The bottom three

I'll go with:

So'ton
Villa
QPR

No particular reasons, just a gut feeling.

 

Reading
Wigan
and...
QPR

 

Wigan have won 2 of their last 3 and look like they're rounding into their usual late season escape form. I think they'll beat the drop. Villa look better of late, thanks in large part to Brad Guzan both in net and fortifying their back line with his leadership. Reading keep failing to get points from their relegation "6 pointers" so I think they're toast. Southampton haven't done anything since switching managers. And I have this feeling QPR will escape somehow. I think it'll be a close call between Soton and QPR.

I'll take Reading, Southampton and.........Sunderland.

I seriously have no clue what O'Neill is thinking up there. The Cats are depleted by injuries at the back and weren't particularly strong defensively to begin with. But moving Gardner, who pulled the strings of the offense to lb and putting N'Diaye at cm would be like Fulham several years ago deciding to put Murphy at fullback and let Etuhu run the offense from cm. We'd have fallen like a brick. And that's what's happening in Sunderland where they've taken a whopping 2 pts from their last 6. Of their 9 games remaining, only one of those is against a bottom 6 team and 4 of them are against the top 7.

It's looking more and more likely we're going to have 2 Welsh teams in the Prem next year, btw.

 

Matt may be on to something. Sunderland were absolutely dire at home to ManU. The entire second half consisted of pathetic passing or long balls to nowhere. Losing to them is happening to everyone, but Martin O'Neill better find the switch because they played with no energy or enthusiasm.

Sunderland
QPHaha
Reading

 

So much for the 'sack the gaffer spike in results'' effect for Reading. Watched the 2nd half of their dreadful home performance in a must-win situation against Southampton and there is your 20th place team.

Any chance for 'Arry''s HaHa's must start today v Wigan at home.

 

I gotta think Wigans luck finally runs out and they go down. I say it remains as it is.

QPR
Reading
Wigan

 

I certainly missed the call on Southampton and QPR. Soton have won 3 in a row including victories over Chelsea & Liverpool while QPR seem intent on shooting themselves in the foot to seal their own fate. I still like Wigan to escape and Sunderland to join Reading and QPR for the drop. But don't rule out Stoke just yet.

 

Sunderland goes into St. James Park for their huge derby match w/Newcastle and demolish the Magpies 3-0. Wigan back in the drop zone, but with 2 games in hand. Kind of funny that almost every year the relegation battle is far more interesting than the race for the league title. :shock: Villa might end up regretting only getting a point off us yesterday. Stoke lost again and now are in the thick of the fight.

 

QPR and Reading.

Who's next?

 

Can't see anyone but Villa or Wigan (HUGE match for the Villians mañana v Sunderland) and looky looky who plays against one another on the final day of the season at Wigan. IF the Latics are still in it, would put my $$ on them to get escape yet again.

 

Not only did Aston Villa absolutely destroy Sunderland 6-1 cutting Wigan 5 points adrift, but they did their GD a world of good and have moved above Newcastle.

Wigan: Have played quite well, but have had little to show for it in the last few matches. At WBA, home to Swansea, At Arsenal, home to Villa. They also have the FA CUp Final in there, have to think the law of averages will see them off, but wouldn't bet against them if still alive on the final day.

The clubs at 37:

Villa; at Norwich, home to Chelsea, at WIgan (not easy by any means, can they ride the momentum and win at Norwich?)

Sunderland; Home to Stoke and Southhampton, at Tottenham (should be okay, but Sessegnon's red card hurts, they better not need points on the final day).

Newcastle; At West Ham, At QPR, home to Arsenal. Their disastrous 6-0 goal loss to Liverpool over the weekend might come back to haunt. With that 11 goal swing in GD w/Villa puts the Geordies in a bit of trouble.

 

I stand by my pick on 3/11 and have already secured QPR and Reading - I still think the magic runs out for Wigan this year, especially with the FA Cup final. :banana-linedance:

 

Newcastle have FAR too much talent to be in this position, but they're playing like garbage. Hard to believe they could go from overacheivers to massive underacheivers so quickly. Granted, they lost Ba, but with the replacements brought in, their season is a real headscratcher.

I'm dumbfounded that DiCanio has been able to give Sunderland a lift. They're still not safe and that "new manager bounce" may be over after seeing their last outing. I'm sticking with that pick....for now.

Wigan should be the pick though. But with the game in hand, I don't know, I still can't write them off yet. It's probably down to the respect I have for Martinez and that performance they put up @ Goodison in the Cup match. Any team that can do that on the road has a run in them if they can rally and there's enough bad football being played above them to make up points.

 

I agree it's probably going to be Wigan.
And I completely forgot abut Bellamy being with Cardiff...hate to see that thug back in the Prem.
Should be interesting when they play Spurs. No love lost between him and Deuce.

 

Today's result ties into Barry's analysis on the Relegation thread, Stoke scored the initial goal, then Sunderland gets a straight red card, and instead of going for the throat the Potters sat back and tried to win 0-1 :doh: 1-1 Final, which included the Black Cats hitting the post. Sunderland now has lost a player for the season two weeks in a row due to a red card. If Wigan wins tomorrow it is sheer craziness at the bottom of the table. Norwich giving up that last minute goal to Villa was a killer since they end the season at Old Trafford.