Championship Championship Relegation Battle

[Foley]

An extraordinary season for them. What a job McKenna has done for them.
It will be interesting to see where he goes next. I reckon if he gets a good offer he could be off before the new season.
Go out on a high before the inevitable struggle next season. Would some team like West Ham be brave enough to take him?

I see that Brighton have been linked with McKenna if de Zerbi is enticed away.
Good for them if it happens.

 

[holdsteady]

I see that Brighton have been linked with McKenna if de Zerbi is enticed away.
Good for them if it happens.

Given how Brighton are performing this second half of the season I would say that is a good deal for them, a good move for McKenna but a bit s**t for Ipswich.

 

[Steve Gilbert]

I see that Brighton have been linked with McKenna if de Zerbi is enticed away.
Good for them if it happens.

I’m not sure I get the De Zerbi hype. He started the season well but then has dipped massively and it’s like he almost started to let all the plaudits go to his head.
When the rumours about Liverpool being interested he started to have a pop at the top guys at the club which is never a good look.

 

[Bath Yellow]

Come on, BY...if they get promoted, it'll only be into League 1, so who cares?

I care, give credit where its due, some of the grounds we go to are a disgrace, B.Rovers for one.
What do we have to offer, nothing.

 

[ttg17]

I’m not sure I get the De Zerbi hype. He started the season well but then has dipped massively and it’s like he almost started to let all the plaudits go to his head.
When the rumours about Liverpool being interested he started to have a pop at the top guys at the club which is never a good look.

Been thinking this for ages, feels a bit like being Mugatu in Zoolander. Proper emperor's new clothes stuff.

He took over a team in 4th and took them to 6th, only securing Europe with a win on the last day (with Villa and Spurs both losing). They're now 12th. They got through their Europa League group, true, but it was a deceptively weak group; the Ajax they played, while a big name, at that stage in the season was an absolute basket case. They then got pummelled by a pretty mediocre Roma side.

He inherited a team with Caicedo, Trossard, MacAllister etc and, once they left, seems to have crumbled; as far as I can tell, he has done very little to progress any of the players in their famous conveyor belt since those named were all sold on. Ferguson appears to have actively regressed and players like Enciso, who made really promising starts, have at best stagnated. A far cry from Potter, who consistently brought through and developed replacements in their impressive model.

He doesn't seem to have continued to develop a playing style that is effective and he doesn't seem to be progressing players in the fashion that made Brighton so respected. I honestly don't see what he's done in England to justify being linked with the likes of Liverpool.

 

[Peterdev]

McKenna could be offered a crack at Manchester United. Agree DeZerbi seems to be on the decline. I’m not sure Ipswich will be out of their depth in the premiership with McKenna. He’s got that club flying

 

[Wandering Yellow]

McKenna could be offered a crack at Manchester United. Agree DeZerbi seems to be on the decline. I’m not sure Ipswich will be out of their depth in the premiership with McKenna. He’s got that club flying

VAR will find a reason to disallow their goals I'm sure.

 

[Emilio]

I've got 2 horses in this rac, in the form of the teams that 2 of my best mates support - Birmingham and Plymouth. Huddersfield would need to a swing of 17 goal-difference to catch Plymouth, so realistically it's essentially one of those 2 sides that gets relegated. If that's the case, regardless of how we fare in the playoffs, at least we'll be facing one of those teams next season.

Of course, the dream scenario is they both stay up at the expense of Sheffield Wednesday, we win the playoffs, and we get to face both of my mates' sides in the Championship next season.

Saturday will be a be a big, big day.

 

[Foley]

I've got 2 horses in this rac, in the form of the teams that 2 of my best mates support - Birmingham and Plymouth. Huddersfield would need to a swing of 17 goal-difference to catch Plymouth, so realistically it's essentially one of those 2 sides that gets relegated. If that's the case, regardless of how we fare in the playoffs, at least we'll be facing one of those teams next season.

Of course, the dream scenario is they both stay up at the expense of Sheffield Wednesday, we win the playoffs, and we get to face both of my mates' sides in the Championship next season.

Saturday will be a be a big, big day.

It looks to me that it will be Plymouth or Birmingham, but Blackburn , Wednesday are not definitely out of it.

 

[Emilio]

It looks to me that it will be Plymouth or Birmingham, but Blackburn , Wednesday are not definitely out of it.

My uncle is a Blade, so that's another reason for me to want Wednesday relegated

 

[tonyw]

Heart says I would prefer Birmingham to come down, because they deserve it for the Eustace/Rooney idiocy, and would be good to see a club of similar stature to ourselves in Plymouth stick around in the second tier.

Head says that Plymouth would be a lot easier opponents in League One next year because Brum have money, will likely spend it with abandon and could end up being too good for the division like e.g. Hull and Blackburn were, if they're even slightly competently managed.

Course, if we win the playoffs then Heart and Head will be aligned!

 

[Marked Ox]

Heart says I would prefer Birmingham to come down, because they deserve it for the Eustace/Rooney idiocy, and would be good to see a club of similar stature to ourselves in Plymouth stick around in the second tier.

Head says that Plymouth would be a lot easier opponents in League One next year because Brum have money, will likely spend it with abandon and could end up being too good for the division like e.g. Hull and Blackburn were, if they're even slightly competently managed.

Course, if we win the playoffs then Heart and Head will be aligned!

Hopefully if they come down, they'll try a big name again, either appoint Rooney again, Lampard or even Robbie Fowler. And hopefully we can watch the events unfolding when playing in the Championship.

 

[Peterdev]

VAR will find a reason to disallow their goals I'm sure.

That game with Man U and Coventry springs to mind

 

[Peterdev]

Hopefully if they come down, they'll try a big name again, either appoint Rooney again, Lampard or even Robbie Fowler. And hopefully we can watch the events unfolding when playing in the Championship.

Rooney has unfinished business and could take them on a journey to League Two

 

[holdsteady]

If you take Birmingham’s 30 games without Rooney away and run the over 45 matches they go into this game safe, if they go down his appointment is the reason for it, terrible decision.

 

[chuckbert]

Heart says I would prefer Birmingham to come down, because they deserve it for the Eustace/Rooney idiocy, and would be good to see a club of similar stature to ourselves in Plymouth stick around in the second tier.

Head says that Plymouth would be a lot easier opponents in League One next year because Brum have money, will likely spend it with abandon and could end up being too good for the division like e.g. Hull and Blackburn were, if they're even slightly competently managed.

Course, if we win the playoffs then Heart and Head will be aligned!

Exactly my thoughts on this! If we’re playing brum next season I hope it’s in the championship.

 

[Left Wing Cross]

Agree DeZerbi seems to be on the decline.

TBF, Brighton will end up midtable after:

1. Playing in Europe for the first time
2. Had their midfield gutted in the summer

A decline in form should be expected

 

[Left Wing Cross]

Hopefully if they come down, they'll try a big name again, either appoint Rooney again, Lampard or even Robbie Fowler. And hopefully we can watch the events unfolding when playing in the Championship.

Birmingham meeting the brief so far:

Sheff Weds - 2-0 up
Plymouth - 1-0 up
Blackburn - 0-0
----------------
Birmingham - 0-0
Huddersfield - 1-0 down

 

[Foley]

It looks as if none of the teams promoted from L1 last season will be relegated.
And no team relegated from.the Championship last season will be promoted.

 

[bazzer9461]

Birmingham are down