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Zoltan Gera celebrates with Shane Long. Martin Rickett/PA Wire
Humble Pie

Roundly predicted as relegation fodder, it's West Brom 1-0 TheScore.ie

Only two of our Premier League experts predicted The Baggies to beat the drop.

ROMELU LUKAKU’s HAT-TRICK goal made it 5-5 and earned West Brom a point in their final game of the season, their 49th after their 38th and final game.

Steve Clarke’s men finished in 8th place, 24 points off a Champions League place but, more importantly, 13 points clear of the drop. In truth, The Baggies never looked like relegation candidates despite losing five of their last eight games.

33 league points were compiled by 26 December, making TheScore.ie’s pre-season predictions of a WBA relegation seem like folly.

Despite six of our eight writers [75%] predicting the drop for West Brom, the Midlands club got their season off to a superb start by defeating Liverpool 3-0 and continuing to make us look foolish for the remainder of 2012. Only Ben Blake and Fintan O’Toole – The 25% Club – can hold their heads up high over the summer.

As many of our readers have asked if we would hold our collective hands up and say ‘We got it wrong’, some of our writers have composed short apologies:

Paul Fennessy: “With the change of coach, I thought they’d struggle. Clearly, I was wrong. Fair play to Steve Clarke for proving so many of us wrong – a top, top manager.”

Pat McCarry: “I knew Lukaku was good but I didn’t know he was that good. Congrats to The Baggies. Also, well done to West Ham, who I also pinned as relegation candidates but came 10th. I should stick to the rugby.”

Lukaku scored 17 Premier League goals for W.B.A. (Owen Humphreys/PA Wire)

Tony Cuddihy: “As the ‘QPR of sports betting,’ I dearly hope I didn’t enter that particular predictions race.” [Note - In fairness to T.C, he did predict the drop for Reading and the aforementioned Q.P.R]

Gavan ‘unrepentant’ Reilly: “I’m particularly happy with my ‘Newcastle to challenge for the title’ prediction.”

Fintan ‘Gloating’ O’Toole: “An act of heresy by TheScore.ie team to believe that a team containing Shane Long would get relegated. Support your own. COYBIG.”

Five out of our eight writers called Manchester United for the league title while all [bar G.R] got the top four teams correct, in various orders. The moral of the story – wait until 1 May before making bold Premier League predictions.

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