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There are now thirteen PL games left. For which three teams do you think it will be unlucky!

Leicester are in barely chartered waters of being in danger of only the second reigning Champions to go down. Their form of late is shocking and they haven't scored in their six PL games I believe.

Palace also are in free fall. Will BFS be able to work his limited magic and save them? Their home form which for ages has been good has deserted them this time around and they like a team bereft of ideas and confidence.

Sunderland you feel must go down sooner or later and with Gollum in charge it's likely to be sooner. Every year they seem to be in a dogfight and they just manage to scrape through. Maybe that's why their nickname is the 'Black cats', because they have so many lives?

Hull and Swansea looked certainties at Xmas, but both have done well under new management of late and they have some momentum going into the business end of the campaign. New signings have refreshed them and given them a bit of impetus.

Middlesboro are by no means out of it and their impotence in front of goal could be their undoing. They are relatively solid at the back, especially at home but the lack of killer instinct is worrying for them.

Imagine Bournemouth, Watford and Burnley are safe with what they have. But as we know only to well from 1983 is even mid table teams can get sucked into a relegation battle.

Myself, I think it will be Sunderland, Palace and Middlesboro. I hope I'm wrong and Leicester go down though in place of Middlesboro.

I really hope Hull go down. Leicester too.
And the fucking annoying drums at Crystal Palace can also fuck off.

I don't mind Sunderland, so I can swallow Moyes pulling off a great escape.

I like the clubs who are in places with train service provided by our mob to be in the Prem. So I hope Sunderland, Middlesbrough and Hull stay up (and I hope Newcastle come up) so I can have a freebie. (And take some mates for six quid return)
Having said that, Sunderland look incapable of getting out of the shit, Boro are my outside bet for it and Palace look in a big old mess.
But Leicester are the team my heart wants to see drop, never to be seen again, exactly from whence they came.
So
Palace
Sunderland
Leicester

I think Sunderland are goners, but have a feeling Swansea will (just) stay up, thanks to their current run of form.

I reckon Big Sam will get Palace out of the mire, somehow, too. A 'freak' run of 10 points from 4 games is bound to happen at some time in the next 13 games, and that, alongside an only-slightly improved form otherwise, should keep them up.

With Leicester, the next few weeks will be incredibly telling. If they get smashed in the CL by Sevilla, I can see them going down. I don't know whether getting through this round could act as a morale boost or overdo them fixture-wise, though. It'll be between them, Hull, 'Boro and Bournemouth for the last 2. I'm going for Leicester and Boro.

nottsblue wrote:There are now thirteen PL games left. For which three teams do you think it will be unlucky!

Leicester are in barely chartered waters of being in danger of only the second reigning Champions to go down. Their form of late is shocking and they haven't scored in their six PL games I believe.

Palace also are in free fall. Will BFS be able to work his limited magic and save them? Their home form which for ages has been good has deserted them this time around and they like a team bereft of ideas and confidence.

Sunderland you feel must go down sooner or later and with Gollum in charge it's likely to be sooner. Every year they seem to be in a dogfight and they just manage to scrape through. Maybe that's why their nickname is the 'Black cats', because they have so many lives?

Hull and Swansea looked certainties at Xmas, but both have done well under new management of late and they have some momentum going into the business end of the campaign. New signings have refreshed them and given them a bit of impetus.

Middlesboro are by no means out of it and their impotence in front of goal could be their undoing. They are relatively solid at the back, especially at home but the lack of killer instinct is worrying for them.

Imagine Bournemouth, Watford and Burnley are safe with what they have. But as we know only to well from 1983 is even mid table teams can get sucked into a relegation battle.

Myself, I think it will be Sunderland, Palace and Middlesboro. I hope I'm wrong and Leicester go down though in place of Middlesboro.

Shudder, shudder, but you're right NB.

Quite often, a side which looks relatively comfortably placed in mid-table, at this stage in the season, gets sucked into the mire. However, I just can't see, for the life of me, Southampton, Burnley or Watford, at the moment, entering the quicksand, so Bournemouth, who are just below this trio, might be contenders in this scenario.

It's brewing up to be a real dogfight at the bottom, from now until the end of the season and it'll probably be a bookies' delight but Leicester are in something of an unfortunate position; Ranieri seems increasingly unable to galvanise the side so that they play themselves out of trouble and, to add to the equation, he's just received the dreaded vote of confidence from the Board.

However, if they now sack him, who will they get to save them from the drop, as who, of any proven calibre, would be prepared to risk his/her reputation in a relegation battle with a side which looks increasingly doomed ?? They could try promoting from within, but that might only be more of the same so, they could be damned if they sack Ranieri and damned if they don't. Moreover, the side already looks as though they're losing the will to fight their way out of trouble, as well as losing the belief and confidence in themselves.

Of the three already in the danger zone, I think Palace might just sneak out because of the BFS factor and their far superior goal difference compared to the others. The other two look like complete 'no hopers' but Hull, with their new manager just might have it in themselves to escape the drop, whilst Sunderland have only Gollum's 'magic' to draw upon; which is no magic at all.

So, for me, it's Bournemouth, Leicester and Sunderland, but I wouldn't put your money on it NB, let alone mine.

Have we got 40 points yet?

Palace, Sunderland, & Leicester

phips wrote:Palace, Sunderland, & Leicester

Agreed. Hope we're both wrong about Sunderland, though. Prefer to see Middlesbrough go.

Sunderland are bottom, 7 points behind Bournemouth. With 13 games left it's perfectly possible for Sunderland to win 3 more games that Bournemouth - maybe not likely, but possible. Even the likes of Watford on 30 points need to be careful, it often happens when an apparantly safe team drops like a stone and can't get out of trouble. Sunderland and Place can't seem to string enough results together to make progress, like wise Leicester. On the other hand Boro and Hull look like getting their acts together.

So my tips for the chop are Sunderland, Palace and Leicester, but I wouldn't be surprised if one or two of them performed a great escape and Bournemouth or Watford went down

Tough to say as all bottom 7 could go down.
I've said all season Leicester will find their right place this season and that is in the bottom three.
Sunderland always seem find a way and Defoe just might get them enough goals. Boro's lack of goals is a worry for them and Hull in general are just very poor. so I'm going for Boro, Leicester and Hull.


Will be interesting to see how this plays out!

wonder what will happen at Leicester if they do get relegated.

spent big money on Slimani. Gave Vardy, Drinkwater, and Mahrez new deals with presumably higher wages. I think they might've done the same for Kasper. Plus they signed Ndidi, Musa, and Mendy. i dont think the money they got in for Kante and Schlupp can offset that.

phips wrote:wonder what will happen at Leicester if they do get relegated.

spent big money on Slimani. Gave Vardy, Drinkwater, and Mahrez new deals with presumably higher wages. I think they might've done the same for Kasper. Plus they signed Ndidi, Musa, and Mendy. i dont think the money they got in for Kante and Schlupp can offset that.

I'm sure that there'd be a market for some of these players. Plus the parachute payments will hold them in good stead.

I hope regardless of what happens, they stick with Rainieri. He's just as likely to take them back up the following season.

patrickblue wrote:Have we got 40 points yet?

West Ham went down with 42 so never really feel safe until we have 43.

Leicester are truly awful. Every team is completely outplaying them (except us). I think they could be heading down.

Palace have a good chance of staying up with Big Sam in charge. He usually finds a way to get it right.

Sunderland are completely reliant on Defoe. He's there only chance of staying up but it will be tough for them.

What were the odds of Leicester going down this year? I was thinking in November to bet on something like this, but did not find anything. The only objective the players have there is the Champions League. Simple. Relegating or not, many of them will leave in the summer.

I think Palace, Sunderland and Leicester. But things are changing by the hour. I was certain Hull were going down, then that guy from Portugal came and now they look like they are going to fight until the end. Also Bournemouth looks bad after they lost Ake and did not bought anyone in.

I hope the first two from above go down. Sunderland had it coming since ... ever, while Palace are lead by a disgusting manager who is at best a Championship coach.

BlueinBosnia wrote:With Leicester, the next few weeks will be incredibly telling. If they get smashed in the CL by Sevilla, I can see them going down. I don't know whether getting through this round could act as a morale boost or overdo them fixture-wise, though. It'll be between them, Hull, 'Boro and Bournemouth for the last 2. I'm going for Leicester and Boro.

I think the opposite is just as likely with Leicester. If they get smashed by Sevilla, the likes of Morgan, Drinkwater, Albrighton, Simpson et al. might realise that they are, in fact, dog shit and start behaving accordingly. With European distractions and delusions of grandeur out the window, the realisation that they need to start scrapping asap might be just the thing they need to escape the drop.

dazby wrote:

phips wrote:wonder what will happen at Leicester if they do get relegated.

spent big money on Slimani. Gave Vardy, Drinkwater, and Mahrez new deals with presumably higher wages. I think they might've done the same for Kasper. Plus they signed Ndidi, Musa, and Mendy. i dont think the money they got in for Kante and Schlupp can offset that.

I'm sure that there'd be a market for some of these players. Plus the parachute payments will hold them in good stead.

I hope regardless of what happens, they stick with Rainieri. He's just as likely to take them back up the following season.

Exactly.

I had a bet on Sunderland to go down at the start of the season, so obviously hoping for them, Middlesborough would be good as its a horrible place, not Leicester though, I don't want them to match our record.

Mackems
Foxes
Hornets

leicester will be relegated at the etihad after the penultimate game of the season.
the same day we are crowned champions.... you heard it here first.