An Alternative View From Below

[Rebellious]

I thought this might be interesting for some as there is nothing much else going. Its an outside view of our relegation battle. It seems the Championship are rooting for us to stay up for different reasons.

 

http://www.greenun24.co.uk/content/greenun/sport/football/championship/ipswich-town/story.aspx?brand=ESTOnline&category=SportITFC&tBrand=GreenunOnline&tCategory=xDefault&itemid=IPED27%20Mar%202009%2011%3A58%3A40%3A683

 

Big names could put paid to Blues' hopes

ELVIN KING

 

Last updated: 27/03/2009 12:00:00

 

IPSWICH Town will be rooting on Middlesbrough, Newcastle United and Blackburn in the remaining weeks of the Premier League season.

 

These three well-established top-flight clubs are in danger of dropping down to the Coca-Cola Championship.

 

And if any of them do they will surely reduce Town's hopes of promotion in 2009/10.

 

West Brom look doomed for a quick return after promotion last summer, and such is the roller coaster nature of Tony Mowbray's side that they will be expected to use their parachute financial payments wisely and be in the thick of the Championship promotion race next term.

 

And if they are joined by two of the three heavyweight teams from the north, Ipswich's chances of fulfilling owner Marcus Evans' aim of a Premier League place will take some achieving over the next 15 months.

 

Town fans will be advised to hope for defeats for Hull City and Stoke City, as relegation for last season's surprise packets is likely to affect them more than Middlesbrough, Newcastle and Blackburn.

 

It would not be a great shock to see Hull and Stoke scrape around in mid-table even though they will have a big financial advantage over most of their rivals.

 

But history suggests that Middlesbrough, Newcastle and Blackburn would react differently and would soon escape the second tier of English football if relegation does occur.

 

Portsmouth, Sunderland and Bolton are not out of trouble yet, and from Ipswich's point of view they would be better bets to come down than the above three.

 

Pompey are struggling financially and could be in serious trouble if they drop, while Sunderland were boosted briefly by Roy Keane's aggressive management but have been left still searching for a suitable leader.

 

And Bolton, despite having been in the top flight for some while, have still to convince that they can achieve long-term status post-Sam Allardyce.

 

It could well be that this season was the one to get out of the Championship with no great teams and every game there for winning.

 

Okay, Jim Magilton will be seeking to strengthen his side and improve home results in 2009/10, but this could be nullified by having stronger top-end opposition to compete with.

 

Ipswich look to have missed the boat although the relegation of Hull and Stoke will make their chances of success much brighter in the season ahead.

 

Here is a reply from a fan

 

Was any research put into this article, or is it simply an an inane statement of its author's wrongly held beliefs? Middlesbrough are struggling with £85 million of debt and relegation to the Championship, with its huge reduction in TV income from Premier League levels, could be a potentially crippling blow for a club which already struggles to fill its stadium on a regular basis against Premier League opposition. As for Newcastle, the tense stand-off that remains between its fans and chairman Mike Ashley would inevitably collapse spectacularly were they to be relegated. Furious supporters would balk at every second he remained in charge of a Newcastle FC competing in the Championship; and the reduction in the value of the club, coupled with the economic crisis, means it would be impossible for Ashley to find a bidder willing to pay anything approaching what he would want to receive in order to sell the club, creating a crisis of uncertainty that could easily consume the club. At the very least it would provide a huge distraction for the players trying to compete on the pitch (which admittedly, playing for Newcastle, they must already be quite used to). Blackburn may be in a better position in terms of their finances, but considering their size and the preponderance of clubs in that area, they could very quickly morph into just another Burnley, Blackpool, Preston etc. But the most ridiculous claim in this article is "history suggests that Middlesbrough, Newcastle and Blackburn would react differently and would soon escape the second tier of English football if relegation does occur." What history is this? Leeds? Nottingham Forest? Leicester? Sheffield Wednesday? Dare I say it, Ipswich? Norwich?! Utter nonsense. Whoever comes down next year, Ipswich will struggle for promotion until they can put together a WHOLE team which can display individual skill, tactical nous and disciplined organisation. Until then it's the Championship for the Blues unfortunately.

 

[Dave]

Surprise packets.