Vermaelen can’t stop the rot for Arsenal

With the season almost over the silverware has all been sorted out - and most of it is heading to Manchester. The blue half was celebrating an FA Cup triumph on Saturday night, while the red half basked in the glory of a 19th title.

Down at the bottom, West Ham were relegated after losing to Wigan on Sunday and five clubs will be fighting to avoid the remaining two spots in the drop-zone next weekend.

The small matter of the final Europa League place is also still to be settled, with Liverpool and Spurs both in with a shout.

AVRAM GRANT MILLWALL LEGEND West Ham manager Avram Grant was apparently relieved of his dutuies in the tunnel at the DW Stadium within minutes of the final whistle against Wigan. The Hammers' relegation was confirmed as the Latics recovered from 2-0 down at half time to draw level and then take the lead during injury time at the end of a thrilling game. Grant has cut a disconsolate figure on the touchline this season, but then he always does. It was his second successive relegation - last season he took Portsmouth down - and there have to be question marks about his future as a manager in England. There is one set of fans, however, that still rate him. Seen in the skies above Wigan during the match was a plane, obviously chartered by practical jokers from south London, that carried a banner with the slogan: "Avram Grant: Millwall legend". That must have hurt him almost as much as relegation.

ARSENAL'S SEASON HITS A NEW LOW Arsenal's defensive frailties have been a talking point all season long. But apologists for the Gunners slipshod displays at the back have pointed out that the side have been operating without their number one centre back, Thomas Vermaelen, for most of the campaign. But the Belgian finally made a return to the starting XI on Sunday against Aston Villa - and within 15 minutes Arsenal were 2-0 down. The home side pulled one back in a frantic finale but it was not enough to earn a point. Arsenal have now lost four times at the Emirates this season, and no-one in the top half of the table has suffered more defeats on their own turf. Indeed Wenger's weary troops are a shocking 18th in the Premier League form table - based on the last six league games - with just five points from a possible 18.

MISSING OUT IN EUROPE COULD HELP LIVERPOOL Liverpool face missing out on Europe after losing to Spurs at Anfield on Sunday - but seeing as Kenny Dalglish's side were languishing in 12th position in the table when he took over, the fact that they are challenging for fifth spot is an achievement in itself. Dalglish may even see missing out on Europe as a blessing. He has been blooding young players and trying to build a team that can challenge for top honours in the near future - having to fly out to places like Poznan to play on a Thursday night may not help those plans. And while not being in Europe may be a hindrance in attracting new players to the club, Dalglish seems happy with the squad he has, and the calls for a revamp playing staff have died on the lips of the Kop since he took over.

IS FERGIE MELLOWING IN OLD AGE? After almost 25 years at the Old Trafford helm and with 11 Premier League titles already under his belt the usually steely Alex Ferguson might have taken yet another truimph in his stride, but he looked as much like an excited teenager as a 69-year-old man can do when the final whistle blew at Ewood Park on Saturday. So pleased was he that he sounded uncharacteristically mellow. "I can hardly believe it is 12 Premier League titles," he admitted, before extending what could be seen as something of an olive branch to Liverpool, whose record of 18 titles has now been eclipsed by United. "That thing about knocking Liverpool off their perch, I don't think I actually said it," he claimed. "It's more important that United are the best team in the country in terms of winning titles."

BLACKPOOL SET FOR THRILLING FINALE A thrilling finale awaits the Premier League next weekend as five clubs battle it out to avoid the two remaining relegation places. Wigan, Blackpool and Birmingham are all stuck on 39 points, with Wolves and Blackburn on 40. To add some extra spice to the mix Wolves and Blackburn must play each other. But the game that no-one will want to miss is the clash between Blackpool and Manchester United. The Seasiders' madcap game against Bolton on Saturday summed up Ian Holloway's team and its approach to the season - and they will fancy their chances in the David v Goliath clash at Old Trafford. But their prospects of getting a result are slim. However, Wigan and Birmingham both have tough away games as well, so if the Seasiders can pull off another miracle and get something from the game then it might be enough to keep the Tangerine dream alive for another season.

BALOTELLI THE JOKER Manchester City bad-boy Mario Balotelli has been given a pretty torrid time since he arrived in England, but he could be on the way to becoming the kind of renegade talent that the Premier League loves to nurture - following in the footsteps of players like Eric Cantona and Paolo di Canio. It may have surprised those people who assume he eats babies for breakfast that he has a sense of humour - although the way he chose to show it off during post-match interview after the FA Cup final may not have been to everyone's taste. Asked if his man-of-the-match performance was his best in a Man City shirt he responded by saying that "My season was shit... Can I say that?" Although the grin on his face suggested that he knew very well that he couldn't. His claims to have given some kind of a Churchillian address to the City team, containing the likes of Yaya Toure and Carlos Tevez and world-cup winner David Silva, that inspired them to victory were equally amusing. ·