It's Going To The Wire

[Donnybob]

The next month is potentially make or break time for a whole clutch of Championship clubs.

Assuming Newcastle and West Brom are as good as promoted and Forest have a pretty safe play-off place, there are four teams ahead of us in the race for the play-offs, Cardiff, Swansea, Leicester and Blackpool. With half a dozen games left the teams above us still have to meet each other on no less than six occasions.

Study the fixtures and you know what? It's absolutely there for all to play for. Six games where both side drop a point or one side drops three. Of course there are teams on our heels that could also take it down to the wire.

Fasten your seat belts folks, this is either going to be a disappointing damp squib or the biggest roller coaster ride of your lives so far. Better pinch yourselves because the dream is still alive.

The games that really matter:

Tuesday, 30 March 2010
Cardiff v Leicester, 19:45

Friday, 2 April 2010
Scunthorpe v Blackpool, 15:00
West Brom v Leicester, 17:15

Saturday, 3 April 2010
Cardiff v Swansea, 17:20
Doncaster v Plymouth, 15:00

Monday, 5 April 2010
Blackpool v Doncaster, 15:00
Leicester v QPR, 15:00
Nottm Forest v Cardiff, 17:15
Swansea v Scunthorpe, 15:00

Saturday, 10 April 2010
Bristol City v Swansea, 14:00
Cardiff v Reading, 15:00
Doncaster v West Brom, 15:00
Newcastle v Blackpool, 15:00
Peterborough v Leicester, 15:00

Saturday, 17 April 2010
Blackpool v Nottm Forest, 15:00
Ipswich v Doncaster, 15:00
Leicester v Watford, 15:00
QPR v Cardiff, 15:00
Swansea v Barnsley, 15:00

Saturday, 24 April 2010
Cardiff v Sheff Wed, 15:00
Doncaster v Scunthorpe, 15:00
Peterborough v Blackpool, 15:00
Preston v Leicester, 15:00
Sheff Utd v Swansea, 15:00

Sunday, 2 May 2010
Blackpool v Bristol City, 13:00
Derby v Cardiff, 13:00
Leicester v Middlesbrough, 13:00
Swansea v Doncaster, 13:00

[BillyStubbsTears]

Very interesting.

Cardiff have the run-in from Hell. You can see them nit picking up a pointbin the next 4 games - either that or they'll take points off other play off contenders.

Very, very difficult for us, but I reckon 4 wins and a draw from 6 might just do it.

[Surrey Rover]

I think 70 points minimum will be required. Looking over the Championship league tables for the last 15 years nothing less than 70 points has been good enough although usually its around 74. In 07/08 Watford finished in 6th place on 70 points whilst Leicester were relegated on 52. Season 95/96 Charlton and Leicester finished in 5th and 6th place respectively on 71 points whilst Millwall were relegated on 52. In both those two seasons the tables were very tight as is this the case this season and its looking like the table will look very similar come May.

[not on facebook]

blackpool fans have good reason to be confident with games they have left
to play

[BillyStubbsTears]

No team in the mix has an easy run in. Every one plays at least 3 of the other sides in the top 10. Blackpool have Newcastle, Forest and us to play.

Reading have possibly the easiest run-in (Coventry, Newcastle, Cardiff are their hardest matches) but they also have to play 8 matches in 4 weeks. They need to take 16-17 points at least from those 8 matches, and it'll be difficult for them to keep their current form going over such a congested period.

The sides that come through will be the ones that take points from these matches.

Our run-in is no harder or easier than anyone else's. If we are going to make it, we must beat Blackpool and Swansea. I could take us losing to West Brom, but then we'd have to beat Plymouth and Scunny, and get at least a point at Ipswich.

Button yer pockets down.

[Scooter]

I think it's all set up nicely for the trip to swansea. Let's hope the players go all out for it and tear plymouth apart giving them the confidence for the trip to blackpool. I can see leicester and swansea throwing it all away leaving forest cardiff blackpool and rovers in the playoffs

[Guernsey Exile]

Getting butterflies reading this thread - we can bloody do it!!!!!

Its gonna get very interesting -

[BillyStubbsTears]

Dream scenario:

We beat Plymouth next Saturday. Cardiff beat Swansea.

Easter Monday, we win at Blackpool and Scunny take a point off Swansea.

We go into the last four matches in 7th place, 2 points behind Swansea. It's then just a matter of matching their results for the next three games until we beat them on the last day of the season.

EDIT:

Alternatively, Cardiff lose to Leicester, Swansea and Forest in the next 7 days while we win our two games, and we're a point behind them on level matches.

[thornerover94]

i think swansea will be the team to slip up and miss out on the playoffs there have not scored alot this season and if anything could be goal difference that slips them up Leicester are another team which could drop out potentially going on a bad run at the wrong time after the mishaps of derby which could two playoff places open up for any of the 5/6 chasing just a case of who can put the corresct results together and force the issue on the teams struggling

[SkellowRover]

I wish the TO would bloody hurry up and get the swansea tickets on sale as i'm started to get mildy moist reading this thread lol :D

[MrFrost]

Its possible. And I also think Swansea are the team to catch. A win on Saturday will set everything up nicely. A defeat and its game over IMO.

[DN5Rover]

Each game is a cup final,that is how I am looking at it!! win the final against Plymouth then on to the final at Blackpool and then on from there.
My god I never thought it could be this good in the Championship.  

[RobTheRover]

BillyStubbsTears wrote:

Button yer pockets down.

I think you meant \"Button down yer pockets - its orgasm time!\"  (c) Saturday Santa, c1991