Relegation Possibility

[the weatherman]

The irony is most of us on here are more negative than McLeish, perhaps we are a match made in Heaven?

[VillaAlways]

I think galvanising the support will be an extremely difficult task As regardless of what happens this season, he's still going to be here next ,and everybody knows it
 It's like being sat on death row waiting for the inevitable to happen which will be if not this season, then the next

[cdbearsfan]

I get Bolton safe before the last game.

15 Wigan 40 points, beat Wolves last game
16 Villa 38, draw at Norwich
17 Albion 37, lose to Arsenal but only 2-1 to stay up by one goal of goal difference
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18 Blackburn 37, get impressive draw at nothing-to-play-for-Chelsea but it proves not enough
19 QPR 36, last day loss at title-chasing Man City but Man U still win title by winning at Mons
20 Wolves 26, down ages ago

[garyshawsknee]

If we can't get 5 points from Bolton,Sunderland and Stoke,then we are a lot worse than i thought we were(and i think were no good at the minute)  McCleish showed last season,that once the ship starts to sink,he doesnt have the powers to recover it,the difference from last season is that its a poorer division and wont take as many points to stay up.

But the way QPR and Bolton have picked up is a real worry,but as i say at the top,if we cant get those five points then we deserve to be in the Championship next season.

[levico]

I think that in the space of 3 weeks we have moved as candidates for relegation from unlikely to possible to probable. Maybe in 3 weeks time we will be certain. I think it will be Wolves, villa and either QPR or Wigan.

[Monty]

I think that in the space of 3 weeks we have moved as candidates for relegation from unlikely to possible to probable. Maybe in 3 weeks time we will be certain. I think it will be Wolves, villa and either QPR or Wigan.

See QPR's run is just so horrendous that I think it will be Wolves, QPR and Wigan or Villa.

[garyshawsknee]

Yes Monty,i think it'll be QPR,Wolves and one other. Wigan have so much experience of hitting form around April and scrapping enough points together.

 If they pip us,McCleish should be hung up by his privates for the back to wall stuff we payed up at the DW recently.

[VillaAlways]

We are 17th in the PL Form table The bottom 3 being

Norwich
Liverpool
Wolves

Bearing in mind 'The Mighty Reds YNWA' and Norwich are safe.That is worrying

[PeterWithesShin]

Liverpool (a) D
Stoke (h) W
Man Utd (a) L
Sunderland (h) D
Bolton (h) W
West Brom (a) W
Tottenham (h) D
Norwich (a) L

We'll be fine.

_{*Please McGrath, let us be fine!*}

[Mister E]

We are 17th in the PL Form table The bottom 3 being

Norwich
Liverpool
Wolves

Bearing in mind 'The Mighty Reds YNWA' and Norwich are safe.That is worrying

Or - put another way - we play two of the three worst currently-performing teams ... no, it didn't convince me either.

[Des Little]

I just can't see us winning another game, I really can't.  Fcuk me I hope I'm wrong but I think we are done for.

[cdbearsfan]

I just can't see us winning another game, I really can't.  Fcuk me I hope I'm wrong but I think we are done for.

Go to the bookies then.

I've had £25 on us to go down just in case. Obviously I hope I lose.

[KevinGage]

I think galvanising the support will be an extremely difficult task As regardless of what happens this season, he's still going to be here next ,and everybody knows it
 It's like being sat on death row waiting for the inevitable to happen which will be if not this season, then the next

For that reason, a small part of me actually wants us to go down.  Never felt that way before.   I don't subscribe to the notion that relegation can sometimes make you take stock and bounce back stronger. Newcastle are the exception rather than the rule.

But I don't want to go through another season like this one, so maybe bring the pain forward early, so to speak.

A secondary (and far less important) reason is I wonder how Merson, Neville and even some of our own on this site who should know better could possibly defend the bloke if he took two sides down in the space of 12 months.  Both of whom who - personnel wise- were not the one of the three worst teams in the division.

For all that -and perhaps rather inspite of rather than because of the manager- I reckon we WILL stay up. But that will probably owe as much to the shortcomings of others, be that the sides we face or the sides also battling the drop.

Around this time last year we were looking over our shoulder and pulled away quite comfortably in the end.  In 1994/95 we had the look of a side on a downward spiral -particularly after being battered by Arsenal at home during the Easter period. We did go into the final game with an outside chance of going down, but it would have taken something like Palace beating Newcastle 4-0 away and ourselves losing to Norwich.

It might go to the penultimate game, or the final week but we'll be okay I reckon.  That will NOT qualify as a job well done by McLeish however. And if there is any justice, he will be given his cards straight after the Norwich match.

[Toronto Villa]

More than the defeats themselves, it's the manner of how we are playing and losing that alarms me. Last year we had top players like Ash, Bent, Downing to help pull us through. We are literally down to th bare bones now. I really don't know where the inspiration is going to come from to get everyone going. Keane could have been that player if he was still here. I'm scared that one team below us will find a way to bridge the gap and condemn us on the last day.

[Monty]

I have to say, I would well understand if a neutral said they'd prefer Wigan to stay up rather than us. Wolves and QPR are equally deserving (as football club hierarchies, of course) of being punished, but the football Wigan always try to play is commendable, and far more deserving of reward than McLeish's soulless attempts to rob the sport of all joy, passion and fun.