That Dreaded Feeling

As we move into the month of March, teams who occupy the bottom places in the league are starting to get nervous. Suddenly the games are running out and that dreaded feeling of relegation is upon them.

In one of the most dramatic relegation battles in memory, any team from 11th downwards could find themselves with trips to Scunthorpe, Bristol and Doncaster next season. Such is the congestion in the bottom half of the table, only 6 points seperates Newcastle in 9th down to Carling Cup Champions Birmingham in 18th.

It is widely considered that the magic number of points needed to avoid the drop is 40. The only exception to that was in the season of 2003 when West Ham United were relegated with a record points total of 42.

To compare that to last season, the Hammers survived with just a mere 35 points to their name.

It would seem that this season could see a similar result for a couple of teams. None are playing like they deserve to go down. Only last night West Brom were impressive as they tore neighbours Birmingham to shreds on their own patch. West Ham were convincing winners over Stoke City, whilst Wigan were terribly unlucky to lose 1-0 away to Manchester City.

Looking ahead to tonight's game, and giant killing Wolverhampton will feel confident at home against a Tottenham side who have one eye on the Champions League 2nd leg in mid-week against AC Milan.


West Ham were bottom at New Year, and only one club has survived in that position, West Brom and their great escape in the season of 2004/05. However the Hammers are doing everything possible to survive the drop, securing 11 points from their past 6 matches and moving out of the drop zone.

With the bottom clubs on the rise, it is only natural that some clubs are in free-fall.

Blackburn are one of them, with relegation an unthinkable thought for their new Indian owners who are demanding success. Their run of form since Sam Allardyce was sacked has been dismal to say the least. This culminated in a late 3-2 loss away to Fulham overnight preceded by a 4-1 defeat at Villa Park last weekend.

The Rovers only lie 2 points above the drop, with some important fixtures to come. One of them is against fellow strugglers Blackpool, who despite a recent victory over Tottenham lie precariously close to the drop zone with an upcoming home fixture against Chelsea. The Tangerines have won only 2 from their past 11, and that sort of form could see them sent back down to the Championship.

The financial loss for teams who go down is so big that some clubs just can't recover. Leeds are only just returning to the heights of the Championship, whilst Sheffield United are on the verge of being relegated into League 1, only 4 years after being in the top division.

It really is squeeky bum time for any club in the bottom half of the table as we head towards May.

Flamboyance United

 I am not sure what it is about East London, but they love the eccentric players at Upton Park. Back in the olden days there were Bobby Moore, then Sir Trevor Brooking, and in more recent times Paolo Di Canio and who could forget Carlos Tevez.

 Whether it be the goals which kept the Hammers up in the season of 2006/07, or the flamboyance of the Italian Di Canio, the fans at the Boleyn love a player who not only gives their all for the claret and blue, but have a presence about themselves on the field.

 Step in Demba Ba. The boy from Senegal who took a strike at his German club Hoffenheim in order to push through a deal to the English Premier League. Reports surfaced that he had dodgy knees, and subsequently he failed his medical at Stoke City during the Januay transfer window.

 West Ham took a punt on the striker, with Ba telling the fans that he would be the one to score the goals to keep the Hammers up. Whilst skeptical at first, the boy has given myself and the fans in England a sense of belief that he can be this season's equivalent of Carlos Tevez.

 Just look at his stats for the club since debuting in the league against Birmingham City. He was a late sub against the Blues and was impressive seeing one of his shots rattle off the crossbar. He followed this up with an inspired double against fellow strugglers West Brom at the Hawthorns, which saw the Hammers come from 3-0 down at halftime to earn a vital point.

 His next league start was on the weekend against Liverpool. Demba was at his lethal best, scoring from a diving header and being a menace for Jamie Carragher all game. He has been likened to a young Didier Drogba, with his great touch, skill and strength on the ball.

 The supporters at West Ham love their football. They call themselves "The Academy of Football", with many of England's best starting their careers in the East End. When reports came out in January that Sam Allardyce was being lined up to replace Avram Grant, the fans spoke out against the move. Allardyce, a seasoned campaigner of the long ball game, would have been seen as an un-West Ham like manager. Many supporters even said that they'd rather see the club relegated to the Championship than see Allardyce take over.

 They adore their football at Upton Park, and their is never a dull moment as the Hammers look to avoid relegation yet win the FA Cup at the same time.