There are no major shocks at the top of the table. The top 5 remain the same with Real Madrid and Barcelona in the top two spots, followed by Manchester United, Bayern Munich and Arsenal.

Chelsea come in at 6th and Liverpool are 8th. Manchester City jumped 9 places but, at 11th, just missed out on the top 10.

The Premiership is still the best represented league in the table with seven teams in the top 20.

However, Newcastle's season in the Championship in 2009-10 saw them drop out of the top 20, with Deloitte estimating their position to be somewhere between 40th and 50th. The Premier League's strong presence in the table is largely down to the huge incomes received from Sky TV and it's losing the estimated £38m from Premiership TV, to be replaced by around £5m from Championship TV money that's hit Newcastle hard.

Sunderland, their arch-rivals who remained in the Premier League last year, overtook Newcastle in the list with a position some ten points higher despite lower gate receipts.

Newcastle's fall is likely to be short-lived. With a return to the Premiership this year and decent performances to date, Newcastle's revenues will be up on last year and they are expected to return to the top 20. It is also likely that they will leap-frog Sunderland to become the north-east's richest club again.

This demonstrates just how massive an effect the Sky sponsorship has on the ability of clubs to compete financially.

Certainly City's transfer activity this year smacks of an attempt to buy the title, but it won't happen yet. Despite spending over £100m, on top of huge spend in previous transfer windows, it's highly unlikely Man City will lift the Premiership title this year.

Why? Because as Chelsea found before them, it takes more than attracting the most expensive players by offering over-the-odds salaries and transfer fees. It needs the team to gel, to learn to play together and get used to a new approach.

Chelsea are hitting some incredible form - probably even better than under the success of Mourinho - because the core of the team have been together for several seasons.

That's why Manchester City won't win the Premiership this season. They have snapped up some exceptional players (and Adebayour), have a good manager and a big new stadium. But it's too early for them to achieve lasting success.

So here are the results :

No more than £600 - 13%
£600 to £1000 - 32%
£1000 to £1250 - 13%
£1250 to £1500 - 8%
£1500 to £2000 - 5%
I'd pay anything to watch my team 29%

So whilst I'm not surprised that 32% wouldn't pay more than £1000, I'm surprised that 29% of you said you'd pay anything to watch your team.

So, while many ticket holders are thinking of giving up their season ticket, because for them it's becoming far too expensive, there will always be a large number of fans that are willing to pay, what ever the club demands!

We're always on the look out for new writers. So if you fancy writing about your team, please get in touch.

Given the cost and how difficult it can be to get tickets to see a match, I think if you're luck enough to get to a game, then you should stay and see your team through the bitter end.

Anyway, if your guilty of not staying, what's your reason?

It’s been a tough couple of weeks hasn’t it? Two weeks ago we were basking in the sunshine of 2 impressive wins against Fulham and Villa and daring to hope the derby went well. As it turned out it did until their best player got sent off and then everything seemed to go tits up.

Spin on 7 days and we had a highly entertaining (to the non-existent neutral) but totally unsatisfying draw against doomed Sunderland. In fairness to the opposition, they got stuck in but a lack of ruthlessness and the absence of key players like Martyn, Arteta (until it was too late) and Valente, meant that our team was badly affected. The replacements are not good enough, at least at this moment in time, and we are simply not the same team. By the way, do you really try to like the players we sign? Is it getting tougher where Simon Davies is concerned? Thought so.

Just to make things worse, the transfer goss has started and it all seems detrimental. Do we actually bring some of this on ourselves? Are we so convinced that we are the world’s unlucky football club that we have a masochistic streak which means self destruction is the only option? Arguably our 3 best players, Cahill, Arteta and Yobo have all been linked with teams higher up in the table. These may all be true but rumours about Arteta being left out of the derby for any other reason than injury are just utter crap. Evertonians who repeat them without reminding people that it’s mischievous subterfuge are as bad as the idiots who start the rumours. One possible response is’ Alright then, mouth, why didn’t he start the Sunderland game. Is he on his way there as well?’ (clever things you think of after the event No.991)

Through the front door could be any of Howard, Kirkland, Dudek, Traore (again), Penant, Zamora and the next Wayne Rooney. Hard to know what to make of these, but Kirkland has always stood out as being either shit or unfit, and often both.

The one story which appears to ‘have legs’ is the Yobo one. Moyesy’s comments about his contract spell problems. Also, Joey looked pretty casual on Saturday and nowhere near his outstanding form pre-African Nations cup.

Saturday’s setback is the first slip for a while against a team we should be beating and the next 3 games against Charlton, Spurs and Chelsea are in danger on putting paid to any hopes of a top half place and Europe. 4 points is an absolute minimum requirement now, any less and we can forget it.

Normal, more positive, service will be resumed in the next couple of days. Real Life Blues will look ahead to Saturday’s game against the Addicks (it always sounds like addicts when people say it), and we’ll all take it from there eh?

So is Sunderland at home the best way to recover from our derby day disappointment, who knows? Everton’s record against the relegation sides has been good under Moyesy and another 3 points is obviously a minimum requirement today.

It would also be nice to play a part in Sunderland going down, possibly with goals from Stubbs and Kilbane. That would also require West Brom to beat Liverpool, maybe with goals from ‘lucky’ Steve Watson, Super Kev and an own goal off Xabi Alonso’s curiously coiffured bonce.

A big day for Stubbsy today. Such is his imperiousness at the back for the Blues, for he is the king of the well timed interception, he has also made one or two ill-advised comments to the press, as is his wont, and there is talk of him getting another year. And why not, I mean, Per Kroldrup he ain’t but there you go.

Another big day for a certain Richard Wright, who once saved a pen against Sunderland for the Blues. He’s guaranteed a mixed reception today and ironic cheers when your own keeper catches a cross are awkward for everyone. It’s easy (and convenient to most people’s argument) to forget that he made one great save at Anfield but he is the owner of the text book keeper’s ‘handle’ – good shot stopper. This basically translates as ‘weak bastard who gets knocked around by the forwards and shouts at his defenders in a voice like Orville the Duck.’ The beauty of Nigel Martyn, and also the crying shame if he never plays for us again, is that he has presence, organises the defence and is our best since Big Nev by miles.

We need to show Sunderland no mercy at all today, and that’s not just because they sing the putrid YNWA. The two least scoringest (as they would say in America) strikers in the Premier League, Stead and Big Dunc, could come up against each other today. One of them just loves a goal at Goodison, but no-one is saying which one. With Arteta back in the side Everton should be just too good.

A quick pop at Steve Bruce before it’s down to Goodison for some red hot soccer action. He seems to be bleating about injuries again. Look Brucey, it’s like this, if you ignore people’s medicals, you may have the odd crock around the place. Simple as. It’d be just great to see them go down.

Enough about them, it’s all about us today. Come on blue boys