I don’t have too much interest at the top of the Premier League apart from hoping Lego heed is in tears again, the real interest for me is the final relegation spot and who will fill it.
We have six contenders left, mathematically speaking.
Newcastle United are one of those six but it’s highly unlikely to happen for us, so I’m going to trim it down to five.
After the weekend results, in descending Premier League table order we have Leeds, Palace, Forest, Spurs and West Ham.
First up Leeds. Now I think Newcastle have the best fans but this club are close. They back their team every game. The team on the pitch don’t cause us much harm. I remember their chairman angling one comment towards our owners but it wasn’t too much. I hope they stay up.
Crystal Palace are next. They don’t bother me that much and have given me a lot of amusement when they won the FA Cup against Man City. They seem to have put their offensive flag away when we play them so I don’t mind them too much. I don’t mind if they stay up.
Nottingham Forest are just below them. We have some history with Forest, politically with the miners strike and also with a certain pitch invasion in the 70s. Forest don’t bother me too much tbh. We get good results against them and their owner never says bad stuff about us. I think he’s probably too busy eating. I hope they stay up (for Elliot Anderson).
Now we have lovely Spurs. A team who have always considered us to be some kind of talent academy that they can pick from. Sort of like the London version of liVARpool. Waddle, Gazza, Sir Les, Ruel Fox and then laughingly Kevin Scott for £850k. So maybe we got them with the last one.
But let’s cast our minds back to our takeover. Two teams were the most vocal in opposing it: liVARpool and Spurs. So wouldnt it be great if self-appointed big club Spurs get the boot. Well they did want to join the Super League the other year and I’ve heard the Championship is a super league to be in. If they do go down I hope clubs line up to pick their best players off like they do every year. Even if they don’t go down I wouldn’t mind us putting a cheeky bid in for Micky van de Ven, not serious, but just to let them know where they stand. I hope, I really really hope they go down.
Finally we have the happy hammers. West Ham on 13/3/76 was my first ever game (won 2-1). I’ve never minded this lot despite the 8-1 and the 2-0 in 95/96. They have decent fans and know how to protest.
However….going back to 1992/93 and we are top of the Championship under Kevin Keegan and playing some amazing football. So we have the Big Match or whatever on TV and Jimmy “West Ham” Greaves is at pains to point out second placed West Ham are actually the best team in the league. We beat them 2-0 and drew 0-0, won the league (Newcastle 96 points and West Ham finishing second on 88 points) but he couldn’t give us any credit.
Fast forward to the takeover and we have West Ham mouthpiece Karren Brady assuring the football public that despite the takeover “they” are not finished yet. I think she was referring to APT (Associated Party Transaction) rules which were rushed in very quickly after our takeover to limit sponsorship money helping us out. She seemed pleased with herself. I would be pleased and amused in equal measure if they get relegated. And we might just be the club to do it. Poetic justice even if she has recently left.
Not that I’m bitter of course and remember stuff I really should forget. I’d like to add that I’m kind to animals and help old ladies with their shopping.