The season has been an odd one so far.

Chelsea finally looked like Chelsea in beating Blackburn. Of course most teams look like Chelsea whenever they’re fortunate enough to play Blackburn. Jose can claim it was the return of a few of the superstars finally recovering from injuries, but they are so deep that should never matter.

Arsenal have looked awful and find themselves on the wrong end of the table with their worst start in ages. Thierry Henry is doing nothing, and everyone else seems to be standing around waiting for him to get something done. They’ll eventually get it together, but they are in for a disappointing year by their standards. Seems like only yesterday they were ‘invincible’.

Martin O’Neill continues to have Aston Villa looking sharp. They got a win in front of the new chairman Randy Lerner this weekend. Suddenly, everything is roses in that part of Birmingham. Villa still needs a fair few parts, O’Neill can’t do it all on his own. It’ll be interesting what Lerner will let him buy while the transfer window is open. I doubt there will be any huge names coming in, but a few, moderately priced, well-thought out signings will cement their place in mid-table–and possibly even a bit beyond. It’s a good time to be a Villan, after many years of dispair.

It’s also a rare good time to be a tractor boy. Ipswich finally lodged win number one this season. First one in something like sixteen tries, going back to last year. I’m sure the pints at the Cock and Pye were tasting much better Friday night.