Stoke City still in peril despite easy 4-0 win
Just when you thought the greatest relegation battle in Premier League history couldn't get any tenser, along come bottom club Wigan Athletic with only their second victory of 2011 to make things even tighter at the foot of the table.
A mere three points separate 13th-placed Blackburn from the Latics, with Aston Villa, Blackpool, West Brom, West Ham, Wolves and Birmingham in between right in the thick of it and Fulham, Newcastle, Stoke and Sunderland far from safe either.
It's the price of FA Cup semi-finalists Stoke that is catching our eye the most right now at a hefty [29.0], which will no doubt sound a little odd given that they recorded a comfortable 4-0 victory over Newcastle on Saturday, but hear us out.
The Potters should have enough about them to survive with 37 points already gathered and a decent -2 goal difference, however they will do well to maintain a five-point cushion above the drop zone as a horrendous run of fixtures lies ahead, leading us to view them as a great back-to-lay prospect.
It's perfectly plausible that Tony Pulis' side will have to wait until the final day of the campaign when they host Wigan to win another top-flight match, as prior to that they welcome Chelsea, Wolves and Arsenal to the Britannia Stadium and visit Tottenham, Aston Villa, Blackpool and Manchester City.
The argument against backing Aston Villa to tumble at [8.2] of late had been that they have too many opportunities to pick up points in their run-in, though a home defeat to Wolves suggests that nothing can be taken for granted, even if they are still to entertain Newcastle, Stoke and Wigan.
Gerard Houllier is hugely unpopular among Villa supporters, with a protest banner visible before the game and "you don't know what you're doing" chants aired after Marc Albrighton was substituted, and this is a big problem as it is now realistically too late in the season to replace the Frenchman.
Brian Laws and Iain Dowie were hired by Burnley and Hull in the second half of the last campaign but have since been and gone having failed to keep the teams that they inherited up, whereas West Ham stuck with Gianfranco Zola despite his apparent limitations and were rewarded.
Are Stoke safe yet? Should Villa fans trust Houllier? Share your views below...
Published: 21 Mar 2011
Potterpower (March 21, 2011 1:40 PM) said:
Cobblers!
Alan Maile (March 22, 2011 12:14 PM) said:
Sorry Potterpower but what have Northampton Town got to do with this ?????