Think Brizzle have had it. Blackburn and 'udd also have really poor form and internal problems - so they are my other 2 - although huge game next Tuesday when they play each other.
It's so tight and relegation is still a possibility (although remote) for clubs as high as Boro in 9th place which is freaky. Agree Bristol City are gone. The other two will I think come from two of Blackburn, Peterborough, Huddersfield or Wolves. Barnsley seem in just too good a run of form to go down. Unfortunately I think Wednesday are out of it too.
We still need to get to 56 points,I could see someone falling on 55 this year,but having done different permitations on predictor I can't guess who it will be.
The season reminds me of 1982/83,when we played Bolton and beat them 4-1 to stay up.If I remember rightly there were about 10 teams who were only separated by 5 points including the mighty Chelsea who in the end finished below us.One difference was in those days I think a couple of teams were allowed to play fixtures after the official last Saturday which looking back feels really unfair.
Looking ahead to next season I hope that 2 of Wednesday, Blackburn, Leeds and Wolves go down. They are the bigger clubs who could have a budget next season. The likes of Barnsley / Peterbrough will be good cannon fodder next year for us.
I read a Blackburn forum last night and noticed they are falling for the old delusion that "At least we will win lots more games in League 1"
A lot of teams have thought that and have come seriously unstuck! Plus the fact that they will have to ship out almost their entire first team squad. Life will be far from easy from Blackburn Rovers if they do go down!
Hope pboro manage to stay up,they have looked up against it all season but keep pulling out surprise results.Think blackburn will go that club looks in real turmoil.will be interesting to see where leeds go from here,another club that seems to be falling apart although i think they will stay up it could be close.
If Blackburn or Wolves went down I don't think it would be that easy for them, even with the parachute payments. Their visit would be a big game for almost everyone. I think Blackburn are in such freefall it could easily happen to them. Is it the Venky's cunning plan to win something by going far enough down the football pyramid that they are playing against part-timers?
As team on a good run can suddenly go on a bad one and visa versa. I think Blackburn have all the ingredients to struggle. I do have a sneaky feeling for Posh going too.
I have a feeling Blackburn will get out of it, as will Wolves. Huddersfield, Bristol CIty and Peterborough for me.
As a side note, I have a mate who has followed Blackburn for almost forty years. Feel for him - what those clueless muppets have done to the club is a disgrace.
If they go down they will sink without trace. Every player they have will be sold for peanuts and sooner or later the Venkys will completely pull the plug. Blackburn are really just a small provincial Northwest team - who got lucky when Jack Walker used them as a vanity vehicle to unburden his guilty conscience after fucking the British taxpayers over - so they don't have a queue of benefactors on the horizon willing to buy Venkys out. Nor will they be even a remotely attractive proposition as an investment vehicle for rich Arabs/Russians/Yanks. I believe they were one of the first clubs to 'secure' their debt by mortgaging off their TV payments - so the fact that they haven't gone up this year (let alone are possibly on the verge of relegation) means that the doomsday clock is ticking on them anyway. Even if they survive this year, if they don't go up next season they are (notwithstanding an enormous cash injection from India), royally fucked in 2014/15.
We still need to get to 56 points,I could see someone falling on 55 this year,but having done different permitations on predictor I can't guess who it will be.
The season reminds me of 1982/83,when we played Bolton and beat them 4-1 to stay up.If I remember rightly there were about 10 teams who were only separated by 5 points including the mighty Chelsea who in the end finished below us.One difference was in those days I think a couple of teams were allowed to play fixtures after the official last Saturday which looking back feels really unfair.
You remember well....some of the main features of the final Saturday in 1983 were:
Charlton v Bolton - the losers were definitely down and nobody knew if a draw would be enough. In the event, a draw would have given Charlton 46 points but we'd have been relying on Palace to draw or beat Burnley 3 days later! For a 7 minute period in the 2nd half we were going down because Bolton took the lead.....
Chelsea v Boro - in the end 0-0 was enough to keep them both up but both were in real danger at 3pm.
Derby v Fulham - Derby won 2-0 but at 3pm they needed to a win to make sure. Fulham needed a win to have a chance of promotion and missed out by one point. The win took Derby to 13th place!
I think Palace got a point away to Wolves which took them one point away from safety and then;
Crystal Palace v Burnley (played the following Tuesday and was the final fixture in the league) Palace needed a draw and Burnley needed a win. Palace won 1-0 and Burnley went down.
As Richard J says....bottom club Bolton finished with 44 points and Derby finished with 49......TEN clubs with 5 points between them!!!! The Bolton game was a classic, tension filled game with a great finale, in which Derek Hales shone through as a hero! Shame there were only 8,720 there to see it.
Comments
Agree that Brizzle will be for the drop. Looking at the form table you've got to say that Blackburn will be joining them.
Leeds are in a downward spiral and could be dragged into it. I think Peterborough will escape.
The season reminds me of 1982/83,when we played Bolton and beat them 4-1 to stay up.If I remember rightly there were about 10 teams who were only separated by 5 points including the mighty Chelsea who in the end finished below us.One difference was in those days I think a couple of teams were allowed to play fixtures after the official last Saturday which looking back feels really unfair.
A lot of teams have thought that and have come seriously unstuck! Plus the fact that they will have to ship out almost their entire first team squad. Life will be far from easy from Blackburn Rovers if they do go down!
Really hope the Venkys realise what they have done too - absolute idiots.
not Charlton
and not Charlton.
Pearson a dead cert to be replaced in summer I suspect
As a side note, I have a mate who has followed Blackburn for almost forty years. Feel for him - what those clueless muppets have done to the club is a disgrace.
If they go down they will sink without trace. Every player they have will be sold for peanuts and sooner or later the Venkys will completely pull the plug. Blackburn are really just a small provincial Northwest team - who got lucky when Jack Walker used them as a vanity vehicle to unburden his guilty conscience after fucking the British taxpayers over - so they don't have a queue of benefactors on the horizon willing to buy Venkys out. Nor will they be even a remotely attractive proposition as an investment vehicle for rich Arabs/Russians/Yanks. I believe they were one of the first clubs to 'secure' their debt by mortgaging off their TV payments - so the fact that they haven't gone up this year (let alone are possibly on the verge of relegation) means that the doomsday clock is ticking on them anyway. Even if they survive this year, if they don't go up next season they are (notwithstanding an enormous cash injection from India), royally fucked in 2014/15.
Charlton v Bolton - the losers were definitely down and nobody knew if a draw would be enough. In the event, a draw would have given Charlton 46 points but we'd have been relying on Palace to draw or beat Burnley 3 days later! For a 7 minute period in the 2nd half we were going down because Bolton took the lead.....
Chelsea v Boro - in the end 0-0 was enough to keep them both up but both were in real danger at 3pm.
Derby v Fulham - Derby won 2-0 but at 3pm they needed to a win to make sure. Fulham needed a win to have a chance of promotion and missed out by one point. The win took Derby to 13th place!
I think Palace got a point away to Wolves which took them one point away from safety and then;
Crystal Palace v Burnley (played the following Tuesday and was the final fixture in the league) Palace needed a draw and Burnley needed a win. Palace won 1-0 and Burnley went down.
As Richard J says....bottom club Bolton finished with 44 points and Derby finished with 49......TEN clubs with 5 points between them!!!! The Bolton game was a classic, tension filled game with a great finale, in which Derek Hales shone through as a hero! Shame there were only 8,720 there to see it.