The tables have turned and now we have the games in hand. Need to make them count. I can't decide whether I'd prefer teams to start pulling away and leaving three slightly adrift at the bottom, hoping that we don't end up in that three - Or whether it would be better for more chaos down the bottom half of the table with as many as possible a point or two above the drop zone with the hope it's easier to keep up with the rest and having a fighting chance for as long as possible. Thanks to home form, I can't see us pulling away from the mire anytime soon. The feeling of this season ending in relegation keeps growing stronger for me.
Tonight is like against Sheffield United. A win would be unexpected and fantastic, a draw more realistic and a loss expected. If we do go down, it won’t be because we lost to the likes of Burnley but because we lost to the likes of Stoke at home. Not saying tonight is a free hit because we can and should try to win but the remaining games against Cardiff away and Plymouth, Oxford, Luton, Preston and Derby at home are must-wins and then it could come down to the final game against Pompey away. If we can’t beat the teams around us then we don’t deserve to stay up.
Yep, in spite of our recent strengthening, I have that same feeling too. Back in the bottom 3 now, with 3 tough games next, followed by a crunch game away at Cardiff. It could well be us that is one of the teams, if not even the team, cut adrift going into March. We really are in deep trouble. Maybe more so than some realise? We need to go on a run of winning back to back games; I just struggle to see that happening, at least not until into March, if even then.
Thankfully in recent times we are averaging about 1.4 points per game. I think a bit of dread is coming from not playing recently and teams around us have. it’s worth noting Derby played Oxford and whilst the latter are in form I imagine Derby would’ve penned that as a game they’d like to have got 3 points but they didn’t. We are on course for 51 points at the moment which should be ok
I'm a bit concerned currently. I do think we're a decent side now and if the season started today I'd have no concerns about relegation, but in reality we've not pulled away from this precarious position at the bottom and everyone else seems to be picking up points too. Realistically it's quite likely we'll lose tonight which would be Ruben's first back-to-back defeats and then Saturday feels like a big game as a result. Stoke really was a big opportunity, we blew it and we're now seeing the ill-effect of that 11 days later having dropped into the bottom three and needing good results to get out of it with three tough games ahead of us.
At the same time we probably hoped or expected 3 points from Sheff United and Stoke. We got that albeit I will agree it was a huge opportunity missed to create some breathing room. The important thing is we keep on the form we are on. Hopefully, Selles has them focusing on the bits they can control rather than worrying on outside factors. If we do that and keep up the form we’ve had as of late we should be ok but admittedly I think we will be cutting it really close
Yeah, I think if we keep up our current form of win one lose one we'll be fine. But that would mean winning tonight which feels a big ask.