Air of change

So now the Olympics is over we can now all concentrate on the football season which is now into full flow up and down the country. I usually leave any opinions of the new season till at least November. With so many new players coming in these days and change of manager and whatever a true judgement of a teams progress can't really be estimated until at least a few months down the line. However some things have caught my eye already that I feel needed a comment or two.

Firstly I start with Newcastle United. It's Kevin Keegan first full season (if he lasts that long) at the helm of the magpies and he has done his best over the summer months to transform his side into a top 10 team. But of course he hasn't really been making the changes has he? Dennis Wise director of football is in charge of all transfers into the club. Keegan effectively is a school teacher who is surprised when a new pupil arrives in each day.

It must be frustrating for Keegan, one of the main privileges of a manager is being able to bring in players who you feel will make your team better, having that done for you while you have to manger players who you might not think are any good must be very difficult.

However from the outset it has worked. Wise has made some very astute signings none more so than Danny Guthrie. I saw this man play at Old Trafford the other week and he made Paul Scholes look like a school boy. Guthrie has tremendous vision on the ball and can't half play a pass. It's not often Manchester United have to bow down to a midfield player playing on the other side. When watching him at Coventry on Tuesday night he looked again very comfortable on the ball. he reminds me of the role Scholes has now in the United side, not busting a gut to get in the box but happy to play the simple passes and set your team on the attack. For 3.5 million I think Newcastle have found a peach of a player.

Elsewhere Nicky Butt has decided to learn how to pass a ball, and Michael Owen has shown that even 50% fit he is still one of the most potent strikers in the country. The singing of Guiterez also looks a good one, sure to be compared with other flying Newcastle wingers like David Ginola and Keith Gillespie. Otherwise it looks as though Newcastle could indeed push into the top half this season, if they can keep there injuries down, maybe even further.

If Newcastle have surprised me then Dagenham and Redbridge have astonished me. Tipped as Relegation candidates at the start of the season Daggers have picked up 7 out of nine points and find themselves in the top six. Now don't expect this exact type of form to continue but it certainly shows the amount of character in the Dagenham camp. They clearly struggled at the back end of the last season and many did fear for there football league status. The circumstances surrounding Luton, Bournmouth and Rotherham have pretty much put pay to that now, but Dagneham's form is still amazing. The form of Paul Benson and Ben Strevens is particularly impressive. But with such little resources can this 'tinpot' club really keep up a promotion challenge? Well in a word, no but watching there current form is certainly refreshing to see.

The final club I am going to talk about is a team I saw a lot of last season, Torquay United. Many had the team down as early season favourites for promotion, and so far after 5 games the gulls find themselves with just 4 points. Not only have the results infuriated the fans but so have the performances. And I'll be brutally honest I'm not surprised one bit. The home defeats to both Ebbsfleet United and then Salisbury City has brought cause for concern for the job of manager Paul Buckle who has job saving match tonight at home to York City. A defeat tonight would surely see the end for Buckle,even at this early stage of the season. Maybe a new manager would be the spur for the Gulls to push themselves up the table and into the promotion places.