By Nick Bryant BBC News, Sydney

Who should be the target for Aussie supporters during this year's Ashes series?

Fanatic James Livingstone is proud of his lampoon of Panesar

In Australia at the moment this is no idle question. In fact, fans can register their votes in an online poll.

Dropped catches during last year's epic series put Geraint Jones and Kevin Pietersen high on the list.

Then comes Monty Panesar, who can't catch or bat, according to the pollsters; Ashley Giles doesn't turn the ball and is "Liam Plunkett" a real name?

Or perhaps Andrew Flintoff should get the heaviest barracking "because he's good".

If Freddie is on fire, the most likeable member of the England squad could easily become public enemy number one.

His team are going to face a blitz of sledging. To withstand the Aussie onslaught, each player will require the skin of a rhinoceros.

I don't think it will be 5-0 - you might get a draw Aussie fan Paul Tunchon

The poll is being organised the Fanatics, a fan club with over 55,000 members which claims to rival the mighty Barmy Army.

And it is not only jibes that they hope will demoralise Freddie and his boys.

At the Fanatics "command bunker" in Sydney, James Livingstone gave me a sneak preview of some of the specially-written songs which he hopes will unnerve the English cricket team.

There's the song for injured captain Michael Vaughan, set to the tune of Daydream Believer:

Cheer up Michael Vaughan,
How bad must it be,
To a be a poor pommie whinger,
And you're watching on TV?

But Livingstone seemed proudest of his song for Monty Panesar - a player routinely called "Monty Python" here down under.

Set to the tune of My Old Man's a Dustman, it goes something like this:

Monty Panesar's useless,
A poor old English chap,
And when he's not spin bowling,
No fan will ever clap.
He's useless in the covers,
He's useless in the slips,
And when he straps the pads on,
He'll pass out with the yips.

In the spirit of goodwill and camaraderie, the Fanatics are planning a series of post-match activities with their counterparts from the Barmy Army.

They include pool nights and even a wet t-shirt competition.

Now that the rugby and Aussie Rules season has ended, there is a definitely whiff of Ashes fever in the air.

At the Sydney Cricket Ground, the venue for the final Test which starts on 2 January, Aussie diehard Greg Faulder was last week watching a state game between New South Wales and South Australia.

The 42,000 capacity SCG was virtually empty, but it is sold out for all five days of the famed New Year Test, that great staple of the cricketing calendar.

And Greg can't wait.

Fan Greg Faulder is putting his faith in McGrath this time

"I think we'll win the Ashes 5-0," he said, gripping a post-lunch beer in his hand and echoing the cocksure prediction of Australian fast bowler Glenn McGrath last year.

"But you said that last time," I ventured.

"Yeah, there were unfortunate circumstances. Glenn McGrath got a bit hurt and you played well for once, that was unfortunate.

"But this time will be different. We're out for revenge. "

Two England injuries will prove decisive, Greg believes.

England will miss Michael Vaughan's leadership, and Simon Jones' reverse-swing.

But of the two, most Aussie fans seem to think that Jones' omission is the more significant.

Greg's buddy Paul Tunchon was not quite so confident. "I don't think it will be 5-0," he said.

"You might get a draw. The Barmy Army is going to be out here, and they're going to be as loud and obnoxious as ever.

"But the other 70% of the crowd is going to be Australians, and they'll be looking for us to win."