Saturday Six-Pointer

Here's the first in what will hopefully be a regular feature on the blog throughout the Premier League season. It's a weekly look at the six talking points which have caught my eye in the Premier League each Saturday.

1

I’m not a big fan of Alan Pardew, though it has to be accepted that he has done an incredible job at Newcastle. It is easy to forget that when he came in, to replace the popular Chris Hughton, he was derided by most Newcastle supporters. Now they back him to the hilt, because his results have proven him worthy. But his act of petulance today, pushing the linesman after he didn’t flag for a Newcastle throw-in, has no place on a football field. Managers are meant to set an example, for their players and supporters. Pardew has apologised, but he has had other indiscretions in the past. He has to realise that he cannot act like that, hoping that an apology will make everybody forgive and forget. I would suspect a touchline ban may be in the pipeline.

2

More than a few eyebrows were raised when Newcastle let Kevin Nolan go to West Ham at the beginning of last season. Nolan had been one of Newcastle’s best players, and club captain. Obviously the loss did not affect Newcastle much last year, but it is nice to see Nolan back in the Premier League and scoring the winning goal for West Ham today. A quality player who is far too good for the Championship.

3

Premier League management is such an unpredictable beast. Last year, rookie managers Brendan Rodgers and Paul Lambert both excelled with their newly promoted clubs, and earned moves to more established Premier League sides. Yet both suffered defeats in their first games. Chris Hughton, who did a good job at Newcastle two years ago before a harsh dismissal, was on the wrong end of a 5-0 drubbing from Fulham in his first game as Norwich manager. Yet Steve Clarke, one of this year’s rookies, masterminded West Brom’s 3-0 win over Liverpool and Michael Laudrup’s first Premier League game as manager resulted in a 5-0 win for his Swansea side over QPR. Beginner’s luck perhaps? Well Aston Villa and Liverpool will both be hoping that the bubble hasn’t burst for their managers.

4

While talking about starts, it’s a good time to remind all fans that the first week doesn’t make a season. Last year, Bolton beat QPR 4-0 on the opening day but it was they who were relegated, QPR surviving on the last day. Swansea also had a bad first day but were comfortable mid-table all season. Wolves were on seven points after three games, but were well relegated in bottom place by the end of the season. It’s easy to get down after opening disappointments, but remember a season is 38 games, not one.

5

I, like many people, have described this season for Liverpool as ‘transitional.’ The problem is that Liverpool fans are a little fed up of transitional seasons. The club hasn’t come close to realistically challenging at the top end of the table since Rafa Benitez’s side squandered a significant lead at the top of table in 2008/9 to Manchester United. If the 3-0 defeat to West Brom is anything to go by, transitional would be a blessing. Admittedly they were reduced to ten men, but West Brom put in a good shift and, despite having fewer star names, gelled better as a team. Even the usually reliable Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel were off the boil. And the continued castigation of Andy Carroll, who is surely deserving of a shot at regular games for Liverpool, is a shame.

6

QPR seem to get worse the more money they spend. New manager Mark Hughes was given a substantial transfer kitty in January to invest in the squad. Yet the team only proceeded to drop further into the relegation battle. More investment has gone ahead in the summer, but an embarrassing 5-0 drubbing by Swansea (a team many have tipped to struggle) indicates that money is not solving QPR’s problems.