So the curtain is down on another exciting Premier League season, full of thrills spills, joy and torment. A few weeks ago on this site I gave my predictions on how the season would turn out. So how did I do?

Well I don’t think I deserve a medal for correctly predicting that Manchester United would win the league. Liverpool pushed them all the way but despite only losing two games all season, home draws against the likes of Stoke and Fulham fatally cost them. Congratulations to Sir Alex Ferguson’s men though, a record equalling 18th league title was won in fine style and has set them up nicely for an thrilling Champions League final this week.

At the other end West Brom and Middlesbrough went down as expected but I have to admit I thought Newcastle would battle their way out of trouble. The fact that Hull didn’t have to win one game in 20 and still survived is testament to the lack of fight shown by Alan Shearer’s men. The victory over Middlesbrough, I thought, would set them on their way to safety. But two limp 1-0 defeats to Fulham and Villa condemned them to the Championship.

Big changes lie ahead for the club in the summer, with many of the squad who have under-performed so badly this season surely set to move on. Finances are not the nest at St James Park, and the financial hit of relegation will do them no favours. Will they do a Leeds and drop further down the league ladder? Or is relegation just what they need to sift out the deadwood and allow them to return better and stronger? I guess we will just have to wait and see.

European wise congratulations should to Roy Hodgson’s Fulham, whom I correctly predicted would qualify for the Europa League . It has been quite a turnaround at Craven Cottage with the club only staying up on the last day last season. They deserve a shot at Europe, though whether they have the squad to cope with the extra games remains to be seen.

So three out of four isn’t bad - though my final two predictions, for the Champions League and FA Cup finals , remain unanswered. Though I am sticking to my forecasts that Alex Ferguson’s men will have the edge over Barca and that Everton will upset the odds with a FA Cup victory over Chelsea at Wembley next Saturday.

By Tom Malley