With 30 million pounds on the line, it’s no wonder the Premiership clubs threatened with relegation are fighting tooth and nail to avoid or justify the drop.
Wigan have been amongst the most vocal, with Chairman Dave Whelan and boss Paul Jewell going nuts over West Ham’s lack of points deduction and now, apparently, Liverpool’s decision to rest players against Fulham,
“What happens to Wigan is of no concern to Liverpool, but for the good of the game, its integrity, resting nine players can’t be right,” Jewell told The Sun.
“What if Sheffield United had won at Aston Villa and decided to play a reserve team against us next week? It’s the same scenario.
“If Neil Warnock announced he was going to rest nine regulars there would be absolute murder.
“We are not down in this position because of Fulham or because of the situation at West Ham or because Liverpool have rested nine players, but events have conspired against us.”
We like Paul Jewell, and we like Wigan. But as he is clearly aware his club might be going down because they have not been good enough over the course of the season – not because Benitez did something that occurs all season long and just seems more glaring at the end of the year. There were plenty of first team squad players in that Liverpool side, it was hardly a youth team.
Unless by “results have conspired against us” he means “we’ve been crap since December”, then yes.