Never mind the top of the table, there’s much more interesting stuff going on at the bottom of the Premier League this week.
Relegation six pointer No. 1
The visit of Blackburn to Wolves is not exactly a game you would class as a must-see but with both clubs deep in the brown stuff, this match is hugely important.
Under Terry Connor, Wolves salvaged a fine 2-2 draw with Newcastle before getting thumped 5-0 by Fulham’s ‘Cold War’ – Clint Dempsey and Pavel Pogrebnyak – last week. Whatever bounce they got from TC taking over was quickly killed off and the mauling was so bad Roger Johnson was still drunk the following morning, earning himself a hefty fine in the process.
Blackburn have trundled along under Steve Kean of late. They are not winning many but they are picking up enough scraps to make us believe they might, just might, have enough about them to escape the drop. A win over Wolves would go a long way towards bagging safety and we think they might just do it.
Relegation six pointer No 2
The early kick off on Saturday is Bolton hosting QPR in another crucial fixture. Looking at Owen Coyle’s record (19 defeats in 27 league games this season) it is a miracle he is still in the job at the Reebok but he is and if they are to escape the drop they have to be able to put away a very fragile-looking QPR side. Since Mark Hughes took over QPR have taken just five points from seven league games and defensively they are a mess.
Bolton are less potent than a blindfolded Fernando Torres but even they should be able to find the net against QPR’s ramshackle back four. The only hope for Rangers is that Bobby Zamora is always good for a goal. We can expect a high scoring draw here and a very entertaining start to the Premier League weekend, so long as you are not a fan of quality defending.
Spluttering Spurs
A win over Stevenage is nothing to write home about and it is in the league that Tottenham need to find their groove again. Comprehensive defeats by Arsenal and Manchester United have meant they are now looking in the rear view rather than at the summit as the pack behind close in.
Michael Dawson is now on the treatment table but ‘Arry will be hoping that Louis Saha can do the trick against the club he left just a few short weeks ago. However, Goodison Park is no place to be going looking for a morale-boosting win, especially as David Moyes’ side still have designs on a European place themselves. As tricky, and as important, a fixture as Spurs have played all year.
The RDM era
It’s the first weekend without the AVB sack watch to keep us amused so we will have to make do with the ear-flicking funsters trying to battle their way back into the Champions League places.
Against Birmingham in midweek, a tough place to go, they did the job for new man Roberto Di Matteo but the sense that the players are running the show pervades everything at Chelsea and if Johnny Giles has taught us anything, it’s that that just doesn’t work, Bill.
Stoke, without anyone noticing, are having a very good year and the meeting of David Luiz and Peter Crouch could be comedy gold. Not that Roman Abramovich will probably be laughing…
Gunners go again
After their exertions against Spurs, Liverpool and especially AC Milan, we suspect the Arsenal dressing room is more knackered than Aengus O’Snodaigh’s printer. Still, they don’t play until Monday so they should be back in shape for the visit of Newcastle.
This has the potential be another good game and if Spurs do slip up again, the incentive for an Arsenal win are huge. Newcastle fans cling on to slim hopes of fourth place themselves, but Alan Pardew will want to just keep pace with the other Europa League hopefuls.
The Magpies form has been a bit uneven of late but with their top-class set of strikers, they could pose the always shaky Gunners rearguard some headaches at the Emirates.
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