Dean Smith didn’t fancy their chances and he made no apologies for sitting in and playing for a point that means their superior goal difference could still be a factor come Sunday evening. They too had the chance to take control of their own destiny by beating Newcastle on Monday night. Leicester have t succeed where Leeds failed and beat West Ham. READ MORE: Liverpool meltdowns feature in definitive ranking of 10 greatest final days in Premier League history How does Allardyce lift Leeds out of theirs in the hope that it matters? Mercifully, perhaps, Spurs are also in the midst of a massive funk. His players looked resigned to their fate, despite the consequences, while ignoring the basic principles of team shape. So he must have been horrified at what unfolded before him at West Ham. For Sam Allardyce there’s £2.5million on the line.īig Sam was hired in a mad panic with four games to go for his motivational and organisational skills. It came as little surprise to the fans who’ve watched a meek squad go through three managers this season, but the latest of those bosses has to lift them somehow for Spurs. Leeds were absolutely wretched at the London Stadium, surrendering a lead to go down 3-1 with barely a whimper. After Everton drew at Wolves the day before, they had the chance to seize the initiative on Sunday by beating a West Ham side possibly still hungover from their party in Alkmaar celebrating their first European final in 47 years. And even then, there is woefully little belief around Elland Road that the hosts would be capable of grabbing whatever opportunity may come their way. Like Everton, Leeds would deserve the punishment of relegation for failing to learn the harsh lessons of last season, which ended with Raphinha crawling across Brentford on his knees after a final-day escape.Ī year later, they are relying on Bournemouth to do them a favour. If and how they achieve it almost certainly won’t be. Or the 3-2 thriller against Wimbledon that did the trick in 1994.Įverton’s objective is simple. But many Evertonians remember the final day a quarter of a century ago when the Toffees tried their damnedest against Coventry to throw away a reprieve handed to them by Bolton. They learned f*** all from last season’s fright and that alone would see little sympathy sent their way if they cave in to the pressure on Sunday.Īt least last season, they avoided a final-day fret after coming from 2-0 down to beat Palace in their last home game the midweek before. Only Arsenal have stuck it out for longer. They’ve flirted with relegation too often for a club of their grandeur and for 69 years, they have swerved the second tier. But we can’t ignore Everton’s capacity for calamity, and their luck has to run out some time, right? They face the lowest-ranking opponent, one that you might expect to arrive on Merseyside with beach towels and factor 30 while sipping something with a little umbrella in it rather than anything isotonic. If the Toffees turn over Bournemouth at Goodison Park, then it matters not what Leeds and Leicester do against Tottenham and West Ham. Leeds and Leicester fans praying to whatever gods they reckon might take an interest in these matters need their deity not only to raise their own team from the dead but to strike down Everton too.
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