Dick Advocaat will have a lot to think about in the Premier League run-in
Four teams, separated by three points, knowing that, unless Leicester or QPR stage a miraculous revival, one of them will take the £100million plunge into the Championship.
And if the bottom two recover, their positions will become still more perilous. As it, Villa parted company with Paul Lambert and Sunderland sacked Gus Poyet in their bids to beat the drop.
They are looking for the new-manager effect under Tim Sherwood and Dick Advocaat. Hull and Burnley are looking for continuity to produce consistency when it matters most. Thirty-six points should be enough to keep a team up but each averages under one per game.
Startlingly, Sunderland have only won four league games all season. Burnley have triumphed just five times.
Advocaat: This is a big challenge [AMBIENT]
Sunderland, with just three points in their last seven games, are in the worst shape. Hull, who still have to face five of the top seven, have the worst run-in.
Villa have the worst goalscoring record, even if it has improved under Sherwood. Burnley have the worst defensive record and, man for man, the worst squad but, crucially, they do play like a team.
Sunderland took a huge gamble by appointing Advocaat. The veteran Dutchman is their second supposed relegation Red Adair, after January's signing Jermain Defoe. He has only scored twice. They have got out-of-form Newcastle next in a North-East derby. It could be the crucial game for them.
But others will eye Burnley. Hull's home match against the Clarets on May 9 is, on paper, their most winnable. Villa host Burnley on the final day. It could be a winner-takes-all scenario with safety the prize.
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