Cruel Optimism Sports Blog

The race to avoid the drop is always entertaining for the neutral. Not so for the devoted fan.

You don’t have to look far for examples of clubs that have been decimated by relegation: Wimbledon, Leeds, Southampton, Norwich,  Nottingham Forrest… and the list goes on.

The clubs on the cusp of relegation know exactly what’s awaiting them.

Three clubs are going down, and only two spots are really left to be decided. Portsmouth are relegated, points deduction or no points deduction. But who’s going to join them?

Burnley, after losing Owen Coyle to Bolton, look like favourites to join Portsmouth in the Championship next season.

After that it’s a very close race. Four points separate Hull, Wolves, West Ham and Wigan, and it’s Hull who are my vote to depart the EPL, which is a crying shame. I mean Phil Brown is such a great guy.

Needless to say it’s going to be a very interesting finish to this season, both at the top and the bottom of the table.

Update:
Phil Brown has been sent on “gardening leave” and as such relieved of his duties as first team coach of Hull City. Hull have nine games left to save themselves, and hope to appoint a new manager before Saturday’s game with Portsmouth.

I’ve thought that Spurs had the talent to take fourth from Liverpool this season, the big question being consistency. All of the teams that are pushing for fourth have been models of inconsistency, and it’s the team that can do the expected that will take the fourth.

Villa are a dull Martin O’Neill team, but that’s what you’d expect. Today they beat a plucky Burnley 5-2, and are now level with Liverpool with a game in hand.

Spurs, with their win today, took sole possession of fourth. In late November Spurs put 9 past Wigan, today it was only the 3, on what can only be called a horrendous pitch. It was easily the worst pitch I’ve seen in a long time in the Premier League.

City, who have a game in hand over Spurs, sit in fifth on goal difference. Whether or not they take fourth lies right in the hands of Mancini. He needs to get his team playing as a unit, and quickly!

Also this weekend, Leeds fail to win again!

The simple question is, should a team that finishes seventh in the table be playing in the “Champions” League?

Absolutely not!

The fact that you can finish fourth and end up in the Champions League is bad enough. Why not open it up to the top 10? Or maybe everyone that’s not in the relegation spots at the end of the season goes into a playoff for the Champions League?

There’s another side to this that is hard to overlook. Liverpool.

In the same season that Liverpool finished as victors of the CL, they finished 5th in the EPL, outside of the four CL qualification spots, but rather than having the champions missing out on the CL, The Reds qualified via a special dispensation from UEFA.

Liverpool now find themselves in a position where they could very easily miss out on the CL again. Football Association to the rescue.

This playoff, if it’s to be implemented this season, could very rescue Liverpool from their season of mediocrity. Gerrard and Torres would remain as assets of Liverpool Football Club, rather than the alternative that Reds fans around the globally can barely imagine.

And people thought that adding a 33rd team in the World Cup to accommodate Ireland was farcical.

We all know that getting in to the Champions League makes or breaks teams, and this years race to the promised land is one of the most exciting in recent history.

Baring an unexpected meltdown Man United and Chelsea have their spots booked in next season’s competition, but with Arsenal’s schooling at the hands of Chelsea today there are 5 teams with real shots at the top four.

Historically Arsenal would be favourites to grab a spot, but they need to pick up their game, and this weeks game against Liverpool is a game that both must win.

Liverpool currently occupy fourth, one point ahead of Spurs and three ahead of City and Villa. They seem to have turned the corner after a run of bad results. They beat Everton 1-0 this weekend in the Merseyside Derby, but here’s hoping Arsenal can take care of business Wednesday night.

As much as I’d like to see Arsenal turn over Liverpool, Spurs would like to see that happen even more. They sit one point behind the Pool and will be hoping that their London rivals can do them a favour.

It’s Man City who arguably sit in the best position to take fourth. They’re three points back of Liverpool but have two games in hand. They were sub par this weekend and suffered a shock defeat to Hull. They’ll be looking to their mid-week fixture against Bolton to right the ship.

Villa are my long shots to get in there. They are the least inspiring of the five battling and look destined for the Europa Cup. But should they beat United this week, who knows what could happen…

What a week this is going to be for football.

Thank Christ for that!

— Leeds fans everywhere

In what has been a horrendous month with regard to league form hopefully today’s result will set us off on the right foot for February and moving forward for the rest of the season.

I expected there to be wholesale changes in the starting eleven and, surprisingly, I was proved to be right.

Grayson made five changes in the starting eleven giving starts to recent loan signings McSheffery and Lowry, but it was a familiar face that was to be the goal hero.

Leeds went close early on through Snodgrass and Becchio and took the lead after Matt Heath brought down Becchio in the box. Jermaine Beckford stepped up to put the whites up 1-0. They would never look back.

Colchester had started well and had legitimate shouts for penalty kicks themselves. However, after the Leeds,  their brittle confidence left them and they lacked their normal quality.

Inevitably Leeds would score again and after Johnny Howson shot came back off the post Beckford was there to stuff the ball across the line.

Next up: Spurs on Tuesday, then Hartlepool on Saturday.

Here’s hoping we go injury free against Spurs and can get the win at Hartlepool.

This is a very tough time to be a Leeds fan.

This month has been a snapshot the roller coaster ride that is the life of a Leeds United fan. Great results followed by lacklustre performances, again and again, and it never seems to stop.

I’d like to get off the ride, but this Stockholm Syndrome that I have contracted wont let me.

Up next is Colchester and do we ever need a win after the Swindon debacle mid-week.What Simon Grayson does to address the free-falling league form I don’t know, but after he was so critical on the starting 11 on Tuesday I can only imagine there will be multiple changes.

It’s going to be an uncomfortable Saturday afternoon.

If ever there was a time for an early Leeds goal it’s tomorrow!

When you compare the two last two rounds on the FA Cup for Leeds, I feared a demolishing at Tottenham more than I did at United. Tottenham are a great attacking side and I wasn’t sure if we had enough to keep them out. Add to that Leeds’ horrid recent form and you have a very worried Leeds fan.

Right from the off Leeds were on the back foot. Spurs started off the game with a great desire and tempo and it didn’t take long for Spurs to get rewarded for their endeavour. With less than 10 minutes on the clock they were rightly awarded a penalty kick when Rose was poleaxed. Defoe took the spot kick, shot low to the right hand corner, but thankfully Ankergren was up to the task, and made a great save.

Just as it looked like it was going to stay that way until half time, Crouch pounced on a long rebound to give Spurs the lead. Leeds had their chances but looked demoralised going in at the break. The team talk for Grayson was easy. “You’re Leeds United! You’re playing at White Hart Lane with a chance to go further in the competition! Don’t leave the pitch with any regrets!”

Leeds came out after the break with much more freedom, and when the Tottenham defenders floundered trying to clear a corner, Beckford quickly swivelled to shoot the ball below Gomez. Game on!

Spurs retook the lead on the 75th minute. Some great one touch passing got Pavlyuchenko free in the box and the Russian, who was a substitute for Crouch, slotted the ball passed the Leeds keeper. Spurs looked set for the fifth round.

Enter Johnny Howson. In the fifth minute of injury time he produced a fantastic 50 yard diagonal ball to the feet of Beckford in the Spurs box. One clumsy challenge later and Leeds had an opportunity to force a replay from the penalty spot.

Beckford took the kick that he’d earned… slotted it passed Gomez… 2 for Beckford, 2 for Leeds. Great team performance.

Before the replay happens Leeds have some vital league games that they can’t afford, literally, to lose. First up is Swindon at The County Ground before we have Colchester at home.