Sam Allardyce's first test as Blackburn Rovers manager is an Ewood Park meeting with Stoke City on Saturday.
Allardyce opens with Stoke test; Arsenal up against Liverpool
Sam Allardyce's first test as Blackburn Rovers manager is an Ewood Park meeting with Stoke City on Saturday.
Allardyce, who had spent much of the past fortnight stating his case to be the next Sunderland boss, was swiftly installed in the Rovers hot-seat in the wake of Paul Ince's departure after a mere 17 Premier League games at the helm.
Depending on your point of view, Black Cats chairman Niall Quinn has either missed out on one of the most talented English managers available, or has safely steered clear of an exponent of the not-so beautiful game.
Bolton supporters will eulogise about the man who established the Reebok Stadium outfit in the Premier League and guided them into Europe, while Newcastle fans have a slightly different opinion.
But given some of the Magpies faithful were against Allardyce even before he arrived and are unwilling to back anyone who is not Kevin Keegan, their views are perhaps not always the most coherent.
The bare facts of the matter are that the man who was once touted as a future England boss inherits a side five points adrift of safety and without a win in their last 11 league matches.
With Stoke scrapping to establish themselves in the top flight after their promotion from the Championship, Saturday's meeting may be short on aesthetic value, but will certainly not be lacking in commitment.
The arguments surrounding style over substance in the race for success will no doubt be raging again after
Arsenal's meeting with
Liverpool at Emirates Stadium on Sunday, live on
Sky Sports 1 and HD1.
While the Gunners have triumphed against Manchester United and Chelsea, defeats to Fulham, Hull City, Stoke, Manchester City and Aston Villa have placed huge question marks over their title credentials.
Their Merseyside visitors may be happy to be away from home turf, having been held in their last three Anfield outings against West Ham, the Cottagers and the Tigers, two of which saw them fail to trouble the scorers.
Rafa Benitez's men remain top by a single point from Chelsea, who are not in action until Monday night, while Manchester United are otherwise engaged at the Fifa Club World Cup, meaning the Reds have a real chance to state their credentials to end a 19-year wait for the league crown.
Dark horses
The dark horses in this season's title race are
Aston Villa, who have moved into fourth on the back of some free-scoring displays ahead of their trip to
West Ham on Saturday evening.
Martin O'Neill refuses to accept that his charges are serious challengers to the established 'Big Four', but the emergence and continued improvement of Gabriel Agbonlahor, Ashley Young and James Milner suggests the future is bright at Villa Park, as England boss Fabio Capello admitted this week.
Gianfranco Zola's Hammers go into the game on the back of an impressive 1-1 draw with his former club Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, but remain far too close to the drop zone for comfort after just one victory in their last 11 outings.
While Villa are flourishing,
Hull City deserve the greatest plaudits in their debut top-flight campaign as they prepare to welcome
Sunderland to the KC Stadium.
Last weekend's 2-2 draw at Anfield, when Phil Brown's fearless squad took a shock 2-0 lead before being pegged back by a Steven Gerrard brace, is the latest in a long line of memorable results for the Tigers.
Brown was mentioned as an early contender to replace Roy Keane in charge of the Black Cats, but was quick to distance himself from the reports, which is no surprise given the respective current position of both clubs.
Caretaker Ricky Sbragia is the new favourite for the Stadium of Light post after guiding the Wearsiders to a 4-0 romp against West Brom and with Allardyce deciding he prefers the North West to the North East.
Sunday's opening offering live on
Sky Sports 1 and HD1 sees struggling
West Bromwich Albion pitched against under-achieving
Manchester City.
While speculation rages over who Mark Hughes will be signing in the January transfer window, City have been slowly sliding down the Premier League table and are now only out of the bottom three on goal difference.
A battle to avoid relegation to the Championship is not what City's owners the Abu Dhabi United Group had in mind when they took charge in September and is unlikely to aid their quest to bring the world's best to Eastlands.
As the Blue half of Manchester dreams of seeing Kaka in their side, Baggies boss Tony Mowbray has to be content with much more realistic transfer aims, with Leroy Lita the latest player to be suggested as the answer to their scoring woes.
Hot property
Newcastle welcome
Tottenham to St James' Park on Sunday with the future of striker Michael Owen dominating the headlines on Tyneside and beyond.
With the England international out of contract in the summer, the Magpies have made the first approach with the offer of a new three-year deal which is currently being studied by the diminutive forward and his representatives.
Some critics have suggested Owen's recent improvement in front of goal owes more to the impending opening of the transfer window, but regardless of such cynicism the 29-year-old remains a proven and prolific marksman, which makes him hot property in the Premier League.
Spurs boss Harry Redknapp, who turned down the chance to take charge on Tyneside when he was still with Portsmouth after Allardyce's exit, has earned deserved praise for transforming the White Hart Lane club's fortunes, but they remain just one point above the bottom three.
Tony Adams stepped into the void left by Redknapp at
Portsmouth, while Gary Megson was installed by
Bolton after Sammy Lee was unable to fill Big Sam's shoes and the duo go head-to-head at the Reebok Stadium on Saturday.
Megson was named manager of the month for November, but has since seen the Trotters suffer successive defeats at the hands of Chelsea and Aston Villa, while Pompey saw their five-match unbeaten run brought to a shuddering halt in a 3-0 home defeat to Newcastle last time out.
The weekend's remaining fixture sees recent draw specialists
Fulham welcome
Middlesbrough to Craven Cottage.
Roy Hodgson's men, who can also boast the fourth-best defensive record in the top flight, have shared the points in each of their last four Premier League outings, although three of those games have been on the road.
On home turf they have won five of their eight fixtures and have been beaten just once, a record which will be the envy of many Premier League rivals.
Gareth Southgate's visitors are proving to be frustratingly inconsistent, having won away at Aston Villa and drawn at home to Arsenal in recent weeks while suffering defeats at the hands of Hull City and Bolton.
