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

Who's Hot and Who's Not?

This has to go to Chelsea who stood up to the pressure and got the result they needed in what was, on paper, a tough game.

In fact, for half an hour the game was pretty even until Steve Gerrard, see ‘Not Hot midfielder, decided to change the course of the game. After that, Liverpool simply threw in the towel and handed the win to Chelsea on a plate.

They still had to win the game and they did so with ease. They will be worthy champions.

I know Burnley and Wolves and all the other teams at or near the bottom are nowhere near as good as Liverpool but I’m giving them this award this week.

For the last hour of the game against Chelsea they were an absolute shambles. It was yet another display of the woeful inadequecy that they have shown throughout the season.

Birmingham’s Joe Hart has had a wonderful season. Manchester City will be keen to get him back although they too have a top quality stopper. Hart’s fellow professionals voted him as the best keeper in the top flight and who am I to argue?

He is quite simply the best English keeper at this time. Will that be enough for Fabio Capello to put his faith in him at the World Cup?

He must be really shell-shocked after conceding eighty goals and losing every week, but Brian Jenson has to take his share of the responsibility for Burnley’s failure. On Saturday he looked like a man that was just desperate to get away on his summer holidays.

It was cruel for him to have to give away an own goal, but that moment pretty accurately summed up ‘the beast’s’ season.

Phil Jagielka was excellent for Everton at Stoke on Saturday. He had a good headed goal disallowed and he kept Stoke’s big and potent side at bay to help keep a clean sheet.

In fact, Jagielka showed how much his team-mates had missed him whilst he recovered from his knee injury for most of the season. His form has probably arrived too late to see him on the plane to South Africa, but if he hadn’t had such a bad injury, he would have been there.

Before he went to Burnley I really didn’t think that Gary Caldwell was a Premiership quality defender. Now, after watching him play and organise the Burnley rearguard, I am absolutely 100% certain that he isn’t!

Yet another big game goal from the midfield scoring phenomenon that is Frank Lampard. He has his critics but the man produces the goods game after game, season after season.

Liverpool’s inspiration, Steve Gerrard, once hit a terrible back pass in a game for England against France that effectively cost England the game. Anyone can make a mistake once in a big game but it should never be repeated.

I’m not one to believe in conspiracy theories and despite the fact that Gerrard will lose no sleep over the fact that United will not overtake Liverpool’s record, I am happy that his back pass was nothing more than total incompetence on the part of a man that I am hoping will help to win England the world cup. It doesn’t look hopeful.

He often goes unnoticed and is often found sitting on the subs bench, but Fulham’s Clint Dempsey has been a top performer for the club and has scored many important goals.

He scored on Sunday in Fulham’s 3-2 win over West Ham and his overall performance simply oozed class.

You have to feel a little sorry for Wolves striker Sylvain Ebanks-Blake. He arrived in the Premier League as the club’s top scorer in their promotion winning season and looked as though he may well have what it takes to make it in the top flight.

Thirty-seven games later he has just one goal from open play and one from the penalty spot. On Saturday he had chances to add to that total but in truth, he never really looked likely to hit the target.