Swimming with the sharks.

The BPL is one of the toughest leagues in the world... and it is so for a reason. There is no learning curve, you get thrown in with the sharks and you are expected to swim faster.

The BPL also showcases the gulf between the naive managers from the wily old ones. Zola of West Ham and Roberto Martinez of Wigan reminds us why it took Sir Alex so many years to establish his reign at the top of the pile. It is great to play pretty football but when the rubber hits the road, you've got to play ugly to survive. That is what Sam Allardyce, Mick McCarthy and Tony Pulis know and that has seen their teams win crucial matches for relegation battle's survival of the fittest. Portsmouth and Burnley are going down.

With a shrewd and battle hardened manager like Iain Dowie now in charge at Hull City, you will feel that they always have a fighting chance.

Will West Ham get relegated? I fear so. Will Wigan get dragged in as well. I think so. There is no place for naive management in the BPL. A certain Rafa Benitez at Merseyside should also take note of that.