View From The Bottom Part 2
I’m going to start this week with a bit of a moan. For the first time in several seasons there are no Championship clubs involved in the quarter finals of the FA Cup: considering that Millwall (who may be back in the Championship next season) and Lincoln City are both involved, you’ve really got to question the commitment of some of the clubs in this division. I’m not having a go at the clubs who were unlucky with the draw, but there are a few teams at the top of the table who clearly couldn’t have given a toss about the competition.
As the top six is beginning to look as if there may not be many changes before the end of the season, the only fluid situation concerns those teams attempting to avoid relegation. The bookies are no longer taking bets on Rotherham, but after that it looks like any two from Blackburn, Bristol City, Burton and Wigan, with the Latics currently odds on to return to League One after just one season. With only four points separating Burton Albion and Wigan Athletic at the moment, to me it looks as if we’re going right down to the wire but there’s still plenty of time for things to change.
Wigan Athletic v Bristol City
Fourth meeting since the turn of the century but the first time the clubs have met in Lancashire since August 2002. The Latics haven’t lost at home to any of the other teams in the current bottom six, but they’ve not won at the DW Stadium since January – their only home victory in their last ten attempts.
City’s away form is just as terrible – they haven’t won on the road since September (thirteen games ago) – although they’ve only failed to score four times during that streak and will be welcoming Tammy Abraham back.
Wolves v Rotherham
I must admit that I’d forgotten that Paul Lambert had been appointed Wolves manager in November. Sacking Kenny Jackett before the season began was an idiotic move by their Chinese owners, although it clearly inspired the ridiculous decision by the new Birmingham City owners to replace Gary Rowett with Gianfranco Zola. A goalless draw at Ipswich on Tuesday evening ended a five game losing streak, but four defeats in the last six at Molineux indicates the task that faces Paul Lambert before the season finishes.
As for Rotherham, they’ve never won at Wolves. The Millers have lost their last ten away games and haven’t scored in seven of those matches. Ordinarily you’d expect a Wolves win, but this is the Championship and strange things often happen.
I’ll be back next Friday, but there are couple of catch up games in West London on Tuesday that may be worth following. Wolves travel to Brentford whilst Fulham host Blackburn Rovers – both matches could see changes in the landscape at the bottom of the table.
Source: http://www.buzzinchampionshipfootball.co.uk/view-from-the-bottom-part-2/3951
