News and commentary as Stoke City head into two critical Championship games against Blackburn Rovers and Queens Park Rangers.
The bookies believe Rotherham United and Sheffield Wednesday are doomed in the Championship this season, with betting on them playing in League One next season despite the fact that they still have 16 or 17 games to play. If they continue on their current paths, they will finish with roughly 30 and 35 points, respectively, and will say their goodbyes in April.
However, only five points separate Queens Park Rangers, who are third from bottom, and Millwall, who are 16th, with Plymouth only a win higher. Confidence is poor everywhere. Huddersfield and Birmingham have each won two in twelve, while QPR and Swansea have each won two in ten. Blackburn Rovers has won one in eleven, while Millwall has won three in fourteen.
QPR (11/10) are still the shortest odds to finish in the drop zone, followed closely by Huddersfield (6/4), but it’s all a little too close for comfort, and even though a heavy loss last weekend came at the hands of Leicester, the division’s best team, there are genuine nerves jangling about the next three months.
Stoke fans have been communicating their ideas, concerns, and rare appeals for calm. What are your thoughts? Participate in the discourse by leaving a comment.
Duncan Slater: Given that we have awarded points to everyone of the clubs below us except Rotherham, it is tough to identify three teams that are performing worse than us…. There were instances in the Leicester game when our players performed below Sunday league standards, lacking basic control and passing ability.
Craig Milner: Anyone who claims we are not under threat of relegation needs to get their heads out of the sand. If we lose to Blackburn and QPR, we will most likely be in the bottom three in February, with a team that cannot score or defend.
Sarah Wilshaw: We should not have split the team after losing to Leicester. Leicester are superb and dominated our players until they lost confidence and made blunders. We keep going.
John Harris: We need to move on; we lost to Birmingham by six goals at home once, and we’ve been in the Premiership for ten years, winning 6-1 against Liverpool. Football had its ups and downs over the years. There’s so much doom and gloom. Come on, let’s rally behind the manager and the players and get out of this situation.
Butch Robinson: What disturbs me is that this team isn’t a relegation fighting team; we need points quickly because if we’re in the relegation zone with four or five games left, these guys don’t have the minerals for a dog fight.
Les Shaw: It wasn’t the loss to Leicester that stung; it was the manner of defeat, the complete surrender, and the lack of effort. Furthermore, the managers’ stupid team selection implied damage limitation, which backfired spectacularly.
Steve Franklyn: Players need to get their fingers out and prove they’re worthy of wearing the shirt.
Craig Chidlow: It’s not about the last three results; it’s about what happened in the prior twenty-seven games and five years that led to the mess we’re in today.
Paul Daley: Let the supporters moan all they want. After five terrible seasons, I’d say they’ve been more than loyal. Unfortunately, we cannot say the same about the performances of the so-called ‘gifted squad’. It’s about time they realised they’re not as good as they’ve been told. They should start fighting for points. A dedicated defense will not defend 10 yards from each opponent. Yes, support the team at the game, but allow folks to express their frustration beforehand. Six managers, and nothing has changed. It is entirely up to the players. Fight for the club, and the supporters will support you.
Andrew Cruxton: We were the better team against Birmingham and should not have lost, and then we faced two extremely difficult games against Sunderland and Leicester. Prior to it, we had gone seven games unbeaten and were in a fairly good mindset. Of sure, the style of the last two defeats has been excruciating, but our season will be defined by outcomes against the top sides, not the ones surrounding us. Fortunately, there is only one relegation slot to worry about, as seven clubs have 31-33 points, putting us all four points ahead of QPR. Is it good? No, absolutely not. Are we doomed with 16 games remaining? What the heck are we? A big few weeks, no question, but let’s panic if we’re still here in April.
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