May 22, 201115 yr I bet Radio Lancs are having a field day with today's commentary, Blackburn helping Blackpool to stay up thanks to their 3-0 lead at Wolves. Mick McCarthy has 45 minutes to save his job.
May 22, 201115 yr I bet Radio Lancs are having a field day with today's commentary, Blackburn helping Blackpool to stay up thanks to their 3-0 lead at Wolves. Mick McCarthy has 45 minutes to save his job. Following it via streams (stodgy end of season performance by Liverpool so far). I think Mick McCarthy will stay in his job regardless.
May 22, 201115 yr I said today I was really worried for Birmingham today. They are relegated. What a save for Wolves. Really glad Wigan stayed up.
May 22, 201115 yr Late goal helps Wigan escape drop Stoke 0 - 1 Wigan Hugo Rodallega's late header hauled Wigan back from the brink of Premier League relegation as Stoke tumbled to a third successive defeat. With 13 minutes remaining of an excruciatingly tense encounter, Rodallega headed into the top corner from Charles N'Zogbia's far-post cross. Stoke had earlier dominated, with Latics keeper Ali Al Habsi obliged to pull off a string of impressive saves. But an improved second-half showing earned Wigan a famous victory. On an afternoon of exhausting uncertainty, Wigan knew from the outset that victory would not guarantee survival, just as defeat would not necessarily consign them to the Championship. The turbulence was relentless as the visitors overcame a desperately nervous start before gradually edging their way to safety in the face of stern resistance from Stoke and an incessant wave of twists and turns elsewhere. Tension is natural when your fate is not in your own hands, although you would hardly have deduced as much from the smiling countenance of visiting manager Roberto Martinez as he disembarked from the team coach. The drawn features of the players who followed behind him told a different story, however and, as kick-off neared, so too did those of Martinez. As goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi prayed, his manager paced the touchline, his brow contorted under the weight of the occasion. Both responses looked justified when Antolin Alcaraz almost sold Al Habsi short with a weak back-pass within moments of the first whistle. With Kenwyne Jones looming, the Wigan keeper rushed out to spare his skipper's blushes, but it was the cue for a sustained barrage of pressure from Stoke. Predictably, Rory Delap's trademark long throws were a particular source of consternation to the visiting defence. Hearts were in Wigan mouths when Jones headed goalwards from one such missile, but Jonathan Walters, who was clearly offside, applied a needless touch from a couple of yards out and was correctly penalised. The linesman's flag did nothing to deter the vociferous home support. 'We're sending you down,' they crowed. And as Al Habsi beat away efforts from Jones and Jermaine Pennant, and Emerson Boyce hacked another Jones off the line, it looked like they just might. By a quarter to five, nothing had changed. With Blackpool and Birmingham level at Old Trafford and White Hart Lane respectively, and Wolves trailing 3-0 at home to Blackburn, Wigan were one of four teams on 40 points. Yet they remained where they had been from the outset - second from bottom, albeit only on goal difference. The grim scramble for survival soon began to assume a different complexion, however. Wigan began the second half with the air of a team transformed. For the first time, an away goal looked possible. A hundred and thirty miles or so to the south, Roman Pavlyuchenko put Spurs ahead against Birmingham. The visitors were up to 18th, behind Wolves only on goals scored. Hope stirred among the blue-and-white pocket of away fans. Charles N'Zogbia blasted over. Pennant appeared to impede Hugo Rodallega as he cut in from the left; no penalty, declared referee Andre Marriner. Minutes later, Wigan survived a similar claim as Alcaraz climbed all over Jones. Unperturbed, they pressed on. Conor Sammon, the hero against West Ham last weekend, forced a first save of the afternoon from Stoke keeper Asmir Begovic before being replaced by Tom Cleverley, who almost immediately did likewise. Then, just after half past five, came the news Wigan had been waiting for. Manchester United had gone 3-2 up against Blackpool at Old Trafford. Wigan were safe. Cue euphoria among the travelling support, whose jubilation intensified when Rodallega rose in the six-yard box to head home N'Zogbia's left-wing cross. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/13444536.stm
May 22, 201115 yr Blackpool slip out of top flight Man Utd 4 - 2 Blackpool Blackpool suffered final day heartbreak as they lost a thriller to seal their relegation from the Premier League. Park Ji-sung put Manchester United ahead early on with a chip over Matt Gilks before Charlie Adam's free-kick in off the post restored parity. Gary Taylor-Fletcher side-footed Blackpool 2-1 ahead before Anderson curled in a beautiful equaliser. Ian Evatt then put through his own net from Chris Smalling's cross and Michael Owen's fourth sealed Blackpool's fate. With so much riding on the game, it was vital that Blackpool imposed themselves on proceedings as early as possible, and they were handed a chance within the first minute. DJ Campbell dispossessed Paul Scholes and set up Adam to fire in a cross from the left, but Keith Southern skewed his shot well wide of the goal. Adam then set up a similar chance for Taylor-Fletcher but the Blackpool player failed to connect with the cross. But the visitors' failure to make the most of their early chances was hammered home on 21 minutes when Dimitar Berbatov flicked the ball past Alex Baptiste into the path of Park, and a moment's hesitation by defender Evatt let in the Korean to lob the ball over Seasiders keeper Gilks. Park and Berbatov were two of the liveliest players on the pitch, and it was no surprise when they involved in the game's next moment of high drama. A defensive mix-up allowed Berbatov a great scoring opportunity from close range, but the Bulgarian took too long over the chance, allowing Gilks to block the effort with his legs. The ball failed to clear the area and fell to Park, who was brought down by Adam, and the well-positioned referee Mike Dean waved away United's strong penalty claims. At the time this looked like it could prove a significant moment in the game, and this became true when five minutes before the break, Blackpool levelled. Nemanja Vidic brought down Taylor-Fletcher just outside the box, in a position Adam would probably have chosen as his ideal free-kick taking location. And the former Rangers player took full advantage as he curled a low shot into the net, off the foot of Edwin van der Sar's left-hand post, becoming the first visiting player to score a first-half goal in a league game at Old Trafford for over a year and, more importantly, breathing life into his team's survival chances. The start of the second half was almost a repeat of the first, with Blackpool having another great chance. Vidic brought down Campbell in a similar position to the first-half free-kick, and Adam produced a thunderous shot towards the top corner, only for van der Sar to produce a nonchalant one-handed save. The complicated maths of the relegation situation meant that the best Blackpool could do was go for the win and hope it was enough - and on 57 minutes, they went ahead. Jason Puncheon played the ball to Vaughan, and his cross from the right was side-footed home by former roofer Taylor-Fletcher. The prospect of losing their season-long unbeaten home record on the final day of the season seemed to rouse United, however, and it was not long before they were level. Park and Anderson played a one-two on the edge of the box with Anderson producing a perfectly judged first-time left-foot curler into the bottom corner. United then began to show their ruthless side, with Blackpool resorting to increasingly desperate defensive measures, so it was cruel on the Seasiders when they went behind in the most unfortunate of circumstances. Owen was in a threatening position as Chris Smalling fired in his cross from the right, so Evatt did his best to block the ball but only managed to put it into his own net. Blackpool's plight grew worse as results around the country started to turn against them, and then United turned the screw as Anderson split the defence with a pass which found Owen, who applied a clinical finish. Despite their best efforts, there was no way back for the Seasiders from this blow, and a hugely memorable season ended in defeat and relegation - but with their heads held high. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/13444164.stm
May 22, 201115 yr Wolves survive final-day fright Wolverhampton 2 - 3 Blackburn Wolves maintained their Premier League status in dramatic fashion despite a final-day defeat by Blackburn. Midland rivals Birmingham's 2-1 defeat by Tottenham guaranteed Wolves' place in the top-flight for next season. The visitors took a 3-0 half-time lead courtesy of goals from Jason Roberts, Brett Emerton and David Hoilett. Wolves hit back in the second half with goals as Jamie O'Hara and Stephen Hunt before the full-time whistle sparked scenes of celebrations around Molineux. At various stages in the second half Wolves were in and out of the bottom three, but even after O'Hara pulled one back from a clever free-kick they were still going down, needing to score to move above Birmingham on goal difference. With the home fans chanting "We only need one goal", Hunt provided the salvation the capacity Molineux crowd were so desperate for, collecting the ball on the right-hand side of the penalty area and wonderfully arching the ball into the corner beyond Paul Robinson's despairing dive in the 88th minute. When Spurs scored late in stoppage time against Birmingham to earn victory, it secured Wolves' status - and with the game in injury time both sets of supporters were singing songs of survival in the west Midlands sunshine. It was a quite remarkable afternoon that lurched from joy to despair and back agin several times over, as both teams did enough to stay up and managers Mick McCarthy and Steve Kean were mobbed by their playing and coaching staff on the final whistle. Their celebrations were eventually shared, yet how differently they went about retaining their Premier League status. Blackburn's first-half performance, in the circumstances, was quite remarkable. They played with an attacking fluency missing from large swathes of their season, with strikers Roberts and Hoilett proving unplayable for the Wolves defence. Time after time the visitors soaked up pressure from the hosts, won the ball back and then hit them on the break, with Steven Nzonzi and Jermaine Jones both providing superb support from midfield with some excellently timed runs. If home advantage was supposed to help Wolves, it quickly proved more of a hindrance as Rovers settled quicker, their pacy forays forward in sharp contrast to the laboured way Wolves moved the ball around. Every time Blackburn got the ball into the Wolves box there was danger, as Roberts headed at Hennessey, Hoilett's near-post cross forced the keeper to gather low down and then Jones dragged off target. The nervous tension clearly felt by the Wolves players soon spread to the terraces, and after Chris Samba proved his worth to Steve Kean's side with a superb block to deny Stephen Ward, the visitors got the goal their impressive start deserved. It was a personal nightmare for Michael Mancienne, the defender dallying on the ball and giving away possession and when the ball was cut back to Michel Salgado inside the Wolves box, his drives effort was deflected in by the ever-alert Roberts. Wolves continued to enjoy the greater share of the ball but they looked lifeless and impotent in the final third as Samba and the superb Phil Jones marshalled the Blackburn backline and, before too long, Rovers doubled their lead. A long punt into the Wolves box was not dealt with by the home team and when it fell to Emerton 20 yards out, the Australian hit the sweetest of right-foot volleys to larrup the ball into the corner of Hennessey's net giving the Welsh keeper no chance. The worse it got on the pitch the worse it got off it, and news of a Blackpool leveller at Man United had Wolves' fans in agony, a state not helped when Hoilett sneaked into their area down the left and had an effort deflected inches wide of the far post. Wolves' efforts were summed up by Jody Craddock's wild shot from the edge of the Blackburn box, but just as Mick McCarthy was preparing his half-time team-talk, Rovers extended their lead even further. Another ball into the Wolves penalty area caused confusion, and when Hoilett picked it up he superbly drove past a defender before smashing the ball into the bottom corner, running away jubilantly to celebrate with the Blackburn fans who must have felt they were in dreamland. At the break, as it stood, Wolves were heading for the Championship and McCarthy responded by sending on striker Sylvan Ebanks-Blake for Mancienne, the substitute immediately helping set up a chance that Hunt headed wide before Ebanks-Blake drilled high and wide from 20 yards. As news filtered through that Spurs were beating Birmingham 1-0 there were cheers from the Wolves fans, but they almost went 4-0 down when Hennessey saved brilliantly from Hoilett after a slip from Kevin Foley. It was O'Hara who got them back on course, peeling away from the Blackburn defence to convert a clever free-kick routine 15 yards out, before it emerged that Birmingham had levelled at Spurs and Wigan, another in the relegation mix, were winning at Stoke. The fans knew that if everything elsewhere stayed the same Wolves only needed one goal to survive and after a hush had descended on Molineux, they told the players the scenario, seemingly revitalising McCarthy's men. It was left to Hunt to step up to the plate, his season-defining strike sending the black-and-gold stands into delirium and ensuring Wolves, as well as Blackburn, would be playing Premier League football in August. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/13446629.stm
May 22, 201115 yr Birmingham relegated after loss Tottenham 2 - 1 Birmingham Birmingham have been relegated to the Championship after Roman Pavlyuchenko's late goal meant they lost at Tottenham, who sealed fifth place with the win. With results going their way, City appeared to have sealed their safety when Craig Gardner equalised substitute Pavlyuchenko's opener for Spurs. But Wolves' second goal in their 3-2 defeat at home to Blackburn put City back in the bottom three. And Pavlyuchenko's last-minute strike ensured the Midlanders relegation. It is a crushing end to what has been a rollercoaster season for Alex McLeish's men, who won their first trophy for 48 years with a last-gasp 2-1 win over Arsenal in the Carling Cup in February, but have been battling against the drop for the majority of the campaign. Birmingham were in control of their fate coming into this game, knowing a win would secure their safety, but defeat, coupled with circumstances elsewhere going against them - particularly Wigan's 1-0 win at Stoke and Wolves' second goal against Blackburn, consigned them to the drop. For Tottenham, qualification for the Europa League is a consolation prize following their failure to secure a second successive season of Champions League football. However, accessing the lesser European competition via a fifth-place finish is more preferable to Spurs than making it in through the Fair Play league, which would have meant them taking part in the early rounds in just five weeks time. This was a victory born out of Spurs' commitment to attack, which may not have helped them achieve their ultimate aim, but ensures it has been a good, if not great season. The reasons behind Birmingham's plight are simple: not enough goals at one end and too many at the other. They are the division's lowest scorers with 37 to their name, which in itself is not a recipe for disaster as their impressive ninth place finish last season off the back of 38 goals scored demonstrates. However, in the absence of regular centre-back Scott Dann for much of the season through injury, the solid defence on which City built their success last campaign has looked shaky, conceding 11 more goals that have proven the difference between top half and bottom three. Knowing the threat Tottenham pose going forward, even without injured attacking midfield duo Gareth Bale and Rafael van der Vaart, McLeish sent out a team whose focus was principally to frustrate and then hope to snatch something on the break. For the first half, they performed the first part of this superbly, with a back four - led by the towering Curtis Davies, who marked the similarly lofty Peter Crouch out of the game before the striker went off with a head injury after 39 minutes - holding firm behind an industrious and committed midfield five, that included tracking back striker Jean Beausejour. They frustrated the home side, who found themselves gifted plenty of possession in 70% of the pitch but hassled, harried and fought out of it in the remaining 30% closest to the Birmingham goal. Unfortunately, this almost completely nullified City's threat at the other end, where Cameron Jerome found himself isolated up front alone and too often running without support down blind alleys, where packs of Spurs defenders lurked to rob him of possession. Unsurprisingly, all the first half chances were Tottenham's. Sandro twice drew good saves from Ben Foster, firstly with a shot from a tight angle, which the keeper put behind with his foot, and then with a 20-yard drive that was tipped over. Foster was also called upon to claw away a cross-come-shot from Younes Kaboul late in the half and save a long-range strike from Luka Modric. The danger for Birmingham in adopting such a containing approach was whether they would be able to then switch instantly to a more progressive style should it be required. This was put to the test four minutes into the second half when Pavlyuchenko curled a superb shot past Foster from 20 yards to put Spurs ahead. The visitors initially struggled to impose themselves on the game, but were given a lifeline when the ball fell to Gardner after a corner and the midfielder connected superbly to give Carlo Cudicini no chance from the edge of the box. Gardner then curled a free-kick just over as a buoyant, and at this stage safe, City pushed on for winner. That they did not get one left them vulnerable and Wigan exploited this with a winner at Stoke to pull themselves to safety, as did Wolves who scored a second goal at home to Blackburn that lifted them out of the drop zone and put Birmingham in it on goals scored. City's last hope of escape were snubbed out when Pavlyuchenko rifled in from 16 yards with the last kick of the game. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/13444710.stm
May 22, 201115 yr Disappointed for Alex McLeish (Barry Ferguson can swivel on it though) but THANK GOD Liverpool won't have to go to St Andrews next season!
May 22, 201115 yr Disappointed for Alex McLeish (Barry Ferguson can swivel on it though) but THANK GOD Liverpool won't have to go to St Andrews next season! And the draw for the 3rd round of the league cup has been made Birmingham City vs. Liverpool :lol:
May 22, 201115 yr I was kinda hoping Spurs wouldn't have got that goal back, only to see the faces when they go down on account of Wolves scoring more goals! Byebye Ancelotti! Whom will be next at the Russian circus?
May 22, 201115 yr And the draw for the 3rd round of the league cup has been made Birmingham City vs. Liverpool :lol: Ahh of course! We'll beat them 7-0 like we did in March 2006 in the FA Cup!
May 22, 201115 yr GREAT SEASON FOR MANCHESTER CITY ! If that was phase one... heaven forbid what is stage 2
May 22, 201115 yr GREAT SEASON FOR MANCHESTER CITY ! If that was phase one... heaven forbid what is stage 2 Have to say well done. Getting into the Champions League and the FA Cup win - very good season.
May 22, 201115 yr it was a reference to liverpudlians being called scousers and how man utd fans like throwing that slur at LFC fans. Many Liverpudlians refer to themselves as Scousers, the term isn't exactly offensive. I am well aware of the rivalry if that's what you mean. It just annoys me when people who have never been to Liverpool feel the need to slag off the city and its people just because they happen to support Man United.
May 22, 201115 yr How did Wolves come back from the dead on Sunday? Well an enlightening moment of tactical genius courtesy of manager Mick McCarthy of course!
May 23, 201115 yr [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haxdJT6MBoE&feature=player_embedded]YouTube - Bryant v. Conway Soccer Set Piece[/ame]
May 23, 201115 yr Have to say well done. Getting into the Champions League and the FA Cup win - very good season. thank you !
May 23, 201115 yr For me as ever the summer will be exciting as ever, with the possible signings we may make. I wonder who will end up coming. Trails begin at Carrington on May 30th, so Messi and Ronaldo come then if you wish.
May 23, 201115 yr not too bad city. not too bad. i feel very sorry for fans of chelsea and arsenal. chelsea because they have an idiotic owner and arsenal because their team is a disaster. and an incredible 2011 for the merseyside teams. particularly everton who were hovering near the relegation zone at the halfway point of the season.
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