No, you can’t have your thirty million quid back… Sold As Seen.
As a Premiership virgin (this being my first season in Ol’ Blighty) I picked Spurs as my team to follow. I was warned - ‘if you want to follow a team with no soul, a team that will get you all excited only to crush and stomp on your heart, you must be support Spurs’.
After a great 4/5ths of the season, I was watching the wheels fall off in inexplicable losses to Sunderland (1-3, and the game wasn’t even that close), then a bad loss to relegated Portsmouth (as an aside: why hasn’t this been implemented for US sports? Shouldn’t the Royals, Nationals, Nets, Timberwolves, Rams, and Lions all be playing a level lower?)
So it makes the amazing win vs hated rival Ar$sanl all the more sweeter. The 30-yard monster volley blast from 19yr old Rose might have been the sweetest strick of the ball I’ve ever seen.
I put a tenner on Spurs to make top-four at 9-1 early at the start of the season, and while still a long-shot, at least Spurs are right back in it.
Every team has a down patch, but I think ours has been caused by clusters of injuries in key areas. Look at the difference in how we “defended” against Sunderland (Bassong and Kaboul) and how we defended against Arsenal (King and Dawson). It’s a real shame about King’s injuries, because he has the talent to be England’s first choice if his knees weren’t shot.
Supporting Spurs is a great preparation for life… the triumph of hope over experience.
We’ll probably beat Chelski, United and Citeh… then lose to Bolton and Burnley and finish fifth.
nods.
This is a team that beat a good, in-form Everton side. And lost to Wolverhampton.
My short period as a Spurs supporter is now over, after they have done us two huge favours in beating Arsenal and Chelsea. Surely they can’t make it a hat-trick? Please?
Although United have probably been the luckiest team in the world this season (I just see it as payback for Chelsea’s outrageous luck in 04/05), you can’t argue with their fighting spirit, and if they finish the season with the most points, you can’t say they didn’t deserve it. Of course, Ancelotti is right that Chelsea are still in the best position, but all it could take is one good Liverpool performance (they must have one in reserve somewhere, surely?!) and it’s anybody’s title.
I think Stevie G. would rather score an own goal at the Kop End than help United to another title.
3 pts guaranteed for Chelsea. Stoke will give them a harder game.
Hmm, interesting - I hadn’t considered that aspect, particularly as this could be the one that finally relegates Liverpool (not before time) to (outright) second place on the all-time list. I would hope that Liverpool feel it is more important to play for a higher league position (or failing that, pride) than scuppering United. But you have me worried now!
I’ve been a bit worried about Liverpool not playing a full strength side for a couple weeks now. Obviously, United need to win on Saturday, so a Spurs loss helps. If Arsenal beat City, and Liverpool beat…whichever team they play this weekend (Burnley?), then they’ve still got a slim chance at going for 4th. But I’m more upset about United putting themselves in position to rely on a Liverpool result.
The match that bothers me most this year is the 0-1 loss at Old Trafford to Aston Villa. I can accept the loss to Burnley (promoted side, early in the season, night game at Turf Moor), the matches without Rooney (Chelsea and Blackburn), and Liverpool away. It’s not like the Villa match was a scrappy relegation-bound team that was playing their Cup Final. It was a good team that played open football, and United knew they’d have a fight, so it’s not like they went in sleepwalking through the match. Oh well. If United finish top, it’s deserved. If not, then Chelsea deserves it. Obviously. As SAF has said before, the table doesn’t lie.
Big games tomorrow. As much as I want Spurs to win, a United win is most likely at OT. Never thought I’d say this, but I hope Arsenal win.
Pressure’s back on Chelski to come up with the result.
Which they did, rather handsomely. Effectively puts them 2 points ahead, but luckily that probably isn’t going to make a difference - United have to win their last two and hope Chelsea drop points at Anfield. It’s really “squeaky bum time”, to drop in a Ferguson cliche.
I think Spurs will still finish 4th, especially after the Man City draw - funny that two such attacking teams should come up with a 0-0. Curtains for Burnley as well, don’t think they will be much missed except in a small corner of Lancashire. And Hull should get their just deserts for sacking Phil Brown - easy to say with hindsight, but he was probably the only man capable of keeping them up.
Apparently, he actually tried at the weekend - I’m told. Perhaps only because it was against his former club.
So much for my prediction that they’d provide stiffer opposition than the scousers! Surely they wont knock 8 past Liverpool?
L’pool are clinging to Europa League success as their only possible chance to salvange any dignity this season.
To finish outside the top 4 with no other trophies should mean bye-bye Rafa, probably bye-bye Torres and (I think) potentially bye-bye Gerrard.
At which point the only way is downhill.
It would almost be worth losing the title to see that :). At least the weekend’s results were favourable to Liverpool’s slim hopes of fourth, so they should still have that to play for.
Today must be a great day to be a red scouser. They have the rare pleasure of being happier if they lose, than if they win.
That’ll be a nice consolation for missing out on the Premier title this year! 
Well, I was nearly right about the Gerrard own goal. I suppose a backpass to Drogba was the next best thing!
Exactly what I thought! Still, damn. Come on Wigan!
All those hundreds of millions spent by City, and they’ll be set to dominate Europe next season! Look out, Brondby, Rosenborg, and Celtic! Congrats to Spurs.
Yet again, if you ahd asked me at the beginning of the season, I’d have taken a top 7 finish and a spot in Europe next year. But yet again, this season promised so much more. We just don’t have the depth to finish in the top four. Oh, and beating crap clubs would help.