Keri-Anne: the first of many

Swimmer Keri-Anne Payne cemented her place in London 2012 last week when she won gold in the 10k open water event at the World Championships in Shanghai.

Despite having to deal with flying limbs, scorching temperatures peaking at over 30c, Keri-Anne ploughed her way through to become the first of 550 athletes to represent the UK next summer.

Making a splash: Keri-Anne is bucking the GB trend ahead of 2012 

Keri-Anne is regarded by many to be the poster girl of British swimming - and with good reason.

But what do we know of our young Olympian?

She was born in Johannesburg, moving to Britain at 13 when her parents decided to return home.

Now settled in Stockport, the 23-year old is engaged to long-term boyfriend David Carry - a fellow swimmer.

At the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Keri-Anne won silver in the inaugural 10k race, while a year later, she grabbed her first world championship gold in Rome.

Add to this last week's success, and the 23 year old's achievements to date are staggering.

The wave she is riding at the minute shows no sign of abating. In October she travels to Delhi for the Commonwealth Games. Here she will look to conquer the 200m and 400m indoor races, a far cry from her long-distance endurance tests.

And with Keri-Anne already the English record holder for the 200m and 400m individual medley, she has already demonstrated she is able to juggle the severe differences between endurance swimming and the sprints.

Many top athletes have already withdrawn from Delhi. World heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis and her British rival Kelly Sotherton are out, while the world's fastest man, Usain Bolt, is yet to decide.

Bucking the trend is commendable, but it awaits to be seen whether Keri-Anne has made the correct decision, as burn-out is a possibility with the countdown to London well under way.

But it would be wrong to question the decision making of a born winner, an athlete who knows how far they can push their body, in a career that has so far yielded so much.

With less than a year until the greatest sporting event arrives on our doorstep, 2012 promises to be a massive year for British sport and Kerri-Anne is all set to play her part.

Two wrongs don’t make a right



Iniesta thought he was picking up a one-way ticket to the Bernabeu

UEFA today revealed they are considering banning Andres Iniesta, Barcelona’s midfield maestro, for a further game in this season’s Champions League.

Iniesta picked up a caution for failing to retreat the required distance at a free-kick during the quarter-final first leg against Shakhtar Donetsk, triggering a one-game ban which saw him sit out the second leg in the Ukraine.

Every cloud has a silver lining, and for Iniesta it meant he could return with a clean slate for the semi-final first leg, which turns out to be against El Classico rivals Real Madrid.

The imposed sanction comes after UEFA match officials alleged Iniesta’s faux pas was deliberately incurred.

But Iniesta is only guilty of flouting an absurd rule that needs reviewing.

Article 22 of the Regulations of the Champions League 2010/11 states:

“In case of repeated cautions:

…from the first match in the group stage, a player is suspended for the next competition match after three cautions in three different matches, as well as following any subsequent odd-numbered caution (fifth, seventh, ninth, etc).”

This law is flawed.

It means a player could potentially miss the Champions League final for incurring three misery yellow cards in the ten games it takes to get to Wembley.

That hardly merits a suspension of that magnitude, does it?

Sure, if a player is a menace on the field and is a constant threat to his fellow professionals, one could argue the suspensions are serving their purpose.

But anyone who watches the bread-and-butter of our domestic game, then tunes in to watch Europe’s premier knock-out competition will tell you the referees are far more trigger-happy on the continent.

Free-kicks and yellow cards are dished out like hot cakes, just ask Duncan Ferguson how he faired with Pierluigi Collina when Everton flirted with The Champions League in 2005.

A suspension is easily acquired from three innocuous fouls.

Yes, Iniesta’s petulance merited a booking, and the footage does not look good for the gifted Spaniard as he awaits UEFA’s decision on Wednesday.

If the ban is imposed, the Spanish midfielder will sit out the crunch first leg against Real on 27 April at the Santiago Bernabeu.

But Iniesta’s infringement is understandable, considering the baffling rules that are in place.

Why should he have missed the first leg of the semi-final for acquiring three yellow cards?

It is not as if he is a constant threat on the field, in fact he is quite the opposite, and to deny a player of his quality the opportunity to showcase his talents in a game of this magnitude would be farcical to say the least.

Yes the rules are in place, but he has worked within their ludicrous nature to ensue he and his team have the best possible chance of winning a fourth European title.

If UEFA don’t like it, they should flag up their own performance and regulations. Not Iniesta’s.

Shameless!

How two ‘role models’ make this evening's clash a shameful occasion for football

Party: What could have been for Wayne had he not found stardom

An air rifle going off. A calculated forearm into the back of someone’s skull. It’s the sort of script that would not look out of place in a Guy Ritchie film.

Instead, these are the actions of two experienced England international football players and role models to millions of children worldwide.

On Saturday, Wayne Rooney helped Manchester United cruise to a 4-0 win over Wigan at the DW Stadium.

But the game will be remembered for all the wrong reasons as, eight minutes in, England’s star player charged into midfielder James McCarthy, appearing to use his forearm to get the better of his marker.

What kind of an example does this set to youngsters; those who replicate the actions of their heroes in the playground the next day?

A couple of weeks ago, Rooney scored the goal of the season when he acrobatically won United the derby game against cross-city rivals City.

The day later, kids up and down the land will have attempted to replicate this act of virtuosity.

But will this mean this time they will be smashing into their pals in order to get a shot on goal?

Rooney’s prodigious talents were born on the streets of Croxteth, Liverpool, where he grew up. Yes he has produced some breathtaking moments in his short career, but this latest indiscretion makes him more street-brawler then street-baller.

Rooney’s United will come up against Chelsea tonight, who have a less-than-squeaky clean player on their books also.

Ashley Cole’s latest faux pas has seen him not only take a firearm into Chelsea’s training base in Cobham but, apparently against his better judgement, fire it at a 21-year-old work experience student.

Ashley Cole: shooting himself in the foot once again

What kind of a work place has Roman Abramovich created at Chelsea that a 30-year-old, 87-capped international footballer feels it ok to bring an air rifle into work with him?

Both players should know better, but repeatedly seem to take advantage of the privileged positions they have found themselves in.

The two have continuously flouted the lifestyles many would love to swap, but yet they constantly keep finding themselves at the mercy of their clubs, who persist in supporting them through thick and thin.

Cole’s manager Carlo Anchelotti said: “What do we have to do now? Kill him? No. We have to support him. It would be very different had he not said sorry.

“We are not happy because he stepped over the line, but we have to support him.”

On the work-expo, Anchelotti said: “We’re really disappointed for the guy who was a victim in this.”

Hardly an apology, Carlo.

But when will these two learn? 

This was the perfect opportunity for both the FA and their clubs to throw the book at them.

Rooney and Cole should be facing lengthily suspensions, starting at Stamford Bridge tonight.

No player likes to miss the big games, and if the FA had made an example of them, perhaps it would have gone a long way in curbing their mischievous streaks.

Graham Poll, a former Premier League and World Cup referee, has argued once referee Mark Clattenburg (surprise, surprise) dealt with the Rooney incident on the field and indicated he did as much in his post-match report, there was very little the FA could do retrospectively.

Yes we all want to see the best players playing on the biggest stage, and no doubt this may have played on the minds’ of the FA bigwigs who ran the rule over the collision.

But at what cost? McCarthy could still be in intensive care or permanently handicapped from the assault. While the 21-year-old who was a victim of Cole's stupidity could have seen his life turned upside down, if not taken away from him.

Neither have had to face up to past indiscretions - Cole losing wife Cheryl the only anomaly to this rule - so expect further misdemeanours down the line.

Instead, it appears the worst Rooney will face is a hotter reception than usual from the Chelsea fans, while Cole will face disciplinary measures internally from his club, which will ‘remain in-house’, according to Anchelotti.

Tonight they line up on opposition teams as Chelsea and United go head to head in a crunch game in the race for the Premier League.

But in truth, they both represent a thug culture that, I’m afraid to say, makes it a shameful evening to be a football fan.

Why Keys and Gray should face the music

Spec-tacular O-G: Gray and Keys face an anxious wait over their future

Richard Keys and Andy Gray made the front pages this week for sexist remarks made towards a female assistant referee.

The commentators, who believed their mics were turned off, questioned whether Sian Massey knew the offside rule during the Wolves v Liverpool game on Saturday.

Today the repercussions were felt, as Sky suspended the pair from presenting tonight’s Monday Night Football.

Their words are sickening, bigoted and wrong, but are they surprising?

Only last week, I was having lunch with a friend of mine who works for Sky, and he revealed Keys was a sexist git who was living in the stone-age.

And that is where the pair of them belong.

As much as it pains me to say, as for many years I have been a massive fan of Sky’s coverage – in particular Keys and Gray’s input – the pair must walk or be shown the door.

In the current age we live in, such comments are unacceptable and an example must be made of them.

Should the fact the pair are stalwarts of Sky Sports, Keys has been associated with the channel since 1990, mean an apology suffices?

And should the fact comments made by Sepp Blatter, President of FIFA, in which he suggested in 2004 female footballers should wear tighter shorts and low-cut shirts to attract more male fans, make such comments more acceptable?

The answer is of course not.

If the pair worked towards the bottom end of the Sky ladder and made such slurs, obviously the ripples would not be as significant, but a zero-tolerance policy would be in place and they would be shown the door.

The same must be applied for these two dinosaurs.

Can you image what kind of message it sends out to young football fans should the pair be reinstated following suspension?

I don’t have the figures, but there must be tens of thousands of kids who watch Sky’s coverage and take in their analysis and views.

Condoning the remarks by re-instating them would certainly be the wrong message, and Sky have a moral duty to terminate their contracts should they not walk.

Karen Brady was also targeted by Keys, and she was damning towards the pair today.

She told BBC Radio 5 Live: “It never would have occurred to me that they had those views whether public or private and I'm disappointed.

“It almost makes it worse that they're speaking when the microphones are not on as opposed to when they are on because they'd never really have the brass neck to say it publicly.”

Brady is known as the first lady of football since becoming managing director at Birmingham City in 1993 at just 23 years old, and is well placed to comment on the apparent sexism that exists within the game.

In a column she wrote for the Daily Mail last week, she said she had ‘experienced sexism at its rankest, lies about my personal life and a level of calculated mischief that is simply appalling’.

If this is the case, perhaps Keys’ and Gray’s comments are a mere drop in the ocean of an epidemic that needs to be uprooted, and fast.

For this to happen an example must be made, starting with this furore.

Since the mid 80s, Keys has forged a successful career in television presenting, starting with TV-am, a breakfast show on ITV.

In 1990, he became one of the presenters for The Sports Channel on British Satellite Broadcasting (BSB), before leaving ITV in December 1990 for the renamed Sky Sports.

Gray’s move into TV presenting has been a little less orthodox as, unlike Keys, he was a former professional footballer.

He won the League Cup with Aston Villa and Wolves, before success with Everton, where he won the League, FA Cup and the Cup Winners Cup in the mid 80s.

Since hanging up his boots, he has forged a successful career as both a presenter and a commentator with Sky, and this is the first real sneer he has been hit with.

Despite the two having relative success thus far, this story will end up haunting them long into 2011.

When a story such as this gathers momentum, especially in a relatively dry-news period such as this, there can only be one outcome.

Remember the Ross-Brand-Sachs scandal in the autumn of 2008? The public outcry to this was enough for Russell Brand to leave the country temporarily, for both to be suspended, and for Jonathan Ross to never quite recover his TV career.

Sky themselves have already proved they can be ruthless operators. Rodney Marsh made an ill-timed joke about the Tsunami that hit South-East Asia in January 2005.

On Gillette Soccer Saturday he quipped: “David Beckham has turned down a move to Newcastle United because of trouble with the Toon Army in Asia.”

He was promptly fired and has never worked for Sky since.

It remains to be seen who fills in for Keys and Gray tonight, but one thing is for certain, whoever it is should prepare to take over for good.

------------------------------------------

So, what was said?

Keys: “Somebody better get down there and explain offside to her.”

Gray: “Can you believe that? A female linesman. Women don’t know the offside rule.”

Keys: “Course they don’t. I can guarantee you there will be a big one today. Kenny (Liverpool manager Dalglish) will go potty. This isn’t the first time, is it? Didn’t we have one before?”

Later in the exchange…

Keys: “The game’s gone mad. Did you hear charming Karren Brady this morning complaining about sexism? Do me a favour, love.”

Gone, but not forgotten. Steven Pienaar’s finest moments in an Everton shirt

Steven Pienaar was only an Everton player for three-and-a-half years, but his legacy at the club is telling. Despite failure to win any silverwear, he was integral in taking Everton to the next level; from low-lying underachievers to a club that enjoyed European football in each of the three full seasons he spent on Merseyside. Here is a look back at some of the little magician's finer moments in royal blue.


v Arsenal

Without question the South African’s finest moment in an Everton jersey. Pickling up the ball on the halfway line, he continues unaposed before delightfully clipping the ball over the onrushing Manuel Almunia.

v Aston Villa

A wonderful curled effort from 25 yards to put Everton 3-1 up in yet another Villa-Everton epic (0:26).

v Man City

Pienaar curls in a delightful freekick (1:16) to set Everton on their way to a 2-0 triumph.

v AEK Athens

Picking up the ball 30 yards out, there is only one thing in Pienaar’s mind as he drives towards goal before rifling an unstoppable drive into the corner (0:42).

v Sporting Lisbon

A neat finish into the top corner after Tim Cahill’s audacious back-heel.

v Man Utd

In a game that will forever be remembered for the two goals Everton scored in stoppage time to level at 3-3, you could be forgiven for forgetting Pienaar put the Toffees 1-0 up in the first half. This tap in sent Goodison wild (thanks to the Gremlins at the Premier League, I can't use the footage yet).

Edwin van der Sar: "Oooaaah" Pienaar: "That's the way, aha aha"

v Middlesborough

Pienaar tenaciously wins the ball back, starting and finishing a move that resulted in his first Everton goal (1:22).

v Burnley

A goal made in Africa: Yakubu’s Ronaldinho-esque pass finds Pienaar who drives into the area before curling a left-footed effort past the Beast in the Burnley goal (2:10).

v Tottenham

Is this the reason Harry signed him up? In November 2008, Pienaar struck the decisive goal as Everton triumphed 1-0 at White Hart Lane. Found by the quick-thinking Mikel Arteta, his deflected effort dumfounded a helpless Heurelho Gomes (2:10).

v AS Larissa

Ok, so he doesn’t score this one, but Pienaar’s Cruyff-esque pass into the path of Leon Osman is poetry in motion.

Classic derby moments

It may not have escaped your attention that this weekend plays host to a number of mouth-watering derby games. In recent years, Sky’s Super (must-view-mega-grand-slam) Sunday’s have tended to put all the big games on one day and Sunday is no different, with no fewer than three derbies to wet the appetite.

Such is the importance of Spurs v Man Utd, the sub-plot to the David Beckham: will-he-won’t he sign for Harry circus, the Tyne-Wear derby has been cast aside, playing fourth fiddle in a day that also sees the Second City and Merseyside derbies.

To get us all in the mood, here are ten top derbies from bygone years.

1. Everton 4-4 Liverpool, FA Cup Fifth-round replay, 20 February 1991

Evertonians have this week joked it took two games to get rid of King Kenny last time while now it’ll only take one. The two games they refer to include this gem from Goodison, where Everton levelled the game no fewer than four times. Dalglish has been quoted in saying: “recalling the see-saw sequence of that match is distressing. Liverpool kept taking the lead but Everton kept equalising. It was like watching a car crash and not knowing which emergency service to call first.”

2. Manchester United 4-3 Manchester City, Premier League, 20 September 2009

City levelled this contest three times, and when Craig Bellamy picked Rio Ferdinand’s pocket in stoppage time to make it 3-3, surely that was it. United’s old-guard had other ideas, however, and when Ryan Giggs picked out Michael Owen with a delightful through-ball in the sixth minute of injury time, Owen rolled back the years to steal all three points for Sir Alex Ferguson’s men.

3. Arsenal 4-4 Tottenham, Premier League, 29 October 2008

This game will be remembered for a number things: David Bentley scoring an outrageous volley to open the scoring from 50 yards, Darren Bent netting for Spurs, and Aaron Lennon’s dramatic injury-time leveller. Arsenal were 4-2 up heading into the 89^th minute of Harry Redknapp’s first official game in charge, but Jermaine Jenas made it 4-3 before Lennon tapped home the rebound from Luka Modric’s effort that crashed back off the post. Cue carnage in the half-deserted away end. 

4. Everton 2-3 Liverpool, Premier League, 16 April 2001

A game that quite possibly had everything. Five goals, a sending off, 12 yellow cards, a missed penalty, a converted penalty, an Emile Heskey goal and an injury-time winner. Heskey put the Reds ahead early on, but talisman Duncan Ferguson levelled on the stroke of half time. Markus Babbel restored Liverpool’s advantage before Robbie Fowler missed a penalty, striking against the post. Everton equalised when David Unsworth typically crashed home his effort from twelve yards, but there was to be one final twist in the tail. Look out for where Gregory Vigal is tripped to where Garry McAllister takes, and scores, the free kick.

5. Chelsea 2-3 Arsenal, Premier League, 23 October 1999

“It’s Kanu, what’s he gonna do?!” shrieks Martin Tyler as the Nigerian curls in an improbable goal from the acutest of angles to score his and his side’s third goal. Tore Andre Flo and Dan Petrescu, names that will resonate with avid Merlin sticker album collectors, put Chelsea 2-0 up. But the magician had other ideas and scored a 15-minute hat-trick to steal all three points. (“Kanu believe it?” was also bellowed by Tyler in this sequence).

6. Liverpool 3-2 Everton, FA Cup final, 20 May 1989

At a time when Britain was mourning the 96 who lost their lives in the Hillsborough disaster, perhaps it was fitting the two Merseyside clubs contested the Final. And contest it they did, in one of Wembley’s most dramatic encounters. Liverpool took an early lead through John Aldridge and it was not until injury time that Stuart McCall equalised for the Toffees. Five minutes into extra time, Ian Rush retook the lead, only for McCall to level once more with a stunning volley. Rush and Liverpool had the last laugh though, and just as he did in the 1986 Merseyside derby final, he grabbed a second to give Liverpool their fourth FA Cup triumph.

7.  Manchester United 0-1 Manchester City, Old First Division, 27 April 1974

In United’s last game of the 1973–74 season, they needed to beat their city rivals at Old Trafford to stand any chance of remaining in the top flight. United legend Denis Law, now at City, scored an audacious back-heel to give City a 1–0 win. Thinking his goal had relegated United, he did not celebrate and walked off the pitch with his head down immediately after scoring. As it transpired, United would have been relegated even if the match had been drawn.

8. Arsenal 2-3 Tottenham, Premier League, 10 November 2010

Spurs staged a stunning fight-back to claim their first league victory over Arsenal in 17 years thanks in no part to their two outstanding performers, Welsh wonderkid Gareth Bale and Dutch maestro Rafael van der Vaart. The hosts were ahead 2-0 at the break, but Spurs had other ideas and when Bale reduced the arrears in the 50^th minute, the alarm bells began ringing in the Arsenal rearguard. Van der Vaart’s penalty levelled the game, before Younes Kaboul headed the Dutchman’s freekick past a shell-shocked Lukasz Fabianski with just five minutes remaining.

9. Newcastle 1-2 Sunderland, Premier League, 25 August 1999

Leave Alan Shearer out of a Tyne-Wear derby at your peril. This is what Ruud Gullit found out when he took charge of his final game for the Magpies. On a rainy night at St. James' Park, Newcastle took the lead through Kieron Dyer, but a second half comeback saw current Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn equalise. Kevin Phillips capped off the comeback to strike the final nail in Gullit's Toon coffin as the Dutch legend was sacked the next day.

10. Tottenham 4-5 Arsenal, Premier League, 13 November 2004

It was Martin Jol’s first Premiership game as Head Coach, and what a game it was. Despite Spurs taking the lead, they surrendered their advantage to a Thierry Henry effort on the stroke of half time. When Lauren’s penalty made it 1-2, Tottenham played catch-up for the remainder of this enthralling contest. Patrick Vieira made it 1-3, before Jermain Defoe reduced the deficit to 2-3. Freddie Ljungberg restored Arsenal’s two-goal advantage at 2-4, only for Ledley King to hit back at 3-4. Bobby Pires shimmied his way past Noe Pamarot, Paul Robinson and a match-day programme to make it 3-5 and Freddie Kanoute set up a grand-stand finish at 4-5 with two minutes left. Unfortunately for Spurs fans, there was no dramatic comeback this time.

EPL's Half Term report

Man Utd

So far, so good for Sir Alex Ferguson’s men. United were always going to be there or there abouts, and the ominous thing for the rest of the league is they usually experience better second halves to the season. Despite their poor away record thus far (played nine, won two, drawn seven) they remain undefeated. What chance of them replicating Arsenal’s achievement in 2003/04? Grade: A

Man City

Man City’s spending prowess over the past three seasons has been nothing short of extraordinary. Since the Abu Dhabi United Group bought the club in August 2008, they have spent over £320 million. With Wolfsburg’s Edin Dzeko set to arrive in January, their spending shows no signs of letting up. Due to their financial muscle alone, they could and should be looking down on the league at this stage. With none of the title chasers taking command at the half-way stage, City could achieve what they haven’t since 1968, and spend their way to the title this year. Grade: B-

Arsenal

Monday night’s moral-boosting win over Chelsea will do wonders for The Gunners’ confidence. With visits to Eastlands, Old Trafford, Anfield and Stanford Bridge out of the way, not to mention a game in hand over City in second place, this could be the year the Wenger bus rides into town once more. Look out for their visit to rivals Spurs on 26 February. Grade: A-

  

Tottenham

The most impressive aspect of Spurs’ season to date has been their ability to excel both in their debut season in the Champions League and on the domestic front. The days of Tottenham fans lamenting inconsistent displays appear to have subsided for now, and game week 20 saw them overtake Chelsea into fourth place. Countless superlatives have been heaped on the Welsh wonderkid Gareth Bale and stand-out summer signing Rafael Van der Vaart, and justifiably so. The pair have quite simply been the outstanding performers of the season so far. Grade: A*

Chelsea

Chelsea made an explosive start in their campaign to retain the title, scoring 21 goals on the way to winning their opening five games. Their recent set of results, which has seen them fail to win in six, incurring three defeats, is relegation form and serious questions will be asked of Carlo Ancelotti’s future should they not win at Wolves tonight. Frank Lampard’s return to full fitness cannot come soon enough. Grade: C-

Sunderland

Perhaps Sunderland’s biggest strength this season has been the form of their strikers. Between Danny Welbeck, Asamoah Gyan and England International Darren Bent, the three have scored 20 of the Black Cats’ 24 Premier League goals. However, over the course of the season, they will need to find goals from all over the park if they are to continue to push for the European places. However, having three strikers who can find the back of the net is a big plus, and one that will draw envious eyes from several clubs around them. Grade: A-

Bolton

Owen Coyle’s team have been the surprise package of the season. Relinquishing the shackles of a ‘long-ball side’ gained under the stewardship of Sam Allardyce, Coyle has The Trotters playing a brand of football that at times would not look out of place in the Champions League. With one or two astute signings in January, who knows where they could finish? Expect a dip in form at some stage, but with consistency failing most teams in the 2010/11 season, Bolton could well retain their current position and end up playing European football next term. Grade: A-

Stoke

Tony Pulis is doing a sterling job at The Britannia and after cementing Stoke as a Premier League club, he is now in the process of taking them to the next level. He is slowly adding brains to his squad of brawn, with the technically gifted Matthew Etherington, Ricardo Fuller and Şanlı Tuncay able to turn a game in an instant. Perhaps their biggest compliment this season is they are where they are without having to draw as heavily on the human catapult, Rory Delap. He has started all but three of their games thus far, and yet his trusted arm has barely featured on Match of The Day. Despite it only being January, it is safe to say the Potters will be here next season. Grade: B+

Liverpool

Liverpool are a team in transition – but into what? Time will tell whether they are descending into the bleakest period in their illustrious history, or whether they are merely taking a breather. As perverse as it may sound, it may not be the end of the world if they were to sell one of Steven Gerrard or Fernando Torres in order to raise the cash needed to improve the overall quality of their squad. It is only now we are seeing the perilous sate Rafa Benitez left the club in. Those calling for his return better know what they are wishing for. Grade: D

Newcastle

Chris Hughton’s sacking was a shock to everybody, and was wholly unjustifiable. You have to wonder what more he could have done since taking over in the summer of 2009, when the beleaguered Toon had just suffered relegation from the top flight. Not only did he emphatically guide them back up at the first attempt, but, at the time of his sacking, had stabilised the club in mid table. Add to this impressive wins at Arsenal, Everton and Chelsea in the League Cup, not to mention the 5-1 hammering of rivals Sunderland, and the decision makes even less sense. What Mike Ashley expected from him is anyone’s guess. Will the knives be out for newly-appointed Alan Pardew should he not deliver European football this season? Probably not, but it would render his appointment totally unnecessary if they do not finish significantly higher than the 11th place Hughton left them in. Grade: B

Blackpool

Who says the romance of the game is dead? Blackpool’s start to life in the top flight has been nothing short of a fairytale. Their 2-0 win at Sunderland to cap off a remarkable 2010 for Ian Holloway was their fifth on the road in a season that has also included an outstanding 2-1 triumph at Anfield. Sitting comfortably at this stage in eleventh and playing attacking, carefree football, Ollie will hope his side do not capitulate as Hull did in their maiden season of 2008/09. Hull survived that year, but had to wait until the final day. Would Ollie take that? Probably. Grade: A*

Blackburn

Along with the departure of Chris Hughton at Newcastle, the sacking of Sam Allardyce shocked the club’s fans. It did not, interestingly, draw as much sympathy from the media, however. With Rovers sitting comfortably in mid table, only time will tell whether the new poultry owners from India, Venky’s, have made the correct decision. By appointing the untried and untested Steve Kean (an underwhelming playing career was followed by assistant managerial roles at Fulham, Real Sociedad and Coventry) they’re leaving themselves open to criticism immediately should results fade. Their challenge over the coming weeks will be keeping hold of skipper Christopher Samba, who has voiced his displeasure over Allardyce’s departure. Grade: B+

Fulham

Last season’s UEFA Cup Finalists have been the draw specialists this time around, with a staggering ten of their 21 games yielding a point. But for long-term absentee Bobby Zamora, many fans will be wondering how many of these draws could have been turned into wins. On the plus side, they have not lost nearly as many games as those around them, and with the return of Andy Johnson and Zamora in the spring, their fortunes could take a turn for the better. However, should results go the other way, I wonder what price Fulham fans will be calling for a Roy Hodgson return should Mr Benitez be reinstated at Anfield? Grade: C

Everton

After yet another sluggish start, David Moyes’ side will again have it all to do in 2011 to salvage anything from their season. The main thing going in their favour is it is so tight this season in the Barclays Premier League and if they were to put a run together, you would not back against them finishing in a European place. Conversely, if they cannot sort out their inability to convert the amount of chances they are creating, they could find themselves struggling at the wrong end of the table. A striker is desperately needed in January, but who will Moyes sell to raise the cash? Grade: C-

Birmingham

Many would regard this as a par score for Alex McLeish’s side, but try telling that to the ambitious Scotsman. After finishing last season in ninth spot following promotion, any talk of second-season syndrome should be rebuffed. Firstly, they have spent six of the past nine seasons in the top flight and should know their way around this division by now. Secondly, the league is scintillatingly close and 15th could turn to top ten with two results. Never-the-less, there is undoubted quality in their ranks and perhaps McLeish’s biggest task is keeping hold of key midfielders Barry Ferguson and Seb Larsson, the latter approaching the final months of his contract. Grade: C

West Brom

The fact all three promoted clubs are well placed at this stage is phenomenal. Should West Brom, Newcastle and Blackpool stay up, it will be the first time since 2001/2002 this feat has been achieved (promoted clubs Bolton, Fulham and Blackburn maintaining Premier League status at the expense of Leicester City, Derby and Ipswich). The Baggies are perennially known as the ‘Yo-Yo Club’, but this year manager Roberto Di Matteo has them playing with confidence and a resilience that has escaped them in previous seasons at this level. Summer arrivals Peter Odemwingie and Somen Tchoyi have been revelations, as has the continued development of Chris Brunt, whose left peg has been striking the fear of life into opponents. Expect another nervous season climax, but there will be no need of a similar great escape of 2004/05, as survival will be wrapped up much earlier. Grade: B+

Aston Villa

Villa’s demise since Martin O’Neil’s exit in the summer should come as little surprise. When the Ulsterman took over in August 2006, he was inheriting a side who had just finished in 16th spot. In his final three seasons in charge, he restored the reputation of the club, guiding them to three consecutive sixth-placed finishes and a League Cup final. But was the fact O’Neil was not given a lavish summer transfer kitty in order to inject life into an aging squad, a squad he had constructed, the main reason for his exit? Or was he simply jumping ship, with the subsequent lacklustre performances envisaged? Either way, the start Gerard Houllier has endured has been average at best. The one positive is the success of their youth system, with Barry Bannan, Jonathan Hogg and Eric Lichaj all making their Premier League debuts, while recent graduates Ciaran Clark and Marc Albrighton have excelled. Expect a recovery of sorts, but not enough for top-six. Grade: C-

West Ham

A recent turn around in form has elevated the East London club from the bottom of the table. Only one other club, West Brom in 2004/05, has managed to survive when propping up the league on Christmas Day since the inauguration of the Premier League, so Avram Grant will still have it all to do to keep the Hammers afloat. It is imperative they keep star players Scott Parker and Carlton Cole, but with the latter’s form hit and miss this season, Grant may look to cash in to bolster evident weaknesses throughout his side. Too good to go down? Don’t count on it. Grade: D

Wigan

You do feel for Wigan. You get the impression no matter how much money chairman Dave Whelan makes available for Roberto Martinez, they either won’t be able to attract the calibre of player they want, or those they do bring in see it as an opportunity to promote number one and engineer a move within a few seasons. As a result, progress is more or less impossible to achieve. The best they can expect is to hover around the mid to bottom end of the league and, to their credit, this is exactly what they’ve done since gaining promotion in 2005. Their player of the year last term, Charles N'Zogbia, made it clear he wanted out in the summer and he encapsulates this type of player. However, with few clubs interested this window, he may stay to preserve their top-flight status for another year. Grade: C

Wolves

So much for my pre-season prediction of Mick McCarthy’s side having a successful year. Wolves have played some decent football at times, but like Everton have been unable to translate this into results. McCarthy was asked in November if he thought there were three worse-off teams in the division and his response was a resounding ‘yes’. Half-way gone, he will have it all to do to prove this to his supporters. Key players Kevin Doyle, Matt Jarvis, Steven Hunt and George Elokobi need to demonstrate why they are held in such high esteem. The problem is you need more than three or four players to hold your own in this division. Expect tears in May. Grade: C-