Premiership's big four take knocks but keep ahead

	Alex Ferguson may want Man U's sluggish play to stop but the Reds are getting a lot of help to stay atop the Premiership. AP
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In a week in which Dirk Benedict and Jermaine Jackson crossed the pond for UK Celebrity Big Brother, there was only one way in which Blighty could return the favor: coming at you faster than The Mayflower following an uplifting prayer, here's The Limey.

EPL news and notes

Glancing away from our Yuletide festivities, we noticed two men slipping on the frosted pseudo-Victorian streets that we often pretend to inhabit in this column. Surrounding them, a band of urchins scurrying for treasures lost on the ice. Sensing half-a-crown to be made, we abandoned Good King Wenceslas in his armchair and made our way into the throng. Much to our chagrin, no gold was to be found, merely dropped EPL points. From Alex Ferguson's normally cobweb-ridden pockets had slipped two points at Newcastle and three at West Ham. Will that now leave winning-machine Chelsea atop the table? Not likely guv'nor, after the Blues passed on six points in consecutive draws against Reading, Fulham and Aston Villa, six points that constitute the gap between them and the table-topping Mancunians.

Liverpool, with three wins in their last four matches -- including a 3-0 demolition of fifth place Bolton -- is now third, though eight points behind Chelsea. For the first week this season, the big four clubs occupy the first four places, as Arsenal now lies fourth. This comes despite The Gunners losing 1-0 at Sheffield United, even though United midfielder Phil Jagielka spent the last half hour in goal.

Speaking of the lower region of the table United occupies, Sheffield United currently sits 16th, currently foiling our prediction they would be relegated with Watford and Charlton. Watford is at the bottom of the table, 10 points from safety, Charlton is 19th and six adrift.

Joining those unlucky few is West Ham in 18th, four points adrift. The Hammers, last year's FA Cup finalist who finished nintth in the EPL were trounced 6-0 last weekend by Reading. Consequently, it looks like Alan Curbishley will need to spend every cent of the $50 million war chest he allegedly has for the January transfer window. However, it's a struggle to imagine who would be willing to sign with West Ham in their current predicament. Few big names will want to go there with relegation from the EPL a strong possibility.

Over the holidays the UK celebrated the 30th anniversary of kids TV show Swap Shop, a show in which spotty youngsters in parkas swapped 1970s toys and collectibles. The EPL version saw not Rubik's Cubes and enamel pin-badges, but Curbishley and Alan Pardew swapping jobs. Curbishley, having resigned from Charlton last summer, was lured back into football by cash-rich new West Ham owner Eggert Magnusson. Meanwhile, for their third manager of the season (an EPL record), Charlton turned to Pardew, freshly booted out of Upton Park. His good start to his Addicks career (a win against Villa and a draw against Fulham) ended abruptly in a 4-0 defeat to Arsenal.

Waking up after New Year's one place above the relegation zone, with seven defeats in nine games, has resulted in a serious Christmas hangover for Wigan Athletic. Among the reasons cited for the recent spate of poor play are dwindling attendances at the JJB. Wigan hopes to raise attendance, atmosphere and some cash by reducing admission prices by $20. That shoul;d also help the cash-strapped locals who went over the top on turkey and cranberry pies at Christmas.

On Jan. 1 Team Limey was decked in full polar attire expecting a raging storm of activity as the transfer window opened. Instead, like a ship in the doldrums, we have been subjected to a light wind and a lot of hot air. The main stories have revolved around the teams with rich foreign owners. As we write, Lerner's Villa has been shut out of signing anyone while West Ham has signed Luis Boa Morte for $10 million from Fulham, and are rumored to be close to a $20 million deal for table-soccer's Shaun Wright Phillips. However, Nigel Reo-Coker (to Arsenal or Man Utd), and Javier Mascherano (to anywhere that'll take him, but probably Liverpool) are rumoured to want out.

Chelsea's current plight of drawing instead of winning games has led them on a desperate seach for defenders. Other clubs know this, and they also know how many rubles owner Roman Abramovich has stacked away, much to the frustration of Jose Mourinho. "I would love an Aston Martin but if you ask me for £1m ($2 million) for an Aston Martin, I tell you, you are crazy because they cost £250,000 ($500,000)" said Daniel Craig wannabe Mourinho, going on to say he'd rather play his 55-year-old assistant Baltemar Brito -- a former defender -- in the FA Cup this weekend than pay over the odds for a center-back.