When Rafa Benitez was sacked as Manager of Liverpool FC at the start of June it looked set to be a bleak Summer for the fans up on Merseyside; fast forward a couple of months and with the new season about to get underway it appears the fortunes of the club are set to take another upward curve. Benitez has been replaced with Roy Hodgson who has managed to bring the good feeling back to the club before a single ball has been kicked in vein at Anfield this season.

Hodgson has so far proven to be the ideal replacement for Benitez, he is an honest man that seems to be talking nothing but sense at the moment as he looks to prove a success in what he described as the ‘biggest job in club football'. Now, it would be foolish to think that Hodgson can take the team to the Premier League title this season, but few would be surprised to see Liverpool back in the Premier League top four  come May and a return to Champions League football for 2011/2012. Hodgson has kept hold of Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres which in itself is a major coup, both were linked with moves away from Anfield and with no Champions League football at the club this season and few would have blamed either if they had moved on. It is quite simple with regard to Liverpool when looking at their chances, if Gerrard and Torres stay fit and on form this season they will be a match for any team in England or Europe and a top four finish would be the minimum ask.

Hodgson pulled off another big transfer in his first month in the job as he signed Joe Cole on a free transfer; Cole is an experienced player who is used to winning trophies at the very highest level. He will be more than happy to share the burden with Torres and Gerrard which will prove crucial to their potential success this season; he should be able to add a new dimension to the team in attack and will surely relish the chance to player with Torres and vice-versa.

Hodgson of course will know that he does still need to strengthen the overall feel of the squad that was found so lacking last season, much of that though will depend on any impending takeover at the club. A number of consortiums have expressed their interest in Liverpool and it will be crucial that the right one is accepted, the debt will need to be cleared while a new stadium is paramount to the future success of the club. If the right man can come into Anfield and back Hodgson then it looks as though Liverpool could once again be right back towards the top of the Premier League. The fans will only be too aware of how damaging the wrong owners can be so they will be hoping the right decision is made, any new owner will need to be aware of the history of the club as well as understanding how Liverpool FC run their affairs off the pitch and behind closed doors.

What the Anfield faithful can look forward to most in 2010/2011 is  consistency both on the pitch and in the dugout! One of the biggest criticisms during Benitez's tenure was the Spaniards lack of respect for the league, relying heavily on squad rotation and prioritising his players for European games. With this came constant speculation of Benitez's future at the club, something that will not be the case under Hodgson and Liverpool fans can enjoy the tribulations of the well publicised media drive sack race from a distance. On the pitch, the wait for a 19th title may exceed 21 years but for the first season in many, Liverpool fans have reason to be optimistic.

It will not be easy though with the old big four of Liverpool, Arsenal, Man United and Chelsea now infiltrated by Spurs and big spending Man City, while Aston Villa and Everton should also be watched very carefully once again. With Roy Hodgson at the helm though there is just a feeling around Anfield and amongst supporters that last season was a mere blip and that the good times could be on their way back to the club.

Any new Premier League season is always greeted with an equal amount of excitement and relief that the dark days of summer are finally over, but for a few teams the reality of a relegation battle will set in pretty quick and for one or two it could prove a long season this time around. Attention always turns to the three promoted teams when we start to look at potential relegation candidates for the following season, and this year will be no different with Newcastle, West Brom and Blackpool all fighting for that coveted 4th from bottom spot this year.

Newcastle are of course the interesting team after they secured their return to the top flight last season, Chris Hughton did a fantastic job in steadying the ship at St James Park but he faces an even bigger task back in the Premier League. On paper they should have a good enough squad to finish ahead of three other teams, the worry for Hughton will be where the goals are going to come from in his squad. Andy Carroll is well thought of in the game and he will need to realise his potential and chip in with his fare share, if he and the team can do that they should have too much to be relegated once again.

West Brom are the very definition of a yo-yo team, they have been bouncing between the Championship and the Premier League for some time now and looking at the current squad it could be déjà vu for the Baggies faithful once again and are currently favourites to makea  quick returns in the Premier League Relegations odds. Under Roberto Di Matteo they had a good season in the Championship to win promotion but they will need more than a good passing game to stay in the Premier League. The problem they have faced in the past is their lack of fire power and looking at their current squad it could once again prove to be their achillies heel, without a man to score 15-20 goals for them they are likely to concede too many at the back leaving them with an uphill task.

Ian Holloway has done a remarkable job to take his un-fancied Blackpool team into the Premier League, but if he were he to keep the club in the top flight it would be a far more remarkable feat for the likeable Manager. It is hard to see it happening though for Blackpool at this level with the squad looking distinctly thin on the ground in terms of Premier League class or experience. Much like Burnley last season they are likely to start the season with lots of fight and bravery but their lack of quality will gradually start to see them slip towards the trap door.

Outside of the promoted teams there will no doubt be one or two of the established clubs slipping towards the drop zone, the betting is telling us that Wolves and Mick McCarthy should be looking anxiously over their shoulders. The team from Molineux did well last season to stay up and should be able to match that this time around, in Kevin Doyle they have a top striker who can hit the back of the net when they most need and at home they will be tough to beat. Wigan are an interesting team this year after having a decent if unspectacular season last time, they look slightly thin on the ground in terms of class and will need to be very careful indeed this term. Roberto Martinez is a well respected young Manager but he faces a tough battle to improve the squad, they will need to get some early points on the board to build some momentum otherwise they could be in for a tough slog this season.

The relegation battle for the 2010/11 Premier League season could well prove just as fascinating as the title race for fans and punters over the next few months, any number of teams can be dragged into the drop zone making for an exciting campaign for the neutral. As it is though it looks as though Blackpool and West Brom will be heading back to the Championship pretty sharpish, the third spot is less clear cut but it is Wigan who are looking the most vulnerable as we approach the start of the season.