Championship Relegation Watch

[Kilworthfox]

16 Blackpool 41 1 50

17 Norwich 41 -10 49

18 Coventry 41 -11 49

19 Leicester 41 1 47

20 Sheff Wed 40 -5 46

21 Barnsley 40 -14 46

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22 Southampton 41 -18 46

23 S****horpe 41 -23 38

24 Colchester 41 -21 33

[FleckneyFox]

this was a result we wanted if Cov had won today they would have pulled away from the relegation pack and now they are still right in it.

[Guest]

this was a result we wanted if Cov had won today they would have pulled away from the relegation pack and now they are still right in it.

Totally agree. I was hoping for a 0-0 draw but you can't have everything now can you?

[reynard]

a good result for us - i wouldn't have minded a sheff wed victory thb

covs next 2 are watford away and stoke at home

i know the're down there but with scunny and blackpool away and norwich and plymouth at home i can just see wednesday getting enough points.

barnsley and soton are still our best bet though

Agreed though a draw keeps both teams in it. Cov probably need another 5 points to be safe and as they have colchester to play away that is a good chance for 3. Also Watford are on a terrible run so I could see cov getting a draw there plus 2 draws at home? stoke have dropped several points away.

Agree about sheff wed though their game in hand is the sheffield derby away.

Soton look dodgy but have to play Burnley home (one of the worst away teams on current form) and sheff utd at home last game of the season who will have nothing to play for so thay could easily get 6 points at home. They play Charlton away who are in the bottom 3 on current form and look like missing out on the playoffs. so 7 more points for saints is easily imagined.

barnsley are the most interesting. Their away form has been terrible all season and have the cup semi before 2 away games to Watford and Preston both tough even considering Watford's poor form. Their season could well come down to 3 games. Home vs Charlton which I expect them to win. Away vs cardiff on 5th may. I expect Cardiff to be in the cup final with nothing to play for in the league. So your dave Jones do you pick your first team or a bunch of no hopers or youth players? And finally Barnsley's game vs us looks the really big fixture to me. we really must not lose and probably need to win.

[Thracian]

Our injury list is beginning to bother me together with the suspect match fitness of some of our potential replacements due to a long period of enforced idleness with the absence of reserve games for a long spell up to this week's game at Bradford tomorrow.

[Lillehamring]

i think this result is just fine, simply because cov are still in the mix and the more teams involved in the struggle the lower the pressure on us, and it now means that even if barnsley or SW win their GIH they will still be below us, if they don't win the GIH then the pressure is very much on them.

realistically, we still only need to focus on our own game.

[Finnegan]

Right result for us really. My heart wanted a Wednesday win but this is fine, we can still catch Cov and put them below us when their results slide. I've been saying it for weeks, their run-in is the ugliest of the lot, I fancy them to struggle.

I will jizz everywhere if they go down.

[Finchy]

I'll run down to the Ricoh and jizz over Coleman's welsh face if they go down!

Well, maybe not run.

[FleckneyFox]

On a side note. I was thinking how many points are now needed to stay up and i think 7? that will require Southampton, Barnsley and Sheff Wednesday to get 3 wins from their last 5/6 games?

[Koke]

Good result. We need as many teams as possible in this ugly dog fight and we sure don't want the scum escaping away from us.

Saints

Barnsley

Wednesday

Scum

May the shittest team go down.

[Ric Flair]

We are nowhere near out of this, but if we win our home games and put up a fight away from home then other teams will struggle to catch us. It's in our own hands, but we've blown so many situations where we've got ourselves in with a chance of putting a few results together. 2 wins in 3 is decent, but it's time to stop the inconsistency. I don't like draws, but if we aren't going to win games, we need to be able to stop other teams from pinching wins off us when we don't play well.

Let's finish the season on a high with back to back wins and some sterling performances. It's not going to be easy, even with our supposed easy run-in. But no need to fear it.

[Thracian]

We are nowhere near out of this, but if we win our home games and put up a fight away from home then other teams will struggle to catch us. It's in our own hands, but we've blown so many situations where we've got ourselves in with a chance of putting a few results together. 2 wins in 3 is decent, but it's time to stop the inconsistency. I don't like draws, but if we aren't going to win games, we need to be able to stop other teams from pinching wins off us when we don't play well.

Let's finish the season on a high with back to back wins and some sterling performances. It's not going to be easy, even with our supposed easy run-in. But no need to fear it.

The last thing we need is the inhibition that comes with fear.

With the Sheffield Wednesday match for instance the focus should not be on the current situation but the fact that Wednesday beat us 4-1 at home last season and we owe em one big time.

I'd love to think we'd treat the Sheffield United match like an FA Cup semi-final - like a real battle for our lives - because anything we can get from there will be a big bonus in the cicumstances. But it will need attitude and a team with no obvious weaknesses or people playing out of position in unfamiliar roles.

[demon_dog]

I am working away and currently staying in Southampton.

Can I pass on any messages?

[Fox You Forest]

The last thing we need is the inhibition that comes with fear.

With the Sheffield Wednesday match for instance the focus should not be on the current situation but the fact that Wednesday beat us 4-1 at home last season and we owe em one big time.

I'd love to think we'd treat the Sheffield United match like an FA Cup semi-final - like a real battle for our lives - because anything we can get from there will be a big bonus in the cicumstances. But it will need attitude and a team with no obvious weaknesses or people playing out of position in unfamiliar roles.

They scored some right crackers that day, Hopefully wont happen again though.

[Legend_in_blue]

They scored some right crackers that day, Hopefully wont happen again though.

Although we are not an attacking tour-de-force, I can't see us conceding more than one goal, let alone 4 goals in any of our run in games.

We just need to make sure we score first. All the teams we are playing need to win as much as we do. If we score first, that puts the onus on the other team to attack, therefore leaving space for us to attack more. Least it should happen that way.

We don't do the easy way though.

I really do think Barnsley are in the mire, their cup run must surely leave them with many back to back games to play to catch up - this always leaves a squad no more than 80% fit for games on the trot. Should help our situation no end.

[Fox You Forest]

Although we are not an attacking tour-de-force, I can't see us conceding more than one goal, let alone 4 goals in any of our run in games.

We just need to make sure we score first. All the teams we are playing need to win as much as we do. If we score first, that puts the onus on the other team to attack, therefore leaving space for us to attack more. Least it should happen that way.

We don't do the easy way though.

I really do think Barnsley are in the mire, their cup run must surely leave them with many back to back games to play to catch up - this always leaves a squad no more than 80% fit for games on the trot. Should help our situation no end.

Southampton for me Le Tissier's face said it all for me on Soccer Special last night when Sheff Wed scored late goal.

[Legend_in_blue]

Southampton for me Le Tissier's face said it all for me on Soccer Special last night when Sheff Wed scored late goal.

That was a funny moment. Also Dowie quoting everybody around us but us and Cov are favourites for the drop made me smile too. I wonder why he has such affection for our club as to not mention us as well?

[Fox You Forest]

That was a funny moment. Also Dowie quoting everybody around us but us and Cov are favourites for the drop made me smile too. I wonder why he has such affection for our club as to not mention us as well?

When he was on Soccer Am saturday also saying he didnt wish anybody would lose (clearly talking about leicester ) He wants it so bad but he is useless in, I also read in the Daily Star this today.

Huddersfield Town have drawn up a shortlist of candidates to replace the sacked Andy Richie they are Micky Adams, Ian Dowie and Martin Allen

I couldnt stop laughing that is until i got distracted by the pictures of Abbey Clancy in there.

[Scow]

Blackpool are not out of it just yet - they've got a tough fixture list.

West Brom (H)

Cardiff (A)

Sheffield Wednesday (H)

Plymouth (A)

Watford (H)

Link - BBC

Midfielder Keith Southern believes Blackpool's current points tally should ensure Championship football at Bloomfield Road again next season.

The 26-year-old, who has missed the last three weeks with a hamstring injury, fully expects to avoid an immediate return to League One.

"It's nice to get to 50 points. I think it will be enough to keep us up," he told BBC Radio Lancashire.

"Maybe, possibly another point or two, but I think 50 will be enough."

Blackpool have a free weekend due to West Bromwich's FA Cup commitments, and Coventry, Norwich and Leicester could all overtake them in the table.

Southern added: "It's a really tight league. I think anyone is capable of beating anyone. Sheffield Wednesday have a game in hand, but I think Southampton and Barnsley are in free-fall, they have got to pick something up.

"We can just concentrate on ourselves. We've got some games coming up that we think we can win."

The former Everton trainee is expected to be fit for Blackpool's final five matches of the season in which three are at home and two away.

Southern said: "I've played 25 games. With a bit of luck I'd have played more but hopefully my injury problems are behind me now and I can play the last couple of games towards the end of the season, then have a good rest and come back strong next year."

Let's just hope they think 50 points is enough and that's reflected in their results.

[SOCCERROO FOX]

This weekends games are massive if results don't go our way it could be hard to come back from, I'll be watching each result intently

[davieG]

If we lose and our nearest rivals all win (unlikely but not impossible in this league) we'll be 4th bottom 2 points adrift of Southampton, & Sheff Weds (game in hand), 5 points adrift of Cov (game in hand) & Norwich only 1 point more than Barnsley (3 games in hand).

So if anyone thinks we've cracked it and are safe you're wrong, we need point(s) from this game.

At least we'll know where we'll stand re Sheff Weds before we kick off.

12:00 S****horpe vs Sheff Wed

15:00 Colchester vs Ipswich

15:00 Norwich vs Burnley

15:00 Plymouth vs Charlton

15:00 QPR vs Preston

15:00 Sheff Utd vs Leicester

15:00 Southampton vs Bristol City

15:00 Watford vs Coventry

[Dr The Singh]

If we lose and our nearest rivals all win (unlikely but not impossible in this league) we'll be 4th bottom 2 points adrift of Southampton, & Sheff Weds (game in hand), 5 points adrift of Cov (game in hand) & Norwich only 1 point more than Barnsley (3 games in hand).

So if anyone thinks we've cracked it and are safe you're wrong, we need point(s) from this game.

At least we'll know where we'll stand re Sheff Weds before we kick off.

12:00 S****horpe vs Sheff Wed

15:00 Colchester vs Ipswich

15:00 Norwich vs Burnley

15:00 Plymouth vs Charlton

15:00 QPR vs Preston

15:00 Sheff Utd vs Leicester

15:00 Southampton vs Bristol City

15:00 Watford vs Coventry

Agreed, atleast matters are now in our own hands, a good result for us and losses to those around us will do us a world of good!!!

[surrifox]

come on sheff u - you don't want us to go down- rather lose the owls eh?

[Ric Flair]

If we lose and our nearest rivals all win (unlikely but not impossible in this league) we'll be 4th bottom 2 points adrift of Southampton, & Sheff Weds (game in hand), 5 points adrift of Cov (game in hand) & Norwich only 1 point more than Barnsley (3 games in hand).

So if anyone thinks we've cracked it and are safe you're wrong, we need point(s) from this game.

At least we'll know where we'll stand re Sheff Weds before we kick off.

12:00 S****horpe vs Sheff Wed

15:00 Colchester vs Ipswich

15:00 Norwich vs Burnley

15:00 Plymouth vs Charlton

15:00 QPR vs Preston

15:00 Sheff Utd vs Leicester

15:00 Southampton vs Bristol City

15:00 Watford vs Coventry

There will be more twists and turns before this is decided. What a boost it would be if we won on Saturday, it will be tough there but we must throw everything at it.

[breadandcheese]

If we lose and our nearest rivals all win (unlikely but not impossible in this league) we'll be 4th bottom 2 points adrift of Southampton, & Sheff Weds (game in hand), 5 points adrift of Cov (game in hand) & Norwich only 1 point more than Barnsley (3 games in hand).

So if anyone thinks we've cracked it and are safe you're wrong, we need point(s) from this game.

At least we'll know where we'll stand re Sheff Weds before we kick off.

12:00 S****horpe vs Sheff Wed

15:00 Colchester vs Ipswich

15:00 Norwich vs Burnley

15:00 Plymouth vs Charlton

15:00 QPR vs Preston

15:00 Sheff Utd vs Leicester

15:00 Southampton vs Bristol City

15:00 Watford vs Coventry

We're not safe by a long shot, but the only games that matter are Colchester, Barnsley and Sheff Weds. Providing we beat Colchester and make sure we don't lose to Barnsley and Wednesday, we will be ok. Those are the crucial games.

Obviously, I would prefer us to beat Sheff Utd, but it's not one of the vital games