What a difference a year makes

This time last year the top of the Premier League table looked like this:

1. Chelsea 15 36
2. Arsenal 15 35
3. Man Utd 15 34
4. Fulham 15 25

Now the top of the league looks like this…

1. Chelsea 15 36
2. Arsenal 15 31
3. Everton 15 30
4. Man Utd 15 27

…but further down it looks like this:

15. Fulham 15 14
16. Palace 15 13
17. Blackburn 15 13
18. South’ton 15 12
19. Norwich 15 12
20. West Brom 15 10

At this point last year we still had Louis Saha, who was banging them in for us, but is now warming the bench and the treatment table at Old Trafford. But we didn’t have Andy Cole, Claus Jensen, or Tomasz Radzinski, all of which you’d think would make us a better team, because other than those – almost all positive – changes, it’s the same bunch.

But after Saturday’s abysmal showing at home to then-bottom club Blackburn, things can’t get worse before they get better; they need to get better fast. Simply playing up to the level we know they’re capable of would get us there with room to spare.