Premier League 2015/16 Relegation Watch

Some great responses to that on Twitter.

https://twitter.com/TonyCSGreenall/status/698959058582249472
https://twitter.com/awaygamesinfo/status/698969060843917312

and my personal favourite

https://twitter.com/graham_large/status/698958439700111361

 

Now that we're pretty much safe I'd like to see us concentrate on the FA Cup and use our remaning league fixtures to help relegate Bournemouth.

We'll start by unleashing absolute hell on them when they come to the Vic and give their goal difference a battering. Then we wait until April where we will intentionally lose heavily to West Brom, Norwich and possibly Villa (depending on whether they are relegated or not at this stage).

In an ideal world Muff will be relegated by the final day and our players will be able to send the fans off for the summer with a comprehensive win over Sunderland. If not then we resume normal service and do whatever is required to send that horrible little club on their way back to the miserable depths of League Two where they belong.

 

Why, he will wait to get a pay off surely.

 

Villa were relegated after we beat them at their place

 

The decision by Garde to take the Villa job and indeed the decision by villa to give it to him in the first place was absolutely bizarre. What either of them hoped to achieve is beyond me. I switched over at 6-0 a bit like you would drive past a car crash on a motorway only to see Micah Richards subbed off for Alan Hutton, that alone tells you why they are in such a state, but whatever happened to Micah Richards? Where did it all go so wrong?

 

He was prepared for the match and in the zone until TVOR unsettled him by dangling the carrot of a move to Watford in front of his face. No wonder the poor bloke couldn't concentrate after that.

 

He's not cheered up yet

[video=youtube;KkG_T1Y7a8s]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkG_T1Y7a8s[/video]

 

He's got nothing to worry about now that Tim Sherwood has declared Newcastle as "Safe - they won't go down".

The True Geordie's bloody great. I can't disagree with a single word of what he says there. I reckon even he'd do a better job than Schteve.

 

Fair play to Schteve

For a guy that has won sweet farny as a manager in the UK he doesn't half seem to be good at getting jobs

 

Didn't he win the league cup?

 

Which is more than Watford have won as a club, yet apparently the FA Cup isn't a priority according to some on here.

 

McClaren is strange. He's either fantastic or absolutely woeful.

Boro - got them to the UEFA Cup final and won the League Cup.
England - failed to qualify from a relatively easy group with a very talented squad. Terrible.
Twente - Won the league. Second spell there wasn't great.
Wolfsburg - Crap.
Forest - Crap, again.
Derby - irrespective of the terrible end to last season, he transformed a very boring Derby side under Clough into one of the best attacking sides in the league.
Newcastle - utter sh*t.

I think they'll stay up by the skin of their teeth again, but with the amount of money they've spent over the last few seasons they really should be doing far far better.

 

He was also coach at QPR when they were unstoppable. He left, leaving Hoddle and Redknapp to take training and QPRs performances dropped suddenly.

 

If we beat Muff it will leave them right in the relegation battle. Swansea have a couple of tough games coming up so arent out of it. Norwich are doing a very good impression of Villa. Newcastle are Newcastle. Of all the sides in the fight at the moment Sunderland look the most likely to get out of it.

Newcastle will win enough games against teams with nothing to play for or are crap to survive. Only to repeat next season...

Villa and Norwich in my opinion are going, one more from 4.

 

Agreed, WBA are in 14th but have 32 points. I can't see them getting drawn into a relegation battle considering they seem capable of grinding out decent results.

 

And getting big compensation every time he is sacked!

 

Isn't it wonderful we can have this discussion on here WITHOUT worrying about our own fate? And that's with still 12 matches to come.

The total miserableness of our last three seasons in the top flight made me nervous when the season kicked off that we'd at least be involved in the relegation battle for at least some of the season. The thread starter obviously felt the same.

But now we can all sit back and discuss the likes of Norwich, Newcastle, Sunderland etc and know our only involvement is we could actually play an indirect part in who goes down.

Hands up who looked at the fixtures when they came out, saw Sunderland at home last match and thought we might need something!! Instead, our need for points that day could be to finish a place or two higher up the final table to get more money, while our visitors might need the win to avoid the drop.

This thread makes very pleasant retro reading now!!

 

Nail on head, good coach, dreadful manager.
Every manager who makes notes during the game is pants; see van Gaal and Boothroyd for starters

 

It'd be great to relegate Sunderland on the last day.

 

fixed

 

We're not going to win anything on the final day. We're not going down either. To make up for the lack of drama, annoying Muff get relegated. Excellent!

 

To stay up and Sunderland to get a dodgy pen at the Vic in the last minute to earn a point that sends muff down, would be a rather successful season.

 

If it comes down to it, i'd love us to roll over for Sunderland on the last day, relegating Muff

 

Surely noone genuinely wants us to lose at any point, even if it does relegate Bournemouth?

I can't imagine ever watching a Watford game and not wanting to win it.

 

But you're overlooking the unhealthy obsession with Bournemouth on here.

 

I think a last minute equaliser would be more appropriate then everyone in the stadium can sing "AFC Bournemouth, not premier league". Then at full time, we can have the big pitch invasion we missed out on after Sheffield Wednesday and let the Sunderland fans join us

 

No, a draw will do!

 

It's Bournemouth that's unhealthy. They should quarantine the whole town.

 

Would be funny if our final game against Sunderland determined Muff's fate and that happened, imagine also the slight irony if Fessi netted a last minute injury time winner to secure promotion for Wednesday going in the opposite direction, would be hilarious. Of course, (ahem) I wouldn't ever want that to happen though.

 

Even the Man City and Spurs away games? I was delighted that we threw both of them.

 

Read in yesterday's Mail that Bournemouth's midfielders, having been top of the distances covered charts all season, dropped off by 10% against Stoke; looks like they've peaked too soon and are worn out. Could be a long run in for them. Howe's been playing a reserve team in the Cup so far - wonder if he'll dare do it on Saturday and risk a confidence sapping gubbing from Everton?

 

With 'second season syndrome' in mind, I think as this campaign draws to a close we should all be hoping that the sides who both stay up, and come up from the Championship, are those who won't pose as much of a threat next year. Obviously we all hope, and I think most of us will be confident, that we won't be flirting with relegation but once August comes our immediate aim will be the same..to reach 40 points etc.

You could argue that it's better if Newcastle and Sunderland go down as both are biggish clubs with potential if they get it right with managers and incoming transfers. If Newcastle stay up by the skin of their teeth in May and replace SM, it's possible they could kick on. Big Sam may do the same, if they survive.


If Muff and/or Norwich avoid the drop, one could argue both will start next season again among the relegation candidates.

From a purely selfish view I hope neither Hull nor Burnley come up, as both are well managed clubs who could do well next season. I'd far rather some PL newbies like Brighton and clubs who've not been there for a few years like Boro, Sheff Wed, Derby etc.

I know people will reply saying 'but we won't be anywhere the bottom next aeason' and right now I'd agree but I still think you have to be realistic and start next season making sure there are several worse sides than us!

 

I'd prefer Bournemouth went down, purely because I think they will be more of a threat next season than Newcastle, Villa and Norwich. Bournemouth have a decent manager and I think they'll spend their money a bit wiser than the likes of Newcastle.

The ideal three to go down for me would be Bournemouth, Swansea and Sunderland - obviously won't happen but they are three teams that will more of a threat to us next season I think.

If we could send both Sunderland and Bournemouth down on the last day, that would be grand.