Been awhile since Newcastle went down. Could happen again this weekend.
Editor’s Note: Guy Bailey writes columns for The Yanks Are Coming throughout the Barclay’s Premier League season. In those columns, he’ll discuss the happenings overseas in the world’s most popular sports league, as well as The Championship, where many Americans ply their trade. Guy offers a unique perspective on the league as a Brit who lived for a long while in the United States before moving back to Teeside a year ago. He can be reached at guyrbailey@gmail.com and you can follow him on Twitter all EPL season.
Closing Time 21/05/15
So 750 matches played and 1002 goals scored we reach the final countdown to the 2014/15 EPL season.
At the bottom, QPR recovered a modicum of pride in front of their own fans coming from behind to beat a floundering Newcastle 2-1 and leave the visitors precariously position just ahead of the bottom three. As near neighbours Sunderland and Leicester shared a goalless draw, making the Foxes safe, Sunderland secured their own place at next seasons table with another 0-0, this time more impressively at Arsenal on Wednesday evening to pull off the decent escape and secure a £500,000 survival bonus for temporary manager Dick Advocaat, no wonder he was crying at the final whistle. He has produced some minor miracles in his eight games in charge, coaxing a goal out of Danny Graham and a sweat out of Jermaine Defoe, both noteworthy in equal measure. If he can get Adam Johnson off his underage sex charges then he could run for Mayor of Sunderland.
Hull City remain in the relegation hotseat going down 2-0 at Spurs despite a spirited showing and carving out some chances of their own. This meant that despite an absolutely wretched 6-1 drubbing at Southampton, Aston Villa fans could celebrate their survival and an FA Cup Final appearance in two weeks.
The maths at the bottom are simple. If Newcastle win, they survive, a draw or a defeat and it’s down to Hull and their superior goal difference. Hull have to better Newcastle’s result at home to West Ham which is easier said than done against Steve Bruce’s old Manchester United team.
Gerrard said goodbye to the KOP last weekend. (Photo Getty Images)
Liverpool said goodbye to their favourite son as he sails off into the sunset or LA Galaxy which is the same thing viewed from Aintree. From the sound of it, Gerrard seems unsure about the difference between sunsets and MLS, too.
Crystal Palace became the ghosts at the feast with a deserved 3-1 at Anfield, despite Adam Lallana finally looking like a multimillion pound capture in his final home game. A decent reception all round which might have been different if news of Raheem Sterling seeking a transfer had come out earlier. Booed at the Player of the Year awards in midweek, he will be left in no doubt how Liverpool fans view disloyalty when he runs out at Stoke on Sunday.
One of the more surprising results of the season came on Monday evening as Champions elect Chelsea had their resplendent backsides handed to them in a 3-0 rout at West Brom compounded by a red card shown to Cesc Fabregas for landing the ball firmly into the back of Chris Brunt’s head from 30 yards away. The fact that he was talking to the ref at the time probably sealed his fate but Mourinho pulled some strings in midweek and the initially harsh three game ban was reduced to one and he misses the dead rubber at home to Sunderland this week. Almost as if he’d done it on purpose.
Manchester City secured second with a powerful putdown of Swansea 4-2 at their own ground including a rare goal in blue for returning hitman Wilfried Bony who had the good manners not to celebrate in front of his old fans.
Everton were miserable in year two of Berto, but could still finish in the top ten.
Arsenal look to close out the season with a goal at home to West Brom after three consecutive blanks at the Emirates. Southampton see off a splendid season at Manchester City while Everton and the under scrutiny Roberto Martinez can get a top 10 finish if they overcome Tottenham. Leicester can send fellow promotees QPR back down with a spanking while Burnley bid farewell to the promised land at Aston Villa who may be keeping the big guns fresh for their Wembley date a week later with Arsenal.
Monday sees the Championship playoff final where Middlesbrough look to end a six year EPL exile at home to last season’s relegated Norwich City. Close on paper, Middlesbrough have beaten the Canaries twice this season 4-0 at the Riverside and 1-0 at Carrow Road a month prior, Boro bossed both games despite the disparate scorelines but with last year’s final going to the last kick of the last minute of extra time when QPR edged past Derby County, who didn’t even make the playoffs this season, both sides will be acutely aware of the cost of failure, especially when set aside of the reward of promotion.
This correspondent will put all efforts of neutrality aside with a hearty “Come On Boro” and hopes to write to you again as a supporter of an EPL team once again.
Thrashed by Man City, QPR’s fate is sealed.
Penultimate supper 17/05/15
And then there was one – one relegation place to be filled and one league game after this to decide it.
The key battle at the bottom saw Hull City shoot themselves in the foot after a key chance to blast away from the bottom three with a victory at home to Burnley. Sadly for them and the clarets, despite the latter winning 1-0 with a Danny Inge’s winner, they went into the dressing room and found their win had been to no avail as results elsewhere made them the first EPL team to be relegated and managed to drag their hosts into the bottom three in a death embrace too.24 hours later, QPR joined them in the championship next season, needing a gutsy performance at defending champions Manchester City, their 6-0 annihilation pretty much summed up their moribund campaign.
Leicester City pretty much guarantee their survival with a 2-0 home win against Southampton while the win so bizarre it was probably preordained went to Sunderland with a spectacularly inept and fortunate win over Everton by the same score. First, the ball rebounded of Danny Graham past a wrong footed Timmy Howard to give them the lead, Graham having the cheek to claim his first goal in a Sunderland shirt since signing for them three seasons ago. The coup de grace came as another rebounded effort fell to Jermaine Defoe a yard out who gleefully punched the ball over the line – that’s not a misprint – with the ref and linesman both unsighted, the goal stood and Sunderland found themselves with a bonus three points.
FA Cup Final bound Aston Villa stepped closer to safety too with a 1-0 win over West Ham and there will be an open top bus tour of Newcastle in the week as their 1-1 draw at home to West Brom ends their eight match losing skid and keeps them above the relegation waterline for now.
Steven Gerrard’s farewell tour reached West London this week as Chelsea gave thanks for his slippy sole last season which denied him the title he wanted so badly but did give him a hero’s farewell as how bowed out with a 0-0 draw. Elsewhere in London, Man Utd won comfortably at Crystal Palace with some great goals and Arsenal were made to sweat on third place as they endured a North London mugging at home to Swansea’s Bafetimbi Gomis plundered the points in the final minutes to give Gary Monk another feather in his cap, so resplendent with great results that he should resemble a peacock.
As noted, Guy Bailey writes on the Barclay’s Premier League for The Yanks Are Coming. Want more Guy Bailey? We highly recommend his new book, Blessay From America, a collection of writings on football and life made while living in America, where he married a southern belle and saw his son born, which you can purchase here.