Off topic banter....

F1 Season starts this weekend! Here are my predictions:

10th - Caterham, 11th - Marussia
This year is a "reset" but I think both teams will remain at the bottom with no points. The Renault has been troublesome, but I reckon Caterham will win the battle courtesy of a higher race finish from Kobayashi.

7th - Red Bull, 8th - Toro Rosso, 9th - Lotus
The Renault powered teams have been in a mess during pre-season. Whereas Red Bull have struggled, I expect them to continue improving over the season and finish as the highest of the Renault powered teams in 7th. Toro Rosso looked better than Red Bull in pre-season but they don't have a certain Sebastien Vettel behind the wheel. Lotus have struggled with a new car and racing director, and with Raikkonen gone, I don't think they can bank on their inconsistent drivers to turn the Lotus car into a racing nemesis.

5th - Force India, 6th - Sauber
The perennial battle for the two mid-table teams is set to continue with both teams showing flashes of capability in pre-season. However, I think Force India edges Sauber both with its car and driver lineups.

4th - McLaren
The remaining "top 4" teams seem to have a chance at the championship. Of those teams, McLaren has looked the least convincing. In addition, rookie Magnussen will probably make mistakes here and there, costing his team some points.

3rd - Williams, 2nd - Ferrari
Williams has been the most surprising team of the pre-season, and with the backing of Martini they should be able to compete for the championship. They will have to rely on Massa though, and I'm still not convinced on Bottas. Ferrari seem to have the 3rd best car but they always know how to improve over the season and they have a fantastic double world-champion driver lineup, which I think will work to their benefit in a close fight with Williams.

1st - Mercedes
Best engine, best car, and two great drivers. You never know what might happen, but right now they have to be favorites to deliver at least the constructer's championship. Having said that, reliability is a key aspect this year and I wouldn't be surprised if a Ferrari driver wins the driver's championship. But for now, I'd go for a Hamilton-Mercedes season victory.

Two cool votes

Points won against top clubs this season

ManUtd: 1 point
ManCity: 1 point
Chelsea: 0 points
Spurs: 3 points
Everton: 2 points
Liverpool 4 points

Record against Top 7 opponents: 11/36 points (2W 5D 5L) *
-- ManUtd's record: 20 points (6W 2D 4L)
-- ManCity's record: 17 points (4W 5D 3L)
-- Chelsea's record: 22 points (6W 4D 2L)
-- Spurs's record: 15 points (4W 3D 5L)

Record against Bottom 13 opponents: 62/78 points (19W 5D 2L) ****
-- ManUtd's record: 69 points (22W 3D 1L)
-- ManCity's record: 61 points (19W 4D 3L)
-- Chelsea's record: 53 points (16W 5D 5L)
-- Spurs's record: 57 points (17W 6D 3L)

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Despite the frustrating draws and losses throughout the season, the key barrier between us and a few more points were the direct matchups. We really need to be winning at least 4 of those 12 matches and "break-even. "

Looking at this, I'm setting a goal of 80 points for Arsenal next season. If we can hit it, we should finish back in the top 2, and if we can exceed expectations a bit perhaps clinch the title too

Arsenal qualify for Champions League if....

*Arsenal win
*Spurs do not win

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Spurs qualify for Champions League if....

*Arsenal do not win and Spurs win

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Chelsea finishes 3rd if....

*Chelsea win
*Arsenal do not win
*Arsenal wins by a single goal, Chelsea draws, and Arsenal score no more than two goals compared to Chelsea.

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Arsenal finishes 3rd if....

*Chelsea lose and Arsenal win
*Chelsea draw and Arsenal win by 2 or more goals
*Chelsea draw and Arsenal win by 1 goal, scoring 3 or more goals than Chelsea.

The Premier League has lost its 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 6th longest serving managers at a single club this season:

Ferguson (since 1986)
*Wenger (since 1996)
Moyes (since 2002)
*Pulis (since 2006)
Martinez (since Jun 2009)
Mancini (since Dec 2009)
*Pardew (since Dec 2010)
*Allardyce (since Jun 2011)
*Jol (since Jun 2011)

Making the list made me suddenly aware of how inexperienced managers were this year with their respective clubs. Incredible to think that more than half of the current managers began their job sometime in 2012, less than 2 years ago