Sunday, May 15, 2005
Relegation Battle Liveblogging
5:03 - I called it wrong so many times today, but who cares? I got the result I wanted. I'm utterly delighted. I never used to really like Portsmouth or Charlton, but, hell, I love 'em to bits right now. The party is on at Albion!!
4:58 - A pitch invasion at Albion! Horsfield is being held up high, crowd-surfing if you like. I am so, so happy, it can't be described. Well done Bryan Robson! Horsfield and Richardson got the goals today, but it's been a team effort. Well done Albion! I am sooooooooo happy.
4:56 - West Brom have done it!!!!!!!! It's all over at Charlton! 2-2 isn't enough for Palace. Yes! Yes! Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!!!!!!!!!
4:55 - Full time at Southampton. 2-1 Man Utd win.
4:54 - Full time at Fulham. 6-0 the final score.
4:51 - Another goal for Fulham. 6-0 Norwich trail. Pathetic. I feel for the fans. West Brom are just a couple of minutes away. They're into added time at Charlton.
4:47 - Norwich have conceeded yet again. Five-nil down against a Fulham team who've been poor all year. The players have done the fans no credit today. Remember, everyone was saying before kick-off that they had the best position. They're down now, as are Southampton.
4:45 - Palace have seven minutes to save their season. They're throwing everything at the Charlton goal, no surprises there. It looks like desperate defending for Charlton now. Just seven minutes and extra-time. My blood pressure!
4:43 - Johnathan Fortune scores for Charlton! It's West Brom again! Well done Charlton - I love you so much.
4:38 - Kieran Richardson has scored another for Albion. They're going to win against a flat Portsmouth, so if they do go down, as looks likely, at least they've gone down with dignity. They're playing well in the second half.
4:36 - At three thirty-five I said it looked a mountain for Palace. How wrong I was. It now looks a mountain for everyone else. I just can't see Charlton getting back in it. Their season has petered out desperately, as always, and they've got nothing to play for. What do they owe Albion, after all?
4:34 - Norwich have conceeded yet again. Looks like they're going out with a whimper. Albion supporters are cheering for Charlton now - it's their only hope. Come on you Addicks!
4:31 - Scores!! Bollocks. Palace look good. Can you see Charlton coming back? I'm afraid I can't.
4:31 - A penalty for Palace - Andrew Johnson is stepping up:
4:25 - A temporary table:
17 West Brom 37 -26 34
18 Crystal Palace 37 -21 33
19 Norwich 37 -32 33
20 Southampton 37 -21 32
4:22 - Southampton have conceeded - a goal for van Nistelrooy! It looks better for Albion every minute. Apparently, the away Portsmouth fans are supporting Albion too, because they so want Southampton to go down. Southampton look bad. I think they could be gone.
4:21 - YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES!!!!!!!! West Brom take the lead!!!! Horsfield has just come on, and has taken the lead! Albion are in the driving seat. Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!
4:20 - Crystal Palace appear back in it. Freedman has scored for them at Charlton, thanks to El-Karkouri's doziness. They've moved up one position in our temporary table.
4:18 - I've got a feeling Southampton are in an even better position than it looks. With Man Utd having half an eye on the FA Cup Final next Saturday, I think they'll be happy to accept a draw today, which is probably going to be enough for Southampton.
4:14 - Knight has scored for Fulham. Norwich have lost the game now - they won't score three away at Fulham today. They're not out of it yet - if Southampton concede, Norwich will be back in the driving seat despite their poor performance. Norwich have been their own worst enemies this season; if they hadn't conceeded so many needless goals, they'd be in a better position today. Remember those 4-0 losses to Arsenal and Chelsea, when they gave up during the games? Could come home to roost today.
4:05 - As the second half starts, I would like to point something out. I stated here that I wanted Albion to stay up. The chance now really is theirs: Palace are a goal down, and look out of it, Norwich aren't going to get back level, and Southampton are up against Man Utd. They've got to take it in the next forty-five minutes or so. Come on Albion!
3:55 - Half-time has arrived at all the grounds. Let's have a look at a temporary table:
17 Southampton 37 -20 33
18 Norwich 37 -31 33
19 Crystal Palace 37 -22 32
20 West Brom 37 -27 32
3:36 - Papa Bouba Diop has scored for Fulham from a magnificent free kick. How Norwich have thrown away the best position, against a team with nothing to play for in Fulham, I'm not quite sure. Albion, to survive, need to score against Pompey, and hope the score stays the same at St. Mary's.
3:35 - Bryan Hughes has scored for Charlton at home to Crystal Palace, which leaves them currently second from bottom. It looks a mountain for them from here.
3:22 - Fletcher has equalised for Man Utd. Good good. Southampton still staying up as it stands though, courtesy of goal difference.
3:13 - Quashie has scored for Southampton. It's beginning to look good for them. Perhaps the fallout off the whole Glazer business has been to lower team morale a load. Anyway, Man Utd aren't doing the business at the moment.
3:12 - McBride has scored for Fulham! As it stands, Southampton will survive.
3:00 - Kickoff.
2:50 - Ten minutes before kickoff. The team news is in - the surprises are that WBA are up against a really piss-poor Portsmouth side, with no Yakubu, a full time debutante, and several other less-than-stellar personnel. Also, Southampton have dropped Kevin Phillips and brought in Brett Ormerod. This makes so little sense, I don't know where to start. Just a reminder, this is how the table looks at the start of the afternoon, with Norwich in pole position:
17 Norwich 37 -29 33
18 Southampton 37 -20 32
19 Crystal Palace 37 -21 32
20 West Brom 37 -27 31
4:58 - A pitch invasion at Albion! Horsfield is being held up high, crowd-surfing if you like. I am so, so happy, it can't be described. Well done Bryan Robson! Horsfield and Richardson got the goals today, but it's been a team effort. Well done Albion! I am sooooooooo happy.
4:56 - West Brom have done it!!!!!!!! It's all over at Charlton! 2-2 isn't enough for Palace. Yes! Yes! Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!!!!!!!!!
4:55 - Full time at Southampton. 2-1 Man Utd win.
4:54 - Full time at Fulham. 6-0 the final score.
4:51 - Another goal for Fulham. 6-0 Norwich trail. Pathetic. I feel for the fans. West Brom are just a couple of minutes away. They're into added time at Charlton.
4:47 - Norwich have conceeded yet again. Five-nil down against a Fulham team who've been poor all year. The players have done the fans no credit today. Remember, everyone was saying before kick-off that they had the best position. They're down now, as are Southampton.
4:45 - Palace have seven minutes to save their season. They're throwing everything at the Charlton goal, no surprises there. It looks like desperate defending for Charlton now. Just seven minutes and extra-time. My blood pressure!
4:43 - Johnathan Fortune scores for Charlton! It's West Brom again! Well done Charlton - I love you so much.
4:38 - Kieran Richardson has scored another for Albion. They're going to win against a flat Portsmouth, so if they do go down, as looks likely, at least they've gone down with dignity. They're playing well in the second half.
4:36 - At three thirty-five I said it looked a mountain for Palace. How wrong I was. It now looks a mountain for everyone else. I just can't see Charlton getting back in it. Their season has petered out desperately, as always, and they've got nothing to play for. What do they owe Albion, after all?
4:34 - Norwich have conceeded yet again. Looks like they're going out with a whimper. Albion supporters are cheering for Charlton now - it's their only hope. Come on you Addicks!
4:31 - Scores!! Bollocks. Palace look good. Can you see Charlton coming back? I'm afraid I can't.
4:31 - A penalty for Palace - Andrew Johnson is stepping up:
4:25 - A temporary table:
17 West Brom 37 -26 34
18 Crystal Palace 37 -21 33
19 Norwich 37 -32 33
20 Southampton 37 -21 32
4:22 - Southampton have conceeded - a goal for van Nistelrooy! It looks better for Albion every minute. Apparently, the away Portsmouth fans are supporting Albion too, because they so want Southampton to go down. Southampton look bad. I think they could be gone.
4:21 - YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES!!!!!!!! West Brom take the lead!!!! Horsfield has just come on, and has taken the lead! Albion are in the driving seat. Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!
4:20 - Crystal Palace appear back in it. Freedman has scored for them at Charlton, thanks to El-Karkouri's doziness. They've moved up one position in our temporary table.
4:18 - I've got a feeling Southampton are in an even better position than it looks. With Man Utd having half an eye on the FA Cup Final next Saturday, I think they'll be happy to accept a draw today, which is probably going to be enough for Southampton.
4:14 - Knight has scored for Fulham. Norwich have lost the game now - they won't score three away at Fulham today. They're not out of it yet - if Southampton concede, Norwich will be back in the driving seat despite their poor performance. Norwich have been their own worst enemies this season; if they hadn't conceeded so many needless goals, they'd be in a better position today. Remember those 4-0 losses to Arsenal and Chelsea, when they gave up during the games? Could come home to roost today.
4:05 - As the second half starts, I would like to point something out. I stated here that I wanted Albion to stay up. The chance now really is theirs: Palace are a goal down, and look out of it, Norwich aren't going to get back level, and Southampton are up against Man Utd. They've got to take it in the next forty-five minutes or so. Come on Albion!
3:55 - Half-time has arrived at all the grounds. Let's have a look at a temporary table:
17 Southampton 37 -20 33
18 Norwich 37 -31 33
19 Crystal Palace 37 -22 32
20 West Brom 37 -27 32
3:36 - Papa Bouba Diop has scored for Fulham from a magnificent free kick. How Norwich have thrown away the best position, against a team with nothing to play for in Fulham, I'm not quite sure. Albion, to survive, need to score against Pompey, and hope the score stays the same at St. Mary's.
3:35 - Bryan Hughes has scored for Charlton at home to Crystal Palace, which leaves them currently second from bottom. It looks a mountain for them from here.
3:22 - Fletcher has equalised for Man Utd. Good good. Southampton still staying up as it stands though, courtesy of goal difference.
3:13 - Quashie has scored for Southampton. It's beginning to look good for them. Perhaps the fallout off the whole Glazer business has been to lower team morale a load. Anyway, Man Utd aren't doing the business at the moment.
3:12 - McBride has scored for Fulham! As it stands, Southampton will survive.
3:00 - Kickoff.
2:50 - Ten minutes before kickoff. The team news is in - the surprises are that WBA are up against a really piss-poor Portsmouth side, with no Yakubu, a full time debutante, and several other less-than-stellar personnel. Also, Southampton have dropped Kevin Phillips and brought in Brett Ormerod. This makes so little sense, I don't know where to start. Just a reminder, this is how the table looks at the start of the afternoon, with Norwich in pole position:
17 Norwich 37 -29 33
18 Southampton 37 -20 32
19 Crystal Palace 37 -21 32
20 West Brom 37 -27 31
