The race to avoid relegation is approaching its finishing line and Goal.com looks at the runners and riders' chances of avoiding that dreaded sinking feeling
ANALYSISBy Rob Stewart
They say it is tough at the top but Blackburn Rovers, Bolton Wanderers, Queens Park Rangers and Wigan Athletic will all insist that it is even tougher at the bottom because they are all in danger of being relegated from the Premier League.
As the four-way fight to avoid the drop to the Championship reaches its nerve-jangling finale, Blackburn look as though they are most likely to lost their top-flight status.
But in what will surely go down as the most topsy-turvy Premier League season in history, it is dangerous to make any assumptions.
With the fight to stave off the threat of relegation building to a tense climax, Goal.com examines the four relegation candidates' prospects of joining a doomed Wolves in the second tier next season.
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BLACKBURN
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State of play
A mess off the field since Venky’s took over Ewood Park, they have not been much better on the pitch over the last two seasons and Rovers will even have to prove their own supporters wrong to stay up.
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| AIYEGBENI YAKUBU |
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| The fact that newly-promoted Premier League clubs Southampton and Reading are already lining up bids for Aiyegbeni Yakubu says it all. The former Everton man has continue to plunder the goals for a struggling side and still looks like a top-flight striker even if most of his colleagues and his manager look anything but. | |
Managerial prowess
It will go down as one of the biggest mysteries of the season that a manager who seems so out of his depth, should have been able to outwit Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson to mastermind a 3-2 win at Old Trafford. Regarded by many as a Venky’s apologist, Kean is a good coach by all accounts but not a top-flight manager and a season of struggle is taking its toll.
Survival rating:
They had a chance to avoid relegation and they missed it. Rovers were six points clear of the drop-zone when they beat Sunderland but did not have enough about them to slowly ease their way to safety.
The 3-2 defeat against a depleted Liverpool seemed like a nail in their coffin and if they somehow beat Wigan, Chelsea will surely perform the last rites at Stamford Bridge on Sunday unless they field their reserves ahead of the Champions League final.
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BOLTON
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State of play
Bolton have taken one step forward and two steps back for much of the campaign and the finishing line is now worryingly close.
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| FABRICE MUAMBA |
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| The back-from-the-dead former Arsenal midfielder is living proof that miracles do happen and Bolton need their midfielder to do his bit in the build-up to this game by making his team-mates believe that there is still hope for them despite their troubles. His fight for survival boosted Bolton last month and there is no reason why that can’t happen again. | |
Managerial prowess
Owen Coyle has an infectious, boyish enthusiasm about him but he will be kicking himself for not shutting up shop against West Brom. The pressure must be getting to the affable boss who allowed himself to be outmanoeuvred by England boss Roy Hodgson at the Reebok when a priceless victory beckoned.
Survival rating:
It might sound odd but Bolton need to draw inspiration from Wigan to stave off relegation. The Trotters need to do what the Latics did on the final day of last season and go to the Britannia Stadium, beat Stoke and then hope for the best. They should be confident of victory because Stoke are a fading force who are there for the taking.
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QPR
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State of play?
They say that goals change everything and that certainly seemed to be the case when Djibril Cisse scored the winner against Stoke on Sunday, but it could prove to be a false dawn.
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| DJIBRIL CISSE |
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| If only he had managed to play with a modicum of discipline since he arrived as Loftus Road then his team would not have been in this mess. He has scored five times in seven appearances but has missed as many games due to suspension. He owes his team-mates and his manager a stellar performance at the Etihad Stadium. |
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Managerial prowess
The jury must still be out on Mark Hughes. He spent lavishly during the January transfer window after replacing the sacked Neil Warnock, but his team have struggled to get out of the doldrums all season because he has failed to turn a team of big names into a cohesive unit.
However, he will have a point to prove to his former Manchester City paymasters who sacked him two seasons ago and that will be an intruguing sub-plot at the weekend.
Survival rating:
It is almost impossible to see the Hoops ruining the Manchester City title party at the Etihad on Sunday, so they will have to bank on other teams doing them a favour, which guarantees that they will have the most nerve-jangling of denouements to the season and a precarious one as well.
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WIGAN
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State of play?
This is the team that continues to defy gravity. The comeback kings were being written off when they suffered eight defeats on the bounce earlier this season.
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| VICTOR MOSES |
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| Latics owner Dave Whelan has slapped a £10 million price tag on the former Crystal Palace forward and rightly so. He might not be the tallest of players But he is head and shoulders above anyone else down there in the lower reaches of the Premier League. |
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Managerial prowess
Roberto Martinez is being tipped to one day become the manager of a leading European club by chairman Dave Whelan, and the Spaniard has lived up to the hype by excelling against the English game’s leading lights thanks to his tactical nous and astute man-management.
Survival rating:
One of the Premier League’s most in-form teams, they will surely have what it takes to secure their top-flight status when they face Blackburn.
A result there would means they should be home and dry for another season and their last game of the season against relegated Wolves should be a cause for celebration rather than their customary nail-biting angst.
