2025-26 Relegation thread

[StHelensRover]

Just a thought, looking at the table.

Hull City are 6th. They stayed up last season on the last game of the season, they've been under some kind of transfer embargo and could only sign freebies. So they spent zero money and turned a relegation fodder team into one challenging the top 6.

We should have absolutely loads of money to spend based on previous sales. Yet we've gone from challenging the top 6 to relegation fodder, losing tons of championship experience and bringing in a load of players none of us had heard of, most of which are rubbish. How's this happened? Wouldn't be down to how competent the decision makers at the club are, or anything like that?

[Guy N. Cognito]

7 minutes ago, G Somerset Rover said:

There are too many ominous signs for why we will head down this season.

- 150th season. I mean, that alone, under Venky’s ownership.

- Can’t beat any of the sides around us

- Can’t keep clean sheets

- Not getting points from games we should do

- Continuously conceding late winners/equalisers

- Games abondoned on the extremely rare occasion when we are  winning.

Im afraid it’s happening whether you believe it or not, ladies and gents.

And to be honest, "we" (as a corporate entity) deserve to be relegated. Mismanaged from the top, no CEO, stadium in a state of disrepair, washed-up manager, signings cobbled together from the bargain bucket, inadequate pitch facilities.... No one could argue it was an injustice if this club sank into League One.

[aletheia]

Said at the start of the season that we will finish in bottom third despite a worse team and even worse (!) hierarchy.

Sadly, if that is the case RG et al will perceive the new 'alignment' as a project in motion and justified. Plus some commentators on here will be at it too -transition, bedding in, kick on next season - we know the playbook.

 

[TheRoversGRL]

I said at the start of the season. We will get relegated. People said no chance, we’re too good. It’s happening. 

[Moptop1]

And so this page starts again… What a way to celebrate our 150 year anniversary!!! Sick to death of it all.😡

[StHelensRover]

On this exact day in 2016 we lost to Brighton 3-2 at Ewood (Duffy scored on his return).

This was the line-up, it was a team that was relegated with 51 points. Is it better than the team now? I think so, just about. I'm worried we won't get to 51 points this year and what that means.

 

 

[Waggy76]

I would be amazed if this team gets 51 points.

Graham , Conway ,Lenihan and a younger Gallagher was more useful .

The above 4 would walk into our team now .

Bennett ,Evans probably too but not sure how many game they played ..

[Hasta]

The problem clearly is the downgrading which leads to lack of consistency. Look at the goals conceded recently and most of them are easily identifiable bad mistakes.

The two today are De Neve losing his man and Ribero / Pears inexplicably not stopping the corner.

Oxford was McLaughlin (I think) stupidly heading it into his own are instead of clearing it.

Ipswich was Miller just not getting near a 40 yard punt forward.

QPR was De Neve just watching his man for 20 seconds before the ball came in.

Theres only the Wrexham one where you can’t allocate clear blame.

 

 

Edited December 13 by Hasta

[RTM08]

1 hour ago, Herbie6590 said:

Four teams below us:

P4 W0 D1 L2 Aban 1

 

Four teams above us:

P4 W0 D0 L4

 

We’re f*cked…

This alone should get the manager sacked. We're lucky we hit Southampton and Leicester before they got their acts together or we'd already be losing ground.

[davulsukur]

We were always 1 bad managerial appointment away from oblivion.

When you throw in the worst summer business from a football club in many a year, you're well and truly on the back foot from the off.

And we still have our post Xmas collapse to come.

[wilsdenrover]

16 minutes ago, wilsdenrover said:

Results when we’ve scored first:

W 5

D 3

L 4

Of those 12 games, we’ve only scored further goals in 3 of them.

 

I posted the above in the Portsmouth thread but I’ll put the follow up here…

Results of the first 12 matches we scored first inlast season:

W 10

D 2

We scored further goals in 7 of them.

Edited December 13 by wilsdenrover

[simongarnerisgod]

1 hour ago, Waggy76 said:

I would be amazed if this team gets 51 points.

Graham , Conway ,Lenihan and a younger Gallagher was more useful .

The above 4 would walk into our team now .

Bennett ,Evans probably too but not sure how many game they played ..

though coyle was a car crash of a manager,he did manage to bring some decent players in

[KentExile]

9 minutes ago, simongarnerisgod said:

though coyle was a car crash of a manager,he did manage to bring some decent players in

The only one of those he brought in was Gallagher,  Graham was already here on loan and then signed on a free, so pretty sure that the legwork was done in advance for that one

Apart from that, Mulgrew was good, Derrick Williams was ok, then it was rubbish like Stokes, Byrne, Samuelsson, Hendrie, a past it Wes Brown, Greer, Feeney

Those signings look like the domestic equivalent of this summers signings, some good, most average at best

Edited December 13 by KentExile

[Athlete]

1 hour ago, KentExile said:

The only one of those he brought in was Gallagher,  Graham was already here on loan and then signed on a free, so pretty sure that the legwork was done in advance for that one

Apart from that, Mulgrew was good, Derrick Williams was ok, then it was rubbish like Stokes, Byrne, Samuelsson, Hendrie, a past it Wes Brown, Greer, Feeney

Those signings look like the domestic equivalent of this summers signings, some good, most average at best

But better than the dross brought in last summer

[alcd]

30 minutes ago, Athlete said:

But better than the dross brought in last summer

Henriksson terrible. Today played a throw in straight into touch. DeNeve terrible. Well documented elsewhere and confirmed by Ismael's own after match comments. Gudjohansen lazy and contributes little except an occasional goal. Tavares lazy and disinterested. Mclauglin very error prone. Miller distribution appalling.TGJ headless chicken. 

[philipl]

1 point from Norwich, Oxford, Portsmouth and Swansea. 

Slitting our own throats.

[JHRover]

And just think about what is going to happen come the summer if we do manage to avoid relegation.

Gestede collects his bonus and then sets about offloading some more of our bigger earners and better players to make some money and reduce the wage bill further. 

[Waggy76]

1 hour ago, JHRover said:

And just think about what is going to happen come the summer if we do manage to avoid relegation.

Gestede collects his bonus and then sets about offloading some more of our bigger earners and better players to make some money and reduce the wage bill further. 

We won't avoid relegation !

The owners are making sure of that , they have been trying for 3 seasons !

[sharpysharps86]

Just looking ahead to the fixtures for the reast of the season, those final 9 games make for very bleak viewing.

• Millwall away
• Boro at home
• Brum away
• WBA at home
• Stoke away
• Coventry at home
• Sheff United away
• Southampton away
• Leicester at home

The fact that they've not managed to beat any of the teams around them has me thinking it's inevitable that they go down this season.

[G Somerset Rover]

8 minutes ago, sharpysharps86 said:

Just looking ahead to the fixtures for the reast of the season, those final 9 games make for very bleak viewing.

• Millwall away
• Boro at home
• Brum away
• WBA at home
• Stoke away
• Coventry at home
• Sheff United away
• Southampton away
• Leicester at home

The fact that they've not managed to beat any of the teams around them has me thinking it's inevitable that they go down this season.

Jesus Christ. I missed that off my ‘reasons why we’re going down’ post on this thread. That would have been number 2 behind Venky’s taking us down on our 150th year.

[pick32]

Looking at Derby tonight find it hard to see why to he are only evens against Sheffield Wednesday and 3/1 to win by more than 1 goal

[lraC]

9 minutes ago, pick32 said:

Looking at Derby tonight find it hard to see why to he are only evens against Sheffield Wednesday and 3/1 to win by more than 1 goal

Lump on 

[alcd]

On 14/12/2025 at 11:09, sharpysharps86 said:

Just looking ahead to the fixtures for the reast of the season, those final 9 games make for very bleak viewing.

• Millwall away
• Boro at home
• Brum away
• WBA at home
• Stoke away
• Coventry at home
• Sheff United away
• Southampton away
• Leicester at home

The fact that they've not managed to beat any of the teams around them has me thinking it's inevitable that they go down this season.

With those fixtures to end the season a minimum of another 7 wins are needed in the intervening 18 fixtures starting with Millwall this Saturday. 

[DE.]

Looking increasingly like it's going to be between us, Portsmouth, Oxford, Charlton and Norwich for the final two relegation spots.

Charlton are on a horror run of form at the moment, they were looking pretty decent up until a couple of months ago, but they have fallen apart lately. 

Portsmouth are struggling but they have beaten both us and now Charlton recently, and if you're beating the teams in and around you, then that gives you half a chance. They'll be down there until the end, but they've got fight. 

Clement has dragged Norwich out of their death spiral, but they're still dropping a lot of points. A big January for them - invest a bit of money and I expect they'll claw their way out of it. Fail to do so and it'll be a nervy ride for them until May.

Oxford will have to make a very, very good hire to stay up. Curious to see who ends up there. They won't have much to spend in January, so they'll need to get in someone who can work with what he's got. Very difficult task. 

Our biggest concern, by far, is that we can't beat any of the teams in and around us. None of them. Unless a miracle happens and we spend well and wisely in January, we're going to be in for a tough few months. We really have to pray that when key players like Gudjohnsen and Morishita come back that they stay fit - and that Alebiosu also remains injury-free when he returns from international duty.

Exciting times, right Rudy? 

[John]

15 minutes ago, DE. said:

Looking increasingly like it's going to be between us, Portsmouth, Oxford, Charlton and Norwich for the final two relegation spots.

Charlton are on a horror run of form at the moment, they were looking pretty decent up until a couple of months ago, but they have fallen apart lately. 

Portsmouth are struggling but they have beaten both us and now Charlton recently, and if you're beating the teams in and around you, then that gives you half a chance. They'll be down there until the end, but they've got fight. 

Clement has dragged Norwich out of their death spiral, but they're still dropping a lot of points. A big January for them - invest a bit of money and I expect they'll claw their way out of it. Fail to do so and it'll be a nervy ride for them until May.

Oxford will have to make a very, very good hire to stay up. Curious to see who ends up there. They won't have much to spend in January, so they'll need to get in someone who can work with what he's got. Very difficult task. 

Our biggest concern, by far, is that we can't beat any of the teams in and around us. None of them. Unless a miracle happens and we spend well and wisely in January, we're going to be in for a tough few months. We really have to pray that when key players like Gudjohnsen and Morishita come back that they stay fit - and that Alebiosu also remains injury-free when he returns from international duty.

Exciting times, right Rudy? 

Good summary. I find myself swaying - very occasionally, we demonstrate that we are solid mid-table material. But more regularly, our lack of quality throughout the squad makes me think we are in for an almighty struggle, especially with a coach who has an overall poor record when it comes to winning football matches.

That said, I do feel some other clubs are in a spot of bother (e.g. Oxford), and with only two spots left, that makes me feel a little more confident…