bobadji wrote:With us being a solid top half outfit this season, I haven't really paid much attention to who'll be going down. Here's 10th down to the bottom, it's extremly tight with 8 points seperating 10, who do you think will go down?
I'll go for Hull, Bolton and Wolves. I think Grant is good enough to get Pompy away from trouble in the end, but it'll be close with them and West Ham.
Interestingly, some teams had great starts but have faded very badly. Sunderland have lost as many games as West Ham (and not won in 9). Stoke have not won now since October and have developped a total inability to see out a 1-0 to a victory. Everton's defence is causing Moyes all kind of trouble, despite his having strengthened it in parts. And they're the teams that you'd expect to be OK. I'd lump Blackburn in there too, despite their having a fairly barren front-line.
For me any two of the following teams could follow Portsmouth:
Bolton
WHU
Wigan
Burnley
Hull.
Portsmouth will not get out of the bottom three. They are transfer-embargoed and losing their best to either ACN or the vultures in the top half who need a reserve keeper or centre half.
Bolton have sharp enough elbows to stay up, but I sense (despite the standard victory over us recently) that there are real fault-lines between Megson - the fans - the players and they have only smatterings of quality in their sqaud (Cahill and Jussi are not having great seasons).
West Ham's injury problems are still the main problem for our otherwise minimal squad. However, we've got each and every relegation contender at home (bar Burnley in the 2nd half of the season), so, if we go down, we deserve it frankly. Parker will drag us up the table, assisted by Cole (when he gets back to fitness), Collison, Behrami and Franco. Not a vintage West Ham side, but we should hopefully shade other teams.
Wigan have the most inconsistent team in the Premiership but I think they have the strength to play themselves out of trouble.
Hull maybe don't. I think that they were very lucky to survive last season and that they have no funds to strengthen in the window. There's insufficient quality in their side and, frankly, not enough grit either.
Burnley's away form is dire. But I think that they will win enough games at home to just squeak through.
I predict
18 Bolton
19 Hull
20 Portsmouth
(but 18th could go to any team 13th or below if injuries and bad form take a grip).