No more hiding…

As a huge Coventry fan, I am preparing myself for the possibilty that the Sky Blues really could get relegated this coming Sunday. The league table doesn’t lie, and it does not make pretty viewing right now.

Pos	Team	Played	GD	Pts
18	Blackpool	45	-5	53
19	Coventry	45	-9	53
20	Sheff Wed	45	-4	52
21	Leicester	45	-3	51
22	Southampton	45	-17	51
23	R Scunthorpe	45	-23	45
24	R Colchester	45	-24	37

Southampton are in big danger of the drop and their minus 17 goal difference means that even if they end up on level points with another team, they are likely to go down due to their abysmal defensive record, and with their final match against the in-form Sheffield United, they are the 1/1 favourites to go down

Leicester have the best goal difference out of the five teams that could be relegated, but they are away to Stoke City, who know that a win would seal their promotion to the Premiership. You can get odds of 6/4 on Leicester to go down, but their impressive goal difference (considering the circumstances) really could prove vital.

Sheffield Wednesday have arguably the easiest game of the lot, at home to Norwich who have nothing to play for but pride. However, saying that it’s an easy game means nothing – Wednesday still have to do the business on the pitch. Odds of 13/2 are very good value. 

So we come to Coventry, just two points clear of safety, and with the second worse goal difference of the five. We are away to Charlton, but with Addicks boss Alan Pardew saying that he’s ready to give “the kids a run out” that could spell disaster for Chris Coleman’s men – young, hungry teenagers willing to prove a point.

I can only hope and pray that results go our way, because I can’t see us winning. Coventry are actually the outside bet to go down at 25/1, which is superb value, and well worth a quid or two (even if I say so myself!). 

I’m even half tempted to put £10 on Coventry to go down myself, that way, even if we are relegated I’ll have enough money to drown my sorrows!

Meanwhile, 18th placed Blackpool face play-off candidates Watford, at home, in a far from easy clash. Despite odds of 22/1 to go down, I wouldn’t say that Blackpool are totally safe. Anything could, and probably will happen.

See you on the other side…

(All odds courtesy of http://www.bet365.com)

 

Tough at the top, tight at the bottom

Well, what a superb weekend of Championship football. Things are getting uncomfortably close for teams both vying for promotion and dreading the drop.

West Brom moved one step closer to finishing within the top two while Leicester climbed out of the bottom three with Sheffield Wednesday taking their place.

Stoke moved in to the second automatic promotion spot with a 2-1 win over fellow promotion hopefuls Bristol City at the Britannia Stadium.

Mamady Sidibe grabbed both the goals for Stoke and in doing so doubling his season’s goals tally! One wonders if ‘Big Mama’ will make the grade in the Premiership, should Stoke get there.

Elsewhere Coventry boosted their survival hopes with a thumping 5-1 win at relegated Colchester while Southampton remain in big trouble after a 1-0 home defeat to Burnley. Coventry’s win took them from 21st in the league to 17th. What a difference an hour and a half makes, hey.

Hull missed the chance to cement their place in second spot after a 2-0 defeat at 10-man Sheffield United and Crystal Palace boosted their play-off hopes with a 2-0 success at Watford. Any of the teams down to 9th placed Wolves still stand a chance of promotion.

Down at the bottom, things are equally, if not more tense:

Pos	Team	Played	GD	Pts
15	Preston	44	-3	55
16	Blackpool	44	-2	53
17	Coventry	44	-9	52
18	Norwich	44	-10	52
19	Barnsley	44	-13	52
20	Leicester	44	-1	51
21	Southampton	44	-17	50
22	Sheff Wed	44	-6	49
23	R Scunthorpe	44	-24	42
24	R Colchester	44	-23	37

With six points still left to scrap for eight teams still face the prospect of relegation. Looking at the table now, I feel that Southampton will have to work very hard to secure their Championship status and with games against West Brom away and Sheffield United at home, they will do very well to grab a win against either.

Out of their League?

Why does the media still fail to acknowledge the job that Gary Johnson has done at Bristol City this season?

True, The Robins have exceeded everyone’s expectations this season – including their own, but they don’t sit on top of the Championship for no reason. From what I’ve seen, they’ve played some decent football and the recent addition of Dele Adebola can surely only been seen as a positive.

They don’t have a squad of big names. I mean, players such as Bradley Orr and Jamie McCombe barely register on the football Richter scale (no offense intended), but they possess great talent and an enviable team spirit. Then when you add the fact that their manager has his head firmly screwed on, it is no wonder Bristol are flying high.

So why is it Paul Merson has decided that if teams like Stoke and Bristol City went up to the top flight, they would ‘ruin the Premiership’? Now I don’t mind Paul Merson, but please Paul, try and explain how these two honest, hardworking sides would ‘ruin’ a league riddled with over paid pretty boys with ego’s bigger than Jade Goody’s rear end?

Personally, I think that the Premiership needs teams like Bristol City and Stoke. It might just give the place a dose of realism! They may well appear unfashionable, but just because they don’t boast players who would much rather pose for ‘Hello’ magazine than get stuck in to bulky six foot defenders on a cold November night, does not mean they can’t hold their own.

I am wondering if what Merson was actually trying to say, in a less than articulate manner, is that the Premiership doesn’t need another Derby County. If that were the case, then I would have to agree. But Derby are an odd one, they got promoted more by luck than judgment, they won the play off final just one year into a three year plan that had been set by the Rams board! But still, Derby will view this season as a learning curve and will return to the Championship with a wealth of experience and a shed load of cash.

Teams like Bristol City would provide a breath of fresh air to the top flight and if they can hold on to Johnson, then I see no reason for them not to emulate the success of teams such as Portsmouth and Reading.