Gameweek 21 kicks off on New Year’s Day, the perfect time to have a quick recap on some of the season’s best performers so far.

Starting between the sticks we have Manchester City’s Joe Hart, the Blue half of Manchester are serious title contenders and much of this is due to the brilliance of their young stopper. Points wise Hart is head and shoulders above all other Goalkeepers with an impressive total of 95. If his 6.8 million price tag puts you off, there are cheaper alternatives. Birmingham’s Ben Foster(5.1) 81 points and Blackburn’s Paul Robinson(4.6) 72 points provide excellent value for money.

There is a reason Nemanja Vidic(8.0) is at the heart of 32% of Fantasy League defences, well actually there are 87 reasons. Man United’s rock at the back is top of the defensive pile going into the New Year. Following closely behind are Chelsea’s Ashley Cole(8.3) with 86 points and Everton’s Leighton Baines(7.5) 85 points. Sneaking into the top ten defenders is Sunderland’s Ahmed Elmohamady(4.8) with a 68 point return. Just one point behind Elmohamady is Baines’ team mate Seamus Coleman(4.9). Directly below Coleman you will find Patrice Evra(7.3) and John Terry(7.0), even further down the list is Man City’s Kolo Toure(6.4). It just goes to show that you don’t always get what you pay for.

Moving into midfield we start to find members of the 100 club. Rather surprisingly Everton’s Tim Cahill(9.3) leads the way with 106 points. Not only does the Australian run the midfield he often finds himself thrust upfront and has tucked away nine league goals in the process. Man United’s Nani(9.6) is just 2 points behind Cahill. The winger has been showing real quality throughout the campaign. Like Ronaldo before him Nani looks to have learnt that the tricks, however pretty they may be, do not win you Football matches and has vastly improved his all round game.

Special mention goes to Stoke City wide-man Matthew Etherington(5.9). Normally any left footed Englishman with an ounce of talent is treated like the second coming, however Etherington has quietly gone about his impressive business, three league goals and numerous assists place him ninth overall in the midfield rankings with 85 points.

Leading the way upfront is Newcastle’s Andy Carroll(6.5). They love a number 9 at St James Park and Carroll is no disappointment, the lanky striker has bagged 11 league goals this season and has 113 points to show for his efforts. It’s no surprise that the young Magpie is in 55% of Fantasy league teams.

Hot on Carroll’s heels is Carlos Tevez(11.3). The Argentine has 12 goals to his name and now that his Wayne Rooney style transfer tantrum is done and dusted he can get back to doing what he does best. A note of caution on wee Carlos this week as he is a slight doubt with a thigh injury.

And finally, I can’t go without singing the praises of Bolton’s front two. Johan Elmander(6.5) and Kevin Davies(6.5) have 191 points between them. Owen Coyle’s team are enjoying a cracking season so far and are the only team to have two strikers in the top ten.

That’s all for 2010 folks, I sincerely hope you all have a very Happy New Year.

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If you read last week’s post and failed to believe me, then just maybe because of this weekend’s matches and results you’ll start to realize that this league isn’t one that falls into the cliched colloquialisms that tend to surround themselves with the Premier League.

Supporters of both Manchester clubs will emerge from the weekend most happy while Tottenham fans are likely still too delirious to realize how ecstatic they actually are after winning away to Arsenal. For all its plaudits, this season’s first North London derby in the league truly was an epic taste of Premier League glory as Spurs came from two down to win 2-3 against all odds.

Arsene Wenger seems to give Premier League fans two or three great moments each year as his frustrations get the better of him. Last season, with arms spread out in a moment of disbelief and dishevelment, Wenger found himself in the Old Trafford stands without a seat.

Saturday’s capitulation by Arsenal at the hands of Tottenham will be remembered by the water bottle that was hurled to the ground in a petulant fit of rage, it’s remnants covering Pat Rice without the slightest hint of remorse from Wenger. For all the joy Wenger brings to the neutrals, something dreadfully important remains elusive as it pertains to this Arsenal side.

Honorable Mentions -

Ben Foster, Birmingham City – The Manchester United throw away keeper has found his best form at Birmingham City this season quite like Joe Hart did last season while on loan at St. Andrew’s. Although Foster is a Blue to stay and Hart is back with his parent club, there seems to be something in the water in Birmingham that young England keepers are drinking to reach their full potential.

Foster was solid on Saturday for the Blues in their 1-0 win over Chelsea who continue their recent run of bad form. For all their inefficiencies, Chelsea still tested Foster in goal multiple times over the course of the full 90 yet Foster stood tall to produce a myriad of good saves in a man of the match performance.

Morten Gamst Pedersen, Blackburn – Pedersen’s free kick exploits in the last few weeks have produced a couple of moments of pure quality – stunning in their own right while seemingly defying the laws of physics at the same time. Most recently, the Norwegian midfielder/attacker curled an impressive free kick from an impossible angle past a flapping Brad Friedel just before the half to open the scoring in Sunday’s eventual 2-0 win at home.

The perfectly struck free kick tugged and teased Friedel out of the Villa goal only to dive in at the precise moment in which Friedel stood no chance to recover. The swinging arm of Friedel could only get the slightest of touches before the ball found the back of the net and Pedersen celebrated his goal while Blackburn soon took a slim lead into the interval in a match where the first half didn’t impress.

Pedersen then added a second for Blackburn to double Rovers’ lead when he flicked in Ryan Nelsen’s well struck ball across the face of goal. It was equal parts right place/right time and intense moment of precise timing and skill to slot home his second of the day.

Carlos Tevez, Manchester City – Is Tevez the Premier League’s best player? That question may have an answer on another day, but on Sunday, the little Argentine was yet again at his best as his former national coach Diego Maradona looked on at Craven Cottage. Maybe just a step offside but incredibly close to being level, Tevez scored City’s first when he held off Carlos Salcido and finished well past Mark Schwarzer low and to the corner. Tevez set up Yaya Toure for City’s third with a well timed ball directly into the path of the midfielder who took a great first touch and finished into the same corner as Tevez before him.

Continuing his brilliance, Tevez scored a cheeky second (City’s fourth) when he knew exactly what he was doing by flicking on a Pablo Zabaleta shot with his back to goal past Mark Schwarzer to end any idea of a Fulham comeback. For City, the 1-4 performance was one their fans have wanted to see for sometime as the 0-0′s started to pile up. Tevez, alongside David Silva, remains the catalyst for City’s attack and overall performance. When the Argentine is at his best, others perform to his standard which is greatness personified.

Premier League Footballer of the Week -

Johan Elmander, Bolton – If you’ve not been watching Bolton this season then you should change that soon and enjoy a match or two of their efficient, organized and highly energized brand of attacking football. Owen Coyle sets up Bolton in a 4-4-2 formation with Elmander and Kevin Davies up front – two strikers who work brilliantly together, a midfield with plenty of width through the in form Chung-Yong Lee and Matthew Taylor, and a very balanced central midfield comprised of Stuart Holden and Fabrice Muamba – Holden often getting up front in a forward role while Muamba holds in a defensive position.

The big Swedish striker scored a brace in Saturday’s 5-1 win over Newcastle and while a two goal performance will always warrant a mention, it was the way in which both of Elmander’s goals were constructed and executed in such a manner that defined Bolton’s play this season that initially caught my eye and prompted me to recognize Elmander as the weekend’s best player.

Elmander’s first was a brilliant one-two punch with strike partner Davies but was the result of some fine individual brilliance from Elmander himself when he side-stepped Tim Krul in the Newcastle goal to finish. It was Bolton’s third of the day but maybe their most impressive of the season and a perfect example of what has made them so impressive thus far this season.

Elmander’s second was equally as impressive but a better example of Elmander’s individual brilliance – his strength, desire and at times his ability to create something a bit special out of nothing. In the 72nd minute, Bolton’s Matthew Taylor found Elmander with what was essentially a clearance out of Bolton’s half and into an area of safety. Elmander took Newcastle’s Fabricio Coloccini one v one, won the waiting ball, out-muscled Coloccini and plowed forward towards goal to finish past Krul again. It was another great goal from Elmander who is now level with Andy Carroll as the Premier League’s leading goal scorer with eight.

It’s the North London derby this weekend. Arsenal, who are fast becoming serious title contenders play Host to Tottenham. The Gunners sit second, 2 points behind Chelsea. Tottenham find themselves seventh after a much needed win against Blackburn last weekend. Three points for either side would see them make significant strides up the Premier league table, so a point a piece it will be at the Emirates.

With the calibre of attacking players available to both sides you get the feeling it won’t be a goalless encounter. Make sure you have North London’s big hitters in your starting line up by Saturday lunchtime. Arsenal have no fresh injury worries as yet, but Tottenham have lost the services of string-puller Tom Huddlestone for a few months.

Elsewhere in the Premier League it’s the battle of the big number nine’s at the Reebok stadium, well it’s technically three number nine’s. Newcastle’s Andy Carroll acquitted himself well on Wednesday night, considering he was half way back to Newcastle by the time England forged any meaningful attack and will be looking to add to the 77 points he’s already picked up this season. Bolton’s Johan Elmander and Kevin Davies continue their fine form, add midfielder Chung-Yong Lee to the mix and you could find yourself in the points. However, the way this season is going a match featuring a trio of the League’s top strikers is bound to finish in a stalemate.

On paper Stokes trip to West Brom doesn’t look the most exciting match up, but this could be the dark horse of the weekend. Stokes flying winger Matthew Etherington and yo-yo midfielder Dean Whitehead are a risky gamble worth taking. Similarly the home side have mister consistent in Chris Brunt (58) and their very own goal machine in Peter Odemwingie (47), both could reward you with a healthy points haul this game week.

Premier League matches have been so hard to predict this season, so I’m not even going to mention Chelsea’s trip to St Andrews or Man Utd taking on Wigan, and as for Liverpool Vs West Ham, well I’m saying nothing. Sunderland’s fantastic performance at the bridge last Sunday summed up the Premier League perfectly, anything can and will happen in a game week. It’s a pundit’s nightmare.

I am however prepared to stick my neck out in regards to Sunday’s matches – Blackburn Vs Aston Villa and Fulham Vs Man City have got 1-1 written all over them. It will be a day where defences will triumph. Fulham’s Brede Hangeland and Villa’s James Collins will sure up any defence and both have weighed in with a few goals this season.

Game week 14 concludes with Everton’s trip to surprise package of game week 13, Sunderland. It goes without saying that Asamoah Gyan is the star man at the stadium of light right now, but his strike partner Darren Bent could return from injury in time for Monday nights clash. Everton themselves have a few potential bargains available, defensive rocks Phil Jagielka and Sylvain Distin are good value at 5.8 and 5.5 million respectively and young full back Seamus Coleman (4.9 million) is improving every week.

That’s your lot for this week. If you feel like joining in the fun then join the EPL League by visiting: http://fantasy.premierleague.com/ the code you need to join is 13413-5300

It’s been a busy week in the Premier League and the fun just doesn’t stop. Game Week 13 is here already and we have another full fixture programme to look forward to.

It’s at the foot of the table where the excitement and the points are to be had this weekend. The bottom three are all at home and these fixtures would have been double underlined in red as winnable at the start of the season.

West Ham play host to the still free scoring Blackpool. Piquionne and Parker did the business Wednesday and will be looking for a repeat performance on Saturday. If recent form is anything to go by it will be a goal fest at Upton Park.
Wolves – who, if points were awarded for pride and guts would be top of the league – entertain an in form Bolton. Mick McCarthy’s men need to shut down not only Kevin Davies but also Johan Elmander. The big Swede has finally worked out the difference between a set of goal posts and the side of a barn, the reward for this realisation is 62 points for the Trotters front man. Wolves will be relying on the likes of Matthew Jarvis (5.3), Stephen Hunt (5.3), Kevin Doyle (5.1) and Sylvan Ebanks-Blake (5.0) to breach Wanderers stubborn back line. Wolves will edge a narrow victory here.

Wigan are in desperate need of a win, so far their season’s star performers have been Hugo Rodallega (5.8) and Charles N’Zogbia (5.5). Another big performance from this pair is required against West Brom. All things good for the Latic’s seem to come from these two, take a gamble and give them a run out this game week.

Stoke are hovering above the drop zone and Welcome a rejuvenated Liverpool side. Stoke at home are always a difficult prospect. Big Robert Huth is a mountain at the back and a genuine goal threat going forward, a 4.9 million price tag has returned 37 points so far. Striker Ricardo Fuller weighed in with 9 points in the last game week and is available for a mere 4.8 million.

Manchester City will be looking for a positive reaction after a dishwater dull Manchester derby. Chelsea are beginning to pull away at the top and the Eastland’s outfit cannot afford to lose anymore ground. Birmingham could well find themselves on the wrong side of a City backlash. Blues keeper Ben Foster (4.9) could be in for a busy afternoon.

Last special mention this week to Blackburn stopper Paul Robinson – sitting 4^th overall in the goalkeeper table having so far amassed 49 points – is yours to buy for 4.6 million. An absolute bargain if you’re looking to generate some cash to strengthen other areas of your squad.

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There are green shoots of recovery around the Reebok Stadium, after several winters of discontent under Gary Megson. With Owen Coyle’s arrival, suddenly Bolton Wanderers are playing football again and trying to win games, rather than bore teams to death and hoof it skywards. Megson’s long ball banality has no place in modern football and I feel sorry for the next bunch of fans that have to suffer the tedium of his tactical ineptitude.

Thankfully, Phil Gartside realised that he preferred being the chairman of a Premiership club more than defending a manager who had lost the entire crowds respect. His own position was under threat and no matter how well a chairman and a manager get on, eventually it becomes a question of self preservation. Gartside made the selfish decision after two bad, bad managerial choices almost finished the club off. Now things are a whole lot rosier down Burnden Way and the club can look to a more positive future.

At the time when Coyle left, I was critical of the decision, mainly as I didn’t think Bolton could strike up the pace as quickly as they needed and Burnley seemed to be doing well. I didn’t understand it, but then again, not many people did other than Bolton Wanderers fans. The Green half of Glasgow were certainly left scratching their heads as they watched Tony Mowbray’s reign imploded in a series of bizarre transfer and selection issues and wondering how they couldn’t attract Burnley’s manager over the summer.

So Coyle kept his part of the bargain, he turned his back on devotion and demi-god status at Turf Moor, to ride to Boltons rescue and try and keep them in the Premiership. He did it and with points to spare, such was the dearth of quality shown by the bottom 3 sides for most of the season. Whilst the bottom 3 were nowhere near the worst the Premiership has seen, the lack of a consistent goalscorer in all three relegated sides was too much to bare.

Now Coyle has a few weeks off, and will look to pre-season training in July to begin to continue the good start he’s made to his 4th managerial position. Bolton fans came in for some criticism last season with their campaign to get rid of Gary Megson. “Ideas above their station” ” Spoilt by the Allardyce years” and “Small club punching above their weight” were just some of the delightful accusations levelled at the fans. Quite why wanting rid of a manager who messed up the biggest night in the clubs modern history and would send his teams out not to lose, rather than to try and win games is such a problem.

They pay money and are rightly entitled to their opinions, whether we agree with it or not. I’ve never understood how Gary Megson keeps getting jobs, his record other than at West Bromwich Albion is abysmal. Only Megson could unite Nottingham Forest and Leicester City fans in their hatred of him, such is the feeling of anger towards him from both sets of supporters. Now that takes some doing in anyone’s book, at least Coyle only has one clubs fans anger to deal with, probably for life. Bolton wasn’t a massive rescue job, he just needed to remind the players how to play football, as daft as that sounds.

He simply needed to get the core performers back in unison and on song. The spine of a decent Premiership side was always there, it just wasn’t allowed to be a football team. With Jaaskelainen, Davis, Elmander, Cahill, Taylor and Davies to call on, it simply needed the depressing air lifting from the place and things would soon settle down. The first 6 weeks were tough, but eventually, points started to come, performances started to come and the team began to climb the table.

Next season will be Coyle’s biggest test so far as a manager. He had nothing to lose at the other jobs he took, Burnley achieved more than even the most loyal fan could have imagined, but I doubt Bolton will be scraping around the relegation zone next season. Despite what their critics may say, Bolton have now been back in the top flight of football for ten years and are an established Premiership club. The troubles of the last 3 seasons should prove nothing more than a bad dream for the Wanderers fans, mid-table is more than realistic for next season.

Ah, Gary Megson, never a manager to pass the blame on to anyone else for his own shortcomings, has decided that today he would announce that certain players are trying to destabilise the club. After watching Sundays performance, I don’t blame them, they look a team with no self confidence, no belief and no faith in the manager. At least he’s not blaming the fans this week. It’s always some else’s fault in Gary Megson’s mind. On Sunday, they’d lost their zip. Now, dark forces are working against Gary Megson, not the fact he played two left wingers in the same midfield and substituted their best player on Sunday, Ricardo Gardner. Witchcraft is abound on Burnden Way in Megson’s eyes.

The fans do not need a reason to increase their dislike of a manager that they never wanted.The boo’s that came cascading down from the Reebok faithful when Ricardo Gardner was removed served to remind Megson that regardless of the chairman’s support, If enough fans stop going, it won’t matter. Money makes the world go round and Bolton’s gates have never been the highest. Currently 5,000 down on 2005-2006 season, even a local derby on Sunday against Blackburn couldn’t raise the attendance over 22,000.

To be honest, I think Gary Megson would lose a popularity contest if he was the only person in it and only his friends could vote. His dogmatic, banality at all costs style of football makes you want to stitch your eyelids together. That’s no attack on Bolton Wanderers, they have the quality of player to be able to get the ball down and play football. Under Allardyce, they attracted a quality of free signings and rough diamonds that played a high tempo, effective and physical game.Megson’s teams just won’t play football because he doesn’t know how to.

Under Megson, they look lost, without purpose and drive. A key point of this is Johan Elmander. Now, I’ve seen a bit of Elmander play over the last 3 or 4 years and right now, he looks like he’s never played the game before. There is no doubting that Elmander is a quality player and he made Toulouse a different side during his time there. Now, he looks like a fish out of water.Elmander is no Fernando Torres, but he’s a damn fine striker.

The chairman Phil Gartside has said there was no need to panic and he wasn’t the type to do so, but tell that to Sammy Lee. Gartside came out with this gem: “The season is 38 games and we are confident. We have been playing some good football, it’s been decent stuff. No one presses panic buttons around here. I have been in the game long enough not to do that.” Now I’ve yet to find a Reebok regular that would agree with any part of that statement.

Since Megson took over at the Reebok stadium, Bolton have played 92 games in all competitions under his stewardship. Incredibly, they’ve only won 26 of those matches. That’s a win ratio of 28.2% and Paul Hart who has so much to deal with and got sacked today had a win ratio at Pompey of 30%. With the fans baying for his blood, Bolton now face Fulham and Wolves away before Manchester City arrive and these are crucial games. The Christmas fixture computer has given them some tough local games and relegation six pointers, so things aren’t going to get any easier.

By once again blaming everyone else, Megson shows a thin skin to his limitations as a manager. As I mentioned earlier this year, Megson has a dreadful record as a manager, but keeps getting jobs. It astounds me how the same names keep going round and round and never achieving anything but the jobs keep coming. Mind you Megson claimed he’d been black balled after his dreadful spell at Nottingham Forest, which when you consider he only won 17 games out of 59, speaks for itself.

The dreaded vote of confidence has come, the fans are chomping at the bit to let him know just how little they think of him, attendances are falling, Megson is blaming the fans, the players and the club are second bottom. The question Bolton fans must be wondering is just how bad to things have to get at the Reebok before Megson gets sacked. We’ll find out soon enough if there is a happy ending in Horwich.

Well you’ve got to hand it to him, Gary Megson must have the thickest skin in professional football. I’ve seen him barracked by his own fans at 4 different clubs over the years and that’s some going, even in the fickle world of the football supporter. At a Nottingham Forest game, I saw fans come to blows trying to get to him, at Leicester I saw a fan throw his season ticket at him in his 3rd game in charge. At Bolton he famously finished last in an online poll with 1.7% of the vote behind A.N Other before being announced as manager.

It’s a weird situation when this kind of vitriol follows someone around throughout their career and he’s continually knocked noses out of joint wherever he’s been. Even as a player, whilst highly regarded, Brian Clough was disgusted with his pre-match ritual of throwing up before playing, so much so that he sold him on after only 4 months.

With the exception of the Leicester City job, out of his 8 managerial positions, he’s been sacked from 4 and resigned from 2. The two he left freely were Blackpool and Nottingham Forest, though for his own safety, I think he did well to get out of the City Ground alive. It’s the one thing that astounds me about managers, that whilst I appreciate the mangers success can only be as good as the tools at his disposal, why do so many bad managers keep getting work.

Now it may seem churlish to label Megson as a bad manager, but there is no doubting he is unpopular wherever he goes, with the exception of West Bromwich Albion. Albion were on a slippery slope when he came in and he got them in to the Premiership and they’ve been yo-yoing back and forth ever since, but good lord he plays awful football and that’s where the problem lies. My biggest criticism of him as manager of Bolton is his over reliance on the long ball game and consistently negative outlook.

The constant arguments between Megson and the Bolton fans took a new twist the other day when he said “We’re not Real Madrid”. I don’t think any Bolton fan is under the delusion that they expect the team to play as if they were, but surely Megson could try and pacify the fans rather keep coming out with statements that seem to deliberately antagonise them. With the players he has at his disposal, it’s not too far a jump for them to play football now and again.

The nucleus of a good side is there, with the likes of Matty Taylor, Sean Davis, Johan Elmander, the underrated Jussi Jaakelainen & Kevin Davies and Gary Cahill. Yet the negativity of the fans is beginning to drive a wedge between everyone at the Reebok Stadium. Did the Sam Allardyce reign give them a false level of optimism?

Some Bolton fans have never forgiven Megson for playing a reserve side in their biggest game for 50 years in the UEFA Cup. Megson’s idea was to rest the players for a Premier League game against Wigan the Sunday after, which they ironically lost.  That game against Sporting Lisbon was the high point of some Wanderers fans football lives and they resent the fact he didn’t care enough.Staying up was all that mattered and to some fans, that was a bridge too far.

No doubt, the most vitrolic Bolton fans are wanting him out, in 6 League and Cup games they’ve won two, both away from home. The win against Tranmere was no surprise, they are in big trouble already. If anything Megson would have been relived to see the pressure John Barnes is under at Prenton Park. The only win in the league was at troubled Portsmouth who can’t buy any luck at present.

Yet when Megson starts a home game playing with one striker what does he expect? By playing negative football at home, he promotes the negativity in the stands. Each fuels each other, Megson is now scared to lose games, the fans expect defensive, boring football. The fans boo, he complains about lack of support.  Trouble is, if Megson does go, who on earth will they bring in to replace him?

Towards the end of this month, the Premiership team of the year will be announced along with the PFA players’ player of the year. In anticipation of this, I have decided to select my own best eleven of the season and invite you to do likewise. So here goes:

Goalkeeper:

Edwin Van Der Sar

It’s difficult to look beyond someone who didn’t concede a goal for over three months of the season. At the age of 38, he has defied his years, proving that he still has the ability to be considered one of the top keepers in world football and the desire to win medals. Although he does have a remarkable defence in front of him, it is partly his concentration levels that are so commendable. The fact that he spends the majority of games with nothing to do, only to be called into action late on and oblige with both routine and magnificent saves is why he is still a major attribute to Manchester United. His meticulous preparation, years of experience and composure in nervy situations provide the platform for young players like Jonny Evans to come straight into the first team and look like he’s been there for years.

Defence:

Phil Jagielka

A superb season has seen him rewarded with an England call up. Everton pride themselves on having a solid core and while others have taken the plaudits, Jagielka quietly goes about his business, keeping many a top class striker firmly at bay. His ability on the ball is infallible has been consistently good under pressure. He too has that urgency and desire to not lose a goal and in the mould of John Terry and Jamie Carragher, will throw himself in front of anything to ensure that his side do not concede.

Nemanja Vidic

Vidic has been absolutely outstanding for the majority of the season. It will be highlighted that he had a shocker against Liverpool recently but that should not take away from the fact that he has been world class yet again. He is not only vital to United in a defensive sense but his goal threat is sensational. Important ones against Chelsea and Inter Milan have seen him become very much a potent threat from set pieces while his no nonsense attitude at the back makes him a striker’s worst nightmare.

Brede Hangeland

What a find by Roy Hodgson. From leaking goals left, right and centre to being the clean sheet specialists in the Premiership, Hangeland is very much the heart and soul of Fulham’s team. They have built a solid unit around his old school style of defending as he provides a presence that the West London club severely lacked. It is likely that he will move on to a bigger club in the summer and it is clear for all to see as to why he is so coveted.

Joleon Lescott

Another consistent season for the versatile defender who still remains potent in front of goal. He has followed up on his two previous impressive seasons for the Toffees with yet another, this time being more of a feature at centre back than left back. Nonetheless, he still seems to be a key member of Everton’s team and at 26, must only be scraping the surface of his talents and has his best years ahead of him.

Midfield:

Frank Lampard

This man doesn’t know how to have a mediocre season, even when all around him are. His knack for not just scoring but doing so at crucial times never ceases to amaze. Despite the addition of yet another ‘world class’ midfielder in the form of Deco, Lampard continues to remain Chelsea’s only undroppable, unstoppable midfielder and Ballack and the aforementioned Portuguese playmaker could take a leaf out of his book.  Another aspect of Lampard’s game that deserves the utmost respect is the fact that he is always available for selection, regardless of the competition. Whether it’s the league cup third round at home to a lower league side to the champions’ league final, Lampard wants to play. For me Lampard is the main reason why Chelsea are still in the title race.

Xabi Alonso

For a player who was supposedly surplus to requirements last summer, he has more than proved his importance and class. It’s no coincidence that his best form for probably two years now has coincided with Liverpool mounting their most serious title challenge for years. Alonso’s range of passing is undoubtedly breathtaking at times, while this season he has also chipped in with some vital goals, something that has been severely lacking in his game in previous campaigns. Another factor that has been impressive about Alonso is that he appears to have more resilience about him, not going missing in games that aren’t going according to plan.

Stephen Ireland

Considering all Manchester City’s money and their foreign imports, it has been Stephen Ireland who has been their most consistent performer over the season. He has responded to the influx of talent that surrounds him and puts some of them to shame with his tireless performances week in week out. Goals have been the most notable addition to his game but his overall influence on the team has been superb. At home, Man City have looked great more often than not and Ireland slots in nicely with assists and general midfield play that is easy on the eye. But it has been away from home, where City have struggled, that Ireland has come into his own. 
Whereas some players have shied away from a scrap and a battle on unfamiliar turf, Ireland has dug in and led by example with a never say die attitude that is starting to look like it might pay dividends for City. His game has matured this season and he has certainly risen to the challenge of the investors that want to make City a massive club. Judging by his performances, if the good times are just around the corner, Ireland definitely wants to be a part of it.

Ashley Young

He has been one of, if not the most exciting player to watch this season. He is a breath of fresh air and doesn’t know when to quit. Take the game versus Everton just before Christmas as a perfect example. Just when it looked as though Everton had salvaged a point courtesy of a ninetieth minute equaliser, Young literally goes up the other end of the pitch and scores a crucial winner.
His pace is electric, his skills and technique are sublime and his finishing is getting better by the chance. He is also one of the top providers of goals and delivers a dangerous set piece that no defenders find easy to deal with. Villa have played with no fear this season and he has been the personification of this bold approach that Martin O’Neill has endorsed.

Forwards:

Wayne Rooney

Finally, some consistency and a solid goal return has seen Rooney take a massive stride towards becoming the player we all knew he could be. For years I believe Rooney to have been overrated but this year he has added regular goals to his game, an attribute which was sorely missing. Last year he was over shadowed by Cristiano Ronaldo (although who wasn’t?) but now Rooney is starting to show why he is most effective at the top end of the pitch, providing the kind of goal return of a striker (almost one in two in all competitions). And his desire to get in the box more hasn’t deterred his work rate defensively as he still goes chasing back seventy yards when losing the ball. Also his skill and long range passing is now proving to be more productive rather than for show. By far his best season and at 23 has much more to come.

Kevin Davies

A somewhat controversial choice but he has had his best season in front of goal and has always in my opinion been underrated. He does the same job for Bolton that Emile Heskey does but includes goals in his game as well. The only reason Davies never receives international recognition is because he has never played for a fashionable club.  He has scored four times the amount of goals Heskey has this season and has been Bolton’s catalyst for years now. Davies has been this season’s highest scoring English forward in the Premiership and although he isn’t most people’s cup of tea, he is very effective.

With Aston Villa’s demise the top of the league once again appears calcified, so, like Kim Kardashian crammed into a designer dress, the bulk of the tension will be at the bottom.  Here is the first of a series of assessments of this season’s relegation candidates.

As wretched as Manchester City and Tottenham have been at times this season, they are nine points clear.  They may not inspire much toward the end, but even if they stay static, it’s hard to see enough of the knuckle-draggers clambering up to knock them into the relegation zone.  Therefore Bolton are the first to technically be considered candidates for relegation.

Form: Bolton sit in twelfth place, on 34 points, five points clear of the drop.  They have a reasonable run of form in the past eight games, winning three, losing three and drawing two.  The club been hit or miss this season, drawing just four of the first thirty matches, but that is an advantage.  It’s easier to get to 40 points by winning twice in eight matches, than by gutting out six draws.

Schedule: Bolton have the points advantage, and they also have one of the easier schedules.  They face one top four side, Chelsea, at Stamford Bridge.  They have three benign home fixtures (Middlesbrough, Sunderland, Hull City) to get two wins.  On current form, a date with Aston Villa could be ripe as well.  Bolton could conceivably pick up a point or two away to Portsmouth, Wigan Athletic or Man City.  On schedule alone, Bolton getting to safety seems probable.

Injuries: One of the advantages to having few dynamic players, is not being dependent on such creative forces.  None of their injuries (Mark Davies, Vaz Te or O’Brien) has been critical to Bolton’s fortunes this season.  Matty Taylor is the only midfielder to have scored a goal this season, and Kevin Davies is the only reasonably effective striker.  As long as those two stay healthy, Bolton should be reasonably competitive.

Prognosis: One bad weekend could see Bolton thrust back into the race, but, at this point, they have the best position, a soft schedule and a stable squad.  It would take an epic collapse, intermingled with startling runs of form from three or four other clubs to see Bolton relegated.  It’s probably not going to happen.

It was the last thing Everton needed to do against Manchester United, give up a penalty. But that was exactly what they did towards the end of the first half and Cristiano Ronaldo made sure they paid the price as his goal from the spot gave Manchester United a 1-0 victory.

When I first saw the penalty live, my first reaction was ‘you have to be kidding me…another United gift’. It just didn’t look like a legitimate decision. However I’ll be the first to admit the live angle wasn’t the best angle to be looking at and once I saw a better camera angle, it confirmed in my mind that it was a right decision.

Mikel Arteta has to know not to keep his foot out that close to the penalty area and he had to realize that once Michael Carrick was heading his way, the contact was going to be inevitable.  While the contact looked accidental, according to the laws of the game, it’s still a penalty.

It’s decisions like this one that makes me wonder again if it’s time we get rid of using the words ‘soft’, ‘harsh’ ‘and ‘tough penalty to give’ when we are discussing penalty decisions. It’s either a penalty or it isn’t, regardless of what our interpretation is in terms of severity. While from my eyes it the penalty looked soft, it was indeed a penalty and that’s all that matters.

Everton didn’t have much of a threat and only seven shots in ninety minutes isn’t going to cut it against a Manchester United side. To think if Tim Howard wasn’t on song today, this could have been a 3-0 victory earily. We know David Moyes is going in search of a forward or two on loan before the end of the transfer window, and they need it badly.

Another stand out moment was the Kevin Davies goal that gave Bolton all three points against Tottenham. It gives Bolton some temporary breathing room from the relegation zone. His header towards the end of the match was just in my mind and serves as a reminder to Harry Redknapp that regardless of who’s in the posts, it’s the people in front of him that matter just a little more.

The game should have been done and dusted when Davies made it 2-0 but defensive lapses did Bolton in inside of three minutes. But Kevin Davies was not to be denied. Off the corner kick late, Davies wasn’t afraid to get his head in the mix, and the mass of bodies between him and Cudicini did the rest to make sure it wasn’t saved.

A deserving win for Bolton, a loss that will make Harry Redknapp keep the phone companies happy over the next 2 days.

Other Thoughts From Today
* Credit to West Bromwich Albion who fought back twice after going down. However I wonder why Myhill wasn’t in goal. I am sure I probably missed something.

*  Is Tony Adams fixing to be out of a job? If you’re to believe the Times, it’s highly possible. It didn’t help that Fulham just tore them apart today.

* Middlesborough and Blackburn has to qualify as one of the worst matches of the season.

* Manchester City…wow. Stoke City dared them after going 1-0 up at the end of the first half to get the equalizer and win and they simply couldn’t do it.

What were your thoughts on today’s action?