By Mark Heys
August 6 2005

It doesn't seem like five minutes ago since the Everton game in May, yet now we find ourselves just a few days away from yet another rollercoaster ride that is the Premiership. Pre-season has gone reasonably well, I don't think we can find too many faults with how the fitness preparations have gone over the summer, with the Hull and Bury results aside. The win in the Asia Cup was a nice bonus and will no doubt have strengthened our reputation in that part of the world and made us some new friends along the way.

Obviously, one slight concern over the summer has been the constant knockbacks that we are encountering in the transfer market. Having said that though, I do not think that we are alone for one minute as other clubs are in the same boat as us, David Moyes' Everton being an example of this. Sam will keep trying and I am sure that we will have the strength in depth needed for another successful year.

The people we have brought to the club seem to have the right level of experience and will hopefully prove to be excellent additions for us. Ian Walker has played the majority of his career in this league with Spurs and Leicester, Jared Borgetti has an excellent scoring record at club and international level for the last decade, Abdoulaye Diagne-Faye was doing an excellent job for a struggling side last season and then there is the return of El-Hadji Diouf on a permanent basis from Liverpool, so the players who have come in should improve the squad from last season.

There will also be a returning face on the touchline as Sammy Lee has replaced the departing Phil Brown as the new Assistant Manager. I know some people will remember Sammy from his short playing stint with us as well as his successful days as an Anfield regular in the early 1980's. I am of the opinion that "Little Sammy" is a determined character with an abundance of knowledge which will be of benefit to Sam Allardyce and his staff in the seasons ahead.

Villa is the first test of our new campaign, closely followed by difficult home games against Everton and Newcastle. To get past these games and others like them, the team will have to show the same application and professionalism which served us so well last season.

It's an old cliche but no game in the Premiership is easy, many are tipping the three promoted clubs to go straight back down, but as was the case with Norwich, Palace and WBA last season we found them to be tough games to play in, and i'm under no doubt Sunderland, West Ham and Wigan will prove likewise.

The Wigan game is especially sentimental as it will be the first time that the two clubs have faced each other since the 1992-1993 season. Who could forget Tony Kelly scoring against his old club following an excellent run from the halfway line?. I am sure that the added spice will return between ourselves and the Latics after 13 years, I am looking forward to it as much as I would with any derby we are playing in.

An added distraction for us is the first ever UEFA Cup campaign which will give us a chance to pit our wits against many of our European counterparts. I thoroughly feel that, with the players we have, we can take the brunt of the added games that come with European football give or take two or three more additions.

Mark Heys