Kolo Toure reckons Arsenal must maintain their good form on the road this season if they are to have a chance of title honours. After claiming their second successive away victory on Saturday with a 3-1 triumph over Bolton Wanderers, Toure said: "We know every time we come away from home we need to do well. We lost a lot of points last season and we knew we had to work on it. We just have to play as well as we do at Emirates Stadium. There we are on top but sometimes when we go away we just don't start well. We have been working on it and we hope to keep going."

 John Carew hailed Aston Villa's gritty performance in the 2-1 win over local rivals West Bromwich Albion on Saturday. He said: "It was a fantastic team performance. It wasn't the prettiest game - but derby games are never like that - it was a battle and very physical but we rose to the challenge. We may be able to go to Tottenham and play super football but we can fight and battle and scrap for three points too."

 Manager Paul Ince believes goalkeeper Paul Robinson will go from strength to strength after his showing in Saturday's 1-0 victory over Fulham. Ince said: "Against Fulham you saw what a world class goalkeeper he is. Give him time, he hasn't played for a while as he didn't play much at Tottenham towards the end of last season, but he is definitely getting there, he pulled off two world class saves and he will only get better." 

  Fabrice Muamba believes there are encouraging signs from Bolton Wanderers' second half display in the defeat to Arsenal. He said: "Lesson learned, we were much better in the second-half and asked a few questions of them. To be fair, Arsenal defended very well. If we can continue like that then we can cause problems for anybody in the Barclays Premier League."

 Luiz Felipe Scolari lavished praise on John Obi Mikel as the midfield star helped Chelsea fight back to level with Manchester United on Sunday. He said: "Mikel was fantastic, playing in back, in front, left side, right side, fighting, jumping. This is the spirit I want and the spirit Chelsea have, I am happy for this."

  Manager David Moyes was pleased with Louis Saha's showing as the French striker played his part in the equalising goal at Hull City. "Saha has made a big difference to how we played when he came on. I'm glad to get him out there," said Moyes. "I don't think it was a gamble to play him." 

  An impressive £17,000 was raised in support of the Johnny Haynes Statue Fund in last week's Annual Awards Dinner and Matchday bucket collection. The fund now has £39,000 in the kitty and the statue will be erected at the stadium to take pride of place in front of the Craven Cottage gates.

 Manager Phil Brown is staying upbeat despite watching his side throw away a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 with Everton. He said: "There were a lot of positives to come from the game. It was some of the best football that we've played at the KC in the first half. We had two players making their debuts who only met their team-mates a week ago and I thought that might have upset our fluency, but it certainly didn't."

 Spanish winger Albert Riera has urged Liverpool fans to be patient with the team after their stalemate with Stoke City. "It's still very early in the Premier League," said Riera. "It's only the beginning and we will have many more matches that are better. It's a long season and we must be patient. I'm sure we will get better but the most important thing is how we finish."

  Stephen Ireland could not hide his pleasure after Manchester City romped to a 6-0 victory over Portsmouth. He said: "The confidence was there, but it comes from the gaffer and the staff. They are word class, and the fans as well are giving us an extra boost. Everything is coming together to give us a massive lift and we are playing to the best of our abilities. There's great communication and everything is going brilliantly at the moment." 

 Sir Alex Ferguson believes his side will hit top gear going into October following the 1-1 draw against Chelsea on Sunday. "It's difficult to say where this 1-1 result places us but what I do know is that come October we'll be fine," he said. "The players will have plenty of minutes on the clock, the level of our game will go up, Ronaldo and Berbatov will have games behind them... you'll see us at our best then."

  Gareth Southgate has called for his side to be more ruthless after they missed several opportunities in the 2-0 defeat to Sunderland. He said: "We haven't taken our chances and ultimately we were not ruthless enough. It's very hard to take and especially in the emotion of a derby, it hurts even more. We did a lot of things right. We controlled the game in large periods and after 72 minutes it was an excellent away performance."

 Caretaker coach Chris Hughton opted to focus on the positives after the 3-1 defeat to West Ham United. "I thought we came out second half perhaps how we should have come out in the first half, put in a spirited performance, had opportunities and on another day it might have been different," he said. "I can't fault the players' application - I think one thing they are aware of, they are aware of what the situation is."

  Harry Redknapp has admitted that after the recent good form, the 6-0 defeat to Manchester City was a massive shock. "I didn't see that coming," he said. "It's out of character. We went into the game on the back of three fantastic victories and we were a team in form. Our away form last year was one of the best in the Premier League. Our away form was fantastic, although we did get battered here."

 Former Liverpool striker Stan Collymore praised the Stoke backline after the Potters came away with a 0-0 draw from Anfield. "That was unbelievable," said Collymore. "I have never seen a defence put in a performance like that in all my years of playing and watching football."

  Roy Keane has been dealt a double blow ahead of Tuesday's Carling Cup tie at home to Northampton Town on Tuesday. Both George McCartney and Teemu Tainio will miss the match, with McCartney cup-tied after playing for former club West Ham United in their 4-1 win over Macclesfield Town in the second round. Midfielder Tainio injured his shoulder in the Wearsiders' 2-0 derby win over Middlesbrough on Saturday.

  Jon Obika helped Spurs Under-18s win their match with Crystal Palace in the Premier Academy League by scoring the only goal. The striker topped off some good work from Adam Smith and Dean Parrett to ensure the victory. The win means the team are unbeaten so far this season, with two wins and three draws. Coach Alex Inglethorpe said: "We scored after 65 minutes when Adam Smith and Dean Parrett made good progress down the right, cut the ball back and Jon Obika was there to apply the finish. That was very pleased because we'd spoken to Jon at half-time about being in the right areas to score and he did just that."

  Robert Koren thinks Albion need to show more prowess in front of goal if they are to establish themselves in the Barclays Premier League. After winning the sponsors' man-of-the-match award in Sunday's 2-1 derby defeat to Aston Villa, Koren was disappointed not to have claimed anything from the encounter. He said: "We're really disappointed we didn't get any points. In the first half, we started well and played good football but we're not dangerous enough and that's something we need to work on in training. We need to create more and get into more positions. It's letting us down at the moment."

  David Di Michele has thanked the Hammers fans for their support on his debut appearance on Saturday and inspiring him to score a brace. The Italy striker, who is on a year-long loan from Torino said: "It was a great occasion. It was a very positive experience. I didn't expect to start in such a nice way in front of the home crowd. I am so happy to have scored two goals and that we won. For me, it was an atmosphere that I am not used to. It was unbelievable and the fans helped me to focus. It made me determined to do my best because I could tell that even if you make a mistake they are not on your back. That is such a big help, especially when you are a forward because it gives you the confidence to try things."

  Manager Steve Bruce believes his job at the JJB Stadium is "fantastic" after earning a point against the odds at Tottenham Hotspur. The Latics boss was forced to name two goalkeepers on the substitutes` bench at White Hart Lane with Lee Cattermole banned and fellow midfielder Michael Brown allowed to miss the game with his wife in hospital giving birth. He said: "This kind of thing makes it a fantastic club to manage in some way. Nobody gives us a prayer and we're probably two players short of a proper squad - but we still have enough quality to enhance the Premier League, I believe."