Back (completely) from vacation now and right away got interested in the continuity of starting line-ups so far this season after watching last weekend’s action, as those who listened to the show this morning know.

Here below is a more full illustration of that monologue during the “Three Points” segment. I liked this data because it seemed to reflect the personality about each different way every team has started their season. Also, during my interview with Brian Mullan last month, he talked about the saintly patience (or “satanic,” depending on who you ask) of Dominic Kinnear, pictured above, coming into play during the rough Houston start. That is reflected down here as well:

NUMBER OF DIFFERENT STARTERS USED

Houston 13
Salt Lake 13
Kansas City 15
New England 15
San Jose 15
Seattle 15
Toronto 16
Chicago 16
Chivas 16
Colorado 16
Dallas 17
DC United 17
Columbus 18
Los Angeles 19
New York 20

NUMBER OF TOTAL SUBSTITUTIONS MADE

New England 6
Houston 7
Colorado 13
Dallas 13
DC United 13
Seattle 13
Los Angeles 14
New York 14
Toronto 14
Columbus 15
Salt Lake 15
Kansas City 16
San Jose 17
Chicago 17
Chivas 19

If you really look at both categories, you can see how insulated that Dynamo lineup has been. Maybe that brings up some worthy questions about the team’s depth. Speaking of that, also in play within the graphic here is another signal of Chivas’ superior mix of back-end talent. They have subbed fairly freely and survived easily with their need to tinker around that starting lineup ravaged by injury.

And how about a look at last season’s final tally for some additional perspective on this data itself:

NUMBER OF DIFFERENT STARTERS USED

AVERAGE=26

Houston 22
New England 22
San Jose 24
Kansas City 25
Salt Lake 25
Chicago 26
Colorado 26
Dallas 26
Los Angeles 26
New York 27
Columbus 28
DC United 28
Chivas 30
Toronto 33

NUMBER OF TOTAL SUBSTITUTIONS MADE

AVERAGE=84

Los Angeles 64
New England 75
Toronto 75
San Jose 80
Chivas 82
Houston 83
DC United 85
Colorado 87
Dallas 87
New York 87
Columbus 88
Kansas City 90
Chicago 94
Salt Lake 96

PHOTO COURTESY: Associated Press

Since I’m on vacation down in Southern California and not back on show assignments for another two weeks, there will be no MLS “Three Points” to discuss on the air and here on the blog. But here are some quotes from my visit with Chivas defender Carey Talley (pictured above) during my visit to one of the team’s workouts in Carson this week.

The late-morning breeze was so strong off the South Bay of Los Angeles that most of the audio from the recorded conversation got beat up pretty good. Here are some highlights from Talley’s thoughts about this weekend’s big Seattle battle at Home Depot Center and Chivas’ rampant success to start the year:

(Give an insider’s perspective into the attitude in the locker room — is it more toward nothing but positive vibes or is there an aura of caution that it’s too early to get jacked up?):

“I think the attitude’s good in there but we’re trying not to, you know, get too high on this.”

(What specific challenges does a defender prepare for the week of a match against Seattle’s hyped offensive weapons?):

“(Freddy) Montero’s a tricky guy (who) can shoot with both feet. Then Nate Jaqua is just a handful every time he’s around the ball.

“They’ve also got some guys behind the ball that can defend. Their center backs have been pretty good. I’ve been watching them (on television).”

(Does Preki prepare for opposing teams each week more like a master strategist looking to attack weaknesses, or more like a master of patience addressing your guys’ own needs?)

“It’s the same thing (every week). If you throw too many curve balls (every week) at guys it’s going to mess with their heads. I think day in and day out we preach the same things about getting the ball and then moving it quickly. That’s the game plan for us coming into Saturday, to keep the ball moving. When you see us do that … particularly towards the latter part of the game, guys are going to get tired (defensively) and slip up, so maybe we can go through them. I think the more we keep the ball (all season), the better we’ll do because that’s when we’re at our best.”

(Any opinion about Jonathan Bornstein moving up to that left wing spot that the team has had so much trouble amid this success filling in the absence of Ante Jazic? Lots of your fans here seem curious how that switch really might liberate (Bornstein)  into more an offensive force):

“You know, I think that’s probably the best part about this team. We’ve got a lot of guys who can play in a lot of different spots. Whether it’s Sacha Klejstan on the left, or Bornstein, or Ante Jazic, or Gerson Mayen, we’ve got plenty of guys who can play on the (left) side or any side of the field for that matter. What we have a good mix.

“Whether Jonnie moves up or not, that’s obviously a decision that hasn’t been made. I think it’s a good thing (that there has been no decisive starter on the left wing). I think Preki likes it that way. You have to show up at training knowing it can be you or 15 other guys playing for that role. You have to know that if you want to get that spot you’re going have beat out the rest to get it. It brings you up a level (competitively) coming out onto the pitch each day.

“I think (personally) I look at (a possible Bornstein move) as being, well, it hasn’t been broke so there’s no need to fix it.”

(Looking at some research last season, I discovered the team seemed to really thrive in situations where there was a big-time atmosphere in the stadium. Of the 11 matches where there were more than 15,000 fans attending, the team lost just two times. If the notoriously low Chivas home attendance at Home Depot Center was larger each week, do you think this team’s success over the last year and a half would have actually been much greater?)

“You play for your fans, your family, your livelihood, so whether it’s five people or 15,000 you have to bring the same kind of energy. Of course, it’s a little bit different when the energy isn’t there. But ultimately it’s up to us to change that.”

(Is my stat worthwhile at all? Does playing well in front of bigger audiences show a link between the many veterans on your roster and how they are able to be a calming influence on the younger big names?)

“Those are definitely the games that you look forward to and you really just want to stop as you are walking out onto on the field, and suck it all in for a second. And you stop and think, ‘How many times is this going to happen again (in a playing career)?’ I love playing in front of big crowds. If they’re big this weekend (home against Seattle), then great. I welcome that.”

(No team in one city is exactly like another team in a different city. For that matter, no team in one season is going to be exactly the same the next year. Truly, what sticks out in your mind about this team right here compared to all others during your longtime MLS participation through the years?):

“I just think there’s a (different) camaraderie amongst the guys. We stick together. We’ve had some tough times in the past year. In my mind, there’s no team in MLS that experienced what we went through last year and what we’re going through right now. The teams I’ve been on in the past, if there’s two (crucial) injuries, the team almost crumbles. This team there’s (been) nine guys out almost every game, and we’re finding ways to rely on the 18th, 19th, 20th guy on the roster. That’s something you can’t discount. And so I think the camaraderie amongst the guys in the locker room and the respect for each guy out here on the field and what they can do to make us better … it’s a lot better than any team I’ve played on.”

Here below is that shot-making data I was referring to on today’s show during the MLS “Three Points” segment. It is the percentage of shots scored out of shots put on goal attempted. It’s a great indicator not looked at a lot at all really. It illustrates who is putting opportunistic chances away.

But then there are those cases like Landon Donovan (pictured above) and the Galaxy’s that show almost vice-versa — a team utilizing opportunities at an excellent rate yet not getting many of those opportunities to begin with.

At any rate, here are the current numbers early in the year (I’ll be revisiting this stat category quite a bit this season because it truly doesn’t get looked at enough and does say quite a bit about each team and its offensive profoundness):

SHOOTING AND MAKING
Top
1. Los Angeles 66.7 (4 goals in 6 shots on goal)
2. Chivas 54.5 (6-11)
3. Seattle 46.6 (7-15)

Bottom
3t. Houston 25.0 (3-12)
3t. Toronto 25.0 (4-16)
2. Dallas 14.2 (2-14)
1. New York 12.5 (1-8)

The full list
EASTERN CONFERENCE
1. Chicago 5-12 (41.6)
2. DC United 4-12 (33.3)
3. Kansas City 5-16 (31.2)
4t.Columbus 4-13 (30.7)
4t. New England 4-13 (30.7)
6. Toronto 4-16 (25.0)
7. New York 1-8 (12.5)
———
WESTERN CONFERENCE
1. LA Galaxy 4-6 (66.7)
2. Seattle 7-15 (46.6)
3. Chivas 6-11 (54.5)
4. Salt Lake 4-11 (36.3)
5. San Jose 3-9 (33.3)
6. Houston 3-12 (25.0)
7. Dallas 2-14 (14.2)

BONUS MATERIAL
And then later in the segment I was talking about how it is deadly ironic how going into this season’s first “The Battle for Los Angeles” episode on Saturday that Chivas and the Galaxy both have exactly the same winning percentage at home. So they have not only shared The Home Depot Center in Carson the past half-decade, but also have won at the same rate of success real ironically:

Chivas 29 wins, 21 losses, 14 draws (56.2 percent)
Galaxy 28 wins, 20 losses, 16 draws (56.2 percent)

Barring a draw this weekend, either Chivas or the Galaxy by winning can lay claim this weekend to being a better tenant performance-wise at The Home Depot Center during the time both have shared the stadium.

PHOTO COURTESY: Getty Images

Oz Alonso, the Seattle midfielder (pictured above) whose surprising productivity so far was a topic on my show today, still has a lot to aspire to if he truly is going to be among the top-fouled offensive threats in MLS. Just take a look at last year’s star-studded “fouls suffered” leaderboard and their rates per game:

PLAYER, TEAM … FOULED PER GAME (TIMES FOULED/GAMES PLAYED)
1.) Cuauhtémoc Blanco , Chicago … 2.4 (71/30)
2.) Davy Arnaud, Kansas City … 2.3 (54/24)
3.) Robbie Rogers … 1.9 (59/31)
4.) Javier Morales, Real Salt Lake … 1.8 (57/31)
5.) Francisco Mendoza, Chivas USA … 1.6 (48/30)
Alejandro Moreno, Columbus … 1.6 (49/31)

I do like that list there above because it shows a compelling link between offensive productivity and the often-ignored FS statistic, giving yet another way to gauge effective offense beyond goals and assists. Any coincidence also when (look at the list below) considering that eight of the top nine teams on the FS list last year made the playoffs? I’m literally asking. In my opinion, yes, but everyone is entitled to their own as long as they take a good look at the list.

The full look:

FOULS SUFFERED, TEAM
1.) Houston 338*
2.) Columbus 317*
3.) New England 313*
4.) Chivas 296*
5.) Real Salt Lake 285*
6.) New York 282*
7.) Toronto 279
8.) Kansas City 278*
9.) Chicago 272*
10.) Los Angeles 251
11.) Dallas 243
12.) San Jose 241
13.) DC United 240
14.) Colorado 216

*Qualified for MLS Cup playoffs

PHOTO COURTESY: Seattle Sounders

PHOTO CREDIT: The FA

PK’s Premiership/PATRICK KINMARTIN

Sunderland groggily went into Old Trafford manager-less on Saturday and were seconds away from escaping with a draw for the ages against Manchester United.

Nemanja Vidic’s heart-breaking goal in extra time was appropriate for the theme of the Black Cats’ week. which was thrown into sudden disarray 24 hours earlier when Roy Keane abruptly stepped down. Head assistant Rocky Sbragia took the reins temporarily and oversaw the plausible showing against United.

Even so, Sbragia is not anxious about a permanent promotion, not when multiple reports have indicated Naill Quinn has already began deep discussions about the search for the club’s next bench leader.

The Sunderland chairman has never proved to by shy about pursuing the rock-star names of the industry, and no one among the front office staff was more outwardly joyous when Keane initially signed his way into the organization on that memorable afternoon of Aug. 28, 2006.

So already, Quinn’s list of replacements is predictable. Sam Allardyce, Alan Curbishley, Alan Pardew and even Steve McClaren have been getting plenty of play on the airwaves and in the papers around Tyne and Wear.

Unfortunately, the turn of events will present another ditched opportunity in the league to be more bold and bring aboard the reputable members of the English coaching fraternity in line for their first crack at top flight management. A look at the names that would be an ideal fit at the likes of Sunderland that may warrant the call-up from one of the major franchises in the year to come…

*Pat Rice. There is no telling when a negotiating chairman of the Quinn mold will finally be able to shake Rice out down from that locked branch he holds on Arsene Wenger’s coaching tree at Arsenal. From youth advisor to caretaker manager to vice boss, there is not a role Rice has not mastered over the past 25 years to deserve his portions of all the triumphant riches the franchise has earned.

His reluctance to ever leave (don’t forget, his Gunners playing career spanned 16 seasons until a move to Watford in 1980) makes everyone skeptical that Northern Ireland native’s time to budge will never arrive. Rice’s interest in shepherding young talent, however, and the type of salary he can command despite lacking sheer managerial pedigree, provide reasons.

*Jim Cassell (pictured above). Manchester City’s academy director has been praised for stabilizing the the club’s youth base that continues to furbish alumni like Shaun Wright-Phillips, Joey Barton, Micah Richards and Stephen Ireland. Cassell’s work continued to shine last season when the program captured the FA Youth Cup.

His 19 years of official work in local government add to the attraction.

*Owen Croyle. The 42-year-old Scot is yet to experience a losing season since starting his career in his country’s minor league system and now has Barnley brimming within playoff position in the Championship league. The Clarets are also riding the momentum from their elimination of Chelsea and Arsenal in the Carling Cup before a semifinal exit.

Croyle, whose prolific career as a striker included a brief stint with Bolton and 249 goals in 22 seasons, has been heartily endorsed by Alex McLeish and Andy Cole, a three-month Barnsely loanee last year.

“I went to Burnley and spoke to Owen and got a great vibe,” Cole said. “He brought the best out of me and made me feel a lot younger than my age.”

Lack of Premiership familiarity and international prowess are Croyle’s drawbacks.

*Roberto Martinez . When Carlos Queiroz left his post as Sir Alex Ferguson’s top aide at Old Trafford to take over the Portugal national team, the notoriously mercurial Martinez was being brandied as the likely replacement. His work at Swansea City has been nothing short of sharp, and the Swans’ persistence toward promotion from the Championship this season may get their Spanish head man a clearer shot at vaulting upward.

Martinez, 35, has a distinct Keane feel because his last playing days were not long ago and yet he successfully has commanded an authoritative vibe that has translated into eye-catching results. Plus, the Tottenham sacking of Juande Ramos seems to have done little to diminish the reputation for resourceful Spanish leadership established by Rafa Benitez at Anfield.

On the same token, Paul Ince carried that Keane aura until he failed to jumpstart things at Blackburn.

*Roberto Di Matteo. In addition to the international flavor Martinez has and proof of a quick rise like Croyle, Di Matteo harbors know-how of a Big Four operation from his six years as a midfielder at Chelsea. Stops at Zurich and Lazio also gave him a bite of that prime time feel.

In less than two seasons at the helm of Milton Keynes Dons, he already has more wins (39) than his current age (38). A genuine Fabio Capello recommendation may be around the corner and his development of United States winger Jemal Johnson into a constant threat shows the ability to transform talent.

Wrapping up the rest of the Prem weekend…

OWED DRINKS: Nicolas Anelka. Bolton fans should be welcomed to rescind any spite that remains from the striker’s bolt last season to Chelsea, where his return to a high scoring stature this year — bolstered by a goal in his return to Reebok Stadium and a 2-0 win over the Wanderers on Saturday — prove his intentions were suitable.

OWES DRINKS: Wenger and the Gunners. A mere goal contributed to a decent outcome at home, a 1-0 win over Wigan. Arsenal fans who have come to expect the league’s most recognizable attack to score frequently have seen the team net just 15 goals in eight league matches at Emirates Stadium so far. At this juncture last season, Arsenal had 20.

GOAL FULFILLED: Ashley Young’s buzzer beater to sink Everton in Aston Villa’s 3-2 win at Goodison. Breaking straight from the kickoff following Joeleon Lescott’s equalizer, Young took Gabriel Agbonlahor’s flick pass on a race-away and proceeded to guide his low shot past Tim Howard in pacy-but-elegant fashion.

LET IT BE: No need for Fulham to come away pleased about the home 1-1 draw against Manchester City at Craven Cottage just because it extended their unbeaten run another week. First off, City’s legitimacy has just about completely wore off by now. Fulham also held an advantage in every main offensive category.

SAY IT IS SO: Sunderland were out-shot 31-3 overall, 8-0 on goal, gave up 10 corner kicks while taking merely one and were on the defensive end of possession for 72 percent of the match against United in the 1-0 loss. Maybe the defending champions are a little more woozy than we are slow to give them credit for.

3-POINT FINISH: The 59,317 spectators in attendance at the Emirates with the Lactics in town was Arsenal’s smallest league turnout since the move from Highbury in 2006. It also was the first time the 60,000 mark was not topped in a league contest there this season. … Michael Owen’s two goals for Newcastle in their 2-2 draw with Stoke City marked the first nicks on the score sheet by any player for the Magpies  in the three matches that he and Obafemi Martins have started together this season. The potentially dazzling forward duo derailed by injuries on the behalf of both has yet to ignite the Magpies to victory, though. (Newcastle is 0-0-3 with the two starting together) … Dancing in December has become a rite of passage at Tottenham since Martin Jol took over in 2004 and it has continued since his unceremonious exit. With Saturday’s 2-0 win over West Ham, Spurs are now 17-6-5 in league games during this festive month.

PHOTO CREDIT: Daily Mail

PK’s Premiership/PATRICK KINMARTIN

Life on the Big Four campaign trail continued for Martin O’Neill on Saturday night when another occasion to present the season’s message surfaced.

He walked into the post-match media setup at Villa Park with an artful demeanor as usual, acknowledged the occasion of Manchester United in town with the sense that an increased volumes of media were focused on the podium and then analyzed the 0-0 draw between the two teams from his club’s ambitious new perspective.

“We have now played the top four sides and have lost only once although we were well beaten at Chelsea,” the Aston Villa boss said fairly quickly into his session at the microphone.

“It is exceptionally hard to break into the top four but we are aiming for that sort of thing. The players are improving and have a good confidence about themselves.”

These types of quotes are usually only possible around the league following a scoreless tie when a Big Four member happens to be involved. And the O’Neill-led Villa crusade for Champions League qualification must convince itself such a result against the defending two-time champions in this authentic season is another beacon of strength. Plus, the vibe from last week’s slay of Arsenal at The Emirates Stadium was fresh throughout the area Saturday.

It was not a time to express any frustration that exists about being shut out inside home at Villa Park for the third time this season. That is three times in merely seven home matches — and that now means three times more than last year. See, what many forget about last year’s well-publicized progress for Villa is how, amid it all, they were darn close to enduring the whole way through without being held scoreless at home.

Not until Wigan punctured them for a bizarre 2-0 loss on May 3 — the home finale and Fan Appreciation Day at Villa Park — had the Villans been handed a league shutout in front of their own ticket holders. Only once had the club achieved that feat during a 38-match season, and that came back in 1990.

In the past decade, Villa Park has seen its boys shut out on an array of league occurrences. Successfully turning that tide around last season was yet one more additional reason for the franchise to embrace O’Neill’s presence as the catalyst for its resurgence.

Being offensively unproductive at home has been a grotesque subject Villa had reluctantly digested before O’Neill’s arrival.

During predecessor David O’Leary’s final season in 2005-2006, they barely ended up at an even single goal-per-home match average. The final tally of 20 goals in 19 contests was among the four worst in the league as far as home form was concerned. They were also shut out seven times at Villa Park.

In O’Leary’s first season three years prior, Villa were also shut out seven times at home and finished with 24 goals, placing themselves among the bottom five in the league for home offensive form.

Including O’Neill’s first season in 2006-2007, Villa have been shut out in at least five matches at home in six of the eight full league seasons for this decade. Last season and the 2004-2005 campaign, which was O’Leary’s second year and when Villa were shut out at home only twice, were the two exceptions.

Yet when looking at the actual records of wins, losses and draws, those two seasons for the club don’t even stand out as its best pair of year-long performances at home in the decade’s span.

In 2002-2003, Villa were shut out seven times at home, scored a less than stellar 25 goals there and still ended up with an 11-6-2 mark. With 35 points earned out of a possible 57, that 61-percent fulfillment figure ranks ahead of last season’s 10-6-3 run — 58 percent on the standings points fulfillment scale.

Oddly, those 33 points and 58 percent tally were equaled during the previously mentioned 2003-2004 season that saw Villa land down in the league’s lower reaches for home goals scored. Their record at Villa Park that season was actually 9-4-6 even though they put through just 24 goals.

In both those 33 points/58 percent home seasons, Villa finished sixth overall in the final table. Those six home draws from the final 2004 record line did prove to slow the team a bit more in the overall scheme. Villa had 56 total points in the end whereas as last season 60 was the final number. That showed there was a benefit for having more frequent scoring binges at home (34 goals in the 19 matches.)

Count it as yet another factor in the team’s ardent Champions League push O’Neill will have to monitor closely.

Wrapping up the rest of the Prem weekend…

OWED DRINKS: Manchester City midfielder Stephen Ireland. With a goal and another sterling outing at the helm of the Blue Moon attack in their 3-0 drubbing of Arsenal, the product raised in the club’s farm system deserves some sort of tangible gift since he has lapped all of the new front office’s outrageously-paid recent pickups on the performance track.

OWES DRINKS: All league attacking players. The 15 goals scored over the course of the full 10-match slate were the lowest output of the season, well below the previous mark of 23 produced way back on Aug. 23.

GOAL FULFILLED:.Johan Elmander produced his best — and, it has to be pointed out, still only one of his first — scoring efforts since signing lucratively with Bolton in the offseason when he chested down Jlloyd Samuel’s passes into the box and cracked in a left-foot drive off a full body turn.

LET IT BE: The Mamady Sidibe goal delivering Stoke City its 1-0 win over West Brom was not as rare as much of the postgame press made it out to be; though it was indeed his first goal in a match he also started in this season, the 29-year-old Mali international made 112 starts for the club while down in the Championship the past three seasons, it is just that his mere 19 goals during that span have developed some anonymity.

SAY IT IS SO: That a modern-day Big Four blackout is as easy it looked following the United-Villa draw, City’s 3-0 thump of Arsenal, the Reds’ disappointing 0-0 result at home against Fulham and Chelsea’s scoreless draw with Newcastle at Stamford Bridge. It is the first time in the current 38-match season setup that the league has seen such an accomplishment.

3-POINT FINISH: OK, maybe Newcastle did not have it so easy while holding the Blues scoreless. Chelsea, after all, and mounted 70 percent of offensive possession and outshot the Magpies on goal 9-0. That continues their blistering November pace — during this stretch they have outshot opponents on goal 34-2 in four league matches and just once been forced to settle with less than 60 percent of possession. … There was another illustration about how last year’s top goal scorers are not pushing around defenses now more aware this year during these offensively lifeless matchups. Cristiano Ronaldo, Fernando Torres and Roque Santa Cruz all started and collectively played 272 minutes without scoring. The other name on the 2007-2008 top four scoring list, Emmaunuel Adebayor, remains in and out of the Arsenal nucleus with his nagging injury situation.  … Man City have not liked November as much as Chelsea. The takedown of Arsenal was their first win in the three matches to start the month, and now a derby affair with United awaits. Once they get done with their meeting at Everton on Dec. 13, they will have faced three of last season’s top five teams during a four-week span.

PHOTO CREDIT: The Guardian

PK’s Premiership/PATRICK KINMARTIN

There was something compelling about the nearly two dozen fresh-faced under-25 club members at Saturday’s Arsenal-Manchester United clash at the Emirates Stadium.

First off, here was United’s contribution to the group: Anderson (20), Wayne Rooney (23), Cristiano Ronaldo (23), Nani (21), Carlos Tevez (21), Jonnie Evans (20) and Rafael (18).

And then of course there was Arsenal’s: Gael Clichy (23), Bacary Sagna (25), Denilson (20), Cesc Fabregas (21), Samir Nasri (21, pictured above), Theo Walcott (19), Nicklas Bendtner (20), Abou Diaby (22), Alexandre Song (21), Johan Djourou (21), Carlos Vela (19), Lukasz Fabianski (23), Aaron Ramsey (17) and Jack Wilshere (16).

That Arsenal was carrying 14 in the active lineup while United merely had seven was irrelevant. Heck, the fact Arsenal won the darn match 2-1 doesn’t justify printing every name, either.

And by now, it’s too crystal clear and Mr. Obvioso’s edict that the Gunners are the league’s team of the future. It’s been that way three years running — lack of trophies won by Arsene Wenger and co. be damned.

But usually not scripted in this prophesy of all prophesies is how the Red Devils will gradually find themselves among the outmuscled in the wake of the phenix’s arrival. To be frank, it’s hard to fathom.

If any team seems poised with the proper ponies in place to run alongside Wenger’s hurtling youth movement, it is United. That list above is evidence with the heavy hitters Ronaldo, Rooney and Tevez leading the way.

So upon initial review, these (sugar)-kicking days on the United ship are to remain unmolested by any potential stormy skies that might lie ahead. Is that wishful thinking, though? Lest we forget, Ronaldo by all accounts has his eye on the Real Madrid move and Tevez is yet to spend more than two seasons with any organization since leaving Boca Juniors in 2004.

Meanwhile, their 21-year-old terror Frazier Campbell is parked in his own space on the Tottenham bench, making it incredibly easy to forget that just three months ago he was viewed as the fourth bearer for the attack for the year to come before Dimitar Berbatov’s arrival.

Arsenal continue to have no such concerns. Not when Nasri, Fabregas, Sagna and Clichy all shined brightly in the win against the United squad that had its full veteran complement, in addition to the  under-25 dynamos.

Imagine how fiercely the Gunners can maybe punish United when Rio Ferdinand grows old enough to creak at a more steady rate in Jamie Carragher fashion and Nemanja Vidic also falls a little further away from defensive grace. Gary Neville likely will not be around then and it’s tough to picture Evans being the supreme lockdown reliability back there.

That can be construed as the familiar rhetoric of United hate, and who in the Red Devils camp manages to be discouraged by forthcoming back line implosion when the franchise has already been said to have the inside track toward signing Greek phenom Kyriakos Papadopoulos and a host of other young defensive treasure?

Arsenal’s nucleus — already firmly settling into place — probably won’t be ready budge in the process. If it entrenches accordingly with Wenger’s vision for long-term dominance, then the Gunners can really put a stranglehold on the rivalry as long as United gets exploited during a transition period.

In that case, a scenario could play out similar to Arsenal’s bullying of United for two years from 1997 to 1999. Neville was in his earlier 20s along with key fellow members of that era’s brat pack — David Beckham, Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt. Teddy Sheringham and Andy Cole were being phased in while the likes of Peter Schmeichel and Gary Pallister were heading the other direction.

Arsenal was bolstered by a group positively solidified by a longtime contingent of teammates in David Seaman, Tony Adams, Nigel Winterburn, Ian Wright and Roy Parlour that had been raised and further enhanced in the Gunners system.

The mismatch in roster cohesion brought about the two-year Arsenal run of just a single loss to United in seven matches (one of the victories came 3-0 in the 1998 Community Shield.) That helped Arsenal get their 1997-1998 title, motivating Sir Alex Ferguson’s brigade to answer with some redemption in the form of the 1998-1999 championship.

For the first time since, the rivalry again has an inferior half with the pedigree to wrestle back championship control — and it’s Arsenal.

Wrapping up the rest of Prem weekend…

OWED DRINKS: Kudos goes to West Brom manager Tony Mowbray for his forthright postgame comments after a 2-0 loss to Liverpool about his team battling relegation — in early November! “If we can stay up,” he said, “and come back next season with some better players, we will be able to improve.”

OWES DRINKS: Manchester City forward Gelson Fernandes for his two-card ejection a mere 26 minutes into the 2-1 Blue Moon loss to Tottenham. Fernandes and manager Mark Hughes can gripe all they want about that second yellow, but his late clip of Luka Modric for the first in the pair was an outright misplay of Modric’s on-ball capabilities.

GOAL FULFILLED: Jack Collison’s contribution for West Ham in their 3-1 loss against Everton at Upton Park. The key here was the back-footed pass by Scott Parker setting it up. Dynamic goals are becoming quite the surprisingly new norm at West Ham, though wins aren’t in the process.

LET IT BE: Portsmouth’s comeback 2-1 win over Sunderland at the Stadium of Light brought back memories of Pompey’s road-warrior ways last season. Yet all the victory really did was make their road record this season 2-3-1 and reduce their goal differential to minus-7.

SAY IT IS SO: That Fulham will seize the midfield-ish role Andy Johnson played so magnificently in their 2-1 win over Newcastle. It’s hard to find managers anymore willing to peel back forwards for fear taking away scoring strength, but why hesitate when more use of pressing abilities can be relished lower down field?

3-POINT FINISH: All college students fretting about November midterm work won’t find sympathy from same-aged Aston Villa stars Ashley Young, Gabriel Agbonlahor and Nigel Reo-Coker, not with Arsenal and fuming United next on the schedule following the current two-loss slide. … That Gunners-Villa matchup is the “best” of the next weekends slate following two straight weeks of Big Four showdowns. … Mowbray wasn’t the only boss brandying about doom and gloom on Saturday afternoon. Wigan’s Steve Bruce churned out some blunt perspective following his team’s 0-0 draw against Stoke at the JJB Stadium in which the Lactics pumped out a 27-2 advantage in general shots toward goal. “If we had to play unitil midnight,” he said, “I don’t think we would have scored.”

PK’s Premiership/PATRICK KINMARTIN

Daylight savings time officially ended Sunday morning, but those shiny player checks Newcastle has become accustomed to writing became a thing of the past early last month.

Embattled owner Mike Ashley (pictured above) put his majority share in the club up for sale on the open market, completing his move out from the corner he had been backed into by Magpies Nation. On that front, not much has changed while the wait for the right group of buyers to step forward continues.

There is a reason. Early in September, when the Al Nahyan-led Abu Dhabi team made its overnight swoop of Manchester City, such sweetheart deals done swiftly were imaginable. Now, even though fall is yet to even run its full course, there is suddenly a more pensive quality to the takeover process.

The world’s economic outlook has been registered as bleak. Even those investors holding a reliable hand at the table can’t trust their fortune against the end-game.

“There are still seriously interested parties (in Newcastle),” Keith Harris, the financier of the team’s sale, told The Telegraph last week. “But in a climate like this it is not a simple process to make a big purchase.”

“Everyone has been hurt in the current financial turmoil but for any potential American investors there has been positive news — the dollar has strengthened significantly against the euro and the pound, which would make the club cheaper in dollar terms.”

So Magpies fans should go ahead and cancel all impending fantasies about a City-sized change of hands or Roman Abramovich in shining armor blessing their future. Harris’ words seemed to suggest that the best-case scenario at this point would be for a modest buy more comparable to Randy Lerner’s Aston Villa pickup or the way Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson took over majority share of West Ham.

Both clubs have since become avid consumers, buying playing talent at a fairly eager rate. Neither owner — both have been estimated to have the $1.1 billion-ish tag in overall worth — has hit a home run of the Robinho or Carlos Tevez magnitude, which remain the league’s middle-tier club moves of the century.

This is new territory Newcastle followers might find themselves uncomfortable in.

Their club has been able to exude its historical image of greatness with steamroll signings that masked struggles to produce effectively. See 1996, Alan Shearer, nearly $24 million to set England’s highwater mark. And 2005, Michael Owen, $25 million to break Shearer’s club record with relative ease.

Lest we forget, David Beckham held rather involved negotiations with Freddy Shepherd about continuing that trend — he likely could have vaulted Shearer and Owen in a quick covenant, reported to be $190,000 a week had it been made — before the United States move.

Though exact managerial sums are withheld from view, luring Sam Allardyce away from Bolton and Kevin Keegan out of retirement the past two years alone qualify as two of the more financially demanding quests.

Sitting on a modest wallet doesn’t seem too hazardous for a club that didn’t finish among the top 10 on consecutive seasons with Shearer aboard until his seventh at St. James’ Park. Furthermore, the Magpies are yet to pull that off with Owen around.

A win over Villa tonight can only get them as high as 14th, though it would also mark their second straight — both without Owen, who is not slated to start, heavily involved.

Those tides flow along with what Harris as the sale’s liason believes will be the next team owner’s landlocked perspective from the get-go as the January transfer window continues its approach.

“If there’s to be a deal done, then a new owner would want to be in position with sufficient time to look at what he’s bought, with his management team, to make decisions on whether or not there should be action in the transfer window in January,” Harris said. “How long would someone like to have a look at it for? Well, you’ve got to think four to five weeks. See the players at home, see them train, see them play away. And then form a view. That takes you through to the latter part of November. You can’t just say, here’s the deal, let’s negotiate a contract. Those things take time.”

Not to mention money, which is suddenly no longer a circus piece for Newcastle to fiddle with.

Wrapping up the rest of the Prem weekend…

OWED DRINKS: Niko Kranjcar, who played his butt off enough to get a goal off the bench for Portsmouth in their 2-1 loss to Wigan. It was the third straight match the Kranjcar wasn’t a part of Pompey’s starting runout and yet the only noise he has generated during that span was the roars from fans after Saturday’s goal, despite the anxiousness to prove he isn’t that heralded bust at Fratton Park.

OWES DRINKS: Robin Van Persie picked up a needless red card that not only affected Arsenal’s chance to overcome a 2-1 deficit, but also left the Gunners without one of the prime big-game weapons for next week’s Manchester United clash.

GOAL FULFILLED: The third score of Chelsea’s 5-0 rout of Sunderland. Though Nicolas Anelka gets credit on the stat sheet, the three-pack of passes through the penalty box from Joe Cole to Frank Lampard to Florent Malouda ran its course in approximately 3.2 seconds to set Anelka up.

LET IT BE: Bolton’s first two-goal performance since opening day on Aug. 16, their 2-0 win over Manchester City on Sunday, featured Ricardo Gardner’s goal that had to be labored for and an own-goal from Richard Dunne. With the great holder Kevin Davies playing up front as a spear-head forward, even the Wanderers are going to have to add some degree of prolific offense come transfer time in January to stay around comfortably.

SAY IT IS SO: That the surprise Arsenal loss will fuel the Gunners like nothing else this season going into the United showdown. There is also the task of Champions League action this week that may temper that spirit, but Arsene Wenger’s squad and its showman capabilities playing with reckless abandon is a welcome thought.

3-POINT FINISH: Wigan’s newfound offensive flair that helped deliver Saturday’s 2-1 takedown of Portsmouth is still taking a while to truly change the level of threat to opposing defenses. The team’s fouls-suffered rate is currently at 12.5 per league match, which is only slightly up from 12.2 last year. … More early intrigue for the Red Devils-Gunners faceoff was generated with Cristiano Ronaldo’s two goals in United’s 5-3 roll over Hull City. The star striker has been dogged by opponents backing into defensive shells, but Hull plays a little closer to Arsenal’s vest and the Gunners will give Ronaldo his best opportunity this season yet to show continued effectiveness in the open field since coming back from that injury. … The attendance for the Newcastle win over longtime nemesis Villa at St. James’ was put at 44,567, or 85 percent filled to capacity. That is alarming locally since the Magpies were a surefire fill before the ownership disarray. Still, on the national level, Bolton are the ones genuinely suffering from live support issues. The Wanderers drew 21,095 in the victory over city, filling merely 73 percent of the Reebok Stadium.

PHOTO CREDIT: Daily Mail

PK’s Premiership/PATRICK KINMARTIN

There is not one of those “if you had to choose one…” mandates for Liverpool between Steven Gerrard or Fernando Torres.

But applying that test to the team’s intentions would bring quite the explicit look into the changing identity of the organization. The general opinion lately (though not the official word from within the franchise) has been that Gerrard’s coat of arms needs some retrofitting. Meanwhile, Torres is the face that comes to mind with the hint that the Reds might finally be worthy of breaching Chelsea-Manchester United’s territory.

This is the hearsay at the moment — and it is taking a siesta while Torres sits out slightly injured and Gerrard is being credited with contributing heavily to the Reds’ adorable 1-0 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. Look out for the divisive idea to return since Torres’ penchant for heroism isn’t bound to disappear overnight. Plus, Gerrard is prone to get caught eating the wrong flavor of ice cream by the local press, which seems like a plausible enough excuse to dismiss him as old news these days.

The easiest case for taking Torres over Gerrard lies in the current status of both careers. Gerrard is closing in on 400 appearances in his 12th season with Liverpool. Such a background exercises feelings that the man has given his best performances to the club by now.

Yet it was only last season the Reds’ captain notched career individual league highs with 11 goals and 11 assists. That total came in a mere 32 starts, 34 appearances overall. And he’s still an endurance machine. Despite the all-out active central midfield role he serves for Liverpool and the near-ridiculous demands of the club’s yearly scheduling commitments, he has still managed to play at least 80 minutes in 87 percent of his league starts the past two seasons.

Gerrard is 28 years old and still performing better consistently with a cleaner bill of health at the same work rate as Owen Hargreaves and Joe Cole, younger midfield peers on the national team.

To what extent Gerrard’s play actually impacts Liverpool’s cause is really where his value shows a tendency to plummet. Over the past four seasons, as his career has elevated into its climax years, the Reds have lost just five times among the 30 league matches Gerrard hasn’t appeared in. Additionally, more than half (16) are wins.

As dynamic and forceful as his pace can be, reality will show that it comes from a location where that style isn’t in high demand. In a sense, Gerrard’s talent overachieves at the spot the same a way a speedy wide receiver can flourish brightly in the quarterback role that is designed to thrive off a limited amount of full-on glare.

Replace Gerrard in the equation with someone unspectacular but also solid and there is still a very fair chance for similar success. For that, Gerrard often gets sniped on critically unless he unleashes something overwhelming for opponents to deal with and it’s utterly commendable he has delivered a sizable amount of those efforts throughout his time in the league.

But it is Torres who has the pedigree to help a squad get rich quick in the match context, and for that matter also over the long term. The juice that the 24-year-old Spanish rocket is able to give at the striker spot maxes out his talents and gives the competition instant headaches.

Altogether, he represents the potion the Liverpool faithful yearned for in the opening years of Rafa Benitez’s tenure. There was no relentlessly fruitful source for goals, specifically at the forward spot.

During the 2004-2005 Champions League title campaign, it was Gerrard and winger Luis Garcia scoring at the highest rate while propping up an offense with contributions not befitting of where they operated on the field. Djibril Cisse had that Torres quality playing up front and simply fizzled countless times out en route to putting in a mere four goals in 16 league appearances.

Benitez had little choice but to go out and experiment with the hippest 6-foot-7 novelty at the time, Peter Crouch, to kickstart some offensive swagger. None was reached and only Gerrard reached double digits in scoring by punching out a mellow 10-goal total.

The solution from there was acquiring Dirk Kuyt from Ajax and some progress was made when the Dutch dynamo recorded 12 goals in 27 matches. Understand, however, Kuyt was said to have the same international mojo contained in Torres and the big-money acquisition couldn’t prevent the Reds from finishing up with a 57-goal total that was the lowest among the Big Four — not to mention 26 goals fewer than Manchester United piled up on their title run.

The positive thing about all this offensive misery was that it gave Benitez the ammunition he needed to justify smashing the savings account for Torres’ $32 million contract signature. With some serious tailsman-ness to their attack, the Reds broke the 60-goal plateau last season. While they had to hustle just to finish fourth in the standings, it’s easy to forget the Reds were unbeaten with a 16-0-2 record in league matches with Torres goals.

His 24 goals on the season made that Kuyt tally of 12 look despicably modest. Granted, the Reds didn’t lose a single match when Torres didn’t appear, but they also picked up four one-goal wins and two draws in matches where he scored. Furthermore, he pressured defenses to the tune of 57 shots on goal and 50 fouls suffered.

Gerrard put 60 shots on goal, giving him an 18-percent success rate with his 11 goals. Torres’ rate checked out at 51 percent. He usually didn’t enjoy the luxury of a dynamic No. 2 forward, which has been acquired this season in the form of Robbie Keane.

Torres has taken full advantage, making good on six shots on goal with his five scores. The pressure really emanates this year for the club’s momentum in the standings to coincide with his individual success. At least now, there is that distinct measure of promise.

Gerrard simply hasn’t been showing the same type of pop. At 24, his role with the team — heralded as it was at that point — wasn’t this integral. Looking into the future of what is a much different era at Liverpool, it may never be for Gerrard.

Wrapping up the rest of Prem weekend…

OWED DRINKS: League legend Alan Shearer, getting credit here and now for resisting the sirens calling him toward the Newcastle head coaching gig relentlessly over the year and a half. With another Newcastle loss Saturday to Sunderland at the Stadium of Light, speculation will intensify after last week’s suggestion Shearer has reconsidered his stance but at least he remained apprehensive this long and hasn’t made a Kevin Keegan of himself.

OWES DRINKS: Since he couldn’t deliver the ultimate thrill by singlehandedly turning a 1-1 with home draw with Manchester United into a massive victory, Toffies forward Louis Saha can exhilarate the new fan base this way. By no means was the stalemate at Goodison Park the fault of the former United forward — yet it also wasn’t his doing, either, and Everton desperately need him to be a new offensive spark at the moment.

GOAL FULFILLED: Alfonso Alves’ contribution for Middlesbrough in their 1-1 draw with Blackburn at Ewood Park. Alves netted a big-forward classic in the 74th minute by outmuscling veteran centre-back Andre Ooijer in the first phase and then completing the drill by turning to fire past Paul Robinson.

LET IT BE: In two home setbacks, West Ham fell 2-0 to Arsenal at Upton Park and West Brom 3-0 to Hull City at The Hawthorns. Both scores don’t properly indicate the flow of play — counter-attacking and set pieces paid dividends for the victors — but also give an early warning about the dangers of such losses in a relegation year where the bottom caliber of clubs looks like a rowdy, even bunch.

SAY IT IS SO: That Harry Redknapp’s departure opens the door for Tony Adams to take the reins after his time as a star assistant under the red-headed one. This was the subject of last week’s column. Adams has a royal chance to make a splash as an able-minded manager and also embarrass Redknapp inadvertently if Pompey’s talent takes over, discarding their now former high-profile boss’ work.

3-POINT FINISH: Urgency to get Saha onto center stage for Everton has and will continue to subside considerably with the way Marouane Fellaini continues to roll for the Toffies. His $30 million signing in August was a club record and a surprise for many fans outside of Belgium, where the agile 6-foot-4 workhorse was a dominant force in Standard Liege’s regular charges toward European qualifying. Fellaini scored Saturday against United, his second goal in six league starts. … Redknapp had a viable luxury with an accustomed layout of back-line starters at Fratton Park. As he inherits the madhouse troop of Spurs defenders, it is worth pondering if he will put on the brass underwear and go with a three-man unit on the faith that another insertion from the team’s offensive treasure chest can hold teams off on possession alone. … Kenwyne Jones as a sub made his first appearance of the season in Saturday’s win for Sunderland. With any progress toward regaining the strength that helped him score a team-best seven league goals last season, Jones upon fully recovering from a three-month injury absence has an opportunity to begin working on a potentially zest-filled partnership with Cisse that Black Cat supporters fed up with the team’s literal goal per game average will embrace.

PHOTO CREDIT: Daily Mail

PK’s Premiership/PATRICK KINMARTIN

The front lever on Newcastle’s head coaching application box is still lying flapped open. Frankly, Tottenham’s probably should be. And Fulham’s could fall forward sooner than everyone thinks to watch out for.

In other words, that’s three reasons right there to speculate over Harry Redknapp possibly leaving Portsmouth. Add those to the list of possibilities not limited to the famed successful-yet-slippery manager falling into another aggressive bungs investigation or taking his general expression of disinterest on the bench to the next level by finally calling it quits for good (hey, the man is 61.)

There is another reason to wonder how tenuous the gaffer position at Pompey might be currently. Because for every moment Redknapp grows seemingly more bored and equally cranky over the club’s innate inability to be competitive on par with the league’s top shelf, Tony Adams is budding toward the task of attaining No. 1 status on staff.

Suggesting there is a fragment between the ambitions of Redknapp and Adams would be inaccurate. Their cohesion was evident Saturday when the two could be seen collaborating closely as usual during Portsmouth’s matchup with Aston Villa.

Really, it is that symmetry between Redknapp’s penchant for wearing thin at a consistent rate and Adams appearing more game than ever for the head spot that makes an impending changing of the guard at Fratton Park so believable.

In coaching years, Adams at age 42 is barely a shade older than baby-face bosses Roy Keane (37) and Gareth Southgate (38). The former Arsenal dynamo also is starting to get credit for having breached that line standing between big-money players and the legitimate intentions for pushing reputation aside for the purpose of paying dues in the coaching ranks.

Following his publicized reemergence from the depths of a nasty bout with post-playing career alcoholism, Adams went out and netted his sports science degree at Brunel University. Not long after came his first coaching break afforded the Wycombe Wanderers position in November 2003. It flopped alongside the organization’s relegation to League Two that season and subsequent struggles to battle back up, but Adams’ hat had been fully thrust into the middle of the coaching circle.

What really displayed Adams’ assertiveness down the road aimed at the major opportunities in the Prem was his eagerness to latch onto the vacant junior coaching gig at Feyenoord — a suitable big fish/small pond side on the Dutch scene for the likes of up and coming unprovens of the Adams mold. That role steered Adams to a short spell with Utrecht as a first team trainee coach.

Suddenly, Adams had himself some experience in the pocket to mix in with all the glitter emanating from his playing pedigree. Enter Redknapp.

Adams was hired into the partnership, becoming Harry Houdini’s replacement for outgoing Kevin Bond. That was one of a slew of moves made in the 2006 offseason that made way for Portsmouth to finish ninth in the Premier League — their highest standing since the 1950s — and last spring’s FA Cup title. Adams, for his part, looks like he is getting hip with this newly-powered Pompey stuff.

Beforehand, remember, he was openly dreamy about any potential for working under Arsene Wenger in a connection that might lead to the organization’s throne down the line. A development of that nature would truly cement him a Gunners god.

Now, the Redknapp link is playing out in somewhat similar fashion. Keane couldn’t wait around for certain dominoes to fall at Manchester United when Sunderland came calling. Adams is sitting in the same type of boat.

When will it actually set sail? That is for Captain Harry to decide, which explains why the only thing Adams remains intent on doing is hunkering down to stay aboard that faulty deck.

Wrapping up the rest of the Prem weekend…

OWED DRINKS: The slate of match officials undoubtedly thirsty alone from the activity of having to dole out five red cards combined among the 10 matches. No matter how they are performing execution-wise, head referees might already be working harder than ever in recent years just three months into this season.

OWES DRINKS: The 26 field players who participated in the Bolton-Blackburn bore at the Reebok Stadium, because they have to buy something since they pretty much couldn’t pay for a shot on goal if they wanted to in Saturday’s 0-0 draw. When it was over after 90 minutes, just one between both teams had been recorded.

GOAL FULFILLED: Dirk Kuyt’s 85th-minute winner in Liverpool’s 3-2 victory over Wigan at Anfield, which lacked complete flair but underlines the essence of this weekly award taking into account more quintessential aspects of working for goals that have just a smidge more than technical quality.

LET IT BE: Nine teams, or 45 percent of the league, failed to register a goal. Let’s see something similar happen two, maybe three more times before diagnosing as a trend.

SAY IT IS SO: That Carlos Tevez — the only member of Manchester United’s fab four not to score in Saturday’s 4-0 thrashing of West Brom — is starting to feel the snub. Any seeds of discontent planted now might just be capable of producing something magnificent within the league starring Tevez come January when the transfer window reopens.

3-POINT FINISH: In the early, early individual goal standings where most of the names at the top of the list are some of those most familiar suspects, it is Wigan’s Amr Zaki who is the leader with seven while not far behind is Bolton stalwart Kevin Davies. … Obafemi Martins returned from injury after his month away from Newcastle and the Magpies, with their 2-2 draw against Manchester City, remained unbeaten when the Nigerian nemesis is in the startling lineup this season (and 0-4-1 without him.) No irony there. Even if all your favorite TV pundits don’t proclaim the notion, there isn’t a single player more important to his team’s fortunes at the moment. … Hull City boss Phil Brown gave the club’s joyed supporters a stern warning at a booster rally following the 1-0 win over West Ham to keep the club’s rager of a start in an Earthly perspective. Here’s why: After going to West Brom this weekend, the Tigers host Chelsea on Oct. 29, go to Old Trafford three days later, get a brief favorable-matchup reprieve with a home match versus Bolton on Nov. 8 and then host Manchester City before going to Fratton Park to face Portsmouth.