Scudamore getting a kick out of change in fortunes

Dwindling crowds, soaring ticket prices, big-club domination, predictable results - the weakspots are familiar.

Amid much shaking of heads, critics eventually conclude the fat cats have got so greedy that the game has eaten itself. And serves them right, too.

So why, at a time when the English clubs' larder has never been as full, is the Premier League chief executive sitting so comfortably behind his desk at Gloucester Place HQ?

"Quite frankly, it's been a fantastic start to the season," said Scudamore. "This week's league table is different from last week which was different from the week before. I'm quite sure it will look different again in two weeks' time."

And he's right. The doom-mongers are silent and most football fans are enjoying the ride. While the pre-season talk was of the Manchester United-Chelsea duopoly, with only Liverpool mounting a serious challenge, the reality has been very different.

Resurgent Arsenal top the league, yet the transformation of Manchester City under Sven-Goran Eriksson could prove the story of the season. Aston Villa and Portsmouth are both on the up and, as Scudamore is quick to point out, don't forget Blackburn.

The 47-year-old, who was yesterday named among the Evening Standard's top five most influential people in London sport, said: "You hear the claims of predictability, but in my nine years here, those claims have had so many different outcomes.

"I've been through Manchester United winning three years in a row and people saying it was going to happen forever.

Then Arsenal went unbeaten and everyone said they were going to win it forever. Then Chelsea won it two years in a row and it was the same.

"Football is football, you are going to get upsets. Yes, we all know there is a direct correlation between the money you spend and your success and therefore it's not entirely variable, but as long as there is uncertainty within that then that's what we're looking for."

The bright start has provided respite for Scudamore after a difficult summer. Football's arch negotiator should have been basking in the glory of the record £2.7billion rights settlement, but was instead forced to endure calls for his resignation over the League's handling of the Carlos Tevez affair.

Add to that the debate over club ownership, highlighted by Thaksin Shinawatra's purchase of Manchester City, and the ongoing police investigation into corruption in football, and it was anything but a 'close-season'.

Scudamore said: "The West Ham situation came about as result of an act of bad faith and after that the whole thing unravelled. I think it's a good example of how much the clubs have a responsibility to play it straight and to play it fair with the league. I don't think you will ever convince Wigan or Fulham that the Premier League got it right but it doesn't stop them from thinking we do a good job generally."

Indeed, if the owners of Wigan and Fulham are still unhappy there are plenty others queuing up to take their place. The Premier League continues to be gripped by takeover fever, a trend which Scudamore believes has been partially fuelled by the huge hike in the value of its overseas rights.

The former newspaper executive said: "The interest in the Premier League internationally has mushroomed since I have been here. We have gone from one deal worth about £30million a year to now when we are generating over £215m a year through international sales.

"Compare that, say, with the NBA in America. They get $35m a year through overseas sales. Even the biggest US franchises don't compare to us outside their own shores.

"I think a lot of people see it as a phenomenon. How is it that English football generates so much interest across the world?

"For the Americans, that is something they have not been able to achieve in their sports. And for the other foreign investors it is something that gets them a place on the world stage which investing in other areas can't."