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Winners
Gabriel Agbonlahor
The highest-scoring Englishman in the Premiership this season with the happy knack of making his mark on the biggest stages - the only player to score at Anfield, Stamford Bridge and Old Trafford last season, his winner in this weekend's Second City derby followed strikes against ManYoo last month and Chelski in September's win.
West Ham United
But it was only Derby.
Carlton Cole
After creating both of Lee Bowyer's goals at Pride Park, Cole boasts more assists than any other player in the top flight this season.
Rafa Benitez
The Spaniard is going soft. After naming a changed line-up for 99 successive matches before losing his nerve last November, a mere 60 matches had followed before the team that thrashed Besiktas was given another run-out on Saturday.
Liverpool
Undefeated but oh so unconvincing...
Tottenham
If Juande Ramos is as good a manager as he is a negotiator then a Champions League place may not be beyond Tottenham's reach after all. After playing hard-to-get when first approached by Spurs in August, the Spaniard was rewarded with an improved offer that has made him the best-paid manager in England. Equally conveniently, by refusing to officially take charge until after the match with Blackburn Rovers on October 28, Ramos all-but guaranteed himself a flattering honeymoon. Few top-flight managers can ever have enjoyed such a gentle introduction as Blackpool (h), Middlesbrough (a), Hapoel Tel Aviv (a) and Wigan (h).
Unfortunately management cannot always remain so easy. During the next month, Tottenham must encounter West Ham (a), Birmingham (h), Man City (h), Portsmouth (a), and Arsenal (a). Ramos will have to earn his money the hard way if Spurs' season of goodwill is to be extended until Christmas.
Jermaine Jenas
Very generous of the Tottenham midfielder to remind everyone at White Hart Lane yesterday that Bebeto fathered his third child 13 years ago.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Ronaldo's brace against Blackburn has drawn the winger level with Cesc Fabregas as the highest-scoring midfielder in the league this season and extended his record during the calendar year to 26 goals in 51 matches for club and country.
It is a quirky irony that the Premiership's most consistent claim to be regarded above La Liga as the world's best league is made by two imports from the Iberian peninsula.
Sir's Foreign Legion
At the end of the week in which the ManYoo boss sniped at the lack of Englishmen in the Arsenal team and endorsed calls for a quota, the Scot selected eight foreigners for the visit of Blackburn.
Tim Cahill
The Everton midfielder has averaged a goal in every two games since his return from injury last month.
Everton
To be considered a competitive force in the Premiership, Everton required a result at Stamford Bridge. For all the fuss over their run of five successive victories, the meagre quality of the opposition faced - Larissa, Derby, Luton, Birmingham and Nuremberg - was flattering. Had Chelski joined ManYoo, Liverpool, Villa and Newcastle in the list of victors over the Toffees this season then accusations of flat-track bullying would have been unavoidable.
Joe Hart
With Ben Foster due to return in the spring, Paul Robinson will be fortunate to be considered England's fourth-choice goalkeeper this time next year.
Losers
Wayne Rooney
Neither England nor ManYoo were the principal losers on Friday when Rooney twisted his ankle during a game of head tennis. His absence for the national team could fade into irrelevancy on Saturday while, with Blackburn quelled, ManYoo's run of fixtures over the next four weeks is not particularly demanding: Bolton (a), Fulham (h), Derby (h) now follow. And, of course, they have already qualified for the next round of the Champions League.
Whatever the disappointment of Sir Ferguson and Steve McClaren, it would have paled alongside that of Rooney himself. Having suffered three metatarsal fractures, another bad break has now halted the best run of his career. All great players possess the same unwavering self-belief but Rooney must surely now be asking himself why the blight of injuries is such a regular occupational hazard. Is his body making efforts that his legs can't handle?
After Rooney broke his foot in August, Sir Alex ordered the ManYoo medical team to investigate whether his running style was making him particularly liable to injury. The latest setback has been described as a freak but it is disquieting nevertheless. Even Darren Anderton wasn't injury prone at the age of 22.
Rooney has another reason for depression. If he is credited with a goal at the Emirates then, after netting against Kiev on Wednesday, he would have scored in seven consecutive Manchester United matches. The club record is ten. Had the run continued, Fulham would have represented lambs to the inevitable slaughter on December 3.
The Premiership's Newbies
On Saturday morning, one of the two teams still unbeaten in the Premiership occupied a modest seventh place. It is an illustration of the relentless pace being set at the top of the league in which every stumble is a serious fall and draws usually constitute two dropped points.
The knock-on effect of the big teams gobbling up the points is that the bottom four clubs are practically starving. Their combined points tally is equal to the league leaders and, on current form, 30 will guarantee another year in the top flight.
The realisation that a couple of wins will produce a massive swing must prompt conflicting emotions amongst the three promoted teams. As their goal difference indicates, Sunderland (minus nine) and Birmingham (minus seven) have been, on most weeks, competitive. But with points so scarce, that competitiveness has counted for little. For Derby (minus 26), on the other hand, rationing has been a season-saving boon and means that, despite being excruciatingly inept so far, they trail their fellow newcomers - and safety - by just a handful of points.
It's a distortion of the principle that the league table reflects a year-long conflict and rewards consistency. But it also means that there is still hope for the Rams. On current form, a couple of wins is beyond their remit and relegation remains a certainty. But what if they take a gamble in the January transfer window, just as Birmingham did successfully in 2003? Then what should already be the impossible may be possible again and six months of nothing will count for nothing.
Joey Barton
A lucky escape? Quite the contrary.
Referee Martin Atkinson was leniency personified in the Tyne-Wear derby, cautioning only three players despite tempers often threatening to boil over. So it's probable that, had he seen Barton's studs-up challenge on Dickson Etuhu, the Newcastle midfielder would have been yellow-carded rather than dismissed. But if the FA finds him guilty of violent conduct - as they surely will if Atkinson confirms he didn't see the challenge - a three-match suspension is inevitable.
Steve Bruce
Due to his insufferable fussiness, Steve Bennett is not a popular referee. There was evident relish in the disparagement he received for rejecting Daniel De Ridder's penalty appeal in the Birmingham derby. Led by Andy Gray, who openly dislikes Bennett, the assembled cast of Sky pundits thundered in unison with an angry Steve Bruce. Five hours and countless replays later, however, the cast of Match of the Day 2 remained unconvinced. Alan Shearer accused De Ridder of diving.
It is a simple illustration of the difficulty Bennett faced as he made his split-second judgement from a partially obscured view. "It was an absolute howler," howled Bruce nonetheless.
The Birmingham City manager would be better served examining his own side's culpability in the defeat and the 'howlers' his players made. During his analysis of the two goals conceded, neither of which Bennett influenced, Gray found fault in the work of Mehdi Nafti, Johan Djourou (twice), Liam Ridgewell (twice), De Ridder, Stephen Kelly and Maik Taylor.
Lawrie Sanchez
Lawrie Sanchez had nothing to say after Fulham's match at Liverpool. All he had was a whinge. It's all he ever seems to do.
Sanchez's latest outpouring of self-pitying was provoked by the award of a penalty for a foul committed, by a matter of millimetres, outside of the box. "It ruined my afternoon," he whined. With pathetic predictability, Sanchez promised to send a letter of complaint to Keith Hackett, the referees' chief. Hackett's reply should be terse. He might wish to point out that the award was a tight call and at first glance it looked, to the naked eye, a penalty. He might also wish to point out, that rather than alter the outcome of the match, the penalty was effectively irrelevant, occurring in the 85th minute with Liverpool already leading and Fulham unable to offer even a hint of a comeback.
Hackett certainly should reply. Like Sanchez, the constant scapegoating of officialdom is becoming tedious in the extreme.
Bolton
Gary Megson's recipe for revival at Bolton has been as straightforward as Bolton's straight-forward tactics: re-employ the players and style of the Sam Allardyce era. In one easy step, a dressing-room revolt has been quelled and results improved.
But the revolution preached by Sammy Lee was the difficult answer to a problem that both he and chairman Phil Gartside felt needed answering. Just as Sam Allardyce went as far as he could with Bolton, Gartside felt Bolton had gone as far as they could with their limited style. It was not Gartside's dismissal of Lee that reeked of panic but his approval of Megson's back-to-basic formula.
Since the chairman lost his nerve, the club have lost a significant chunk of its support. Sunday's attendance of 17,624 broke the record set during Megson's home debut as the club's lowest-ever Premiership gate. If that is an indication of their regard for the type of entertainment on offer again then Bolton's support must be in the unenviable position of regarding relegation as their best route back to the future.
Chelski
The back five selected against Everton was Chelski's 14th different combination this season. For my fellow saddos, they are all listed below.
Versus Birmingham, August 12:
Cech, Johnson, Ben Haim, Carvalho, A Cole.
Versus Reading, August 15:
Cech, Ferreira, Ben Haim, Carvalho, A Cole.
Versus Liverpool, August 19:
Cech, Essien, Ben-Haim, Terry, A Cole.
Versus Aston Villa, September 2:
Cech, Belletti, Terry, Alex, A Cole.
Versus ManYoo, September 23:
Cech, Ferreira, Terry, Ben-Haim, A Cole.
Versus Hull, September 26:
Cudicini, Belletti, Terry, Ben-Haim, A Cole.
Versus Fulham, September 29:
Cech, Belletti, Terry, Ben-Haim, A Cole.
Versus Valencia, October 4:
Cech, Ferreira, Terry, Carvalho, A Cole.
Versus Bolton, October 7:
Cech, Belletti, Terry, Carvalho, A Cole.
Versus Middlesbrough, October 20:
Cech, Belletti, Carvalho, Alex, Ferreira.
Versus Schalke, October 24:
Cech, Ferreira, Carvalho, Alex, Bridge.
Versus Leicester, October 31:
Cudicini, Belletti, Alex, Ben-Haim, Ferreira.
Versus Wigan, November 3:
Cech, Belletti, Alex, Carvalho, Bridge.
Versus Everton, November 11:
Cudicini, Belletti, Alex, Carvalho, Bridge.
Pete Gill
Gabriel Agbonlahor
The highest-scoring Englishman in the Premiership this season with the happy knack of making his mark on the biggest stages - the only player to score at Anfield, Stamford Bridge and Old Trafford last season, his winner in this weekend's Second City derby followed strikes against ManYoo last month and Chelski in September's win.
West Ham United
But it was only Derby.
Carlton Cole
After creating both of Lee Bowyer's goals at Pride Park, Cole boasts more assists than any other player in the top flight this season.
Rafa Benitez
The Spaniard is going soft. After naming a changed line-up for 99 successive matches before losing his nerve last November, a mere 60 matches had followed before the team that thrashed Besiktas was given another run-out on Saturday.
Liverpool
Undefeated but oh so unconvincing...
Tottenham
If Juande Ramos is as good a manager as he is a negotiator then a Champions League place may not be beyond Tottenham's reach after all. After playing hard-to-get when first approached by Spurs in August, the Spaniard was rewarded with an improved offer that has made him the best-paid manager in England. Equally conveniently, by refusing to officially take charge until after the match with Blackburn Rovers on October 28, Ramos all-but guaranteed himself a flattering honeymoon. Few top-flight managers can ever have enjoyed such a gentle introduction as Blackpool (h), Middlesbrough (a), Hapoel Tel Aviv (a) and Wigan (h).
Unfortunately management cannot always remain so easy. During the next month, Tottenham must encounter West Ham (a), Birmingham (h), Man City (h), Portsmouth (a), and Arsenal (a). Ramos will have to earn his money the hard way if Spurs' season of goodwill is to be extended until Christmas.
Jermaine Jenas
Very generous of the Tottenham midfielder to remind everyone at White Hart Lane yesterday that Bebeto fathered his third child 13 years ago.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Ronaldo's brace against Blackburn has drawn the winger level with Cesc Fabregas as the highest-scoring midfielder in the league this season and extended his record during the calendar year to 26 goals in 51 matches for club and country.
It is a quirky irony that the Premiership's most consistent claim to be regarded above La Liga as the world's best league is made by two imports from the Iberian peninsula.
Sir's Foreign Legion
At the end of the week in which the ManYoo boss sniped at the lack of Englishmen in the Arsenal team and endorsed calls for a quota, the Scot selected eight foreigners for the visit of Blackburn.
Tim Cahill
The Everton midfielder has averaged a goal in every two games since his return from injury last month.
Everton
To be considered a competitive force in the Premiership, Everton required a result at Stamford Bridge. For all the fuss over their run of five successive victories, the meagre quality of the opposition faced - Larissa, Derby, Luton, Birmingham and Nuremberg - was flattering. Had Chelski joined ManYoo, Liverpool, Villa and Newcastle in the list of victors over the Toffees this season then accusations of flat-track bullying would have been unavoidable.
Joe Hart
With Ben Foster due to return in the spring, Paul Robinson will be fortunate to be considered England's fourth-choice goalkeeper this time next year.
Losers
Wayne Rooney
Neither England nor ManYoo were the principal losers on Friday when Rooney twisted his ankle during a game of head tennis. His absence for the national team could fade into irrelevancy on Saturday while, with Blackburn quelled, ManYoo's run of fixtures over the next four weeks is not particularly demanding: Bolton (a), Fulham (h), Derby (h) now follow. And, of course, they have already qualified for the next round of the Champions League.
Whatever the disappointment of Sir Ferguson and Steve McClaren, it would have paled alongside that of Rooney himself. Having suffered three metatarsal fractures, another bad break has now halted the best run of his career. All great players possess the same unwavering self-belief but Rooney must surely now be asking himself why the blight of injuries is such a regular occupational hazard. Is his body making efforts that his legs can't handle?
After Rooney broke his foot in August, Sir Alex ordered the ManYoo medical team to investigate whether his running style was making him particularly liable to injury. The latest setback has been described as a freak but it is disquieting nevertheless. Even Darren Anderton wasn't injury prone at the age of 22.
Rooney has another reason for depression. If he is credited with a goal at the Emirates then, after netting against Kiev on Wednesday, he would have scored in seven consecutive Manchester United matches. The club record is ten. Had the run continued, Fulham would have represented lambs to the inevitable slaughter on December 3.
The Premiership's Newbies
On Saturday morning, one of the two teams still unbeaten in the Premiership occupied a modest seventh place. It is an illustration of the relentless pace being set at the top of the league in which every stumble is a serious fall and draws usually constitute two dropped points.
The knock-on effect of the big teams gobbling up the points is that the bottom four clubs are practically starving. Their combined points tally is equal to the league leaders and, on current form, 30 will guarantee another year in the top flight.
The realisation that a couple of wins will produce a massive swing must prompt conflicting emotions amongst the three promoted teams. As their goal difference indicates, Sunderland (minus nine) and Birmingham (minus seven) have been, on most weeks, competitive. But with points so scarce, that competitiveness has counted for little. For Derby (minus 26), on the other hand, rationing has been a season-saving boon and means that, despite being excruciatingly inept so far, they trail their fellow newcomers - and safety - by just a handful of points.
It's a distortion of the principle that the league table reflects a year-long conflict and rewards consistency. But it also means that there is still hope for the Rams. On current form, a couple of wins is beyond their remit and relegation remains a certainty. But what if they take a gamble in the January transfer window, just as Birmingham did successfully in 2003? Then what should already be the impossible may be possible again and six months of nothing will count for nothing.
Joey Barton
A lucky escape? Quite the contrary.
Referee Martin Atkinson was leniency personified in the Tyne-Wear derby, cautioning only three players despite tempers often threatening to boil over. So it's probable that, had he seen Barton's studs-up challenge on Dickson Etuhu, the Newcastle midfielder would have been yellow-carded rather than dismissed. But if the FA finds him guilty of violent conduct - as they surely will if Atkinson confirms he didn't see the challenge - a three-match suspension is inevitable.
Steve Bruce
Due to his insufferable fussiness, Steve Bennett is not a popular referee. There was evident relish in the disparagement he received for rejecting Daniel De Ridder's penalty appeal in the Birmingham derby. Led by Andy Gray, who openly dislikes Bennett, the assembled cast of Sky pundits thundered in unison with an angry Steve Bruce. Five hours and countless replays later, however, the cast of Match of the Day 2 remained unconvinced. Alan Shearer accused De Ridder of diving.
It is a simple illustration of the difficulty Bennett faced as he made his split-second judgement from a partially obscured view. "It was an absolute howler," howled Bruce nonetheless.
The Birmingham City manager would be better served examining his own side's culpability in the defeat and the 'howlers' his players made. During his analysis of the two goals conceded, neither of which Bennett influenced, Gray found fault in the work of Mehdi Nafti, Johan Djourou (twice), Liam Ridgewell (twice), De Ridder, Stephen Kelly and Maik Taylor.
Lawrie Sanchez
Lawrie Sanchez had nothing to say after Fulham's match at Liverpool. All he had was a whinge. It's all he ever seems to do.
Sanchez's latest outpouring of self-pitying was provoked by the award of a penalty for a foul committed, by a matter of millimetres, outside of the box. "It ruined my afternoon," he whined. With pathetic predictability, Sanchez promised to send a letter of complaint to Keith Hackett, the referees' chief. Hackett's reply should be terse. He might wish to point out that the award was a tight call and at first glance it looked, to the naked eye, a penalty. He might also wish to point out, that rather than alter the outcome of the match, the penalty was effectively irrelevant, occurring in the 85th minute with Liverpool already leading and Fulham unable to offer even a hint of a comeback.
Hackett certainly should reply. Like Sanchez, the constant scapegoating of officialdom is becoming tedious in the extreme.
Bolton
Gary Megson's recipe for revival at Bolton has been as straightforward as Bolton's straight-forward tactics: re-employ the players and style of the Sam Allardyce era. In one easy step, a dressing-room revolt has been quelled and results improved.
But the revolution preached by Sammy Lee was the difficult answer to a problem that both he and chairman Phil Gartside felt needed answering. Just as Sam Allardyce went as far as he could with Bolton, Gartside felt Bolton had gone as far as they could with their limited style. It was not Gartside's dismissal of Lee that reeked of panic but his approval of Megson's back-to-basic formula.
Since the chairman lost his nerve, the club have lost a significant chunk of its support. Sunday's attendance of 17,624 broke the record set during Megson's home debut as the club's lowest-ever Premiership gate. If that is an indication of their regard for the type of entertainment on offer again then Bolton's support must be in the unenviable position of regarding relegation as their best route back to the future.
Chelski
The back five selected against Everton was Chelski's 14th different combination this season. For my fellow saddos, they are all listed below.
Versus Birmingham, August 12:
Cech, Johnson, Ben Haim, Carvalho, A Cole.
Versus Reading, August 15:
Cech, Ferreira, Ben Haim, Carvalho, A Cole.
Versus Liverpool, August 19:
Cech, Essien, Ben-Haim, Terry, A Cole.
Versus Aston Villa, September 2:
Cech, Belletti, Terry, Alex, A Cole.
Versus ManYoo, September 23:
Cech, Ferreira, Terry, Ben-Haim, A Cole.
Versus Hull, September 26:
Cudicini, Belletti, Terry, Ben-Haim, A Cole.
Versus Fulham, September 29:
Cech, Belletti, Terry, Ben-Haim, A Cole.
Versus Valencia, October 4:
Cech, Ferreira, Terry, Carvalho, A Cole.
Versus Bolton, October 7:
Cech, Belletti, Terry, Carvalho, A Cole.
Versus Middlesbrough, October 20:
Cech, Belletti, Carvalho, Alex, Ferreira.
Versus Schalke, October 24:
Cech, Ferreira, Carvalho, Alex, Bridge.
Versus Leicester, October 31:
Cudicini, Belletti, Alex, Ben-Haim, Ferreira.
Versus Wigan, November 3:
Cech, Belletti, Alex, Carvalho, Bridge.
Versus Everton, November 11:
Cudicini, Belletti, Alex, Carvalho, Bridge.
Pete Gill
wrote:
