The tail is wagging a howling dog. All the enraged energy in the Premiership’s closing weeks comes from the swishing and flailing of the clubs in the relegation zone. Norwich, Southampton, Crystal Palace and West Brom all went unbeaten at the weekend and no one was dumbfounded.
It has been apparent for a few weeks now that each of them was similarly reluctant to leave the top flight and equally equipped to sustain hopes of survival until the closing, desperate moments that lie so enthrallingly before us.
Until this season, no newly promoted side has survived in the Premiership without winning at least one of its five opening matches. On Sunday, though, West Brom, Palace and Norwich will all be insistent that they are about to do so, even if at least two of them must be proved wrong.
In normal times, it is simple to spot the demoralised team and there was, for example, record-breaking fatalism in the 15 consecutive defeats with which Sunderland fled the Premiership in 2003.
This year, we have imperilled managers who are more inventive and pugnacious than ever. All four of the sides at the foot of the table have been radically altered as the months have gone by and, much more significantly, the changes have been effective. These have not been the futile and panic-driven stabs at reconstruction we have been accustomed to in seasons gone by.
If using the patchiest resources to best advantage is the real test, then David Moyes must be manager of the year for shepherding Everton into the Champions League places. By the same token, though, Nigel Worthington, Harry Redknapp, Iain Dowie and Bryan Robson should be on any shortlist, even if three of them will have to endure the ignominy of demotion to the Championship.
These are all people who have had to regroup and reflect. At Norwich, Worthington bought Dean Ashton from Crewe for £3-million in the transfer window and he could yet become one of the most resonant signings in modern times. Gary Holt, despite his endearing tirelessness, had to be sidelined when Youssef Safri was identified as the more suitable candidate for the holding role in midfield.
Most critically of all, the defence had to be revamped if Worthington was to get the best out of Robert Green, a possible England goalkeeper in the making, who was in danger of having his career pounded out of shape by the thumping of the Premiership.
So it was that Thomas Helveg came back, not only into fitness, but also in favour. Jason Shackell, since the start of last month, has emerged as the regular centre-half and players such as Simon Charlton are no longer fixtures in defence.
The transfer market is the natural habitat of Harry Redknapp and he has kitted out Southampton with a new central midfield of Nigel Quashie and Jamie Redknapp, while also adding the intermittent explosiveness of Henri Camara.
It is in keeping with his personality and philosophy, though, that he seems to have paid less attention than his rivals to implanting a rugged tone. In their last three fixtures, Southampton have conceded nine goals. Had the side not found the net very late in two of those matches to claim a total of four points, there would have been a string of defeats.
Redknapp did borrow Calum Davenport from Tottenham in January, but the inability to locate a hardened leader for the back four has imperilled the recovery at St Mary’s.
All the same, the Premiership’s stragglers are pugnacious and each member of the bottom four has defeated at least one of the top five teams. This grippingly cruel relegation contest is the one blood sport a whole country will treasure. — Â