Basement Battles Will Decide The Drop...

Basement Battles Will Decide The Drop...

There are times when a few teams can seem so inept that it is difficult to imagine where their next win is coming from - until two of them meet. A draw is always an option when the resistible force comes up against the moveable object, but the taking of three points cannot be ruled out and nor can the effect on morale of a victory.

Wolves had won only twice this year before travelling to Burnley, and one of those triumphs was at Tranmere in the FA Cup. Yet having won at Turf Moor in the first leg of a claret-and-blue away treble they have gone on to miss out narrowly on three points at Villa Park then claim them emphatically at Upton Park.

Mick McCarthy's every world-weary press conference has seemed like a televised episode of the old Radio Four show In The Psychiatrist's Chair. This included the one that preceded the West Ham game, when he answered questions about the fielding of weakened teams with a fascinating combination of belligerence and resignation. Now, though, the speculation is that the resignation could come, with a subtle change of meaning, from Gianfranco Zola.

West Ham's defeat to Wolves was certainly abject and the Premier League table shows they are merely three points out of the relegation zone, ahead of Burnley and of a Hull side who have a game in hand. Yet at the bottom of the table three points in the bag are worth much more than a game in hand, two points would be most managers' preference and a case can be made for one point, provided that you have a goal difference advantage, which West Ham do.

Since the departure of Owen Coyle led to Brian Laws' arrival, Burnley have been spiralling downwards and the replacement of Phil Brown with Iain Dowie has led many to pair the two clubs: the choice of manager has doomed both, people say. Dowie looked to have a fine chance to resuscitate Hull on Saturday and prove the doubters at least temporarily wrong, but Portsmouth proved to be capable of some life after death.

It would be no surprise if the slumps continued in the coming couple of weeks. Burnley are at home to a Blackburn side who have just drawn with Chelsea then fourth-placed Manchester City, while Hull host a Fulham side with no UEFA Cup hangover this week, a match followed by a trip to Stoke.

However, on 10 April at the KC Stadium, hopeless Hull must play brittle Burnley. If both have been pointless or all-but beforehand then a draw could be the signal for both to plan for the Championship. But a win for either side would be a restorative however they have fared in the previous couple of weeks.

Not all wins are reinvigorating - look at Wigan's initial reaction to beating Liverpool. But enough are.

The Easter Saturday game between Manchester United and Chelsea is a six-point clash for those two, but also a critical game for Arsenal. Burnley's trip to Hull a week later has the potential to be even more significant at the bottom, where points - especially wins - are so much harder to come by.