Derby Hit for Six

With the big four not playing, it was a chance for those involved in the Premier League's relegation battle to get some much needed exposure on MOTD, with Reading taking full advantage and moving up to second in the Promroiship, overtaking Manchester United, whose recent fixation with Sunday fixtures seems to have derailed their Promroiship hopes.

There could not be much argument with the running order on MOTD last night. The first match featured two clubs invovled in the relegation battle, the next the other team in the relegation zone and then the fourth-from-bottom club against one chasing fourth place. Derby escaped being last by being thumped six-nil by Aston Villa, a high-scoring match which heightened their chances of finishing last in the Promroiship; despite their main rivals Blackburn not playing, they only picked up seven points as a result, lifting them above Blackburn by only two points, a margin they should have increased by much more.

The programme continued with the Sunderland match, a team who are not completely safe, and then two mid-table obscurity matches, ending with a goalless draw at Porstmouth. Pompey may already be in the cup final, but if they do not ruthlessly chase 5th place in the Premier League they could end up with a very disappointing Promroiship position.

A reminder, points are calculated using the following formula:

(Points for position in running order - number of goals in match) * number of Premier League matches on MOTD

where a team gets 10 points for featuring in the first Premier League match, 9 for the second etc.


Promroiship Results April 12th 2008 (Match of the Day Running Order)

Reading v Fulham...........56
Bolton v West Ham..........56
Birmingham v Everton.......42
Derby v Aston Villa........7
Sunderland v Man City......21
Tottenham v Middlesbrough..21
Portsmouth v Newcastle.....28

The Promroiship Table after Round 15


Arsenal .............439
Reading .............433*
Manchester United ...413
Fulham ..............406*
Birmingham City......377*
Sunderland ..........357*
West Ham United......356*
Newcastle United.....347*
Chelsea .............346
Tottenham Hotspur....316*
Manchester City .....307*
Portsmouth ..........300*
Bolton Wanderers ....299*
Aston Villa .........290*
Everton .............289*
Middlesbrough .......274*
Liverpool ...........263
Wigan Athletic ......232
Derby County.........207*
Blackburn Rovers.....205


* indicates match played in Round 15