SoccerNews.com

Who's Hot and Who's Not?

It is rare that a Scottish goalkeeper gets any praise but Sunderland’s Craig Gordon had a decent game against Liverpool on Saturday. He wasn’t overly tested by a pretty poor Liverpool side but when he was called upon near the end he made a fine double save to keep his side ahead. He has had a difficult couple of seasons with form and injury but he is looking good now.

Aston Villa’s Brad Friedel put himself in the frame for this award when he allowed Didier Drogba’s shot from distance to somehow get past him to give Chelsea the lead. However, Villa went on to win and Friedel went on to make some good saves and redeem himself.

Tottenham’s Gomez also made some very good saves but on many occasions at Portsmouth he looked like an absolute clown. It is a little harsh to give the award to a keeper who made some good saves and played on the winning team but he really is a liability.

Aston Villa’s James Collins scored the winning goal for his side against Chelsea on Saturday with a good, if totally free, header. Put that together with two absolutely top class last ditch tackles that he made to help his side to a great win and he is a worthy winner of this award this week.

No question about it this week. Stoke City’s Robert Huth lashed out wildly with his right arm and smacked West Ham’s Matthew Upson around the head. The incident was off the ball and totally unprovoked. Huth wasn’t even marking Upson at the set piece in question.

The referee didn’t see the incident so Huth avoided the inevitable red card. I assume that he will get a phone call today advising him that he has been charged with violent conduct and will get a deserved three match ban. It was a ridiculous thing to do.

David Dunn was regarded as one of the best prospects in the game as a youngster. He then went on to have a series of damaging injuries that have meant he has never quite been able to realise his early potential.

His goal and his performance in Blackburn’s derby win over Burnley showed just what might have been if he had stayed free of injuries. He was exceptional.

Portsmouth’s Michael Brown was one of many people facing his old club in the Portsmouth against Tottenham game. He has always had a reputation as being a little hot-headed and for not being afraid to put in a tackle. Even he, however, has probably never got to the second minute of injury-time without being booked and then managed to pick up two yellow cards and get sent off. That was impressive.

Robin van Persie has got the lot. He is quick, strong, clever and has that little bit of nastiness that top players all seem to have. He is another player who may not have quite reached the heights of performance that he promised as a younger player but he is still a wonderful player.

The control and finish that he produced to put Arsenal ahead against Birmingham had real quality written all over it.

He scored another goal and has had a really good start to the season. Jermain Defoe will probably go to the world cup and he could end up being a national hero. His silly and petulant stamp on an opponents leg in Tottenham’s game at his old club Portsmouth on Saturday showed an immaturity and a lack of big game temperament. I’m sure Capello will have been watching with interest.

Sunderland, Tottenham and Arsenal all deserve to be nominated but I’m going for Aston Villa who were excellent in their win against a Chelsea side that played really well. They are an exciting team and they deserved their win.

I am getting a little worried for Gianfranco Zola and his West Ham team. Their off field problems are well publicised but things on the field of play are starting to look pretty concerning as well. Their 2-1 defeat at Stoke has left them sitting second from bottom and wondering where their next win will be coming from. Arsenal next weekend is not exactly the game they would have wanted.

Last 5 posts by Graham Fisher

• European round-up: Higuain hat-trick keeps Real Madrid top - March 17th, 2010
• Timing of Brown sacking seems strange - March 16th, 2010
• Premier League - Who's Hot and Who's Not? - March 15th, 2010
• Who is your Premier League manager of the season so far? - March 14th, 2010
• Premier League predictions - March 13th, 2010