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Last week we looked at the half-term report cards for the top
half of the Premier League. This week, we’ll be concentrating
on those who “must do better”, the stragglers who stare
demotion to a lower class in the face as we head into 2006.
BLACKBURN
In fairness to Mark Hughes’ team, this has been a season of
steady progress to date and the 3-0 win over Wigan at Christmas
propelled them into the top half of the table for the first time,
a place they could continue to hold for the rest of the campaign
as long as key performers such as Bellamy and Savage stay fit. Blackburn
are industrious, streetwise and tough to play against but like so
many of the middling teams their squad lacks depth – excellent
first choice XI, not much back up.
MIDDLESBROUGH
The same could be said of Steve McClaren’s side except their
first XI is looking ragged too with a few too many old stagers among
them who aren’t quite living up to reputations. Progress in
the UEFA Cup is proving a double edged sword, dissipating resources
but also failing to bring in the crowds who can afford their season
tickets but not the money to go to cup game as well – less
than 10,000 turned up for their last UEFA group game, a pathetic
response, but one which should alert the bean counters to the dangers
of over pricing. Boro won’t go down but they’re not going
to finish in the European places either.
CHARLTON
After Charlton went off like a train at the start of the campaign,
we wondered if this might be the year when they finally went through
the glass ceiling and made it into Europe. But the usual post-Christmas
slump was early this year, starting at Halloween, and Charlton are
on the fringes of the relegation scrap. Home form isn’t up
to scratch and there are rumblings of player discontent. Could it
be that finally, the Curbishley-Charlton relationship has gone sour?
Perhaps so, and while Curbs is no Brad Pitt, there’ll be no
shortage of Angelinas queuing up for his hand should divorce be
imminent.
BIRMINGHAM CITY
Blues might be one of them, given that Steve Bruce’s days are
looking numbered as his team fails to dig itself out of the mire.
Bruce spent a fortune in the summer, and not very well, as results
prove. Put simply, Birmingham aren’t playing that badly but
the hitherto dependable ‘keeper Maik Taylor has started throwing
them in while at the other end, they simply can’t score enough
goals. More than anything, they haven’t replaced Robbie Savage.
EVERTON
Just like Everton haven’t replaced Thomas Gravesen. After he
left for Real Madrid in January 2005, the year just totally tailed
off for David Moyes’ side, though they already had enough points
in the bank to get them through to the qualifying stages of the
Champions League. Eleven goals in 20 games is a pretty desperate
statistic, but not quite as desperate as the fact that when Everton
lose, they really lose, shipping three and four goals with alarming
regularity. You’d think that Everton still have enough ability
through the side to get them out of trouble but then we all thought
that about a dozen games ago and they’re still in the thick
of it. Sides that don’t expect to be among the dead men often
have the greatest trouble getting out of it because the mindset
isn’t right for the fight. So don’t bet against Everton
being a surprise packet at the bottom all season long. Could do
much, much better.
ASTON
VILLA
Similar story for Villa although David O’Leary’s side
don’t have the same quality as Everton perhaps. Injuries and
an apparent lack of interest from certain players has meant that
Villa have underachieved this season, but a decent Christmas programme
and the fact that Milan Baros has started to show signs of
his best form has taken Villa into 2006 in better heart. Still a
long season stretches ahead of them, but they should do enough to
be safe long before season’s end.
WEST
BROMWICH ALBION
That has to be the aim for Albion to after last season’s last
gasp last day survival. Albion have shown good form at home, they
look much more sound defensively with the emergence of goalkeeper
Tomasz Kuszczak and the signing of central defender Curtis Davies
from Luton, while Kanu is starting to look like the magician he
was at Arsenal. Dismal away results cold keep Albion in the thick
of things, but a repeat of last season’s 17th place would end
a term of steady progress.
PORTSMOUTH
No wonder Harry Redknapp is a bit twitchy these days – you
would be if you were in charge of Portsmouth. Blaming everybody
under the sun for their plight except himself, Harry the Huff reckons
the squad he’s got is no good – 80% assembled by him before
he headed for Southampton – and that if only the chairman hadn’t
got rid of him last year, all would be rosy, in spite of the fact
that it was Redknapp who instigated the crisis by refusing to work
with a director of football, odd really given that that was his
original job at Pompey before he axed Graham Rix. Relegation can’t
come quick enough for an ego that inflated.
FULHAM
Chris Coleman’s tem isn’t unlike Albion – impressive
at home, hopeless away. Crucial to their hopes of survival is their
ability to hang on to Papa Bouba Diop during the transfer window
– look at what happened to Birmingham and Everton after they
lost their midfield enforcers. They have a lot of attacking quality,
plenty of pace, but if Tony Warner plays more than a handful of
games in goal for them between now and season’s end, they’re
in trouble.
SUNDERLAND
If ever there’s been a case for the introduction of euthanasia,
it’s Sunderland’s season. Six points by the turn of the
year, losing in the last minute even when they play well and suffering
a long, slow, painful death. Mick McCarthy has the stunned look
of a man who’s been run over by a truck, week after week, and
there is simply no saving them, whatever they do, however hard they
try. You can’t play in the Premier League without forwards
who will score goals and with a goalkeeper who has holes in his
hands. Still, at least they make the other relegation worried sides
feel a whole lot better.
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