No longer do you feel the butterflies you once felt, you don't have them on your mind for every second of the day and you don't feel the pure need and desire to be at their side for every waking breath. This isn't a matter of falling 'out of love', but merely a matter of getting used to your current life and accepting things the way they are.

At this point, you could go down one of a few routes;

The Pessimist
Desperately you try to force your partner to love you again. You question everything, you question your partner's motives and you worry about what the future may bring. You don't know how to 'fix' the issue, and it gets you down. You're sure that the relationship is going to end, and for every good week, 5 minutes of doubt sets you back to the beginning. You're in a true slump, and you feel like you have no control over anything.

The Optimist
You find yourself saying things like 'Ahhh it'll be fine' all the time, and you refuse to accept that anything is wrong. You're happy with the way things are, you've no reason to change anything and you're convinced it'll all blow over and figure itself out in the end.

The Butterfly Catcher
The most naive. The one for dreamers. You don't know where the butterflies have gone, but you fear you'll never get them again and so you start to seek someone else who will bring them back. You could ultimately be chasing butterflies every three years for the rest of your life, or until you learn that it just doesn't work like that.

The Thinker
You understand and accept that realistically you won't have the feelings you had at the start of the relationship. You have a deeper, more emotional connection than that. You are aware that you have found someone special, you happily accept your partner the way they are. You now follow your head more than your heart, but you are happy to do so. You possibly refer to your partner as your soul-mate.

The Wimp
You never really wanted a long term thing, but have found yourself stumbling along for three years without having any better options. and never having found a way out. You might take this opportunity to cut ties, but you start to feel bad about the years you have wasted. You probably worry a lot about how others perceive you, so you brace yourself for the next year in the hope that an opportunity comes along to jump ship without taking the blame for heartache, or in the hope that some how you will actually want to be in the relationship.

I don't consider myself a relationship expert by any stretch of the imagination, but I can't help but try to offer some advice.

If you decide to commit to your partner, I think it's important to ultimately ignore your instincts. It is quite normal to go through this phase and fear for your future. It's easy to think that your partner doesn't love you as much because they don't make the effort that they used to, but you need to push that mindset aside and work at what you do have.

Don't place the blame anywhere, don't expect them to come up with a magical plan to make you feel wonderful, don't have any expectations at all. Find reasons to continuously appreciate each other. Be sure to thank each other, do the little things and have a cuddle once in a while. Enjoy the simple things that you might overlook or take for granted. We are all human, and all have feelings. Nurse the feelings, but don't worry if the butterflies don't reappear too often. Be content with happiness and comfort, and understand that your partner has your best interests at heart.

I've stolen this quote from an article I just read;
Love isn't a feeling that should be triggered or instilled by someone else; it should be drawn from an intimate, deep gratitude for finally finding someone who understands you, will always be there for you and reciprocates all of this on the same level.

So there it is. I committed to Jackeline a long time ago, and she did me. We are due to wed next June, and although it may seem very simple and straightforward, relationships are difficult. I could probably see a bit of myself in most of the descriptions I've given - though I'd like to consider myself more of a thinker than anything else. I appreciate her. She makes me happy, but not because of anything special - but because of who she is, what she believes in and how she is always there to turn to when I need some care or advice. She is my soulmate, and I love her very dearly.

Potential Abu Double Results

With double points being agreed for the final race of the season, Abu Dhabi has never been so important. Hamilton has been arguably the best driver this year, he has won most of the races and would be a popular World Champion. Rosberg has been consistent, has been strong in qualifying, and should he win the title then I hope that it isn't down to the double points rule.

As things stand, 17 points separate the two drivers meaning that with regular points being scored, Rosberg would either need to win with Hamilton finishing 7th or below, or Rosberg to come second and Hamilton not score any points.

Alas, we do have double points and so the situation changes and the race in Abu Dhabi becomes more important than ever.

If Hamilton finishes 1st or 2nd, he wins the Championship.
Rosberg must finish in the Top 5 to stand any chance of winning the title.

If Rosberg is to win in Abu Dhabi, Hamilton must finish second to win the Championship.
If Rosberg finishes 2nd, Hamilton must finish 6th or higher to win the Championship.
If Rosberg finishes 3rd, Hamilton must finish 7th or better.
If Rosberg finishes 4th or 5th, Hamilton must finish 9th or better.
If Rosberg finishes 6th or below, the title belongs to Hamilton.

Below them, Ricciardo has guaranteed himself 3rd place already but there is quite a battle for the 4th spot - with only 3 points currently separating Alonso, Vettel and Bottas.

At the bottom end of the table, Sauber remain pointless and have also confirmed that their driver lineup will change entirely for next season, with Marcus Ericsson moving across from Caterham and Filipe Nasr coming in from his current position as reserve driver for Williams. This means that currently, Adrian Sutil is without a drive which is something that makes me very happy.

Daniil Kvyat will be looking to Abu Dhabi to really push himself up the table. The Red Bull bound Russian is on a lowly 8 points and sits in 15th place, 14 points behind his teammate Jean-Eric Verge, who will argue that he probably should've been given the seat ahead of his rookie pal. For Kvyat to bump ahead of his teammate, he'll need a finish of 6th or better which seems a bit of a long shot. With normal points in place, he'd need to be on the podium to stand any chance.

So here are my hopes for Abu Dhabi;

I hope that the title isn't decided on because of the double points rule. If Rosberg wins it, I'd like him to do so by finishing 1st or 2nd with Hamilton in 6th or below.
I hope that the title isn't decided by technical faults. If Hamilton or Rosberg retire due to something that is not their fault, it really wouldn't sit right - unless Hamilton finishes 1st anyway.
I hope JEV has a good race and gets a seat for next season.
I hope Caterham return.
I hope that Sauber remain pointless, as Bianchi's hard fought points for Marussia sit there as a legacy of sorts to the French driver, who remains in a critical but stable condition following his crash in Japan. 

F1 Catch Up

With only three races to go in this F1 season, eyes are already looking ahead to the joys that next year may bring.

So far we have had a Mercedes dominant year, with a few bright sparks from the Red Bull of Ricciardo and the re-emergence of Williams as a bit of a force. It has also been a season of underachievement on a number of fronts, from McLaren and Ferrari to Lotus and Sauber, and even the reigning World Champion has had a season to forget. There was also a particularly dark point in Japan where one of my favourite drivers, Jules Bianchi, had a crash and remains 'critical but stable' in a Japanese hospital having obtained injuries to his brain.

For Marussia overall, it is Jules Bianchi's 2 points from Monaco that has put them ahead of Caterham and Sauber is the Constructor's Championship. The Frenchman drove a solid race to bring his car home in 9th place and score Marussia's first ever points in Formula 1.

The two drivers I dislike the most continue to underachieve. Sutil and Maldonado remain pointless for Sauber and Lotus respectively, putting themselves on par with the Caterham team, Max Chilton and Esteban Gutierrez.

At the other end of the field, Rosberg and Hamilton have shared most of the victories thus far and are seperated by just 17 points at the top with three races to go. Nearly 100 points off of the lead, Ricciardo has had an impressive season in his first with Red Bull and Bottas sits in 4th as Williams continue to improve and impress. Vettel and Alonso find themselves in 5th and 6th, and Raikkonen on his return to Ferrari is sitting in a lowly 11th place.

Alas, the silly season is now upon us. Some driver changes for next year have already been announced, and speculation is hotting up on who will fill the remaining seats...

Mercedes are sticking with Rosberg and Hamilton for next year. Williams are the only other team to confirm that they are sticking with the same pairing, as Massa and Bottas have had a solid season together.

Other drivers to stay put include Ricciardo (Red Bull), Hulkenberg (Force India) and Maldonado (Lotus).

The biggest surprise thus far is in the Red Bull garage, where Vettel has announced his intention to leave the team that he has been with since the age of 11. Now at 27 years old, he feels the need to try things out at a different team - with Ferrari being his preferred destination. Red Bull responded quickly, announcing that Kvyat will take his place in the team, which in turn leaves the Torro Rosso team with a new pairing for next year. They announced early on that Vergne will be departing them, and he will be replaced by a 17 year old chap by the name of Max Verstappen. JEV claims to be too old now for the Torro Rosso team, and I imagine he's correct. It'd be a shame to lose him as I think he's a decent driver and would do a good job with anyone, but I fear he'll be joining Buemi and Alguesuari on the Red Bull scrap heap.

It is reported that Alonso wants to leave Ferrari. It seems McLaren will be his likely destination, but with Button and Magnussen currently at the team, I'm not sure who will make way. Perez at Force India was thought to have signed a 'Multi year deal' last year, so we can assume he'll not be changed. This would help build on a decent year for the Force India team, who have found themselves battling it out with McLaren for 5th spot in the Constructor's Championship.

With all this in mind - here is how the teams currently look for next season;

Mercedes
Hamilton
Rosberg

Red Bull
Ricciardo
Kvyat

Williams
Bottas
Massa

Ferrari
Raikkonen
Vettel (TBC)

Force India
Hulkenberg
Perez (TBC)

Torro Rosso
Verstappen
(TBC)

Lotus
Maldonado
(TBC)

McLaren, Marussia, Sauber & Caterham
(TBC)
(TBC)

Current drivers unassigned
Alonso, Grosjean, Button, Magnussen, Vergne, Bianchi, Chilton, Sutil, Gutierrez, Kobayashi, Ericsson

As you can see, there are currently many unknowns so I'm going to have a stab at filling the gaps for you...

I imagine Vettel will soon be confirmed at Ferrari, with Alonso returning to McLaren. I think either of the current McLaren drivers could make way, but I'm going to assume it'll be Magnussen who has had a quiet season. Jenson Button may be getting on a bit, but he has outperformed his younger teammate and is keen to work with the Honda engines coming in for them next year. 

Perez, I'm sure, will be confirmed at Force India before too long.

The second seat at Torro Rosso is anybody's guess. Carlos Sainz Jr was expected to make the step up last year, but Kvyat came out of nowhere and has impressed in his first season. I'd quite like to see the Brit, Alex Lynn, given the seat but I think Sainz Jr will take it in the end.

Teaming up with Maldonado for next year? I don't think it'll be Grosjean. Maybe it's a decent destination for his fellow countryman, Jean-Eric Vergne. It'd be a shame to lose JEV as he has done nothing wrong, so perhaps Lotus makes sense for him. Failing that, I think our GP2 champion Jolyon Palmer deserves a shot in F1 so maybe this could be the team for him.

Marussia, I imagine, will keep faith in Chilton. Unfortunatley I don't see a way back for Jules Bianchi following his accident, and I reckon his seat will be taken by Alexander Rossi who is currently their reserve driver. He has been in and around F1 teams for a couple of years now and I think it's about time he got a seat.

Sauber could do with a complete change of personnel. Sutil was always a bad choice, and Gutierrez unfortunately hasn't stepped up. Van der Garde looks likely to be getting a seat back in F1, and I think he'll be put together with Sergei Sirotkin. He didn't particularly impress when doing a test drive for the team recently, but he brings with him a bunch of financial assistance and I think that is what Sauber need right now.

Caterham - will they even be in it next year? I don't know. It's impossible to know what is going on there, but it is clear that they have financial problems. If they do make it onto the grid for 2015, I wouldn't be surprised if they keep Ericsson on board. He hasn't had a good season, but he's still fresh. I can't imagine their second seat going to Kobayashi though. They'll need someone with a good amount of sponsorship to keep them afloat, or somebody that doesn't cost a lot. Merhi is currently looking good for a seat, or Lotterer who was their named driver in Belgium - though his race didn't last long at all. Jolyon Palmer is another potential candidate, and someone I would really like to see get a race seat for 2015.

Forza Rossa
Back in June it was announced that a new team based in Romania have been given the green light to start up in 2015. Not much has been said since, so whether they make it there in time is yet to be confirmed, but if they do I believe they'll pick a lineup with a mix of youth and experience.
The 'Romanian Ferrari' team will no doubt have aspirations to be on par with Torro Rosso, though as the team is apparently led by Colin Kolles I can't imagine they'll last too long - his CV includes HRT, Jordan, Midland and Spyker. He is also currently an advisor for Caterham..!
Being based in Romania, it'd make sense for them to pick out a Romanian youngster to be part of their team and 18 year old Robert Visoiu is doing a half decent job in GP3. The second seat is anybody's guess - so I'm going to have a stab in the dark and go for Kovalainen.

To be honest though, I doubt they'll make it as far as Melbourne.

PL Predictions 11th-15th

I was tempted to reevaluate this as Tony Pulis was a major part in my prediction for Crystal Palace - but I suppose that's the joy with football - at any moment in time, a random unexpected event can occur and suddenly things look a whole lot different. For what it's worth, if rumous of Sherwood taking over a true, I reckon they'll go down.

Alas - I shall continue with positions 11th through to 15th.

In 11th place I have put Southampton. A lot of people are expecting them to struggle having lost the likes of Shaw, Chambers, Lallana, Lambert and Lovren - but Koeman has bought well. He has brought in players that he knows, and players that will directly replace those that have left (Shaw - Bertrand, Lallana - Tadic, Lambert - Pelle). They could do with a new central defender though, as Yoshida doesn't appear to have what it takes.

My prediction for 12th place is Newcastle United. Again, I think they'll be relatively safe - though they have a habit of making it hard for themselves. They have brought in players on long term contracts which is a bit of a risk, and they still have a pretty hefty French contingent. Cabella looks a handy signing, as does de Jong. Provided Pardew keeps his cool, The Magpies should be pretty comfortable.

In 13th I have placed Sunderland. After a huge shake up when Di Canio came in, Poyet has worked miracles in order to steady the ship and he appears to have a very clear idea of what he's doing. They still lack a top quality goal scorer, but they have a decent enough team overall with a good amount of experience. They seem to have faith in their manager, and with Poyet at the helm they could actually push towards the top half of the table.

Leicester City are the next on my list, finding themselves in 14th place. After a hugely impressive Championship campaign last season, The Foxes decided against making wholesale changes to their squad. They brought in a few players early, and Ulloa coming in from Brighton will take the goalscoring burden away from Nugent and Vardy. They have been away from the Premiership for too long and it'd be a real shame if they were to head back down.

I think exploits in Europe will be detrimental to Hull City's season, which is why I have them down in 15th. I actually think Steve Bruce has put together a brilliant squad, full of young British talent - but I worry that they'll burn out towards the end of the season. Beating Inter Milan to the signing of Ince is quite a coup, as was bringing in Livermore on a permanent basis. I like Hull and I hope they do well, but if they go on a decent run in Europe they may struggle.

1. Chelsea
2. Manchester United
3. Manchester City
4. Arsenal
5. Liverpool
6. Tottenham Hotspur
7. Everton
8. Crystal Palace
9. Queens Park Rangers
10. Stoke City
11. Southampton
12. Newcastle United
13. Sunderland
14. Leicester City
15. Hull City

PL Predictions - 6th to 10th

So without further ado, I shall go through the next 5 positions.

In 6th place, I have gone for Tottenham Hotspur. Generally a team that is sniffing around the European places, but never quite making the step up to the big time - I think this coming season will be a familiar story for Spurs fans. A team who generally have ambitions higher than their potential, Tottenham are a double edged sword for any manager taking the reigns. In Potchettino, they have a gaffer with a growing reputation but this stint could determine whether he has what it takes. Tottenham do have a talented squad, and they will be tricky to beat, but they need Lamela and Soldado to really step up this season if they want to put any pressure at all on the top 5.

In 7th place I've put in one of the overachievers from last year, Everton. Martinez worked wonders there in his debut season, and he'll need more of that this year as their squad hasn't really evolved since then. Keeping hold of Ross Barkley is important for them, and signing Lukaku permanently was a real sign of intent - but I don't think it'll be enough. A team with quality players throughout, Everton lack the trickery of Deulofeu this season and don't have a great amount of depth. Being in the Europa League could be a bit of a distraction, and I think 7th is the best they can hope for.

From 8th-15th I think you can probably whack a number of  the remaining teams in a hat and it'll be as accurate as any guess. I dont think any teams left have the quality to push the top 7, and all have the potential to be in a relegation fight so maybe 8th position is generous for my predicted team, Crystal Palace. Since Pulis took over, Palace transformed into a difficult team to beat and they play a decent style of football. They have signed two players with decent Premier League experience in Hangeland and Fraizer Campbell, and I think they'll be fine.

In 9th place I have put our first Premiership newbies - QPR. 9th is pretty high for a newly promoted team, but with Harry Redknapp at the helm, there is always the potential to overachieve. A completely remodelled squad from the team that got relegated a couple of years back, QPR have built their latest foundations on British talent and have worked miracles in the transfer market to get in Ferdinand, Caulker, Mutch and Chilean World Cup star, Isla. If they can keep Remy, he will essentially be a new signing and so they only really need a left back and a tricky winger to have a well rounded squad. I think they'll be safe this season, and with a good run of results should squeeze into the top ten.

The last team to make it into my top ten is Stoke City. Mark Hughes is a manager I have never really rated, but I can't ignore the fact that he did a brilliant job last year - particularly after having a disastrous stint at QPR beforehand. He has slowly changed the style of play at Stoke, and although their backline still essentially consists of 4 centre backs, they have a bit more creativity and pace in the final third. Bojan could be an inspired signing provided he copes with the physical side of the PL, and Diouf coming in from Germany is another decent piece of business. Stoke have options these days, rather than the long ball tactics that got them into the league in the first place.

So here's my top 10:

1. Chelsea
2. Manchester United
3. Manchester City
4. Arsenal
5. Liverpool
6. Tottenham Hotspur
7. Everton
8. Crystal Palace
9. Queens Park Rangers
10. Stoke City

PL Predictions - Top 5

I love a good prediction, and so I'm going to go through my predicted final standings of the PL for the upcoming season, starting here with my Top 5.

In first place, I have Chelsea. I think Mourinho has a squad full of depth and talent, having shipped out some deadwood over the past few months and he has a squad that should really be winning the title. They have two top class players in each position, though they do struggle a bit with strikers, but Drogba coming back to breathe down the necks of Torres and Costa should be enough to see them bang in a few goals. I'd love to see them play some of the younger forwards (Izzy Brown, Patrick Bamford) though I imagine they'll be sent out on loan instead. I think Fabregas is the signing of the summer, and will solidify a midfield that contains a huge amount of flair and skill.

Second place this yea I reckon will go to Manchester United. A new system and a new ethos this year will see a team itching to prove themselves. Louis van Gaal is a proven winner and has managed the largest clubs across Europe. Some of their current crop will have to adjust into their new roles - but once they find their feet, they'll be tricky to beat. I'd like them to bring in Cuadrado to play as a wing back, and perhaps an experienced central defender to give them options (Yepes?). rather than relying on Jones, Evans and Smalling. It will also benefit them hugely that they won't be playing in Europe this year when all of their competitors will be, and so I think it'll be a shootout between them and Chelsea for the title.

In third place I have the reigning champions. Manchester City will be there or therabouts - but I think they'll just miss out. Without Yaya Toure last season, they wouldn't have won the title, and I get the impression that he isn't as passionate this year as he has been in the past. They'll need more goals from the likes of Silva and Nasri to keep with the pace, and I think they'll run it close - but I just don't think they'll have the game changing moments to win it this time round. I also think they'll focus heavily on the Champion's League having not really impressed in Europe for the last few seasons, and if you compare squads with Chelsea, you can see that the depth for City just isn't quite there yet.

Fourth, and I believe a few points behind, will be Arsenal. They are comfortably the 4th best team in England and have been now for a few years. Alexis Sanchez is a great signing, and between him, Ozil, Walcott and Oxlade-Chamberlain they have some very skilled players - but they still lack a decent holding midfielder, and I reckon they could do with a whole new back line. Should Joel Campbell play to his potential in the PL they will do well, but otherwise they're relying on Giroud again and I don't think he's really up to it. 

In fifth I have Liverpool. They have spent millions since Suarez left in a similar way to Spurs splashing the cash once Bale left - and I think it'll be a similar result. I don't think Rodgers will get sacked, but I also don't think Lallana, Lambert, Markovic, Can and Lovren are really inspirational signings. It is rumoured they are looking at Falcao, who would be an incredible signing but in reality it's not going to happen so I think a safe 5th works for them. They're better than the teams below, but won't keep pace with those above, and they will have Champions League football to contend with this season.

Joe's Top 5

 

1. Chelsea

2. Manchester United

3. Manchester City

4. Arsenal

5. Liverpool