Accy in 3rd automatic promotion slot...

MK Dons lost so they are still 9 points behind us with just 7 games to play.

With Fulham playing MK Dons, the worse that can happen is we will only be one point closer to the drop zone. PNE on the other hand are just 6 points off the play-offs. Surely not???

Stanley won at Newport 2-0. Fourth and one point from third. More importantly, 11 points clear of 8th with just 7 games to go so play-offs look reasonably assured.

Careful, folks in Accrington will be thinking they have entered the twentieth century next ._.._ _..

Just as there were too many clubs between us and the playoffs for one (Sheff Weds as it turned out) not to go on a good run, there are now too many clubs between us and 24th for one worse off than us not to go on a bad run. With eight games remaining, there are enough bad sides in this division for us to pick up the six or seven points to be absolutely safe even if we go back to playing like dogs. Let's be relieved Bowyer was sacked as we can all see games Lambert got points from which GB most certainly wouldn't have done. We would be in a squeaky bottom relegation fight now if that change hadn't been made. That said won 11, drawn 13, lost 14 (including the ignominy of a dingle double) is one seriously rubbish season.

I was wondering when this Messageboard would wake up and take note of the amazing progress Stanley are making. Looked like they had blown their chance (and games in hand) with that bad Pompey home defeat and were trailing at home to Plymouth until two extremely late goals turned it around. Stanley are in with a very real chance of grabbing 3rd and automatic promotion. With the exception of Wycombe away on 30 April, their remaining fixtures are all against bottom half of the table sides starting at Newport County on Monday. Although Wigan and Oldham look like departing the third division, it looks like Accy will have plenty of local derbies next season if they make promotion- Blackpool, Fleetwood, Bolton, Bury and Rochdale.

Two home games coming up within the next week. A couple of wins and we will be getting close to 53 points and a total no club has been relegated from this division with.

We needed that win to keep the gap at the bottom. Getting towards that time of the season when clubs at the bottom start running out of games to catch up but our points total is still low enough for us to go down if we go on another run like that one either side of Christmas.

Have I woken up in a parallel universe and United are bottom of the Championship?

The Mancs giving us all a giggle tonight...

Getting to the time of season when clubs at the bottom start to spring surprises out of desperation. Perfectly timed win last night and could look vital if a couple of the teams below us pick up wins whilst we are in Cup action.

I have three points totals in mind from the remaining 18 games this season: 22 will take us to 53 and more points than any club has been relegated from this division with. 32 will take us to 63 points but more importantly will be a points per game run good enough to get us into the play offs if extended throughout next season 36 will take us to 67 points but more importantly will be a points per game run good enough to get us automatic promotion if extended throughout next season Whatever we do, we need to start winning games. 6 wins from 28 so far this season is pathetic.

Seem to have hit the wrong button and have to introduce myself to re-access the messageboard. Hello, I am Philipl!

Four of the teams below us are in matches against each other whilst we travel to Boro this afternoon. Table could look ominous by 5 o'clock. Have to win our next two home matches.

We are gambling on relegation avoidance without a real goal scorer in the squad. I would hate us to go on another December/January type of goalless spell because we would be right in the relegation mire with nobody to pull us out. Thankfully the Oxford game must have given everybody a huge confidence booster.

Gigg Lane- the whole stand was bouncing (literally). Remember looking up at the flex strung between the floodlight pylon and the stand roof and it was whipping around like a skipping rope. Even though we saw him at the twilight of his playing career, Kendall was the class act on the field at a time when we and other lower division sides fielded several high quality players (Garner and Brotherston in their pomp). The way we kicked on after promotion and came so close to two promotions running was a fantastic credit to Kendall's motivational and organisational ability. Yes truly a great.

The full quote in context for jbizzie: We have been lucky in the injuries we have suffered. Guthrie apart, the players we lost are pretty well up the list of players the fans would have dropped given half a chance. That should answer your puzzlement. As for Spurr at Fulham- he was an utter liability in that game. The rest of the team rallied in spite of his performance.

Rochina scored an absolute belter for Granada recently. Following yesterday, this is the first time this season I am starting to think we could avoid going down. Our inability to get wins was looking like a massive killer for our prospects of surviving but two home wins on the bounce is very encouraging. If we get three points at MK Dons then this will begin to be a very productive run putting healthy distance between ourselves and the bottom three. We have been lucky in the injuries we have suffered. Guthrie apart, the players we lost are pretty well up the list of players the fans would have dropped given half a chance. If our good luck with injuries turns to bad luck and Rhodes has time out, we are extremely vulnerable still...

Just been reflecting on why I feel so pessimistic about our chances of staying up. Of course it is great to be three games undefeated and Rhodes scoring 5 in 4 games... Much as I rate Jordan, he is not going to continue at over a goal a game for the rest of the season... which is a reason for pessimism because with Marshall's head somewhere other than Ewood, there are precious few goals anywhere else in the squad. With 37 league games to go, we almost certainly need at least 12 wins to stay up. Judging by the season to date, this is going to be a big ask. In 10 League and Cup games to date, we have only been ahead in 2 of them. We simply don't look capable of winning most of the time, let alone consistently winning one in three for the rest of the season. I am afraid that even with Rhodes scoring regularly, we simply aren't going to get enough wins to stay up.

Eh? Since the 30 minute mark at Fulham, Rovers have put some good football together but the defence still looks woeful at times. Let's see if we can keep this up. As Kamy writes, the Hull and Ipswich games will give a good indication of where we are going.

A welcome 3 points towards the 53 we need to stay up. Saying there are X teams worse than us is bubble blowing. There probably aren't 3 managers worse than GB...

Have to say that a club that is staying up wins games like tonight's when it gets in front... twice.

We are currently three points from safety as things stand. For what its worth we are also 9 points from a play-off place (remember what one of those is?- nobody on this messageboard ever talks about them...). The dingles are in an automatic promotion spot as well just to really cheer everyone up.

Just about squeaks us out of relegation apart from the squad now being massively inferior to the squad we had at the start of the year, albeit without some high wage earning passengers.