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Chairman’s  Blog…19^th February  2025

Like it or not, agree with it or not, one of my sometimes heavily criticized blogs is long overdue and this, at least, is a short one and very pertinent.In terms our first season back in the Championship for twelve years we are now entering the final few furlongs with an even money chance (11/10 last time I looked) of achieving our ultimate goal… by hook or by crook, staying in the Championship!

Due to lack of investment on the part of our rarely seen owners, a quite awful pre-season window overseen by our Director of Football ‘Tricky Dicky’ Hughes and an insurmountable injury list that continues relentlessly to this day (Shaughnessy, Lang…who next?!!)  we made an almost inevitable and predictable start to the season and we had to wait until the third week in October for our first victory. Since then, if you eliminate some pretty awful away performances, things have moderately improved and having just won two games on the trot we find ourselves as one of the leaders of the Relegation Stakes (see below) at the southern end of the table. In my view this can largely be attributed to our excellent manager and his flexibility in terms of tactical approach assisted by the last transfer window when we effectively woke up and gave JM the support he deserves by finally using the loan system effectively instead of doing everything we can to save, or nor not spend, money.

This is always an exciting time of the season since the introduction of the play-offs nearly forty years ago one the few innovative changes that the Authorities have done in my time as an avid fan that has proved to be a genuine success. The nature of the beast this season in the Championship has now got to a point where it is relatively easy to analyse although the eventual outcomes are still difficult to predict. I think you can break the league down into just three groups.

Automatic Promotion This is already looking quite predictable with Leeds (33 games/72 points) and the Blades (33/70), they look nailed on to me. In the third spot is Burnley (33/65) on the basis that they don’t concede any goals and bore the pants off everyone who watches them including their own fans, and then the Mackems (33/62). Unfortunately I think that the third spot will go the Burnley giving them a possibly easier ride in play-off s/finals…especially as nobody scores against them!

Play-offs  This list has to include all four of those in the race for automatic promotion quite simply because you never know what might happen. After that there is a list of contenders that are way off the pace but still very much in race for the £100million glory day at Wembley in late May if they can get fifth or sixth spot. All in all it’s a pretty eclectic mix...Blackburn (33/51), Baggies (33/48),  Coventry (33/47), Bristol C (33/48), Sheff W (33/46), Watford (33/45), Boro (32/44), Norwich (33/44) and QPR (33/44). I’m going to rule out PNE and the Lions simply because you have to draw a line somewhere and I feel that they’re about the only two sides who maybe out of the running in either direction, north or south for 2024/25!  

If we already know the top four (fairly safe assumption) then this means that just two of this group with make the play-offs and, to be fair, none of them stand out to me. What you can say is that these teams will be looking to win every game particularly if they’re playing sides from 17^th down 24^th (bottom of the pile)…that includes us starting this Saturday! We‘ve still got Rovers down here next month and then Watford towards end of April and three tricky away games at Sheff W,  Coventry and Norwich.

Relegation Stakes   Nine runners for just three places covered, at the moment, by  11 points. The front runners in this mini-league are Oxford (33/38), Swansea (33/37) and POMPEY (33/36). There can be no guarantees but irrespective of our horrendous injury list we’d be the preferred choice because the other two are completely out of form. That leaves six and they’ve all got a chance of escaping the drop but let’s go for Derby, Plymouth and Swansea. When you’re at this end of the table a useful away point can be like gold dust and I’m not expecting any of these sides to go on a long unbeaten run. That said, it is tight and I’m thinking someone finishing with fifty points this season could very disappointed, very disappointed…just as long as it’s not us!!

PUP

It is worth saying that these are my own personal views and not those of the Isle of Wight Pompey supporters Club.

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