Premiership Review

Wow! What an opening weekend of Premiership football we were all treated to. I obviously would like to highlight Arsenal's tame performance against Newcastle, it was enough for a win after referee sent off Jermaine Jenas, but he has since downgraded that card to a yellow.

Personally, I hate when players get sent off, I think it ruins the pattern of the game, it is like taking a jigsaw piece out of a Rembrandt - sending someone off needlessly ruins the grand spectacle that is a Premiership football match. On a lighter note, Arsenal will need more killer instinct if they are to shoot down other teams more successfully this season; Newcastle's Magpies aren't exactly firing on all cylinders at the moment.

A good word for West Ham, who bounced back emphatically to the Premiership with a 3-1 win over Blackburn. Sherringham is 39 and will be 40 when the season ends, and he is still one of the best players on any football pitch he plays on. Is he a bad tackle away from collapsing on stage, or has he been watching too much Peter Pan in his twilight years? Whatever the case, I believe Sherringham could still do a job for England. With Scholes gone, there is no longer a creative link between the midfield and the strikers - that is what the golden English Lion does the best.

Man Utd eased past Everton 0-2. The atmosphere died in my opinion after Van Nistlerooy scored, Everton never recovered from going a goal down. That is going to be Everton's problem this season, the 4-1-4-1 formation is brilliant if you score first and then defend, but conceding first then rescuing the game makes life difficult because it is difficult for a side with limited resoucres like Everton to change mentality so quickly in a game. I do not think their success last season was a fluke, but replicating the trick this time around will be twice as hard due to other team's knowledge of their tactics, formation, and players.

And let's not forget Wigan. Watching them tame Chelsea's multi million pound greyhounds to a leash for 92 and a half minutes was pure entertainment for an Arsenal fan, but Crespo's killer strike at the death brought everyone in the JJB right back down to reality. That reality being that no matter how hard you pound any team in this league, no result is certain until the fat lady sings her final whistle. Wigan could hear that whistle in the distance on Saturday but Mourinho's men made sure there was still time for an encore of the Chelsea of last season - win it late away from home 0-1! I, like every other true footballer lover in the country, felt for Wigan, but as I have found out many times in football and in life, nice guys finish last. It was like watching a classic Shakespearean Tragedy.

Don't forget, Chelsea's rich boys play Wenger's "Vieiraless" Arsenal on Sunday, both have points to prove, and points to earn.


Opening Weekend Results


West Ham 3 Blackburn 1

Sunderland 1 Charlton 3

Portsmouth 0 Tottenham 2

Middlesbrough 0 Liverpool 0

Man City 0 West Brom 0

Fulham 0 Birmingham 0

Everton 0 Man Utd 2

Aston Villa 2 Bolton 2

Wigan 0 Chelsea 1

Atsenal 2 Newcastle 0