I'm going to start by assuming that from our 2 games in hand, we'll get 3 points putting us on 23 points. Looking at the table from that perspective, it's interesting to estimate how we will fare compared to the teams surrounding us.
Assuming Wycombe are going to finish bottom, we need to find two teams who will fill the other 2 relegation places. I don't expect Wednesday, Derby or Forest to be involved in a relegation battle. Recent form suggests that Birmingham, Coventry and Cardiff are the most likely to continue falling down the table. Millwall and QPR don't have great form but appear to be capable of pulling out a good result when they appear to be under pressure.
It's going to be a tough challenge and will require us to pick up points rather than waiting for these clubs to come and join us. I'm going to stick my neck out and expect Birmingham and Coventry to fill the last two relegation places. I think we have shown that we have the ability to pick up sufficient points to achieve safety but I wouldn't be averse to a couple of FFP points deductions elsewhere to giving us a helping hand!
Here is something to hang onto for hope, Glenn. Of the nine teams in the bottom ten with us, we have seven of them to play at home in the second half of the season. One of the two exceptions (the other being Millwall) is Wednesday, which as we know is a nailed on three points.
We are 2 or 3 quality players short of being good enough to stay up. Worryingly Warne is only talking about loan signings. Is he scared of being held responsible for expensive signings or is the chairman not prepared to finance what is obviously required ? I am less optimistic than i was a few weeks ago. The competition at this level is really fierce and without recruitment i fear we will burn out.
I hope we are not going to be in panic mode from what I have read it looks as if we are going that way again. Poor info from the the manager all over the place is there any one alive out there.
We are in uncertain times so I don't hold anything against the chairman for not splashing the cash at this time. It's good we are surviving and doing ok. We all knew the score championship wise - it's a big ask to stay up tbh.
if the club come out and say that money is available which they have then it is right for fans to expect players to be brought in. if we cannot afford it due to the stupid lockdown policies then we should say that too, what always annoys me is the deceit. loans are unlikely to keep us up and also we will have lost at least another 3 matches before they come in and are match fit. we did this two years ago and it vastly reduced our chances of survival do we ever learn. so my message to the club is be honest be open and we will support you, be deceitful and mislead us and you can expect fans to be less forgiving.
We are trying to cut wage bill by moving fringe players on. If we just have money for one signing for me it would be who can play left back, left wing back, needs to be up to speed straight in. Forward, bring Kayode back.
TC even you must know bringing loan players in who haven't been playing it's crazy. Will take time we haven't got to get them up to speed. At least Kayode he's match fit.
Third from bottom 5 points adrift need a couple of back to back wins to give us any chance where they come from I just can't see it. Of course I am despondent.
BTM predictive that's the word to describe it. Same as all of Warney's January transfer windows. I know we've got a club but at least get a couple of players in to bring something to the side in time for the Middlesbrough game.
TH/gwru - for once in your Banter careers, can you please look at the OP and try to continue the thread rather than blasting off at a tangent to spout the same old repetitive, boring tosh? We all know your views about our manager - we don't need reminding every time you post.
Back to the point of the thread - if we are going to survive, who do you think we might overtake to secure our Championship status? Not a difficult question to understand - is it?
To draw level with the team above we have to get 25% of the points we have already got, the team below us by one point have started on minus 6, we think we have been playing ok. I think we need to be honest with ourselves it would take a miracle for us to stay up, so perhaps the board are already planning for yet another warne relegation and hence why no players in except loans to save the money to ensure we have a club next season and hopefully after that, where most of that will be without fans as well, the lockdowns and restrictions won't stop and anyone that does any sort of real research will know why.
We have three games in hand on the two teams above us. It wouldn't take a miracle for us to get say a win and a draw from those three games, which would mean we would be one point worse off than them with almost half a season to play. Our problem with recruitment is that there is clearly a fair chance that we will go down. How do we offer more than a six month contract to anyone? Which player worth signing is going to come to us when (a) we are one of the lowest players in the division, (b) there is probably a bigger than 50/50 chance he will be playing League One next season and (c) if we are running the club properly we will be factoring a pay cut if relegated into the deal. That isnt 'planning for relegation' by the way. It is just how things are and have to be, and it makes it difficult to recruit (quite apart from whether it not we can afford transfer fees). That means either taking a chance on someone out of contract on a six month deal (as Warnock did with a few), taking a punt on someone from a lower league side who has nothing to lose (as we did with Crooks who joined in January from a League Two club) or taking someone on loan. The loan option looks attractive because it is by its nature only a short term commitment for club and for player so it probably represents the best means of getting in the extra quality we need. But persuading that player to throw in with us still isnt going to be easy. It's obvious though that we have a good fighting chance of staying up. I always think goal difference is a good guide to how good a side really is and ours isnt bad at all. I am not sure Forest have the players to scrap their way out of danger. Birmingham and Coventry are definitely catchable. Derby are still in a right mess in all sorts of ways. QPR are still well in it. And we have them all to play at home yet.
-- Edited by smiler on Sunday 24th of January 2021 08:32:24 AM
