Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, strap yourself into your seats nice and tightly as we depart from a fantastic February and enter the final 12 week roller coaster ride to our end of season “Nemesis”. Yes, the Etihad Stadium in the City of Manchester.
Sunday the 11th May 2014
Can we ride our luck again in the city of our Greatest Escape? It breaks my heart to admit it to myself, but I can’t see it for the life of me. Can you?
Yes, we all relive the Carlos Tevez winner at Old Trafford in 2007 on a regular basis, but will we need to replicate it? And if we do, who is our Tevez of 2014?
I hate to say it but, I don’t think this class of 2014 has a player of that calibre to save our bacon if needed.
The way the season has panned out, we Hammers need to be City fans until the last game of the season just in case we need a result there on the last day. We could do with City winning the league by Easter.
February
Southampton (H): 1 point
It occurred to me this week that, although we’ve had a fantastic return from our last four games, the ride can only become more turbulent as we run into March, April and May. After our stress free weekend, we host Southampton. Is it me, or am I the only one who can sense a smelly hard fought point? And let’s face it, the Saints have taken very nearly half of their points haul away from home this season!
March
Everton (A): 0 points
Hull (H): 3 points
Stoke (A): 1 point
Man U (H): 1 point
Sunderland (A): 1 point
March brings us some tough fixtures with trips to Everton and Stoke, and home meetings with Hull and Manchester United. Finally, on a cold, wet and windy Monday night at the business end of March (31st), we travel to Wearside in order for Sam to try and ”out-tactic” the manager with his name on his snood – Gus Poyet. I bet Gus is still moaning at his mum for embroidering his initials on his clothes. “Mum, I’m 45 for God’s sake.” My own take on March is that I’d take a point from Goodison Park, but somehowI can’t see it. We can, and should, take all three points at home to Hull City, but then we face United (draw?), then Stoke and Sunderland, where points historically ‘evade’ us.
April
Liverpool (H): 0 point
Arsenal (A): 0 point
Palace (H): 3 points
WBA (A): 1 point
Into April we go, with the slow uphill start. That’s Liverpool at home. Yeah, I know, we always beat them, don’t we? Arsenal away, (where’s Bobby Zamora, when you need him?). Then we start dropping down the stomach churning hill that picks up speed to take points from Palace at home and West Brom away.
May
Spurs (H): 1 point
Man City (A): 0 points; unless they win the title 3 weeks before.
Have you reached “squeaky bum time yet?” I know I have, because we’re now running into West Ham’s famous ”Merry Month of May”, and my seatbelt has come undone on the overhead loop!
If my predictions are anywhere near right, we’ve now banked 38 points. That leaves us with the simple task of beating Spurs for the third time this season! Wow, how good would that be? I’m singing it in my head already, “Thank you very much for the six points, thank you very much, thank you very very very much”. I suppose I’m dreaming. Can we really beat them three times in one season?
Anyway I digress. So, home to Spurs and then as I said earlier, the Etihad.
Away at Manchester City? Lemon squeezy. That’s all we need isn’t it? Having to go there and get a draw, let alone a win. Somehow I don’t see lightening striking twice for us in Manchester, do you?
Conclusion
So, there you have it. My personal belief is that we will only total 39 points. After the euphoria of the last four games, I’d hate to be the pessimist amongst us. I personally prefer to use the word ‘realist’. I also happen to believe that 39 points will keep us up this season. How’s that for optimism?
The sad thing is that, at the time of writing, one of our brightest prospects, possibly our new Carlos Tevez, is reportedly on his way to join the man in whom we all trust, Harry Redknapp. Yes I know, we’d all trust him with our valuables wouldn’t we? And surely he‘s far too much of a gentleman to turn Rav’s head isn’t he?
Gold and Sullvan are both excellent, fully proven and successful businessmen – supported by the brain that is Karren Brady. With them at the helm, we shouldn’t need to deal with rag and bone men. Allardyce is a football man. If Ravel has got it, then why do we have the frequent problems that we are having? In a previous article directed towards the club chairmen, I asked for a truth policy within the club! Are we going to let Harry loose on what could be our biggest and best talent for years?
I just hope that Redknapp and Ravel Morrison do not wave at us in the opposite direction come May 2014, just as we did to Redknapp and Robert Green in May 2013.
I just hope that Ravel doesn’t turn out to be the Carlos Tevez of 2014 that we didn’t have.
