A few thoughts from the last week in Football (March 31-April 2)

Fans leaving games early: Now this is a little bit of rant, but why do fans leave early from football matches?


I don't even really understand it when your team is losing by a couple of goals as you should really support your team to the bitter end.


However, I really don't understand fans that leave with ten minutes left to play when their team is clearly the one going in search of goals- that was the case at Manchester City this weekend as the team trailed 1-3 to Sunderland.


Now surely those fans don't get home that much quicker than someone who stayed until the end that it makes it worth leaving early? And I really don't understand how foolish they must feel when they get to the car, turn on the radio and hear that the side have got back to 3-3.


I have noticed it a few times at Old Trafford in the past, most notably in the 4-3 win over Manchester City when a number of fans got up after Bellamy had made it 3-3 and decided to leave the ground. How many times do United need to score game changing late goals before people realise it is best to sit (or stand) and support the team until the final whistle before they decide not to leave early?


And like I say, I don't think they manage to get that much closer to home if they wait ten minutes and watch the end of the game... I just don't understand why people do it and I don't think I ever will if I am honest with you.




Players fighting with their team mates: What was in the water on Saturday afternoon that saw three different teams have players that got into their team mates faces while still on the pitch?

At the Etihad Stadium, we had Mario Balotelli and Alexander Korolov arguing over who should take a free-kick, having to be separated by Vincent Kompany, while manager Roberto Mancini looked on and just shook his head.


Mancini had already spoken about not trusting Balotelli and the team need to get their unity back as soon as possible if the are going to keep the title race going.


That wasn't the only issue this weekend, we also had Roger Johnson and Wayne Hennessy getting in each others faces at Molineux and Ben Foster and Peter Odemwingie at Goodison Park.


The Johnson-Hennessy issue just shows that the Wolves' squad harmony is fractured and they will do well to survive in the Premier League now (more on that below), while the Odemwingie-Foster coming together seemed to come out of nowhere really.


You barely see events like this, in public, in the course of a season, so for it to happen three times on the same day was bizarre to say the least.




The relegation battle just got a lost tastier: Who would have thunk that Wigan would beat Stoke City, Bolton would win at Wolves and QPR would beat Arsenal to really tighten up the relegation dogfight.


I think the Wolves loss to Bolton at home has all but consigned them life in the Championship next season as they have a really poor goal difference too so are essentially 7 points from safety with just 7 games left to play this season.


I am going to make my prediction below as to how I think each team will do in their remaining games, and I will include Aston Villa in that, and see which three teams I think will go down;


Wolves: Stoke (a) 0 points, Arsenal (h) 0 points, Sunderland (a) 1 point, Manchester City (h) 0 points, Swansea (a) 0 points, Everton (h) 3 points and Wigan (a) 0 points; Total Points, 26 points


Wigan Athletic: Chelsea (a) 0 points, Manchester United (h) 0 points, Arsenal (a) 0 points, Fulham (a) 0 points, Newcastle United (h) 1 point, Blackburn Rovers (a) 1 point and Wolves (h) 3 points; Total Points, 33 points


QPR: Manchester United (a) 0 points, Swansea (h) 1 point, West Brom (a) 1 point, Tottenham Hotspur (h) 0 points, Chelsea (a) 0 points, Stoke City (h) 3 points and Manchester City (a) 0 points; Total Points, 33 points


Blackburn Rovers: West Brom (a) 1 point, Liverpool (h) 3 points, Swansea (a) 0 points, Norwich City (h) 3 points, Tottenham Hotspur (a) 0 points, Wigan Athletic (h) 1 point and Chelsea (a) 0 points; Total Points, 36 points


Bolton Wanderers: Fulham (h) 3 points, Newcastle United (a) 0 points, Tottenham Hotspur (h) 0 points, Swansea (h) 1 point, Aston Villa (a) 1 point, Sunderland (a) 1 point, West Brom (h) 3 points and Stoke City (a) 0 points; Total Points, 38 points


Aston Villa: Liverpool (a) 0 points, Stoke City (h) 1 point, Manchester United (a) 0 points, Sunderland (h) 1 point, Bolton Wanderers (h) 1 point, West Brom (a) 0 points, Tottenham Hotspur (h) 0 points and Norwich City (a) 0 points; Total Points, 36 points




From the remaining games to be played this season, I just think the three relegated teams will come from the bottom four clubs unless the pick up some surprise results if they are escape relegation. I think Wolves are gone because they seem to have lost their belief and they are conceding far too many goals. They couldn't afford to lose to Bolton at home over the weekend (I even thought a draw was not going to be good enough) and they look doomed with some really tough games in front of them.


Both QPR and Wigan Athletic have given themselves opportunities, but they will have to find a big win somewhere. I think Wigan have done really well to get to this position, but their next three games are brutal and they will need a surprise result from one of those to give themselves an opportunity to survive, while they could get something from a Fulham side that may have nothing significant to play for (although I would predict a home win in that one right now).


QPR have at least three games where I think they can get more than I have given them, against Swansea, at West Brom and against Spurs at home, and that is where their survival could be built.


Whatever happens, it is going to be fascinating viewing.




The Premier League title race: Monday night could be the absolute pivotal moment of the season as Manchester United opened up a 5 point lead over Manchester City with just 21 points left to play for.


It was a big result at Blackburn Rovers, the game that looked the most difficult on paper from the ones left before the trip the Etihad Stadium for the Manchester Derby, but United did enough to secure the points. Now they have the opportunity to move 8 points clear in the table before City play again at Arsenal.


The pressure is really beginning to tell on City and the players are in-fighting and disharmony is reigning supreme and it does look like United's title to lose now.


Also, anyone know whether Roberto Mancini will be paying out to the journalists he offered a bet that United would draw at Ewood Park tonight?




Champions League positions: Arsenal looked like they had picked up the momentum for a top 4 finish at just the right time, but the defeat at QPR on Saturday will have been a huge shock to the system.


It is tight in the race for the top 4, with both Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur on 58 points and being tracked by Chelsea and Newcastle United on 53 points. I did start thinking that Arsenal were going to finish in these positions, but their home games against Manchester City and an improving Chelsea side will be key to their success.


Tottenham will have felt better by winning on Sunday and I think they may just have turned a corner after a terrible set of results, and that could see Harry Redknapp succeed in his aims to finish in the Champions League berths.


We have two games coming up in a stretch of 5 days for each of these sides, and results in those games will make things a little clearer in what could be a tight race to the end of the season for these 4 sides.




Things are going to get a little darker at Upton Park: Sam Allardyce and the West Ham fans have not been seeing eye to eye in recent weeks, and the 2-4 home loss to Reading on Saturday may just be the final straw if promotion is not achieved this season.


There are only 6 games left this season and they find themselves 4 points behind Reading in the final automatic promotion spot with too many draws ruining their chances. The fans are unhappy that the team seem to play a more direct approach under Allardyce and the lack of results is increasing the tension.


Easter weekend is always a big time for the different Leagues in England and this year will prove no different in the Championship. All of the clubs will be playing twice in the space of 4 days as the race for promotion to the Premier League hots up.


West Ham need to stick together if they are to achieve their aims, but things are fast loosening at the seams as their season unravels, and it could already be too late for them if the top 2 don't falter now.