Premier League and FA Cup – Who’s Hot and Who’s Not?

Who's Hot and Who's Not?

Manchester City, Chelsea, Burnley and West Ham may all feel they should pick this up but it has to go to Portsmouth. After being relegated on Saturday at the end of a terrible and torrid season, nobody expected them to beat Tottenham and make their way to the FA Cup final.

They showed such desire, determination, spirit and resolve that to give this award to any other team would be ridiculous.

There really isn’t much you can say in defence of Hull. Their performance in the 4-1 defeat at home to Burnley was woeful. Not only were they thrashed they were playing against a keeper who didn’t seem to know what day of the week it was and a team who had picked up just one away point all season.

Another excellent display from Fulham’s Mark Schwarzer kept Liverpool at bay and earned him another clean sheet. In the process he probably also stopped any chance Liverpool have of qualifying for the Champions League. His consistent displays are a big reason why Fulham continue to defy logic and be so successful.

I know Burnley had a great 4-1 win at Hull but their keeper, Brian Jenson, produced one of the worst displays in the first half an hour that I have seen from a top flight stopper. He was absolutely all over the place and looked to be totally shell shocked. Perhaps that is not surprising considering how many goals he has conceded this season. If Burnley’s reserve keeper has a pulse, I would consider giving him a game.

I’ve never been the greatest fan of Pompey defender Ricardo Rocha, who has often looked out of his depth in the Premier League. Credit where it is due however, he was magnificent against Tottenham yesterday. He held together the Pompey defence against a Tottenham onslaught and didn’t put a foot wrong.

I’ve never really liked him and I was pleased when the England captaincy was taken away from him. The challenge by John Terry on James Milner that was unnecessary, reckless and dangerous, followed by the arguing against the free-kick and the yellow card summed him up for me.

It seems strange to give this award on the basis of two penalties but I think Burnley’s captain Graham Alexander deserves it. He is one of the best penalty takers I have ever seen and the two he scored at Hull were unbelievable. To strike the ball into the top corner with the outside of the boot shows amazing confidence in your technique.

At times this season Nani has looked as though he might be starting to fulfil some of his early promise. That hasn’t happened often and most of the time he has looked as though he hasn’t got much of a clue. I lost count of the number of times he gave the ball away at Blackburn and how many decent attacking opportunities came to an end when the ball went to him.

Whilst Dimitar Berbatov continues to pick up a ridiculously huge wage for strolling around the pitch doing very little, Carlos Tevez works his socks off and scores goals. He has been a fans favourite wherever he has been and the reasons for that are obvious. He is talented and he has a great work ethic. Put the two together and you have a top striker.

How Manchester United fans must wish they had kept Tevez and off-loaded Berbatov.

Dimitar Berbatov was strolling around the halfway line with his hands on his hips when United were desperately searching for the goal that might keep them in the title race. If I was Sir Alex Ferguson I would tell him not to bother coming to training or matches anymore. He might as well stay at home until he can be sold in the summer.