2025-26 Relegation thread

[Ferrit]

7/1 is a crazy price.

We've scored 6 goals so far, with no sign of that improving by any decent measure any time soon. A paper thin squad, toxic behind the scenes and a clown for a manager.

Id expect that price to shorten quite a bit leading up to Christmas.

Edited October 1 by Ferrit

[Rogerb]

4 hours ago, Hasta said:

 We were 9/2 to go down at the start of the season and 7/1 to go down now, which is simply huge.

 

 

 

That suggests the bookies think it is less likely now which doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

[Upside Down]

I doubt this side would make it out of League One.

[JHRover]

Oxford's draw at QPR puts us into the bottom 3, albeit we can lean on the excuse of having a game in hand on most due to it raining at Ewood against Ipswich.

We can take some comfort that Sheffield Wednesday, with their unpaid players and points deduction to come, are for now below us.

Sheffield United WILL climb the table sooner rather than later once Wilder gets them sorted out.

[DE.]

Into the relegation zone we go. Lost more games in 7 matches than Sheffield Wednesday have in 8 - a team whose fans are in open revolt against their rogue owner, who are regularly having to play u18s due to barely having an eligible squad to pick from, who have been under a transfer embargo all summer, whose players often aren't even being paid... we've lost more matches than they have so far, having played one game less. 5 defeats in 7 matches, absolutely pathetic when we haven't even been playing most of the better teams in the division yet. That's coming soon, though, and I expect things will look even more grim by then.

Exciting summer indeed. 

[roversfan99]

6 defeats from 8 in all competitions.

[Ghost7]

We'll be down there all season thanks to Gestede.

[John]

Not sure what to think. 

During (very) brief moments, we play some “OK” football, which makes you believe we have more ability than we actually do - but overall, we don’t look that threatening. Attacking wise, we are solely reliant on Cantwell. 

There’s generally a lack of steel in the team, and we’re too soft when it comes to conceding goals. 

Combined with VI’s poor managerial track record (including with us), it’s hard not to feel that this will be a tough season.

[Hasta]

Generally, when sides go down they aren’t terrible all the time. The number of sides that get relegated with 45+ points tells you this. There will be times in the season when all those sides will have played well, won games and thought “we might be OK”. 
 

My big concern is what happens every year. We get injuries, squad gets stretched and we get worse. It’s just this year we won’t have points in the bank. 

Edited October 4 by Hasta

[London blue]

I think the opening 9 games, combined with the next 5 or 6 will prove too much to overcome.

We'll be - in my opinion - in the bottom 3, low on confidence and leaders and the ask will be to steel our selves and outperform those above us.

I don't think group of players or the manager has it in them.

I predict us to get relegated. I'd love to be wrong.

[philipl]

Yesterday we collected a point relegation sides don't get.

We have played WBA, Brum, Ipswich and Stoke of the favoured sides and frankly been unlucky not to have got more points against them. But relegation sides don't get the luck especially against good sides.

We have been dire in one half against Norwich and two halves against Charlton and suffered a worldie and suicide against Swansea.

The real relegation test will be gaining or dropping points against the two Sheffields and Oxford. Performances against Hull and Watford suggest we will be ok but do a Charlton and we will be deservedly in the poo.

I can see us playing brilliantly against Coventry, terribly against Sheffield United and losing both...

 

[Moptop1]

What a way to celebrate 150 yrs of our great club. Relegation. 🙄

[USABlue]

I have felt since the off this will be an engineered relegation.  Can't get rid of the feeling Venkies WANT that.

At times we have played quite decent giving me hope, even prompted me to take the humble pie out the freezer only for Charlton and Swansea to.kick me in the nuts and back to doom and gloom.  A little more luck, a ref or two that can actully see and things wiuld look a lot different.  Thing is that is how luck goes for those going down.

Edited October 5 by USABlue

[Hasta]

7 hours ago, philipl said:

Yesterday we collected a point relegation sides don't get.

 

Owen Coyle won away at Newcastle. Steve Kean won away at Old Trafford. Plymouth beat us when we were in the top 6 last year.

Relegated sides aren't poor all season. They have good results, just less of them. 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 5 by Hasta

[simongarnerisgod]

can we include burnley in the relegation thread 😅

[DE.]

What worries me is that a lot of performances people are classifying as "good", like WBA, I found to be very average if not poor. From memory we had a single shot on target in the WBA game. 

We finished 7th last season and have been in and around the playoffs in most seasons since L1 promotion. I understand standards being lowered a lot due to the choice of manager and suicidal transfer policy, but still, it's tough for me to call much of what I've seen this season as good. At best the odd 15-20 minutes here and there where we look a bit threatening, but is that where the limits of our ambitions should be?

[Leonard Venkhater]

7 hours ago, USABlue said:

I have felt since the off this will be an engineered relegation.  Can't get rid of the feeling Venkies WANT that.

At times we have played quite decent giving me hope, even prompted me to take the humble pie out the freezer only for Charlton and Swansea to.kick me in the nuts and back to doom and gloom.  A little more luck, a ref or two that can actully see and things wiuld look a lot different.  Thing is that is how luck goes for those going down.

The deliberately engineered relegation is my view.

I felt the same in 2012-13, when every decision looked fashioned to deliver that very outcome. I felt the same  in the Coyle season, but it was as if there was a change of plan later on. ..Another kind of fresh start!

What I don't understand is why, who gains and how...

The powers that be have obviously decided they can get away with it, that any protests will be limp etc..

I think the stuff with the LT just shows how unfit Gestede and Suhail are. They should not be anywhere near this club.

But , in the end, even these horrible sores are mere symptoms of our toxic, Indian disease.

 

[rigger]

I don't think we will be relegated.

[TimmyJimmy]

Changing leagues always requires a change of playing staff.  There's only one profession that benefits from that.

If we were a club run by agents (we're not of course) then things would begin to make sense.

Agents won't have the money to buy a club outright, if it were legal they'd need rich friends to do the doing.

This isn't the case at our club, thank goodness. People with such baseless speculation would be fantasising next about money laundering via transfer dealings.

Grow up! Everythings normal here. Move on.

[Leonard Venkhater]

9 hours ago, Moptop1 said:

What a way to celebrate 150 yrs of our great club. Relegation. 🙄

It just shows the impunity. They knew it was the anniversary year, when they conducted the unforgiveable, kamikaze transfer window...

[simongarnerisgod]

29 minutes ago, TimmyJimmy said:

Changing leagues always requires a change of playing staff.  There's only one profession that benefits from that.

If we were a club run by agents (we're not of course) then things would begin to make sense.

Agents won't have the money to buy a club outright, if it were legal they'd need rich friends to do the doing.

This isn't the case at our club, thank goodness. People with such baseless speculation would be fantasising next about money laundering via transfer dealings.

Grow up! Everythings normal here. Move on.

it`s definately not normal in this club😅

you just don`t know what pasha and his pet poodle gestede are up to,tbh i think venkys are punishing us by not selling because of the snowball incident,they`ve put pasha in charge as a kamikaze ceo to stop us progressing,we`ve been near the top six enough but they destroy the momentum every time,they definately don`t want us in the premier league,they are letting us wither and die i think

[onlyonejackwalker]

There is no point kidding ourselves. We are in serious trouble this year.

We have lost and not replaced four or five solid Championship players, we lack structure, physicality, pace and creativity. And most importantly, leaders.

We struggle to score and not concede. We look weak in all departments.

I always worry when we are getting turned over at home. I dont think we've got the heart for what lies ahead.

 

[John]

Looks like Sheffield Wednesday are heading for administration - that’s one relegation spot gone if it happens. Could be a big help to us in relation to staying up. 

[RevidgeBlue]

On 01/10/2025 at 11:38, Ferrit said:

7/1 is a crazy price.

We've scored 6 goals so far, with no sign of that improving by any decent measure any time soon. A paper thin squad, toxic behind the scenes and a clown for a manager.

Id expect that price to shorten quite a bit leading up to Christmas.

I can't believe I didn't lump on three games ago at that 7/1.

Won't be much better then Evens now I wouldnt have thought.

[StHelensRover]

On PaddyPower right now, we're 5/1 to go down.

Other favourites include:
Wednesday 1/33
Oxford EVENS
Derby 5/2
Pompey 4/1

I think also think these are the teams we'll have to scrap it out to the death with.

Other shortish prices which I'm less convinced of:
Watford 9/2
Norwich & QPR 6/1
PNE & Wrexham 7/1

Edited 8 hours ago by StHelensRover