This season for as long as I can remember we’ve been told our place or have been staring up at 17 or more teams.
But for once, we can ‘just about’ have that destiny in our own hands! Wolves below us have a game in hand & before they play catch up against Stoke, all the basement clubs have another ride on the rollercoaster that is the Premier League.
10 Newcastle 32 1 39
11 West Brom 33 -15 39
12 Fulham 32 1 38
13 Stoke 32 -3 38
14 Birmingham 32 -10 38
15 Sunderland 33 -12 38
16 Blackburn 33 -14 35
17 Wigan 33 -21 34
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18 Blackpool 33 -22 33
19 West Ham 33 -19 32
20 Wolves 32 -20 32
So let’s see for teams around us without the magic 40 points, what their next games are, their form and where we could go, as we still ride this evening’s euphoria of 3 points.
19th Apr – Newcastle vs Man Utd – Okay I know Newcastle are on 39 points, so won’t dwell too much on this match. Believe they’ll see the wrath of Fergie after the FA Cup so Newcastle may need to wait until the weekend match against Blackpool before they pass 40? Worrying for Newcastle is they have lost 3 of their last 4 matches.
20th Apr – Chelsea vs Birmingham – Chelsea though they went out of Europe like a damn squib last week, they are actually the form team in the Premier League with 16 points in the last 6 games. Birmingham have been hit & miss since their Carling Cup triumph, 2 wins & 2 draws in the last 6, those 2 wins both coming @ St Andrews. Importantly for Brum a win against Sunderland today takes them to 38 points. If Birmingham do buck Chelsea’s league form we could see them go past the magic 40 & probably safety, something we’ve seen Villa do with winning their last 2 games.
Next weekend
23rd Apr – Villa vs Stoke, Villa have shown how fickle this Premier League is! Penfold’s head on a platter, 2 wins later & Penfold has single handed defeated Baron Silas Greenback. Stoke similar to Newcastle on 38 points really shouldn’t be worried but with this league, you never know. Stoke do though go into this match with 1 win in 6 & just 5 points in those 6 games
Blackpool vs Newcastle, we’ve covered Newcastle, but our friends by the Sea find themselves this evening in the relegation zone for the 1st time, much like Wigan in May 07. For all their heroics this season they somehow find themselves on 33 points, 1 point in their last 6 games and just 5 points in their last 12, worrying times.
Chelsea vs West Ham, for some strange reason after getting on the rails West Ham won a few, looked good & them promptly fell off the rails again & have lost their last 3. So typical Murphy’s law they have to play Chelsea the form team @ Stamford Bridge. A tough match for West Ham even tougher will be another defeat & it would be 4 on the spin, from Train to dodgy parachute in 4 easy matches?
Liverpool vs Birmingham, like Newcastle we’ve covered Birmingham & their form, if from 38 points with a cup in the cabinet they can’t avoid relegation then there is no hope for the others. Though they have 2 tough matches here, they have games against Wolves & Newcastle which should see them safe & getting the brasso out for their Pot.
Sunderland vs Wigan, another big one, Sunderland have lost 8 of their last 9, their form is the worst in the Premier League with 4 defeats on the spin. The added intrigue is Steve Bruce, Sunderland have admitted they are in free fall and could be that team who after odds earlier this year of 80/1 for relegation, fall like a stone into the bottom 3 on game 38. As for Wigan, another win, 2 on the spin and we could see day light between our backsides and that line above 18th place. Wigan’s form is good, 2 wins & a draw in the last 6, yes 3 defeats, but they were to Man United (1st), Chelsea (3rd) Man City (4th), against Blackpool we got the luck we’ve been missing (Rooney’s invisible elbow, dribbling goal against City & Torres playing peekaboo with Habsi), I just hope they carry the momentum on against Sunderland, a draw wouldn’t be a bad result too.
Spurs vs West Brom, Roy or as they say Woy, has like @ Fulham 2 seasons ago delivered a little miracle for our friend Mr Sharner! 3 wins in the last 5 and only a defeat today @ the hands of Chelsea the only blot since Woy took over. 39 points should soon see them over the 40 hurdle. Maybe not here with bojangles now going for 4th after a lesson from Real, but with West Brom playing local rivals Wolves & Villa next, Scharner should get to polish his ‘Joe 90’ glasses ready for next season’s Premier League interviews.
Wolves vs Fulham, with 38 points Fulham should be safe, 8 points from the last 6 games should see Mr Hughes team over the 40 points, probably here. With Wolves coming into this game @ the foot of the table & a form of 2 wins in the last 6 but 2 recent defeats on the spin, another defeat here & the Championship writing could be on the wall….then again…….
25th Apr – Blackburn vs Man City, another of those teams like Sunderland, who really shouldn’t be here, but they are & with their chickens in tow. Blackburn play a team that has just had it’s monkey lifted off it’s back in the form of the FA Cup semi final, so this match could go either way? City could destroy Blackburn with their new self believe, or Blackburn off the back of just 3 draws in their last 6, could put some much needed distance between them and 18th.
26th Apr – Stoke vs Wolves, by this time I’ve got a feeling destiny will be in Wigan’s hands, it’s ours to be safe or ours to be relegated. We’ve covered both these teams and their different roads on Premier League survival, 1 team may have 1 eye on a coach journey down the M6 avoiding the M1 of course.
So if instead reality hits hard and we end Sunderland’s dismal run with their 2nd win in 10 & sods law prevails with other results going against us! We could find Wigan back @ the foot of the table on 34 points with West Ham & Wolves, 4 matches to go and 2 points away from safety.
But if we do something we haven’t for a long long time & win back to back games with results going for us? We could find ourselves in 16th place & 4 points adrift of the relegation zone of Blackpool, West Ham & Wolves.
Here’s hoping for the later.
accentuate the positive
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