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Final few games


The Fish
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/competitions/premier-league/9968147/Battle-to-beat-the-drop-Alan-Smith-predicts-how-the-relegation-battle-will-unfold.html

 

 

Southampton

 

After beating Liverpool and Chelsea in successive games, confidence should be soaring. In Jay Rodriguez and Rickie Lambert they have a couple of match winners for a run-in that looks better than some. A win at Reading on Saturday would practically ensure survival. Predicted finish 14th

 

Remaining fixtures: Apr 6 Reading (a) Apr 13 West Ham (h) Apr 20 Swansea (a) Apr 27 West Brom (h) May 4 Tottenham (a) May 12 Sunderland (a) May 19 Stoke (h)

 

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Stoke City

A terrible run since the turn of the year leaves them scrambling for points. That should add life to Saturday’s home game with Aston Villa, a match they should win. I can imagine Tony Pulis pumping up his players to grab the points that would relieve some of the pressure. 13th

Remaining fixtures: Apr 6 Villa (h) Apr 14 Man Utd (h) Apr 20 QPR (a) Apr 27 Norwich (h) May 4 Sunderland (a) May 12 Tottenham (h) May 19 Southampton (a)

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Norwich City

Like Stoke, Chris Hughton’s team have not looked in danger until recent weeks when their strikers have struggled to score. And if they cannot win on Saturday against Swansea, who have run their race, panic might set in, making home games against Reading and Villa crucial. 15th

Remaining fixtures: Apr 6 Swansea (h) Apr 13 Arsenal (a) Apr 20 Reading (h) Apr 27 Stoke (a) May 4 Villa (h) May 12 West Brom (h) May 19 Man City (a)

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Newcastle United

With the Europa League clouding the picture, Alan Pardew must hope his players can summon the urgency to claim the two wins needed for survival. They should be OK. Players such as Yohan Cabaye and Papa Cissé can steer this side to safety. 12th

Remaining fixtures: Apr 7 Fulham (h) Apr 14 Sunderland (h) Apr 20 West Brom (a) Apr 27 Liverpool (h) May 4 West Ham (a) May 12 QPR (a) May 19 Arsenal (h)

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Sunderland

Of all the sides scrapping for their lives, this one must go down as the hardest to gauge now that the combustible Paolo Di Canio has taken over. Can the Italian inspire a group of players shorn of confidence and belief? Looking at their fixtures, Di Canio might have to be patient. 19th

Remaining fixtures: Apr 7 Chelsea (a) Apr 14 Newcastle (a) Apr 20 Everton (h) Apr 29 Villa (a) May 4 Stoke (h) May 12 Southampton (h) May 19 Tottenham (a)

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Wigan Athletic

Unlike in previous seasons, a possible FA Cup final appearance could muddy the waters for a side well versed in narrowly avoiding the drop. But two wins on the trot should help self-belief going into Saturday’s belter at QPR. 17th

Remaining fixtures: Apr 7 QPR (a)

Apr 17 Man City (a) Apr 20 West Ham (a) Apr 27 Tottenham (h) May 4 West Brom (a) May 7 Swansea (h) May 12 Arsenal (a) May 19 Aston Villa (h)

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Aston Villa

Home games against Fulham and Sunderland could be key, as could the final-day trip to Wigan. But Christian Benteke always gives them a chance. Keep him fit and firing and Paul Lambert’s side might just have enough. 16th

Remaining fixtures: Apr 6 Stoke (a) Apr 13 Fulham (h) Apr 22 Manchester Utd (a) Apr 29 Sunderland (h) May 4 Norwich (a) May 12 Chelsea (h) May 19 Wigan (a)

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QPR

Monday night’s loss at Fulham seemed to seal their fate. But to stand any chance at all, they have simply got to beat Wigan at home on Saturday. The gap would then at least close to something more encouraging for a side with good players. 18th

Remaining fixtures: Apr 7 Wigan (h) Apr 13 Everton (a) Apr 20 Stoke (h) Apr 28 Reading (a) May 4 Arsenal (h) May 12 Newcastle (h) May 19 Liverpool (a)

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Reading

Whoever was in charge, be it Brian McDermott or Nigel Adkins, the chances of survival were always slim. A lack of investment leaves Adkins with the weakest squad in this division. Only an extraordinary turnaround can save them now. 20th

Remaining fixtures: Apr 6 Southampton (h) Apr 13 Liverpool (h) Apr 20 Norwich (a) Apr 28 QPR (h) May 4 Fulham (a) May 12 Manchester City (h) May 19 West Ham (a)

 

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i think we'll be ok. our next two home games are winnable. back to back victories there and we'll be fine. sunderland is the one i'm worried about - not because they're a good team but because of the potential "new manager affect" and the fact it comes so close to the uefa cup game, which could see us with our heads down. that week will shape our season. two defeats there and a failure to beat fulham combined with a couple of injuries to key players and it could be brown trousers time for the run in. i don't fancy us to get much from our away fixtures and i wouldn't want to have to reply on beating arsenal at home in the last game of the season to stay up.

Edited by Dr Gloom
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We aren't desperate but theway results have gone around us recently - plus a couple of really unlucky games Swansea/Wigan - I'm a little nervous. A lot of people have flipped after Man City and a lot of frustrations have been poured out so I'm hoping it doesn't translate into nerves.

 

Fulham look a good team and a settled team - I don't think we've been settled in many spells this season. I can see us getting the two wins - but I'm not 100% it will be Fulham or Sunderland. As well as ourselves we'll be looking around for other teams results - so another attentive end to the year - just at the wrong side of the table.

 

It'll be easier with no Europa league next year but we need to put ourselves in a position where we don't need to pick up the pieces in January after summer. We also need more than one senior striker who can play 90 minutes.

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Contrary ;) to Tom I think we are desperate.

 

We have failed to connect midfield and attack most of the season leaving Cisse isolated, so I always worry where the goals are going to come from.

 

3 points off relegation in April is a fucking nightmare and its now down to luck and who dares wins.

 

Fulham are decent enough and I have no doubt Sunderland will be resurgent, particularly with the nice little siege mentality they have going.

 

It's fingers crossed for me for the run in.

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Cisse leaves himself isolated by having no understanding of the offside rule. We've been alright at home since January so that's where the points are going to come - whilst picking up scraps away.

 

Basically if you've got one striker and he's not firing - you're always going to look one dimensional. Obviously Ameobi can put an hour in but Cisse really needs a partner - to either partner or one to threaten his place.

 

Sunderland don't have the fixture list to be ''resurgent'' or the team or the manager so they'll have to hit and hope. I think QPR and Reading are already gone so it's down to 18th.

 

Up until Wigan - which was horrendously bad luck with added cheating - people we comfortable but two losses on the bounce - one which was always going to happen the other a result of negligent reffing and it's backs to the wall but before Fulham beat QPR we were three points off 10th. It's a funny table this year...

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Cisse leaves himself isolated by having no understanding of the offside rule. We've been alright at home since January so that's where the points are going to come - whilst picking up scraps away.

 

We had a very bad January at home :lol:

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The way things are at the moment I see all our games as a battle - I couldn't say there were any definite points there to be banked on. In short I'm a tad nervous about our chances, to be expected though I guess.

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The fact that a home game to Fulham is one that we're relying on to help us stay up is bringing me an awful, awful feeling of deja vu.

 

If we don't get a win this weekend (and that's definitely not a given), I'll be feeling nervous.

 

It's all because of that fucking Wigan game!

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Not confident at all about the next few games, every time we get a couple of games where we should be picking up points we seem to fail (West Ham, Swansea, Saints in November 0 points and again in Jan against Everton, Norwich and Reading 1point).

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The fact that a home game to Fulham is one that we're relying on to help us stay up is bringing me an awful, awful feeling of deja vu.

 

If we don't get a win this weekend (and that's definitely not a given), I'll be feeling nervous.

 

It's all because of that fucking Wigan game!

Fulham is a twat of a game if you need points even at home. If you look at the percentage of their away wins in the PL then their PL away wins up here I'd be pretty surprised if the former was greater than the latter. People just expect us to beat them, there's no atmosphere of any kind, their fans that do come up are just so inoffensive and it's almost like they just sleepwalk a decent result against us.

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Reading and QPR are definitely gone, but I wouldn't be able to state with any confidence who else will go? Stoke have been awful lately, can't buy a win, sunderland have no goals in their side and tough fixtures, Villa aren't out of it in my opinion, Wigan are as likely to win 4 on the bounce as they are to implode entirely.

 

15 Stoke 32 -11 34

16 Aston Villa 32 -24 33

17 Sunderland 32 -11 31

18 Wigan 31 -20 31

 

Stoke 40pts

Stoke V Man Utd 0

QPR V Stoke 1

Stoke V Norwich 1

Sunderland V Stoke 1

Stoke V Tottenham 0

Southampton V Stoke 3

 

Villa 37pts

Aston Villa V Fulham 3

Man Utd V Aston Villa 0

Aston Villa V Sunderland 1

Norwich V Aston Villa 0

Aston Villa V Chelsea 0

Wigan V Aston Villa 0

 

sunderland 35pts

Newcastle V Sunderland 1

Sunderland V Everton 0

Aston Villa V Sunderland 1

Sunderland V Stoke 1

Sunderland V Southampton 1

Tottenham V Sunderland 0

 

Wigan 39pts

Man City V Wigan 0

West Ham V Wigan 3

Wigan V Tottenham 0

West Brom V Wigan 1

Wigan V Swansea 1

Arsenal V Wigan 0

Wigan V Aston Villa 3

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Didn't realise how tasty the fixtures on the last day of the season look if they all stay huddled like that.

 

Wigan v Villa could be great fun.

 

Norwich at Man City and the Mackems at Spurs...fraught.

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