But midway through the 2011/12 season and it isn’t too clear who will be the eventual winners.  Although Tottenham are having a great season, and by winning their game in-hand will only be four points off the lead, I can’t see the title going anywhere else than Manchester.  The problem is whether to choose Manchester United who have a habit of being stronger in the second half of the season, or Manchester City who remained unstoppable and unbeaten until they a late penalty against Chelsea earlier this month.

The Championship is almost as tight with Southampton three points clear of West Ham & a rejuvenated Middlesbrough.

League One has been dominated by Charlton who are currently seven points clear of the chasing pack after almost completely changing their squad last summer.  Sheffield United & Sheffield Wednesday are both showing good form with MK Dons & Huddersfield Town a further two points adrift.

Finally, Crawley Town are leading the way in League Two in their first season and look likely to continue their ascension from non-League football, though they are only three points clear of Cheltenham and four ahead of Southend, who have a game in hand.

So last weekend, unsure of the outcome of all four leagues I decided on Manchester City, Southampton, Sheffield Wednesday & Crawley only to see Man City held by West Brom to a 0-0 draw while Man Utd thumped five passed Wigan, and Crawley Town lose at home to Gillingham.

My initial choice, and one I would have stuck to if it wasn’t offering such a poor return was Manchester United, West Ham, Charlton & Crawley.  Here’s hoping my bet is still alive come next May.

The report reveals that the majority of clubs, at best pay lip service to fans complaints, which are more often than not considered low priority with many documents having very little thought put into them.

Each club’s charter was given a 0-5 rating in the following categories: accessibility, timeliness, quality, clarity of complaints procedure, appeals process and contact details for the relevant league and Independent Football Ombudsmen (IFO).

While Tottenham Hotspur have the best ‘club charter’ in the Premier League, the ‘club charter’ at Everton is practically non existent and scored zero points in the ratings. Manchester United come out at second to bottom in the league of shame.

In response, Hans Grefte, Product Development Director for UsefulFeedback!, the complaints management software solution, comments:

“Considering the enormity of the football industry and the loyalty of the hundreds of thousands of fans, it is surprising to see the nonchalant approach these clubs are taking with regards to their customer care and complaint handling. Any other industry would be overjoyed to have customers as loyal as football fans and would be doing everything in their power to ensure they remain loyal.

“The FSF was right to publicly identify the number of shortcomings within the individual club charters including the lengthy wait many fans face before receiving a response to a complaint – despite many of the club websites promising a quick turnaround.

“What’s needed is a simple and cost effective solution that allows clubs to improve their complaints procedures quickly and effectively. Technology is available today that is designed specifically to enable football clubs to manage the receipt, allocation and suitable response for complaints, as well as  informal feedback received from fans,  eliminating the risk of  potential escalation to the FIO.

“The added benefit of root cause analysis also allows a club to identify systemic or recurrent problems that currently reside, which in turn can be rectified to reduce the number of complaints, improve service levels and maintain customer relations.”

There was a devout Geordie fan with his twin 10 year old nephews, one in a Newcastle top the other in a Sunderland top! We agreed there was a lot of deadwood at Newcastle, and it wasn’t only the owner who had to go before they made a return to the Premiership but overpaid prima donnas who don’t appear to care whether they win or lose as long as they get the cash.

There was a lovely fanatical Galatasaray fan who was convinced they were going to win the first Europa Cup (formerly the UEFA Cup) and another Turkish guy, a staunch Fenerbahce fan who didn’t mind any team, as long as it wasn’t Galatasaray!

I sat at a pool side bar discussing Peterborough’s chances of a third straight promotion under the leadership of Darren Ferguson and the plausibility of a third straight Premier League title for Alex Ferguson and Manchester United with a couple of fans.  We all agreed mid-table for Posh and odds-on for the Red Devils.

Waking up at the crack of dawn to place towels on sun beds was made all the easier by morning chats with Gary, a Wigan season ticket holder, who is looking forward to the new season, watching the ‘beautiful game’ according to Roberto Martinez.  Steve Bruce done a gallant job at Wigan last season, pulling them away from the relegation battle.

We agreed the most likely candidates for Premier League relegation this season would be from Portsmouth, Hull City, Burnley & Wolves.

I also think Michael Owen will not only claw his way back into the England team in time for World Cup 2010, but a fit Michael Owen will also claim the Premiership Golden Boot.

As always I like to place a pre-season accumulator bet on winners of all 4 English football leagues and the Conference.  So here are my predictions for the 2009/10 season.

I think Manchester United will win the Premier League for a third successive season through lack of competition.  I think the appointment of Carlo Ancelotti at Chelsea is even more proof that Roman Abramovich is more concerned with winning the Champions League than the Premier League; and without Xabi Alonso Liverpool will not be the same force they were last season.

I really can’t predict the Championship with any conviction.  Of the teams that went down I can only see West Brom having any chance of bouncing straight back into the Premier League.  There’s a few teams that I feel confident to say will be top six – Preston, Sheffield United and Cardiff City.  But I also have a feeling Leicester City is going to do well.

Last season I thought Leeds United and Millwall would be favourites for promotion from League One.  Both were beaten in the play-offs; and I can see them doing well again this season.

I don’t profess to have much knowledge about League Two, though last season chose Gillingham and Shrewsbury.  They both made the play-off final, with the Gills winning at Wembley for the first time in their history.  I think Shrewsbury Town will go up this year but cannot ignore the influence Sven Gotran Eriksson will have at Notts County.

As for the Conference League, I am confident Luton Town will win the title by about 10 points  So, here’s my accumulator bet:

Premier League Champions – Manchester United
Championship Champions – Leicester City
League One Champions – Leeds United
League Two Champions – Notts County
Conference League Champions – Luton Town

What do you think?