Rivals left feeling the pinch

OVER half the Premier League has been struck by an identity crisis.

Clubs wallowing in the bottom five are still dreaming, quite seriously, of possible European qualification, while sides on the brink of the top six are peering anxiously over their shoulders.

Both these north-east rivals do not know whether they are coming into Europa League contention or going into the Championship, and this stalemate merely muddied the waters even more.