After 12 games of the season it's my part-season progress report

When Arsenal v Tottenham and Liverpool v Crystal Palace finish their games today, we will be at the 12-game mark in this season's Premier League. The international break is next so it's a good time to look at where things are and what might transpire between now and the end of the current campaign. The league table looks like this-

Premier League

Pos.	Team	P	GD	Pts.
1No movement	Man City	12	17	26
2No movement	Arsenal	11	13	25
3No movement	Leicester	12	5	25
4No movement	Man Utd	12	9	24
5No movement	West Ham	12	7	21
6No movement	Tottenham	11	10	20
7No movement	Southampton	12	6	20
8No movement	Everton	12	4	17
9No movement	Liverpool	11	0	17
10No movement	Crystal Palace	11	1	16
11No movement	Watford	12	-1	16
12No movement	Stoke	12	-2	16
13No movement	West Brom	12	-6	14
14No movement	Swansea	12	-4	13
15No movement	Norwich	12	-7	12
16No movement	Chelsea	12	-7	11
17No movement	Newcastle	12	-9	10
18No movement	Bournemouth	12	-13	8
19No movement	Sunderland	12	-13	6
20No movement	Aston Villa	12	-10	5

I'll start here with my awards for so far this season and my predictions for the end of the season.

Over achievers 

This is a close-run thing but I think that by virtue of having four more points, I'll give this to Leicester City over West Ham United. Mahrez and Vardy in particular have been great going forward but the thing that has put Leicester in their lofty position is their spirit. They just don't know when they are beaten.

Under achievers

This isn't a close-run thing at all. To go from comfortable champions to 16th place is terrible. It's never happened before. I put the blame squarely at the manager's feet. He has undermined the staff, upset the players, blamed everyone except for himself and disrupted a team that looked so unified last season.

Player of the (part) season

The exploits of Jamie Vardy have been remarkable but the stand-out player in the matches I've watched has been Dimitri Payet. His skill, running and vision have been a delight to watch and have transformed West Ham from average to very good.

Relegation candidates

I said at the start of the season that I thought Sunderland, Newcastle and Aston Villa would be relegated. I stand by two of these but I think that Newcastle United have shown enough progress under Steve McClaren to survive. Bournemouth have has a rotten run of injuries and I think that losing Callum Wilson is a blow they can't recover from.

Champions (and Champuons League)

I think that there many be a new face in next season's Champions League as I think Spurs can make the top four this year. In my opinion they will be joined by the two Manchester clubs and Arsenal. I think that Chelsea have left themselves too much to do, even at this relatively early stage. My tip for champions is Manchester City again, but I think that Arsenal and Manchester United will run them close and make it a fight right up until the last couple of fixtures. Sergio Aguero remaining fit will be the deciding factor as neither of the other clubs have a goalscorer that can compete with him.

Let's see how things go!

Has the Champions League started to disappear? Read where it's gone to!

The Champions League in England and English football is going through a little bit of an identity crisis at the moment. The relative lack of success of English teams in the last few editions is a major factor. After the successes of the years 2005 to 2009 when we had six finalists (and two winners) in five years, there have only been two finalists since.

Manchester City have really struggled with the competition ever with the money they have spent, the stars at their disposal and their success domestically. Yaya Toure, David Silva and Sergio Aguero have not had an impact.

Last season Liverpool were a huge disappointment and this season has seen some very mixed results in the early group stages. There seems to be a real threat to our fourth place in the competition from Italy.

But it's not just the drop in results that is affectng the competition. It happened with the FA Cup when coverage left the terrestrial channels for a more obscure channel. It was one of the reasons that the competition lost some prestige and excitement.

Now that the Champions League has moved from ITV and Sky completely, the competition has lost some visibility. I feel that the newspapers cover it less, the sports news on the BBC and ITV pay it less attention and it disappears from view a bit more. The little erosion of visibility makes a big difference. I don't always watch the group games with great vigour but I'm not really watching much at all this year. When the knockout starts I might feel differently but the fate of English clubs will have a bearing on that.

The two Manchester clubs is rate about 50-50 before this weeks games, with Chelsea at 60-40 and Arsenal currently at 40-60 after the first three rounds. The problem can be with qualifying second in the group and a horrible Round of 16 draw. I love to see English clubs test themselves against European greats such as Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid. But meeting these teams too early in the competition has been part of out relative failure since the last English winner - Chelsea in 2012.

Let's look forward to a successful and exciting Champions League this season and some good progress for the English clubs.

Take a look at a couple of free football games that will make the weekend's matches more exciting

I like to take a look at the different aspects of football in my blog. I believe that football is more than just the things that happen on the pitch, and about more than the things that happen in the Premier League. I've taken the time to look at the following in recent weeks-

The best food to eat while watching football - http://inofftheblogpost.blogspot.com/2015/09/whats-best-food-to-go-with-football.html

Perfect football Christmas gifts - http://inofftheblogpost.blogspot.com/2015/09/so-your-child-wants-to-be-footballer.html

This ultimate football quiz site - http://inofftheblogpost.blogspot.com/2015/10/take-look-at-fun-footie-quiz-website.html

And it's by looking at the periphery sometimes that opens up my eyes to the wonderful world of football.

A couple of things have been reignited in my eyes this week - both testing your skill (and luck) and both free of charge.

Super 6

This is a free app provided by Sky Sports and tests your football knowledge for a potential £250,000 prize. Each week they state 6 fixtures, all Saturday 3pm, and ask you to guess the correct scores. Be the only person to get all 6 completely correct and win the top prize. If more than one person gets them all current then the closest guess to the first goal time is the winner. With 5 points for a correct score and 2 points for a correct result, if there's no £250k winner then the top point scorer gets £20,000. The idea is a good one and gets people watching Gillette Soccer Saturday, gets downloads of their app and gives Sky a chance to market Sky Bet to an audience that already has expressed an interest in predicting football scores. And it's a worthwhile bit of weekly fun for you football fans out there.

Fantasty football

This is a development borrowed from American Football and allows the manager in you to compete against friends, family and the world. It's been here for 20+ years but is still going strongly, with the newspapers in particular pushing sign-ups. I prefer the official game on the Barclays site, as it allows you to build a squad, make substitutions and transfers. It does, however, take up a bit if time every week as you plot substitutions, transfers and captains. But once you are in a league against your friends or work colleagues it's all worthwhile and adds to the enjoyment of the football fixtures as well as provoking some friendly rivalry. If you're not yet part of a game I suggest you give it a try - most are free to join and will provide a little fun and the chance to win a prize.

I'll keep looking at different ways to enjoy football and I'll post all the angles on here!

The ref got it wrong, got it right, got it wrong

In the aftermath of the derby match, I thought I'd let the dust, the inquest and my thoughts settle before returning to the blog. The events of late in the first held decided a game that has looked to be flowing, passing attack against stuttering nervous defence up until then.

I was impressed with Newcastle's composure and their passing game was looking like controlling the game, even though they hadn't created any solid chances in the first half. Sunderland didn't turn up, either in terms of quality or passion and it looked quite ominous for them as half time approached.

Injury prompted changes up front and I'm defence. O'Shea leaving to be replaced by Coates made the back line look even creakier - if that was possible. Defoe on for Toivonen was a move that added more than it took away. Defoe had a point to prove and came in full of a work rate that Toivonen seemed to lack.

The first incident from my headline was the lack of a penalty for a blatant Jack Colback handball. The referee seemed perfectly positioned but didn't give it. Colback had his hands raised and this incident seems to have slipped under the radar in the aftermath of the next one. The Coloccini foul was a definite penalty - no attempt to play the ball and a clear, silly foul. So I think that the ref got this one right. But the decision to send Coloccini off was wrong, in my view. It was a foul but a penalty felt like it was enough.

So, the future. It looks brighter for Newcastle, based on their ability to retain the ball. Sunderland struggled with pace, intensity, passing, organisation, passion and ball retention. Big Sam has some real work to do in the training ground to get his ideas across. The team needs to pick up points regularly before the transfer window opens and he can buy.

Let's hope that there's something more to get out if these players because the evidence so far this season suggests they are in real trouble.

Read about the key battle areas ahead of the Sunderland v Newcastle derby

It's a big day in the North East of England on Sunday with the Wear-Tyne derby. No matter where the two teams are in the league, this match is huge. I think it's a actually intensified with the fact that the two teams are in lowly league positions, although Newcastle will feel a little less pressure than Sunderland after getting their first win under their belts with a 6-2 home win over Norwich City at the weekend. Both teams have a new manager (at Sunderland, though we are in a permanent state of having a new manager) and both managers will have a point to prove. Both managers will have a point to prove to the Newcastle United fans after Big Sam Allardyce's failed tenure at St James Park in the past and Steve McClaren's lacklustre start.

The fact of the matter is that Sunderland have a recent hold over the Magpies with five wins in a row, and home advantage on Sunday. The passion of the home fans, if the home team is in the game, is a massive boost for either of these clubs. The fans are immense and the support that they give their players both home and away is up there with the best in the game.

What will be the deciding factors?

Discipline

I think that the team that keeps their head will stand a much better chance of winning this one. With Colback, Cattermole, Tiote and M'Villa potentially all playing in the centre of midfield there's bound to be a lot of tackles flying in and there will almost certainly be yellow cards galore. Players having to think twice about a challenge for fear of a second booking can turn the game, especially if it's tight,

Goals

I know it seems obvious that goals will decide a game but until the six that they scored against a poor Norwich team, Newcastle had struggled to find the net. Sunderland still struggle to find the net. So it's a match where chances will mean so much more. Will Wijnaldum keep up his goalscoring form from the last match? Will Allardyce disagree with previous manager Advocaat and play Jermain Defoe up front on his own? The answers to these questions will also provide answer to the question "who will win the match?"

The fans

I've mentioned it before but I think that after a rough time for both clubs recently, the fans will be in great voice. Both sets of fans will be looking forward to this match immensely and there will be a crackle of excitement around the cities for the next few days. Thierry Henry was amazed by the atmosphere in the stadium in last years match at the Stadium of Light. But this excitement can go the other way. Fans of both clubs can get on the players backs if things start to go wrong for the team. Sunderland fans have made a habit of leaving the stadium before half-time in recent seasons, while Newcastle fans have been hugely critical of the owner and his cronies. If Newcastle start well then the home fans can quickly get under the skin of the players and you can see the confidence drain away.

I can see this one being really close and a lucky bounce or mistake settling it. I'm not sure which way, but I can see another 1-0.

Take a look at the fun Footie Quiz website and challenge yourself

As you know, In Off The Post is always looking at all sides of the world of football and this week I have come across this great website called http://www.footiequiz.co.uk/ It has 27,000 football quiz and trivia questions for you to try and thousands of different quizzes on clubs, competitions and footballer players. It got me thinking about which players, past of present, would be top of the league in Footie Quiz? Much has been said about players such as Paul Scholes, Andres Iniesta and Zinedine Zidane being intelligent footballers, but what about intelligence off the field of play?

Current Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet may take some stopping (especially among keepers who are usually regarded as crazy) as he has a Degree in Law and Political Science, and can speak four languages. So as a natural speaker of English, French, Dutch and German, I think that his specialist subject would be the Champions League- http://www.footiequiz.co.uk/subject/champions-league

One player that I always thought had an on the pitch football intelligence about him was Dennis Bergkamp. And Bergkamp got himself a degree in medical engineering at the University of Bath during his time at Arsenal. Known as the non-flying Dutchman, I don’t think that Dennis would like to go too far to find the answers to his questions and I think that he would like to be test his memory with questions on himself- http://www.footiequiz.co.uk/subject/dennis-bergkamp

When I started to look into intelligent footballers I kept coming across the name of Frank Lampard. I dismissed this immediately because I remember his post-match interviews and don’t really remember being overwhelmed with intelligent responses. So I looked a little further and in fact he has an amazing IQ of 150, which puts him in the top half a percent of the world population and considered the level of genius! That IQ score is only 10 points behind Albert Einstein. Being a player that has played in 20 of the 23 completed Premier League seasons I think that his specialist subject could only be the Premier League- http://www.footiequiz.co.uk/subject/premier-league

I watched a recent episode of Countdown on Channel 4 and both Matt Le Tissier and Graeme Le Saux appeared on it, Le Tissier as a contestant (with 3 consecutive wins) and Le Saux in dictionary corner.

Both noted for a level of intelligence on and off the pitch, I think that as Le Saux and Le Tissier played together I would set Graeme questions on his former teammate to really test their friendship- http://www.footiequiz.co.uk/subject/matthew-le-tissier

While Le Tissier netted another hat-trick with three wins on the show and made his name in his playing career as a one club man. That club was Southampton and I can’t see anywhere past his beloved Saints as the subject where he would score the most points - http://www.footiequiz.co.uk/subject/southampton

Having an intelligence on the football pitch doesn’t always follow that the player has intelligence in real life, but the most engaging way for you to get involved in the world of football intelligence is to test yourself against the best on the Footie Quiz website.

Liverpool couldn't decide where the blip was

The sacking of Brendan Rodgers from Liverpool hasn't really gone as a big suprise to the football community. Being a Liverpool manager that doesn't win trophies is a treacherous position. Rodgers has paid the price for the success of past managers and the fans still believe that it's the 1980's and that they are the world's biggest club. To compete in the top level, Champions League is an absolute must and Liverpool haven't been able to deliver that consistently. This affects both their recruitment and their ability to keep hold of their top players.

Any dressing room that had lost players of the quality and character of Luis Suarez, Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher and Raheem Sterling in a short period of time would suffer. The influence, passion and connection with the fans that both Carragher and Gerrard carried can't be replaced in the transfer market. Suarez and Sterling wanted to play on the Champions League and Liverpool can't make those promises.

To my mind, though the biggest question is "when was the blip?"

The first season for any manager can be put to one side, unless they make a complete mess of things like Paolo Di Canio did at Sunderland. It's a chance for a new manager to assess the existing players. A chance to bring in some new faces and establish their own philosophy and playing style. And Rodgers got this.

His second season was the one where the team played fantastic attacking football and were a Gerrard slip away from possibly winning the league. Suarez the player was magnificent that season, even if Suarez the man reared his ugly head more than once. The partnership with Sterling and Sturridge often blew teams away. Matches were over before they started as a flurry of Liverpool goals flew in and the opposition has no answer.

Then last season was very poor - in fact if you ignore in a great run in the middle it was awful. The Suarez money (and more) was largely squandered as the flawed transfer committee bought Mario Balotelli, Rickie Lambert, Dejan Lovren and Lazar Markovic among others.

And so to the Summer of 2015 and the conversations with the board about the blip. I'm sure that Rodgers maintained that the season 2014/15 was the blip. This was the season that things went a little bit wrong, and that the 2nd place and title challenge of 2013/14 was the real Rodgers Liverpool. But from the outside it appeared obvious what had happened. The 2nd place was a Suarez-inspired feat and not one brought about by Brendan Rodgers. The goals scored by Suarez weren't just plentiful, they were scored at crucial times to kill teams off and win games they otherwise wouldn't have won.

FSG and the hierarchy should have spotted this Summer that the blip was the good season and not the bad. I think that they felt some loyalty towards the man that had given the club their first shot at the league for a long, long time.

What's next? For Liverpool probably Juergen Klopp. For Rodgers it's time to start rebuilding that reputation a little. Sunderland are looking for a new manager and a new direction.....