Yes, that is a serious question. Two players who ‘offer more than just goals’ as strikers. But how much more? Who would you rather have? Fortunately a member of the Football365 Forum (lol tb x) has done the analysis for us. Read on to see who comes out on top…

A comparison of their goals and assists since Tevez came here:

This is obviously an area where Tevez should win by a margin having played with some of the best players in the world. Davies has played in a poor Bolton team for the last 4 years. Tevez only scores slightly more goals than Davies and Davies gets slightly more assists than Tevez.

Neither of these strikers are ‘out-and-out goal scorers’ and are both praised for their work rate. This would suggest that the amount of tackles they make is similar.

Tackles by Davies this season: 60 (more than any other striker)
Tackles by Tevez this season: 15

Davies makes four times as many tackles as Tevez.

But surely Manchester City are a much better passing team than the long ball merchants at Bolton. Tevez will probably have attempted four times as many passes as Davies? He hasn’t.

Successful passes by Davies this season: 691 (61 leading to a shot at goal)
Successful passes by Tevez this season: 671 (30 leading to a shot at goal)

Davies comes out on top by a distance.

Maybe Tevez isn’t contributing because he is being fouled to often by the opposition. This would mean that he wins lots of free kicks for his team. He doesn’t.

Free kicks won by Davies this season: 105
Free kicks won by Tevez this season: 29

Again there is a massive gulf between the two.

These stats can only go so far as to compare the two players. They can’t prove the fact that Davies is much better in the air than Tevez, they can’t prove that Davies is much more influential to his teammates than Tevez and they can’t highlight Davies’ superior attitude. All of these things are almost certainly true.

In conclusion. Kevin Davies >>>>>>>>>>>> Carlos Tevez.

So there we go. Thanks to lol tb x for the analysis – the original thread can be read here (you will need to sign up).

Courtesy of F365:

Arsenal
* The Gunners are scoring an incredible average of 3.37 goals per Premier League game this season.

* If games ended after 45 minutes, Arsenal would be top of the table with 19 points.

* All Arsenal’s points have been won against bottom-half opposition. They have lost both games – against Manchesters United and City – against top-half clubs.

* Cesc Fabregas has been credited with a massive nine assists in seven games.

Aston Villa
* Just three of their 12 goals this season have been scored from open play.

* Villa have the best defensive record in the Premier League this season.

* James Collins’ last Premier League goal came in April 2006 for West Ham…against Chelsea.

Birmingham City
* Lee Bowyer’s 38th-minute goal was the first Birmingham have scored before the 70th minute this season.

* Bowyer is the only player to score more than one goal for the Blues this season.

* The 3-1 defeat to Arsenal was their first of the season by more than a single goal.

* Birmingham have got the same points after nine games (7) as Stoke at the same stage last season.

Blackburn Rovers
* Blackburn have lost only one of their last eight Premier League games at Ewood Park – on the opening day of the season against Manchester City.

* With four goals, David Dunn has already scored more times this season than in any campaign since 2002/03.

* Rovers have come from behind to win twice this season – against Villa and now Burnley.

Bolton Wanderers
* Bolton have exactly the same record after eight games (W2, D2, L4) as last season.

* The Trotters have not kept a clean sheet this season.

* Didier Drogba is the only striker to be credited with more assists than Kevin Davies.

* Bolton have not beaten a team currently in the top half of the Premier League table since January.

Burnley
* Burnley and Blackburn are the only two teams in the 92-strong league without a single point away from home.

* Only Hull have conceded more goals than the Clarets this season.

Chelsea
* Chelsea have not lost two consecutive away games in the Premier League since September 2007.

* Didier Drogba has been directly involved in 13 of 19 Chelsea goals this season.

* They have not failed to score in any Premier League game since April 22 v Everton.

* Six of the eight goals they have conceded this season have come from set-pieces.

Everton
* The draw against Wolves was the first time they have failed to beat them at Goodison Park in seven attempts.

* The Toffees have conceded only six goals in their last seven games after that opening-day drubbing by Arsenal.

* Everton have three points more than at the same juncture last season.

Fulham
* Bobby Zamora’s opener against Hull was their first first-half goal since his strike on the opening day of the season against Portsmouth.

* Zamora has either scored or assisted four of Fulham’s eight goals.

* The Cottagers are two points better off than at the same stage last season.

* Fulham have had the same back four (Pantsil, Hangeland, Hughes, Konchesky) for all but 20 minutes this season.

Hull City
* Hull have won three games in the whole of 2009.

* They managed no shots on target in 90 minutes against Fulham.

* The Tigers’ last away win was at Craven Cottage in March.

Liverpool
* The last time Liverpool failed to score in consecutive Premier League games was September 2007.

* Jamie Carragher is the only outfield player to play every minute for Liverpool in the league this season.

* Liverpool were credited with 69% of the possession against Sunderland.

Manchester City
* For all their attacking talents, City have actually scored fewer goals in their first eight games that at this stage last season.

* City have drawn both games (v Villa and Wigan) they were losing at half-time.

* They have yet to win at Wigan in the Premier League.

Manchester United
* Despite their supposedly poor form, United have four more points from nine games (22) than they had amassed at the same stage last season

* They have not lost a single point from a winning position this season.

* They have benefited from three own goals at Old Trafford this campaign.

Portsmouth
*No striker has scored for Portsmouth in the Premier League since April 18.

* Six of Pompey’s eight defeats this season have been by a single-goal margin.

* Nine of the 15 goals conceded by Pompey this season have come from set-pieces.

Stoke City
* Stoke were credited with just 38% of possession at home to West Ham and had the worst pass completion rate in the division at 63%.

* No midfielder has scored for Stoke this season.

Sunderland
* Victory over Liverpool marked Sunderland’s first victory over Big Four opposition in seven years.

* Darren Bent has scored the first goal in six of Sunderland’s nine games.

* Sunderland are joint bottom of the disciplinary table with Tottenham. Captain Lorik Cana has picked up four of their 18 bookings.

Tottenham Hotspur
* Ledley King became Spurs’ 11th league scorer at Portsmouth.

* Four of Tottenham’s nine games have ended in a 2-1 win for Spurs.

* Jermaine Jenas has been booked four times in five games since his return from injury.

West Ham
* Carlton Cole has committed more fouls than any other player in the Premier League this season.

* West Ham have not started a season this badly since they were last relegated in 2002-03.

* The Hammers enjoyed 65% of the possession against Fulham last week and then 62% against Stoke.

Wigan
* No Wigan game has featured more than one first-half goal this season.

* The Latics have garnered two more points under Roberto Martinez than at the same stage under Steve Bruce last season.

* Wigan’s record against top-half opposition is the fifth best in the Premier League.

Wolves
* No Wolves game has featured more than one first-half goal this season.

* Middlesbrough and West Brom both had more points than this Wolves side at the same stage last season.

Time is tight this busy Monday but having a ‘weekend preview’ as the top story is just irritating. So instead we’ve used Football 365′s ever excellent ‘winners and losers’ feature. Cheers…

The original story can be found here.

Winners

Wigan
Defeat for Chelsea, history for Wigan, relief for the chasing pack and welcome credibility for the other half of the Premier League. All in all, quite some afternoon at whatever Wigan’s stadium is now called.

Perhaps their relegation rivals will not have cheered the result so ecstatically as the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal but Wigan’s bottom-half peers can still take heart from their first defeat of a Big Four team at the 35th time of asking.

Before this weekend, the only matches to truly inspire had been top-of-the-table clashes. With Burnley’s victory over Manchester United reliant on a penalty miss and already a distant memory, here was welcome proof that the bottom-half clubs needn’t be mere cannon fodder but could still step forward into the limelight by giving a heavyweight a proper fight.

To their credit, Wigan looked capable of toppling their illustrious opponents even before the game’s critical moment. Petr Cech loses any sympathy for ridiculously asserting that, “I don’t think it should have been a penalty,” when his trip on Hugo Rodallega was blatant, but it remains a ridiculous anomaly of the rulebook that a single offence, even when made with the best of intentions, can carry a three-pronged punishment. Dismissal, penalty and suspension: it is too much. Cech will have until the end of October to reflect on the excess of that triple whammy.

Yet while their goalkeeper was somewhat unlucky, Chelsea were not. Didier Drogba’s 46th-minute equaliser was the result of their first meaningful attack and a rare howler by Chris Kirkland. As Roberto Martinez observed: “The sending-off changed the perception of the game but it would be very unfair to say we beat Chelsea because of that decision. The performance from the first minute to the last deserved that.”

Liverpool
Has the Anfield nut been cracked? Seven home draws were Liverpool’s undoing last season but just two of those setbacks occurred after February and the new season has started with resounding wins over Burnley, Stoke and Hull – precisely the sort of teams that frustrated Pool a year ago into stalemate.

The change can be explained in just one word: Goals. Not only have Liverpool scored four more goals than any other Premier League club since the start of the season but their last ten league matches at Anfield have provided 34 goals.

Rafa Benitez claims that the difference is a consequence of altered belief rather than altered tactics. Yet it cannot be denied that this is a different Liverpool team to any seen previously under his tenure with Benitez encouraging a more adventurous outlook by deploying two attacking full-backs and adopting a horses-for-courses policy of dropping Steve Gerrard back into midfield – as he did on Saturday at Javier Mascherano’s expense – in order to accommodate another attacker. The results have been emphatic: This season, Anfield has been treated to15 goals in four games whereas in their opening five home fixtures for the 2008/09 campaign Liverpool produced just eight.

There will, inevitably, be a price to pay for this increased aggression. But the overall benefit of the Glen Johnson trade-off demonstrates the value of aggressive risk-taking: The right-back’s defensive vulnerability will on occasion be exposed but just how many teams will be capable of exposing his weakness? The number is less than the amount of goals Johnson will either create or score himself.

After a sticky start, Liverpool are positively moving forward. At Stamford Bridge next Sunday we’ll discover just how far they have come.

Fernando Torres
Much more of this and the ‘two-man’ Liverpool team will become a one-striker outfit. Hull’s defending may have been indefensible but Torres’ hat-trick was another faultless exhibition of centre-forward play. He may not have a trademark trick but his ability to step off either foot is one of the secrets to his phenomenal success. He glides past so many defenders not merely because of the quickness of those feet but because it is impossible to predict which way he will turn.

Manchester United
And much more of this and Ryan Giggs will be crowned the new Cristiano Ronaldo. In two games, the Welshman has claimed five assists – more than any other player has managed all season. The inspiration against Manchester City a week ago, he was the game-changer at Stoke after replacing the dreadful Nani with an hour played to create both of the visitors’ goals.

Yet behind the awe at the longevity of both Giggs and Paul Scholes will be concern that United are still reliant on their old-stagers. Nani, the hoped-for ‘new Ronaldo’, flopped at Stoke, with Sir Alex Ferguson’s observation that Giggs “added intelligence” to “that side of the pitch” a particularly damning indictment of the 22-year-old’s display. Patience is surely running out in what is the winger’s third season at the club.

Scholes’ excellence at Stoke was less obtrusive but the statistics do not lie. Of the 260 passes he has attempted since August 16, 251 have been completed. Another telling statistic is that, despite suspension and the need for regular rest, he has started twice as many games as Michael Carrick this league season and his relatively-regular pairing with Darren Fletcher is the closest United have to a first-choice midfield partnership.

Scholes turns 35 in November and Giggs 36 in the same month. To keep relying on both is a dangerous business. Sooner rather than later, Ferguson must find replacements for both, but the bittersweet evidence of Saturday is that he is no nearer to completing that task than he was three years ago.

Ben Foster
What a fuss about literally nothing: Stoke managed just a solitary off-target shot in the entire 90 minutes on Saturday.

Arsenal
For a side renowned for their passing game, Arsenal can be incredibly inaccurate on occasion. Fulham did not even have to hassle the visitors out of their stride on Saturday night because Arsenal, and their captain in particular, were just as prone to surrendering possession even when a white shirt wasn’t in nearby attendance. A statistical revelation of their staggering inaccuracy is that just four of the 18 shots they attempted were on target. And it’s not as if the Gunners are long-range shooters. At a rough count, just one of those 14 off-target efforts was taken from outside the penalty area.

Fulham’s superior accuracy deserved better and Arsenal’s victory was thus dependent on their fourth different goalkeeper in as many months of action actually producing some saves and two touches of class from Robin van Persie. In last season’s corresponding fixture, he missed a golden opportunity a couple of minutes before Brede Hangeland scored what transpired to be the winner. This Saturday, he improved his Premier League record to 41 goals in 85 starts with a lovely left foot control, right foot shot combination. He’d be among the absolute elite if he’d also scored with half of the 18 shots from which he has hit the woodwork since last August.

The Dutchman is a difficult character to fathom and he caused a stir before the game by admitting he has previously “exaggerated” his fall. Still, at least he’s honest enough to admit a degree of dishonesty and he remains one of the few players in the current Arsenal squad who possesses both mental strength and a football brain. In the absence of any other credible candidate – Thomas Vermaelen is too new, Manuel Almunia too vulnerable, Gael Clichy too locked into decline – Van Persie looks destined to be the club’s next captain if and when Fabregas departs next summer.

Bolton Wanderers
Five of their seven points have been won with goals scored after the 86th minute.

Tottenham Hotspur
Harry Redknapp may have his faults but false modesty isn’t among them. “That’s why I’m the manager,” the Spurs boss declared gleefully after Robbie Keane had vindicated his controversial retention with the first four-goal haul of his professional career against hapless Burnley.

An alternative viewing from White Hart Lane was that any of the club’s strikers would have vindicated their selection against a defence as incompetent as Burnley’s and Keane wasted almost as many gilt-edged chances as he scored. Redknapp suggested that the “key factor” was “movement against Burnley’s two big central defenders” but a key was hardly required when any sort of ball directed towards the centre of their defence found Burnley hopelessly unlocked. The headline writers may have been deceived by Keane’s haul but his critics were not.

Louis Saha
To realise just what a player Saha could have been, just appreciate the player Saha has been despite all the many injuries. Since his transfer to England, Saha has produced 92 league goals in 232 appearances – 66 of which were as a substitute.

Gabriel Agbonlahor
Five in five for the Villa striker after just one in his previous 18. But is it not somewhat disconcerting that confidence makes such a difference to his game? Even when in form, feast or famine players are always just a couple of games away from a rut.

Sunderland
When Steve Bruce remarked after Sunderland’s 5-2 victory over Wolves that “the side’s mentality has to change,” one of the shortcomings he probably had in mind was the decision of Darren Bent to let Kenwyne Jones take the Black Cats’ 48th-minute penalty because “of the look he was giving me”.

“It won’t happen again. Darren is one of the best penalty takers in the country,” responded a furious Bruce. “If Kenwyne had missed there would have been hell to pay. It’s something kids do with their mates.”

Bruce’s irritation with the incident will have been compounded by his ignorance of the events until after the game. As he superstitiously turns his back whenever his team takes a penalty, Bruce wasn’t even aware that Jones took the spot-kick and finished the match thinking that Bent had scored a hat-trick.

Losers

Chelsea
Carlo Ancelotti’s grace in defeat impressed but not his admission that “we did not play well and I don’t know why”. Managers are paid to understand and know these things. The Italian’s subsequent confession that he was “surprised” by how well Wigan played may, though, provide the explanation for his side’s below-par outing.

A football team is often said to perform in the image of the manager and Chelsea’s on-field complacency was the mirror of Ancelotti apparently making the fatal mistake of underestimating their opponents.

Aston Villa
A messy, annoying, unnecessary defeat to end a period of encouraging revival. The decision that downed them, with Richard Dunne penalised for an unwitting handball, was poor but the brevity of such a review flatters Villa.

Against a side low on confidence and reduced to ten men for the final 22 minutes, luck, bad or otherwise, shouldn’t have still been available as a decisive factor with 60 seconds remaining.

Burnley
100% at home, 0% away from Turf Moor. Burnley are yet to score a goal on their travels, let alone collect a point.

Almost all teams fare better on home soil than they do away but it is the absolute of the Burnley contrast that makes it worthy of remark while condemnation stems from their penchant for talking up the effect of the intimidating atmosphere at their own stadium. But, like Stoke, who boasted of the Britannia Stadium being “a horrible place for visiting teams” on Saturday, they cannot have it both ways.

If visitors to Turf Moor and the Britannia are to be belittled for shrinking in a supposedly-hostile environment, then what are we to conclude from their own regular disappearances away from home?

Portsmouth
Some of the details in their seven matches to date defy belief.

Phil Brown
And that, surely, is part of the problem at Hull City. It’s not Hull that are being talked about but their manager.

The club has almost become subservient to the Phil Brown story with the man himself, no stranger to third-person references, doing most of the writing. “I can’t expect any favours from Liverpool,” he declared on Friday before talking up the “biggest week of my career” and openly admitting that his job was on the line. In fairness, he did not hide after his side’s 6-1 demolition but perhaps he should have described it as something other than “a demoralising result for me”.

Enough is enough. No other club, not even Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United or Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal, has taken second perspective. Either Hull come first or an unhappy ending up will surely be theirs and his final chapter.

Cesc Fabregas
An additional point about Fabregas, warranted by the sheer staggering wretchedness of his overall display at Craven Cottage.

The Spaniard’s performances have declined, without exception, in every match since he suffered a hamstring strain on the opening weekend of the season at Everton. Having limped through the Champions League encounter at Celtic three days later he was, incredibly, still selected to start the home meeting with Portsmouth on August 22. Predictably, the injury was duly antagonised and he was withdrawn at half-time before missing the trip to Old Trafford. Even more incredibly, he was, like Andrey Arshavin, then released for international duty despite being evidently injured.

At least, unlike Arshavin, he did not return in an even worse condition, but it now seems highly probable that Fabregas is suffering for not being given the period of extended recovery the injury required and may even still require. At the next international break, Arsenal should try saying no for once.

Pete Gill

We’re only six games into the season, but much has already become apparent. Under-performers, over-performers, challengers, also-rans, and players and teams to watch for the right and the wrong reasons. Here’s a quick look at the most obvious, interesting, and intriguing…

Manchester City

It’s already clear they will be a force to be reckoned with this season. Victory over Arsenal and only a narrow defeat to United (albeit while being outplayed) showed that they have not only added quality, which is there for all to see, but also seem to have hardened the soft core that held them back last year. The likes of Tevez, Bellamy, Barry et al will not meekly roll over away to Blackburn, as last season’s City were wont to do.

Emmanuel Adebayor

The stamp and resulting ban aside, Adebayor has shown that when he’s motivated and happy he is a fearsome proposition. He joins perhaps only Drogba (possibly Torres or Rooney) as a striker who is genuinely unplayable on his day. He will be a fantastic asset for Mark Hughes.

Portsmouth

They are in all sorts of trouble. A record bad Premier League start and only three players who were there last season – they are going to struggle massively. Losing Defoe, Crouch, Johnson and Kranjcar and replacing them with Tommy Smith, Michael Brown, and Kevin Prince-Boateng is going to hit anyone hard. It’s difficult to see where that first point will come from.

Hull, Wolves, Bolton

Early to call, admittedly – but it looks like the other relegated sides alongside Pompey will come from these three. We’ll see how accurate that is come the end of the season…

Wigan

You have to love Roberto Martinez’ assertions that Wigan will not compromise their principles and will not adjust their style of play, whoever they are up against – but playing a similar way to Arsenal or Man United with inferior players will only ever lead to defeats. Arsenal to beat Wigan at the weekend was probably the biggest certainty of the season.

Fernando Torres

After looking tired and jaded at the start of the season Torres exploded into life against West Ham. It will be interesting to see how much he has in the tank come the end – the Confederations Cup makes this his third season without a break.

Christian Benitez ‘Chucho’

Looks to have genuine quality for one of the basement clubs – and that could be enough to keep Birmingham up. If they can get 15 goals from him, which considering the spark and threat he has shown already is certainly possible, they could stay up. However, McLeish must already be anxious about the January transfer window.

Alex Ferguson

Never underestimate him. Having lost Ronaldo and Tevez there were murmurings (here included) that United could struggle this season. But he seems to have squeezed a bit extra from Giggs, Scholes, and Rooney, which has carried them to vital wins over a resurgent Spurs and dangerous Man City. It remains to be seen if they can last the season – or if they strengthen in January.

The Mid-Table

The ‘mediocre’ sides have arguably as strong in relation to the Big Four as they have been for years. Stoke and Burnley at home, Sunderland, West Ham, Blackburn – all are capable of beating a big side on their day. And with Spurs, Man City, Villa and Everton making up a strong top eight, anyone can beat anyone this season. There won’t be any record points totals, that’s for sure.

The Premier League kicks off tomorrow – here is the second part of our preview, you can read Part One here.

Man Utd

It could be a difficult season for United. Ronaldo is irreplaceable, and only time will tell if Owen is a suitable replacement for Tevez. Giggs, Scholes and Neville are all a season older… it will need the likes of Nani and Anderson to really step up this season if they are to make it four in a row. But never underestimate Alex Ferguson.

Portsmouth

There has been a run on Portsmouth for relegation, which considering their financial problems and exodus of players seems to make sense. Kranjcar must be next out of the door, and though they have signed the likes of Finnan and Mokoena, they are not ones to get the pulse racing. It could be a difficult season.

Stoke

An excellent season for Tony Pulis and Stoke last season, where their home record was amongst the best in the division. If they can maintain fortress Brittannia, and Beattie can fire them in at the other end, mid-table security beckons.

Sunderland

Who knows how they will get on this year – they only just avoided relegation last time, after looking safe, but now have Steve Bruce at the helm and a raft of new signings. Darren Bent is the most high profile, but Lorik Cana, Paolo Da Silva and Lee Cattermole are also excellent acquisitions. They could be top eight – or they could struggle. I’m inclined to think that with the Old Lesbian’s canny management it can be the former.

Tottenham

Their record under Redknapp is strong, and despite him changing the strike force every five minutes there is quiet confidence around the Lane that they can actually push for a European place this year. Much will rely on Luka Modric.

West Ham

Zola did a super job last year, and having trimmed their squad and acquired several (presumably superior) replacements, they will hope to equal or better their top ten finish. Luis Jiminez could prove the signing of the summer.

Wigan

A new manager, the loss of their two best players – now three with Cattermole’s exit – Wigan fans will be shuffling uncomfortably in their seats at the JJB. Only Jason Scotland has come in, who at 30 probably would have made the grade already if he was good enough. Could struggle.

Wolves

Wolves comfortably won the Championship last season, but there are worries about their ability to compete at the highest level. They lack players with Premier League experience, and McCarthy seems to set new points records (lows) with each promotion.

And the Footballsup Premier League 2009/10 Predicted Table (an Ashley Young style mouthful, that):

1. Chelsea
2. Liverpool
3. Man Utd
4. Arsenal
5. Everton
6. Spurs
7. Man City
8. Aston Villa
9. Sunderland
10. Stoke
11. Blackburn
12. West Ham
13. Fulham
14. Bolton
15. Portsmouth
16. Burnley
17. Birmingham
18. Wigan
19. Wolves
20. Hull

We’ll find out just how wrong we are come May…

With only days to go until the start of the Premier League, we take a whirlwind look through the division (no-one likes long, lengthy previews) – count yourself lucky if your side gets more than a couple of lines. We also have our final table prediction, which will no doubt come back to haunt us. That will come in Part Two – here is Part One…

Arsenal
Starting with one of the more controversial ones… People are writing Arsenal off this season, saying this is the year they drop out of the top four – but if their wealth of attacking talent (RVP, Arshavin, Fabregas, Eduardo, Walcott, Bendtner, Rosicky, et al) clicks, they will be irresistible. On their day Arsenal can blow any team away, and if they add a strong defensive midfielder they could make the 10/1 odds for them to win the league look enormous.

Aston Villa
Villa fans will be hoping they can push on this season, but the loss of Gareth Barry – and more importantly Martin Laursen – are huge blows. Villa’s record at the end of last season, without Laursen, was awful, and it remains to be seen how much of a loss Barry is. They will be hard pushed to match last season’s achievements.

Birmingham
A solid defence is a prime ingredient of staying in the Premier League – and Birmingham’s is miserly. They had the best goals against record in the Championship last season. The worry is where goals will come from – new signing Christian Benitez is rumoured to be a hot shot and if he fires, they could survive.

Blackburn
Big Sam has brought stability to Rovers – and has added a couple of strikers which in addition to Roberts and McCarthy gives them good attacking options. If they can hold onto the likes of Samba and Warnock they will be the definition of mid table.

Bolton
I always want Bolton to struggle, as their negative football and long ball tactics make for terrible viewing. But no doubt they will be safe again – and watch out for Johan Elmander, who I’m tipping to have a big season.

Burnley
Burnley are free scoring yet porous – they had the 18th best goals against last season. That will be ruthlessly exposed in the Premier League, and unless they shore up they will struggle.

Chelsea
Chelsea are the only one of the Big Four (perhaps with the exception of Arsenal) not to have been weakened over the close season, and despite a squad that looks a little on the old side are rightly favourites for the division. Zhirkov looks to be an excellent addition, and they won’t drop many points under the shrewd guidance of Ancellotti. His/their only problem could be an over zealous pursuit of European glory. The ones to beat.

Everton
David Moyes continues to work miracles on Merseyside, and with Jagielka, Lescott, Arteta, Cahill, Pienaar, Saha, Fellaini, Yakubu, he has a very good starting eleven. The likes of Rodwell and Vaughan are also excellent prospects. If Moyes can keep hold of most of his stars, they will be top six again. Lescott would be a big loss for them though.

Fulham
Fulham continue to baffle opposition, pundits, and fans alike. Without any really good players (Hangeland apart) they punched way above their weight last season. I expect them to suffer a reality check this year – but never underestimate Woy Hodgson.

Hull City
I hate Hull, I hate Phil Brown, and unless they radically turn around the form of the second half of last season they will go down. I hope they do (go down, that is). Stephen Hunt is a good signing though.

Liverpool
Xabi Alonso is a huge loss for Liverpool – Aquilani has some big boots to fill and the jury is out on whether he’s up to it. If he can, they will be challenging again. So much depends on Gerrard and Torres; if they stay fit they could fire them to a long overdue title.

Man City
The great unknown. Some tip them to challenge for the title, some, like me, think they will finish miles short. They were unable to get any of the top, top stars (think John Terry or Kaka) they were going for and instead paid over the odds for second tier players (think Roque Santa Cruz, who has only scored over ten goals in a season once in his entire career). There was a huge gulf between them and the top four last season, and thought that may shorten, it will still be there.

Part Two is here… plus our predicted table.

As we always say, in-depth reports and stats are better found elsewhere – we usually recommend the BBC, but after the Strictly Come Dancing fiasco they can no longer be trusted… so try Times Online instead.

Our mini-round up starts with the Big Four – a couple of weeks after they all failed to score, this time they all failed to win – each of them drawing. Chelsea were booed off the pitch after drawing with Zola’s West Ham, their former darling rapturously cheered upon entry. Scolari has said the fans were right; after dropping points in 6 of their last 9 home games, who can blame them? Arsenal and Boros’ inconsistency continued as they played out a draw, while Hull continued their superb form against the top sides, going 2-0 up to Liverpool before being pegged back and eventually holding on for 2-2. Man Utd will be the least worried of the top sides, drawing with a resurgent Tottenham side.

Villa won in thrilling style again, inspired by one of the most exciting English talents in recent years, Ashley Young. He followed two goals last week with another goal and assist in a 4-2 against Bolton, a game in which Gabriel Agbonlahor also starred.

Mark Hughes is under increasing pressure after City slumped to a home defeat to Everton – Tim Cahill stealing all three points with a last minute goal. But not as much pressure as ex-Man Utd team mate Paul Ince, who is hanging on by a thread – and probably not for much longer – as Blackburn were out thought, out fought and generally out played at Wigan. Steve Bruce, despite looking like an old lesbian woman, holds the bragging rights from that trio. Roy Keane’s memory is fading fast at the Stadium of Light where Sunderland crushed West Brom 4-0. It’s amazing what a chance of manager can do sometimes.

Stoke and West Brom played out a predictably dull 0-0, while the final game of the weekend saw Portsmouth crushed 3-0 by a Michael Owen inspired Newcastle. Perhaps as a result of that, he has today been officially offered a new contract.

Will he take it? Liverpool, Chelsea, Everton, and Villa, to name a few, will be keen to find out.

15 games in, how have the Premiership managers fared so far this season? We take a look…

1. Chelsea – ‘Big Phil’ Scolari

Up until a couple of weeks ago, there would have been no complaints. But after home defeats to both Liverpool and Arsenal in the last few games, along with stuttering progress (not yet secured) in the Champions League, serious questions are now being asked. Deco has gone off the boil, Lampard has not scored in five, and striking options are limited. Fortress Stamford Bridge has been impregnated – twice – are the wheels coming off? Taking stock, Chelsea are still top of the Premiership and on course for the CL knock-out stages – but all is not well at the Bridge. Chelsea, and Scolari, will hope this is a blip rather than a taste of what’s to come.
Overall – 8/10. Pushed up by a strong start, but the rating is falling fast…

2. Liverpool – Rafa Benitez

For the first season in living memory Liverpool are challenging for the title at Christmas, for which Rafa must take huge credit. They have beaten Man Utd and Chelsea, and won games they would not have in the last few seasons. Champions League progress is assured. However, all of this has been done without playing well! That could be seen as a good thing; but they’ll have to improve to actually win anything.
Overall: 9/10. But need to play better to get glory.

3. Alex Ferguson – Man Utd

The usual stuttering start from the Champions, but now only five points off the summit with a game in hand (although Liverpool go eight clear with a win tonight). They have looked assured in the Champions League, qualifying easily, and Christmas is traditionally their best period. However, there are concerns over Ronaldo, who despite scoring lots of goals has not looked his irrepressible self, and also over the effect Berbatov has had on Utd’s playing style. Nevertheless, they will be there or thereabouts come the end of the season, that is for sure. Whether Tevez will be there is another matter.
Overall 8/10. Will be disappointed to be slightly off the pace, but now clicking into gear like the well oiled machine they are.

4. Arsenal – Arsene Wenger

Should have a job for life for the remarkable job he has done over the last few seasons, yet the the short sighted and short memoried imbeciles have been calling for his head. Yesterday’s result did them a power of good – now only 7 points off Chelsea, whereas defeat would have put them 12 points back. Look unlikely Champions, and very much living up to the tag – ‘A team for the future but never today’.
Overall 7.5/10 - Defeats to Hull, Stoke, and Fulham are immensely disappointing, but beating Utd and Chelsea only reinforce the romanticism Arsene has instilled. Would be lower but for yesterday’s result.

5. Aston Villa – Martin O’Neill

The Irishman has done a fantastic job at Villa over the past couple of seasons, transforming them from mid-table also-rans to genuine top four contenders. Have struggled a little in the past few games for goals in the absence of John Carew, but 5th is a great achievement nonetheless. Slight question marks over his purchases – with the exception of Ashley Young, there is little genuine class – Shorey, Knight, Harewood, Routledge and Luke Young hardly screams a push for the Champions League.
Overall: 9/10. Superb so far – can he push to the next level?

6. Hull – Phil Brown

Surpassed all expectations with a phenomenal start. Have stuttered a little recently, but sitting in 6th with 23 points at this stage of the season would have been beyond their wildest dreams. Looking safe from relegation, but Brown will want to hit the 40 point barrier; despite being top six they are only eight points off the drop zone!
Overall: 10/10. Surpassed all expectations.

7. Everton – David Moyes

Now considered an established top 6 club, with all the money flying around elsewhere Moyes will be worried about Everton’s continuing ability to compete in the upper echelons of the table. Fellaini was his only major acquisition and now desperately in need of firepower with the loss of Yakubu and Saha.
Overall: 8/10. Disappointing start says it all, as they still sit 7th. A measure of the expections Moyes has created with his excellent work.

8. Portsmouth – Tony Adams

Seems to have Pompey back on track after an uncertain start to his reign. Rumours of a fire-sale in January won’t do anyone any good, nor will reports Harry Redknapp is set to raid his old club. Still early to judge – but some encouraging signs.
Overall: n/a. To early to judge Adams, his reign is only 5 games old. Drawing with AC Milan and a couple of other good results inspire confidence though.

9. Bolton – Gary Megson

Arguably the form side of the Premiership. Matt Taylor has found his Portsmouth form, Elmander is back scoring, and other acquisitions such as Gary Cahill and Fabrice Muamba look shrewd. Megson is yet to win over the Bolton faithful – but a comfortable top half finish will do wonders.
Overall: 7.5/10. Dodgy start, great improvement of late. Yet to convince the fans but there’s no better way to do that than winning games.

10. Fulham – Roy Hodgson

Hodgson has turned Fulham into a lean outfit, short on numbers but high on organisation and discipline. Andy Johnson is scoring, and the defence is not conceding. No longer a soft touch on the road, either, Fulham are an entirely different proposition under the erstwhile England manager elect. A fantastic transformation.
Overall 9/10; A miracle escape last season, and kicked on admirably this – but where does he take them from here?

Part 2 to come…

A wholly uninspiring set of results yesterday. You can can get full match reports and details of the tedium elsewhere, so we’ll focus on a more abstract element of each game.

Stoke 1 Hull 1

A debatable 73rd minute penalty, won and converted by Ricardo Fuller, cancelled out Marlon King’s excellent strike on the stroke of half time in the battle of the promoted sides.

Dean Windass endeared himself further to the Hull fans – if that’s possible – by obstructing Rory Delap’s freakish throw ins from the bench. Twice he warmed up deliberately in the path of the ugly one’s mammoth run up – twice he was reprimanded, and once booked. Novel, if not exactly sporting…

Sunderland 1 Bolton 4

Goals from alleged-homosexual Matt Taylor, Gary Cahill, and Johan Elmander (2) won this for Bolton after Djibril Cisse’s early strike.

This game compounded Sunderland’s terrible recent form – 6 defeats in 7 games – and extended Bolton’s good run – 4 wins in 5, including three away from home. Roy Keane is now favourite to be next manager to go, at 11/8 – incidentally followed in the betting by two other Alex Ferguson proteges, Mark Hughes and Paul Ince.

Cahill reiterated the Fantasy Football dilemma; goalscoring defenders who do not keep clean sheets. He notched 14 points, but similarly to Hull’s Michael Turner, you can never back on the shut-out. I’m personally against them; you select a defender for a clean sheet, and there are only rare occasions you would back Bolton or Hull to keep one (maybe 4 or 5 games a season). If you rely on your defenders to score goals for points, you’re clutching at straws.

Wigan 2 West Brom 1

Goals from Henri Camara and Emmerson Boyce won this for Wigan after a trademark error from Titus Bramble let in Ismael Miller to give the Baggies the lead.

With Wigan’s remarkable inconsistency you wouldn’t have ruled out an away win here – evidence of that is that yesterday saw Wigan gain their first back-to-back Premiership victories under Steve Bruce, after a year / 39 matches.

Villa 0 – 0 Fulham

Villa are now unbeatable but cannot score – how much they need big John Carew back to get on the end of Ashley Young’s penetrating crosses. In this game, Gareth Barry missed three and Martin Laursen two chances created by the exciting young winger (no pun intended).

Roy Hodgson is doing a great job at Fulham; a shoestring budget and a threadbare squad, but a well-drilled, well-organised side that are difficult to beat.

In this game Brad Friedel broke David James’ record for consecutive Premiership appearances, making his 167th start in a row for Blackburn and now Villa.

Boro 0-0 Newcastle

Tyne and Tees were united in delight at Sunderland’s demise – but there was little else to warm the cockles in a dull game.

Obafemi Martins provided a rare moment of interest, throwing his armband to the ground and storming down the tunnel after being replaced towards the end of the game. After the abject performance of a patently unfit Michael Owen he was perhaps right to be aggrieved…

Let’s hope today provides us with a few more interesting genuine footballing highlights!

For the first time for nearly a century all of the current big 4 – Chelsea, Liverpool, Man Utd, and Arsenal – failed to score on the same weekend. Arsenal were the only side to lose, 3-0 to Man City, to further compound their misery and disarray. This is the most testing period Arsene Wenger has faced since he took over, and it will be interesting to see how he deals with it. What he would have given yesterday for Fabrice Muamba, who drove Bolton forward, or for Matthew Upson, so strong for England in midweek – both cast-offs from his reign. Arsenal are in trouble, there is no doubt of that. They are no longer in the top 4, and have never looked less likely to go on one of their famous runs. Can ‘The Professor’ sort them out?

For Man Utd, Chelsea, and Liverpool, who all drew 0-0, there is less cause for concern. Each will be delighted not to lose ground on the others. Each were held for differing reasons – Utd versus a genuinely quality opposition (Villa), Chelsea against a team who performed a textbook parking of the bus (Newcastle), and Liverpool having a slight off day against a well-organised and well drilled Fulham side.

They will all breathe a sigh of relief that they have not slipped from their current positions, and redouble their efforts next weekend (after the Champions League in midweek).

Of the other two games yesterday, Bolton secured a well earned 3-1 win against Boro, ending the home side’s 5 match unbeaten run – Matt Taylor reminded us of his goalscoring ability, and Johan Elmander got back on the scoresheet.

Finally, in the battle of the promoted sides, Stoke’s belligerent physical ‘football’ overcame West Brom’s sideways and backwards passing, their 1-0 win thanks to a header from the massive Mamady Sidibe.

Spurs take on Blackburn in just under half an hour – and there’s no place for Frazier Campbell, as Pavyluchenko starts alongside Darren Bent. Brilliant. (See here).

Results, scorers, and less interestingly bookings, in full:

Aston Villa	0-0 (HT 0-0)	Man Utd
Bookings: Davies 77

Chelsea	0-0 (HT 0-0)	Newcastle
		Bookings: Gutierrez 50 Guthrie 86

Liverpool	0-0 (HT 0-0)	Fulham

Man City	3-0 (HT 1-0)	Arsenal
Ireland 45+2 Robinho 56 Sturridge (pen) 90+2
		Bookings: Song Billong 87

Middlesbrough	1-3 (HT 0-2)	Bolton
Pogatetz 77		Steinsson 8 Taylor 10 Elmander 78
Bookings: Pogatetz 7 Digard 22		Bookings: Muamba 52 Cahill 63 Samuel 67 Nolan 70 McCann 84

Portsmouth	2-2 (HT 1-0)	Hull
Crouch 20 Johnson 63		Turner 54 Pamarot o.g. 89
Bookings: Diop 85 Davis 90+5		Bookings: Windass 86