Premiership Power Poll

Nearly a third of the season has now gone by, so let's take a look at how things stack up. The last poll was nearly two months ago, so some things will have changed. Others, not so much.

1. Chelsea (10-1-1, 31 pts)
(last poll: #1)
It's easy to be down on the Blues considering their recent form, but all signs suggest that this is merely a dry spell and hardly indicative of a permanent fall from grace, even though that would make the EPL season a lot more interesting. The five-game run that has seen Chelsea go 1-1-3 has included two non-League games, and while a draw at Goodison Park is nothing to brag about, a 1-0 loss at Old Trafford and dominating the second half isn't the end of the world. The loss to Real Betis is awkward but let's not forget that Chelsea won the reverse 4-0 at Stamford Bridge two weeks prior. Never mind that the previous two EPL games before the current stretch went by an aggregate 9-2 to Chelsea (at Anfield and home to Bolton). They'll be fine.

2. Manchester United (6-3-2, 21 pts)
(last poll: #3)
Let it never be said that the English press are quiet and reserved. The cries for Sir Alex Ferguson's head were loud and pronounced after the 4-1 tumble at Boro on October 29, and the 1-0 drop at Lille in the CL that same week didn't help matters, but after beating Chelsea on Sunday United are third in the league. They have yet to find a particularly inspiring form (and haven't really faced the best the EPL has to offer, with wins over Everton, Sunderland, Aston Villa and Fulham among their six) and have looked surprisingly poor at home... and yet they're no further adrift of Chelsea than any of the expected title contenders (with all due respect to low-scoring Bolton and promotion darlings Wigan). If United have already played their worst - and if you believe the commentators, how could they not have? - Chelsea could be in for a real fight this time around.

3. Arsenal (6-2-3, 20 pts)
(last poll: #7)
The fears for Arsenal have been less pronounced but no less existent... and barely less inaccurate. The Gunners have stumbled in a couple road matches at Boro (2-1 on September 10) and West Brom (2-1 on October 15), but they still haven't lost at home and are the only English club that can claim a 4-0-0 Champions League mark. For all the surprises of the early season, the teams at the top have yet to markedly change.

4. Wigan Athletic (8-1-2, 25 pts)
(last poll: #11)
It might seem unfair to put the Latics fourth while they find themselves second in the league and unbeaten in their last nine EPL contests, to say nothing of the fact that they lead the Premiership in goals conceded (with just five in 11 games!). However, six of Wigan's wins have come against teams currently in the bottom seven of the league, so we have yet to really see what they can do. Following the international break, the Latics take on Arsenal and Spurs in consecutive weeks - both at the JJB Stadium, where they have spent a large amount of time so far, but the matches should still give a decent indicator of whether or not Wigan are truly for real.

5. Bolton Wanderers (7-2-3, 23 pts)
(last poll: #8)
A Monday win over Spurs gave Bolton third place in the table, but Wanderers are old and their offense is questionable. They could be lined up to be this year's Everton, with two 1-0 wins and a 5-1 loss already under their belt. They've still started strong and have a couple solid road wins, but whether a team this aging can keep it up for a full season remains to be seen.

6. Tottenham Hotspur (5-5-2, 20 pts)
(last poll: #6)
Only Liverpool and Portsmouth are within one of Spurs' five draws through 12 games. None of the five has seen the teams score more than a goal apiece, but Spurs seem to pull through offensively when it matters, as they have only two losses, one coming to Chelsea.

7. Manchester City (6-2-4, 20 pts)
(last poll: #4)
Perhaps no team has been more up and down in the early season than the Blues. After running off five unbeaten games to continue their fine run from the end of last season, City fell to Bolton and Newcastle and crashed out of the Carling Cup at Doncaster. They rebounded to win three of their next four (the lone loss a 1-0 fall at Highbury), but dropped a 2-1 decision at Fulham. The new striker pair of Andy Cole and Darius Vassell has been fairly productive, with nine goals between them, but Cole has missed three matches through injury and the entire rest of the squad has found the net just six times so far. Though six wins from twelve isn't bad, City are still looking for a more consistent form.

8. Charlton Athletic (6-1-4, 19 pts)
(last poll: #2)
A 1-0 win over Wigan on August 20 has become the most impressive tally on Charlton's record, as the Addicks went from the feel-good story of the early season into a distant eighth in the current table. Just one league win since the start of October hasn't helped their cause, and a spotty Blackburn team whipped them on Saturday, 4-1 at Ewood Park. Ace striker Darren Bent hasn't scored in an EPL game since an October 1 loss to Spurs, and not in a win since September 10. With Man U coming to the Valley after the international break, and with a surprisingly poor home form so far (1-1-3), things may get worse for the Addicks before they get better.

9. West Ham United (5-3-3, 18 pts)
(last poll: #10)
Though perhaps not as lively as Wigan, the Hammers are showing good strength for a newly-promoted side. Their home form at Upton Park has been much better than their road form, but that's as you'd expect - while none of their wins are over top teams yet, they turned in a couple of dominant early performances, including a 4-0 thrashing of Aston Villa. The rest of November should provide some clues, with the Hammers traveling to White Hart Lane and then hosting Man U.

10. Liverpool (4-4-2, 16 pts)
(last poll: #5)
The Reds have played just ten games due to European commitments and have struggled on the road (only just earning their first road win over lowly Aston Villa), but they have held serve at Anfield, with only a loss to Chelsea. They seem to show more interest in the Champions League for a second straight year (and, for a second straight year, it seems to be working), with the prime example of this the back-to-back games against Chelsea at Anfield - a tightly-played 0-0 draw in the CL, followed by a 4-1 loss in the EPL. Still, with two games in hand and just two league defeats, Liverpool cannot be rated as low as their points would otherwise suggest.

11. Newcastle United (5-3-4, 18 pts)
(last poll: #15)
After a brutal start to the year that saw no goals until the fifth league game, the Magpies snapped up Michael Owen and seem to have turned it around somewhat, with three consecutive league wins now and a brace from Owen in a 3-0 win over West Brom on October 30. On the other hand, those three wins are against the three teams in the relegation zone, so you'll forgive me if I want to withhold full credit. Let's see how they handle a trip to Chelsea on the other side of the international break.

12. Blackburn Rovers (5-2-5, 17 pts)
(last poll: #12)
Rovers have been strong at home (4-1-1), but equally miserable on the road (1-1-4). With two consecutive away contests against top-six teams coming up, it's a treacherous stretch for Blackburn. Figuring out how to score some goals on the road (five in six games) would be useful.

13. Middlesbrough (4-3-5, 15 pts)
(last poll: #9)
If any team has been more up and down than Man City, it is surely Boro. The Teessiders have delivered losses to both Arsenal and Man U, the latter a 4-1 blasting that shook the foundations of Old Trafford, but they also stumbled at Goodison Park on Sunday and are the only team to lose to Sunderland - a 2-0 loss at the Riverside Stadium, no less.

14. Fulham (3-3-6, 12 pts)
(last poll: #14)
The Cottagers have lived up to their name with a solid home form, including wins over Liverpool and Man City and a close 3-2 loss to Man U, but on the road they have only sometimes shown up, to the tune of no wins, two draws, and four losses. All told, it's been an unremarkable start.

15. Portsmouth (2-4-6, 10 pts)
(last poll: #18)
With no wins in six home games, Pompey have failed to defend Fratton Park, and their two wins have come against lowly Everton and Sunderland. Draws against Boro and Newcastle have proven more encouraging, but really it's just hard to justify ranking Portsmouth any lower.

16. Everton (3-1-7, 10 pts)
(last poll: #16)
Despite getting two chances, the Blues crashed out of European competition early, and have faired little better on the domestic circuit. How they even have three wins is a miracle, considering they have scored a mere four goals all season - unsurprisingly, all three wins are 1-0 (over Bolton, Birmingham, and Boro), and equally unsurprisingly (and perhaps more distressingly), all seven of their losses have been shutouts. If David Moyes is still managing this club at the end of the year and they're putting up similar goal-scoring numbers, even if they aren't relegated, I'll be surprised.

17. Aston Villa (2-3-7, 9 pts)
(last poll: #13)
For a club that finished top half last year, Villa have been pretty well brutal to start this campaign. Just two wins - both 1-0 - and plenty of losses and goals conceded, including 4-0 at newcomers West Ham and 3-1 at Man City. Somehow Villa keep advancing in the Carling Cup; chalk it up to not yet having had to face another Premiership side.

18. West Bromwich Albion (2-2-8, 8 pts)
(last poll: #19)
The Baggies host Everton next, giving them a decent chance to pass Villa and move out of the relegation zone. They need all the home games they can get, though; in six road games West Brom are 0-2-4 with just one goal scored and ten conceded. By comparison, the 2-0-4 home form looks positively dominant.

19. Birmingham City (1-3-8, 6 pts)
(last poll: #17)
With the second-fewest goals scored - just seven - the Blues have been lucky not to look worse. After a middling finish last year, Birmingham have been positively rotten, squeaking out just a 3-2 win at fellow relegation zone club West Brom and scoring just four goals in their other 11 games.

20. Sunderland (1-2-9, 5 pts)
(last poll: #20)
The Black Cats continue to threaten their own record for futility by taking just five points from their first twelve games. With 11 goals they have looked livelier than some of their competition near the bottom, but by allowing 24 have played themselves out of virtually every game. Oddly enough, the single win came on the road, at Middlesbrough, but Sunderland have routinely given up three goals in losses. Back-to-back home games against Villa and Birmingham after the international break might provide an opportunity to move up in the world, however.