The substitute was substituted: a bad day for Eboue

But if the league table is starting to look a little predictable 可預(yù)言的, then events around the game are anything but.

This week has seen a manager quit 離開 his team, fans booing 用噓聲表示不滿 their own players off the pitch, and another Premier League club put on the market 出售.

Roy Keane resigned as manager of Sunderland on Thursday, becoming the fifth manager to leave his position this season.

Although there are a number of managers putting themselves forward for the vacant position 空位, replacing Keane will not be easy for the Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn.

Tough job  Obviously, to find somebody to fill Roy's shoes, there are various components.   Niall Quinn, Sunderland Chairman

"Obviously, to find somebody to fill Roy's shoes… that's going to be a tough one," said Quinn, meaning it will be difficult to find someone to do Keane’s job as well as Keane did it.

Following the departure of their manager, Sunderland were beaten 1-0 by Manchester United on Saturday, and are languishing 衰退 in the relegation zone 降級區(qū) at the bottom of the table.

At the top of the table, Arsenal fans have been expressing their displeasure 不滿 with one of their players by jeering 嘲笑，嘲弄 his performance in Saturday’s game against Wigan.

Arsenal’s Emmanuel Eboue had a nightmare game. After coming on as a substitute 替補(bǔ), he made a series of blunders 大錯(cuò) including tackling 防守 his own team-mate and passing the ball to the opposition.

He was finally taken off to the ironic cheers 諷刺的歡呼聲 and catcalls 不滿尖叫聲，噓聲of his own team’s fans.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was in an unusually forgiving mood 有心原諒（其隊(duì)員的表現(xiàn)）, backing Eboue to return to silence his critics 批評家.

What crisis?  We are not in financial meltdown and it is nonsense to suggest we have to start selling players.    Alexandre Gaydamak, Portsmouth Chairman

"I think he will come back and show how good a player he is. The same fans will applaud 拍手喝彩，稱贊 him when he does well," said Wenger.

Fans of Portsmouth, however, may not be so forgiving of their team’s owner, Alexandre Gaydamak, who has put the club up for sale, saying he is too busy with other business commitments to run a football team.

Mr Gaydamak rejected suggestions that he is selling the club due to the global credit crunch 信用緊縮 and that star players will be sold.

"We are not in financial meltdown 經(jīng)濟(jì)崩潰 and it is nonsense to suggest we have to start selling players," said Mr Gaydamak.

It is not clear how much the club is on sale for, but the fact that Newcastle United remains unsold after six months on the market suggests that the global financial situation is having an impact on British football.