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Tuesday January 7, 2009
What's The Score?The Irish Examiner's English Premier League Report Card Shows Who's Been Good And Who Could Do BetterArsenal
Arsenal has been inconsistent so far this season. With Cesc Fabragas out, Arsenal loses a massive player when it comes to their game plan. Robin Van Persie needs to remain healthy and build on his 8 goals. His partner Emmanual Adebayor has 7 goals but he needs to settle down this season. The Arsenal duo could be a lethal attack force but will they get the supply needed? The Gunners showed flashes of brilliance early on but they have lacked the mettle and depth to move all the way up the table. They are 10 points adrift and United has already passed them by in the blink of an eye. Injuries and red cards are hurting the squad. It's no surprise that Arsene Wenger is now claiming financial concern over the transfer deadline this month. The Gunners need more players if they want to challenge for the title. The team is not fluent and more and more cracks appear in the back line. Grade: C Aston Villa
Gabriel Agbonlahor is beginning to lead Villa forward. He has 9 goals. Ashley Young and John Carew are on 5 a piece. It's a string of 4 players on 3 goals that spell Villa's danger and variety in attack. And that stems from their style. They are not short on gas in the tank either. They are compact and they attack as a team. They are young strong quick and physical. They are also becoming relentless. And they can play a bit. Martin O'Neill's team is extremely hungry just like the manager himself. After two defeats in November by Newcastle and Boro, Villa was shaken up. The comeback has not stopped. Unbeaten in 8 games Villa has now broken the Big 4 monopoly. Players are now talking about keeping the momentum going which they believe can take them further. Belief is what O'Neill brings to clubs. Grade: A Blackburn Rovers
Benni McCarthy has 5 goals while John Roberts has 4. Even Roque Santa Cruz is under par with only 3 to his name, despite injury. Under manager Paul Ince the service was not there for the forwards but under new manager Sam Allardyce there will be no excuses. Direct football beckons at Ewood Park and forwards simply cannot hide from Big Sam's style and demands. Rovers do have wide players who run at defenders and make a difference in the opposition's half. The wingers though have lacked in confidence and fitness. Tactically Rovers fell short getting numbers up in their counter attacks. Mentally they looked drained and tired coming into the Holiday Season. But a win and 2 ties under Big Sam have been all about organization and maintaining their shape. Rovers' administration gets an A for the Allardyce appointment. Grade: F Bolton Wanderers
Gary Megson doesn't need to be reminded that Wanderers are not out of danger. Back to back defeats to end the year will have been seen as a major disappointment. Attack is doing all right with Kevin Davies on 6 goals while Matthew Taylor and Johan Elmander hit a handful apiece. Wanderers looked like they were turning away from the relegation zone until Wigan Athletic took the wind out of their sail. Megson has his Wanderers playing as a team but they do need to tighten up at the back. One or two more additions will help Megson's plan to stay alive at the top. Perhaps buying a veteran or two in the January market could keep them out of the dogfight. In November Megson was voted Barclays manager of the month. Wanderers won 4 games out of 5 and shot up the table. Since then their form has dipped. Grade: C Chelsea
Nicolas Anelka has been on fire for Chelsea with 14 goals. Chelsea still needs something extra to win the title as Felipe Scolari works on fitting Drogba into the team. Frank Lampard as usual kicks in with 8 goals and is more than capable of doubling that figure. The other midfielders who have not found the net are also slowing Chelsea down. The Bridge is waiting on the likes of Joe Cole and Deco to simply score more goals. The wingers could do better. The Blues need more firing power to take advantage of their game dominance. They have let teams back in games. Chelsea still plays that methodical style that can drag them back to sit in or take what they can from the game. Whereas when they attack they can be quite lethal. John Terry is back in the side but he's not the overpowering presence he once was. Grade: B Everton
Mikel Arteta whipped a free into the back of the net against Sunderland. He has some magic about him. Lately he's been on and off. But when on song he's good to watch. Perhaps he's a bit short on ruling the roost in big games. However, when Everton are playing well he can shine. The question is can he do it consistently in 2009? At the moment manager David Moyes is also dealing with a makeshift attacking team as his strikers Yakubu and Louis Saha are out injured. If upon their return Moyes can keep the chemistry going Everton will continue to push. Moyes is excellent at fixing the team when things go wrong. Everton rarely go on bad runs. After losing 3-2 against closest rivals Aston Villa Everton won 3 and tied Chelsea during December. Grade: B Fulham
Jimmy Bullard gets around the field. Available to attack and defend Bullard is a player who could grow with every season. When he is in the team Fulham hold their own. Scoring power lacks though with Andrew Johnson and Clint Dempsey on only 8 goals between them. Fulham's mid-table status however is based on good team performances. They are tough to beat and have been involved in one-goal games for most of the season. Only once have they allowed more than 2 goals against. The key to their success is the 8 ties. These results have maintained confidence in the side. Roy Hodgson's current enjoyment as a manager has also inspired every body around him. Players like Danny Murphy, Simon Davies and Bobby Zamora should not be underestimated. More goals from this trio and Fulham could upset any team. Grade: C Hull City
Marcio Geovanni continues to slot goals home for Hull but Marlon King will have to score more in the second half of the season. Michael Turner and Daniel Cousin have chipped in with 3 each. It's all about team effort though at City. But back to back drubbings by Sunderland and Manchester City has rocked Hull a little bit. Recently manager Phil Brown was so infuriated that he kept his team out on the field to give them a half time talk. That showed premiership inexperience. Brown has Hull playing good football and they have not been a bad side at all to watch. The players did not deserve the humiliation of it all in front of their fans. Brown has a great handle on his team he doesn't have to prove anything to anyone. Hull has been the surprise package of the season but teams like Villa and Everton will push rivals out of the way for European qualification. Hull continues to slide slowly but surely downwards allowing way too many goals (37) against. Grade: C Liverpool
Steven Gerrard is Liverpool's top marksman on 8 goals. Robbie Keane, Dirk Kuyt and Fernando Torres are all on 5. If Torres gets back in full swing his contribution could grow rapidly, even passed Gerrard. Robbie Keane picked up a few goals over the holidays but he still struggles to put easy chances away. Liverpool has become a serious threat for the title. Sami Hyypia is back at the heart of the defense and their shape looks better. In the center of the park Xabi Alonso knocks the ball around really well while Javier Mascherano breaks things up. It's the wide players and positions that may buckle in the run in. Up front another striker couldn't do any harm at all. Sammy Lee has stepped back into Liverpool like he never left the place. He is adding another energy to the staff that will push the team to another level. It's Liverpool's title to lose. Grade: A Manchester City
At the end of October City manager Mark Hughes has to win. Three consecutive loses to Boro, Bolton and Spurs put Hughes in over his head. There was doubt that he was the right man for the job. After the 3 defeats came a 2-2 with Hull. Hughes was under the gun when Arsenal arrived at Maine Road on November 22. A resounding 3-0 over the Gunners kept critics away. Recently one point from 3 games was temporarily erased with an exquisite 5-1 over Hull. Next game though City tied with lowly placed Blackburn Rovers. To say City has been hot and cold is an understatement. Listening to Hughes remain positive with his clear and concise interviews will eventually sound a load of you know what. Money doesn't always buy success indeed money can be the ruination of the game. Grade: F Manchester United
Cristiano Ronaldo has been terrible for United and yet he is United's top goal scorer on 8. Rooney (4) and Berbatov (3) are also firing below par. It is unusual to see so few goals from the Red Devils and yet they are right up there in the race. They only scored 4 goals in their last 6 games but allowed none against. With 2 games in hand and 7 points behind Liverpool many still fancy United to win the league. The return of Paul Scholes gives Alex Ferguson more options to set his first 11 up. The manager can also change things around depending on how the game is going. Veterans like Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville have already shown just how important they are in this year's game plan. United has cruised up the table and yet it seems they are not at their best. If they reach their potential they could be unstoppable. Grade: B Middlesbrough
It is 8 games without a win for Boro. Manager Gareth Southgate is under pressure to turn things around as early as possible in 2009. A 1-1 against Arsenal in December suggested Boro could bounce back. That result was just another team taking points off Arsenal. Boro then went to Craven Cottage and were served up a belt of reality with a 3-0 defeat by Fulham. Then home advantage over Everton meant nothing at the Riverside Stadium. December was a miserable month for Southgate and his troops. Back in October Chelsea thrashed Boro 5-0 which must have rattled their cage. On Southgate drove his team to 3 ties and 2 wins, their best run so far. Southgate remains positive and claims keeping a cool head will matter in the relegation battle ahead. Sometimes a good thrashing helps too. Grade: D Newcastle United
When Kevin Keegan walked out in September it didn't come as a real surprise. What did shock many though was his replacement, Joe Kinnear. The long forgotten Irish manager was back and so far he has done okay. Newcastle climbed out of the bottom with a couple of good wins and some very well earned ties. For the fans it was more about the performance improving. Then the faithful got behind the team against Everton and Manchester City. Four more ties on the trot convinced everybody on Tyneside that Kinnear was the man to steer the ship. December didn't go too well with just the one win over Spurs. A 2-1 loss to Wigan was tough to take but the 5-1 demolition by Liverpool has reminded Kinnear that his job is not totally secure despite his contract until the end of the season. Grade: D Portsmouth
Pompey got off to a bad and tough start to the season. They regrouped under Harry Redknapp and off they flew up the table. Peter Crouch and Jermain Defoe began to click as the team held their own in the top half of the league. Then Harry Redknapp, just like Houdini himself, disappeared. Tony Adams has found out that Redknapp is a tough act to follow at Portsmouth. December was a nightmare for Adams. Four defeats and a horrible tie against West Brom have put jobs on the line. Sliding slowly down the table Portsmouth are now only 3 points from the drop. While Fratton Park is not in turmoil something must be done to stop the rut. Adams is another manager under scrutiny in the Premier League. Grade: D Stoke City
City manager Tony Pulis attempts to recover team form after feeling the heat towards the end of 2008. The Potters have slipped all the way down into the relegation zone after holding their own early on. Frustration has crept in. Ricardo Fuller was sent off when he lost the plot after taking a swipe at his own captain Andy Griffin. Now Stoke's leading goal scorer is on the bench. There is no room for bad attitude when battling relegation. Coach Pulis must keep his troops together and get back to wining ways. Those Rory Delap long throw-ins will fade if Stoke are unable to recover from their latest drop in the table. Goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen has proven to be a great buy but his presence is needed now more than ever before. Stoke is learning the hard way in the Premier League. Grade: D Sunderland
At the end of November Roy Keane shocked Sunderland when he decided it was his time to leave. After winning promotion in 2007 then escaping relegation last season Keane looked confident as this year's campaign took off. Sunderland remained floating just above the relegation zone. The 1-0 loss to West Ham United and the 4-1 drubbing by Bolton didn't help matters. Keane the Big Pussy Cat strutted out of Sunderland with United up next. After losing 1-0 once Sunderland got out of Old Trafford they went on a rampage hammering Albion 4-0 then trouncing Hull 4-1. Undefeated in 3 games after a 0-0 with Blackburn was enough to convince chairman Niall Quinn to hire Ricky Sbragia. The Cats didn't end the year on a good note getting beat 3-0 by Everton. Nevertheless starting all over again is something Sunderland is good at. Grade: D Tottenham Hotspur
There was expectation at Tottenham to challenge the Big 4 at the start of the season under Juande Ramos. After disappointing loses nerves rattled at White Hart Lane. The 1-1 tie at Stamford Bridge bought time for the manager. Things went from bad to worse when Villa invaded the Lane coming away with a 2-1. The pressure mounted after a 0-0 with Wigan. Loses to newly promoted Hull, Stoke and winless in 8 games finally took its toll. Juande was gone, Harry Houdini Redknapp appeared. Houdini's appointment came out of nowhere like a rabbit from a hat. An immediate win over Bolton and out of the bottom 3 Spurs flew. A 4-4 tie with Arsenal and wins over Liverpool and Manchester City proved Spurs had found their savior. Redknapp now needs to conjure up a second coming as Spurs are still in need of points. Grade: D West Bromwich Albion
A big problem for West Brom is that their leading scorer Roman Bednar has only 6 goals. Ishmael Miller is on a poor ratio of 3 goals from 50 shots with only 16 on target. The third leading scorer is James Morrison on 2. That is a total of 10 goals between their 3 main attackers. That only Morrison has more than 1 assist truly tells the Albion story when it comes to creativity. For a team that puts emphasis on the beautiful game they should have a more prominent playmaker. Bromwich manager Tony Mowbray is sticking with the beautiful game but it has backfired with way too many goals against. Tactically they are one dimensional because of their preoccupation going forward. The team's mentality needs a more realistic approach towards survival and defending if Albion is to remain in the premier. Grade: F West Ham United
Alan Curbishley was let go from West Ham without ever really being given a decent chance to prove himself. That's life in the Premier League. Gianfranco Zola many believed was a risky hire for the Hammers. So far it has been a great step for Zola's coaching. Somehow he is squeezing out those wins. Carlton Cole is on 5 goals while Craig Bellamy is on 4. It is low scoring from the United forwards but both hit the target twice in their last two games. West Ham have steadied somewhat although Zola seems to look confused some of the time, but looks can be deceiving. West Ham also tied with Liverpool and Chelsea on the road during December. Zola's biggest problem is holding on to his players. The club will consider all offers during the current transfer window. Grade: C Wigan Athletic
They've only been beaten once in the last 8 games and that was by Arsenal. Wigan has put some results together and over the holidays Steve Bruce's men didn't rest up. Athletic are in 7th place on a very healthy 28 points. Amr Zaki has 10 goals but Emile Heskey and Antonio Valencia have to do better than 3. Henri Camara also needs to step up to the plate to keep Wigan in the top flight. Bruce must be very pleased with such a good showing. As optimistic as he is he will make it very clear that survival is first and foremost. What a move by Wigan's chief Dave Whelan to reappoint Mr. Bruce. Wigan is enjoying one of its most consistent campaigns in a long time. There will be however a reality check in January when they meet Spurs, Manchester United and City, Liverpool and Villa. Grade: C |
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