Stoke City faithful pushing panic button as Championship relegation battle hots up
News and opinion as Stoke City head into two crucial Championship matches against Blackburn Rovers and Queens Park Rangers
The bookies think that Rotherham United and Sheffield Wednesday are pretty much all-but doomed in the Championship this season, odds-on to be lining up in League One next term even if there are still 16 or 17 games left to play. If they carry on the trajectories they have been on up until now they’ll finish on about 30 and 35 points respectively and be waving goodbye by April.
But, above them, only five points separate Queens Park Rangers in third-bottom with Millwall in 16th and Plymouth are only a win above Millwall. Confidence is low everywhere. Huddersfield and Birmingham have both won two in 12, QPR and Swansea have both won two in 10, Blackburn Rovers have won one in 11, Millwall have won three in 14.
Stoke City, with a run of two wins in 16, have been sucked right into the battle and sit 20th ahead of a vital five days: Blackburn away on Saturday and QPR at home on Wednesday. Four or six points could be transformative to table, fortunes and mood – but so would handing three points to either of their rivals.
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QPR (11/10) are still the shortest odds to fill the drop zone, followed closely by Huddersfield (6/4) but it is all a bit too close for comfort and even if a heavy loss last weekend was at the hands of Leicester, the division’s outstanding team, there are genuine nerves jangling about the next three months.
