Three points closer to the promised land, but with Man City gifted another three points and with so many games to come between clubs involved at the bottom (now about half the division) predicting the end-result is no easier. The next home game for Sheff Utd could be crucial, to see if anyone can score for them now that Hulse is out. If they lose Warnock will have a tough time maintaining the impression of being relaxed.
It looked to me as though the players were feeling the pressure on Saturday. Hopefully the result eased some of that. Pardew on TV gave a good impression of someone who knew that fortune had smiled on him; I'm sure that with 10 minutes left on Saturday he would have taken 0-0. What was that about lucky generals?
Three points from the next two games has to be seen as the minimum requirement, with four acceptable and six magnificent. Three in the bag on Friday would have the added bonus of bringing City in reach (they are not safe yet, given their remaining fixtures); hopefully Reading losing to Spurs will encourage them to get the holiday brochures out early, although this might be wishful thinking.
Maybe it's best to focus not on who is likely to accompany Watford but on who you would like to see go down. Wigan and Sheff Utd would seem to me to be ideal (not least as a quick trip through the Blackwall Tunnel beats the M1 any day. But after their team and performance against Man City it would be poetic justice to see Boro take the fall. The only way that injustice can be balanced is for Liverpool to put out their youth team for the final game (I'm cheering for them tonight).
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