Magpies soaring high

Another Premier League recess is on as England play two friendly matches against Spain and Sweden in preparation for next year’s European Championship.

Leaders Manchester City are still dominating the Premier League but the early-season accolades should go to Newcastle who are still unbeaten and are currently third in the Premier League standings, just one point behind Manchester United.

Magpies boss Alan Pardew reckons his team’s bright start to the campaign owes much to the players’ commitment in training and also to their battling skills in competition.

Last weekend, Newcastle beat Everton at St James’ Park (to be renamed Sports Direct Arena) to extend their unbeaten run to 13 matches.

Injury to playmaker Yohann Cabaye, however, was a massive blow for Newcastle.

The departures of Jose Enrique, Joey Barton, Kevin Nolan and Andy Carroll failed to derail Pardew’s plans as he came up with the right solutions for the team.

Following their remarkable Champions League victory at Villarreal, Manchester City had to dig deep to chalk up all the points at Queen’s Park Rangers and keep their five-point advantage on Manchester United.

Roberto Mancini was awarded with the manager of the month award in October as the Etihad Stadium is full of promise and confidence that the Blues can lift at least one big prize this season.

At Old Trafford last weekend, the champagne flowed freely following Manchester United’s win over Sunderland as manager Alex Ferguson marked his 25th anniversary at the club.

Many were those who congratulated Sir Alex who had the North Stand named after him in recognition of his long association with the Red Devils.

In their last outing, Chelsea bounced back from two suc-cessive Premier League defeats with victory over Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park.

The Blues are currently fourth in the standings, nine points adrift of leaders City.

Harry rests

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp will have to rest a few more days before returning to the touchline after undergoing heart surgery last week.

Yet, Spurs continued on their winning ways at Fulham on Sunday to join Chelsea on the 22-point mark.

Liverpool’s poor show in a 0-0 draw with Swansea at Anfield did not go down well with the fans.

Manager Kenny Daglish is unable to shake up the team as his players struggle to break down opponents with striker Andy Carroll producing another low-key performance against the newly-promoted side.

Arsenal seem to have put behind them the shambolic start to the season as they are now up to seventh place.

Captain Robin van Persie has been the catalyst of the Gunners’ revival as his prolific form not only lifted his team but also made him the current top scorer in the league with 11 goals.