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McCann a key player for Posh in battle to stay up
Grant McCann. Photo: Alan Storer/Peterborough ET
SO will Posh be dragged down into a Championship relegation dogfight?
It’s not just his own team’s form that will concern Posh boss Darren Ferguson and his players, it’s the form and fitness of the other teams in fear of the drop.
Alan Swann assesses the teams in the bottom eight and predicts the three he thinks will be relegated.
*PORTSMOUTH
Points: 34
Games left: 19
Strengths: They may have a small squad, but it’s still packed full of experienced players. Manager Michael Appleton has instilled fresh ideas and confidence and Pompey look all the better for it.
Weaknesses: Financial issues forming a dark cloud over Fratton Park. The threat of a 10-point deduction has not gone away. Players not getting paid on time is hardly good for morale.
Key man: Midfielder Liam Lawrence pretty much ran the show at London Road the other week. A set-piece expert as well.
Verdict: Pompey will be safe even if they lose 10 points
POSH Points: 34
Games left: 17
Strengths: Youthful exuberance and an outstanding team spirit as well as an intelligent game-plan carried Posh throughout the first half of the campaign. Team doesn’t know when it’s beaten and are cowed by no-one.
Weaknesses: That gameplan has been rumbled by most opponents and the loss of Ryan Bennett at the end of this month could be a massive blow as he has been the team’s best player along with Gaby Zakuani.
Key man: Grant McCann is often the man that makes Posh tick. He’s a player who played best when the pressure was on last season.
Verdict: Posh should have enough in the tank to sneak to safety. Massive two games in three days over Easter against Coventry and Nottingham Forest.
IPSWICH Points: 34
Games left: 17
Strengths: The Tractor Boys have an abdundance of attacking talent as shown by their demolition of title certainties West Ham recently. The likes of Chopra, Emmanuel-Thomas and Scotland should keep popping in the goals.
Weaknesses: The Tractor Boys have been awful at the back and their 57 goals conceded is comfortably the worst in the division. Manager Paul Jewell looks like a boss well past his sell-by date,
Key man: If Michael Chopra keeps his off-field demons at bay he is one of the best finishers at Championship level.
Verdict: Ipswich will score enough goals to keep afloat.
BRISTOL CITY Points: 30
Games left: 17
Strengths: New manager Derek McInnes improved City as soon as he arrived at the club. They played with passion and spirit when they were bottom of the table earlier in the season and they need those qualities more than ever now.
Weaknesses: Selling Nicky Maynard on transfer deadline day was a risky move. Clearly City have a decent manager, but he will need to be a miracle worker if his best players keep getting sold.
Key man: Veteran goalkeeper David James might have to roll back the years to keep City out of trouble.
Verdict: If City don’t replace Maynard well, they could end up replacing one of the current bottom three,
MILLWALL Points: 29
Games left: 17
Strengths: Kenny Jackett remains a popular manager at the New Den which is important as some of the most passionate fans in the country will concentrate on lifting their own team and scaring the opposition. Rock-solid defence.
Weaknesses: Darius Henderson has been carrying the team on the goal-scoring front and if anything happens to him there could be trouble ahead. The Lions would be a toothless outfit without him.
Key man: It can only be Henderson. If he carries on scoring Millwall can be confident of safety.
Verdict: Millwall have the ability to win tight games. They’ll be fine.
DONCASTER Points: 24
Games left: 18
Strengths: The ability to bring in high-quality players at a fraction of the cost other clubs would face could be a massive advantage. Striker Freddie Piquionne is expected to be the next biggish-name arrival.
Weaknesses: But do these players have any affinity, any sense of belonging, to the club? It’s a short-term fix in most cases and loyalty and commitment will have to be taken on trust. The players Doncaster do own are poor.
Key man: If El Hadj Diouf is playing without temper tantrums he will be a class act at Championship level.
Verdict: Letting star striker Billy Sharp leave was the move of a relegated club.
NOTTINGHAM FOREST Points: 24
Games left: 18
Strengths: Bringing in former Doncaster manager Sean O’Driscoll to coach the club was a wise move. If they do get some sort of run going they will have a passionate fan base behind them.
Weaknesses: O’Driscoll should have been made manager as Steve Cotterill has overseen some terrible form and results. Forest don’t score and their defence has just been weakened by the sale of Wes Morgan.
Key man: Lewis McGugan has provided the odd moment of class this season. He needs to display it on a more regular basis.
Verdict: Forest are showing all the signs of a doomed club in freefall. I just have a sneaky feeling they will come good late on and escape, providing the weekend death of owner Nigel Doughty doesn’t have too much of a negative impact.
COVENTRY Points: 23
Games left: 17
Strengths: Coventry have been playing far better than their overall results suggest. They showed a tremendous spirit and togetherness at London Road recently when they were very unlucky to lose.
Weaknesses: Clive Platt is currently leading their forward line. Letting in so many late goals has become an irritating habit. Selling all their best players has predictably been a disaster,
Key man: Gary McSheffrey has class and he needs to find out where he left it pretty sharpish.
Verdict: They’ve been relegation certainties all season.
* Not including last night’s match between Birmingham and Portsmouth.
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