Who is going down with West Brom?

THE title race may have sewn up last week when Manchester United retained the Premiership crown with a goal-less draw against Arsenal, but the excitement is far from over.

Sunderland, Hull, Middlesbrough and Newcastle are fighting tooth and nail to avoid being thrown into Championship football with West Brom, with two of the relegation places still “up for grabs”.

Not that any of them will have it easy on Sunday. Sunderland are facing Chelsea, while Newcastle face Aston Villa at Villa Park. Hull are hosting Manchester United at home while Middlesbrough arguably have the easiest fixture of all when they travel to Upton Park to face West Ham.

Which two teams do you think will be relegated after this weekend’s matches?

How would you shore up United’s defence?

WITH this morning’s 2-2 draw between Manchester United and Porto in the Champions League, any hopes of a United resurgence after the 3-2 weekend win over Aston Villa have all but evaporated into thin air.

While they previously have only conceded almost 30 goals in 52 games in all competitions this season, they have shipped in 10 in the last four games. Even Sir Alex Ferguson have admitted the fragility of his defence after a last-gasp equaliser by Maciano left the Old Trafford faithful high and dry.

Ronaldo – should he stay or just go far, far away?

WITH Frederico Macheda’s stunning injury-time winner, Ronaldo’s brace had all but become a footnote in the game between Manchester United and Aston Villa last night.

While he has scored 19 goals in all competitions this season, Ronaldo has been a shadow of the player he was last season after the summer transfer debacle with Real Madrid.

And now with rumours surfacing again on Ronaldo’s departure to the Bernabeu at the end of this season, it would be time to reflect on this season and wonder again if keeping Ronaldo at Old Trafford is really worth all the trouble?

THE POSTMAN LIM SAY HENG says: Just go, Ronaldo. Go straight to Real – do not pass ‘Go’, do not collect $200 and please, don’t trip over air and try to look for a free-kick.

What’s the secret behind Liverpool’s superb March form?

(Picture: AP)

FOLLOWING an abysmal first two months of 2009, where they surrendered the Premiership lead to Manchester United, Liverpool have seemingly hit top gear this month, scoring 15 goals against four opponents in all competitions, including the likes of Real Madrid and United.

Thanks to their current form, the Reds have now inched within sight of United, and have a better goal difference than the defending champions.

After a string of poor performances in the preceding months, the Merseyside club are playing like champions of late, especially in last night’s mauling of Aston Villa, where captain Steven Gerrard scored his first Premier League hat trick.

What is the secret behind Liverpool’s superb March form?

THE POSTMAN LIM SAY HENG says: Okay I admit, I was way off the mark when I said last week that Liverpool would be the first to crack, in fact it was the opposite – United and Chelsea lost their matches while Liverpool marched on.

And while some of you guys out there will point to the return of Fernando Torres or Gerrard’s influence for Liverpool’s return to form, I am going with Pepe Reina instead.

Who will be the next to choke?

FOLLOWING yesterday’s thread on the biggest possible threats to our three main title challengers, today’s Thought of the Day will centre on the physical and mental toughness of Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea in their remaining nine (10, in United’s case) Premiership matches.

With just four points (seven, if United win their game in hand) separating United from Chelsea and Liverpool, all three teams can ill-afford to drop points from now till 24 May, but inevitably, somewhere along the way someone is bound to slip up. The question is, who will blink first?

THE POSTMAN LIM SAY HENG says: LIVERPOOL would be the obvious choice, wouldn’t it?

Are Villa starting to choke?

ASTON Villa’s charge into the Big Four seems to be stuttering right now, after their 2-0 loss to Manchester City early this morning.

With the defeat, they have now dropped seven points in their last three Premiership games, allowing Arsenal to come within three points of the fourth-placed Villans.

After a sustained good performance for much of this season, are the Villans starting to run out of gas as the Premiership heads towards the final stretch?

Q&A with Letter of the Weekend winner Dinesh Bora

When and why did you start supporting Chelsea?

Well I wouldn’t say I am a life long supporter of Chelsea but it started after the 2006 World Cup which piqued my interest in football. I decided to look up the players who had played in the tournament and found that a few of the top players had played for a Premier League side named Chelsea.

I was curious, who were they and were they any good? I later found out they had won 2 consecutive league titles and had spent alot of money buying many of their players.

Are City turning into an English Real?

JUST a day after their initial £100 million bid was supposedly turned down, City have upped their bid for Kaka by £7 million.

The Brazilian playmaker has been given permission to talk to the Eastlands club, paving the way for a possible transfer that will smash the world record and shock the football fraternity.

But the real question is – should City really be padding up their strike force with yet another expensive buy?

THE POSTMAN LIM SAY HENG says: While a superstar such as Kaka will always be a welcome addition to any team, it remains to be seen if Mark Hughes really needs yet another attacking player in his squad.

At his disposal, Sparky already has the likes of Robinho, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Jo, Elano and Stephen Ireland, and if you look at City’s scoring record this season so far, they have only been outscored by Chelsea, who have netted 40 goals.

Should video evidence be used?

HULL City are demanding an investigation into claims that a third party had influenced Steve Bennett’s decision to rescind an injury-time penalty call in their 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa on Tuesday night, according to a report in The New Paper today.

While Hull City chairman Paul Duffen acknowledged that the decision to overturn the penalty call was correct, he raised the possibility that Bennett’s decision was influenced by a third party using video evidence, which is illegal under the Premier League rules.

THE POSTMAN LIM SAY HENG says: FIFA President Sepp Blatter has long advocated against the use of such video evidence technology, arguing that it would undermine the absolute authority of the referee on the pitch among other reasons.

Other people have also argued that such controversies add to the beauty of the game as well – these flashpoints ignite the passion of the players and fans alike, and create talking points long after the game is over.

I’d say it’s a decision that keeps football living in the 20th century when the rest of the world has moved into the 21st century and beyond.

Question of the Weekend (Explain Villa’s rise)

Happy New Year all,

THE POSTMAN’S QUESTION OF THE WEEKEND: GIVE your take on why Aston Villa are lying fourth in the league table ahead of Arsenal with half a season gone, and if they can remain in the top four at the end of the season.

Consider the roles of the manager, star players, or even the arrival of unsung hero Brad Friedel and the retention of Gareth Barry.
Cheers,
Say Heng
The Postman