Craig hickey takes a look at the relegation contenders. Let's get ready to rumble!!
We finally get our first home win in the Premier League, our second under J-Lo after winning 2 -1 at Everton. It was a relief at full-time to get a MASSIVE three points and that transcended to the players from the crowd’s reaction, well those that stayed of course. It pulled us out of the relegation zone and IMHO gives us a big psychological boost in the first of our 19 finals. The next two games being David and Goliath battles, which some of us will be confident of at least two points and others dismissing our chances.
So it begs the question, are there three worse teams than us at the moment? Let’s look at the contenders…
Everton
Looking very ordinary at the moment and not the sane club they used to be some seasons ago. Discontent in the stands that is bubbling over in the public eye, which I believe is affecting the players on the pitch. You have to have the exterior of an Everton mint to not let it affect you. Conor Coady should have brought some stability to their defence, I still think his personality and leadership was missed at the start of this season. It looks like they are really finding it difficult to chew toffee at the moment, in fact they look like they’ve found their sticky toffee pudding heavy going.
Southampton
Saints or Sinners this year, since the managerial change to Nathan Jones, its been way too long in their quest to show consistency. A Carabao Cup win against MoneyBags City has breathed fresh life into the team and they dispatched Everton this weekend to make things very interesting. James Ward-Prowse seems to be dragging away from being shipwrecked. Only time will tell if the cruise in the Premier League will end with them disembarking onto the Championship ferry. February 11th at St Marys is another massive ‘6 Pointer’!!
West Ham
Another team with an Iron in the relegation fire, since our visit to the ‘Soul less’ London Stadium, they have gotten no better, they were poor that day and still turned us over. How things have changed of course. If they are to get out of the drop zone they really need to put the hammer down, they have some very good players in Rice, Bowen, Antonio et al but unlike the notorious WHU fans of the 1970’s and 1980’s, they lack fight. At the moment they are more akin to Timmy Mallet than a Sledgehammer, blowing bubbles is child’s play, they need to blow teams away o survive.
bournemouth
The south coast family friendly club had a good start to their campaign and were away from danger early doors but it seems the players are already on the beach. A new young manager in Gary O’Neill seemed to galvanise the side of course Punch and Judy would argue that’s the way to do it. It seems the policeman from VAR is hitting them with his truncheon at the moment (sound familiar?) and the quick sand that is the relegation zone is becoming a little closer as the tide comes in. Unless they start to head back to the Pier, I think they will get stranded in their dingy, only to be rescued by the Championship lifeboat, the Cherries need to get rowing before they are squeezed out.
Leicester City
Another team that has fallen from great heights over the last few years, 2015 Premier League Champions, Champions League flops, FA Cup winners and now fighting at the bottom like Gary Lineker for a packet of crisps. A lack of goals in one end and plenty in the other have caused them to tumble down the league. Jamie ‘The Fugitive’ Vardy isn’t able to party like he used to, its more like a slow foxtrot nowadays and perhaps that’s where they are lacking, a finisher, deja-vu. Unless they find some form under Buck Rodgers, the Fox will be paying a visit to the taxidermist.
Nottingham Forest
That’s Notts Forest to us, spent lots of money in the summer on individuals as Steve ‘Pluto’ Cooper looked to build a team of merry men to overthrow the Kings of the Premier League. They are beginning to show some accuracy with their arrows in the penalty area by robbing the rich and giving to their poor fans. I suppose they don’t make songs up around the camp fire in Sherwood Forest about their European Cup wins unlike that team in claret and blue from 1982 (yawn). They couldn’t see Sherwood Forest for the trees earlier in the season but in the East Midlands, they are Kings of the Castle for now, after the antics of the Cup, I’d like to see them fall but time will tell.
Leeds United
Well it seems they are falling apart again, a fast flowing football side that has a philosophy of we will score one more than you IMHO. Defensively this season they look worse than ever, their talisman, Patrick Bamford has a stop/start sick-note, he must have been coached by Darren Anderton. They certainly have the loudest fans in the league (apart from ours of course), which does drive them on to come back from behind on a regular basis. However, marching on together is going to prove to be a huge task if they are to survive, I’m glad I don’t lose my dogs lead as much as they do. Their manager makes some strange statements though….talking about winning isn’t important its the performance that matters, he is American though and to them its soccer…..enough said.
So with that synopsis I’m going to stick my neck out and say………3 will go down, I won’t tempt fate though.
ARTICLE BY CRAIG HICKEY
A 53 year old season ticket holder in the Steve Bull stand. Go along with my two young lads who love the Wolves and so far, the positive times. Long may it continue.