The Battle To Avoid The Drop Hots Up
Posted by Jasper Reed in Ben Thatcher, Birmingham, Charlton, Man City, Portsmouth, Transfers, Watford, West Ham, Wigan | 3 February 2007
Managers involved in the battle to avoid the drop have played their last cards with the closing of the transfer window. All are now stuck with the players at their disposal, so who is best placed?
Portsmouth last year followed the lead of Birmingham City in showing that a few shrewd signings can see a team escape what appeared to be inevitable. Birmingham was awful in the first half of the 2002/03 season but with the acquisition of Clemence, Clapham, Dugarry and a certain M Upson they avoided the drop at the expense of West Ham. This year, the tables have been turned with the nouveau riche Hamsters splashing the cash. Neill, Davenport, Boa Morte, Blanco and Upson again have all been drafted in to bolster the squad, along with Nigel Quashie. Quashie, it seem, is viewed as relegation specialist, having sampled the drop with QPR, Forest, Southampton and WBA. Some may say this is more than coincidence…
Of course West Ham should survive - they really shouldn’t be down among the deadmen in the first place - but I don’t think its just Charlton, Wigan and Watford fans that love to see them plummet.
Watford appears destined for the drop but has used their tenuous grip to snap up some useful young lower league and continental talent in a bid to come straight back up. The only name of note is Steve Kabba, who may prove to be an adequate cut-price replacement for Ashley Young. I’m sure they know the die is cast – they may overtake one of West Ham, Wigan or Charlton, but not all 3 - and have been prudent in their dealings by banking the majority of the Young money.
Wigan has also shuffled the deckchairs more than panic buy. Caleb Folan may prove to be a steal at $500,000 eventually, but January is hardly the time to bring a lower league cup scorer in and expect them to pay instant dividends week after week (DJ Campbell, anyone?) Again, Wigan has quality on paper but in Kirkland and Heskey also have ‘enigmatic’ players at each end of the park. I think they are at most risk when and if West Ham gets themselves sorted.
Charlton manager Alan Pardew stated that he wanted ‘English’ style defenders to get out of trouble, and so drafted in a Welshman, Chinaman, Algerian and Frenchman… The effective swapping of Thatcher for Traore is a satisfying one for Addicks fans but I’m still concerned about firepower and back up defenders, particularly as the versatile Fortune has been allowed to leave for Stoke. However, with Reid, Bent and Young to come back into an improving side (Young and Reid are yet to play under Pardew) the Addicks can also haul themselves clear.
Those are the 4 in trouble at the moment but I think its to early to be saying it’s 2 from 3 to join Watford just yet. Any one of the teams from Man City (13th place, 30 points) downwards will be peering a little nervously over their shoulder. Indeed, City themselves perhaps appear a little complacent. No major signings, experienced men (Reyna, Thatcher) leaving and a manager with 2 jobs? Don’t bet against them being dragged into danger…
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