With as many as four clubs still in the race to join West Brom in the Championship next season, Premier League vultures are already circling in preparation to pick off the relegated teams’ best players. The Spoiler has a look at 5 players who are likely to continue plying their trade in the top flight whatever the outcome on Sunday. Jeremie Aliadiere need not apply.
Sunderland: Kenwyne Jones
Kenwyne Jones’ importance to Sunderland has been underlined by his bagging 9 goals in the league this season, despite spending the first few months on the physio’s table. Although Spurs boss Harry Redknapp recently denied he was still interested in the 24-year-old striker after a failed transfer bid in January, speculation over Roman Pavlyuchenko’s imminent exit from White Hart Lane is rife, and a move could still be on the cards.
For every Premiership star, there is a gaggle of decidedly average teammates skulking about in his shadows. These players are neither outstanding nor terrible, they are simply hard workers with a tendency to go about their job with little fuss - probably because they don’t want to draw attention to their lack of class.
The Spoiler has lovingly compiled a starting in tribute to these headline-dodging work horses, and no, it’s not just the Middlesbrough team…
GK: Kasper Schmeichel
City’s number two shot stopper isn’t a bad keeper, but he’s no class act - it probably doesn’t help that his dad was one of the best shot stoppers the Premier League has ever seen. It’s almost tragic at how much worse he is than Schmeichel senior but at ;east he is a better use of genetic material than George Best’s profesional moron son Calum.
RB: Phil Neville
The crappier Neville brother has represented England 59 times, and is Everton’s current captain. Yet he’s never been that good at anything other than tackling.
CB: Steven Taylor
The Newcastle defender has the odd impressive performance, but if he could sustain it, maybe Shay ‘I-have-to-face-way-too-many-shots-a-match’ Given would want to stay.
CB: Anton Ferdinand
They share the same parents, play at centre back, think dodgy braids are equally cool
Latest slip-up should ensure Arsenal beat Liverpool next week
Jeremie Aliadiere again haunted his former club Arsenal by scoring the equaliser that cost them three points at the Riverside after Emmanuel Adebayor had given the visitors the lead. As well as further damaging the Gunners’ slim title hopes, it extended Gareth Southgate’s unbeaten run against Arsene Wenger to five games.
You don’t have to be a topless model to be a WAG, but it helps
In 1998, Leilani Dowding was studying for an Economics degree at Royal Holloway University when she realised that she was incredibly good looking, and quite comfortable being photographed without clothing. Naturally, this lead to regular appearances on Page Three of The Sun, and a string of footballer admirers: she dated Dagenham & Redbridge’s Anwar Uddin, former Wimbledon FC man at the back Mark Williams and was engaged to Middlesbrough’s slap-happy forward Jérémie Aliadière.
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