Clubs fighting for their immediate futures

After discussing Portsmouth in the previous article regarding this weekends Premier League games, I think that is may be close this season as to who goes down. There are so many factors that influence the fortunes of a football club that managers have absolutely no control over whatsoever. Like with what happens to other clubs for instance. The expenditure and business models of other clubs inadvertently affect your own club.

This is for the simple reason that the effectiveness of other clubs both off and on the pitch affect your chances of winning the title, gaining promotion or getting into Europe and even being relegated. But a manager does live and die by his results and I suppose that each and every one of them accept that.

Birmingham City have had a good run of results lately under Alex McLeish and have even risen to the heady heights of the top half of the table. This is a pretty good achievement when you consider that the top seven are basically known before the season starts. Amazingly the Blues have two games in four days at home against West Ham and Blackburn that are both winnable games for them.

By the middle of next week we could be looking at Birmingham City being an outside bet for Europe. Although the fixture list has been kind to them lately but 21pts from 15 games so far has to be ahead of where they expected to be at the start of the season. Their game against West Ham on Saturday sees them priced at 2.10 with the Hammers at 3.35 with the latest bwin football betting odds.

Gianfranco Zola is a manager who will be looking over his shoulder just one point above the relegation zone and seemingly not being able to pull away. Burnley have enjoyed a great start to the season similar to what Hull City did last season but they are still only 4pts clear of the drop zone despite having a formidable home record.

Their problem could come if clubs start figuring out how to adapt to the tight Turf Moor ground and home results start to falter. Burnley’s away form has been shocking so they are walking a tightrope at the moment. Burnley host Fulham on Saturday and Roy Hodgson could be in line to win the manager of the year aware in my opinion.

Fulham are 8th in the league which is basically top of their own individual league of the teams that they are competing against. If we accept that Man United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, Man City, Villa and Spurs will be top seven then any team who finishes 8th this season has done remarkably well. I can well see Fulham getting something at Burnley as Hodgson is one of the smartest bosses in the league.

Any manager who gets to manage Inter Milan is obviously well respected on the continent. Burnley are at 2.60 with Fulham at 2.55 which I think is about fair. The draw can be backed at 3.25.

Carl “The Dean” Sampson
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