Following what can only be described as a poor 2011 for Blackburn Rovers fans, I take a look back at the year about to pass, 2012.
Blackburn moved into January lying in 19th position in the Premier League having spent Christmas day in the unwanted position of bottom place, well known as being an almost certain indication of relegation come May. Early form in January wasn't good, starting with defeat to Stoke at home and being dumped out of the FA cup by Newcastle. A win against Fulham and a Draw at Everton followed, with signs that there might be an upturn in fortunes to come. January also marked the transfer window, meaning an opportunity to strengthen. In came Markus Olsson and Bradley Orr along with Anthony Modeste on Loan. Notable out-goings were: Jason Roberts, Ryan Nelson and Keith Andrews. The club finished the month lying in 18th, one point from safety.
If January had shown glimpses of hope, February soon dashed this. Three loses and one win, including a demoralising 7-1 thumping at the hands of Arsenal and the loss of lynchpin defender Samba to Russia for in excess of 11 million, left the club stuck in the bottom three, still 18th, though with only goal-difference keeping them from safety, proving that a couple of extra points would have gone a long way.
March was perhaps (at least in the Premiership), the most fruitful one of 2012 for Rovers and should have been one that went on to define and rescue their season. A draw against Aston Villa, followed up by good wins against fellow strugglers Wolves and Sunderland should have set the tone for a team at one point sitting six points clear of the relegation zone but this was followed up by a disappointing defeat to the hands of Bolton, meaning the club were 17th but only just out of the bottom three on Goals scored.
Moving on into April, many fans held the hope of a "Great Escape" but this month can only be described as an unmitigated disaster with defeat to Bolton at the end of March followed by another four defeats on the bounce. There was a late capitulation to Manchester United, a comprehensive defeat to West Brom, a chance of three points thrown away against the 10 men of Liverpool and another resounding defeat to Swansea with frustrations on the pitch showing. A must win game at home to Norwich gave brief hope when the Rovers mustered up a solid 2-0 win but this was following up with a pretty inept performance at Tottenham where it was widely reported that there were no attempts on target or even off target for Blackburn - pretty poor for a team that had to win to even stand a chance of staying up. The team finished April in 19th position, three points from safety and an inferior goal difference with just two games remaining and the team above them with a game in hand.
A dire season in the Premiership was brought to an end in May, relegation to the Championship for the 2012-13 season was confirmed on a rainy evening against Wigan which will probably best be remembered for the Chicken let loose on the pitch which Yakubu and Ali Al Habsi managed to corner in the Wigan goal with Rovers eventually losing 1-0. A final day loss to Chelsea brought down the curtain on eleven consecutive seasons in the Premiership for Rovers. The team finished 19th out of 20 with 31 points, six points from safety and an inferior goal difference.
June is a quiet month in football, though the intent for Blackburn was to try and bounce back at the first time of asking. June saw one in-coming player Danny Murphy, while significant out-goings were: Yakubu, Hoilett, Salgado and Grella.
July saw some mixed results during the usual pre-season friendly games, a couple of wins and a couple of losses but the club also looked to have signalled some ambition with the signings of Leon Best and Nuno Gomes. In addition, in came relative unknowns Fabio Nunes, Paulo Jorge & Edinho Junior.
The remainder of the club's pre-season games were played out in the early part of August, though the first one was cancelled on safety grounds, a behind closed door training game ended 0-0 and the second one yielded a win. Sadly Rovers lost new signing Leon Best to a serious injury during pre-season and he hasn't been able to play any part during 2012. A good start to the Championship campaign saw Blackburn draw one and win two, leaving Rovers 3rd in the league, though this was marred by a defeat to lower league opposition in the league cup, a competition fans would have had hope of doing reasonably well in. Signings during August included Dickson Etuhu and a club record spend on the extremely promising Jordan Rhodes in addition to Diogo Rosado and Nuno Henrique. Outgoings included Petrovic, Bunn and Nzonzi. In addition there were a couple of Loans in: Kazim Richards and the polish goalkeeper Sandomierski.
Onto September and another reasonable set of results saw a draw and two wins, before an abject performance against Middlesborough at Ewood. A trip to Charlton beckoned and on the eve of that match the manager stepped down citing his position as "untenable". Eric Black took temporary charge and the team came away with a draw seeing Rovers end the month in 4th.
Much of October was spent speculating over who the next manager might be and there certainly didn't seem to be any shortage of names being banded about, with a mix of highly experienced people being mentioned and some who could be described as having potential. Black seemed to steady the ship, tighten the team up and dug out some results with two draws, a loss and two wins leaving the team in 5th place at the end of the month.
With the new manager at the helm, Henning Berg (a former Rovers player who had a glittering playing career) November saw a tough start away to flying Crystal Palace, themselves with a new manager after Bolton had persuaded their old one to take on the challenge at the Reebok. Holloway, now manager at Palace after being linked to Blackburn, won the battle of the new boys as Rovers went down 2-0. This was followed up by some promising performances in a couple of draws and an emphatic win at Peterborough 4-1. Sadly, after that it all seems to have gone downhill with performances spiralling downwards the month ended with two more defeats and Rovers having slipped to 10th in the league. The month also saw, Manchester United youngster Josh King coming in on loan and Bradley Orr going out on loan to Ipswich.
December and another new low for Blackburn, a poor run of results with a draw and three losses, along with a game post-poned due to a waterlogged pitch saw Rovers fall to 17th in the league on goals scored and goal difference.* Berg was sacked along with his assistant, 1st team coach and goalkeeping coach on 27th after what was described as a "run of disappointing results". Fans await with baited breath to see who will be appointed next. The only hope is that it is someone who has significant, successful experience of managing in the English leagues (preferably at least at Championship level) and who is a strong character who can stamp his own authority on affairs at Ewood and steer the team back in the right direction.
* League Position up to date as of 28th December 2012.
2012: Games played (not including friendlies): 42, won 12, drawn 10, lost 20, win rate: 29%.
Summary: a pretty dismal year to be a Blackburn fan, with the right decisions 2013 could be a better year but time will tell.
Friday, 28 December 2012
Sunday, 26 August 2012
The Football League N-Power Championship - Promotion Contenders
My last two blogs have focused on the teams relegated and promoted to the Championship, so what of three teams who have been plying their trade in the Championship for a bit longer and are fancied to put up a challenge for promotion? I will take a look at Leicester City, Blackpool and Cardiff - all hotly tipped to be up near the top come May 2013.
Leicester City - second favourites with a lot of the betting shops, well backed by the board and no stranger to the Premier League in the past. Last season Leicester managed to finish 9th, 9 points shy of the play-off places and will need to make a big improvement this season to realise their dream of being promotion hopefuls. The club have only ever spent one season outside of the top two leagues in 2008-09, during which they made an immediate return to the 2nd tier of football. Leicester will be looking to Kasper Schmeichel to guard the goal in the nets (player of the season for the club during 2011-12) and for captain Wes Morgan to help him out in defence at the back. A good opening day start with a 2-0 victory over Peterborough United at home has been undermined by consecutive defeats to Charlton and Blackburn away from home and with games coming up against Blackpool (current league leaders) and Wolverhampton Wanderers (looking to bounce back to the Premiership at the first time of asking) it will be interesting to see where the land lies afterwards but if promotion is to be realised for "The Foxes" I would say it is more likely to come via a play-off spot than automatically.
Blackpool - 4th favourites for promotion, working on a small budget but also having tasted life in the Premiership in the not so distant past. Last season Blackpool finished 5th and in doing so secured a play-off position which saw them reach the final against West Ham United, having defeated Birmingham in the semi-final. A heartbreaking 87th minute winner for West Ham saw Blackpool lose 2-1 and condemned to another season in the Championship. Blackpool will be hoping that Matt Philips (named in last seasons PFA team of the year) will be able to provide ample service from the wing and that Kevin Phillips can provide both experience and goals up front. Blackpool have made an excellent start to the current season winning all three of their opening games to be the only side in the Championship to still have a 100% record. Wins against Milwall, Leeds and a 6-0 demolition of Ipswich Town bodes well for the side and it wouldn't be surprising if "the Seasiders" were challenging near the top of the table again this season.
Cardiff City - 5th favourites for promotion, ambitious owners and yet to play at the pinnacle of the football pyramid. Last season Cardiff finished 6th and like Blackpool secured a play-off position but were thoroughly beaten in two legs in the semi-final by eventual winners West Ham. Cardiff will be looking towards Peter Whittingham (named in last seasons PFA team of the year) to provide some creativity in midfield and new signing but returning old boy Craig Bellamy to provide fire power up front. An indifferent start to the season has seen Cardiff scrape home to a win against Huddersfield, draw against Brighton and Hove Albion and lose comfortably to Bristol City and an improvement to performances will be needed if the "Bluebirds" are to reach the play-offs again.
Leicester City - second favourites with a lot of the betting shops, well backed by the board and no stranger to the Premier League in the past. Last season Leicester managed to finish 9th, 9 points shy of the play-off places and will need to make a big improvement this season to realise their dream of being promotion hopefuls. The club have only ever spent one season outside of the top two leagues in 2008-09, during which they made an immediate return to the 2nd tier of football. Leicester will be looking to Kasper Schmeichel to guard the goal in the nets (player of the season for the club during 2011-12) and for captain Wes Morgan to help him out in defence at the back. A good opening day start with a 2-0 victory over Peterborough United at home has been undermined by consecutive defeats to Charlton and Blackburn away from home and with games coming up against Blackpool (current league leaders) and Wolverhampton Wanderers (looking to bounce back to the Premiership at the first time of asking) it will be interesting to see where the land lies afterwards but if promotion is to be realised for "The Foxes" I would say it is more likely to come via a play-off spot than automatically.
Blackpool - 4th favourites for promotion, working on a small budget but also having tasted life in the Premiership in the not so distant past. Last season Blackpool finished 5th and in doing so secured a play-off position which saw them reach the final against West Ham United, having defeated Birmingham in the semi-final. A heartbreaking 87th minute winner for West Ham saw Blackpool lose 2-1 and condemned to another season in the Championship. Blackpool will be hoping that Matt Philips (named in last seasons PFA team of the year) will be able to provide ample service from the wing and that Kevin Phillips can provide both experience and goals up front. Blackpool have made an excellent start to the current season winning all three of their opening games to be the only side in the Championship to still have a 100% record. Wins against Milwall, Leeds and a 6-0 demolition of Ipswich Town bodes well for the side and it wouldn't be surprising if "the Seasiders" were challenging near the top of the table again this season.
Cardiff City - 5th favourites for promotion, ambitious owners and yet to play at the pinnacle of the football pyramid. Last season Cardiff finished 6th and like Blackpool secured a play-off position but were thoroughly beaten in two legs in the semi-final by eventual winners West Ham. Cardiff will be looking towards Peter Whittingham (named in last seasons PFA team of the year) to provide some creativity in midfield and new signing but returning old boy Craig Bellamy to provide fire power up front. An indifferent start to the season has seen Cardiff scrape home to a win against Huddersfield, draw against Brighton and Hove Albion and lose comfortably to Bristol City and an improvement to performances will be needed if the "Bluebirds" are to reach the play-offs again.
Sunday, 19 August 2012
The Football League N-Power Championship - New boys from below
Last time out I looked at the three unfortunates to drop out of the Premiership into the Championship. This time I take a look at the three to come up into the Championship from League 1.
Charlton Athletic - the top team from league 1 last season, amassing over 100 points to take the title, a full 8 points clear of their nearest rivals. An impressive haul of 30 wins (from 46) and just 5 defeats made them worthy champions and they will hope this momentum will help them to settle into the Championship this season. Charlton are also one of the (many) teams in the Championship to have experienced life among the big boys in the Premiership - their last stay there was between 2000 and 2007. Sadly for them, following relegation to the 2nd tier a rapid descent to the 3rd tier followed shortly after but they will now be hoping that things are back on the up. Charlton will be looking towards Chris Solly (last year's player of the season at the club) to rise to the challenge in defence and for Bradley Wright-Phillips to provide some fire power up front. An impressive opening game against Birmingham which saw Charlton gain a point augurs well for the season but I think a season of consolidation would be welcomed by most at the "Addicks".
Sheffield Wednesday - promoted after finishing 2nd in league 1 last season and for many a so-called "sleeping giant". Wednesday finished 3 points clear of their neighbours Sheffield United and therefore avoided the somewhat lottery of the play-offs. This is another team who have lived the high life in the Premiership only for things to go a bit pearshaped during the 2000's having been relegated to the 3rd tier of football twice during this time. One of the admirable things about Wednesday is their fans and the fact that they have regularly averaged gates of over 20,000 despite their perceived relative underperformance. Players to look out for include Jose Semedo (Wednesday's player of the season last year) and Gary Madine who made it into the BBC League 1 team of the season and was the league's 5th top goal scorer. Just like Charlton, Wednesday opened up with a draw against Derby County. What was impressive about this was coming back from 2-0 down to rescue a draw. Some of that resilience may just see the "Owls" keep their place in the league and again a season of consolidation would probably make most Wednesday fans happy.
Huddersfield Town - promoted following success in the play-offs after finishing 4th in the league and then defeating Sheffield United in the final following the longest shootout ever contested in the current league one play-offs format, winning 8-7. Although Huddersfield haven't been in the top tier of football for quite some time now, they do hold the distinct honour of being one of the few teams (and the first) to have won 3 successive league titles putting them amongst the company of Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United. Players who hold the key to Town's season are: Jordan Rhodes - top scorer and player of the season last year and Jack Hunt (featured in the PFA team of the year last season). A narrow defeat to Cardiff (one of the pre-season favourites to be promoted this year) on the opening night of Championship football was very unfortunate and in fairness, it could be argued that Huddersfield created the better chances. If the "Terriers" can hold onto their talisman Rhodes they should have a good chance of staying up, if Rhodes departs, it'll be interesting to see who can and will take up the mantel.
Next time out I'll be taking a look at three other teams who may hold hopes for promotion.
Charlton Athletic - the top team from league 1 last season, amassing over 100 points to take the title, a full 8 points clear of their nearest rivals. An impressive haul of 30 wins (from 46) and just 5 defeats made them worthy champions and they will hope this momentum will help them to settle into the Championship this season. Charlton are also one of the (many) teams in the Championship to have experienced life among the big boys in the Premiership - their last stay there was between 2000 and 2007. Sadly for them, following relegation to the 2nd tier a rapid descent to the 3rd tier followed shortly after but they will now be hoping that things are back on the up. Charlton will be looking towards Chris Solly (last year's player of the season at the club) to rise to the challenge in defence and for Bradley Wright-Phillips to provide some fire power up front. An impressive opening game against Birmingham which saw Charlton gain a point augurs well for the season but I think a season of consolidation would be welcomed by most at the "Addicks".
Sheffield Wednesday - promoted after finishing 2nd in league 1 last season and for many a so-called "sleeping giant". Wednesday finished 3 points clear of their neighbours Sheffield United and therefore avoided the somewhat lottery of the play-offs. This is another team who have lived the high life in the Premiership only for things to go a bit pearshaped during the 2000's having been relegated to the 3rd tier of football twice during this time. One of the admirable things about Wednesday is their fans and the fact that they have regularly averaged gates of over 20,000 despite their perceived relative underperformance. Players to look out for include Jose Semedo (Wednesday's player of the season last year) and Gary Madine who made it into the BBC League 1 team of the season and was the league's 5th top goal scorer. Just like Charlton, Wednesday opened up with a draw against Derby County. What was impressive about this was coming back from 2-0 down to rescue a draw. Some of that resilience may just see the "Owls" keep their place in the league and again a season of consolidation would probably make most Wednesday fans happy.
Huddersfield Town - promoted following success in the play-offs after finishing 4th in the league and then defeating Sheffield United in the final following the longest shootout ever contested in the current league one play-offs format, winning 8-7. Although Huddersfield haven't been in the top tier of football for quite some time now, they do hold the distinct honour of being one of the few teams (and the first) to have won 3 successive league titles putting them amongst the company of Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United. Players who hold the key to Town's season are: Jordan Rhodes - top scorer and player of the season last year and Jack Hunt (featured in the PFA team of the year last season). A narrow defeat to Cardiff (one of the pre-season favourites to be promoted this year) on the opening night of Championship football was very unfortunate and in fairness, it could be argued that Huddersfield created the better chances. If the "Terriers" can hold onto their talisman Rhodes they should have a good chance of staying up, if Rhodes departs, it'll be interesting to see who can and will take up the mantel.
Next time out I'll be taking a look at three other teams who may hold hopes for promotion.
Monday, 16 July 2012
The Football League N-Power Championship - New boys from above
Outside of the razzmatazz of the Premier League lies a whole other football experience - the Football League. The top tier of this goes under the name of the Championship. It is a fiercely competitive league where the riches of the Premiership are tantalisingly close by, yet so difficult to get to! Many teams have tried and failed to escape the Championship, while there are quite a few others who have reached the promised land only to be thrust back through the trap door. The three teams I will be looking at in this blog are all examples of those who have been fortunate enough to play in the Premiership following promotion and yet will find themselves plying their trade in the Championship during 2012-13.
Blackburn Rovers - slight confession here, this is my team (I know, but I'm holding onto the saying that it could be worse!). Following a thoroughly depressing season in which there weren't many highlights, (perhaps winning at Old Trafford and being 6 points clear of the drop zone in March to give us all false hopes) Blackburn find themselves back in the Championship. Ewood Park holds just over 31,000 people and officials will be hoping that the expected downturn in audience isn't as severe as has been suggested in some quarters. The last time Rovers played in the 2nd tier of football was in the 1999-2000 & 2000-2001 seasons following relegation despite many saying they were "too good to go down" - my opinion - you're never too good to go down if you don't play well enough and win a few games! Since being relegated this time round, there have been some interesting moves in the transfer market and one or two murmurings of departures, with at least Yakubu (last season's top scorer) a definite out goer. Danny Murphy brings some much needed experience into the team and if he can replicate his passing and vision whilst at Fulham looks to be a good acquisition. Nuno Gomes is someone who was a good player - it will be interesting to see how he copes in the world of the Championship. I think the season will be defined by any remaining incomings and outgoings and also how well the team starts the season. A bad start may see the team struggle in a notoriously difficult league to be in, never mind get out of after an 11 year absence.
Bolton Wanderers - followed Blackburn up to the Premiership in 2001 and have followed them back down again in 2012 - nice to have some company! Bolton had a turbulent season for very different reasons to their neighbours - injuries appeared to derail much of their season and the well-documented incident involving Muamba must have made things really difficult for all involved. It is good to see the recovery he has made and I'm sure he'll continue to have an influence at Bolton in the forthcoming season. Whilst releasing a number of players, Bolton have managed to keep hold of a few of their more influential players for the time being. One of these is Kevin Davies - a tough striker who should do well next season. He is Mr Bolton to Bolton and they will be pleased that he has committed himself to the team. The team are one of the favourites to bounce straight back and in Coyle have someone who has been there done that before with Burnley. Again, their start to the season will be crucial.
Wolverhampton Wanderers - bounced a little bit between the top tier and the Championship over the last few years. They followed Blackburn in sacking their manager and promoting from within. Sadly for Wolves this strategy didn't reverse fortunes at the club and they finished rock bottom of the Premiership. They will start the new season with a fresh manager in place who fans will hope can help them to make an immediate return to the Premiership. It's been a bit quiet on the transfer front with few incomings and not many outgoings to speak of. The most notable in is Frank Nouble from West Ham, though he is still young and needs time to show what he might be able to do. The key for Wolves will be holding onto the likes of Kevin Doyle and Steven Fletcher - a tough ask should someone with big money come calling.
In conclusion, interesting times ahead for all three - the start each make will be key and how well they all adapt to the different style of the Championship. Next time, a look at the new boys from below - those promoted from Division 1.
Blackburn Rovers - slight confession here, this is my team (I know, but I'm holding onto the saying that it could be worse!). Following a thoroughly depressing season in which there weren't many highlights, (perhaps winning at Old Trafford and being 6 points clear of the drop zone in March to give us all false hopes) Blackburn find themselves back in the Championship. Ewood Park holds just over 31,000 people and officials will be hoping that the expected downturn in audience isn't as severe as has been suggested in some quarters. The last time Rovers played in the 2nd tier of football was in the 1999-2000 & 2000-2001 seasons following relegation despite many saying they were "too good to go down" - my opinion - you're never too good to go down if you don't play well enough and win a few games! Since being relegated this time round, there have been some interesting moves in the transfer market and one or two murmurings of departures, with at least Yakubu (last season's top scorer) a definite out goer. Danny Murphy brings some much needed experience into the team and if he can replicate his passing and vision whilst at Fulham looks to be a good acquisition. Nuno Gomes is someone who was a good player - it will be interesting to see how he copes in the world of the Championship. I think the season will be defined by any remaining incomings and outgoings and also how well the team starts the season. A bad start may see the team struggle in a notoriously difficult league to be in, never mind get out of after an 11 year absence.
Bolton Wanderers - followed Blackburn up to the Premiership in 2001 and have followed them back down again in 2012 - nice to have some company! Bolton had a turbulent season for very different reasons to their neighbours - injuries appeared to derail much of their season and the well-documented incident involving Muamba must have made things really difficult for all involved. It is good to see the recovery he has made and I'm sure he'll continue to have an influence at Bolton in the forthcoming season. Whilst releasing a number of players, Bolton have managed to keep hold of a few of their more influential players for the time being. One of these is Kevin Davies - a tough striker who should do well next season. He is Mr Bolton to Bolton and they will be pleased that he has committed himself to the team. The team are one of the favourites to bounce straight back and in Coyle have someone who has been there done that before with Burnley. Again, their start to the season will be crucial.
Wolverhampton Wanderers - bounced a little bit between the top tier and the Championship over the last few years. They followed Blackburn in sacking their manager and promoting from within. Sadly for Wolves this strategy didn't reverse fortunes at the club and they finished rock bottom of the Premiership. They will start the new season with a fresh manager in place who fans will hope can help them to make an immediate return to the Premiership. It's been a bit quiet on the transfer front with few incomings and not many outgoings to speak of. The most notable in is Frank Nouble from West Ham, though he is still young and needs time to show what he might be able to do. The key for Wolves will be holding onto the likes of Kevin Doyle and Steven Fletcher - a tough ask should someone with big money come calling.
In conclusion, interesting times ahead for all three - the start each make will be key and how well they all adapt to the different style of the Championship. Next time, a look at the new boys from below - those promoted from Division 1.
Wednesday, 25 April 2012
English Premier League Relegation run in part 3
Trying to predict results at the bottom of the English Premiership currently is like trying to come up with those elusive lottery numbers to win the jackpot - in other words it's all rather unpredictable at the moment! There have been more "shock" results since I last blogged my predictions for the run-in. QPR pulled off a win against Tottenham (playing with 10 men for the last 10 or so minutes of the game); Wigan, despite their brilliant run of form recently, finally succumbed to Fulham in the last minute of their last game after earlier having pulled off another shock result in beating Arsenal; Blackburn have managed to keep their increasingly slim hopes of staying up alive by beating Norwich at home and Bolton took full advantage of one of their two games in hand on everyone else by beating Aston Villa on a horribly damp night which would have suited the mood of the Villa supporters.
Speaking of Aston Villa, they are starting to look like "that team" that no-one thinks is in trouble until the last minute. Interesting times for fans of anyone not supporting any of these clubs as they can watch on in fascination whilst those around them panic! It should be noted that at this point one of my original predicted teams to go (although this one was fairly easy to foresee) fell through the trapdoor over the weekend - the Wolves (or Wolverhampton Wanderers) will be on new hunting ground next season.
So to my latest predictions for the final table (drum roll please - or should that be death knoll?!) my version stands as follows:
15th Aston Villa -17 Goal Difference 36 Points
16th Bolton Wanderers -29 Goal Difference 36 Points
17th QPR -22 Goal Difference 35 Points
18th Blackburn Rovers -28 Goal Difference 35 Points
19th Wigan Athletic -28 Goal Difference 35 Points
20th Wolverhampton Wanderers -44 Goal Difference 24 Points (already relegated)
No change since the last update on who actually goes down with Wigan and Blackburn still in the bottom three in my final reckoning but it's still very tight, in fact goal difference is the only thing separating Blackburn and QPR and the fact that Blackburn would have scored more goals than Wigan keeping them above their neighbours. Aston Villa's recent form is reflected in the fact that they only scrape to safety by 1 point along with Bolton.
There's plenty of action on this front to look forward to this weekend, with all sides facing difficult or challenging opposition, it would only take one side to get a result and the others failing to change my table again. The race to avoid relegation is hotting up, it remains to be seen who can stand the heat.
Speaking of Aston Villa, they are starting to look like "that team" that no-one thinks is in trouble until the last minute. Interesting times for fans of anyone not supporting any of these clubs as they can watch on in fascination whilst those around them panic! It should be noted that at this point one of my original predicted teams to go (although this one was fairly easy to foresee) fell through the trapdoor over the weekend - the Wolves (or Wolverhampton Wanderers) will be on new hunting ground next season.
So to my latest predictions for the final table (drum roll please - or should that be death knoll?!) my version stands as follows:
15th Aston Villa -17 Goal Difference 36 Points
16th Bolton Wanderers -29 Goal Difference 36 Points
17th QPR -22 Goal Difference 35 Points
18th Blackburn Rovers -28 Goal Difference 35 Points
19th Wigan Athletic -28 Goal Difference 35 Points
20th Wolverhampton Wanderers -44 Goal Difference 24 Points (already relegated)
No change since the last update on who actually goes down with Wigan and Blackburn still in the bottom three in my final reckoning but it's still very tight, in fact goal difference is the only thing separating Blackburn and QPR and the fact that Blackburn would have scored more goals than Wigan keeping them above their neighbours. Aston Villa's recent form is reflected in the fact that they only scrape to safety by 1 point along with Bolton.
There's plenty of action on this front to look forward to this weekend, with all sides facing difficult or challenging opposition, it would only take one side to get a result and the others failing to change my table again. The race to avoid relegation is hotting up, it remains to be seen who can stand the heat.
Saturday, 14 April 2012
Premiership Relegation Update
Well, well, well who would have thought little old Wigan would beat Manchester United during the week? Having never beaten them in the Premier League they went on to win 1-0 and with QPR also winning and Blackburn going down at the last against Liverpool things have changed at the bottom since I last wrote and tried to predict the order of things in terms of the relegation fight. With this in mind I have had a go at a league table predictor ahead of today's games (14/04/12). This is how it looks (once all 38 games have been predicted):
16th: QPR 35 points -23 Goal Difference
17th: Bolton 35 points -31 Goal Difference
18th: Blackburn 33 points -27 Goal Difference
19th: Wigan 33 points -29 Goal Difference
20th: Wolves 23 points -47 Goal Difference
So, some changes since I last wrote with QPR now safe and Blackburn down with an as you were with regards to safety or not for the rest. I suspect things might change again over the next round of games so watch this space. As for the games on the 14th, 15th and 16th involving these sides, I can see Wolves losing, QPR and Blackburn picking up a point and Wigan losing but given some the results recently what do I know?!
16th: QPR 35 points -23 Goal Difference
17th: Bolton 35 points -31 Goal Difference
18th: Blackburn 33 points -27 Goal Difference
19th: Wigan 33 points -29 Goal Difference
20th: Wolves 23 points -47 Goal Difference
So, some changes since I last wrote with QPR now safe and Blackburn down with an as you were with regards to safety or not for the rest. I suspect things might change again over the next round of games so watch this space. As for the games on the 14th, 15th and 16th involving these sides, I can see Wolves losing, QPR and Blackburn picking up a point and Wigan losing but given some the results recently what do I know?!
Sunday, 8 April 2012
English Premier League Relegation Run-in
It's that time of the season in the Premier League that many football fans' attentions are focused on either the top of the table or the bottom. With the title pretty much looking like it'll be heading to the United side of the Mancunian City (United are 8 points clear of their City rivals at the time of writing with 6 games left to play), there are decidedly more interesting events taking place at the other end of the table. My last musings talked about whether or not football fans might witness a repeat of the West Brom "Great Escape" in the form of Blackburn Rovers and at the moment that is still a possibility but it is tight down there, very tight!
Let's take a look at the teams in the mix down at the bottom (I'm discounting Aston Villa as I don't think they will get dragged into the fight at this point):
Wigan are an enigma, they looked doomed and yet they have recently conjured up wins against Liverpool and Stoke, when you might have expected them to lose and were mightily unlucky against Chelsea in their last match. This is the time of the year when Wigan suddenly click into life as if they only just realise the peril they are in, OK it makes for an entertaining finish but I'm sure Wigan fans would much prefer mid table safety right now. Wigan are a difficult one to predict though as the remaining fixtures in April look very tough; Man United, Arsenal, Fulham and Newcastle. I think a lot will hinge on their game against Blackburn in May if they're still in the running to stay up at that point. Otherwise my gut would suggest it may well be too little too late this time.
Blackburn did manage to get themselves a full 6 points clear of trouble a few weeks ago but after 3 defeats in a row and with teams below them picking up points they are right back in it again. The form is worrying, conceding goals again (as for most of the season other than a two game break where they managed to keep clean sheets) and not scoring too many when this has been the one thing they could generally rely on. If they are to steer clear of trouble, they are going to need to start finding the back of the net once more and tighten up in defence. Their run in is mixed, some very tough games and a few that if they hit form they could well get results from. Next up is Liverpool at Ewood and fans must be hoping for some of the generosity shown towards Wigan and QPR in the last few weeks from the Merseyside team. Right now, I really think the last relegation place is going to be between Blackburn and QPR and given each teams respective fixtures I would say Blackburn might just scrape their "Great Escape" but maybe only by a point.
Many football fans had written QPR off as a lost cause, based mostly on their ridiculously tough run in. They have however given themselves a fighting chance by upsetting the odds and beating both Liverpool and Arsenal in recent weeks but with games still to come against Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester City it is still going to be a tough ask to steer clear of trouble. Fans of the other clubs in the mire will be hoping that the teams QPR play will go for it wholeheartedly regardless of whether or not their respective seasons are in effect over. I believe that if QPR are to survive it will come down to their ability to pull off a shock in one of their so called "tougher matches".
Bolton have been up and down all season results wise, they have lost more games than anyone else in the Premier League but their ability to win rather than draw in other matches sees them in 16th position at the moment. Their run-in is arguably the easiest of all the teams at the bottom and it is for this reason that I think they will have enough to steer themselves clear of trouble despite them having a particularly tough year.
So in conclusion I predict Wolves, Wigan and QPR for the drop in that order with Blackburn just doing enough to escape and Bolton finishing in 16th. It will be a long and interesting run-in.
Let's take a look at the teams in the mix down at the bottom (I'm discounting Aston Villa as I don't think they will get dragged into the fight at this point):
- Wolverhampton Wanderers - currently bottom of the league, 6 points adrift of safety on 22;
- Wigan Athletic - 19th on 28 points, with a goal difference of -27;
- Blackburn Rovers - 18th also on 28 points with a goal difference of -24;
- QPR - 17th again on 28 points with a goal difference of -21;
- Bolton Wanderers - 16th, on 29 points with a goal difference of -27 (with a game in hand).
Wigan are an enigma, they looked doomed and yet they have recently conjured up wins against Liverpool and Stoke, when you might have expected them to lose and were mightily unlucky against Chelsea in their last match. This is the time of the year when Wigan suddenly click into life as if they only just realise the peril they are in, OK it makes for an entertaining finish but I'm sure Wigan fans would much prefer mid table safety right now. Wigan are a difficult one to predict though as the remaining fixtures in April look very tough; Man United, Arsenal, Fulham and Newcastle. I think a lot will hinge on their game against Blackburn in May if they're still in the running to stay up at that point. Otherwise my gut would suggest it may well be too little too late this time.
Blackburn did manage to get themselves a full 6 points clear of trouble a few weeks ago but after 3 defeats in a row and with teams below them picking up points they are right back in it again. The form is worrying, conceding goals again (as for most of the season other than a two game break where they managed to keep clean sheets) and not scoring too many when this has been the one thing they could generally rely on. If they are to steer clear of trouble, they are going to need to start finding the back of the net once more and tighten up in defence. Their run in is mixed, some very tough games and a few that if they hit form they could well get results from. Next up is Liverpool at Ewood and fans must be hoping for some of the generosity shown towards Wigan and QPR in the last few weeks from the Merseyside team. Right now, I really think the last relegation place is going to be between Blackburn and QPR and given each teams respective fixtures I would say Blackburn might just scrape their "Great Escape" but maybe only by a point.
Many football fans had written QPR off as a lost cause, based mostly on their ridiculously tough run in. They have however given themselves a fighting chance by upsetting the odds and beating both Liverpool and Arsenal in recent weeks but with games still to come against Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester City it is still going to be a tough ask to steer clear of trouble. Fans of the other clubs in the mire will be hoping that the teams QPR play will go for it wholeheartedly regardless of whether or not their respective seasons are in effect over. I believe that if QPR are to survive it will come down to their ability to pull off a shock in one of their so called "tougher matches".
Bolton have been up and down all season results wise, they have lost more games than anyone else in the Premier League but their ability to win rather than draw in other matches sees them in 16th position at the moment. Their run-in is arguably the easiest of all the teams at the bottom and it is for this reason that I think they will have enough to steer themselves clear of trouble despite them having a particularly tough year.
So in conclusion I predict Wolves, Wigan and QPR for the drop in that order with Blackburn just doing enough to escape and Bolton finishing in 16th. It will be a long and interesting run-in.
Sunday, 29 January 2012
Is another "great escape" in the Premiership on the cards?
The Great Escape, more commonly known as a World War II mass escape from the German prisoner-of-war camp Stalag Luft III and documented in the film of 1963 is very often now also associated across football with teams, who against all the odds, manage to escape the dreaded trapdoor of relegation.
There are many recent examples of last day, heroic escapes from the Premiership trapdoor. In 1993, Oldham (remember them?) pulled off a 4-3 win over Southampton. They needed to win, for Crystal Palace to lose and for 3 goals to be scored. They led 4-1 and held on for the 4-3 win, while Palace lost 3-0 to Arsenal.
How about Everton? Still in the Premiership today, but had events conspired against them in 1994 things might be very different. They beat Wimbledon on the last day of the season 3-2. Had they drawn, the fact that Ipswich managed to draw with Blackburn would have seen them fall through the trapdoor. Things looked very bad at 2-0 down, but a penalty, a wonder goal and some generous keeping for the third goal kept them up.
Perhaps the most famous escape of them all was by West Brom, doomed at Christmas by being in the infamous bottom place from whence no team shall survive (that's Premiership law by all accounts!), they managed to defy everyone by beating Portsmouth on the final day and with all other results going their way stayed up. No team before or since has survived being bottom on Christmas Day in the Premier League, hence why many refer to that West Brom season as being the "Great Escape".
Oh how fans of Blackburn Rovers will be praying that they can reenact this great feat. Bottom on Christmas day, following a 2-0 defeat to neighbours Bolton, who at the same time climbed off the bottom themselves, they currently find themselves in 18th position going into a home game against Newcastle on the 1st February. Recent form suggests a revival of sorts with a good point taken at Anfield, a famous win over Man United at Old Trafford, a heroic win against Fulham with 10 men and a solid point away to Everton in the space of 5 weeks. What remains to be seen is if this form can be held and another episode of the "Great Escape" played out.
There are some tough games still to play, games away to Arsenal, Manchester City (currently top of the league), Tottenham and a final day encounter at Chelsea will all be tough with Premiership and Champions League honours within the grasp of all these teams, however, there are also some, dare I say it, winnable games as well. There for the taking are QPR, Wolves, Sunderland, Bolton, West Brom, Swansea, Norwich and Wigan all teams who have been in and around Mid to Bottom of the table.
Whatever happens, it going to be some ride for Blackburn fans over the next 3 or 4 months and I'm sure many will prefer to see the team safe before the final day match away to Chelsea such is the nail biting tension final day encounters can bring. It was only just under a season ago that Blackburn found themselves in another final day survival game against Wolves, themselves in the mire, when both teams managed to stay up, however this season it may well be a much closer affair. Will we see the Great Escape reenacted? Hold on to your hats and let the run-in begin!
There are many recent examples of last day, heroic escapes from the Premiership trapdoor. In 1993, Oldham (remember them?) pulled off a 4-3 win over Southampton. They needed to win, for Crystal Palace to lose and for 3 goals to be scored. They led 4-1 and held on for the 4-3 win, while Palace lost 3-0 to Arsenal.
How about Everton? Still in the Premiership today, but had events conspired against them in 1994 things might be very different. They beat Wimbledon on the last day of the season 3-2. Had they drawn, the fact that Ipswich managed to draw with Blackburn would have seen them fall through the trapdoor. Things looked very bad at 2-0 down, but a penalty, a wonder goal and some generous keeping for the third goal kept them up.
Perhaps the most famous escape of them all was by West Brom, doomed at Christmas by being in the infamous bottom place from whence no team shall survive (that's Premiership law by all accounts!), they managed to defy everyone by beating Portsmouth on the final day and with all other results going their way stayed up. No team before or since has survived being bottom on Christmas Day in the Premier League, hence why many refer to that West Brom season as being the "Great Escape".
Oh how fans of Blackburn Rovers will be praying that they can reenact this great feat. Bottom on Christmas day, following a 2-0 defeat to neighbours Bolton, who at the same time climbed off the bottom themselves, they currently find themselves in 18th position going into a home game against Newcastle on the 1st February. Recent form suggests a revival of sorts with a good point taken at Anfield, a famous win over Man United at Old Trafford, a heroic win against Fulham with 10 men and a solid point away to Everton in the space of 5 weeks. What remains to be seen is if this form can be held and another episode of the "Great Escape" played out.
There are some tough games still to play, games away to Arsenal, Manchester City (currently top of the league), Tottenham and a final day encounter at Chelsea will all be tough with Premiership and Champions League honours within the grasp of all these teams, however, there are also some, dare I say it, winnable games as well. There for the taking are QPR, Wolves, Sunderland, Bolton, West Brom, Swansea, Norwich and Wigan all teams who have been in and around Mid to Bottom of the table.
Whatever happens, it going to be some ride for Blackburn fans over the next 3 or 4 months and I'm sure many will prefer to see the team safe before the final day match away to Chelsea such is the nail biting tension final day encounters can bring. It was only just under a season ago that Blackburn found themselves in another final day survival game against Wolves, themselves in the mire, when both teams managed to stay up, however this season it may well be a much closer affair. Will we see the Great Escape reenacted? Hold on to your hats and let the run-in begin!
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