Just over half a dozen games in and the Premier League is beginning to take shape. There have already been some heavyweight clashes with the newly oil rich Man City upsetting Big 4 stalwarts Arsenal while Spurs’ flying start was kept in check by Manchester United and Chelsea. With the electric Fernando Torres leading the line Liverpool have steadied the ship after a nervy start and last year’s pretenders, Aston Villa, have picked up useful points despite not fully hitting top form yet.

So we’re a month or so in to 2009/10, and it’s been pretty hectic, to say the least. Lots of flashpoints, talking points and most importantly, lots of football. So what have been the characteristics of this opening month that have captured the imagination?

This week’s Ultimate 11’s is new blogger Ashley Straws’ Derby County. Now all you tennage glory hunters probably won’t remember but Derby County were a top team back in the day, in fact they won the old Division 1 championship in 1972 and 1975.

You may well have seen this weeks little darling on Soccer AM. It’s the lovely Lauri Cox from Middlesbrough. Lauri is a Sports Therapist student and supports her home team Middlesbrough and has been a season ticket holder for the last 10 years. She even went to the UEFA Cup Final a few years back, now that’s commitment.

Hear ye! Hear ye! The court is in session, Judge Longshot presiding.

A fortnight back, the right honorable Mickey Marbles told you how outraged he was th

We’ve all been there; somebody has dangled a carrot in front of us and instead of thinking through the various pros and cons we quickly take the plunge. Our excuse for what we did was that it’s a bit “out there” and less work for more money is always worth it isn’t it? Sol Campbell yesterday cancelled the five year contract at Notts County on “mutual terms” with the clubs executive chairman Peter Trembling and director of football Mr Sven- Goran Ericksson. The “oldest club in British football” strongly insisted that the split had been amicable and best for both parties, but we may never know what caused Campbell to leave so swiftly and seemingly without reason.

Throughout the history of football, there has always been players that seem impervious to harm, hurling themselves at all sorts of challenges with no regard for personal safety (or the safety of the opposition for that matter). This years batch of players are no different. The premiership being the most physical league in the world (citation?) means that tough guys from all over congregate and compete to see who dishes out the most pain.

It doesn’t take much to wind up the average football fan these days. The average football fan (a long suffering male who enjoys beer and has delusions of grandeur for his team of overpaid primadonnas) is drawn to controversial issues like a moth to the proverbial flame. There is little doubt then that the events of the weekend past will have left a lot of fans more than a little wound up.

There were many points proven in this weekend’s Manchester derby. Man Utd proved they really do never give up, City proved that they can play amongst the big boys even when not deserving it, and Mark Hughes proved that without realising he is already becoming a manager in the ilk of his opposite number on sunday. But the biggest point was proven by United’s new supersub Michael Owen, proving why he has to be in Fabio Capello’s England squad next summer.

Over the past few years Rio Ferdinand and Jamie Carragher have consistently been in the top 5 central defenders in the Premier League. In fact, I make Rio the best bar none for the past 5 years. I watched two games this weekend and Ferdinand and Carragher both looked as though the landlord was getting ready to call time at the bar.