As with most things in life, progress is not linear, making it difficult to quantify. Still, one thing is clear this season a group of teams have set themselves apart from the also-rans in the proverbial chase for progress: Manchester United, Newcastle, Brighton, Fulham, Brentford & Arsenal.

All these teams have done it in different ways but in this episode, we take a closer look starting from the bottom of the league at each team and how they have faired without pre-season and historical expectations of them.

Follow us on Twitter @checking_var