I've got another article coming up in the afternoon, which I hope shall interest yous- but firstly I'd like to run through last night's games.
Whilst I thought there were quite a few surprising results last night, I've followed this Championship league for so long it's got to the point where nothing surprises me- anyone can beat anyone on their day- it's just such an unpredictable league.
Ipswich 1-1 Middlesbrough
Okay, kicking off at Portman Road, and it's a fifth consecutive game without a win for Middlesbrough. I said before the game that they needed to put an end to their winless run relatively quickly, but they still hold onto their play-off place and Tony Mowbray has dubbed that a decent point, albeit from a goal ahead late on. As for Ipswich, I'm struggling to see them be one of the teams to make a late dash for a play-off place. I think Paul Jewell setting the aim of winning all of their remaining games was unrealistic in my opinion. Sorry Ipswich fans, but we'll see you in the Championship next season.
Leicester 0-0 Nottingham Forest
Whilst Nottingham Forest fans might not want to admit it, this is a good point for them. They have dealt another blow in Leicester's play-off hopes and have cleared memories of their 4-0 thumping by Leicester in the FA Cup in January- moving to 5 points clear of the relegation zone. Not a bad Tuesday night for Forest fans in the grand scheme of things- it could have been a lot worse.
Whilst a win for Leicester would have seen them go to 2 points away from the play-off places, Foxes fans can still sleep easy with relatively straightforward games against Peterborough, Doncaster, Ipswich and Millwall coming up. They're still in the race.
When they get home, neither side will be too disheartened by the result- the club's respective aims are still well within their grasp and hopefully the result will mean less violence provoked afterwards.
Peterborough 0-2 West Ham
This match certainly had more impact on West Ham's ambitions this season than Peterborough's. The Hammers put a run of 5 successive draws to an end with a comfortable win- they are now 1pt off Reading and an automatic promotion spot. I predicted a comfortable win for West Ham before the game- simply because they had to win, and Posh had nothing to play for. Well done to Sam Allardyce's side for getting the result under a bit of pressure- I think this is going to be a 'fight to the death' between West Ham and Reading for 2nd place.
As for Peterborough less significantly, my only concern for them in terms of their relegation battle, is the risk of the team being in effect 'on the beach' before the season ends, continue their poor form of late- and all of a sudden, find themselves in the relegation mixer and not being able to psychologically adjust their focus essentially. Although this has been known too happen to some teams, on balance with a 9 point gap- I don't think that will happen to them.
Portsmouth 2-0 Hull
An incredible result. Portsmouth never feel sorry for themselves, do they. Never throw the towel in. When they lost 2-0 at Coventry on Saturday, I thought- they've had it. Because they'd beaten my team, Birmingham, 4-1 the Tuesday before, but they couldn't follow that result up when they played the next game- which is always important when you get a big win. With that result, they have struck 7pts from their last four games, now 3pts off safety and games against Burnley, Millwall and Doncaster coming up coupled with the derby at St. Marys. Credit to them, I really hope they stay up. What character.
Nearly forgot about Hull there! As for them, they are still hanging on in there despite that result, and have winnable games against Doncaster, Millwall and Watford coming up, as will as a crucial game against Middlesbrough. There aren't out of it.
Crystal Palace 1-1 Doncaster
It was hardly what Doncaster deserved, ending the night at the foot of the table, after they showed some fighting spirit to bag a point away to Crystal Palace. The south London side opened the game with a lacklustre first half, which makes me think that they may have even ruled themselves out of the play-off race- they would need to win these games with a bit of urgency shown if that was their aim. I can only see a midtable finish for them. For Doncaster, they certainly put in a performance which didn't suggest they were struggling at the foot of the table. I'm glad that they were able to turn their performance into a result when Chris Brown (no, not one who's mates with Usher) cancelled out Jermaine Easter's earlier strike late on. But, with Portsmouth and Coventry starting to pick up the pace at the bottom, time is ticking and I think that Doncaster could just pay the ultimate price for a poor start to the season, with relegation.
Thanks for reading, I know this was just a quick look at the results but I've seen something quite funny on the BBC Sport gossip page.
Apparently, Roberto Mancini has travelled to a reknowned Bosnian religious site of 'miracles'. I love that, trying to connect with the gods. They'd probably say: 'Roberto, your just two points behind United, and you've still got to play them at home. Why aren't you at training?'
Anyway, if you liked the blog, do follow it and leave a comment. I've also got an article this afternoon so stay tuned...
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