The proper relegation thread.

[Attila the hun]

Oldham have always been a decent football league club and will hopefully get there act together and start to compete at the right end of the table in the not so distant future. I still remember that great season of 1973/74 when it was us and them going for it all season. Think you just pipped us at the end.

I remember it well you had smash and grab up front warboys and bannister

 

[hellogregory]

We are absolutely still in the mire.

Good recent results yes, but against teams who were poor on the day.

We have a very tough looking game coming up on Saturday against an in form Crawley who’ve been beating promotion contenders. Then we have Hartlepool at home and then after that we have a daunting run of fixtures including Forest Green away.

This 6 point cushion gives us a fighting chance if we have a good transfer window, but there’s still every chance the points cushion will have evaporated into nothing in a months time.

 

[shoddycollins]

We are absolutely still in the mire.

Good recent results yes, but against teams who were poor on the day.

We have a very tough looking game coming up on Saturday against an in form Crawley who’ve been beating promotion contenders. Then we have Hartlepool at home and then after that we have a daunting run of fixtures including Forest Green away.

This 6 point cushion gives us a fighting chance if we have a good transfer window, but there’s still every chance the points cushion will have evaporated into nothing in a months time.

I'll feel a lot happier if we can increase our cushion to 8 and Barrow and Colchester continue to falter, so we're not far off that. Every time we pick up something at all and the teams below us don't is a huge boost to our chances.

 

[kieran_vale]

Carlisle always struck me as being rather solid defensively so that should keep them up being able to grind out ugly points here and there.

Just based on how the season has gone I'm thinking you're probably wanting to get to 45 points for survival. It's really hard to see past Oldham and Scunny sadly with Colchester the next most likely to drop I reckon.

 

[shoddycollins]

Carlisle always struck me as being rather solid defensively so that should keep them up being able to grind out ugly points here and there.

Just based on how the season has gone I'm thinking you're probably wanting to get to 45 points for survival. It's really hard to see past Oldham and Scunny sadly with Colchester the next most likely to drop I reckon.

For the most part we've been alright at the back, there's teams in the top 7 we've conceded fewer than. We can't score, still yet to hit the 20 goals tally and we had a spell where we were really poor defensively around the time Beech got sacked, there's been a bit of chopping and changing at the back but Howard is a good keeper and we've been better since he arrived, and Millen has now settled on McDonald and Feeney as a CB pairing he can trust after some initial chopping and changing.

We're still in some trouble, the teams we've had this good run against haven't been great so we could go on a really bad run once we come up against better teams; we could go on another poor defensive run, especially if there's an injury back there but also looking at the table now if we manage to find a decent striker in the window, no reason why we couldn't finish top-half. Adding just one extra goal every couple of games would probably be enough to close the 6 point gap to 12th place

 

[Shrimper92]

Oldham and Colchester will swap. Colchester and Scunthorpe down

 

[shoddycollins]

Oldham and Colchester will swap. Colchester and Scunthorpe down

Colchester look in deep doo-doo but I think if anyone it will be Scunny that get above them.

 

[Bottega Don]

Carlisle are essentially safe.

We are not overcoming a 7 point difference considering we've won 3 games this season

 

[Monkey Tennis]

Colchester play us at the weekend - winner stays up.

 

[Bottega Don]

This feels very much like last season right now.

Us and Oldham are the Grimsby and Southend, got into the bottom 2 early and can never seem to pick up enough points to escape.

Colchester are us from last season, just terrible all year long but just keep their heads above water due to the incompetence of the teams below them.

Carlisle are Carlisle, worst team in the FL and doomed to relegation but finish 12th.

 

[hellogregory]

No chance this team finishes 12th.

No where near good enough. I still think we’ll be back in the mire in the coming weeks looking at our fixtures.

 

[BarraMatt]

As I've said before, 45 is the target lads. Everyone above 21st has enough about them to get that.

 

[Bottega Don]

No chance this team finishes 12th.

No where near good enough. I still think we’ll be back in the mire in the coming weeks looking at our fixtures.

You realise other teams need to win games for your losses to actually mean anything?

It doesn't matter if you lose your next 10 in a row because us and Oldham are not picking up wins any time soon. We have to double our win total this season to go above you.

 

[hellogregory]

I'm at an absolute loss as to where we go from here. That last night as a huge opportunity wasted and in terms of performance a huge step backwards to where we were during Millen's early weeks. Toothless and clueless as to what to do when we have the ball. The only shred of hope is that it's still January so there's still possible opportunity to bring some much needed quality in.

Looking at the upcoming fixtures, I'm struggling to see where our next win will come from. The next 2 games are certain defeats, we've got to hope and prey the teams below us don't pick up a win or two, otherwise we'll be in deep deep shit.

I hope by the end of the month we've brought in some attacking reinforcements because boy do we need a number 9. I'm not even bothered if he doesn't score a load of goals, but if he can link up play, keep hold of the ball and maybe provide some chances for our wide players it would be a god send. This has got to be the most boring, unimaginative Carlisle United team I can remember.

 

[kieran_vale]

I'm at an absolute loss as to where we go from here. That last night as a huge opportunity wasted and in terms of performance a huge step backwards to where we were during Millen's early weeks. Toothless and clueless as to what to do when we have the ball. The only shred of hope is that it's still January so there's still possible opportunity to bring some much needed quality in.

Looking at the upcoming fixtures, I'm struggling to see where our next win will come from. The next 2 games are certain defeats, we've got to hope and prey the teams below us don't pick up a win or two, otherwise we'll be in deep deep shit.

I hope by the end of the month we've brought in some attacking reinforcements because boy do we need a number 9. I'm not even bothered if he doesn't score a load of goals, but if he can link up play, keep hold of the ball and maybe provide some chances for our wide players it would be a god send. This has got to be the most boring, unimaginative Carlisle United team I can remember.

Do you not think with an 8 point cushion (and in the case of Scunny it may as well be 9 with their GD) and no sign that the bottom two can make it up this is maybe slightly OTT? To get out of trouble being hard to beat is the name of the game and you’ve done that of late.

Basically get to 45 points and you’ll be fine and am sure Carlisle will do that with time to spare.

 

[hellogregory]

Do you not think with an 8 point cushion (and in the case of Scunny it may as well be 9 with their GD) and no sign that the bottom two can make it up this is maybe slightly OTT? To get out of trouble being hard to beat is the name of the game and you’ve done that of late.

Basically get to 45 points and you’ll be fine and am sure Carlisle will do that with time to spare.

As I said in my post, our hope is that the teams below don’t start stringing wins together. Hopefully they don’t, but it’s worrying that we’ve gone backwards after some promising signs a couple of weeks ago. Either that or we sign some attacking quality within the next couple of weeks.

With the squad as it is, I’m not evenly confident of us picking up another 18 points between now and the end of the season in all honesty. Anyway I always see 50 points as the golden milestone to be sure.

 

[Soup Ladle]

Do you not think with an 8 point cushion (and in the case of Scunny it may as well be 9 with their GD) and no sign that the bottom two can make it up this is maybe slightly OTT? To get out of trouble being hard to beat is the name of the game and you’ve done that of late.

Basically get to 45 points and you’ll be fine and am sure Carlisle will do that with time to spare.

It's when you start thinking like that you fall down the table. Scunny and Oldham are the clearly the worst 2 sides but there's a clutch of teams they could overtake including us. Bear in mind we've won one league game in 3 months. It's not over until the 45 point mark assuming that gets you 21st or 22nd.

 

[Bottega Don]

I've got a feeling we're not going to be doubling our season win total to take over Carlisle anytime soon

It's a three horse race between Colchester, us and Oldham at this point to see who stays up.

 

[valefan16]

Everyone thought ohhh Southend or Grimsby will pick up soon and neither did last season, Scunthorpe we’re struggling anyway and have lost a couple of players, big one in loft, Colchester have been awful for a year now and Oldham just seem a mess and can’t get any form going at all. Can’t see Carlisle or Hartlepool worrying.

If the bottom two carry on the PPG so far around 35/36 points would be enough so to does look desperate for the bottom two.

 

[Essex2Wessex]

I don't think any of the teams this season are remotely close to being as poor - really lacking bite - as Southend were last year. (Still, they ended up above Grimsby, so statistically they were weren't even the weakest team here then).

As ever, off-the-pitch issues are the big problems for this year's strugglers, and getting those issues sorted out will be key to their recovery. (All credit to what Sol Campbell did at Macclesfield a couple of seasons back, it must be said, though, even under an extremely malevolent owner.) In the longer term Colchester and to a slightly lesser extent Stevenage (who at least aren't badly run) seem a bit in the shit, and Barrow (despite intermittent moments of real brilliance) seem still to be adjusting to the fourth tier again.

I can't see how Oldham or Scunny get out of the current mire, but equally it's only halfway through the season, and some grit and luck could change things around a bit.

 

[kieran_vale]

Everyone thought ohhh Southend or Grimsby will pick up soon and neither did last season, Scunthorpe we’re struggling anyway and have lost a couple of players, big one in loft, Colchester have been awful for a year now and Oldham just seem a mess and can’t get any form going at all. Can’t see Carlisle or Hartlepool worrying.

If the bottom two carry on the PPG so far around 35/36 points would be enough so to does look desperate for the bottom two.

Grimsby actually kinda did pick up as daft as it sounds. Them in the second half of last season were a different proposition to the one that was mismanaged by Holloway just not enough to overcome that. Southend were just hopeless. In the case of this season we are talking one serious basketcase and another that is not much better off the field, I just don't see either of them overcoming that.

Looking at clubs like Carlisle though they've just got to keep being tough to break down. Regardless of their weakness scoring at least they are giving themselves a chance in games.

 

[Bottega Don]

That loss to Exeter on saturday felt like the final nail in the coffin for us.

Ever since Keith Hill has come in, we have looked motivated and our players have been working so hard. We haven't won because the quality simply isn't there but the players were at least fighting. Hill seemed really motivated to turn this around.

He sounded so abject after the game on Saturday. He talked earlier in the week how we've already been turned down by a lot of our targets due to financial reasons. I don't think Hill was aware how truly dire our financial situation is. I think he's done already, we've broken him.

 

[Shrimper92]

Do you not think with an 8 point cushion (and in the case of Scunny it may as well be 9 with their GD) and no sign that the bottom two can make it up this is maybe slightly OTT? To get out of trouble being hard to beat is the name of the game and you’ve done that of late.

Basically get to 45 points and you’ll be fine and am sure Carlisle will do that with time to spare.

Carlisle fans, exaggerate? Never

 

[BRFC_Gas]

That loss to Exeter on saturday felt like the final nail in the coffin for us.

Ever since Keith Hill has come in, we have looked motivated and our players have been working so hard. We haven't won because the quality simply isn't there but the players were at least fighting. Hill seemed really motivated to turn this around.

He sounded so abject after the game on Saturday. He talked earlier in the week how we've already been turned down by a lot of our targets due to financial reasons. I don't think Hill was aware how truly dire our financial situation is. I think he's done already, we've broken him.

One shining light for you is that you havent played us at all yet so thats a possible 6 points

 

[Bottega Don]

One shining light for you is that you havent played us at all yet so thats a possible 6 points

I can see Ryan Loft's two best performances of the season happening in those games

 

[RiftHouseLad]

Nailed on……….

 

[Shrimper92]

Scunthorpe and Oldham then, urgh

 

[Carver]

Scunthorpe and Oldham then, urgh

It should be us

 

[BarraMatt]

It should be us

And us, Stevenage, Colchester Hartlepool, anyone below 17th really.

Fuck it, send us all down and be done with it.

 

[Carver]

And us, Stevenage, Colchester Hartlepool, anyone below 17th really.

Fuck it, send us all down and be done with it.

Well whoever doesn't go down this season will surely go down next season.