We here we are at the sharp end and for us onlookers its getting interesting. For those in the middle of it of course its life and death but they need to excuse us onlookers who just enjoy an annual event that never fails to suprise and provide great end of season fare. this time round everyone in the bottom half is in some sort of danger, though really I think 37 points should be safe at this point Pos Team PL W D L F A GD Pts 10 Fulham 30 10 9 11 43 46 -3 39 11 South'on 32 9 10 13 46 53 -7 37 12 West Ham 30 10 6 14 35 44 -9 36 13 Norwich 32 7 14 11 30 49 -19 35 14 Stoke City 32 7 13 12 28 39 -11 34 15 Newcastle 31 9 6 16 41 56 -15 33 16 Aston Villa 32 8 9 15 35 59 -24 33 17 Sunderland 31 7 10 14 33 43 -10 31 18 Wigan 30 8 6 16 36 56 -20 30 19 QPR 31 4 11 16 28 51 -23 23 20 Reading 32 5 8 19 36 63 -27 23 Reading Just lost to Southampton and most are now writing them off even though they still have the same played as Harry. Its not too late to make a run at it but its got to be said Both QPR (chortle) and reading look done in. But its the perennial story of clubs diving towards the wrong end that's interesting me this time round. As much as I'm on record about Wigan and how much certain things make them my choice for the drop they have pulled themselves together after we trounced them and they looks like they were about to fight each other.. This means some "big" clubs are in up to their necks. If you had to pick someone right now surely it would be sunderland for the drop. Thier decision and choice of new manager and all form point to them as most in trouble. On the other hand villa have been through it for a long time and look like there's fight in them. We got a taste of it but their long ball game with Benteke does work. SO if not sunderland then who? Well I had a laugh with Tash earlier this week about newcastle and they are very disappointing and in danger too, fulham at St James tomorrow is a big game for them..... All I know is that i think there still could be a shock, if wigan continue the end of season baffling form (that they are incapable of delivering for more than two months a year) then anyone including west ham could go down. Who do you guys think is in form/out of form? Plummeting or shooting themselves in the foot and who's got the fight to stay up?
I think it will come down to goal scorers at the end of the day. Wigan - Kone Villa - Benteke Newcastle - Cisse Southampton - Lambert and more so Rodriguez recently That leaves one of Sunderland, Stoke & Norwich to go down with QPR & Reading. Before today's game I would have said Stoke's home form should see them safe but a 3-1 home defeat to Villa blew that one out the water. Sunderland are difficult to judge, under MON I would have said my favourites to go as no Fletcher means no goals. Their next highest scorer is Gardner however many of his have come from penalties. Add that to probably the hardest run in and they are in a dire situation. However it'll be interesting if a new manager can spark them back into life. Norwich, I think they have just about enough to stay up, based on both Stoke & Sunderland being in worse form. Sunderland 18th QPR 19th Reading 20th
Please let it be stoke!!! But think it will be Sunderland. In fact neither team can score goals but think that stoke will pull out a couple of wins before the end of the season. If Wigan win today I can see them doing their perennial escape. Newcastle..why are they down there? They should be nowhere near the relegation zone but would love to see Pardews mug if they did go down. Hope villa stay up they have some good young players. Norwich need to stay in the prem as they are our whipping boys. Southampton are looking quite classy. Fulham and west ham will be ok Quite exciting for the neutral makes up for the non event at the top of the league.
QPR & Reading are doomed, so there's only 1 place left imo. At this stage you always look at form, as those with a bit of form tend to carry that momentum on & drag themselves out of it. So, Villa & Southampton will escape using that logic, as both are playing OK & getting some results. Newcastle have got enough quality to win a game or 2 in the run in, so it won't be them. No win in 10 for Norwich & they look nervous, could be right in the mix come the last couple of games. Sunderland have been gash, but the Di Canio factor will give the whole club a lift & I reckon they might just squeak out of it. So that leaves Wigan, Norwich & Stoke. Wigan have got form for scraping out of this situation seemingly every season of late, so you'd have to fancy them to weasel their way out now. Down to 2.........on current form they're both nearly as gash as the other, but Stoke have started losing at home as well as being abyssmal away. Pulis & his anti football dross, could be about to bomb out - please Lord make it happen
yeah, i'd have to say norwich do look sacry but hey they have a slight cushion so a couple of draws and one win and they would be safe. home games? But they are diving towards it. I think if we talk form then wigan have it, sort of. they are stillin the mire aren't they? its funny how they think this can go on forever jus tplayng a bit when the ground gets hard and not bothering for the other 7 months of the season i have to say i'm a little suprised at the attitude towards stoke. Mainly as thier fans are a good lot and really support thier side, they pack out that gorund and travellig fans are year on year the best at anfield.... however Their defenders and midfielders are thugs and their manager has actually held them back away from home. We thought they were going to kick on but this year its all gone away.
Yeah Wigan are a joke mate, Martinez gets hailed as being a really talented manager & I just don't for the life of me see why. He sets his side up to play a style of football that they're simply not good enough to pull off. They play this way & lose, for 7 months & then go into 'survival mode' go more direct & get back to simple football basics & hey presto they start delivering a few results. It makes him a twat in my book. As for Stoke, I hate that fixture, yeah the fans are loyal & committed, but the football, Jesus, it's horrendous. They're a horrible, horrible side, playing horrible, horrible football & Pulis is grade 'A' cock. I'd prefer Villa given the choice, but it looks likely they're now going to be OK, so Stoke are now my No.1 choice
I thought you were one of those saying he was better than Rodgers at the start of the season under your other moniker
Pulis is the third biggest spender in the league over the last 5 years. He has no excuse to serve out the dross that he does. He is a ****e manager and has constructed an ugly as **** team/play style. Would be a good day if stoke were relegated
I agree about the spending. I really thought thye'd do something but he spend on tall players who clubs wanted shut of like crouch and jones. I think there's a bit of thuggery in his team no question (huth, shawcross and pulis orders) but i still say they've great fans who deserve to be i nthe prem on their support. Which is precisely why wigan are a blight on the prem despite the odd couple of months a year of good football.
Agree about Reading and QPR. I have said all season that I wouldn't mind seeing Villa drop but now Stoke are getting involved I've changed my mind
all i can say is seeing happy harry get it in the neck once more is nice... oh he's paved they way to it by talking about how hard but in truth bar a brief defensive improvement they've not responded to the "legend's" touch. All in all a nice big fat pay cheque for the man who i can't see possibly ever spending the cash he's pocketed both over and under the table yet is so greedy for it he can't help himself jump at jobs like this.
Would be good for football if Stoke went down. They could replace Pullis and come back stronger too. Would be suprised though, a lot of **** teams this year. Sunderland, Norwich, Wigan, QPR and Reading are all poor.
13 Newcastle 32 -14 36 14 Norwich 32 -19 35 15 Stoke 32 -11 34 16 Aston Villa 32 -24 33 17 Sunderland 32 -11 31 18 Wigan 31 -20 31 19 QPR 32 -23 24 20 Reading 32 -27 23 after a few games of "rare" quality it looks this.... QPR look like its too much for them, wigan were awful. the result helps no one really. Newcastle capitalised on fulhams away form just baout to jump up the table and just maybe have enough in hand to relax for the year.... like aprdew has since his contract in fact. Sunderland look in deep do do as wigan could put them 2 points in the zone with that game in hand. next week Arsenal v Norwich Aston Villa v Fulham Everton v QPR Reading v Liverpool Southampton v West Ham Newcastle v Sunderland Stoke v Man Utd It looks to me like more pain is on the way for norwich and sunderland while villa could well take a giant step to safety. Stoke playing utd should leave stoke i nthe mire.
here's the latest table. 11 Southampton 33 9 11 13 47 54 -7 38 12 West Ham 32 10 8 14 36 45 -9 38 13 Newcastle United 33 10 6 17 42 59 -17 36 14 Norwich City 33 7 14 12 31 52 -21 35 15 Sunderland 33 8 10 15 37 45 -8 34 16 Stoke City 33 7 13 13 28 41 -13 34 17 Aston Villa 33 8 10 15 36 60 -24 34 18 Wigan Athletic 31 8 7 16 37 57 -20 31 19 QPR 33 4 12 17 29 54 -25 24 20 Reading 33 5 9 19 36 63 -27 24 Nothings changed in the bottom two but things look mightily tight now for a lot of sides and they are ALL going to be looking at wigan and those two games in hand. Wednesday 17th April Man City vs Wigan West Ham vs Man Utd Fulham vs Chelsea Saturday 20th April Fulham vs Arsenal Norwich vs Reading QPR vs Stoke Sunderland vs Everton Swansea vs Southampton West Brom vs Newcastle West Ham vs Wigan Sunday 21st April Tottenham vs Man City Liverpool vs Chelsea Monday 22nd April 20:00 Man Utd vs Aston Villa Wigan have City away so that is not going to be easy for them and then they play west ham away too boot. I think norwich and stoke MUST win this weekend to get a bit of breathing room and its going to be a hard one for villa and newcastle. all in all i think the picture could get really interesting if the fixtures go the way they ought to. If sunderland can magic another win at home next weekend they could even breathe a sigh of relief and pat themselves on the back for sacking MON! anyway... any new thought son matters relegation related? I'm looking at "super sunday" as a one of the most pointless ever scheduled
My tip for the shute is Stoke - I can't see where their goals are going to come from at the moment, despite being a powerful team and that lanky strip of piss's ability to knock in several every season that usually gets them goals. At the moment they couldn't score in a brothel with a tenner round their chopper... Villa have finally gotten a bit of form together, Wigan will pull off their usual escape act, and Sunderland finally seem to have a manager who'll set a fire under them, and besides, their 0-3 result at the weekend will be the catalyst to get 'em going. I think that like a deadweight, QPR will do the damage this weekend and hole Stoke...
Annoying that we have to put with Wigan's abysmal attendances. Stoke have great fans, but have a dis-likable manager and footballers. If only they swapped managers and players, Stoke would be a likable Club.
Not sure they do. They're not the most friendly down at their place, as their Munich chant yesterday amply demonstrated. Bunch of inbred freaks, I hope they bomb out.
