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Danger-zone teams need to buy way out of trouble

February 16, 2011

By Staff Reporter

Veteran warriors Paul Ince and Denis Irwin, despite good form, are not the players to take Wolves out of the relegation zone. It seems that Wolves now realize they must buy to get out of trouble. After such a long time out of the top flight football it’s extremely unlikely that the squad will remain as is. While the fans will stick by their players and manager, the thoughts of lasting only one season in the Premier is beginning to creep in. Expect to hear more howling from disgruntled supporters if the team do not pull a few wins out of the bag in the next handful of games.
If there is one thing Wolves have going for them to stay up, it’s that long history of battling to get back into big-time football. No doubt they are favorites to go down but historical motivation has a role to play in Premier survival.
Three points above Wolves on 17 points are Leeds United. Leeds were tipped to be a team for relegation at the beginning of the season and it looks like the bookies have got this one right. The biggest problem is getting it right at management level. The ruling that Eddie Gray can only be the temporary manager has truly dissipated the morale boost his appointment injected before Christmas.
However, like Wolves, Leeds need to buy players to avoid relegation, but Wolves are more likely to make that move before Leeds.
On 18 points apiece above Leeds are Tottenham Hotspur and Leicester City. Leicester have become a team that goes back and forth between the Premier and Div. 1. The club has been unable to stay alive with the big boys since Martin O’Neill’s departure for Celtic. Of the four teams mentioned so far, it might seem acceptable if Leicester went down. But for Spurs it would be disastrous.
Now Tottenham support is chanting for the sacked Glenn Hoddle to return. They want David Pleat out. The fine start by Pleat was brought to a sudden halt over the holidays and now Spurs are struggling more than ever before. Like Leeds, the club is unable to get the right manager and support is dwindling for the hapless Pleat. They’ll have to do it all over again with or without Pleat and in the meanwhile the players’ confidence has taken a hit. It’s still hard to imagine that a club like Spurs would go down but a club for the here and now they are not.
Joining these four teams on 19 points is Portsmouth who’ve played out the classic story of promotion. Off to a flying start at the beginning of the season, Portsmouth have come crashing down from top of the table to near the bottom. There was always that question of how long were they going to stay top. Now it’s a matter of how long can they stay in the Premier. Like Leicester and Wolves, Portsmouth do not look out of place at the bottom of the table. And right now having to fight against Leeds and Spurs does not auger well.
Yet for relegation-zone teams, it’s only a matter of a few wins on the trot and a squad can go from bottom three to mid table and beyond as did David O’Leary’s Aston Villa over the holidays. Unable to do just that are the three teams on 21 points above the relegation zone — Manchester City, Blackburn Rovers and Middlesbrough. Of these three, Rovers are the ones slipping by the game. Manager Graeme Souness is losing his cool, something he seemed to have controlled last year. That’s when things were going well for Blackburn, indeed they were the team to watch. But this year the Rovers look so unhappy playing ball and look destined to be in a dog fight for survival. Manchester City is definitely not gelling like they were since the arrival of Steve McManaman. It’s simply not happening at Maine Road for the ex-Real Madrid super sub. Another eye sore for the Sky Blues is Robbie Fowler. Fowler is simply not in top shape as he struggles to find his once world-class game. If manager Kevin Keegan does not drop his fellow ex- Liverpool players, City will continue their gradual slide down the table. Of these three teams, Boro is the most likely to remain mid table. They are a tough team to beat and Steve McClaren seems to have a better handle on accepting his team is in the middle; Keegan and Souness have problems with this basic reality of the Premiership.
Above these three teams are Bolton Wanderers and Everton. For the Blues it has been a disappointing start to the season but it looks like the team has settled down. Everton’s practical game and steadiness across the field will keep them out of danger. When it comes to filling in the spots at the end of the season, the team will remain strong. They will likely climb rather than fall. Bolton on the other hand could drop and that’s not good news for any teams under them right now. Because when it comes to survival no other team fights like the Wanderers.
Excluding, of course, the top three of Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea the league has been extremely tight regarding relegation and European qualification. The surprise packages are Birmingham and Fulham, and their form suggests they will stay near the top. This duo are not the only teams posing a European challenge to Liverpool and Newcastle United. Charlton Athletic are playing top class stuff, while Southampton continue to get results.

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