Relegation Watch

[UK Redsox]

Up until 62 minutes into last night's game I'd always voted "No" in these polls based mainly on how crap the teams below are.

However, the total capitulation after Warnock's goal, has made me think that relegation is now more likely than not.

[themossman]

I said if we lose to Bolton we 100% deserve to go down. A big part of me almost wants it now because everyone else in the shit
deserves to stay up more than us. Plus it presumably means a slightly lower chance of mcleish "overhauling the squad" in the summer. Or does it? Fuck knows/ cares.

[Merv]

Nick, given the easy start, we should have had many more points on the board by Christmas. Too many draws when he had a fully fit squad.

Listening to the radio show on the way to VP last night, Franksy was saying about how many senior players were missing and Steve Froggatt jumped in and said that they had not been missing all season, with the squad at VP points should have been picked up earlier in the season and we should have been safe weeks ago.

Which is bang on. But the injury situation now is being used as a convenient smokescreen - now, yes, we're struggling for players and we've got ourselves into the position where it's a real problem. For 3/4 of the season we've had a relatively full squad to pick from. Even back in February we had pretty much a full squad, and we went to Wigan (then in awful form) and Blackburn and casually tossed points away.

[UK Redsox]

Exactly, games won in the autumn count the same as games won in the spring. It annoys me when comments like "its early in the season" are made when points are dropped in the autumn.

[TimTheVillain]

Winning becomes a habit, drawing becomes a habit, losing becomes a habit.

Sadly, we have the wrong habits.

I do think, however inept he's been, that 'Sack McLeish M'Lord' is not good for the team mind, but I understand the venting of anger.

As Lerner has and is backing AMc, the Holte and Lower North should too, for the sake of the club.

The players need inspiring, they really do need the 12th man, and then, IF and it's a Big IF, we stay up, Lerner can sack McLeish before he sells up.

[N'ZMAV]

We love a draw, I'd take 3 more.

[N'ZMAV]

When the senior players were available we wasn't winning games.

[pbavfckuwait]

Every team has injuries, we will go down because on the 13th May we will have less points than every other team bar two, and that will be because we have played a negative brand of football, can not defend set pieces and can not score more than one goal, in too many games. Have a manager that from the day appointed, everyone bar our owner, knew would struggle to get anything from the team he had inherited and also the players he brought in and also that we have for the last three seasons sold our best players and replaced then with shit.

[TimTheVillain]

When the senior players were available we wasn't winning games.

But we SO miss Stan in the middle.

[Colhint]

my worry is if we do go down the kids will be  picked up cheap by big clubs like Stoke Fulham or Sunderland

[Holtenderinthesky]

I still think we will survive, probably by the skin of our teeth but we'll just about do it.  I think we will draw at the baggies, lose to Spurs and win at Norwich..........somehow. 

[Rick_avfc]

If we get 2 more draws then I think we are safe as I cant see us winning, that would leave us on 38 points.

Teams below us have a difficult run as well i.e.
QPR - Chelsea (A), Stoke (H) & Man City (A),
Blackburn - Spurs(A), Wigan (H) & Chelsea (A)
Bolton - Sunderland (A), Spurs (H), WBA (H) Stoke (A).

I cant see QPR beating chelsea or City but possibly against Stoke which would leave them on 37 points.
If blackburn lose their next 2 games then they will be gone. I cant see them beating Spurs, or Wigan or chelsea so they will be stuck on 31 points. 
As for Bolton, i think they can survive.  they have some winnable games there and will finish above us.

We could survive by the skin of our teeth

[Rip Van We Go Again]

It was awful.
Take it from me, he won't be sacked, relegation or not.
Even if they did sack him, they'd have to cough up 2 years of his contract -
£4m, money we haven't got.
That's what sickens me about the modern game, it rewards failure.

If we go down we'll go the way of Sheff Wed.

We have no money, N'Zogbia, Gabby, Bent, Given, Ireland will leave and we'll be
left with kids, many of whom are not good enough - Albrighton is simply not up
to scratch, Bannan is hopeless.

[TimTheVillain]

It was awful.
Take it from me, he won't be sacked, relegation or not.
Even if they did sack him, they'd have to cough up 2 years of his contract -
£4m, money we haven't got.
That's what sickens me about the modern game, it rewards failure.

If we go down we'll go the way of Sheff Wed.

We have no money, N'Zogbia, Gabby, Bent, Given, Ireland will leave and we'll be
left with kids, mnay of whom are not good enough - Albrighton is simply not up
to scratch, Bannan is hopeless.

I agree 100% with that, all of it RVB.

[nick harper]

Nick, given the easy start, we should have had many more points on the board by Christmas. Too many draws when he had a fully fit squad.

Listening to the radio show on the way to VP last night, Franksy was saying about how many senior players were missing and Steve Froggatt jumped in and said that they had not been missing all season, with the squad at VP points should have been picked up earlier in the season and we should have been safe weeks ago.

Which is bang on. But the injury situation now is being used as a convenient smokescreen - now, yes, we're struggling for players and we've got ourselves into the position where it's a real problem. For 3/4 of the season we've had a relatively full squad to pick from. Even back in February we had pretty much a full squad, and we went to Wigan (then in awful form) and Blackburn and casually tossed points away.

Don't disagree with that and I think the senior players have underperformed. However, at the business end of the season we are playing 5 academy players with less than 100 premier league games between them. It is too much to expect.

I thought we played ok last night albeit using a route 1 tactic - until we conceded and we went completely to pieces. That's when the kids are really exposed and there's no ledership on the pitch.

We miss Stan badly and it's in midfield where are losing the battle.