Premiership fixtures declared “no-pointers”

Benitez: "What's the point?"

Bill Hack Chief football correspondent

Premiership managers have lined up ahead of the last day of the season to declare their final fixtures “no-pointers”.

The final round of the 2010/11 Premier League is set to get under way at 4pm on Sunday – but more than half of the managers have described their matches as inconsequential, unimportant and trivial.

And there is mounting pressure on the Premier League not to bother awarding points for the fixtures – apart from the four meaningful matches.

This would balance out the number of unscheduled “six-pointers” earlier in the season.

“There is no doubt about it – our match with Hull is a cast-iron no-pointer,” said Benitez.

“It’s not a ‘must-win’, ‘six-pointer’ or even a ‘ need to get a result’. It is simply rank no-pointer.”

Meanwhile Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini has called for his side’s match with West Ham to be upgraded to a six-pointer.

“If we can only persuade the Premier League and West Ham to declare it a six pointer then we could still qualify for the Champions League!”

If the Premier League, as now looks likely, do decide to withhold all points for those matches, Skysports will be contractually obliged to downgrade ‘Super Sunday’ to ‘Run of the mill Sunday’.

Such measures would invoke a strict limit on shouting, sensationalism, superlatives and alliteration during their coverage as well as a ban on Andy Gray.

It will be another blow for the company who have been charged a number of times in the past for ‘false advertising’ regarding their ‘Super Sunday’ products.

In one of the meaningless fixtures Everton, stranded in eight place, play Portsmouth, who are already relegated, and the Toffees manager is unequivocal in his indifference to the match.

“To be honest I can’t guarantee we will turn up,” he told SportingBalls.

“What’s the point – there is no point. Life is a no-pointer.”