10 May MW 36
TERRIBLE TRIO
As the business end of the season approaches it seems pretty odds on that the three promoted clubs will be going back from whence they came. This will only be the second time that this has happened in the Premier League. Previously Bolton, Barnsley and Palace survived just one season at the top in 1997/98 season.
Sheffield United’s return to the Championship was sealed a few weeks ago but they have managed to plumb new depths by becoming the first club to concede more than 100 goals in a 38-match season. Forest’s 3-1 win at Bramall Lane saw them reach the dreaded century and with two games left they are going to extend their sorry record. Even more remarkably they have let in 54 goals at home in 18 matches so exactly 3 a game.
Burnley’s slim chances of survival all but disappeared in a 4-1 drubbing at Turf Moor to Newcastle. Perhaps the most remarkable feature of Burnley’s demise has been the seven red cards they have received over the course of 36 matches. Considering under Sean Dyche they set a Premier League record of 120 matches without a sending-off, and in their previous eight seasons only had nine players dismissed. It seems odd that this should happen under Vincent Kompany’s watch.
Luton have been the surprise package of this trio as their chances of survival have only recently receded but their current dip in form looks terminal. Their record of only one win in their last fifteen games is worse than Burnley and the same as Sheffield United in that period.
Between this beleaguered trio they have mustered a total of 66 points over and with two matches left each the chances of them collecting another ten points is not looking likely. So they will become the not so proud owners of the lowest points tally for the three relegated clubs.
IT STARTED WITH A KICK – Episode 5: Ali Bruce-Ball
BBC 5 Live’s Ali Bruce-Ball is in the hot seat this week. Although Ali is an Ipswich fan, thanks to his mum, his first match was at the Abbey Stadium to watch Cambridge lose to Newport County. A few years later he made his debut at Portman Road when Ipswich beat Nottingham Forest 1-0, courtesy of a Terry Butcher goal. It was significant that Butcher scored the only goal of the game as a few years earlier Ali had head-butted the England international.
He also talks about a disastrous start to his commentary career at Yeovil Town, a hairy moment when he was late for a commentary at Old Trafford and how his teacher described him as ‘the next Des Lynam’. This episode was recorded a few weeks before the end of the season and predicts that Ipswich ‘might, just might’ get promoted.
Here are both parts of Ali’s episode:
Part 1 – https://bit.ly/4dtWOGQ
Part 2 – https://bit.ly/4brudjC
The Football Mine 