The Premier League takes a well deserved break this week, with players concentrating on international duties and the small matter of World Cup qualification.  As disappointing as this is for the fans, it is a perfect opportunity to see how the season has been progressing, and which players have been making a name for themselves in the process.  (teams listed in current league position)

1. Chelsea - Current Price: Evens.  Star player so far: Frank Lampard.

Chelsea have been the real class act so far and their place at the top of the table is well justified.  Memories of the special one are fading fast as Phil Scholari’s style of play is proving just as effective and perhaps even more entertaining than was witnessed during Morinho’s reign.  Their last performance against a much improved Villa side illustrated just how good they are as they destroyed Villa in a display which Martin O’Neill himself described as ‘just brilliant’.  Bearing in mind that this was also a ‘weakened’ side (no Drogba, no Carvalho), it really is looking ominous for the chasing pack.

2. Liverpool - Current Price: 6/1.  Star player so far: Jamie Carragher.

The fact that it is proving difficult to choose a star player for Liverpool sums up their season so far.  Although they are currently level with Chelsea on points, their inconsistent performances are going to prove a massive hindrance to any genuine push for the title.  A victory over Man Utd was followed by a 0-0 draw at home to newly promoted Stoke City, which was then followed by an impressive 2-0 victory over Everton.  As for their 3-2 victory over Man City, the fact that they came back from 2-0 down is commendable, but the fact that they went 2-0 down so early clearly is not.  So far both Gerrard and Torres have been very hit and miss, with the later also being closely associated with new signing, Robbie Keane.  Carragher aside, these are probably going to be Liverpool’s most important players, and although recent games have seen some improvement, it really is time for Liverpool’s stars to step up, and if they do there is no reason why they can not find themselves in a similar position to now come May.

3. Hull City - Current relegation price: 11/8.  Star player so far:  Deiberson Geovanni.

Yes that is a 3 beside their name.  It’s been a dream start for Hull City and despite a 5-0 drubbing at the hands of Wigan, the Tigers can hold their heads high as consecutive victories away from home over Arsenal and Spurs have shown that they are a team to be taken seriously.  Star Man Deiberson Geovanni has already banged in two contenders for goal of the season and has improved on the bright start to the season he showed last year for City.  His performances will be key to Hull’s survival, and realistically this would be all that the club will be aiming for.

 4. Arsenal - Current Price: 10/1.  Star player so far:  Emmanuel Adebayor.

Much like Liverpool, the Gunners’ start to the season has been a bit of a mixed bag.  With perhaps the easiest start on paper out of the big 4, many Arsenal fans will be disappointed with their current tally of 13 points from a possible 21.  Defeats to Fulham and most notably Hull, have cast a shadow over some otherwise good performances and with rising star, Theo Walcott, starting to show some of the skills that have been talked about for so long, as well as Robin Van Persie’s return to form; the rest of the season should be more positive from a fan’s perspective.  This may not be their year, but if their 6-0 thrashing of Sheffield Utd by a team barely out of nappies is anything to go by, their time to shine is not too far away.

5. Aston Villa - Current Price: 150/1.  Star player so far:  John Carew.

Although it’s John Carew’s name up there it really could be one of many from Villa’s squad this year as they have firmly established themselves as ‘best of the rest’ front-runners, and they thoroughly deserve it.  They have played great team football and have thrown in some exceptional individual performances to boot.  England U21 stars Ashley Young and Gabriel Agbonlahor have been outstanding and it really should not be too long before we see the duo playing together in the first team.  Manager Martin O’Neil commands not only the respect of his team, but also of his peers, and he has shown that he is as gracious in defeat as he is in victory and with his guidance, there is no reason why Villa should not be in the same position at the end of the season.

 6. West Ham Utd - Current Price: Name It.  Star player so far:  Carlton Cole.

The Hammers have enjoyed a good start to the season but news that their owner has been hit quite badly by the current economic crisis may see their season take a turn for the worse, especially if they are forced to sell their high-profile players.  The likes of Dean Ashton, Craig Bellamy, Robert Green and rising star Mark Noble would generate interest from many Premiership clubs and provide new manager, Gianfranco Zola, with the extra funds he needs to improve his squad.  Zola already has €38m at his disposal, but with the likes of Manchester City having billions in reserve, if they are to challenge for a place in Europe, this figure really has to grow.  On the brighter side of things for West Ham fans, Carlton Cole has shown that he is more than capable of filling in for Ashton and Bellamy and if new signing, David Di Michele, can play to his potential, Zola would be able to work on improving his defense, which seems to be where the Hammers are suffering most from their recent departures.

7. Portsmouth - Current Price:  300/1.  Star player so far:  Jermaine Defoe.

Harry Redknap’s impressive transfer skills have once again been highlighted this season as the Defoe/Crouch partnership is probably the most feared in the Premiership at the moment.  Defoe’s return of six goals is not only the best in the league, but his two assists and all round good play have seen his England career been revived.  The same can be said for Crouch, who seems to be relishing the opportunity of playing regular first-team football and if his volley last weekend is anything to go by, his best is still yet to come.  It’s not all rosy for Pompey fans though, as keeper, David James, seems to be back to his old tricks and despite having a fine defense in front of him, Portsmouth do look like they are going to concede goals unless James can find the form we saw in the previous  two seasons.

8. Manchester Utd -  Current price:  2/1.   Star player so far:  Rio Ferdinand.

With perhaps the most difficult start to the season on paper of any Premiership team, the fact that Man Utd are currently in 8th place should not worry their fans too much, especially as they have a game in hand over every team currently ahead of them in the table.  New signing, Dimitar Berbatov, is only finding his feet in the last couple of games and Ronaldo was also missing for the first few games of the season.  Add this to the fact that Man Utd have also had no Carrick or Hargreaves and their current position actually looks quite good.  Fringe players like Darren Fletcher and Oliveira Anderson have stepped up and will perhaps cause Alex Ferguson a few headaches when these players return from injury.  With Giggs still playing great football and Rooney almost back to his best, it really is hard to see them not challenging for the top spot come next May.

9. West Bromwich Albion - Current relegation price:  13/8.  Star player so far:  Scott Carson.

Currently in a position that most fans would gladly take at the end of the season, and with a victory over Fulham and a point away to Bolton already under their belt, the Albion are no longer looking like certainties to go down.  Victories over West Ham and Middlesbrough might look better on paper, but taking points off teams who shall probably be involved in the fight at the bottom come the end of the season may prove very important.  Scott Carson has proved his quality already, averaging 3 saves per game so far, and it’s a fairly safe assumption that he will have plenty of opportunities to keep this ratio intact…

10. Blackburn - Current price:  Name it.  Star player so far:  Roque Santa Cruz.

Many pundits were wondering how Blackburn would cope with the departure of Mark Hughes and David Bentley, and the answer is quite simple - not very well at all.  Injuries to goalkeeper, Paul Robinson, and midfielders Stephen Reid and David Dunn probably have not helped the cause either, and placed a lot of pressure on Santa Cruz to carry the team in their absence.  Bearing in mind that Benedict McCarthy is also out until October at the earliest, the immediate future does look bleak for Blackburn, but with newly appointed Paul Ince hungry for success, it’s surely just a matter of time before they start seriously challenging again for a European spot.

11. Manchester City - Current price:  150/1.  Star player so far: Shaun Wright-Phillips. 

A new owner with billions in the bank and new signings (including the most expensive in history) meant that Man City were the biggest gamble early in the season.  Although they have been impressive at times, defeats to Wigan and more recently to Liverpool (after being 2-0 up) have really dented their challenge for breaking into the top four.  January shall tell us just how committed the new owner is to the cause and whether Mark Hughes can handle the pressure of assembling the wonder squad that the new regime is expecting.  The new signings have been very good and seem to have inspired existing members of the squad, none more so than Stephen Ireland, whose performances have probably upstaged those of the €40m man, Robinho.  If they can make a few good signings in January it will be interesting to see if they can claw back whatever points they shall trail the big 4 by, but it is more realistic to say that it will probably be next season before they can make a proper charge for a Champions League place.

12. Middlesbrough - Current relegation price:  8/1.  Star player so far:  Answers on a postcard.

An opening day victory against Spurs probably gave Boro fans a false sense of hope for the season ahead, but 3 straight defeats in September soon quashed any false hope that remained.  Some hope can be taken from the fact they have a 100% success rate at home but 9 points from a possible 21 is not a great return and if they are to challenge for a top-half finish, they really have to work on their away form.  A lot of pressure lies on the shoulders of Stuart Downing and perhaps some action in the January transfer window will ease the strain on the England international and allow him to produce the form that he is capable of.

13. Wigan Athletic - Current relegation price:  6/1.  Star player so far:  Amr Zaki.

It’s been a mixed bag for Wigan so far and they are probably a bit better than their current position suggests.  New striker Amr Zaki has been a revelation since arriving at the club and comparisons have already started to be made between himself and a certain Alan Shearer.  Strike partner Emile Heskey is also in good form and finds himself in the England squad once again.  Antonio Valencia has also started to showcase his talents in midfield, but it seems to be the usually good Wigan defense that is perhaps letting them down, with a few weak goals causing them to drop points.  Saying that, they have had some good results, with their 5-0 thrashing of Hull a fine example of what they are capable of.

14. Sunderland.  Current relegation price: 6/1.  Star player so far:  Steed Malbranque.

When Malbranque made his move from Spurs to Sunderland, it’s pretty safe to say that not even he could have thought that after 7 games his new team would be 6 places ahead of his old, and if for some strange reason this thought did cross his mind surely 14th was not the position that would have jumped to mind, but here we are.  It’s also pretty safe to say that manager Roy Keane will not be happy with his team’s current position and he has even gone on the offensive against some of Sunderland’s more ‘negative’ fans.  Their performances have been quite good though and they are winning the games that they are ’supposed’ to, which is all a supporter can really ask for in their team.  If they keep playing as they are they should improve on their current position by the end of the season.

15. Everton.  Current price:  500/1.  Star player so far:  Mikel Arteta.

A full ten places behind their finishing position of last season, Everton fans are not happy.  Conceding fifteen goals in seven games is probably the main reason for their current position in the league as they have actually managed to score two or more in five of these.  An injury to Tim Cahill didn’t help matters either but with Arteta and Yakubu playing well; Everton really should be in the top half of the table.  New signing, Marouane Fellaini, also looks like a quality player, and if he can settle in with Arteta and Cahill, then Everton’s midfield will be one of the most feared in the Premiership.  Reports that David Moyes is ready to sign a new contract will also come as good news to Toffee fans and if they can get their defense in order they should be pushing for a European place at the end of the season.

16. Bolton - Current relegation price:  2/1.  Star player so far:  Kevin Davies.

Exactly where they finished up last season and chances are exactly where they will end up come the end of the season.  It’s fairly safe to say that any Bolton fan would happily take this position if it was handed to them now and any improvement in the immediate future is really hard to see.  Unless there is a massive cash injection into the club, it really is hard to see Bolton not battling for survival come May, and even if they do survive, chances are they will find themselves in the same situation in the 09/10 season.

17. Fulham. - Current relegation price:  3/1.  Star player so far:  Ehhhh…

Arsenal aside, Fulham have had a relatively easy start to the season and yet they still find themselves near the bottom of the table.  It may be argued that because they have a game in hand on every team except from Man Utd, that their current position is a flawed one, but it can also be argued that going by their current stats, they are more likely to lose this game anyway so it doesn’t really matter.  Like Bolton, they shall merely be trying to survive, and like Bolton, they shall be attempting this by playing bland football that anyone bar their fans could not really care about.

18. Newcastle.  Current relegation price:  7/2.  Star player so far:  Michael Owen.

Probably the most talked about team so far this season (for all the wrong reasons), Newcastle fans have grown so dismayed with the current state of their club, that many are boycotting games.  Indeed, there were pictures of one fan burning his season ticket outside the ground in recent weeks.  Owner Mike Ashley has stopped attending home games as he fears for his safety and it’s safe to say that Denis Wise has similar feelings about walking into St James’ Gate on a match day.  As for the players on the pitch, none have really shone, and considering the wealth of talent that is in the squad, it really is quite hard to believe that they are in the relegation zone.  Granted they have been hit quite badly with injuries (most notably Viduka, Martins, Barton and Smith), but they should still be at worst a mid-table team.  Reports of a return to the manager’s post for Kevin Keegan will please fans but without the proper backing not even King Kev can save Newcastle and if they find themselves in this position at the end of the season, they may never fully recover.

19. Stoke City.  Current relegation price:  1/7.  Star player so far:  Liam Lawrence.

A victory over Aston Villa and a draw in Anfield prove that Stoke are no pushovers and despite being hot favourites to go down, clubs will find it hard work to take maximum points from the Potters.  An injury to midfielder, Liam Lawrence, has come as a blow to Stoke, as he has shown that he is more than capable of reproducing his form of last season in the Premiership.  Everyone has already written them off, especially bookmakers, but people are always saying that football is a funny aul game, and you never know…

20. Tottenham.  Current relegation price:  6/1.  Star player so far:  Yea right.

Holey Moley.  It’s rare that such words are used here, but it the fact that Spurs are last is quite frankly ridiculous, especially as they were fancied by many to come fifth.  ‘Improvements’ to the squad over the summer have seen the arrival of David Bentley and Luka Modric, but these have been dwarfed by the impact that losing Berbatov and Keane has had on the club.  Derby were proclaimed as the worst Premiership club of all time last year, but even their total after seven games was better than Spurs’ current tally of two. To quote Yazz, ‘The only way is up’.

So that basically sums up the standings as they are.  Opinions are welcome and just to further add to the fire here is my team of the season so far, which I am sure many will disagree with….

                                          Jose Reina

Jose Bosingwa    Rio Ferdinand   Jamie Carragher   Ashley Cole

Shaun Wright-Phillips    Frank Lampard   Mikel Arteta  Theo Walcott

                    Amr Zaki                   Jermaine Defoe 

Best team ever….