Christmas is here and by and large the table is fairly sound predictor at this time of year for roughly how things will finish. However, the championship has become known as the closest of leagues.
So, who are your 3 for the drop and why?
My current 3 are:
Millwall.
Blackpool.
Us.
This is, of course , based on current form, and some acknowledgement of squad, resources and history.
Blackpool.
Have an uninterested and arrogant chairman. They escaped by their fingertips last time out and have done ****** all to arrest their appalling slide and after years of sustained progress it looks like a year or 4 in league one is on the cards.
Millwall
Holloway! He did really well last year and started well this, but if he can't make a significant difference after 22 games then they must be dire.
My beloved millers.
Slow start and radical change underfoot. The youngsters are all on loan and as good as our new-look style and shape are we still don't look like finding the back of the net consistently. We are necessarily defensively set up and I'm struggling to see any big change re the necessary penetrative thrust in to the opposition box.
The rest
As much as my 'three for the drop' need a goal scorer the rest are already blessed with good players and squads at this level. The teams promoted with us are doing well and no one else apart from Birmingham and huddersfield look weak enough to go on a significant bad run. However, despite Birmingham still looking dire to me Rowett has had a superb 8 games in charge and huddersfield have a proven albeit currently not in form striker.
-- Edited by ian on Tuesday 23rd of December 2014 01:56:10 AM
-- Edited by ian on Tuesday 23rd of December 2014 01:57:28 AM
Blackpool look certainties for the drop, they need something like play off form in the second half of he season and that looks unlikely to happen.
Agree with Millwall who do look a very poor side.
And one always seems to drop like a stone from mid-table. I'm hoping it's Wednesday but got a feeling that Charlton have been riding their luck and living off their early season form. I think they will nose dive after Christmas.
I'm hoping that we will finish lower mid table - next two games will be a good pointer. Win those and things will look a little rosier.
I'm trying to look at facts and variables as I see them right now. For instance, if we (us) keep the loanees and 2 players start to score, and let's say finish in double figures for the season then us (we) will probably stay up.
Likewise, if Wednesday start conceding ( as they did at Fulham) they may drop because they can't score either.
Birmingham look to me like a very poor team, but you can't argue too much with current form.
Next time I'll put up a thread that says, 'how loud can you beat your chest'?
-- Edited by ian on Tuesday 23rd of December 2014 10:25:57 AM
Blackpool going from one crisis to another, certain for the drop.
Millwall, dropping like a stone, the pressure is mounting on Holloway, they are very much wobbling on the ropes.
The other relegation berth will be taken by whoever cant stand the pace and keep up with the pace/standards of the Championship. Yes it could be the Millers but I cant see it, theres a desire to succeed at NYS and the jobs not done for Stevie and Tony.
On the note about belief or whatever some want to refer to it as may I point out Evo's last interview where he says that even if we are relegated TS and the board still want him to lead us!
Let's be realistic. On our current pre Christmas form, that is to say, lack of goals scored by us, we are one of the favorites for the drop. However, on an more optimistic note I have stated on another thread that we will survive. We have new players who like to play the ball to feet and are more patient in their approach to the game. There seems to be less of the long ball being played. Revell is now getting into the opposition box rather that winning headers 40 yards away from the opposition goal which, more often than not, leads to zilch.
Blackpool and Millwall look doomed based on recent form. Wigan, ourselves, Huddersfield and Leeds would be the other candidates. Wigan were diabolical against us last week, but I fully expect them to improve. We had better hope this 'system' of ours pays dividends quickly.
I just think this league is so even, (with the odd exception) that it's unrealistic to expect us to pull away from the relegation fight.
Blackpool, despite there position are difficult to beat and have had draws against top teams. Likewise, we have played and got results against sides that will be nearer the top.
There's no magic formula, just hard work and looking for every point. EVO has tried every combo and the results don't alter much.
Just a couple of weeks ago The Millers were one of the favourites to be relegated. Since that time several things have changed including the style of how we play. Next weekend we may try out a few different tactics against Bournemouth in the FA Cup. Remember, we are a work in progress team. We are not, in my opinion, the finished article just yet.
I must admit that I thought becchio was the missing piece at the time. The issue as you quite rightly point out is not that we can't give anyone a game, but that the difference between the top and bottom is that 20+ a season striker.
