do we think? I'm going to go down? Let's predict it. We also
had our predictions at the start of the Season, some of
those are a bit out there. Now we look back at them but
we maybe have a bit of a clearer picture, at least about
one of the relegation spots. But as I said for games to go
for all the teams down there, that's kind of cool to see
the way. It's, you know, how tight it is
all played the same games. Now they've made up a lot of games.
So I think we have a clear idea of
who looks like based on their remaining schedule current form.
Metro is going to go down, but first forts, Nick Mandola on
Big Sam. Allardyce coming back into the final four games of
the season to try and save Leeds. United reportedly is
going to get a bonus of three million pounds which is what
about we've got
four point two million dollars in the current exchange rate.
If he keeps leads up, big sounds appointment, what do you
think about that? Should have come in and have egrets? You
did if they're going to go down that route and of course,
the director of football.
Victor. Otto has been there, a long time, at least.
He was fired as well. So there's been a total overhaul
behind the scenes at Leeds and whirring times though. When you
look at the remaining schedule whether or not you believe big
Sam has the right man.
Yeah I had I had started to think that
or it's a had been fired because
he heard they were going to move to to how your big Sam.
I don't want to be
too cruel about this or too dismissive, but the word that
comes to mind is is joke.
Honestly, this is so
so comical and silly.
And if it works,
it will have worked. Anyways, if it doesn't work, it probably
wouldn't have worked. Anyways, it's just, I don't want to say
it's a fait, accompli. But guys are we really looking at their
schedule
and thinking oh what this needs is
instructions on how to play defensively? Come on.
I mean,
he has made quite a splash handy with his open and press
conference
he said that shocking, right? Yeah. Nobody was ahead of him
in football terms and he named checked Guardiola clot arteta
and I quote in terms of knowledge and depth of
knowledge, I'm up there with them.
I'm not saying I'm better than them
but I'm certainly as good as they are,
please discuss
Sure.
He's got a lot of experience in the game. Obviously, he's been
around a long time. He's been in this situation a number of
times. And so when I heard that, I thought, okay,
he's probably talking about, you know, he knows more about
the bottom of the table than some of these managers are
being in relegation scraps and keeping teams up but what he's
famously only gone down was it once in his career and that was
only very
recently, I believe with West Brom in his last stop and so he
does have a history of doing this particular job. But to Nix
point It's four games left, I don't know how much effect
a manager can come in
and have a big impact on a team in that short of a period of
time. It takes time to implement ideas and and just
get everybody on side with the manager. And that's something
that obviously
hobby gratia struggled to do
Jesse. Marsch had troubles doing it at points during his tenure,
but to Nick's point I'll soften on joke a little bit. I was
shocked by it, but it does highlight Just how chaotic
the club has been run this season because
so much of the the anger was aimed at Jesse marsch early
and it's like, well,
feel like Jesse Marsh is doing a fine enough job in this job,
doing what he can. I don't understand how somebody else
comes in and does better. And since then, I think we have
seen that play out, it kind of exactly as we saw it. And so
he probably shouldn't have been fired at MIT probably
and Victor horta,
you know, he has gone. Now
it the issues with leads this season much, Higher than
the manager. And so, maybe they stay up, maybe they don't.
But whoever they get in, in the summer, if they do, stay up
needs to be someone that they are going to commit to because
you can't change managers two and three times every season.
Yeah, I mean, it'll
forward, they lost five games now. They are only out of
the relegation Zone on goal difference heading into this
weekend, of course, they got Man City this weekend at
the Etihad, so it doesn't get much tougher than that and their
last four games. When you look at it, it your way
New Castle. What
West Ham away and have finished with the game against
Tottenham. I'm not an easy stretch. The only thing I'll
say about this is we've also gone. It may be just seemed
like heavy Gracia
is more of a defensive minded coach as well but he wasn't
really doing that over the last few months that leads and it
felt like maybe there was a bit of a clash there between
this is how we should play to. This is how we have to play to
grind out wins and Sam are. Those isn't gonna
he's not going to be saying the someone. Okay, we'll do it your
way. It's going to be his His way or the highway. He's going
to sit and deep defend
go direct. I don't have lead to got the players through that
especially in these four games to get anything out of them and
stay up but he's going to go down
playing his way. So that's the only way I can see if it works
right away and they get a bit of a spark then it might work.
It might one that makes it about him though. And to your
point there Joe, they haven't defended well this season under
multiple managers and suddenly Big
Sam's going to come in 44 games and get them defending to save
their live a hard time believing that that that's
a Fully
realistic into that that can happen
it almost. It almost takes the eyes and the pressure may be
off of the team and puts it squarely on to the manager. So
that the players
then have, you know, almost no fear to go out there and play
because,
you know, he is that Shield that human shield in front of them
that, that's taking it on all of the questions in this taking
on all of the anger and the vitriol. Maybe that works from
that perspective. But I feel like that's probably reaching
to to say, okay, well, here is the path. Staying in
the Premier League.
Yeah, I'm just saying that's what that whole open full, but
I don't think it's gonna happen personally. Um, okay Nick,
we talked about which teams are going to go down.
Obviously, let's get out of the way and done with my beloved
Southampton. Pretty sure. We all know they're going to get
relegated now. They are six points from safety with four
games to go. So realistically
the probably going to have to win their
final four games of the season to have a chance and everybody
16 all season. So they're down
and
next I probably would go for leads. I think given the The
remaining schedule
and then probably not in the forest. I think they just got
a knack of not being able to defend
when they need to and we saw that last time out against
Brentford but it's incredibly tight down there. Do you have
any other takes on this? I mean Everton really could use a win
and very soon on the Sean diatribe but it is showing
enough
to feel like they could get out of trouble.
Yeah,
I think every channel get out of trouble. I'll be interested
to continue to watch
if they can score goals because we've seen its kind of
the exact opposite of Leeds. Leeds has scored in something like
six or seven straight games, something crazy, like that, and
just continue to Lose or Draw
at the very best Everton
under 30 goals in a Premier League season is,
is ridiculous. And you almost feel like, even the way they've
lined up, whether it be, whether you want to call it
a 4-5-1, or
Whatever. They've
they've got the horses behind the ball if you will.
And it's funny that, you know, they're getting points. They
get a point. Now, in Calvert, Lewin is able to connect. So
I just look at the fixture list and says Everton that says.
Everton has the best chance to get out of there but they also
have you have to score goals to win games, they just haven't
done that.
Andy, what are you thinking? I
who you're free to go down.
So when we did it, what about a couple months ago? I think
I landed on. Southampton, Bournemouth who have
extricated themselves from that entire situation with a great
run at the end of the season and Forest I they were falling
in the process of falling. They have just continued to fall and
fall
and fall and fall. They've got one win in about their last 15
or so and it just it looks like the team that started
the season when we were talking about well they look like
they've never played together before because they hadn't they
brought in twenty two, twenty three new players in the summer
and obviously they kept Steve Cooper around it at
early point and Midway point of the Season where there was
questions over, are they going to make a change to try to stay
up? And they've just kind of continued on with what they've
been doing. Their fixtures are
mixed bag. They've got Southampton this weekend, okay.
You would think that if there is a,
there's a likely three-point still for them somewhere
to go, that it's going to be there. But then, they've got
Chelsea. Who knows what? You're going to get game to game.
Arsenal, obviously, still chasing the title and then they
finish with Palace who by that point
will have nothing to play for. So,
They might actually have a little sneaky way out
of the relegation picture.
I do see leads fallen in there,
it's just there's no direction at the club and to me that's
the biggest thing is,
you know, what do you cling to in those moments where you need
something
to come together around and to believe in and to push you over
the line and I just I don't see anybody else. Anybody coming
together at Leeds, it feels like a fractured
team. A fractured Club,
From the fans to the the front office and to the coach and to
the play. Just, it feels like nobody's pulling in the same
direction there. So I think it's going to be them and
it's either Everton or Lester for the other spot. I think
we're going to lose a really, really big team from
the Premier League this season. Neither one of them has gotten
as figured anything out this season and they've just
continued to just
draw points and drop points and drop points.
It feels like one of them deserves to be punished for it.
Nick, let's throw it over to. And what do you think?
Yeah. Lester to me has just been so inconsistent but but
has delivered,
you know, delivered some beauty and times whether it be through
Madison or somebody else. And obviously, you've already
coming through now at the key times after looking like, he
was absolutely cooked for much of the season, so it just feels
like,
you know, maybe they don't have the quality necessarily to stay
up in terms of that consistency. But
again, they
They're like squirrels, which is funny because they're foxes.
They find that not and it feels like they'll find it enough to
get by.
Yeah I think so I'm with you I think
for me it's between its two from Everton forest and leads
to join Southampton and I think it would just be forest and
leads because of their
inability to defend.
Those are the three that I'm going with but
guys is going to be all too crazy twists and turns in these
final four games coming up. And obviously, it looks like so,
Some massive massive games
between now and in the Seas, not in the forest Saints,
coming up kind of Last Chance Saloon especially the Saints
and an even West Ham not a team, we talked about. But you
know, there are only four points above the relegation
Zone
heading into the final four games of the season. And
they've got the Europa conference League semi-finals
to worry about as well. So it could be a team and unexpected
team. Another big team Mandy that could slip in right at
the end of the season
after waiting to see but
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