So they went from having the worst defense in the league halfway through the season when Cahill was there to having the 3rd worst defense in the league when Ream replaced him? I think plenty of teams higher up the pyramid would take someone who has proven to be three times the player that a starter for a potential Champions League finalist is.
No-ones buying Ream Bolton have had him all of 5 seconds, if they were looking to ship him out now it would probably be a sign that they didn't rate him at all. I don't think Holden will go anywhere either, he's been injured too long. For any manager with an iota of common sense to buy.
Latest betting odds on relegation: http://www.oddschecker.com/football/english/premier-league/relegation
this its like you guys have never followed our players overseas for the past decade . Bolton have a few games in hand, theres a fighting chance here.
Yeah Bolton still have a number of very plausible survival scenarios given the 2 games in hand (if they lose both they are probably 90+% relegated, given their horrible goal differential). If they win one of the next two they are in fairly good shape, and Sunderland and Villa are in poor form (Sunderland 4 draws, 1 loss last 5 games (and nothing to play for) , Villa 19th of 20 teams in last 10 games). 36 points MIGHT be enough (QPR has horrible run-in, Wigan doesn't but could still choke) and 39 would almost surely be clear. All 5 of their games are winnable (only top team they face is Tottenham and they are in a death spiral at the moment). Unfortunately most likely scenario is something like 34-35 points and going down by 1 point or goal differential.
It's not like they're in a hopeless situation, as in fact they're still masters of their own fate. However, bar perhaps Wolves, they are the out-of-form team in the Premiership and having two games in hand means nothing if they don't win them and they've lost their last 4 games in a row. At this present point I'd say on balance of probabilty Bolton will be playing in the Championship next year.
Goal diff could be a huge issue. The last two games really go their way though. WBA at home with nothing to play for, and Stoke on the road out of form and nothing to play for. Tomorrow is a huge match needless to say. If they get the 3 points, which is very possible, the I think they only need 4 more points to be pretty well sure of safety.
yup, all you need is one win to get yourself to believe. Itd drag Villa right into the mess too at the same time as another viable relegation candidate. And if anyone has had a woeful run of form, its them.
And Bolton have indeed dragged Villa into the mess while taking a big leap toward safety themselves. -----------------------Pld---GDiff---Points 15 Aston Villa--------35---(-14)---36 16 QPR--------------35---(-18)---34 17 Wigan Athletic----35---(-26)---34 18 Bolton Wanderers-34---(-28)---33 19 Blackburn Rovers--35---(-26) ---31 make no mistake, this result is huge for Bolton. The remaining fixtures are not easy for them, but much less challenging than for for Blackburn, Villa and QPR. Villa: WBA (A), Spurs (H), Norwich (A) QPR: Chelsea (A), Stoke (H), Man City (A) Wigan: Newcastle (H), Blackburn (A), Wolves (H) Bolton: Sunderland (A), Spurs (H), WBA (H), Stoke (A) Blackburn: Spurs (A), Wigan (H), Chelsea (A) For Villa, with their goal difference, one win should be enough, but where is it going to come from? In-form WBA is a derby, Spurs are desperate to save their season and will see in Villa a team to take their frustrations out on, while Norwich have been utterly professional all season. QPR have the most difficult fixtures, but have been exceptional at home and should pick up 3 points against Stoke who are the lowest scorers in the EPL. Their problem is points against Chelsea and City. To me, the issue is whether City are still chasing the title on the last day. If not, a point should be possible. Wigan may struggle against Newcastle, but should pick up at least 4 points from the last 2 games. Blackburn must beat Spurs on Saturday or they're down. For Bolton, the next two games are crucial. Sunderland are looking very tired and out of sorts, while Spurs should be boosted from a win over Blackburn. If they can get 3 points from those two games they'll be on 36 points. Another 3 points from the last two games might be enough. It's a tall order, but it's doable - as long as they don't play like they did against Villa tonight.
Wolves and Blackburn going down for sure. I honestly think it'll be QPR or Wigan going down with them, but Wigan is going through a semi-Renaissance at the moment. If AV was relegated I'd be incredibly shocked. It's all in Bolton's hands if they wanna stave off relegation.
Im surprised how much no one is looking at Villa as a serious candidate after this game. Especially given how deja vu this is to last season with Birmingham and McLeish. Its almost an identical collapse. Bolton pick up a big three points, and still have a game in hand. I think theyre gonna pull it out. That is exactly the sort of win to put the wind back in the sails and gives you momentum for bolton as it is a backbreaking cataclysmic loss for Villa That third spots a free-for-all. could be any of Bolton, QPR, Wigan, or Villa.
agree on Villa. They are in deep trouble. QPR, Bolton and Wigan are on a relative run compared to them. If I were Lerner, I'd be very tempted to can McLeish right now and hope for the new manager bounce if he feels he's got a youth coach or assistant that the troops will respond to. They only need probably 3 pts to stay up, and there is no way he lasts through the summer anyway. Of course if I were Lerner I'd have never hired his ass in the first place. I mean honestly, who didn't see this coming? Houllier was a bad hire too, but at least he played good football. McLeish is just hideous, uninteresting ball, coupled with a Brum stain.
I dunno sometimes that works, sometimes it backfires. Look at Wolverhampton canning Mick McCarthy and plugging in Terry Connor. We have been pulling for Ream and Holden to stay up. We should be pulling for Eric Lichaj, also.
The question mark is if Villa are in the Premier League is Lichaj likely to start or do they get somebody else.
Lichaj has been the most consistent fullback this season. Warnock and Hutton are awful and I doubt McLeish would bench Lichaj again. Imo Lichaj has solidified his spot especially cause Warnock has been moved around to get him on the field. We don't want Villa or Bolton to go down. Ream, Holden, and Lichaj are probably all starts in the EPL next year if both teams stay up. I really hope we see Wolves, Blackburn, and QPR go down.
Lest we forget... The Great Escape. April 8, 2008 Fulham 4W 12D 17L, seven points from safety with five games left. May 11, 2008 Fulham 8W 12D 18L, stays up on goal differential. In their last five games, Fulham won as many as they did in their first 33.
By my calculations, Bolton needs to get to 38 points. (1) Wolves are going down. (2) Blackburn is looking like 36 points if they win at Wigan. Losses to Spurs and Chelsea. (3) QPR is looking like 37 points if they win at Stoke. Losses to Chelsea and Man City. Wigan should get to at least 37 points with a win at Wolves on the final day. The way Villa is playing, they could easily lose out and finish with 36. Most likely they'll pick up a point or two, and their goal differential will keep them safe. The way Bolton is playing, who knows if they get to 38... total crap shoot.
Nothing can be assumed at this point. As bad as Blackburn are, they have a few players who can lift the team on any given day (Hoilett, Yakubu). They are fully capable of beating an out-of-form Tottenham and an indifferent Chelsea. Is it likely? Perhaps not, but then again it wasn't likely that Wigan would beat Man U and Arsenal. The race is too close to call right now. Wolves are going down. Beyond that, nothing is certain.
Based on the games left, that would be my guess too, but the results haven't gone as expected lately. Everyone will be fighting tooth and nail so it'll be interesting to see what happens.
I think you're right that Blackburn has some difference makers, so they may be able to beat Tottenham. I think QPR is doomed, though. Di Matteo has Chelsea playing very well, and obviously Man City is a loss, especially if they're still playing for the title.
For a different thread, but remember less than a year ago, when this (and the USMNT) board was talking about how Michael Bradley 'washed out' in the EPL. Obviously, getting away from Villa was a huge positive for him. He should be glad that McLeish is so good at talent evaluation. Funny how things work out like that.
McCarthy, IMO is a seriously underrated manager. Wolves were a bad team, but there is a difference between a team having a good manager and a bad manager.
Suddenly, those teams playing Chelsea are looking at things differently. There is a much better chance at getting a result. The Blues now have bigger fish to fry, though John Terry will obviously play in these EPL matches.