Championship 2018-2019

[villa `cross the mersey]

Beat Bristol at home and it's 1 point.

Bristol and Derby have played 29 games so it could be 4 points but hey ho there is still a way  go .....My point is  we need to be winning more games ....despite the initial bounce when Smith came on board it's all gone a bit flat ...maybe we can emulate Fulhams run last season ......personally I just can't see it - I sincerely hope I'm wrong UTV
We have tougher fixtures looming and there needs to be a massive improvement in form to see us beating the likes of Sheffield Utd, Leeds, Norwich ,Bristol and dare I  say Small Heath and WBA

[Villa75]

Has the Bristol game been brought forward from April!?

[Damo70]

Even in my most optimistic dreams I can't see us making the top two or even close. However, despite us being so hit and miss the top six is a realistic target for us. Although it is also a realistic target for every team in the top half of the league.

[mr underhill]

I'd love you to be right, but I don't think you are. I honestly think our chances of promotion went without a ball being kicked thanks to the uncertainty of our survival and then Bruce's catastrophic transfer dealings.

[Risso]

Well, other than Brentford and Stoke, we're playing all of the teams around us in the next 8 games.  I'd say we need to be winning 6 out of 8 to have a realistic shot of getting in and staying in the play off slots.  Anything less than victories against West Brom, Derby and Boro simply won't do.

[Drummond]

Except with the gap being as small as it is, and there being the number of games left that there are, draws, whilst not being ideal, wouldn't be catastrophic.

We need to aim to win them all and must fall further behind but a gap of 4 points with 2 games to go is achievable (if unlikely!)

[darren woolley]

I remain optimistic it can be done lot of points still to play for more twists and turns so I reckon we can do it.

[sickbeggar]

Personally I don't think its on. Even ignoring who we're playing, if you just have us winning all our home games and drawing the aways, it gives us 75 points which was 6th last season. Maybe 6th place will be less this year but still 2.25 points per game is going a bit.

[SoccerHQ]

4 wins and a couple of draws will be fine.

However that's banking in the knowledge we'd actually turn up and beat the poor teams in this league e.g. Millwall at home and Rotherham and Bolton away which we've been failing to do since middle of December and continued on Saturday.

This is the sort of formula we need for the play offs. Up to you whether you think it's realistic sequence of results or not:

Sheffield United draw
Brentford win (banking on DS inside knowledge here tbh)
West Brom win
Stoke draw
Derby win
SHA.....loss
Forest....draw
Boro....draw
Blackburn....win
Sheff Weds....loss
Rotherham....win
Bristol City....win
Bolton.....win
Millwall....win
Leeds....draw
Norwich....win

Indifferent run up up to April then we win 5/6. Takes us up to 75 points anyway.

[Risso]

Please god don't let us lose to Fistface.

[SoccerHQ]

Please god don't let us lose to Fistface.

Never fancy us away to former managers tbh, losing to Lambert and Wolves was bad enough.

[footyskillz]

Of Derby 16 matches. 7 are of those in and around them

However they have played all the top 5 .
And only Bristol city who they are level in points fixture still to come


Derby v Hull     
Nottm Forest v Derby
Aston Villa Derby
Blackburn Derby
Birmingham Derby
Bristol City Derby
Derby v West Brom last match season

(Also to play Swansea and Stoke)

[footyskillz]

Bristol city who sit 6th and final play off spot
Fixtures include all top 5 to play
10/16 fixtures in and around

Blackburn v Bristol City
Norwich   v Bristol City
Bristol City v Birmingham
Bristol City v Leeds
Sheff Utd v Bristol City
Middlesbrough v Bristol City
Bristol City v West Brom
Aston Villa v Bristol City
Bristol City v Derby
Hull   v Bristol City (last match season)

[footyskillz]

Middlesbrough 1-1 Leeds             
Derby 2-0 Hull               
QPR 3-4 Birmingham   
Blackburn 0-1Bristol City
Nottm Forest 2-1 Brentford
Stoke 0-1 WBA

Norwich play Ipswich tomorrow.

Of those noticeable that Bristol City have won 8 matches in a row and keep themselves 6th place. The form team of the league.
Derby also win
Forest win sees them now above Villa.

Sees Villa 6 points away after losing 2 points rather than any significant gains on 6th place.

[eamonn]

We will need a Hull/Brizzle six wins on the spin type of run to even give ourselves a decent chance of just the play-offs. Really disheartening that the above two limited teams have managed it yet we look miles away from anything close to a few wins on the trot given how disjointed we play and disorganised we are.