Wow, it's tense, eh?
More for some than others. Ipswich have pulled away a bit and Sheffield Wednesday are on a great run over quite a long period of time so might be less nervy.
So hard to predict the Championship and gets even harder from here on as promotion, play-offs, relegation places start to get sorted and affect team selections and player motivation.
I'm a Wolves fan and have us staying up by the skin of our teeth but our next match - at home to Huddersfield - is HUGE. We're really down to the bare bones of a very average squad too which isn't helping...we lose a player for the season every week at the moment.
Personally, i've got Leeds and Huddersfield joining Bristol City at the moment with 54 points and decent goal difference needed to survive. But it's so close and there are so many teams involved that it's really needle in a haystack stuff!
Would be good to get the views of fans from other teams about their own prospects, form, injuries, crunch matches.
Up the Wolves!
Championship relegation shake up
posted on 8/4/13
Thing is, what appears now as a tough game..like Wolves have brighton away in their last game, could in fact see Brighton already guaranteed a play off place and resting players for the play-off match.
Same could apply to Hull City, who may well be already promoted by the time they play Barnsley in the 2nd last game of the season at Oakwell.
The tough games are when you're playing a team fighting for survival or play-offs...so in that case Town have the hardest list of fixtures..and Sheff Wed not far behind with games against worried Leeds, Blackpool, Ipswich and Peterbro'...
The deciding factor for me though is the characterisitc of the clubs in the relegation battle..how much 'bottle' they have...and I would think the likes of Wednesday, barnsley, peterbro, have it....and Town, Blackburn and Wolves maybe do not.
Morale amongst the fans can help...and I thought Town fans did pretty well on Saturday...but Blackburn fans...and Wolves fans ?...Towns' next 2 games are visits to these clubs and it's important we capitalise on the fickle nature of their fans...getting a goal or two up would or even just battering them early on could well see jeers and abuse eminating from the stands, which would just demoralise those teams and make life easier for Town...we need to be smart..but most importantly, we need 6 points from these games because to me, these are the 2 clubs we are battling against in the relegation dog fight.
posted on 8/4/13
Leeds, Peterborough, Ipswich and Blackpool have little chance of going down. True about Brighton - mentioned this some weeks back.
posted on 8/4/13
On the other hand, Brighton may be in a dogfight with Leicester & Bolton for the play offs! Glass half full lads.
posted on 8/4/13
Not sure about that Uncs... Leeds could be 17th by the time they play Sheff Wed on saturday...and they could very easily lose to the Wendies and maybe drop to 19th...then they would be in deep deep poo poo...Pbro' and Blackpool could be just 3 pts below them...and Ipswich only 4 points clear with 4 to play...
Leeds have lost 4 on the bounce, and have one win in 9 games...
Next round of fixtures -
tuesday night
-------------------
Millwall (52) v Sheff Wed (50)
Cardiff v Barnsley (48)
saturday
------------
Blackpool (51) v Burnley....home win
Leeds (52) v Sheff Wed (53 ?)...away win
Peterbro' (47) v Watford...home win
Barnsley (51?) v Charlton...home win
Wolves (48) v Town (48)...draw
Blackburn (47) v Derby Co....home win
Ipswich (53) v Hull City....away win
by next saturday night we could see....
Ipswich....53pts
Millwall....52
Leeds......52
B'burn......50
P'bro.......50
Wolves.....49
Town.......49
Bristol......43
posted on 8/4/13
Blackburn not Blackpool...
Wethers...yes, let's be optimistic...but it's also worth looking at what 'could be'...We've all seen crazy results at the end of the season with bottom teams beating top teams...
It's just important to realise too, we can't rely on others..we need to win at Wolves..a draw could leave us 2nd bottom...and a defeat would see us 2 points adrift ...Am not being 'pessimistic'...just looking at the possibilities..by the time we've played Millwall at home we could be already relegated...making the Bristol and Barnsley games meaningless
There is no point planning that we'll get points off those two to make us safe...the crunch games are Wolves and Blackburn....
posted on 8/4/13
4 points from Wolves & Blackburn, then an advantage of playing at half 12, could be all but safe come 3pm on 20th April!
posted on 8/4/13
I hope so...eventually the relegation dog fight will come down to 4 or 5 clubs as the points gap becomes unreachable...we don't want to be in that group of 4 or 5...
Even 4 points might not get us out of the mess though..we'll still need another 2 or 3 to get to about 54-55 I reckon...a win against Millwall should do it, like you suggest...can we get 7 points from the next 3 games...or at least 4..and hope Bristol are already relegated and Barnsley already safe by the time we play them.....they might go easy on us...and my shredded nerves
posted on 8/4/13
Our shredded nerves Jacko, ours!
posted on 8/4/13
time has come to get something in the away games and win the home ones..
bit of bravery called for..we are losing tight games and doing much better in the more open games; ie-le-ds away and posh at home..
if we sit back we have serious problems breaking on the opposition, we simply don't have the pace..
maybe if hunt is back we could shove him right side and scannell on the other???
jacks problems come when he gets forward of the midfielders in front of him, maybe with a full back behind him we could get the best use out of him..he does have the legs to get up and down..
The main thing is to support Vaughan at every opportunity, beckford was a waste of a shirt on Saturday.. he wins no headers or 50/50s and he either cant or wont run the channels or take defenders away..
Vaughan can play the single striker role but we must get up and help him out, hunt could do that..
To me its a question of having 2/3 run themselves into the ground and subbing as and when its required for those players..(injuries notwithstanding) not just Vaughan knackering himself..
I think if we went to wolves and trued to win from the start it could happen, I also believe if we play to keep it tight we will lose by the odd goal again..
If you are not scoring enough and you are conceding the first place to start is the defence, that would have been great in January , its not now.. We cant defend very well so we simply have to force the game and make more chances for our players who simply haven't scored enough..
fortune favours the brave!!!!
or to put it in yorkshiremans words....
"a faint heart never f-cked a fat tart"......
go for it.....
posted on 8/4/13
by the way..the "intentions" of the play off contenders is usually due to where they can finish up.. if they cannot move up and get the away leg first you may find that they do "rest players" or don't give the game the full attention..
I do think that the teams in contention at the moment have very professional managers who see "form going into the play offs" as a strong indicator and would certainly want to win their final game(s) of the regular season.. Added to that the pressure is somewhat "off" them if they are guaranteed the play off finish, whereas Barnsley and others may still be playing for their lives, this has 2 possible effects on players, one good and one very bad...depends on how nervous the teams get...
its all still to do, no one is down and no one is safe in the bottom 7/8..
bravest teams will survive, those who try to edge to safety will go down.. town could get 2 draws in the next 2 games, no good if two other teams win one and lose one.. go for 3 points and at 90 minutes if we have to take a draw then so be it..