Hugo Rodallega needs to score even more goals to keep Wigan up.

While Chelsea managed continue their 100% start to the season, and Sunderland shocked Manchester City, the performance of the weekend has to go Wigan Athletic who bounced back from a disastrous opening two games to record a surprise win at Tottenham. But will victory mark the start of the Latics season or will it be a rare high in a season of disappointment for Roberto Martinez’s men.

After their opening day capitulation against Blackpool followed by a 6-0 humbling at the hands of Chelsea many could have forgiven Martinez for ‘parking the bus’ at White Hart Lane, especially when you consider that they lost 9-1 in North London last year.

But typical of Martinez’s style he stuck to his principles and looked to take the game to the Champions League new-boys. The result was a solitary Hugo Rodallega strike that proved to be many a coupon buster on Saturday afternoon.

The worry for Wigan will be that they caught Tottenham on a good day. Redknapp ‘s side were undoubtedly suffering from a Champions League hangover which lead to them looking jaded and lacking creativity. On another day if Wigan went to Tottenham and tried to attack you would expect Spurs to run out easy winners.

Without meaning to disrespect Wigan, it could be their football which proves to be their downfall. While they managed to have a fairly successful season last year in terms of the fact they survived. You feel that the Premier League is stronger this year, and Wigan haven’t strengthened accordingly.

The unfortunate fact is that Wigan simply can’t afford to go down. Crowd’s have dwindled and would fall even further should the Latics fall in to the Championship. This coupled with the fall in revenue from that relegation inevitably brings could have real financial impacts on Wigan.

This makes the next couple of days crucial. Wigan must make sure they keep hold of Charles NZogbia, who although he didn’t start against Tottenham is their best attacking threat and somebody who can impact on a game. But in my opinion they need to strengthen as well. They desperately need a leader, and somebody who has the ability to help them grind out results. Because the worry is that their Martinez’s style won’t be able to bring enough points.

Personally I feel that the only way Wigan can survive is for Martinez to maybe scrap his method and be content with grinding out results.

Jermain Defoe puts Tottenham ahead

With only three weeks to go until the final Saturday of competition the key races in the Premier League are heating up. Two key derbys, one in Manchester and the other in London, threw the races for first and fourth place back into uncertainty as Burnley and Hull City seem unwilling to stay in the league for next season. The Manchester United, Manchester City match-up was already covered but read on for a recap of the rest of the action in the Premier League.

Tottenham Hotspur 2, Chelsea 1

When Tottenham fell to lowly Portsmouth in the FA Cup semi-finals last Sunday the season looked all but over for Harry Redknap’s side. Spurs faced Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United in their next three matches and were already behind Manchester City in the race for fourth. But Spurs easily dispatched Arsenal in midweek and were able to dominate a Chelsea side who’s inconsistency has been an issue all season.

John Terry was unable to get away with a handball in the penalty area in the 15th minute. Jermaine Defoe sent Peter Cech the wrong way to give Tottenham the early lead. Chelsea were unable to mount sustained offensive pressure or mantain posession and the Blues defense broke again in the 44th minute as Garreth Bale embarrassed Paulo Ferreira to rifle a shot to the lower-lefthand corner.

Didier Drogba pulled a groin muscle as he stood in the center circle waiting to kick off the second half. The injury came seconds after Carlos Ancelloti had used his final two substitutions. The Ivorian striker had to stay on despite playing in obvious pain. John Terry was sent off in the 67th minute for his second yellow card in three minutes and there was no feasible way back into the match for Chelsea. Even Frank Lampard’s 18th goal of the season in the second minute of added time served as nothing more than a consolation.

Tottenham have pulled off their second massive upset in as many games and will look to make it three for three next week at Old Trafford. Chelsea need to find their defensive form and some consistency up top if they are to hold off Manchester United.

Birmingham 0, Hull City 0

This match-up featured a Birmingham club with nothing to play for and a Hull City side with everything at stake. The Tigers, sitting four points from safety and fresh off a 4-1 embarrassment at the hands of Burnley, desperately needed a result in order to preserve any hope of Premier League play next season. A 0-0 draw is not the worst outcome for Ian Dowie’s men but victories need to start coming soon. Chances for either side were few and far between with Jimmy Bullard’s shot directly at Joe Hart the best of the bunch.

Dowie said it was a “display to be proud of” given Birmingham’s stellar home record this season but with games running out and a final-day fixture against Liverpool looming one has to wonder if the clock has run out on Hull City.

Sunderland 2, Burnley 1

Sunderland officially secured safety from relegation with a comfortable victory over a Burnley side who are anything but safe. Fraizer Campbell kicked off the scoring for Sunderland following a brilliant cross from Alan Hutton. Campbell then played provider with a headed cross to Darren Bent for his 24th goal of the season. Steve Thompson brought a goal back in the 82nd minute but Burnley was unable to equalize thus bringing their away record to 1-1-16 for the season. The news doesn’t get better for Brian Laws’ men as their remaining fixtures are Liverpool, away to Birmingham and Tottenham.

Stoke City 1, Bolton Wanderers 2

Bolton edged closer to safety with a surprising victory over Stoke City. Stoke took the early lead with a Dave Kitson goal in the 13th minute but it was Matthew Taylor who played savior for Bolton with a cracking free-kick in the 85th minute before scoring the late winner two minutes from time. Stoke nearly equalized in the dying minutes but Stoke Captain Abdoulaye Faye sent his close range shot over the bar to hand Bolton a vital three points. The Wanderers now sit in 14th place and seven points clear of danger.

Fulham 0, Wolverhampton Wanderers 0

Fulham seem to be focused soley on the Europa League at this point and could only manage a scoreless draw against Wolves at Craven Cottage. Bobby Zamora’s second-half shot came off the post in one of the only full-fleged chances of the afternoon. Wolves sit six points clear of Hull City and three points clear of West Ham United. Mick McCarthy’s side has a relativley easy run of remaining fixtures with Blackburn, Portsmouth and Sunderland left on their docket. Fulham’s Europa League tie against Hamburg looks very much in doubt because of the European airspace lock down.

Blackburn Rovers 2, Everton 3

Tim Cahill continued his glorious return to form with a late winner against Blackburn. The victory keeps The Toffees’ slim Europa League hopes alive as they sit only a point behind Aston Villa and two behind Liverpool. Mikel Arteta opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the fourth minute but the contest came alive when Steven Nzonzi equalized with a 30-yard shot past Tim Howard. Substitute Ayegbeni Yakubu put Everton back in front following Leighton Baines long throw. Blackburn edged even thanks to Jason Roberts’ strike. But it was Cahill’s goal in the 90th minute that secured a valuable three points for Everton.

In a refreshing change of events, former Birmingham City owners, David Gold and David Sullivan took control of the Hammers and admitted straightaway the mess that West Ham United have been battling with. Since the crashing collapse of the Icelandic banking system, West Ham had been financially stricken and the true extent of the footballing debt is now apparent. The Hammers owe £110 million out. One Hundred and Ten Million pounds.

Only in November did C.B. Holdings claim that the Hammers were in debt to the tune of £38 million, misleading the fans in to thinking that the situation was nowhere near as bad as some in the media had reported. In fact it was almost 3 times as bad as they made out and the new owners/controllers made clear exactly where they debts lay. They also confirmed that the club were going to have to sell players in this transfer window, contrary to the clubs previous stance. An immediate cash injection of £8 million was needed to keep the club going.

The list reads like a what not to do in football, or to put it another way, how to run a club like Leeds United. It’s as if someone wrote a business plan based on what went wrong at Elland Road and it was mistranslated into Icelandic to make it seem positive. It’s madness to see the debt and borrowing going on at West Ham over the last 3 years.

• £50 million owed to banks.
• £40 million owed to other clubs for transfers.
• The £40 million owed to other clubs, includes £20 million compensation to Sheffield United.
• Alan Curbishley is still owed his severance deal after winning his case for constructive dismissal
• No-one owes West Ham any money, all player transfer fees that were received paid the bank debt immediately
• C.B. Holdings had borrowed money against the next two seasons season ticket revenue
• There is no money for strengthening the squad.

Now this paints a completely different figure to what the West Ham fans believed, rightly or wrongly what the were being told. The previous regime were filling there heads with nonsense. It is a very real prospect that relegation would have seen West Ham implode financially. No ifs, no buts, they were immediately into administration. After all the information about Leeds United, C.B. Holdings were following exactly the same route.

It seems like absolute madness that not one lesson from the Yorkshire clubs demise has served to teach anyone anything it seems, as we see with the issues at Manchester United, Portsmouth and Liverpool in the last week. Regardless of the riches awash for the Premiership clubs, you still have to cut your cloth accordingly. Someone sooner or later is going to fall over the edge, which is a subject I’m going to be looking at in more depth for EPLtalk.com next week.

Gold and Sullivan have acted quickly in bringing in their trusted lieutenant, Karen Brady as vice chairman and she’ll be quick to install some much needed pragmatism at Upton Park. They are now going to talk to Newham council about moving to the Olympic Stadium after the 2012 Olympics. That could be  a challenge as Tottenham enquired about taking it over and were plainly told it was not available. The Olympic stadium is set to be reduced from its 80,000 capacity down to a pointless 30,000, for which there is neither the use nor the need.

The NFL could still play a part in the stadium’s future use that could play into West Ham’s hands. The NFL have earmarked that the often mooted London franchise’s potential base could be there. It would certainly make more sense to use it as a dual sport stadium than a white elephant for athletics, which is the current plan. There is neither the inclination or support for that size of athletics venue in London, they should sell it and use the money to redevelop Crystal Palace Athletic Stadium.

So now, West Ham have to focus on the future and the fans will be thankful that regardless of the criticisms that could be placed at Gold and Sullivan’s door during their tenure at Birmingham City, they still have a club to support. The work is now on to bring in fresh investment to try and work off the remaining debt and crucial to that is the fact that West Ham United need to stay up.

Gianfranco Zola has been nothing but a gentlemen throughout this difficult period for him and he needs to make sure that he can keep his side together for one almighty relegation scrap. For a first job, he has certainly been earning his money, of that there is no doubt. In the next six games, West Ham face Portsmouth, Blackburn Rovers, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Burnley, Birmingham City and Hull City. Come the end of February, Gold, Sullivan and Zola will know exactly the size of the task to keep West Ham United in the Premier League.

The weekend promised excitement, drama and last-minute heartache with several sides still fighting for survival at the season’s very end. Sunderland, Hull, Newcastle and Middlesbrough were all on the edge of the cliff. Some already hanging off the side. Others teetering on the brink. In the end, four losses would keep all sides in their places. Newcastle and Middlesbrough join West Brom in relegation to the Championship. Sunderland and Hull survive by the slimmest of margins.

Hull City: Early Form Rewarded

Hull’s explosive first half of the season (2o points from their first nine matches) was rewarded yesterday despite a 1-0 loss to Manchester United. The results of Newcastle and Middlesbrough allowed Hull supporters to forgive Phil Brown and Co. for the disastrous spell that eventually displaced their early good form. Hull only won one of their last 22 matches.

The Tigers defied expecation at the start of their campaign, recording wins against Fulham, Newcastle, Arsenal, Spurs, West Ham and West Brom all before the end of October. They dazzled further in November when they scored three goals at Old Trafford. They still lost to hosts Manchester United, but after being 4-1 down at the half, scoring two more goals against the Champs and bringing a point within view, showed the true grit of Hull City.

A lengthy slump aside, Hull deserved to stay up after their fierce start to the season. Now the question is: can they find that form again next year?

Death By Own Goal

One devastating moment from yesterday’s match at Villa Park sums up Newcastle United’s season. Villa’s Gareth Barry took a speculative shot from distance, firing the ball into traffic. United’s Damien Duff stood his ground, but was crushed when the ball ricochetted off his shin and careened into the net.

1-0 was the final score. And since other results meant Newcastle only needed a draw to survive, that one moment encapsulates the pain and frustration forced upon supporters as Newcastle’s latest campaign comes to an ugly close.

The Magpies will go down after 16 years in the top flight. Though they’ve had their rough patches, Newcastle always seemed to climb out of trouble and endure. But too many managerial changes and not investing enough in defense led to the fall.

Shearer should not be criticized. If he’d had more time to work out a system with the players (and if he’d had the brilliant goalkeeping of Shay Given at his disposal), it might have been a different outcome.

Duff, gutted from yesterdays events, vows to stay with Newcastle and fight for their promotion next season. Newcastle faithful wait to hear what Shearer’s plans are.

Gareth Southgate’s Nightmare

Middlesbrough have had their troubles since their last promotion to the top flight in 1998. We smirk when we think of 2006, when a fan stormed the pitch and threw his season ticket at Steve McClaren in frustration. But despite various problems, Boro spent the last ten years making themselves a Premier League mainstay. They usually finished mid-table, but even when they dipped lower, they secured enough points to keep from sweating over the drop.

But this season the problems became insurmountable. Former Boro hitman, John Hendrie blames poor transfer window moves and lack of firepower. Boro were the lowest scoring side in the league. Whatever the root cause, Boro simply could not climb out of the ditch they dug themselves.

But Gareth Southgate is expected to stay on as manager and despite the fear of losing some big players, Middlesbrough should have a good enough chance at returning to the top flight.

Sunderland Survive

The Blackcats put their old yo-yoing ways behind them as they prepare to enjoy a third consecutive season in the Premier League. Despite their survival, manager Ricky Sbragia stepped down after Sunderland’s loss to Chelsea. Read more here. Sbragia took over the post when Roy Keane left in December.

Sunderland announced today they will not be signing 27-year-old striker Djibril Cisse who spend the season on loan from Marseille. It will be intersting to see who Sunderland bring in to manage and play for the next season.

With Boro and Newcastle relegated, Sunderland will be the only side from the north east in the Premier League.

Conclusion

The season was very tight for a long time with many upsets and surprises. It took a while for the European hopefuls to pull away from the relegation zone denizens. Unlike last year, when Derby County clinched relegation early, this season’s bottom teams had their chances going into the final weekends. It is sad to see two mainstays go down, but that’s part of the life-cycle of the Premier League. Wolves, Birmingham and Burnley will come up to try and stake their claim on top flight football. Newcastle, Boro and others will fight in the Championship for a fresh chance to rise.

The rest of us will spend the summer scouring transfer rumors and analyzing friendlies and internationals while we wait for the league action to start anew.

Ready For Sunday then?

So, how’s your nerves? Sky Sports News have today been running an article about stress relief for fans for Sunday. Tips included having a hot bath, avoiding alcohol and meditating to stay relaxed in the build up to the final round of matches in the Premiership. Which will be no help to any of the fans who’s nerves are probably already shredded about Sunday. For the first time in the UK, we’re going to have 4 games broadcasted from the Premiership simultaneously with streams coming in from Hull, Sunderland, Aston Villa and West Ham, which worries me about the potential for an RSI based injury.

The trapdoor to the Championship is wide open, beckoning 2 teams to join West Bromwich Albion in relegation despair. Poor WBA, such lovely football, but no cutting edge, what they’d give for a 15 goal a season striker, it would have made all the difference to such a good football side as daft as that sounds.  At 6pm, we will know which of the four candidates will have joined them, with each team’s destiny entirely in their own hands, but for Middlesbrough, it just looks too big a job.

Turning around a 5 goal deficit on Hull City, couple with a Newcastle defeat, is the Boro’s only hope. It’s not impossible to imagine Manchester United putting 3 past Hull, but to win 2-0 at West Ham? That’s a tough ask for most sides, but is it impossible to achieve? Come the last day, nothing would surprise me anymore. Can a team who’ve only scored 27 goals get at least 2 away from home and hope that results in two other games go their way?

Most eyes are going to be on the K>C Stadium, to see exactly which team Ferguson sends out to face Hull City. I’m annoyed by the accusations of a “weakened” Manchester United side taking the field, a side that will probably feature Neville, Ferdinand, Nani, Fletcher,Giggs and Tevez. Disgraceful isn’t it to pick such inexperienced players as those. It’s a side track issue that shouldn’t be even a discussion point; all of those players would walk into every other side outside the top 4 without question.

Newcastle need to worry about themselves at Villa Park, if they don’t win then it could possibly not matter. They have to win and hope for the best, but it’s a massive ask of a team that has only won 2 games this year. Defenders are dropping like flies, Owen isn’t fit, Andy Carroll is definitely out and a couple of youth team players may be on the bench. It all looks hopeless, yet I can’t condemn them fully, something just won’t allow me to say they’re down. It looks impossible but with all of the potential relegation sides in such poor form, it’s too close to call.

Finally, Sunderland, who have just drifted into this situation from seemingly nowhere. Keane walked out when he was rightly questioned over his signings by the majority investor, Ellis Short, over just what value for money they were getting. When someone pays £6 million for Teemu Tainio, you’ve got to ask questions haven’t you? Of all the sides at the bottom, they’ve spent the most, yet got worse so have the most to lose in my opinion, by being relegated some Sunday.

I’m going to be here all the way through on Sunday, so if you can’t get to watch any of the games, hopefully you’ll join us here on epltalk.com, and I’ll try to keep pace with events for us all. Let’s hope we’ve we have a fantastic last day and may the best teams stay up!

EDITOR’S NOTE: Join the live blog on Sunday at 10:45am ET/3:45pm BST for the Premier League finale hosted by Paul Bestall. Celebrate the final day of the relegation battle with one eye on the television set, and the other eye on your computer as you participate in the online experience with football fans from around the world.

Is Roy Keane smirking right now? Is he rolling his eyes? Both?

For two years Sunderland was Roy Keane’s baby. He took the struggling side, nurtured it back to health and delivered it from the relegation zone of the Championship and back to the top flight. In every transfer window he made moves to improve the squad. Once back at the top, the goal was to dig Sunderland’s feet in and avoid the old yo-yo effect. Stay up. Stay up.

And while they only finished three points from the drop zone, Sunderland didn’t look in danger at the end of 2007/08 and 39 points was an amazing feat compared to their last Premier League finish: 15 points and 20th spot in 2006.

The season began as expected with a balance of wins, draws and losses and Sunderland enjoyed reaching as high as sixth in the League table. But six losses in seven matches led to Keane’s departure. Intense pressure from the board in light of the bad results was too much for Mr Keane. He resigned in early December. Directly before a trip to Old Trafford to face his old club.

Now, I recognize it was Keane’s decision to leave, but doesn’t it seem painfully obvious that the board could have found a more constructive way to work through Sunderland’s problems? Unrelenting pressure at this level is inevitable, especially when the threat of relegation comes into the equation. But boards are too quick to come down on the manager rather than work with him through a rut. It is a foreign concept for boards to think, We’ve got the same goals, let’s fight through this together.

And while Roy Keane may not have been ready for the pressure of leading a struggling premiership side, this would have been an ideal time for Sunderland’s powers-that-be to show their support for the man’s learning process. One six-loss rut in the larger picture of all that Keane had done for Sunderland seems workable. Sure, if the results are not turned around in January, questions need to be asked and a sacking or a resignation may well be in order.

But clearly, Sunderland have gained nothing by letting Roy Keane go.

Interim manager Ricky Sbragia hasn’t turned Sunderland’s results around and now, unless they defeat Chelsea this weekend, their fate will rely on the outcomes of other matches. Newcastle at Villa and Hull hosting Manchester United.

Hull, who scored three goals on United at Old Trafford will put up a fight, and Sir Alex Ferguson is expected to rest his best for the upcoming Champions League final, having won the league already.

Newcastle have a mammoth task playing Villa away, especially with defender Sebastien Bassong suspended. But there’s nothing like facing relegation to inspire a side to glory.

Sunderland will be praying one of the two drop points. But there are no restfull nights in the Blackcats’ week ahead. And even if they survive, the fact that they are in this position in the last weekend is proof enough Keane’s departure didn’t do the club any favors.

Meanwhile, Roy Keane is probably pouring over the scouting reports, plotting his summer moves for Ipswich Town.

“I truly believe that I am joining a club that has the potential, ambition and infrastructure to once again be a Premier League side,” said Keane when appointed. If he returns to the top flight with Ipswich, prehaps he’ll be ready for the next bout of pressure. A good manager learns from past tribulations. Even if boards can’t.

Supreme No More

It says a lot, for better or for worse, that Manchester United’s eighteenth championship sent barely a ripple through the footballing press.  Most headlines read, “Man United 0 – Arsenal 0,” with United’s Premier League-winning feat mentioned in the sub header.  It seems the Premier League ended some time ago, perhaps when Liverpool drew Arsenal in a more exciting fashion then Saturday’s soaking wet kick about (or at least for me, when Aston Villa drew Stoke in early March).

This was an awful season all-round.  The sort of narratives that usually drive speculation among punters, neutrals and johnny-come-latelys fizzled just as soon as they were kindled: Benitez finally winning the league; Aston Villa challenging for the Champions League at Arsenal’s expense; the beginning of the end of Man United’s debt-pooled collapse in the manner of their American shirt sponsor.  Like a band of nervous studio execs descending on their auteur director, any hint of originality this year was forced to give way to cozy convention.  Even Liverpool trouncing United at Old Trafford 4-1, certainly the most dramatically significant match of the 2008-09 season, was the exciting exception that proved the deadly dull rule.

Sadly, Newcastle United going down with Alan Shearer saluting as the icy waves reach his cabin door, only for a BBC helicopter to come swooping in at the last minute to rescue him as the Toon break in half and lurch to the ocean floor, may be the only real convention broken this year.  Watching Newcastle was like watching a club stuck in time warp, with names and players culled straight from 2003-2004.  Viduka, Owen, Duff. Only Obafemi Martins looked the part on occasion.  Steven Taylor once or twice.

The Northeast is currently bearing the brunt of an economy laid to waste by the Ponzi-esque banking schemes of moneyed London, and it’s hard to imagine even a club of Newcastle’s stature coming back from the brink without lucrative new ownership.  Newcastle can still escape of course, but even if they do, the smart bet isn’t on a bright, sunny outlook for 2009-10.  And while relegation can often be the best thing to happen to a club, exclusion for once-mighty top flight teams, as in the case of Leeds or Forest, can last a lifetime.

It seems these days in the Premier League, relegation struggles are squeezing out the top-of-the-table victories for front page headlines.  While we can usually depend on You-Know-Who to fill out the Champions League roster, the list of potential relegated clubs is cutting closer to the core of the English football of old.  Even Tottenham prior to the intervention of Harry Redknapp, seemed early on destined for a relegation fight.  A collapsing domestic economy, coupled with the enormously-inflated cost of competing in the top flight, mean the difference between challenging for Europe and struggling to stay in the Premier League altogether is going to get smaller and smaller.

As is the distance between England’s four best clubs, and the rest.

The Magpies look destined for the drop

After another defeat, Newcastle United look destined for the Championship. Alan Shearer’s men have three games to save their season, but it appears too little too late, and although it is not mathematically certain they will go down, performances on and off the pitch have made it clear they are just not good enough to remain in the EPL.

After a 3-0 drubbing from Liverpool and a performance that can only be described as disconsolate, hopeless and somewhat distressing for the fans. Despite an encouraging opening start, Newcastle were forced into their own half for much of the game and did not muster a single shot on target throughout the match.

The omission of Michael Owen from the starting line up has also raised even more doubts over his future, furthermore Shearer’s tactical nous must also be called into question, Duff at left back and switching a reasonably effective Joey Barton from centre midfield to right wing is baffling, and may have been a factor in his sending off.
Next Monday’s match against relegation rivals and neighbours Middlesbrough has gained even more significance and will most definitely decide which team has at least a chance of survival. The draw against Portsmouth coupled with the above defeat has left the Magpies in a precarious position and once that I do not see them escaping. Being currently 3 points from safety may not seem much but if recent performances are factored in, Newcastle may as well be preparing for life in the second tier of English football.

On paper, Newcastle have a talented bunch. Damien Duff was a revelation at Blackburn whilst helping Chelsea secure an EPL title. Viduka is an established international and Obafemi Martins is a £10 Million player. Meanwhile, a special mention must go to Michael James Owen, brought in from Real Madrid, earning a reported £100,000 per week, yet he cannot string two full games together. Now even when seemingly fit, Shearer decides he is not good enough for the first eleven. With only 8 goals from 26 EPL appearances, time must be up for the injury prone, former Ballon d’Or recipient. But each of them have failed to perform this season.

I would also point to the loss of Shay Given from the squad as a major factor in the plight of Newcastle United. He is one of the best goalkeepers in the league and served Newcastle well but after 12 years of loyal service, even he knew this was a sinking ship and gladly waved goodbye in January. In previous seasons he was probably responsible for accumulating 10 points or more for the Magpies, and how desperately they need those points now. Steve Harper, though an able deputy is not a first team goalkeeper.

The decision to appoint rookie manager Alan Shearer must also be questioned. He doesn’t have the necessary qualifications, and has never managed before. His lack of experience is telling, the decision to play a 3-man defence against Tottenham was a mistake, Damien Duff is not a left wing back and Joey Barton on the right wing is wrong.
His appointment stinks of desperation from Mike Ashley, who was so desperate to win over the fans he employed the one man that every member of the Toon Army would not disagree with. All this, to the detriment of the club.

In a season where mistake after mistake has been made, it looks as though Newcastle United will not be competing in the EPL next season, and is it coincidence that their new kit does not feature the Premier League logo, I think not.

Can Gareth Southgate keep Boro up? 25 goals in 35 games says he can't.

With West Brom’s unfortunate defeat at White Hart Lane yesterday, the Baggies are all but relegated with 28 points from 35 games leaving them 6 points behind Hull City – with the Yorkshiremen having a game in hand. Barring a miracle, Tony Mowbray’s outfit will be playing Championship football next season, but who will join them?

Sitting second bottom, Middlesbrough are in deep, deep trouble: 3 points from safety, a disjointed side bereft of confidence and a misfiring winger with perhaps one eye on a summer move to Spurs. Of course, there is a very obvious scapegoat in £12m man Afonso Alves, whose goals to games ratio (worse than 1 in 4) is quite frankly shocking for a fox-in-the-box, but it would be unfair to blame all of Boro’s goalscoring woes on the Brazilian – his swift penalty area movement and cool finishing is not suited to Stewart Downing’s crossing from deep, as diagonal crosses towards Alves are wasted due to his lack of aerial ability – when Yakubu and Mark Viduka were with the Teesiders, Downing could cross high balls from a position level with the corner of penalty area safe in the knowledge that Viduka and Yakubu could compete in the air, but with Tuncay Sanli and Alves on the end of his crosses, there is no presence and most crosses from that area are dealt with comfortably. On the other flank, Jeremie Aliadiere strikes me as someone who is uncomfortable playing on the right, and while he does a moderately effective job – works hard, the odd run – he neither seems to like holding his position out there, nor offer much in the way of penetration, and so, if I was Southgate I would seriously consider playing Marvin Emnes from that position, as not only does he offer pace and will look to get in behind the full back, he will complement Downing and offer the kind of variation that has been lacking from Middlesbrough’s play.

At the back they have not been too bad – David Wheater has been steady if unspectacular, and Robert Huth seems to be at home at this level – but the midfield has been another area for concern: a central midfield pairing of Matthew Bates and Gary O’Neil is very industrious, and against Manchester United yesterday they played very well in the first half, hustling the champions effectively and limiting United to few chances, but they don’t offer something different that a team needs at this level – they can pass a ball over 5-10 yards comfortably, and Boro keep possession relatively well, but they aren’t the best at threading passes through defences for the mobile Tuncay, King and Alves to run onto – therefore, I would definitely play Julio Arca, especially for a crunch, must win game like the forthcoming match at St James’ Park.

Their opponents a week on Monday, Newcastle, are probably in worse shape than their neighbours: While they are a place above Boro, they have scored just one goal in 5 games under Alan Shearer, and while there has been a lot of fuss about their crucial ‘winnable games at home’, they have won just 4 games at home all season and there squad is ageing, inbalanced and desperately lacking in confidence.

To me, this Newcastle side looks like a really good side… about 5 years ago. Players like Duff, Butt, Owen, Viduka and Smith have all had careers ravaged by injury and are not even nearly the same force that they were circa 2004, when they were all Champions League quality and above. Like Middlesbrough, their midfield is a hub of activity and industry, but none of Butt, Smith or Nolan are ever going to unlock a Premier League defence with a flash of quality or a clever through ball on a regular basis, and with their one truly exciting creative talent, Jonas Gutierrez, not really sure of his best position, Newcastle have struggled to feed their talented strikers – Martins, Viduka, Owen, (less so) Carroll and Lovenkrands - on a regular basis and have struggled to score consistently. Their players have plenty of endeavour, but, as shown so palpably by Portsmouth on Monday, they do not threaten defences consistently, so when chances come their way they are snatched at – as they may never come again.

Defensively, Fabricio Coloccini is far too inconsistent at this level, and while at Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge he has orchestrated fabulous defensive displays, on a number of other occasions he has let his team down with Cacapa-esque moments of madness to concede crucial goals. Sebatien Bassong looks like a talented defender, but there is only so well that he can play alongside the inconsistent Coloccini and a left winger – Duff – playing at left back. Habib Beye has been injured quite a lot, and his reassuring presence has been negated by Shearer’s tinkering – perhaps necessary tinkering – and he has struggled to assert himself at the back. Steve Harper strikes me as Shay Given-lite, as he is a very good shot-stopper, but is perhaps not big enough to be effective at dealing with crosses – top class keepers are not sat on a bench for nearly 20 years.

Hull have collapsed. With 1 win in 18 games, they have slipped dramatically to the relegation zone, being just 3 points above the North-East clubs in 18th and 19th. When confidence is high, poor players can play above their station and overperform consistently, but when confidence is low, the same players can play at below their normal levels. The latter is happening to Hull. Players like Dean Marney, Ian Ashbee and Andy Dawson were extremely effective during wins at the Emirates and White Hart Lane in early autumn, but with Geovanni’s influence waning, these players (especially Ashbee and Marney) are having to take on more responsibilty and create goalscoring chances for the likes of Manucho and Cousin, and they aren’t good enough. Hull aren’t conceding too many goals, a testament to Michael Turner and Matt Duke, who have both shone this season, but The Tigers have scored just two goals in 5 games, and have lost crucial away games to Sunderland and Middlesbrough. Phil Brown, hailed as a ‘breath of fresh air’ earlier in the season, is now being widely ridiculed for his dodgy tactics and his dodgier fake tan, but he may still keep them up – a win next week against Stoke would give them a fighting chance, but as it is now, I would fancy the winner of Boro/Toon next Monday to leap-frog Hull at some point before the end of the season, leaving the Yorkshire club in the relegation zone.

Sunderland are not out of it either. Pathetic performances at West Brom and against Everton have left them 4 points outside of the relegation zone, and with key players – Cissé, Jones, Richardson and Malbranque – being distinctly out of form, they will be in trouble if they do not find at least a couple of draws out of the games against Bolton, Portsmouth and Chelsea. With the players at Sbragia’s disposal however, they should just about be safe, as players like Andy Reid and Kieran Richardson are very capable of producing something when it matters.

As for my Two Cent’s Worth, I think that Newcastle and Hull are looking the most likely to go, as both team’s inability to find wins from anywhere may be their achilles heel, especially with their respective run-ins both being pretty difficult. Then again, who’s to say that Middlesbrough will ever score again?

Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate has the “it” quality as a manager. Not “it” in the genius sense like Arsene Wenger or Sir Alex Ferguson. Southgate has it in the Raymond Domenech sense where he could strip naked, smear himself with his own fecal matter and reenact the Monty Python Silly Walks skit down the touchline yet still not be fired. Steve Gibson likes Southgate, believes in him. With the Boro on 27 points, and four points from safety, Gibson’s faith could be quite expensive.

Form: Dreadful does not describe Middlesbrough’s form. They have won only one of their last 18 matches in the Premier League, a shocking 2-0 win over Liverpool. During that stretch they dropped 44 points. Opponents shut them out in 11 of the 18 matches. They scored more than one goal once. Viewing their incompetence on paper, it’s really hard for a professional team to have played worse.

Schedule: Middlesbrough has a tough schedule, rife with top team ties and relegation six-pointers. They play Hull City, Fulham, Manchester United and Aston Villa at home. They travel to Bolton, Arsenal, Newcastle and West Ham. Fortunately, this may help. Middlesbrough play to the level of their competition. They have to wins since the end of October, but against Aston Villa and Liverpool. They have draws with Everton and Arsenal, and nearly took points from Manchester United in a 1-0 defeat.

Injuries: The Boro can’t blame their poor play on injuries. Didier Digard is out for the season. Chris Riggott may return from his knee injury sometime this month. The greater issue has been poor performance, punctuated by Aliadiere, Tuncay and £12m Alfonso Alves scoring just 11 goals between them in 72 combined appearances.

Prognosis: Middlesbrough has eight matches, to pick up four points and leap frog over two teams. There’s no doubt of Southgate’s ability to rouse the players for one match, but doing so week after week will likely be too much. If the club does not pick up at least six or seven points from their next three matches against Bolton, Hull City and Fulham, they are as good as relegated.