Footballsup 5from the Weekend

We don’t claim to provide in depth match reports or results – you can find that somewhere like the BBC, who have teams of reporters. We provide unique comment and content, a more abstract look at the footballing world.

So, at the risk of sounding like James Gill, here are five things that stood out for us from the weekend’s fixtures…

1. The Big Four are now the breakaway Big Five; Aston Villa sit ahead of Arsenal, and from 5th (Arsenal) to 6th there is now a gap of six points. Martin O’Neill has done absolute wonders at Villa Park, enabling them to keep pace with the Premiership behemoths. If they keep up their current form, they will finish this season with 76 points. The season before O’Neill took over, they amassed 42 points – a startling measure of how far he has taken them.

2. Looking around the struggling sides and their managers, the following names crop up (newly promoted sides excluded) – Southgate, Allardyce, Redknapp, Sbragia, Kinnear, Megson, Adams. I know which two stand out for me – and it seems crazy that Sunderland and Portsmouth appointed such untried names when Allardyce was available. Not to mention his vilification and dismissal from Newcastle. Redknapp would not have left Portsmouth for many clubs, and has ultimate confidence that he can save Spurs. They’ll need to start converting more chances if he is going to.

3. Happy Hammers – how elated must they be that Zola was given time and didn’t panic, and now has them up to the heady heights of 8th? Everyone raves about the job Woy Hodgson has done at Fulham, but West Ham outclassed them yesterday – without Craig Bellamy – and now sit two places and three points above them. Admittedly Fulham have games in hand – but after looking like prime relegation candidates earlier in the season, Zola has done wonderfully well – powered by Carlton Cole – to turn them around. It remains to be seen if they can keep it up.

4. Chelsea are really struggling now, really grafting for results. Lampard’s deflected shot broke Stoke hearts in the 90th minute, and it was a pointed show of support for Scolari that he rushed over to hug him. Now without Joe Cole for the season, with Drogba frozen out, Chelsea’s cupboard suddenly looks bare (Big Phil is repeatedly turning to the unconvincing Franco Di Santo), yet Scolari refuses to sign anyone. Is it his frugality, rather than his Brazilian flair, that Abramovic was so keen on?

5. There are now several teams in awful runs of form – Hull, Newcastle, ‘Boro, Spurs and Bolton are all struggling massively and desperate for a win. Can West Brom, who have hit a semblance of form, pull off the great escape part two? Don’t bet against it.

This round of fixtures are finished by the enmity-filled Merseyside derby tonight. Everton are long odds to record their first victory at Anfield in a decade – but with their new found defensive resilience and siege mentality, don’t rule them out. Even without any strikers.