Thursday 10 December 2015 11:14, UK
Ed Chamberlin takes a look back at a busy week of football, including Craig Bellamy on Monday Night Football, Leicester's title hopes and Mark Hughes' impressive managerial record.
"We've found the only man more unpopular than Gary Neville". A text book 'Jamie Carragher welcome' for Craig Bellamy, who joined us this week on Monday Night Football. I really enjoyed speaking with Craig on the show about the change in the role of the centre forward.
From August 2001 when he made his debut for Newcastle, when every team bar Manchester United started with two up front, through to last weekend in the Premier League when only three teams - Watford, Newcastle and Leicester - started with two up top. Playing two strikers is no longer in fashion.
It was also interesting to hear Craig talk about how, as a coach, he still prefers a striker to have pace over strength, and the dangers of players being over coached. The secret for a player like Bellamy himself and a Jamie Vardy is to keep their 'rawness'.
We see Vardy in what should be a cracking Monday Night Football as the leaders host the champions. Frank Lampard will be our guest this time.
Leicester were as big as 5,000/1 to win the title with Sky Bet before the season started but have crashed down to just 28/1 now and are only 4/1 to finish in the top four. What a story. You can sense punters are starting to think in this crazy season whether it might actually be possible. We will find out over the Christmas period because after Chelsea they play Everton, Liverpool, Man City and Tottenham in quick succession. If Leicester are still near the top of the tree when the Christmas decorations come down then they will have to be taken very seriously. Monday night will be fascinating.
Saturday was another Premier League day full of surprises. None bigger than Bournemouth's win at Stamford Bridge, becoming the first reigning second tier champions to win away at the reigning champions in Premier League history, and Stoke stunning Manchester City at the Britannia Stadium.
In a season when away teams have thrived in the Premier League, Stoke do it as well as anyone. They were able to play like an away side against City, catching them cold. Mark Hughes' team defend brilliantly with two deep-lying midfield players giving the back four an excellent screen and from that solid base they spring brilliantly with Ibrahim Affellay, Bojan, Xherdan Shaqiri and Marko Arnautovic absolutely lethal on the break. I saw them first-hand do a job on Southampton at St Mary's and they were even better against City.
Mark Hughes deserves huge credit yet he gets few headlines. Alan Pardew talked last week about bosses from these shores being regarded as an 'underclass'. If a foreign manager was transforming Stoke like Mark Hughes is they would be being lorded from the rooftops. Craig Bellamy raved about him as a boss, explaining how Hughes says little on the training pitch but when he does speak, the players listen. Hughes had a stunning CV as a player and his managerial career is back on track too. In seven full seasons as a manager in the Premier League he's never finished outside the top 10. He's at it again this season despite a nightmare start. They failed to win any of their first six games and were in the bottom three but in the nine games since Stoke have picked up six wins, 19pts and they're now 11th in the table.
Stoke are at West Ham on Saturday, and the Hammers have suffered yet another hammer blow with the excellent Manuel Lanzini ruled out for a few weeks. Stoke will surely be popular at 2/1 with Sky Bet.
Super Sunday starts with Aston Villa (11/2 with Sky Bet) against Arsenal (8/15). Remi Garde against his mentor Arsene Wenger.
Aston Villa got an excellent point at St Mary's last weekend but the truth is they could and should have been three down inside ten minutes. The other results went against them last weekend and it's looking bleak for Villa six points adrift at the bottom, 7pts from safety and they are 2/9 with Sky Bet to go down. Aston Villa have only got six points and the only team in Premier League history to have had fewer points after 15 games is Sunderland who had five in 2005 and they were relegated. No team has survived from their position as four other teams have had six points from their opening 15 games and all were relegated.
On Sunday, Villa play an Arsenal side who have had the sign over them on their own patch. Arsenal have won 42 Premier League points at Villa Park - more than they have at any other away ground. The Gunners are unbeaten in their last 16 League visits to Aston Villa, which is their longest unbeaten run at any away venue in Premier League history.
After that we are at White Hart Lane for a fascinating clash between Tottenham (4/11) and Newcastle (7/1). Spurs are so reliable under Mauricio Pochettino and remain unbeaten since the opening day - they haven't gone 15 top tier games unbeaten since 1967 - while it's anyone's guess if we'll see the Newcastle team that have won at White Hart Lane for the last two seasons and were so good against Liverpool last weekend, or the one that was so inept against Leicester and Crystal Palace.
