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| Allardyce on his way up, Wenger on his way out? (Courtesy of Ben Sutherland and Ronnie MacDonald) |
We’re now
approaching the half-way mark of the season, so the further we go the better we
can see what sort of shape the league will have at the end of the season.
Here’s a look at the weekend’s winners and losers.
Winners:
Manchester United:
Pulled further away from the chasing pack, now 3 points clear at the top, after
City got another draw and Chelsea
got nothing at Upton Park. Everybody will be commenting on the fact that Fergie
will be pleased that United are top and haven’t even found their best form yet,
he might be slightly worried though that, with continued performances like the
one against Reading,
they might not find their form at all.
Andre
Villas-Boas: Really
starting to get his feet under the table at Tottenham, 3 wins on the trot have
seen Spurs push up into 4th place and, with teams all around them
faltering, the Portuguese man will feel that his side have got a good shout for
a Champions League spot this season.
West Ham: What a win, not least because they
had to come from behind to get it. Perhaps Benitez’s taunts about Allardyce’s
style of football from all those years ago were still ringing in Big Sam’s
ears, but whatever the motivator it worked, and The Hammers will be delighted
to find themselves only 4 points behind Chelsea.
Swansea: With more performances like this
one The Swans will be thinking that European football is a real possibility for
next year, but will be worried by the number of top-pedigree clubs sitting
beneath them (Arsenal, Liverpool and Newcastle) who will not be happy to be
there.
Losers:
Roman
Abramovich: I can’t
remember the last time a managerial change backfired quite so spectacularly.
Roberto Di Matteo will be sitting at home laughing his head off.
Arsene
Wenger: He’s got no
“youth policy” or “rebuilding” excuses to hide behind and, as much as I do
think he is a very good manager, it’s all starting to unravel at Arsenal. If
it’s true that the board won’t sack him, he’s got to resign if this form keeps
up.
Fulham: It’s all gone wrong for Martin Jol
and his team, no win in 7 and they find themselves dangerously close to the
relegation zone, only 5 points clear. Important games against fellow strugglers
Newcastle and
bottom of the table QPR will really decide where The Cottagers stand.
West Brom: If Steve Clarke has any aspirations of keeping his team where they are
this should have been a win, as opposed to having given Stoke, notoriously bad
on the road, their first away win of the season. Clarke will be hoping that
these last two defeats are just a blip and not the start of a slide into
mid-table mediocrity.
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