1 – Kasper Schmeichel must have a famous goalkeeping father…
Despite being on the wrong side of a 2-1 score line, Kasper Schmeichel can look back at what was a very impressive performance as Charlton Athletic defeated Leicester City at The Valley. Living up to his father’s reputation – Peter Schmeichel, arguably the best goalkeeper the Premier League has ever seen – was also going to be hard but Kasper is slowly proving himself as a very good goalkeeper. The young Dane pulled off a handful of fantastic saves, including a spectacular double to keep out Yann Kermorgant and Simon Church, however it was not enough as The Foxe’s unbeaten run came to an end at The Valley.
2- Blackpool must hold on to Tom Ince
Despite struggling to put a fully fit team together, Blackpool grabbed their fourth win out of five against Watford and of course it was down to their star player: Tom Ince. The winger wandered through the defence after picking the ball up in the final third before curling a peach of an effort into the bottom left corner. Ince was not match and his father has admitted that he would have preferred not to use him but circumstances forced the issue, yet his wonderful solo effort leaves the Seasiders top of the Championship having their best start to a league campaign since 1935.
3 – Bolton look in real trouble
When Dougie Freedman left Crystal Palace to join Bolton Wanderers, the expectation was that the Trotters would now be in the Premier Leauge but ironically it was Palace who made it. Now in his first full season as manager at the Reebok stadium many tipped Bolton for promotion but five games in and they are rooted to the bottom of the table with only two points and were thrashed this weekend by a resurgent Blackburn Rovers. The Trotters are showing minor glimpses of quality but defensively they’re all over the place and show little upfront, they look in real trouble.
4 – Burnley continue to surprise
With the sale of top scorer Charlie Austin to QPR this summer, few predicted anything other than midtable at most for Burnley but with a convincing 3-0 win over Derby County this weekend, they continue to surprise. The Clarets dominated from the first whistle and as Danny Ings opened up the scoring after 15 minutes before inform striker Sam Vokes doubled the lead from six-yards. Jason Shackell then netted the third with a fine volley, a score line that flattered Derby. Admittedly, Sean Dyche’s men are yet to face a real test this season but the current start will have the playing squad full of confidence: a handy tool against the top teams. They currently lie third in the league.
5- Jordan Rhodes is destined for the Premier League
Another week, another goal for Jordan Rhodes and it was yet another couple of fine finishes for the 23 year-old, this time against Bolton Wanderers. The striker ran onto a David Dunn pass before turning Zak Knight inside out (albeit getting a little lucky with the deflection) and then placed the ball inch perfect in the corner far from the reach of Bolton keeper Adam Bogdan. The Oldham born forward then netted a second with 7 minutes remaining, latching onto a Todd Kane cross and finishing with ease, helping Rovers to a 4-1 victory. Manager Gary Bowyer faces a nervous Monday to see if any of the top flight comes in for his star player with the asking fee a reported £8m.
