Barclays Premier League: Round 37

Repeat of the Carling Cup match please, but with less diving from Chelsea players.

Good thing the result won't really matter though:

quote Injuries

Chelsea: None
Newcastle: Nolan, Harper, Ben Arfa, Best, Ireland, Gosling, Perch, Guthrie, Williamson

But then again I'm not actually sure many, if any, of them played at Stamford Bridge first time round.

quote Bollo

Tim Krul has been called up by the Netherlands for the first time, excellent news

quote mnolan

Worst away record in the league ftl.

Bleedin' 'eck. I didn't realise that your away record was that bad.

Mind you, our home record is worse than all but the teams currently in the bottom three. But then again, we've scored more at home than anyone but Man Utd, and only the top five have a better home goal difference. Consistent inconsistency.

I think the hype had started with Rodwell before he scored that goal, to be fair.

Lualua looked every bit as poor as he did last time I saw him play at this level. Didn't see much of Ameobi Jr, but he looked confident enough on the ball.

Didn't see much of the game, to comment, but I'm definitely pleased to see us end up with a point.

quote Man Utd Fan 123

So basically, the final relegation spot will be a contest of who can score more goals, Spurs or United.

What I would find hilarious is Wolves and Blackburn to draw, and then all the teams underneath them winning, to send them both down.

quote Toonami

Djed-esque rant on the fallacies of Avram Grant and how *bleep*ing piss poor he is coming soon.

Fixed.

quote Validation

quote Memento Mori

quote Validation

Hope Stoke beat Wigan now...

Amusingly enough, despite being nineteenth, there is the rather unique situation that they could actually lose and still stay up.

True, but Birmingham and Blackpool would have to lose by 2/3 goals.

That's not exactly the most unlikely of situations now, is it?

quote Sweeney

It's not important. We have to aspire to bigger things.

With a proper look at it, that really was bloody awful from Krul.

Gotta be one of the harbingers of the apocalypse, that. PF making me laugh.

THE BATTLE TO AVOID QUALIFICATION

What with so little of interest happening at either end of the Premier League or in the FA Cup over the weekend, the Fiver's thoughts have naturally turned to the ongoing battle for those last remaining qualification spots for next year's Big Vase; specifically, the frantic race between assorted clubs to avoid filling them.

As things stand, Birmingham have already qualified for next year's competition courtesy of their unlikely victory in the League Cup, which means there's only one qualifying place up for grabs based on Premier League standings. That goes to whoever finishes fifth. And having shot themselves in the foot yesterday with an away win over a Liverpool side that was suspiciously less resurgent than usual, Spurs are currently in the box seat and desperately need to lose their home game against relegation-threatened Birmingham next weekend to maintain their faint hopes of avoiding the ignominy of having to play on Channel 5 or ITV4 on Thursday nights next season. Liverpool, by contrast, remain firmly in control of their own destiny: defeat at Aston Villa will guarantee their safety and consign Tottenham to second-tier European football.

But now the surprising revelation that England has topped the Uefa Fair Play League and have been "rewarded" with an extra Euro Vase spot has really put the cat among the pigeons, with Fulham having been sucked into the equation, where previously they'd presumed they were safe from qualification. With one match to go, the Cottagers find themselves in pole position, despite their heroic attempts to extricate themselves from the Euro Vase mire by racking up 10 bookings in their last two matches – exactly the same number they'd accumulated in their previous nine. Currently just a flurry of bookings and a mass-brawl away from saving themselves from qualification at the expense of poor old Tottenham, the Cottagers are almost certain to come out punching, kicking and possibly even biting in their season finale against Arsenal.

All of which duplicitous chicanery means that, with Tottenham now looking Euro Vase qualification certainties one way or the other, they might as well earn a berth in what passes for the competition proper by dint of their league position, which would at least spare them the ignominy of having to play a first round qualifier against Lokomotiv Dogski & Duckzov in four weeks time.

quote MikeCFC

Parker would walk into the Newcastle team...

No he wouldn't.

quote MikeCFC

Ba would walk into the Newcastle team...

Ba has looked pretty good since he arrived, so I'd jump on the chance to get him (for a decent fee). He's an injury risk though, and we usually don't do too well with them.

Nolan's leadership has been utterly superb, and that is not to be under-estimated. But here's how it goes from a footballing sense.

The centre-pairing is generally Nolan and Tiote. Parker wouldn't get in ahead of Tiote, and can't play the role that Nolan plays. Ergo, he wouldn't walk into the team. And if Barton were in the middle, Parker wouldn't get in ahead of him, either.

quote D I O S

How are Nolan and Parker that different? They play the same position the same way, as a box-to-box, combative midfielder that chips in with goals.

For the two full seasons he's been with us, he's done more than 'chip in' with some goals - he's been our leading goalscorer (in the league).

quote Exonerate

If it's one area Newcastle need refreshing in, it's not central midfield. Their concern should be filling the void left by Carroll, not bringing in an ageing and no doubt overpriced English midfielder. I'd rather have Barton in the centre anyway. Ben Arfa on the right, Gutierrez on the left (or vice-versa), Barton and Tioté in the centre, with Nolan in behind Ba. Perfect.

Good, but not perfect.

Pardew has said he wants to use Ben Arfa in the number 10 role next season (and he will undoubtedly be given the number 10 shirt, given Routledge's anticipated departure). And Nolan actually does better getting forward from a ore orthodox midfield position, with two players in front of him, rather than just the one.

I've made long winded posts on the subject before, but depending on who and how many forwards we bring in in the summer, we could be left with a very malleable front six, where several different players could be deployed in different roles, depending on who else is on the pitch with them.

quote

Throw in a replacement for Enrique...

Hopefully, we won't have to.

quote

Guthrie and Smith aren't sufficient back-up options though so they do need to get some squad players that will do a job in.

Guthrie is okay, with the right players next to him. When he's been required to play the midfield dictator role, he's struggled badly; but when that burden isn't on him, he's actually done quite well. I don't think he'll ever be more than a squad player for us, but if he can deal with that, then it's okay for us, for now, at least.

quote D I O S

Surprisingly enough I'm aware he can score goals. I'm also aware he can not. That might perhaps be what I'm thinking might happen next season.

Anyway, a) you didn't in any way answer the question, b) don't, cause frankly I'm not arguing you should buy him, just that he's better.

It was just me being picky, to be honest. Chipping in, to me, is a less substantial contribution.

As for the second bit, I'm not trying to refute that argument (that you're not making ). And Parker is the better player, overall, but it's not as simple as that.

Hypothetically speaking, I wonder how much Chelsea would ask for if they were to sell him. Unlikely, as I'd imagine they'd just loan him out again if they can't offer him first team football next season.