More Aggravation

This weekend saw Sir Alex ranting and raving like a child over the performance of the referee. Evidently, Fergie does not approve of the refs level of fitness, claiming that he was not running up and down the pitch as he believes the ref should have. Sounds like sour grapes to me, given the unimpressive one point Man U earned themselves at home to Sunderland.

Chelsea looked like they were playing to redeem themselves after an embarrassing loss to Wigan and a less than stellar Champions League win. They beat a sorry looking Liverpool quite easily. This is a problem since it is looking more and more likely that Chelsea, along with six-goal scoring Arsenal (against Blackburn) will both be poised to move in on the top two spots. Man City, the new top four contender, drew against Villa, but are far from being counted out.

Tottenham looks like they have lost a little momentum, but their run for the top is unlikely to have met its end.

Meanwhile, Portsmouth won their first game of the season. Congratulations might have been in order until one considers that their players weren't paid last week. This has to do with the ongoing ownership saga, which now appears to have come to an end. Pompey has owners, the players are getting paid, and the team might have enough funding in January to stave off a predicted relegation at seasons end.

Speaking of the bottom, my poor West Ham slid down the table one place to 18th. A draw against Fulham is indeed a much needed respite from consecutive losses, but our position on the table is troubling. As the press have mentioned time and time again, the last season in which we performed as poorly was the season we were relegated. I truly don't think we will get relegated, but it has become clear that we will be facing an uphill battle through new year. I have faith in Zola, and I think the problem lies in the mentality of the players more than anywhere else.

Meanwhile, Burnley continues to have an unstoppable ferocity at home. Bolton has also been performing well lately. Good luck to all of them.