EPL Talk » Fulham

EPL Great Escapes

Tom Mallows — Tue, 05 May 2009 11:45:01 +0000

It’s that time of year again, where nerves are shredded, nails are bitten and the relegation trapdoor gets ever closer.

But for those fans of teams at the bottom of the EPL there is hope.

I had a dig round the archives and have found some examples of teams who looked dead and buried, but somehow found Premier League salvation.

Feel free to add your examples – I would be interested to hear your experiences of ‘great escapes’.

But for now here is a few I found (in no particular order!):

Everton 1993-94
A 3-0 defeat to Leeds the previous week had plunged Everton into the drop zone and Mike Walker’s men went into the last game of the season at home to Wimbledon knowing that even a win might not be good enough.
Things got worse for the Toffees when the Crazy Gang went 2-0 up after just 20 minutes. Everton battled their way back to level terms through a Graham Stuart penalty and a Barry Horne stunner, but with nine minutes of the season to go they were still down.
Salvation arrived however in the shape of former Chelsea man Stuart, who sidefooted home his second of the game to save the Blues and condemn Sheffield United, who were losing at Chelsea, to the drop.

Oldham 1992-93
Joe Royle’s Oldham had to win three games in seven days and hope either Crystal Palace or Sheffield United lost their last two fixtures in order to stay up. The problem was that the first of those three games was away to Aston Villa, who had to win to keep their title challenge alive. Oldham stunned Ron Atkinson’s men by grabbing the only goal which handed Man United the title and gave them hope of survival.
When a resurgent Sheff United won at Everton on the Tuesday, the survival battle was down to two – Oldham or Palace. A day later Royle’s men beat Liverpool 3-2 at Boundary Park, while Palace drew 0-0 at Manchester City – setting up a last day scrap. If Oldham won and Palace lost, Oldham were safe and Palace were down. On the final day Palace lost 3-0 away at Arsenal meaning a win for Oldham over Southampton would see them safe. It would become an early Premier League classic which swung either way but one that Oldham eventually triumphed 4-3 – despite Matt Le Tissier grabbing a hat-trick. Oldham were back from the brink while Palace were down and stunned.

West Brom 2004/05
The Baggies defied the odds in 2005 by becoming the first-ever Premier League side to be bottom at Christmas and avoid the drop.
An excellent performance and point at Old Trafford in the penultimate week of the season set up a last day decider where three out of four sides could go down. Even then The Baggies knew a win might not be enough and began the final day in the relegation zone. They claimed a 2-0 win over Portsmouth at The Hawthorns thanks to goals from Geoff Horsfield and on-loan Kieran Richardson. Elsewhere Charlton’s late 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace relegated The Eagles and defeats for Norwich and Southampton also condemned them to the drop.

West Ham 2006/07
In a season dogged by controversy West Ham somehow avoided the drop thanks to a last day win at over Man United at Old Trafford. But that isn’t the only story. The controversial signings of Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano the previous August broke Premier League rules over third party ownership yet the Hammers avoided a points deduction. With Alan Pardew’s men staring relegation in the face Tevez proved the inspiration for a late surge of form which dragged them to safety and relegated Sheffield United, who lost 2-1 at home to Wigan on the last day. The Blades later sued The Hammers, claiming the illegal signing of Tevez was the main reason they stayed up at their expense. The claim was later settled out of court with West Ham agreeing to pay compensation.

Coventry 1996/97
Going into the last game of the 1996/97 season, Coventry were sitting in the final relegation spot of the Premiership and travelled to Spurs needing to win. Goals from Dion Dublin and Paul Williams gave The Sky Blues a 2-0 lead before Paul McVeigh’s effort on the stroke of half-time reduced the deficit. The hero of the day though was veteran ‘keeper Steve Ogrizovic who made some fantastic late saves as Coventry held on for the win which kept them up and relegated Sunderland

Everton (again) 1997/98
Everton once again found themselves needing a result on the last day against Coventry to keep them up. Needing to better Bolton’s result against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge them Toffees made the perfect start when Gareth Farrelly half-volleyed home from 25 yards. Dion Dublin’s late header made it a nervy finish at Goodison but two late goals for Chelsea condemned Bolton and kept Everton up on goal difference.

Fulham 2007/08
Fulham looked destined for the drop after a 3-1 defeat to Sunderland at the start of April. With three out of their four remaining games away from home, and the home clash being against Liverpool, the writing was on the wall – especially as Roy Hodgson’s men hadn’t won away from Craven Cottage since September 2006.
But three away wins, at Reading, Man City and Portsmouth on the final day, completed a miraculous escape, sending Reading and Birmingham down instead.

Newcastle United Just Keep Getting Things Wrong

Paul Bestall — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 23:06:54 +0000

Why is it so hard to do things right at Newcastle United? Well, I know the majority of issues are down to the current owner but sometimes I think the club seem to be a vacuum for bad decisions, bad signings and mixed messages. It’s no wonder the fans are so fed up with the nonsense that seems to surround the club at the moment. Sometimes it seems there transfer policy seems to be based on “What’s that, you’ve an unstable midfielder with a penchant for apologising and then causing more trouble? Certainly, how much do you want?”

Monday nights home game against Portsmouth had been preceded by a call to arms from Alan Shearer to the Geordie nation as crowds had begun to fall, desperation is creeping in, even Newcastle’s fans are beginning to fear the worst. Shearer was everywhere, on Sky, On the BBC, local radio, national radio, everywhere urging the fans to come back to St James’ Park and get behind the team and shout them home. The club got leaflets printed for all the seats so the fans could show support and to whip up the fans beforehand, local opera singer Graeme Danby was booked to serenade the faithful with a rendition of the Blaydon Races.

Perfect you may think? Ah, but this is Newcastle United and it seemed that the occasion had got our local opera singer as after finishing the Geordie anthem, he then decided to give the travelling Portsmouth fans a bit of stick. Unfortunately he still had his microphone on, and decided to ask them ” Have you come in a F###### car?” swiftly followed by “You’re the Mackems of the South Coast”. Well there’s nothing wrong with the lads geography I have to say, though the comparison to Sunderland was probably better being aimed at Southampton, rather than Portsmouth. Ah well!

So, they then proceeded to miss the opportunity to gain some valuable points by stuttering to 0-0 draw and remained in the bottom three, though they rose above Middlesbrough into 18th. Shearer was trying to be positive after the game and so he should, Hull City and Sunderlands current form seem to offer all the bottom three a glimmer of hope that the impossible will be achieved as they stumble towards the final day. The way the Tigers and the Black Cats are going at the moment, they’d struggle to beat an egg.

Michael Owen however, wasn’t reading the same script. He thinks they have absolutely no chance on Sunday against Liverpool. “We go to Liverpool next and we finish the season at Aston Villa and if we can get something from those games, then of course we’ll grasp them. But being a realist it’s the home games that our major focus now” With no goals in 9 games, his confidence probably at his lowest since he started at the top level, Michael Owen may as well wear a sign around his neck saying Goodbye Newcastle.

I can’t believe the change in him as a player during his injury plagued stint at Newcastle, it’s been hell for him. He’s going to be off in the Summer whether Newcastle stay up or not I think, but who’s going to sign an injury prone striker who’s on a barren run. He’s 30 this year, is he really going to be able to have another big club come in for him now? Of course, he’s got Tottenham Hotspur or Manchester City to fall back on, such is there eagerness to sign big name players on the way down.

Yes, it looks bleak for Newcastle, but they have two home games left, tough matches that they are, and for a side that has only won 4 home league games this season, they need to raise themselves to levels rarely seen this season but the games are not impossible to win. 6 points would be a major shot in the arm, but Middlesbrough need the win just as badly. A draw for both sides and Hull and Sunderland gaining anything at all will probably condemn them both next week but with the sides in 17th and 16th playing so dreadfully and having no luck at all, the light of survival still twinkles for the Geordies.

Fulham’s Clint Dempsey Spot on With Premier League Manager of the Year Choice

Josh Allen — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 09:36:35 +0000

In the past the Premier League’s manager of the year award has normally been a forgone conclusion with the gaffer who lifts the Premier League trophy at the end of the season usually receiving a second award a couple of weeks down the line. However, with the top flight so tight this season and with so many clubs having good campaigns the award for the best manager might be a little closer than usual. Having read very little about the award until today I would have struggled to have chosen a manager who has stood out amongst the crowd for the entire season.

That was until I saw Clint Dempsey putting forward his boss Roy Hodgson for the award and it clicked that perhaps the former Blackburn Rovers manager did deserve some recognition for his work this season. Let’s face it there would have been very few of us who would have thought that Fulham would be in contention to qualify for Europe this season after their Houdini style escape from the drop last time out.

The turn around has been nothing less than remarkable, working with limited funds and keeping a lot of the same players he had last season Hodgson has turned Craven Cottage into a fortress. The Cottagers have the third best home record in the league and this season have beaten the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal on their own patch, upsetting all the football odds in the process. Away from home they have continued to struggle but have become a tough nut to crack.

Mark Schwarzer has enjoyed an excellent season for Fulham, brought in by Hodgson during the summer, and has kept 14 clean sheets for the side. Brede Hangeland has become hot property in the Premier League with Arsenal reported to be interested in the central defender who was slaughtered by television pundits when he first came to the club last season. The whole spine of the team is strong with Andrew Johnson and Bobby Zamora working well together up top since they joined the club.

Hodgson has proved that if you get the basics right and get the side playing for each other then you can’t go far wrong. They may not be the most spectacular side to watch but you can’t deny how well they have done this year. If Fulham do secure that last Europa League spot then the Premier League should take their heads out of their backsides and take a look at another club in west London that doesn’t wear blue. Only one manager has received the award when they haven’t won the league, that was George Burley at Ipswich, and Roy Hodgson certainly gets my vote to become the second.

Bolton Wanderers Push For Two Tier Premiership

Paul Bestall — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 10:20:38 +0000

Well interesting news has appeared this morning as Bolton chairman, Phil Gartside’s has put forward a proposal to increase the Premiership to two leagues of 18 teams with 14 clubs from the Championship and Rangers and Celtic. The proposal is to be put before the Premier League at their meeting this Thursday and it raises some interesting points. Gartside cites a wider audience with the addition of Scottish clubs, fresher players as 4 games a season would be cut from the league campaign and the old chestnut of benefiting the England national side. You know, the reason that the Premiership was set up for in the first place. The amount of International trophies that England have won since 1992 is simply staggering isn’t it?

Firstly, the addition of Rangers and Celtic to the Premier League has long been mooted as a situation of when rather than how but to get there they need the permission of the Scottish FA, The Football League, The Premier League and the biggest obstacle, UEFA. Now UEFA, when they’re not attacking the Premier League in thinly veiled xenophobic attacks, claim that no club should be able to play in a league outside their own country. That would be fine if the precedent wasn’t already in place.

With Platini being a Frenchmen, you’d think he’d know that his arguement is flawed, or can he not remember where Monaco is? What about Cardiff City, Swansea City, Wrexham, Colwyn Bay, Newport County and Methyr Tydfil, all members of the English pyramid system but all Welsh clubs. Technically, Barcelona, Espanyol and Valencia play in the Spanish League but are based in Catalonia and Real Sociedad and Athletic Bilbao represent the Basque region. UEFA may push the point but they’re argument is already flawed by the teams mentioned above.

To get the motion passed, 14 clubs need to vote in agreement on the proposal, which is where I think the issue may fall down. Can we honestly see The Premierships big four, plus Aston Villa, Everton, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City voting for less money? Whilst the games would reduce, so would the money, but then again, for teams that drop out of the Premiership or face the real possibility of relegation, would you rather get £30 million a year than the current two year parachute payments of £11.5 million that clubs currently get.

The other worrying issue is how would the remaining 14 places be decided? Would it be a straight situation of the top 14 sides out of the Championship? What if some of the larger sides miss out due to league position when the cut off is made. If it happened tomorrow there would be some famous names missing out again, but then again what about Leicester City and Leeds United?

When the Premier League began, way back in the 1992-1993 season, Notts County and Luton Town, both missed out due to relegation but had resigned their memberships from the Football League in 1991 when the plan was concluded. Ironically, neither has ever returned to the top tier since, Luton Town in fact have just been relegated out of the Football League, due to a draconian points deduction that didn’t penalise the perpetrators, just the club.

What would happen if clubs resigned their membership from the Football League, only to finish outside the 14 team cut off. Or worryingly, would the Premier League court the 14 biggest clubs not in the Premiership to make up the new league? What would happen to the Football League and the Football Conference? Why only have Rangers and Celtic, when you could argue Hibs, Hearts and Aberdeen could therotically add more to the mix than Burnley?

That would be a worrying event, which could lead to a dangerous precedent. Why not simply block clubs from promotion if they weren’t “big” enough? If they didn’t sell enough merchandise or their viewing figures deemed not large enough. Would the Premier League finally become the monster that some people always feared it would and simply banish relegation from it and have caveats for promotion. When I first read about the proposal this morning, I was sure it would fail. Now, I’m not so sure, in football, nothing surprises me when money is involved.

Can The Whites Do It Again?

Randy Capps — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 16:26:15 +0000

Back on March 21, Fulham turned the race for the 2008-2009 Premiership title on its ear with a stunning 2-0 defeat of nine-man Manchester United at Craven Cottage.

On Saturday, the Whites will take aim at another big four team when Liverpool comes calling.

Before the win over the Red Devils, there wasn’t much to suggest that Fulham would stage such a massive upset. After all, United handed Fulham a 4-0 loss in the FA Cup on the same ground just two weeks earlier.

But sometimes reality writes a script that would be laughed straight out of Hollywood and Fulham came away with a slightly controversial, highly unlikely victory.

So, the question is, can Fulham start to undo the tightening it helped bring about at the top of the table on Saturday against the Reds?

Hard to say.

Liverpool has won four straight in all competitions, including smashing wins over United at Old Trafford and Real Madrid in the Champions League, outscoring its foes 15-1 in that span.

It’s difficult to imagine that the Reds, just one point back of United (which of course has a match in hand), would slip up against a side that pulled an upset just two weeks ago.

But while Liverpool will likely be without defender Sami Hyypia and midfielder Yossi Benayoun due to injury, the Whites have a full squad from which to choose.

And Fulham gaffer Roy Hodgson doesn’t anticipate any lack of motivation from his side.

“I don’t think we need motivation for any of the Premiership games,” he told fulhamfc.com. “I don’t think I’ve ever sat on the bench or stood in the dugout watching Fulham in the Premiership thinking, ‘we don’t look fully motivated.’ I think we’re dealing with … professional players who know that, ‘this is my job.’”

The “job” for Fulham is to figure out how to ride the wave after such an important win, without falling off the board, so to speak.

The Whites are currently sitting in ninth place in the table, clearly safe from the relegation scrap, but still eight points out a Europa Cup spot.

There is still plenty to play for.

“I do think Liverpool, especially coming after Man United and a good result, will prove a further inspiration,” Hodgson said to the team Web site. ”Our task will be to manage the expectations, to some extent. Because a few weeks ago the expectations were that we would comfortably lose this game and keeping the score down would have been about as much as most people would hope for.

“Certainly, those expectations have risen to ‘we can win this game’ or ‘we can get a good result here.’ We would never go into a game saying we can’t win or we want to keep the score down. But we don’t set the expectations. Those come from the outside.”

Liverpool enter the game as prohibitive favorites to pick up three more points to keep the pressure on United.

But that result doesn’t seem like the sure thing it might have been a few weeks ago.