The table doesn't lie.

[Platypuss]

http://www.4thegame.com/football-statistics/premiership/tables/currentform.html

Team Pd W D L F A GD Pts Form
1 Arsenal 6 5 1 0 16 3 13 16 W W D W W W
2 Chelsea 6 5 1 0 9 3 6 16 W W W W W D
3 Manchester United 6 4 1 1 13 3 10 13 L W W W W D
4 Aston Villa 6 3 3 0 14 10 4 12 D W W W D D
5 Blackburn Rovers 6 3 3 0 7 4 3 12 W W W D D D
6 Everton 6 3 2 1 6 5 1 11 L W W W D D
7 West Ham United 6 3 1 2 6 6 0 10 W L W D W L
8 Sunderland 6 3 0 3 7 8 -1 9 L W L W L W
9 Tottenham Hotspur 6 2 2 2 10 9 1 8 W L L W D D
10 Bolton Wanderers 6 2 2 2 5 5 0 8 L W L D D W
11 Middlesbrough 6 2 2 2 4 7 -3 8 L W L D D W
12 Liverpool 6 1 4 1 6 6 0 7 W D D D D L
13 Portsmouth 6 2 1 3 6 7 -1 7 L W L W L D
14 Wigan Athletic 6 2 1 3 5 6 -1 7 L D W L L W
15 Manchester City 6 1 3 2 5 6 -1 6 D W L D D L
16 Birmingham City 6 0 3 3 3 7 -4 3 D L D L L D
17 Derby County 6 0 2 4 4 9 -5 2 L L L L D D
18 Fulham 6 0 2 4 4 13 -9 2 L D L L L D
19 Newcastle United 6 0 1 5 1 14 -13 1 L L L L D L
20 Reading 6 0 0 6 5 16 -11 0 L L L L L L

[PlasticRoyale]

Defo going down - fecking dreadful

[shadesrwrf]

Yes, it's depressing. Am I depressed? No.

[RoyalBlue]

I'm sure there are some on here who will still claim we are in a far better position than the table suggests!!

[Rev Algenon Stickleback H]

I'm sure there are some on here who will still claim we are in a far better position than the table suggests!!

shocking, especially as it proves Derby will be staying up too. Who'd have thought it?

[Very near...far away]

Yeah, we're doomed. It's like Britney innit.

[Sir Dodger Royal]

Actually if you look at that table we are top of the league.

Another Dodger fact which will please the RTGs.

They will probably believe it.

Going down unlesssssssssssss

Bring back the Vicar.

[RoyalBlue]

I can't believe their are so many ostriches who continue to deny the deep shyte we are in.

Coppell's only answer after yesterday is that they will have to work really hard to put things right! So what the F*** have they been doing up until now??!! Hard work alone will not get us out of the shyte, quality is also needed and once again the fools at RFC decided they wouldn't bother too much with that during the transfer window

LOL at those who scoffed at Bolton signing Cahill. Who stopped everything thrown in their direction yesterday? (even Coppell acknowledges it). Just how much were those 3 points worth to Bolton? Pay back on their investment already.

In contrast we made do with what we had. Kitson should have been in bed, not on the pitch. However, he stayed in the team because one of our other strikers (also out of form) had to play on the right wing because one of the two signings we did make in the window was a right winger carrying an injury who won't feature until at least the end of February.

I'm a fan of Harper but forgot he was even playing yesterday, only realising when he was finally substituted. But what a bench of quality match turning subs we had available to us!

If only that debacle of yesterday had happened whilst the transfer window was still open. Maybe Coppell, Madejski and Co would finally have woken up, smelt the coffee and invested before it was too late.

[Royalee]

Ah well, at least the transfer window's over - reason for cheer for Coppell!

[Daniella]

I can't believe their are so many ostriches who continue to deny the deep shyte we are in.

Coppell's only answer after yesterday is that they will have to work really hard to put things right! So what the F*** have they been doing up until now??!! Hard work alone will not get us out of the shyte, quality is also needed and once again the fools at RFC decided they wouldn't bother too much with that during the transfer window

LOL at those who scoffed at Bolton signing Cahill. Who stopped everything thrown in their direction yesterday? (even Coppell acknowledges it). Just how much were those 3 points worth to Bolton? Pay back on their investment already.

In contrast we made do with what we had. Kitson should have been in bed, not on the pitch. However, he stayed in the team because one of our other strikers (also out of form) had to play on the right wing because one of the two signings we did make in the window was a right winger carrying an injury who won't feature until at least the end of February.

I'm a fan of Harper but forgot he was even playing yesterday, only realising when he was finally substituted. But what a bench of quality match turning subs we had available to us!

If only that debacle of yesterday had happened whilst the transfer window was still open. Maybe Coppell, Madejski and Co would finally have woken up, smelt the coffee and invested before it was too late.

Good post.

[Royal Lady]

Have we had the usual "don't you remember when we used to play in the old fourth division and losing to Bury" bollox yet? It's all very well trying to be positive, but anyone who seriously doesn't realise by now that we are in deep doodoo needs to see a doctor imho. We could possibly stay up by the skin of our teeth, but it's not cut and dried by any means - what's the answer? I really don't know. It's too late to buy anyone. I defy any of you on here who were moaning at those of us who criticised the lack of purchases in the transfer window, to say hand on heart that we were wrong. Still, looking on the bright side, we'll be one of the richest, if not THE richest team in the Championship if we go down next season.

[LUX]

I'm one of the "over-positive, never criticise the club, remember the fourth division" types RL. But, like everyone else of that persuasion, I fully accept we are in a very poor position, on a losing streak and have a tough set of games to come. But what is the point of most of the stuff coming out (predictably) on this Board?

I also accept that people who go to so many games have the right to moan, but I think we've got the message now.

[Royal Lady]

I just can't understand the Club's attitude. If the majority of us on here could see where we needed to strengthen and invest, why couldn't/wouldn't they? There's nothing we can do, we'll still go every week and support the team, hoping for a miracle, but it's so dejecting. We all pay good money to support this club, yet the powers that be don't seem to care anymore. I love Copps to death, and imho we've never had a better manager, but I think he knows he's going at the end of the season and I really worry for the future. I don't want us to be relegated and then struggle in the championship and slide back down to where we used to be. I don't want to go to Hartlepool or Bury anymore.

[martin fife]

What I object to is the Manager's reluctance to make changes, being loyal is one thing but to keep playing the same old faces time after time is not doing anyone any good.

Out should go Murty, Shorey, Inga, Harper, Lita, Convey and Doyle. In should come Rosenior, DLC, Sonko, Kebe and Long together with Bikey and Fae as soon as they return. Yesterday's performance showed that we lack ideas and the quality required to carry them out. We need new faces, fresh legs and a positive mental attitude.

I sat and listened to us chant "You don't know what you're doing" to the ref yesterday and thought it applied to the team even more. I don't have a problem losing to a better team, but we were abject yesterday.

[Tredder]

Have we had the usual "don't you remember when we used to play in the old fourth division and losing to Bury" bollox yet? It's all very well trying to be positive, but anyone who seriously doesn't realise by now that we are in deep doodoo needs to see a doctor imho. We could possibly stay up by the skin of our teeth, but it's not cut and dried by any means - what's the answer? I really don't know. It's too late to buy anyone. I defy any of you on here who were moaning at those of us who criticised the lack of purchases in the transfer window, to say hand on heart that we were wrong. Still, looking on the bright side, we'll be one of the richest, if not THE richest team in the Championship if we go down next season.

Assuming we don't go up this season

[Victor Meldrew]

Feeling just as low as everybody else today and whoever posted about yesterday feeling like THAT day away at Oxford summed it up well.
For once the fans on a message board see things as they are and have done for some time-teams that get tonked 7-4 and 6-4 generally get relegated-whereas the people that matter at the club see things differently and act like King Canute.
Having said all that there is still a CHANCE of survival.

RFC take a leaf out of Bournemouth's book-they weren't allowed to sign anybody in the transfer window not even on loan,they had to give a debut to the youth team keeper who had already played a game in the morning and the players were only paid half of their wages over Christmas.
So what happened?
Without the fabulous 4 from Reading they have won 3 out of 4 including yesterday v Forest.
How have they done it?
A couple have come back from injury but otherwise it is by effort-not the effort of running about like headless chickens which so many of our fans think is effort but contesting everything as if their life depends on it which at Bournemouth it does in terms of livelihood.

Yesterday our prima donnas (players like Hunt will earn something like £4million over the next 3 and a bit seasons whether he plays or not-I'm not particularly singling him out but he is just an example and I think he is over-rated but that is by the way)just gave up when the going got tough.
Where was the leadership which doesn't have to come exclusively from the captain?
I know they were bigger but it's a man's game so where were the challenges?

With nobody with a spark to come in (who else thought that Oster coming on would never change the game in a million years?)the players have to adopt a scrapping philosophy and with a decent number of games left we need to get at teams like we did last season and stamp our mark on the game rather than let the opposition dictate what happens.Surrendering by playing 4-5-1 is not the answer.
Yesterday nobody (other than Marek) reacted but so often stood back waiting for things to happen.
Their first goal was a classic-Davies unchallenged by Cisse knocked it to where he knew Nolan would be making his run,it's something they do week-in,week-out and as with Ballack being unmarked on Wednesday (well Hunt was near him but did little about it) surely our team were aware that this is what Bolton and Nolan do?

I'm trying very hard to be positive but unless we adopt the gritty up-and-at-'em approach we have little to no chance of survival.Starting next week we must surely adopt that approach v Everton,a team with limited ability but they all know what they are doing and give everything in every game and not just in honourable defeat which has been our way this season.

[strap]

Actually if you look at that table we are top of the league.

Another Dodger fact which will please the RTGs.

They will probably believe it.

Going down unlesssssssssssss

Bring back the Vicar.

Wondered how long it would take you to crawl back out from under you stone. Credit to you though, you stayed there longer that that other tw@t Terdder!

[Smoking Kills Dancing Doe]

It's alright folks we're better than half the teams in this division.

We ain't going down.

[Hampshire Royal]

Up until yesterday, I didn't think we would go down. After yesterday I now think there is a real danger of relegation. Is that bad? Of course it is, but it is no different to what most of us thought it would be like last season.

Why are we in this position? Like most people on this board, I have absolutely no idea. But I am a bit disappointed in those that seem to take a triumphal attitude because they have been 'proved right'. What with all the & icons it seems that a lot of people on here wanted us to go down so that they could show just how 'clever' they are. Add to this the people who must now be relly pleased that there bets on us to go down may now be winners. Well, I hop you're all happy! I, of course, only include in that group of people thise who are intelligent enough to know better, I don't include the Dodgers or WSFs who find it hard to know which way is up most of the time. According to WSF, for example, Dodger doesn't even know where his seat is, and even after he's led him to his seat, he just spends the whole match shouting negative comments to Coppell.

Is it because we weren't over active in the transfer market? Maybe, even though we did buy two players Matejovsky who, even though he has just come through a mid season break in the Czech Republic, looks like he might be a real find. Kebe? Don't know he may be another Keith Scott or he may be another Kevin Doyle - only time will tell. We didn't sell some of our best payers, even though the pressure to do so must have been enormous. A lot of people on here were saying that we didn't need to sign a striker. After yesterday, i would have said that that's just what we should have signed. All the armchair warriors on here were saying that what we need is two good wingers, and the quality of the strikers we have would take care of the rest and we would score goals again. I watched the Sport First thing yesterday and lost count of the number of corners and good crosses we put into the box which reulted in zero goals. I hope that this was largely down to Kitson still recovering from flu. As for central defence, Cisse looks to be a good find.

What annoys me a little bit is that some people seem to think that buying a good player is just like going into a footballer shop, seeing what you want on the shelf and just buying him. Is it really that simple, RL? Or does the player we're after look at all that's on offer and make a decision? The wages, for example - it is on record that we are not averse to paying high wages for the right player, or paying high transfer fees for the right player. Maybe it's our perceived lack of ambition. Yes, we can say that we want to be a top 6 club, but clubs like Mansfield or QPR can say that as well. Our ground, good as it is, sort of argues against that point, and, if as reports suggest, we are no longer going to start the expansion of the ground because of the danger of relegation, any prosective player will think that we don't really have the ambition that a really good young player will expect. In short, we are still suffering from the l'il ole Reading syndrome, and we really have to do something to show that we are seriously striving to get out of that rut.

If we do go down, will the season ticket prices drop to nearer the prices we were paying in the CCC? I hope so, but just don't see it happening. The club will 'freeze' prices as a signal to the fans that they don't want to penalise them for our relegation. This will result in a lot of the current ST holders not renewing, and very few new buyers.

Whatever happens, I'll be back in Engaland in May, and will be in a position to buy a season ticket for next season. I sort of hope that I won't be able to buy one becasue we will have stayed up, but if I can I will, even if it means watching crud like QPR!!

[Tredder]

We'll be in different divisions though.