The agony and the ecstasy

Birmingham and Blackpool suffered the agony of relegation

Madness. Complete and utter madness. There is no other way to describe it.

We all knew 'Survival Sunday' would provide thrills, spills and a river-load of tears.

But no-one could have predicted just how many twists and turns there would be as Blackpool and Birmingham eventually perished.

In years gone by, both teams would have been comfortably safe on 39 points, so both can count themselves extremely unlucky to be relegated.

The Premier League may have lost some of its quality in recent years but it remains the best league in the world through sheer drama, excitement and now unpredictability.

While Blackburn, Wigan and Wolves will be delighted to have survived, the real winner on this day of tension was football.

Even script-writers couldn't have thought up a story like this, with Wigan and Wolves both looking doomed at times before pulling off miraculous escapes.

Wolves appeared all but safe going into the day after two-straight wins, but were 3-0 down at half-time at home to Blackburn and at that point were going down.

David Hoilett's goal put Blackburn 3-0 up at Molineux

No-one associated with Wolves had seen that coming, but that is what nerves can do to teams.

They were seemingly tossing away their Premier League status with a whimper after becoming complacent at the position they had found themselves in.

As it eventually turned out, Wolves wouldn't have gone down no matter how many goals they lost by, but for a long period they looked like goners.

Blackpool put in an admirable performance away at Manchester United and at various points in the afternoon it looked like they would survive.

Charlie Adam's fantastic free-kick put Blackpool on target to stay up

Keith Southern missed a gilt-edged chance early on before Park Ji-Sung opened the scoring for United, only for captain fantastic Charlie Adam to arrow home a beautiful free-kick at the Stretford End to send the Seasiders in level at half-time.

With Wigan and Birmingham's tough away games against Stoke and Tottenham respectively still goalless at the break, at that point it looked like it would be Wigan and Wolves going down. What a difference a half of football was about to make.

Within 45 minutes, supporters of Wolves, Wigan, Blackpool and Birmingham travelled to the depths of despair and back again, only for some cruel late strikes to eventually rob the 'two Bs' of their Premier League lives.

Blackpool supporters were in dreamland early in the second half as, after hearing news Roman Pavlyuchenko had scored at White Hart Lane to put Birmingham behind, Gary Taylor-Fletcher scored what looked like a priceless goal to give the Tangerines an improbable 2-1 lead at Old Trafford.

Even Anderson's equaliser on 62 minutes didn't appear to hurt them too badly as they were still on target to stay up, but in fact this set in place a series of events which condemned Blackpool to the Championship.

Ian Evatt's own goal set the seal on Blackpool's relegation

United were well on top at this stage and looked likely to score from every attack, and the telling blow came on 74 minutes when Ian Evatt converted Chris Smalling's cross into his own net. Barring a miracle, a defeat at Old Trafford would send Blackpool down.

The Seasiders characteristically kept attacking but Michael Owen's 81st-minute goal sealed Blackpool's fate. As for the other relegation spot, there was still much drama to be played out.

It looked like it would be Birmingham joining Blackpool in the Championship at this stage with them being 1-0 down at Tottenham, but Wolves knew they were not safe yet as any goal from the Blues would be likely to send them down.

Jamie O'Hara's goal for Wolves 17 minutes from time at Molineux brought them back to within two of Blackburn but they were still vulnerable to any goal from White Hart Lane.

Hugo Rodallega's late header secured Wigan's survival

Wigan had done a fine job to nullify Stoke's threat at the Britannia Stadium and got their reward on 78 minutes when Hugo Rodallega nodded home to send the travelling Latics fans potty. They knew that, with three sides above them losing, they were well and truly safe.

It was now a straight shoot-out between Wolves and Birmingham and the drama, unthinkably, was still not over.

Craig Gardner's equaliser sparked scenes of joy for Birmingham

Birmingham's inspiration Craig Gardner unleashed a stunning left-foot strike into the bottom corner at White Hart Lane to spark scenes of wild jubilation among players, fans and staff alike. This looked set to keep the Blues up on goal difference.

With Birmingham fans eagerly listening to the Wolves game, praying the scoreline stayed the same, disaster struck for them.

Stephen Hunt's goal three minutes from the end was set to keep Wolves up on goal difference

Stephen Hunt's stunning strike three minutes from time at Molineux meant Wolves were staying up on goal difference if the scores remained as they were.

This was the cruellest of blows for Carling Cup winners Birmingham, whose emotions had gone from delirium to despair in the space of just eight minutes.

Knowing they needed to win the game to stay up, Alex McLeish sent defenders Roger Johnson and Curtis Davies up front and, wide open at the back, Pavlyuchenko added his second to confirm Birmingham's drop.

Birmingham's players knew they were relegated after Pavlyuchenko's 93rd-minute strike

The tension and drama of the day was almost too much for neutrals to bear, so it is hard to imagine what fans, players and staff of the teams involved must have gone through during the day.

As has already been mentioned, Blackpool and Birmingham went down on 39 points, a tally that would have been enough to see them survive for 11 of the last 12 seasons.

Blackpool have done themselves proud this season by sticking to their attacking principles.

It may not have been enough to save them in the end, but hopefully teams coming up will realise that attacking is the way to go in the Premier League. A balance needs to be struck of course, but Blackpool have proved it is possible to achieve success by playing positively.

They should remember this season fondly as they have won many admirers up and down the country and have some wonderful memories to take away with them.

Blackpool manager Ian Holloway has a lot to be proud about after his first season as a Premier League manager

They did the double over Liverpool, also won away at Newcastle, Sunderland, Stoke and Wigan and produced great performances against some of the top teams.

A lot of refereeing decisions went against them during the campaign and they were unlucky in several games, so the Seasiders have nothing to reproach themselves about. They gave it their all and, despite pre-season predictions by many that they would struggle to reach double-figures in terms of points, only just missed out on a second season in the Premier League.

Ian Holloway has done an unbelievable job at Bloomfield Road and looks likely to stay, so it may not be too long before the Seasiders are back in the Premier League.

They will have to go into the new season without skipper Charlie Adam, though, who looks set for bigger and better things and has been linked with a summer move to Liverpool. It will be a major blow for Blackpool to lose him but if they can re-invest the money they gain from the transfer wisely they will have a real chance of bouncing straight back.

As for Birmingham, relegation will have come as a shock after their positive first season back in the top flight last season.

Boyhood Birmingham fan Craig Gardner was left devastated by his side's relegation

The fluctuation in their emotions during the game at White Hart Lane summed up their season, as they went from the joy of winning the Carling Cup to the misery of relegation.

It is hard to say whether they would swap their League Cup triumph for their Premier League status as the chance of winning a cup doesn't come around too often, but they will be devastated by their drop.

Their main problem has been the lack of a goalscorer, with Birmingham the only team in the Premier League this season to average less than a goal a game.

Their board have announced Alex McLeish will remain as manager despite the relegation and that is good news for them.

McLeish is a very good manager who has been unlucky at times this season and he deserves the chance to lead Birmingham back into the top flight, as he did two years ago.

If they can keep hold of players like Ben Foster and Craig Gardner, it is hard to bet against McLeish bringing Birmingham straight back up.

Blackburn were technically still in with a chance of going down going into 'Survival Sunday', but any relegation fears were wiped away in the first-half at Wolves.

They shouldn't have been anywhere near the bottom three but the strong end to the season they enjoyed should fill them with hope for next season.

Whether Steve Kean is the right man for the job remains to be seen but he looks set to be given a chance and this stability could hold the key for Rovers.

Their Indian owners, Venky's, are thought to have promised Kean a large transfer budget for the summer and the future could be bright at Ewood Park if they strengthen their squad with quality players.

Wolves did well to escape after looking doomed for much of 'Survival Sunday' but their real work was done in the two games leading up to it.

Wolves manager Mick McCarthy couldn't hide his delight after the final whistle

They beat West Brom and Sunderland consecutively after occupying a place in the bottom three for much of the season and these were the results which saved them.

They enjoyed some great wins at Molineux, with victories over the top three of Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City standing out, and also suffered bad luck at times where strong performances did not produce the points they warranted.

Mick McCarthy will now lead Wolves into their third-straight season in the Premier League and that gives them a real platform to build on.

It seems likely they will face another real battle to stay up next season but for now they should enjoy this success and look forward positively.

Finally, enormous praise should go to Wigan for pulling off their great escape.

2-0 down at home to West Ham last Sunday, there seemed no way back for them. They were destined for the Championship, something which had looked likely all season.

They somehow recovered to defeat a beleaguered Hammers side and followed that up with a superb win at Stoke.

Wigan manager Roberto Martinez was hoisted into the air by his players after their great escape

Roberto Martinez has had his troubles this season but never complained once, proving himself to be one of the brightest young managers in the game by keeping his composure.

Their survival also ensures the fairytale story of Wigan Athletic goes on for at least another year.

Next season will be their seventh-straight campaign in the Premier League and for a club of Wigan's stature that is remarkable.

Their average attendance is less than 17,000 so they always have their work cut out to stay in the top flight, but time and again they have launched amazing recoveries to cling on to their Premier League status.

Dave Whelan, as chairman, has done an unbelievable job at Wigan and he deserves this.

Dave Whelan bought Wigan in 1995 when they were a fourth-tier club

He has worked tirelessly to keep his beloved club afloat and nothing gives him greater pleasure than seeing Wigan stay up, and the stability he provides for his managers is something most Premier League bosses can only dream of.

It seems inevitable some of Wigan's top performers will leave in the summer, with the likes of Charles N'Zogbia and Hugo Rodallega repeatedly linked with moves, but for the moment they should bask in the success of staying up.

It will be another uphill battle for them to survive next season but with Whelan and Martinez working in tandem, they will have more than a fighting chance.

Wigan, Wolves and Blackburn all beat the drop on 'Survival Sunday' and deservedly so.

But credit must go to relegated Blackpool and Birmingham, who both could easily have stayed up if things had worked out slightly differently.

It was a phenomenal day of football which encapsulated what this great sport is all about, with the drama surely unmatched in any other game.

A day like this may not be seen again for quite some time because this was something remarkable.

A Wolves fan shows his relief after his side's escape

Twisting and turning until the end, this is a Premier League relegation battle, indeed season, which will live long in the memory.

Blackpool and Birmingham will join West Ham in the Championship next season but have not been disgraced in any shape or form.

This was the most difficult season ever to stay up in the Premier League and two very decent sides have fell through the trapdoor.

The quality at the top of the league may not be as strong as it once was, but at the bottom it has never been better or tighter.

All three relegated clubs will have a great chance of bouncing back up next season, even West Ham with their fan-base and stature, so relegation shouldn't represent the end of the road.

Championship teams should watch out.