Having assessed everyone from Arsenal to Sunderland, we wrap up our midterm grades starting with Swansea.

SWANSEA

With manager Brendan Rodgers, goalscoring winger Scott Sinclair, centre-back Steven Caulker, and midfield metronome Joe Allen all departing, the Swans faced a difficult task to build on their superb Premier League debut. New boss Michael Laudrup has handled the transition seamlessly, maintaining the slick passing approach of the past several years while adding greater directness and goal threat. Laudrup’s knowledge of Spanish football has yielded such fine buys as Michu – the league’s top scorer at present, signed for an astonishing £2 million – Pablo Hernandez, and Chico Flores. With Michel Vorm continuing to excel between the posts and Wayne Routledge and Nathan Dyer still wreaking havoc on the flanks with their pace and trickery, the Welsh outfit should have no trouble maintaining their top-ten position.  

Midterm grade: A-
Laudrup’s Swansea remain classy on the ball but also carry greater menace in the final third.

TOTTENHAM

Yet another side adjusting to a change of manager, Spurs have also had to deal with the departure of Luka Modric and injuries to key man like Younes Kaboul, Benoit Assou-Ekotto, and Scott Parker. Under the circumstances, finishing 2012 in fourth seems commendable enough, even if AVB’s side have shown a disconcerting tendency to concede late goals. The goals of Jermain Defoe and wing wizard Gareth Bale have been crucial, while in midfield, Moussa Dembele (when fit) has replaced much of Modric’s inventiveness, and Sandro has been excellent in Parker’s absence. Jan Vertonghen has done well at both full-back and centre-back and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris is beginning to show why he has taken over from Brad Friedel between the posts, so once Villas-Boas has his defensive spine completely healthy the North Londoners look one of the most complete teams in the division.  

Midterm grade: B
A few hiccups for AVB but the big picture shows a largely successful half-season.  

WEST BROM

The perennial ‘yoyo club’ continues to solidify itself as a top-flight mainstay, despite replacing the vastly experienced Roy Hodgson with a managerial debutant in Steve Clarke. The new man has enjoyed a dream start to life in the Midlands, with the Baggies ending the year in the giddy heights of sixth place. Newcomer Claudio Yacob has formed a fine midfield partnership with Youssuf Mulumbu, providing a solid base for the likes James Morrison, Chris Brunt, Peter Odemwingie, and Zoltan Gera to make things happen further forward. Clarke has cleverly rotated the lone striker role between Shane Long and on-loan prospect Romelu Lukaku, who have combined for 11 goals thus far. Keeping up this stellar form will be quite a challenge, but Clarke, long tipped to succeed as the main man after years as an assistant, has already made a brilliant first impression.  

Midterm grade: A
Clarke has made West Brom even harder to beat while shrewdly managing his attacking resources.  

WEST HAM

Given the track record of boss Sam Allardyce and the top-flight experience running through the squad, it’s no surprise that the playoff-winning Hammers have fared the best of the promoted sides. The central defensive tandem of James Collins and Winston Reid has flourished, Mohamed Diame has been dynamic in the engine room, and Kevin Nolan found the net with typical regularity from his advanced midfield position. The main issues have come up front: Andy Carroll has seen his loan spell blighted by injuries, Carlton Cole remains as erratic as ever, and Modibo Maiga looks ill-equipped to lead the line for an Allardyce side. All in all, it’s rarely been particularly pretty, but the Hammers have comfortably avoided any relegation anxiety thus far.  

Midterm grade: A-
A typical Allardyce side: direct, well-organised, and well out of the relegation picture.  

WIGAN

The narrative surrounding the Latics in the Roberto Martinez era has become all too familiar: they are praised for being easy, for sticking to Martinez’s principles, all while languishing near the foot of the table until a late charge proves enough save them from the drop. The reasons for their struggles are equally familiar: while possessing some fine ball-playing midfielders, particularly in the shape of young James McCarthy, they remain far too inefficient at both ends of the field. At the back, they remain as leaky as ever, especially with Antolin Alcaraz spending most of the season on the treatment table. Up front, Aroune Kone has acquitted himself well without being especially prolific, while Franco Di Santo has shown his fine form at the back of last season was just a mirage.  

Midterm grade: C-
New season, same old story for Wigan, and things could get worse when Kone departs for the Africa Cup of Nations in January.