The Relegation Thread

[Buxton Vale]

We will be ok I think as 1 more point should do it, however if they want season tickets to be shifted, some info on what has gone wrong internally is required as the silence from the club during our terrible run has been deafening. If we had been awful all season then its a different matter, but we were half decent up until Christmas.

 

[Chris FGR]

Looking slightly tricky for us to stay up at this point.

We could go down tomorrow if we lose at Wycombe, Oxford beat Vale and MK get at least a point at Derby. Even if we survive till Saturday we’ll likely get the dubious honour of being the first side in the top 4 divisions to officially be relegated. Our end of season awards are going to be a laugh.

 

[Laker]

We won’t get any more points we’ve downed tools so you only need 9 to overhaul us. Achievable. If you don’t it’s probably down to Stanley beating you which likely sees them overhaul us.

Won’t get anymore points? Failed your prediction at the first game. Nice one. As I said, don’t be so ridiculous.

 

[Chris FGR]

Thank god Vale did get another point, keeps our survival hopes alive another few days.

 

[GEORGE]

Thank god Vale did get another point, keeps our survival hopes alive another few days.

On the plus side this summer -- No one will be coming in to nick your players or staff members.

 

[kieran_vale]

Thank god Vale did get another point, keeps our survival hopes alive another few days.

That and helping you win the title last season you're doing well out of us.

I never once thought we were seriously in the conversation on this apart from if all the stars aligned against us type of thing but the point today I am very confident in saying none of the bottom four will get to that total plus make up the GD. Everyone from Burton upwards can start looking ahead to next season.

I do think Oxford will get out of it but I've finally seen another team this season who match us for being hopeless in attack (we also struggle defending but that's a different matter). I refuse to believe a side that has someone like Brannigan won't conjure up something though in the remaining games.

 

[Luke Imp]

MK still ticking over ok and Oxford picking up draws aren't the worse results for them at the minute. A good point for Cambridge as well.

Struggling to see anyone other than MK, Oxford, Accrington and Cambridge battling it out now although the latter three have a game in hand.

 

[Laker]

Think our draw and Dons’ draw were both really good results. Dons have a very winnable game next weekend too, as do Accrington whereas us and Oxford have got awkward games. We’re all at home.

Frankly I want us to smash Peterborough regardless of whether our survival hopes depend on it or not. I won’t be thinking about staying up next weekend.

 

[valefan16]

Won’t get anymore points? Failed your prediction at the first game. Nice one. As I said, don’t be so ridiculous.

To be fair we actually put some effort in today which was the change in outcome. Looks like the penny finally dropped with some of them… that and Oxford seemed strangely to come for a point and appeared somehow to be even softer than us! Stunned they loaned us Taylor when they have zero threat at all!

 

[SVH]

Was half expecting Oxford to get a win at Port Vale so a big bonus we stay on the same points going into our next games.

Boro and Wycombe I think we’ll win one of those leaving us needing two wins from Plymouth, Accrington, Burton and FGR.

 

[joethegill]

Could really do with Cambridge coming down for local away day purposes, so please stop with the revival.

 

[thewwfc]

Was half expecting Oxford to get a win at Port Vale so a big bonus we stay on the same points going into our next games.

Boro and Wycombe I think we’ll win one of those leaving us needing two wins from Plymouth, Accrington, Burton and FGR.

You don’t care about us…just beat Posh please.

 

[SVH]

You don’t care about us…just beat Posh please.

I'd take that right now of course.

 

[WhiteRussian]

Two points from the easter games. Enough, obviously not really but i didnt expect more. As long as our non game in hand doesn't come back to bite us, I'm feeling a bit better than I was before the easter matches.

 

[WhiteRussian]

I'd take that right now of course.

As much as it makes me feel ill to say it, I hope Posh stuff you. Sorry.

 

[bigfatron]

As much as it makes me feel ill to say it, I hope Posh stuff you. Sorry.

Having to say that is enough to make anyone a little sick in their own mouth...
I just hope Bolton respond to last week's poor performance and raise their game today!

 

[GeneralLee]

I'm sure every side will say this. I just don't see us scoring let along winning.

What I think we can bank on which Liam Manning has helped is being solid enough across a few games to keep a clean sheet. Our best hope at this point is drawing sufficiently across the remaining fixtures whilst hoping everyone below us will lose or draw less than us.

That strategy hinges on someone like Accrington/Cambridge failing to win. If they pick up a win over the next couple of games and we lose our next two then I think we'll go down. Offensively we have absolutely nothing to offer. We are reliant on Brannagan smacking in a penalty of free kick and scrapping for something. If we won today and Accrington lose we'll probably start to relax somewhat and increase our odds of staying up.

Relegation a year ago would have been seen as a completely avoidable scenario. Yet here we are.

 

[bigfatron]

I'm not sure why an Oxford fan is worrying about Accrington… I reckon our chances of staying up are 50/50…

 

[Chris FGR]

That’s us officially gone.

Embarrassingly, we were never really properly involved in this thread, not looked close to even competing for survival. Makes it sting a bit less tbh.

 

[kieran_vale]

That’s us officially gone.

Embarrassingly, we were never really properly involved in this thread, not looked close to even competing for survival. Makes it sting a bit less tbh.

Suppose that’s the thing as it never seemed to get off the ground then January clearly didn’t work you can be long past the acceptance stage on it. Hopefully FGR can give it a good go next season though, always been a good bunch on here.

 

[thewwfc]

Commiserations to FGR, congratulations at least for taking it with good grace and humour which I fear I might not have done had our owners fucked things up as horrendously as yours have - as I’ve said before on here, someone should seriously write a book for club owners using FGR as a template of everything not to do as a newly-promoted club.

I’m far more interested in the relegation dogfight now than I am the other end of the table, now we’re as good as on the beach.

Hope everyone’s bought their brown trousers.

Cambridge - chuck 10 men behind the ball against us and hit us on the break, it’s the oldest tactic in the book (especially for a relegation-threatened side) but we don’t seem to be able to deal with it, so why not?

 

[Luke Imp]

Cambridge hitting form at a good time, it's one of those where they've had to put a very good run together to just about catch up, but then have got to go again and get themselves out of it. The game that they and Oxford play in 10 days could make it interesting, especially as Cambridge's result today brings Vale back into it and positive results in those games in hand could have Cheltenham a bit nervy as well.

Big win for Burton given the results and an important point for Cheltenham, too.

 

[YEO YEO YEO]

Update after today.

Port Vale should have enough to survive, but have hardest run in.

Some interesting ties coming up between sides at the botom.

Big wins for Morecambe and Cambridge, MK and Oxford keep ticking over with draws. Morecambe have 1 game less to play ...

I can't see past Accrington & Morecambe joining FGR, the last spot, who knows!

 

[thewwfc]

looks like some goddamn SEXY relegation dogfight fixtures on the final day, Oxford v Accy and Cambridge v FGR could be massive.

 

[SVH]

Commiserations to FGR, congratulations at least for taking it with good grace and humour which I fear I might not have done had our owners fucked things up as horrendously as yours have - as I’ve said before on here, someone should seriously write a book for club owners using FGR as a template of everything not to do as a newly-promoted club.

I’m far more interested in the relegation dogfight now than I am the other end of the table, now we’re as good as on the beach.

Hope everyone’s bought their brown trousers.

Cambridge - chuck 10 men behind the ball behind us and hit us on the break, it’s the oldest tactic in the book (especially for a relegation-threatened side) but we don’t seem to be able to deal with it, so why not?

Sounds perfect and that’s exactly what we’ll do and done to Pish yesterday. I fancy us to get another 3 points Tuesday and the momentum will be enough for us to survive over the last four games. Oxford although becoming tough to beat won’t stay up with draws.

Port Vale are now in the mix. They were terrible when we played them and look in free fall. 46 should be enough in the end but we’ve got 10 points from our last 6 games and I expect us to pick up 8 from our last 5 games and stay up. If Vale don’t pick up another win from somewhere I can see them going with Accrington.

 

[kieran_vale]

I think the bookies have us at 10’s for the drop. Basically in the conversation but not nailed on if that makes sense. I’m looking at our remaining fixtures and forget Ipswich away that’s just a maintain some semblance of GD advantage if we can job. Rovers at home and Charlton away if we want to survive you need to be winning one of them otherwise Plymouth last day it’s a case of hope they win the title prior to it and spend the week on the hit and miss.

I think we’ll more probably than not pull it out of the bag but the second half of this season has been one big reality check for a number of our players.

 

[valefan16]

I think the bookies have us at 10’s for the drop. Basically in the conversation but not nailed on if that makes sense. I’m looking at our remaining fixtures and forget Ipswich away that’s just a maintain some semblance of GD advantage if we can job. Rovers at home and Charlton away if we want to survive you need to be winning one of them otherwise Plymouth last day it’s a case of hope they win the title prior to it and spend the week on the hit and miss.

I think we’ll more probably than not pull it out of the bag but the second half of this season has been one big reality check for a number of our players.

There’s no excuse as whilst tough games Bristol Rovers and Charlton have zero to play for so anything less than us wanting it more is inexcusable.

Plymouth is an odd one, they are beatable and throw in a few shitters and our pitch probably won’t help them but again they will likely need a win and we have to want it as much.

Problem is Cambridge and Oxford both have FGR so likely 3 points closer there, otherwise who knows, Cambridge are on a good run and they seem mega confident but Wycombe on their day are good enough to beat them if they did lose that they go to Plymouth which is daunting and all of a sudden the momentum switches. Likely to still be a few twists and turns so will have to see what happens, I wouldn’t have expected Fleetwood to destroy Stanley in the form they had been in and so it can change quickly.

The only hope for us is like Cambridge and MK we finally realise the situation we are in and out in the performance levels to get ourselves out of it, we know we are capable of getting the results and picked 6 points from the next 4 opponents first half of the season but at the moment there isn’t much signs of it and the kind of things going against us such as the red card for TC, Stephens throwing one in his own net at Stanley, missing a sitter against Cambridge seconds before they took the lead tend to usually only happen to teams that go down.

Just want fight now, the effort and desire to get out this mess, surely no player here or not next season wants relegation on their C.V. and need our big players like Wilson and Ellis to put it in.

Something like the Exeter game last season or the second leg of the play offs. It’s a working class club, put in the effort we will forgive any lack of quality, issue is the effort hasn’t been there and we’ve gone from a situation where we should of been mathematically safe weeks ago to now in a dog fight.

To lose a 15 point lead on Cambridge only 2 weeks ago to relegation would be a disgraceful downfall.

 

[valefan16]

On a side note sad to see FGR go, worked hard to get to this level and hasn’t worked out.

Hopefully a positive end to their campaign, you guys remember how we beat Exeter for you to win the title… could do with calling that favour back in…

 

[TrinidadsNumberOne]

Looking at this from a League Two perspective, I think the bottom 5 have gone an awfully long time without a relegation which I find very unique. I remember Cambridge and Oxford going down to non league in 2005 and 2006 respectively, I know Morecambe have apparently never been relegated and I know that FGR got reprieved once or twice in the Conference before Vince took over. I can't for the life of me recall an Accrington relegation either!

It does make you think though that whoever goes down may really struggle to adapt to a relegation and the consequences that come with it. Personally, I feel Oxford and Cambridge would do well in League Two next season but this is the first big setback in the FGR project under Vince and Accrington and Morecambe will almost certainly have to tighten their belts at the lower level with gates dropping and they'll find it tougher to compete to sign players at the lower level. I could easily see 2 or 3 of the relegated sides struggling next season in L2. I thought last seasons bottom 4 were diabolical (especially us) and it's shown this season that none of us were anywhere near promotion...

 

[Bartonyellow]

Amazes me how much vale fans are thinking they are going down, yet are only 2 points behind us and we are thinking about joining the mid table thread. You will be staying up.