Whilst away at Sky Sports doing work experience I wrote an article on when the Europa League semi final draw takes place.

http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11959/10835631/when-is-the-europa-league-semi-final-draw

Celtic's Kolo Toure insists trophies more important than unbeaten run

Whilst away at Sky Sports doing work experience I wrote an article on Kolo Toure insisting trophies are more important than Celtic's unbeaten run.

http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11787/10837442/celtics-kolo-toure-insists-trophies-more-important-than-unbeaten-run

Burnley’s impressive home form

Whilst away at Sky Sports I wrote an article on Burnley's impressive home form in the Premier League.

http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/10844309/burnleys-home-form-could-cause-man-utd-problems-at-turf-moor

Crystal Palace's tough run in

Thank you for answering my Twitter poll on who will get relegated between Brighton and Newcastle next season. 47% of you believe Brighton will go down, 5% only think Newcastle will. However 37% of you don't think either side will and only 11% think they both will go down.



Whilst being away at work experience I haven't had the time to update my blog regularly, however I managed to write a little piece whilst I was at work experience.

Crystal Palace's tough run in

Sam Allardyce has masterminded terrific wins over Chelsea and Arsenal and his Palace side are 6 points clear of the relegation zone with a game in hand – however they are not safe and have a really tough run in. Will they survive the drop?

Palace have won five games in their last six matches. There is a real sense of optimism and renowned confidence in South East London.

They have scored ten goals in that period, conceding just two in the process. Their form has put them joint second in the form table, alongside Chelsea and behind Tottenham Hotspur.

The introduction of Mamadou Sakho has seen Palace keep four clean sheets in their last six games and the attacking threat of Andros Townsend, Christian Benteke and Wilfried Zaha (who has been compared to Neymar) have seen Palace score at least twice in their last three games.

 

However, Palace will have to keep their feet on the ground and work hard if they want to stay in the Premier League next season.

Allarydce has never been relegated in his managerial career. Keeping the likes of Blackburn, West Ham and Sunderland from the drop.

His achievements saw him named England manager but after being sacked after one game for the three lions he has rejuvenated his career at Palace.

The Eagles will be wary of the fact they still have to play Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United away from home as well as hosting Tottenham Hotspur.

Their form against the top six before Sam Allarydce took over was embarrassing. They had lost every single game, conceding 12 goals in the process and only scoring four.

However their famous 2-1 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and their 3-0 win over Arsenal at Selhurst Park means a revitalised Palace may have a big say in who finishes where in the top four.

 

If results in their run in do not go their way, a six pointer game against Hull City could be the biggest game of Big Sam’s career.

They lie four points above Hull City, who recently have enjoyed a good spell of home form and are gaining momentum.

Crystal Palace next face Liverpool away from home. Three points against the reds will see the surpass the 40 point barrier.

A loss will have fans asking questions about their safety.

Is promotion to the Premiership a blessing or a curse?

The financial packages to securing a place in the Premier League is monumental, but does that necessarily mean that your fans will enjoy potentially watching their team scrape survival? This season newcomers, Burnley, Middlesbrough and Hull all linger in the bottom half of the Premier League table. With Middlesbrough in the relegation zone and Hull one place above it. Is one season of ecstasy worse a season of misery?

I have asked a Twitter Poll asking if Newcastle and Brighton will have a successful Premier League campaign next season, lets have a look to see how they are doing in this seasons Championship.

Team: Newcastle
Position: 1st
Points: 84
Form: DLDWW
Odds: 1/250















The last time Newcastle were in the Championship the smashed it. Earing 102 points and finishing nine points clear of West Brom in 2010. This time round they are in first place again, albeit they may not surpass the 100 point barrier, they still look like a team who is clearly a league above the Championship. Unlucky to be relegated last season after the appointment of Rafael Benitez, it looks like they could be safe in next seasons Premier League.

Dwight Gayle has been outstanding for Newcastle this season, netting 22 goals and registering two assists in the process. Overall, Newcastle have found scoring easy to go by. Netting 73 all together, if they can carry that sort of confidence into next season and if they can build on their squad, fans will be believing they can restore the type of league form which saw them finish 5th in the 2011/12 season, two seasons after promotion from the Championship.

Team: Brighton
Position: 2nd
Points: 83
Form: WWLWW
Odds: 1/33















Brighton and Hove Albion are having the season of their lives. Their highest league position in the Championship was 3rd last season and missed out on the playoffs. However they have managed to step it up again this year round and with Chris Hughton in charge, a former Premier League manager and a man who gained promotion to the Premiership with Newcastle United in 2010. He will be looking to repeat the same feat again with Brighton.

They have the second best defensive record in the Championship after Newcastle and have lost the least games in the league this season. If they can continue that kind of form in the league next season then they will be tough to deal with in the Premiership. However, it is easier than it sounds.

Title Run in

Thank you for answering my Twitter poll on who should go to the world cup alongside Harry Kane, 50% of you believe that Jermaine Defoe should with 23% choosing Vardy. 20% believe another striker on my list should go with only 7% wanting Rooney to feature.


With Chelsea's shock loss to Crystal Palace on Saturday Tottenham fans will have a tiny glimmer of hope that they can catch the league leaders in the final stretch of the league. It would obviously require a major capitulation for Chelsea alongside a near perfect run in for Spurs. But if results go against the Blues they could find themselves only four points ahead of Spurs with eight games remaining for both.

Team: Chelsea
Position: 1st
Points: 69
Potential Threats: Man City (5th April, Home), Man Utd (16th April, Away), Everton (30th April, Away)
Odds: 1/8



History favours Chelsea to win the League from this position. Only two teams, (Newcastle 1996 and Arsenal 2008) managed to throw away the Premier League title after being league leaders with 10 games remaining. Chelsea realistically have three potential threats. The timing of the City game after a loss to Palace is probably their biggest game of the season. If they lose that then all of a sudden they may begin to question themselves.

Considering Chelsea won the League two seasons ago they shouldn't face a startling nervous breakdown, like Newcastle did where they only managed to pick up 17 points from their final 10 games and were usurped to the title by United. After beating United twice this season already, both being at home, they will be confident facing the reds. Everton's chances from the top six took a major blow and Chelsea will want three points away at the toffee's too. Their run in in May is realistic enough for them to expect to win every game. They are almost certain of claiming their fifth Premier League title.

Team: Tottenham Hotspur
Position: 2nd
Points: 62
Potential Threats: Arsenal (30th April, Home), Man Utd (13th May, Home), Leicester (TBC, Away)
Odds: 7/1



Considering Spurs have to face nobody in the top six until the final day of April, if Chelsea fail to get a point against United and Spurs keep momentum then the difference may only be one point, or even worse going into May. The likelihood of this happening isn't great for Spurs. Only time will tell if they have a chance to catch the leaders.

However, they have to play Man Utd, who already beat them earlier in the season and face a rejuvenated Leicester City later on in the season, most likely in May. Their home form has been impeccable and they will be confident to beat United. If results do go their way and they are top of the league by May 1st they may have to win ugly and pull off one of the greatest stories in Premier League History.