QPR and Reading may have bowed out of the Premier League last week, but as we head into May there is still one relegation spot to fill.
Quite who it will be is unknown, such has been the indifference of form of the four clubs fighting for their lives.
But when the trap door opens and one of the four slip away, who will head off with our best wishes, and who will be hurrying down the slide ourselves?
For the past few seasons Sunderland have offered very little by way of entertainment. Like a few others (Norwich, Stoke) they seem happy to pick up the millions on offer from the TV deal without any acknowledgement whatsoever that they have a duty to provide the kind of entertainment that makes such a lucrative deal happen.
On the take: Sunderland do little to excite the crowds but continue to pocket the big bucksSo effectively what Sunderland have been doing is letting Manchester United, for example, play all the quality football which ensures the TV gazillions are commanded season after season. In short, boring Black Cats are the biggest reason why the big clubs will eventually want their own individual TV deals.
They earn millions because United are good. That is not a situation those at Old Trafford will allow to continue for ever.
On top of that, Sunderland signed a bright young English striker called Connor Wickham nearly two years ago and he might as well have retired. What a waste of talent, wrong move, and I said it at the time as well.
ASTON VILLAYou’ve got to be a football hater or a Birmingham City fan to want Villa to go down. They play good stuff, will be sending Lowton and Westwood off to the England squad soon, Benteke and Weimann are a joy to watch, and they’ve even got a homegrown local in the team. What’s not to like?
The right way: Villa have a core of young, talented, and even English players. They should hang aroundI even admire Villa’s history – the title win in 1981 and the European Cup success in 1982 are two of the most remarkable achievements in English football.
Great stadium, rich history. The Premier League would be a poorer place without Villa.
NEWCASTLE UNITEDTough one this. I’ve lived in Newcastle, and it’s football mad. They don’t expect titles – some of them have never ever seen success up there. But they do expect some fight and passion.
So from the fans’ point of view I don’t want them to go down. But it might be the best thing for the club.
They are travelling along a road of signing players who have no long-term desire to stay at the club, and who clearly don’t have the club in their heart.
You could argue that’s true of most players at most clubs but it’s blindingly obvious at Newcastle. The club needs to get back to basics – rediscover its heart and soul and work from there.
Dropping like a stone: Newcastle were bouncing in January but the core of players they brought in has failedA spell in the Championship might help. Chris Hughton brought them up with a good core of English players – Carroll, Nolan, even Barton looked good. Newcastle should do their best to copy the Manchester United model. Plenty of English players, good football, and let’s see where it takes them.
Last season was clearly a blip. Go down, stop relying on the French connection so much, and be a club that belongs to the people of the city again. Survival might lead Pardew and the board into the trap of thinking they’re doing things right at St James' Park
WIGAN ATHLETICSome of the football they play takes your breath away at times, it’s a joy to watch.
This club turned Leighton Baines from League One left back into an England international, they also turned Emmerson Boyce from journeyman pro into an established Premier League player capable of the spectacular (check out his goal at Swansea this season).
Fighting on: Wigan have escaped a few times before, but the just don't have a big enough statusOn the pitch Wigan don’t hoof it. Off it they’re not in debt and are well run.
But some things just need to be said. Overall Wigan are not a Premier League club. There are huge swathes of empty seating at the DW even when the big boys visit. They sent thousands of semi final tickets back unsold. Football isn’t even the biggest sport in Wigan.
So while the likes of Leeds, Wolves and Nottingham Forest remain outside the top flight, the likes of Wigan will never quite look right in it.
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