thewwfc
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As we near the halfway mark, time to check out the runners and riders to visit the basement in '25-'26.
These are the runners and riders as things stand.
I've included all the way up to lower mid-table, and you could argue that even sides that are higher-placed than Stevenage could be dragged into it, but it would either take the mother of all chokes, or off-the-field problems for that to happen (even Reading, the most likely side to get yet another points deduction for being a basket case, would only go to 24 points if deducted the usual 10).
If I had to guess, I would say that although mathematically, anything can happen, realistically it's between the bottom 6.
Stevenage looked to me a solid, workmanlike side, who'd put together a fair run of form before today.
Fergie will surely be sacked if this abysmal run of form continues, and they'll throw money at the problem in Jan.
Evans will also be backed in January.
So, that leaves...
in 19th - the Gas. Absolutely dogshite start to the season, and underperforming chronically. I feel like this can probably be put squarely on Matt Taylor, never a popular manager from what I could tell.
Calderon is a bit of a gamble as a manager, as managing the kids is very very different from managing a full senior side. But, he does have experience of the lower leagues, and as a defender should at least prioritise some solidity at the back.
In 20th, Northampton. Too early to say how the new manager will turn out, but he strikes me as the type who will be a good motivator, and take no shit from anyone, certainly decent qualities for a team battling the drop.
Last season they managed to be a solid side, never going to pull up trees, but good enough for this level, and that's the form they need to rediscover, and quickly.
In 21st, Crawley. With this lot, you kind of get the impression that it'll be when, not if, they go down, the problem being that as soon as they find some decent players then they'll get sold. That's never the way to consolidate at a level where you stand a high chance of struggling. Other than today's thumping, they rarely seem to lose badly, and seem to raise their game against the stronger sides - but that's not who you need to worry about as a side at the bottom, it's beating the sides around you.
In 22nd, Cambridge. They are getting the odd result here and there, but they are badly lacking in consistency, Monk does not seem to have been a great appointment overall as manager. They're far from down and out, but need to at least draw more consistently to stand a chance of getting out of trouble.
Your 23rd placed contenders: Shrewsbury Town. Gareth Ainsworth's tenure here started with a bang, beating table-toppers Brum. But since then, results have been at best mixed, and worst of all, losing key relegation six-pointers to the likes of Burton and Cambridge.
Ainsworth certainly has the motivational skills to coax results out of average players, but if the quality isn't there, he's likely to struggle.
And holding up the table, Burton Albion. Since Dino Maamria, a flurry of ill-advised managerial options - arguably always going for the cheap option - has seen them get into real trouble, and you feel it would take a miracle to keep them up at this stage.
As much as I'd love Ainsworth to pull Shrewsbury out of the shit, I'm not sure their squad is good enough to do that, or that he'll be backed enough in January to bring the required quality in.
Like I say, I think it's 4 out of the current bottom 6, and a lot depends on how wise the new managerial appointments for Bristol Rovers and Northampton turn out to be - arguably neither is a guaranteed safe pair of hands.
These are the runners and riders as things stand.
I've included all the way up to lower mid-table, and you could argue that even sides that are higher-placed than Stevenage could be dragged into it, but it would either take the mother of all chokes, or off-the-field problems for that to happen (even Reading, the most likely side to get yet another points deduction for being a basket case, would only go to 24 points if deducted the usual 10).
If I had to guess, I would say that although mathematically, anything can happen, realistically it's between the bottom 6.
Stevenage looked to me a solid, workmanlike side, who'd put together a fair run of form before today.
Fergie will surely be sacked if this abysmal run of form continues, and they'll throw money at the problem in Jan.
Evans will also be backed in January.
So, that leaves...
in 19th - the Gas. Absolutely dogshite start to the season, and underperforming chronically. I feel like this can probably be put squarely on Matt Taylor, never a popular manager from what I could tell.
Calderon is a bit of a gamble as a manager, as managing the kids is very very different from managing a full senior side. But, he does have experience of the lower leagues, and as a defender should at least prioritise some solidity at the back.
In 20th, Northampton. Too early to say how the new manager will turn out, but he strikes me as the type who will be a good motivator, and take no shit from anyone, certainly decent qualities for a team battling the drop.
Last season they managed to be a solid side, never going to pull up trees, but good enough for this level, and that's the form they need to rediscover, and quickly.
In 21st, Crawley. With this lot, you kind of get the impression that it'll be when, not if, they go down, the problem being that as soon as they find some decent players then they'll get sold. That's never the way to consolidate at a level where you stand a high chance of struggling. Other than today's thumping, they rarely seem to lose badly, and seem to raise their game against the stronger sides - but that's not who you need to worry about as a side at the bottom, it's beating the sides around you.
In 22nd, Cambridge. They are getting the odd result here and there, but they are badly lacking in consistency, Monk does not seem to have been a great appointment overall as manager. They're far from down and out, but need to at least draw more consistently to stand a chance of getting out of trouble.
Your 23rd placed contenders: Shrewsbury Town. Gareth Ainsworth's tenure here started with a bang, beating table-toppers Brum. But since then, results have been at best mixed, and worst of all, losing key relegation six-pointers to the likes of Burton and Cambridge.
Ainsworth certainly has the motivational skills to coax results out of average players, but if the quality isn't there, he's likely to struggle.
And holding up the table, Burton Albion. Since Dino Maamria, a flurry of ill-advised managerial options - arguably always going for the cheap option - has seen them get into real trouble, and you feel it would take a miracle to keep them up at this stage.
As much as I'd love Ainsworth to pull Shrewsbury out of the shit, I'm not sure their squad is good enough to do that, or that he'll be backed enough in January to bring the required quality in.
Like I say, I think it's 4 out of the current bottom 6, and a lot depends on how wise the new managerial appointments for Bristol Rovers and Northampton turn out to be - arguably neither is a guaranteed safe pair of hands.
