If United beat Arsenal they could be going for 2nd or 3rd place couldn't they ...... dunno the other fixtures other than we play Arsenal. Would they stab the loanees in the back by relegating Hull?
The idea of clubs helping each other out goes back a long way. Does anyone remember the 1957-58 season? In April, I got to Roker about ten minutes late for the game against Birmingham City, I asked a guy if there was any score yet and he replied 'Three-nil down mate'! I wouldn't believe it till another guy confirmed it. Birmingham, at that time, had a forward line full of speed merchants. They were brilliant that day, and eventually beat us 6 - 1. Our last game was away to Portsmouth, whilst our main rivals for relegation, Leicester, were at home to ... Birmingham! Having seen Birmingham a few weeks earlier, we knew there was no way in the world Leicester could beat them. So if we could just win at Portsmouth, we would preserve our precious 'never relegated' status. We won 2 - 0 at Pompey. Great. And then the news came through - Leicester City 1, Birmingham City 0 !!! Sixty-eight years in the top division had finished. Harry Hooper, a north-east lad who played for Birmingham that day, and later signed for Sunderland, said some years later "I was the only one in the Birmingham side that bothered playing that day". One Midland side had helped another. One of the most miserable days I can ever remember. I was only a teenager. I couldn't even think Division 2. What the hell did Division 2 mean? It had never happened before. What was it? And look at us now - Division 2 is commonplace! There's no comprehending how far this club's come down.
That's a different scenario altogether mate, if we can achieve 3rd by beating Hull rest assured we would never go there looking for anything but a win. Not having to qualify for the Champions League would be an added bonus for us. Trouble is, Arsenal seem to be able to convert chances, unlike us. Rooney's been dropped deep again, after finding a winning formula with him up front, it just seems sometimes that his 'philosophy' is more important than winning... sound familiar?
That was the day I realised a trip home from London after going down is a lot longer than a trip home from London after losing at Wembley.
