A big match for both teams. I think a point would be a good result. Blackpool are on a bad run and haven't won since late October. They have injury and suspension problems so it might be a good time to play them. Rotherham have a good recent record against Blackpool who haven't beaten us since 1997.
McCarthy will set them up to be physical and direct as with most of his teams. Madine will be missing and there are doubts around Goode,Beesley, Gabriel, Bridcutt,Fiorini, Ekpiteta and Stewart. Like us Blackpool brought in a lot of players in the January window (six) in an aim to freshen the side up.
What about us? It sounds like there are a couple of injury doubts but information about them is being kept in house. If possible i think M.T will stick to the same team and formation that he used against the blades. He has mentioned he could return to 3;5:2 but i think that would be mad as the team has played so well in the last three games using 4:3;3 or 4:5:1. I expect a tough physical battle and a 1-1 draw.
Well you got the draw right if not the score Whiston. Poor game which we only started to shade during the last quarter of the match. A draw was probably a fair result, and other results went in our favour, although I would have preferred Huddersfield to hold out for a draw as well. Let's hope the players have a better game against Reading on Tuesday
The result was better than the performance apparently Unifier.
It looks like relegation will involve the bottom six imo. I thought Birmingham would be involved but they appear to have found some form. Bristol.C look to have more than enough to stay up. I suppose Reading could be involved especially if we could find a way to beat them on Tuesday. Again i think a draw for us there would be a good result. Of the bottom six i think Stoke will have enough to stay up. However, their inconsistency and F.A Cup involvement might keep them in the relegation battle.
I think it will be three from the bottom five (sticking my neck out there) who will go down. The four below us have been in poor form for quite a while now. Wigan won for the first time in ten league games yesterday and again it was against a bottom five team. Previous win was against Blackpool in October and they also beat us in the same month.
Cardiff have lost their last four games. Their last win was in November i believe. They have also played a game more than teams below them.Could they move for Warnock to help them stay up?
Huddersfield have not won in their last seven games. Last win was against us in late December.
Blackpool are in dire form. They had a good win in the cup against Forest but their last league win was in late October. Injuries have hit them hard and unless they can get players back and new signings performing i cannot see how they will stay up.
I think it will be our home form that will keep us up if we do manage to stay up. Our next five home games are against Coventry, Sunderland,Q.P.R,Preston and Cardiff. These are all winnable games and i think a return of around nine points from those would be a good base to stay up from. One of these bottom five teams are going to find some form. We have not lost in four and only let one goal in during that time. A good base to kick on from and get out of the relegation battle. Lets hope it doesn't go to the last game of the season where we have to beat Wigan to stay up.
Good analysis there Whiston, I think the Reading match is going to be key this season. 3 points for us could well see us claw our way out of the cesspit at the bottom and pull Reading in. On the other hand a loss will duck our heads back into it, so we really could do with a much needed win. Reading have not had a good run lately, so I think this will be an attritional hard slog for the odd goal to hang on to for a win. Put your gloves on to save your fingernails......
I thought it might be Cardiff who turned to Warnock to help keep them up. It has turned out to be another one of his old clubs,Huddersfield who have asked for help. I have said before Warnock did marvels for us but oh how much look did we have during his short tenure. About three years worth imo. No doubt he is a great motivator and he might get some better early results. However, i feel he is a yesterdays man and he will struggle to keep them up. Hope so anyway.
Can only echo those hopes Whiston, he is most definitely old school, but if he can motivate the players, they have the ability to get out of the mire. Think Cardiff will sink instead. Still think our team will get a fillip with a win tonight, that might well see us climb away from the drop zone by the end of February. A run of winnable games coming up, thereafter it gets harder and if we're still in the danger zone in mid March, I think the nerves will definitely be twanging. Let's look up, and not down.
Well, that was painful. A game we should have won given away by silly errors. We didn't play well, but definitely had the measure of Reading, even though they were quicker to the ball than we were. Reading never looked like scoring until we gave them two chances of putting the ball on Carroll's head, and then left him free to connect with it. Odoffin was culpable for giving away an unnecessary free kick, but Harding's error was much worse. I think he was trying to be clever and run the ball out for a goal kick, but unfortunately it caught his shin, and lost us the point we needed as a minimum. I said there was a chance if we won, of clambering away from the drop zone, this result very much puts us in it.
