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

Hot team
No doubt about it. This has to go to Wigan. Two defeats out of two, no goals scored and ten conceded. Follow that with a trip to Champions League Tottenham who, incidentally, put nine goals past you last time you played there. To go there and win 1-0 was nothing short of a magnificent display of character, spirit and determination. A thoroughly well deserved award.

Not Hot team
It is never easy to go to Manchester United but it is only fair for fans to expect their team to be organised and show some spirit when they do. Neither of things applied to West Ham on Saturday. They have Chelsea next and that will make it four games and no points. If I was a West Ham fan I would be very worried indeed.

Hot keeper
Not a choice I thought would ever be likely to make but this has to go to Wigan reserve keeper Ali Al Habsi. Coming in for the beleaguered Chris Kirkland the keeper must have feared the worst as he took to the field at White Hart Lane.

Apart from one or two minor errors, Al Habsi put in a great performance and helped his side to an unlikely, but thoroughly deserved win.

Not Hot keeper
One of my favourite keepers is Bolton’s Jussi Jaaskelainen. Despite that, I couldn’t believe my eyes when he decided to slap Roger Johnson on Sunday. Just what was he thinking of?

Hot defender
Together with many other football writers, supporters, managers, pundits, etc, I have given Sunderland defender Titus Bramble some terrible stick over the years. Credit when it is due though, he was exceptional in the 1-0 win over Manchester City.

Bramble has always looked a class act for eighty-nine minutes of most games he plays, it is just the horrendous and calamitous mistakes he makes in the other minute that have made him such a target for the critics. Not this time. He was outstanding from start to finish.

Not Hot defender
Does anyone think that West Ham’s Jonathan Spector is a Premier League player? No, me neither.

Hot midfielder
I really didn’t expect to be saying this either, but hasn’t Joey Barton started well for Newcastle? Like most others, I can’t stand the bloke, but he is playing so well it is easy to see why he used to be on the fringes of England selection.

His temperament has always been the problem but on Saturday he was targeted by Wolves with some seriously robust challenges and he just got up and got on with the game. I wonder if he has finally grown up? If he has, he will a great asset for Newcastle this season.

Not Hot midfielder
I’ve always had mixed feelings about Everton midfielder Marouane Fellaini. He can look like a world beater but he can also look like a hired thug. At Villa on Sunday his mistake ultimately cost his side the game and condemned them to their worst start for more than a decade. For that reason, and because I remain to be convinced by his Premier League pedigree, I give this award to the ‘Screech’ look-alike.

Hot striker
Could it just be that Manchester United fans are going to finally see why Sir Alex Ferguson spent so much money on Dimitar Berbatov?

Everyone has always known the fantastic ability the Bulgarian striker has, but he has rarely shown it to the Old Trafford faithful.

He has started this season very well and against West Ham on Saturday his performance was sublime. If he can keep that going and Wayne Rooney can get back to his best as well, they will terrorise defences across Europe this season.

Not Hot striker
You’ve got to love Carlos Tevez, but that miss at Sunderland on Sunday. Oh dear!