Premier League - Murphy: Boro for the drop

Eurosport - Fri, 17 Apr 16:20:00 2009

Fulham captain and Eurosport-Yahoo! blogger Danny Murphy cannot see the Cottagers' next opponents Middlesbrough escaping relegation this season.

FOOTBALL 2008-2009 Premier League Middlesbrough Southgate - 0

With the season reaching its conclusion, it is nice for me as a Fulham player - and from the club's perspective - to be looking in on the relegation battle from the outside rather than being in amongst it, as we were last year.

Another great escape of the magnitude of ours 12 months ago will probably be avoided this time round. Then, we put together a good run towards the end of the season and the 1-0 win on the last day allowed us to stay up.

But I think it will be difficult for any of the teams down there this season to put a run together like that because it was so unusual.

We had a carefree feeling to our play in the last few matches and we were able to play with little pressure because we had already been written off.

West Brom have the same mentality at the moment but I think they now have too much to do after failing to hold on to all three points against Portsmouth at the weekend. But I admire the way they play football.

I'd be hard pushed to say who will join them for sure but the way Middlesbrough have been going I would pick them. We play them this weekend and I am confident in our ability to get a result there. Defensively they have leaked a lot of goals and I think that will be a major factor come the end of the season. You need to keep clean sheets - that is how we stayed up last year.

As for Newcastle, you expect them with the quality of their players to get some results but their run of games coming up is really tough.

It will be hard for the Toon, but Sunderland are still down there, as are Hull City. I'd be hard pushed to pick a third one because there are so many big games; there will certainly be some turns every weekend from now until the end of the season.

Who is to say that one of the candidates won't go against the odds and put a run together and prove me wrong as we did last year?

Generally I think this year has been fantastic for the Premier League. The relegation battle hasn't been limited to three, four or even five teams. Up until recently it was eight or nine, but now, rather inevitably, a gap has been created. It has been such an even season with everyone apparently capable of beating each other.

And it has been wonderful for Fulham that we have kept ourselves in the top half of the table. We had a good win at Manchester City which has given us a real chance to get into Europe next season.

We have some good games coming up that we feel we can win. We are playing with a confidence that consolidates the position we are in and, if we take inspiration from last season and continue to maintain belief, we can finish the season strongly once again.

Danny Murphy / Eurosport

Comment 19 - 38 of 38

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  1. boro will go down.

    From Some S, on Mon 20 Apr 5:53PM

  2. boro will not go down.

    From butchkins, on Sat 18 Apr 2:04PM

  3. Boro will sneak it today.Tuncay to good for­ Fulham.

    What a joke. If he was too good for Fulham you­ guys wouldn't be getting relegated to the­ championsh it

    From smallsy, on Sat 18 Apr 12:25PM

  4. Boro will sneak it today.Tuncay to good for Fulham.

    From paul, on Sat 18 Apr 8:49AM

  5. Middlesborough, West Brom and Blackburn to go down­ Santa Cruz to Man U, Downing to Tottenham or Everton or­ unlikely Arsenal
    West Brom mid table in Championship­ Middlesborough both to make play offs none to bounce­ straight back

    From seimonkey, on Fri 17 Apr 4:23PM

  6. what a load of rubbish

    From dhodgson709, on Fri 17 Apr 1:35PM

  7. Middlesborough have always been mid to low table and­ boring....any team that has downing as their best­ player must be so very average. Enjoy the­ championship....bye bye.

    From will p, on Fri 17 Apr 1:32PM

  8. another good article, always enjoy reading them, have a­ massive amount of respect for you as a player always­ thought you were underrated at liverpool and happy you­ and fulham are doing well

    From A, on Fri 17 Apr 1:20PM

  9. OH BEFORE I GO. TO THE 96 YOU'LL NEVER WALK ALONE

    From stuartrobert.home, on Fri 17 Apr 1:13PM

  10. i don't want see middlesbrough go down at all?­ blackburn yeah coz i can't stand sam allardyce coz­ he always moans about rafa benitez maybe then SAM­ he'll shut his mouth!!

    From stuartrobert.home, on Fri 17 Apr 1:10PM

  11. fergie you are a has been why get involved with­ liverpool & rafa benitez yet again just coz sam­ allardyce has had a pop at rafa benitez? mind games yet­ again won't put off rafa benitez nor liverpool for­ the title so shut up fergie you wittling arrogant pr**k

    From stuartrobert.home, on Fri 17 Apr 1:08PM

  12. i can't see nothing wrong with what rafa benitez­ did when liverpool scored 2nd goal again'st­ blackburn. oh yeah the pressure is really getting to­ fergie now coz he's had to get involved again!!

    From stuartrobert.home, on Fri 17 Apr 1:05PM

  13. danny be careful what you say coz you could bite of­ more than you can chew!! as for alex ferguson the­ pressure is really getting to you now he has another­ pop at rafa benitez as for sam allardyce whats your­ problem

    From stuartrobert.home, on Fri 17 Apr 1:03PM

  14. middlesbrough ave only themselves to blame for where­ they are. i'm a liverpool fan yeah they beat us­ but, they've struggled again'st smaller­ opposition

    From stuartrobert.home, on Fri 17 Apr 12:58PM

  15. to comment 11
    murhpy knows more about football than you

    From stuartrobert.home, on Fri 17 Apr 12:56PM

  16. As a Baggies fan I hope Boro come down, along with­ Newcastle.

    Boro are amazingly bad, poor motivation and­ I'm sorry, but any team that gets the double done­ over them by West Brom deserves to go down because we­ have been shocking this season.

    As for Newcastle.­ I'd just like to see how­ long

    Butt
    Duff
    Owen
    Viduka
    Martins
    Smith
    S­ Taylor
    Bebe
    R Taylor
    Barton
    Geremi

    Would fair in the­ championship.

    Jesus, when you look at that list how­ the hell are Newcastle in the bottom 3?

    From paulchappell82, on Fri 17 Apr 12:54PM

  17. taylorfive
    if any club's 'fans' deserve­ relegation than surely it has to be the apathetic AND­ pathetic middlesboro 'fans'. I do hope 'the­ boro' go down, i truly and sincerely do!

    From cameron w, on Fri 17 Apr 12:48PM

  18. I am neither a Boro or Fulham supporter but I agree­ with Danny Murphy, only just. I do think it will be a­ tight finish both at the top and bottom, and don't­ be surprised if there are still twists and turns to­ come. If I was a betting man, I would say Boro, Hull­ and WBA for the chop, Liverpool for the title. I know­ it will upset the Mancs but as a Gunner supporter we­ have to back Liverpool. Oh yes, I think the Mancs will­ get stuffed both by Everton and the super Gunners. I­ make no apologies for forecasting that.

    A Gunner

    From gerry, on Fri 17 Apr 12:44PM

  19. prjd..............................Sigh!!!

    From Bobby Robson A Legend, on Fri 17 Apr 12:40PM

  20. LOL @ comment 11. Yes, Murphy may not have the­ hairiest of heads but he was born in Chester, not­ Liverpool, so therefore not a Scouser. He is also club­ captain of Fulham F.C. and has played for Liverpool and­ England during his long career so I would say he knows­ quite a bit about football. Maybe not the wisest time­ to blog about Middlesbrough going down (which they­ will) but he is voicing his opionions. I would say­ exactly the same. Boro for the drop. They sign­ rubbish, their youth coming through are rubbish,­ Downing is over rated, they play diabolically and­ Southgate hasn't a clue. Better to be average in­ The Championship than be rubbish in the Premiership. ­ Nothing but Charlton mark 2.

    From bema1, on Fri 17 Apr 12:40PM
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