Thread: The Final Weekend for The Premier League

Well guys the last games on Sunday and nobody knows what the out come will be will Chelski batter Wigan or will Wigan be up for the game and produce something out of the blue?

United still have to perform against Stoke, who will get 3rd spot and the 4th place?

What ever happens it's been a great season lots of good games and goals.

In your opinion who have been the stars of the season?

With Arshavin, Almunia, and Clichy back for Arse, and no Zamora, no Duff for Fulham, plus Arsenal have never lost at home to Fulham, I'd say third and fourth spots remain unchanged. Maybe Fulham can manage a draw.

By Mark Lawrenson
BBC Sport football expert
Arsenal v Fulham

Fulham fielded quite a strong team for Wednesday's 1-0 loss to Stoke, which suggests to me that boss Roy Hodgson will give most of his players a rest ahead of next week's Europa League final against Atletico Madrid.
The Premier League might disagree but I think Hodgson is perfectly entitled to rotate his squad for the game at the Emirates. I expect Arsenal to end their season on a high note by winning and clinching third spot.
Prediction: 2-0

Match preview
Aston Villa v Blackburn

I expect Villa to end their campaign with a win. They have finished the season well and were in the running for fourth until the defeat at Eastlands last week.
As for Blackburn, three months ago people were suggesting that manager Sam Allardyce only had one game left in charge. We come out with some rubbish sometimes, don't we?
Prediction: 2-0

Match preview
Bolton v Birmingham

It should be a decent game at the Reebok because both teams can just go for it. Birmingham have had a super, super season and look like finishing in the top 10 but I'm going for a home win.
Owen Coyle is slowly but surely changing the way Bolton play - and we will see more of that at next season now that he has kept them up - but he will feel vindicated at making the move from Burnley, who have been relegated.
Prediction: 2-1

Match preview
Burnley v Tottenham

Well done to Tottenham for bagging fourth. They fully deserve it. They may even get third, although I do not see them finishing above Arsenal.
Whatever happens, they will go to Turf Moor on a high and I expect them to win. With such a strong squad now, Harry Redknapp can change his team around and still put out a decent side.
Prediction: 1-2

Match preview
Chelsea v Wigan

Everyone knows just what is at stake for Chelsea and I just don't see there being even a remote chance they will slip up and blow the title.
Wigan will offer resistance but they are a strange team. One day they are very, very good and the next day they are average. They may have beaten Chelsea earlier in the season but I think this game might be over at half-time.
Prediction: 4-0

Match preview
Everton v Portsmouth

Once Everton got the majority of their players fit, they really kicked on and enjoyed a good second half of the season. They are a good footballing side, have got some very good players and boast a wonderful manager in David Moyes.
I cannot see Portsmouth, who are now £135m in debt, winning at Goodison Park. They will have one eye on the FA Cup final, too.
Prediction: 2-0

Match preview
Hull v Liverpool

It could be Rafael Benitez's last game in charge of Liverpool. I certainly feel the time is right for a change. He has been there six years, but the team is no better, if not worse, than the team he inherited from Gerard Houllier.
Hull, meanwhile, are preparing for massive cuts as they head into the Championship and I think they will depart the top flight with a defeat.
Prediction: 1-2

Match preview
Manchester United v Stoke

United will win but the title will elude them. They have had a good season but have not coped that well without Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez.
Stoke had a good win on Wednesday but the fact they played in midweek will work in United's favour. That said, they did extremely well and will be strong again next year.
Prediction: 2-0

Match preview
West Ham v Man City

Man City will be feeling flat after losing to Spurs in midweek and failing to qualify for the Champions League, so I think this one will be a draw.
City have said Roberto Mancini will definitely be staying on as manager next season, but the future is not so clear for Hammers boss Gianfranco Zola. It is one of the worst-kept secrets that the owners want somebody else to take over.
Prediction: 1-1

Match preview
Wolves v Sunderland

Wolves will be delighted to be staying up. I know the owner, Steve Morgan, quite well and he is very, very pleased with what they have achieved.
Sunderland have had a funny season. They had a good start but were abysmal for a third of the campaign before coming good at the finish.
Like Wolves, they will be looking to improve next season and start focusing on the top half of the table rather than the bottom.
Prediction: 1-1

Who have been the stars this season?
Mmmmmmmmmmm.
Keeper - Joe Hart. Kept Brum in the top half of the table.
Defender - Richard Dunne. Really stepped up to the plate at Villa.
Midfielder - James Milner. Came of age this season and has kept Villa ticking.
Forward - Wayne Rooney. Say no more.

Choosing a midfielder was really hard. Would have had Fabregas if he stayed fit and Lampard has had another class season scoring 21 goals.
I'm sure a load of you won't agree with my selection, but the players I chose have also played most of the season aswell.

Originally Posted by Bogon

Who have been the stars this season?
Mmmmmmmmmmm.
Keeper - Joe Hart. Kept Brum in the top half of the table.
Defender - Richard Dunne. Really stepped up to the plate at Villa.
Midfielder - James Milner. Came of age this season and has kept Villa ticking.
Forward - Wayne Rooney. Say no more.

Choosing a midfielder was really hard. Would have had Fabregas if he stayed fit and Lampard has had another class season scoring 21 goals.
I'm sure a load of you won't agree with my selection, but the players I chose have also played most of the season aswell.

I think Modric has made a notable difference at midfield for Spurs.

Maybe gone unnoticed a bit but the guy has played every game this season I think Patrice Evera

^ Evra has had a fine season- shame he's French. Bogon's suggestions are all fine, especially Hart as goalie, and Milner both in the final 22 man squad, hopefully.

Scot Parker has shown himself to be a star in a very poor West Ham side this season. With Barry out with ankle problems and to be fair, not showing the kind of form seen when he was at Villa, Parker could/would shine alongside Gerard, Lampard and Carrick in an England side that could/will be WORLD CUP WINNERS

Carrick gone of the boil just lately

^ he has a bit. looked tired, but he's still a class act and with a months rest...

If i could script the final day, Chelsea would lose. Man utd and Stoke would be in the 96th minute of a 2-2 draw, so utd would be aware Chelsea had lost. Then utd get a penalty, hit the post, and Stoke boot it up the pitch and score.

Dion Dublin is relishing the thrilling finale to the Barclays Premier League campaign.

Chelsea and Manchester United both still have a chance of claiming the crown as the season comes to the boil.
Victory at home to Wigan Athletic will hand the title to Carlo Ancelotti's men but anything less could let in Sir Alex Ferguson's side who host Stoke City.

And former United striker Dublin is warning the top two there could still be one last twist to this exciting season of surprise scorelines.
change around
He said: "Most people are probably expecting that both the top two will win on Sunday - but it is not a foregone conclusion.
"Wigan and Stoke will be giving everything. They are professional players who will want to win - and this is a chance for someone to make a name for themselves by causing an upset.
"Maybe there will be a young player who will be given a chance and will set the world alight?
"There is an opportunity for someone to be remembered as the one who changed the title race on the last day.
"Neither side will just turn up and go through the motions, they will be playing for pride. It could all still change around."

Dublin, who scored 111 goals in 312 Premier League appearances for Aston Villa, Coventry City and United, believes Chelsea will be under the greater pressure. With a one point advantage, the Barclays Premier League title is the Blues' to lose.
He added: "That can go one of two ways. It can either help Chelsea as it normally does or maybe it might just affect them.
"They know if they win the title is their's but that can affect players. They might play a safe ball out wide instead of the normal defence-splitting pass.
"If pressure makes them change the way they play that has got them where they are, then there is a chance of an upset.
"Wigan have already beaten Chelsea this season and they have won away at Aston Villa so they are capable of doing it. They can go there and enjoy it without any pressure.
"They will be expected to lose so they will be able to go out and try something a bit more adventurous.
"As a former United player I would love them to win it but they will face a tough test against Stoke who are always difficult to play against.
"There have been plenty of surprise results already this season so it could even be that both sides will lose. You never know.
"This has been a very exciting Barclays Premier League campaign and it promises to be a tremendous finale."

here's a question, if all the games kick off at the same time and nobody knows who will win, so where's the fuking cup? as the holders then it should be at OT rite or what? or is it fixed that Chelski win this year and the cup is already there, or have we got 2 cups just in case

helicopter?

^poor response that...chelski are favourites so this helicopter must be aloft somewhere between London and Mank. As it could be all over by half time if Wigan cave in, let's say Cambridgeshire-ish, 20 mins one way 40 the other

Where's the championship thread?

Originally Posted by pompeybloke

^ he has a bit. looked tired, but he's still a class act and with a months rest...

Tired?
He's hardly played for weeks now and tbh he's been pants for the best part of the season. To me it looks like Carrick has lost his hunger. Winning the PL 3 years on the trot may have taken the edge of his appetite, it happens sometimes. And when that time comes Fergie usually cuts them loose.

Originally Posted by FarangRed

Stoke will be giving everything. They are professional players who will want to win

What, like they did at the Bridge a couple of weeks ago?

Originally Posted by The Muffinman

Originally Posted by pompeybloke

^ he has a bit. looked tired, but he's still a class act and with a months rest...

Tired?
He's hardly played for weeks now and tbh he's been pants for the best part of the season. To me it looks like Carrick has lost his hunger. Winning the PL 3 years on the trot may have taken the edge of his appetite, it happens sometimes. And when that time comes Fergie usually cuts them loose.

You might be rite there I think Scholes has pulled him out of the shit a couple of times

Originally Posted by The Muffinman

Originally Posted by FarangRed

Stoke will be giving everything. They are professional players who will want to win

What, like they did at the Bridge a couple of weeks ago?

That was Dion Dublin saying that not me

United v Stoke City: Preview

May 08, 2010

GIANT STRIDES: Jonny Evans
Jonny Evans is hoping to keep Rio Ferdinand on the sidelines when Manchester United take on Stoke City in the final game of the season.


With Ferdinand recovered from the groin injury that kept him out for a month and in need of some match practice ahead of his expected call up to England's World Cup squad, Sir Alex Ferguson is set to name his first choice defensive pairing for only the 15th time this season.


But the Ferdinand/Nemanja Vidic pairing is not the shoe-in it once was at Old Trafford - a measure of the giant strides Evans has made in the last two years.


At 22, the Northern Ireland star has already established himself as a key man in United's future development.


And when Ferguson pins up his team sheet tomorrow, Evans admits he will be upset if he is not called upon.


“It is a boost when I get picked but it has probably got to the stage where I would feel disappointed if the manager said he was playing both of them ahead of me,” said Evans.


“The manager can get away with rotating other positions but he does like a settled centre-back pairing and a settled goalkeeper. He believes that transmits through the team.


“So I am sure there will come a day, maybe tomorrow, when I will be disappointed to be left out.”
It would almost certainly not be the only setback Evans has to cope with either.


United might still be in with a chance of landing a record fourth consecutive title but the odds are overwhelmingly against them.


On a normal day, a home victory over Stoke would be regarded as fairly routine.


That is the easiest part of the equation though as United are also reliant on Wigan avoiding defeat at Chelsea, a feat only two sides have achieved this season.


Evans is realistic enough to accept the situation, although until they hear otherwise, the Belfast-born star is confident his team-mates will be fully motivated, just in case the Latics can cause a sensation.


“We cannot afford to have any regrets,” he said.
“If something did happen and we failed to take advantage, it would be one of the biggest regrets of your life.


“We have to try and win the game and I am sure the manager will tell us to express ourselves and put on a good performance."


United league form: LDWWW
Stoke City league form: DLLDW
Key opponent: Matthew Etherington - has been in rich vein of form lately
Prediction: United 3 Stoke 0 - Reds to do their bit and hope Wigan can pull off something special
Agree with the prediction? Have your say.

The Premier League season comes to an exciting climax on Sunday with the order of the top four still undecided.
Chelsea, one point clear of Manchester United at the top of the table, will be champions for the first time since 2006 if they beat Wigan at Stamford Bridge.
But if the Blues slip up, United will seal a record fourth successive title with a win over Stoke at Old Trafford.
Arsenal will secure third place if they beat Fulham while Tottenham, two points behind the Gunners, visit Burnley.
Third place brings with it automatic qualification to the group stages of the Champions League, while the team finishing fourth will have to go through the preliminary round.
Fulham are set to rest a number of players ahead of Wednesday's Europa League final against Atletico Madrid in Hamburg for their trip to the Emirates.
And Burnley, who have been relegated along with Hull and Portsmouth, are still in line for a place in Europe next season through the Fair Play League, providing the Cottagers win the Europa League.
If Arsenal and Fulham play out a draw, Tottenham would need to win at Turf Moor, significantly boosting their goal difference, to overhaul the Gunners - there is a 10-goal margin between the north London rivals.
However, for title-chasing Chelsea, boss Carlo Ancelotti has warned his players they cannot afford to slip up against Wigan.
Ancelotti, who is in his first season in charge at the Bridge, is happy with the position his side are in going into their final league game of the campaign.
But the 50-year-old Italian is wary of the challenge posed by the Latics, who beat the west Londoners 3-1 at the DW Stadium earlier in September.
"We have to maintain the same confidence in our play, the same determination, because nothing is decided," Ancelotti said.
"We have to pay a lot of attention. There are no more games. If we miss our chance now, there is no chance to recover.
"We are in a very good situation. We wanted to arrive at the end of the season with more points. We have one more, but we can decide our own destiny at our home ground, Stamford Bridge, and that is a good thing.
Let's make sure we turn up with the right attitude and I believe we will get the point or three points that we need


Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger

"We have to be ready, but we have to play for 90 minutes. We come to play this game, to try our best. They have a very good team and beat us earlier in the season, so we have to pay attention. "
Although Wigan boss Roberto Martinez feels the situation will bring out the best in his players, Manchester United counterpart Sir Alex Ferguson knows his reigning champions are second favourites to retain their crown.
"It's pointless going into the game expecting anything from Chelsea in our favour," Ferguson reflected.
"I have confidence that Wigan will do their best and they will try.
"There's pressure on both us and Chelsea because we both need to win but I don't know what's going on in Chelsea's minds - all I know is that in this situation we just hope."
After Spurs beat Manchester City on Wednesday to clinch a top-four finish and a shot at the Champions League next season, manager Harry Redknapp is hoping to cap a superb season by overhauling Arsenal to finish third.



"We'll go into the last game and give it our best shot but it's very, very difficult," Redknapp commented.
"It will be difficult for Fulham to get a result at Arsenal. [Fulham boss] Roy Hodgson's got a Europa League cup final on Wednesday to consider and he's got to do what he feels is right for his club.



"We're pleased to be where we are - if a miracle happens and we can win at Burnley and Fulham pull off a win at Arsenal, that would be even better. But it's a long shot.



"But I can't criticise Roy at all. He's got to do what he wants to do with his team."
Gunners boss Arsene Wenger accepts Europa League finalists Fulham may already have their minds "elsewhere", but wants his side to finish on a positive note in front of their own fans.
Arsenal'stitle challenge faded following successive away defeats in April at Tottenham and then Wigan, when leading 2-0 with just 10 minutes left, before also losing at Blackburn on Monday.


Let's focus on our performance and make sure we turn up with the right attitude and I believe we will get the point or three points that we need."

It is not just titles and Champions League qualification that will be on the minds of the teams, with clubs earning more than £800,000 for each place they finish higher in the final table on Sunday.


The merit payment has risen more than 5% from the £761,000 per place last year to £800,424 this season - that is the sum that will be received by bottom club Portsmouth rising up the table to the champions who will earn just over £16m.


This is the last season of the current TV contract, but the deal has been slightly back loaded to give the 20 clubs a bumper payday.


As well as the merit money, other payments to clubs have also risen by around 5%.


The equal share paid to each club will be £14.6m compared to £13.9m last season; while the facility fees for appearing live on TV rises from £480,000 per team per match to £499,734 - and every team is guaranteed at least 10 facility fees.



On top of that every club will earn £10.1m from overseas broadcast rights plus another £2m from sponsorship and licensing deals.



The result is that the top two clubs can both expect to comfortably top £50m in their income from Premier League TV cash before counting gate receipts, merchandise sales or other matchday takings.

Originally Posted by FarangRed

That was Dion Dublin saying that not me

I know mate, sorry about that.

Not much chance of Dion replying to my post though.

Malouda: 'Title failure would be worst blow of my career'


Florent Malouda has admitted it would be “the worst blow” of his career if Chelsea failed to win the Premier League title.
The French winger has been one of the stars of the Blues’ season which sees them just one win from claiming their first league title since 2006.
Chelsea must keep their nerve to beat Wigan at Stamford Bridge tomorrow and Malouda said: “Nobody here even thinks about anything other than a victory. To fail would be a disaster.
“For me, it would be the worst blow in my career, but with our fans at Stamford Bridge behind us we believe that’s impossible.

Originally Posted by The Muffinman

Originally Posted by FarangRed

That was Dion Dublin saying that not me

I know mate, sorry about that.

Not much chance of Dion replying to my post though.

You never know