Howdy all,

I'm pleased to announce that for the third straight year, the Rotodatabase Premier League is back. I'm a bit lazy to make a form right now and so, simply:

1) go to Fantasy Premier League: http://fantasy.premierleague.com

"Maybe next year." That's what the fellas in Brooklyn say whenever their beloved Dodgers fall short and that's what yours truly says now that his beloved Los Angeles Dodgers are out of the running for the World Series. As others in Los Angeles say to some effect, "At least Laker season starts soon" and yours truly says, "There's also plenty of Manchester United football to be played" and what a time to reflect on that thought just as United visit Anfield for a big clash against Liverpool.

So, yours truly is back from Sin City and that can only mean that we're back on a regular train schedule, no? Based on the week's fixtures on paper, this weekend's games will fall short of delivering an encore from last week's action. Liverpool and Chelsea should have an easy go of it against Hull and Wigan respectively while Manchester United have the pleasure of an always tricky trip to Stoke. In fantasy terms, this might be the week that you should pay attention to the Man of Glass, Louis Saha's goal output and buy the oft-injured striker.

As promised, here's this Friday's Diving in the Box... today. I'm writing this as I'm preparing to head to Sin City, but at any rate, it's another big weekend of Premier League football. Of course, it's the Manchester Derby this Sunday and even though City will be without a few of their star players, the Derby is always a tantalizing fixture. Also, Tottenham have to rebound quick from their first loss of the season as they're facing the league leaders, Chelsea. How does this all affect your fantasy teams? Read on...

To prove I haven't gone the way of Special 1 TV being canned due to Setanta Sports going belly up, I'm back from my rather long vacation to resurrect Diving in the Box (shut up, administration!). What a week to make a return on, just as the Premier League resumes from the international break with three big matches: Manchester United going to unbeaten Tottenham, Manchester City also on a 100% record hosting Arsenal, and the first Birmingham Derby of the season. Meanwhile, let me just say it's surreal to see Argentina and Portugal on the brink of not qualifying for next Summer's World Cup.

I regret to announce that there will be no Diving in the Box this week and next. I don't like putting personal news here, but I'd have to, because my mother passed away last Tuesday. This was the family emergency I referred to a couple of weeks back, as she was sick for the last four-plus months. She had many complications, caused by an aggressive intestinal T-cell lymphoma which spread into her bone marrow and made things worse. It has been a very emotional Summer for me, for many different reasons, but I'm relieved that she passed away in peace and with no suffering to the end.

Well, it's go time folks. Another Premier League season is set to kick off this weekend and Diving in the Box is back to be your personal advisor for all things related to your fantasy football/soccer/futbol team, ranging from buy and sell decisions to helping you spot the next Amr Zaki, so that you can brag to your fellow mates in your Monday watercooler chat about how you hopped aboard the (insert once-obscure overnight sensation's name here) bandwagon before anyone else knew that lad's name.

As promised, here's a lengthy, detailed team-by-team preview of the Premier League 2009-10 season. Not only is it yours truly's take on how the league table will pan out, this is the ultimate fantasy preseason guide and cheat sheet for your fantasy Premiership squad. Who will be crowned champions? Will Manchester City crack the top four? Can Burnley actually escape the drop? Is Andrei Arshavin the real deal? Can Wayne Rooney be a fantasy beast? Can Michael Owen enjoy a 20-goal comeback season? Well, one can dream, but at any rate, find out and read on...

Arsenal

I promised that once the Fourth of July passed, I'll transition from offseason form to preseason form and will now accept sign-ups for this coming season's Fantasy Premier League game. Lo and behold, you can now register for the new season, which starts on August 15, which as of this writing is 41 days. Registration for the league ends August 5 and so, I'll give you a month to do the deed. Read on for league details...

Rotodatabase's official fantasy football league (of a different sort) is back, the RDB Fantasy Premier League. Registration is open and once again, the game will be hosted on the Premier League's official site.

• Sign up your team for the 2009-10 RDB Fantasy Premier League here
 read more »

Ah, the final Sunday, the finishing line of a 38-game marathon, and in the North East and in Hull, fingernails will be bitten off as two of either Newcastle, Sunderland, Middlesbrough, or Hull could face the drop to the kiddies' table, sponsored by Coca-Cola. Luckily for you and me, finishing last in the cellar of our fantasy leagues doesn't entail relegation or a handsome sum of money being tossed out of our banking accounts, but if you're hardcore, read the rest of this and join the motley crew of Geordies, Smoggies, Mackems, and erm, Kingston-upon-Hull folks sweating out their Sundays

Almost at the summit, folks. After this weekend's matches, we've only the final weekend to look forward to and the title looks all but secured at Old Trafford on Saturday as Manchester United look for the threepeat and league title #18 to go on equal footing with Liverpool's record with at least a point against Arsenal. Elsewhere, the relegation race is starting to shape up somewhat and Europa League qualification is still up for grabs. It's just about graduation time, kiddies, and take a couple of long punts to salvage anything in your fantasy seasons this year.

The aftermath of this week's Champions League semifinals weigh heavy on my mind and get some detailed thoughts on how I've made sense of a couple of red cards, a couple of missed penalties, and a few cracking goals. It's not everyday where a Manchester Derby or Arsenal/Chelsea match takes a backseat to anything, but there's a ton of past talking points and on a day when Manny Ramirez gets suspended for 50 games because of a sexual enhancing drug (talk about zero tolerance), Didier Drogba is likely banned for the only reason of being, well, a diving disgrace.

There are few games that can match the pageantry and intensity of El Clasico, especially when La Liga is still at stake, but still the Premier League's last four weekends should be pretty intriguing in its own right, more or less for the relegation race than Manchester United controlling their own destiny. Meanwhile, those fantasy leagues are also winding down and now is the time to be making some make-or-break decisions while all of the weekend's matchups seem to be more fantasy-friendly than usual.

Is there a sense of false security in the Premiership title race?

This weekend's games will take a backseat to the FA Cup semifinals on Saturday and Sunday, featuring Chelsea v Arsenal and Manchester United v Everton on respective days. If you have players on your fantasy squad from either of these four teams, don't fret as the gameweek extends to Tuesday and Wednesday's make-up games. A couple of the teams involved in the semis could prioritize and thus, leave you in the dust with a few players who haven't grossed as many points as hope, due to a rest or a substitution.

Down the home stretch we go, as things might be a bit settled in your fantasy leagues but the title race and the relegation battle are still far from over. Otherwise, if you still have something to play for in your fantasy leagues, you might be careful with which stud players you select from the Big Four teams, as at least two of the four are likely to prioritize the second legs of their Champions League quarterfinals and rest a few of those studs for the crucial mid-week battles in Europe.

Hope you all had a nice international friendlies break. We're entering the run-in just as the Premier League title race is broken wide open yet again and just as the new wrinkles are thrown to what appears to be another thrilling relegation battle. Lots to cover today, including my personal thoughts on Manchester United's perceived implosion, some musings on the Champions League draw, and even a thorough review about England's new home kit. I'll even compare Magic Johnson with Alan Shearer in this one.

March Madness. It seems to mean more this year than just the NCAA Men's Basketball tournament (in Brit-speak, it's like a condensed version of the FA Cup for college basketball), with the World Baseball Classic emerging as a pleasant surprise, and of course, for you procrastinators getting into late fantasy baseball drafts. While a number of you are focused on your brackets, football is still on the 'ol noggin and personally, I'm writing this after witnessing Hamburg come out of nowhere to beat Galatasaray at the Ali Sami Yen, 4-3 on aggregate in the UEFA Cup.

A Carling Cup, an FA Cup round win for Manchester United over Fulham, and an ousting of Jose Mourinho's Inter later, and I'm back. We've got some catching up to do, with the Premier League being idle for almost a couple of weeks, and it's Manchester United-Liverpool headlining this weekend's slate of games. There's only nine games left on the ledger for anyone but United and Portsmouth after this weekend's through, as we head down the last quarter-turn of the league season. The FA Cup semifinals are set in stone and so is the European Cup's elite eight and I'm set to talk a little football.