After last night... no real change at the bottom.

Leicester have won 12 of there last 15 games, and anyone expecting a win last night was being unrealistic. They have money to buy premiership quality players, they have a big squad and could comfortably put out two quality championship starting XI teams, they have few injuries, are in form and are playing with confidence. They were expected to win last night and anyone expecting us to turn them over is being unrealisitc.

We have won 2 and lost 2 games in our last 4 outings. We will get some bad results along the way, but if we continue in that form we should be safe i.e. that would be 6 wins. Not sayinng we will. But I am happy if we win one week and get tonked the next.

Last week I said that there were 6 teams in the relegation fight. I would add Birmingham to that list. Another poor team with indifferent form. They are only 9 points ahead of us. A bad run for any team down there could be fatal.

Charlton have games in hand but having sacked manager, have taken a risk. Could unsettled side or they could kick on. Birhamingham and Blackpool have points on the board but are in poor form. Doncaster are relying on Billy Sharp to score the goals, if he picks up a knock or misses any games i fear for them. Yeovil have battled hard this year but have they got enough in the tank. Millwall are a poor side and have lost to bottom side recently, relying on the holloway effect is he all that IMHO overrated manager. And then Barnsley, we have been here before got the t-shirt and time and time again proved critics wrong. This year I actually feel more confident that previous years. We have been showing flashes brilliance in games, but also shown how fragile we can be.

IMHO the so called backup players and youngsters were big part of last years survival surge e.g. RNL, Danny Rose, Etuhu, Bobby Hassell. They showed pasison and desire than many of the regulars had lacked. Crainie was out for back end of last season, and missed the begining of the fightback. Kennedy played well in central defensive 3 and wingback system worked to our advantage. I personally though Nyatanga and Mvoto did well last night when they came on especially to say that they have played so little football. If Ramage and Crainie are out then I am happy for them to deputise. Midfield were weak last night, first half no one seemed to know where they were playing. Mellis got lots of stick from stands but to be fair to the lad why was he positioned on the right, that makes about as much sense as playing one foot Kennedy at Right back. Dawson worked hard but other 4-midfield lads are all flair players and don't put enough of a shift in to break up play. We need a few stoppers in the mixed otherwise we will get bullied.

Positives, Steele making some key saves. McLaughlin should be on his way back, if so I would like to see him at righback and push Jack hunt forward to right wing. I'd like to see Pedersen and Danny Rose involved, both deserve a shot. Midfield is biggest worry, we need to big time players Lawrence and Frimpong to step up and make their mark.

In summary, last night was no shock. We have beat the drop before, and can do it again. We have players in the reserves and academy who could add injection of drive and enthusiasm to pull out results. I remember Danny Rose winner against Wolves at home last season, immmense!

COYR

 

Plenty changed last night. We let in three more to go with the five two games ago. Blackpool and Donny both won to pull further clear making it look like 3 from 4. Charlton gain another game in hand on us and can put us bottom tonight.

The situation this morning is much worse than pre Leicester.

 

Absolutely. Anyone saying or thinking differently is deluded. We slipped a lot closer to relegation last night. FACT.

 

I think last night was significant, not because we lost but because we are running out of **** teams to compete with for relegation places. We have to win all our home games and our away games against Yeovil and Charlton to survive and I have seen nothing to suggest that we can put a run together.