This year’s Premier League has had no shortage of stories, given the happenings at Newcastle, Manchester City, Tottenham and Chelsea, but the most remarkable story of the season has been the under-reported plight of West Ham United. After going to Craven Cottage and winning 2-1 on Saturday, the Hammers occupy fifth place in a league in which some think they should have been relegated.

Those feelings come from last week’s decision by an independent review that found West Ham illegally used Carlos Tevez in avoiding relegation during the 2006-07 season. Tevez’s play at the end of that season created a minor legend for him amongst Hammers fans, but amongst Sheffield United followers, the Argentine forward represents everything that was unfair about their team’s relegation.

Tevez should not have been on West Ham, his transfer being handled through a “third party” (and agency that owned Tevez’s registration, against Premier League rules). Sheffield United’s claim isthey were wrongly relegated because of the use of an illegal player.  That claim was upheld by the independent review, and damages are to be awarded. Those damages, meant to compensate Sheffield United for losing out on Premier League revenue, are speculated to be between twenty-one and thirty million pounds, all of which will come out of West Ham’s coughers.

The news of the huge financial judgment is only one part of a summer-long saga engulfing Upton Park. It folows a summer sell-off of payers, the resignation of Alan Curbishley and the appoint of Gianfranco Zola as their new manager.

In the short-term, the decision will have no effect on the pitch, but for a club that was selling players this summer in an attempt to balance their books, it seems likely (despite denials) that January sales will happen.  Owned by Icelandic bankers, the now mythological Credit Crunch could also handcuff West Ham.

For now, Gianfranco Zola’s task is to accumulate as many points as possible before the next transfer window. The idea is to try and stave off relegation with a good run in the fall.

With two wins in two matches, the Italian manager is off to a great start. He has adjusted to the Hammers’ weakness along the back and in the middle by switching formation, going to a 4-3-2-1 that provides the back support while midigating their need for a creative presence in midfield.  The formation has also help offset the loss of striker Dean Ashton by moving the attack away from a tactic that was overly dependent on his scoring goals.

Now in attack, Zola will rely on countryman David Di Michele, last week’s ASR Player of the Week, and Matthew Etherington, who took his turn as Man of the Match against Fulham.  The product is very Italian in style, a team that does not mind their opponent controlling the ball.  While their opponent moves into attack, West Ham coils in preparation for a counter.

When the Hammers struck, Fulham was bitten twice in the waning moments of the first half. More than one viewer at home must have gone to the bathroom only to return to Fulham being down two goals. A Danny Murphy penalty kick pulled Fulham back to within one, but playing a man down after Andy Johnson’s 45th minute dismissal, the Cottagers were not able to get a second goal.

Hosting Bolton next weekend, Zola is given a prime chance to go into the next international match break having won three on the trot. A prolonged winning streak or a stint near the top of the table would be just another in a long line of remarkable headlines for this season’s Hammers squad.

Movement at the Bottom

We spend so much time looking at the top of the table that the machinations at the bottom are often overlooked. While I try to write game summaries each weekend updating ASR on what’s happening to the “Top Four,” the relegation-threated receive no such attention. This year, with Tottenham and Newcastle again spending time at the depths of the table, the stories near the Championship are almost as interesting as those near the Champions League.

This week, two recently-promoted sides took steps to distinguish themselves from the relegation-battlers. Hull’s miracle victory at Arsenal gives them 11 points on the season, as many as Derby had last campaign. West Brom got three huge points at Middlesbrough, helping them to offset the effects of a relatively difficult starting schedule.

These wins have helped created a group of four teams that are unwittingly positioning themselves for a relegation-battle. Newcastle and Tottenham have been well-covered. They are joined by Bolton and Stoke City, two teams who have lacked in both quality and form.

Bolton and Stoke are each teams that lack athleticism, relying on their size and strength to win via set pieces and direct play. While such a style used to be viable in England, the influx of talent from around the world means a league of bigger, stronger, faster players who can dispel such unimaginative attacks.

Unfortunately for both the Trotters and the Potters, there are not many other options for attack within their squads. Bolton and Stoke may not be the worst teams in the league right now, but they are the most likely sides to stay in this conversation throughout the year.

ASR Player of the Week: Fernando Torres, F, Liverpool

Torres made this week’s Player of the Week selection easy, scoring both goals in the Merseyside Derby to give Liverpool a 2-0 win, helping the Reds move back to the top of the table. The goals ended a mini-drought for the Spanish star, having gone goalless in league since the first match of the season. His performance was the main factor distinguishing Liverpool from Everton on Saturday, a level of differentiation no other player can claim in Week 6.  Thus, Torres wins ASR’s Player of the Week.

ASR Manager of the Week: Steve Bruce, Wigan

In ASR’s preview of Wigan’s match with Manchester City, we noted that the Latics lacked a presence on the left wing to match Antonio Valencia’s athleticism on the right, with containing wing play being the key to stopping the Citizens. In response, Bruce gave Olivier Kapo his first start of the season, deploying him to match-up on Shaun Wright-Phillip’s side. Though Wright-Phillips still found opportunities to be dangerous, it was the most containment the winger has encountered since moving from Chelsea.

Bruce also pressed the right buttons in the second half, knowing when and how to let up on the gas after going up 2-1. He moved Emile Hemsky from the middle to the left and gave Amr Zaki free rain up top. The Egyptian star got under the skin of center backs Richard Dunne and Micah Richards, heling sustain a attack that not only played out the rest of the clock but also won some set pieces and corners that nearly made it a two goal match.

Those small tactical advantages Bruce gave his side win him Manager of the Week over Phli Brown, who deserves some recognition for what he was able to motivate his team to do on Saturday.

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Manchester United may have saved their season on Sunday.

Though nobody would have written them off should they had left Stamford Bridge empty-handed, the Red Devils would have been nine points behind the Blues. Even if you think United a better squad than Chelsea, the difference between the two is not ten points over 34 matches. Ultimately, United showed that they are still to be taken as a serious contender for the league’s title.

United’s result also laid plain the gap between the top four and the rest of the league.

Rewind one week, when Liverpool’s win over Manchester United showed them a viable contender for something other than fourth place. The next day, Manchester City was given a decisive defeat by Chelsea.

One week later, Liverpool’s win looks even better after United’s result and City posts a 6-0 win over a Portsmouth team that was previously ranked fifth in the ASR Rankings. You can use that romp as reason to think Manchester City the fifth Premiership elite, but until City can post a better result against royalty than a 3-1 home defeat, they can not be considered nobility.

Instead, their 6-0 win over Pompey showed how incredibly good those top four clubs have become. City put on a remarkable show against Pompey, who days earlier had easily beat last year’s third place finishers from the Portuguese league. Yet City was still not good enough to really threaten Chelsea.  Rephrased:  City can post a 6-0 win over the FA Cup holders and still give little reason to consider them a threat to qualify for Champions League.  Their current quality can only go so far.

That quality - of City and the league’s stop four - is why England has dominated European football in recent years. Last year’s Champions League finalists where from England, with Liverpool also made the semifinals. This week, England clubs posted six wins and three draws in nine Champions League and UEFA Cup matches.  Those opening results continued England’s impressive run on the continent, providing more anecdotal evidence that documents the chasm between the top four and the rest of the league.

The “next level” clubs of the Premiership had four win and a draw in the UEFA Cup. Amongst those teams was Tottenham, who currently sit in last place in the league. If those teams are able to post positive results in Europe and the Premiership’s noble quartet has not been threatened by them in years, how good have Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool become?

Arsenal is the one club of that quartet that has yet to be mentioned in thsi conversation.   Having  yet to match-up against another of the league’s top sides,  it is difficult to determine where they stand.  But the argument can be made that the Gunners are best equipped to make a run over the next two months.

Arsenal may be young, inexperienced, and lacking in quality at center half, but the Gunners are ridiculously deep. Today in their Carling Cup win over Sheffield United, Arsenal got six goals, none of which were scored by players who would start in Arsene Wenger’s ideal XI. Players like Eduardo, Tomas Roskicky, Abu Diaby, Mikael Silvestre and Amaury Bischoff have yet to make an appearance.  As these players come back to health, Arsenal is going to be best equipped to navigate the busy months of fall.

As it concerns the Premiership, Arsenal’s schedule situates them for a surge. Along with Everton, they have the easiest schedule in the league.  They do not visit Stamford Bridge, Anfield, or Old Trafford until November 30. That means in every league game they will play for the next two months (nine fixtures) they will be the betting favorite. Even if you say they drop points to Manchester United at The Emirates on November 8, Arsenal could have 24 out of 27 points.

More likely, their point haul will be slightly lower, especially if they use this easy schedule as reason to concentrate on the Champions League and cup competitions. But after their 3-1 win at Bolton on Saturday - a match that saw them leave Robin van Persie and Theo Walcott out of the starting lineup - Arsenal is primed for a run. They don’t break into the number one spot in the ASR Rankings this week, but it seems only a matter of time.

ASR Player of the Week: David Di Michele, West Ham United

Without leading scorer Dean Ashton for their match against Newcastle United, West Ham looked to be wanting for goals in manager Gianfranco Zola’s debut. But thanks to Zola’s countryman, Torino loanee David Di Michele, Ashton was an afterthought in the Hammers’ 3-1 win over the Magpies.

All three scores started on the feet of Di Michele, who filled his boots with two scores and an assist in his first Hammers’ start. It was a level of dynamism that is uncharacteristic of a Hammer team usually so reliant on feeding Ashton and hoping he scores.  Di Michele’s performance strong enough to make you question Alan Curbishley’s not finding room for him before.

But between his new coach and this week’s performance, selection should no longer be a problem for West Ham’s new Italian star.

ASR Manager of the Week: Mark Hughes, Manchester City

As much as Zola may deserve this recognition for not only winning his Premier League debut but also infusing a confused club with some energy, Mark Hughes wins the award this week for leading his club to an absolute destruction of a good Portsmouth team.

Hughes reinserted Elano into the lineup for the first time since City acquired Shaun Wright-Phillips, a change that freed up the wings for Wright-Phillips and Stephen Ireland (with Elano, Robinho, and Jo presenting the thread in the middle). Those two wings, not Robinho, are the reason why Manchester City has gone from a team that was run out of Villa Park on the opening weekend to a club that can post 6 on Pompey.

Having the talent to win is one thing, but getting it to work is another. Hughes has put Manchester City on the right path.

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