The Big Relegation Thread

[Billy Jean King]

Despite the doom and gloom from Saints fans, I still think it would take a lot for us to end up in the play off spot.
Even if we lose next week, which is very possible, we are still 2 points clear with home games against Dundee and Livi up next. If we don't get the required points from those games I think we should decide not to play the play offs and just go down, as its what we would deserve.
I think yesterday's draw at Dens may be the result that means Dundee finish 12th and St J 11th.
 

Mmmmm based on what I saw yesterday I'm not so sure. This has the real sense of an accelerating death spiral now. We never win at either of the two away venues left at the best of times and that means we simply must win the home games. Hopefully we manage to shitfest our way out the playoff but I'm far from convinced. I am all but certain we will get beat in Perth based on that performance yesterday, even more so if we are going to persist with Main up front !

[elvis]

We are going down I've never been more sure of anything in my life. 

Edited April 24, 2022 by elvis

[Lex]

Yeah i am 90% sure we finish 11th now. Only thing that stops us if St Johnstone don’t get 2 points from their last 3 games after they beat us next week.
Can’t see us winning the playoff either tbh. Our players aren’t trying and when that goes then it’s over really.

[Doctor Sanchez]

I think that things will go down to the wire and as much as the thought of playing meaningless games is unappealing i think we're going to go into the last game of the season needing to take points from Aberdeen.  

 

This is not a good place to be. We can't shift the stench of hopelessness. I continue to have the fear.  

[Hendo]

24 minutes ago, Lex said:

Yeah i am 90% sure we finish 11th now. Only thing that stops us if St Johnstone don’t get 2 points from their last 3 games after they beat us next week.
Can’t see us winning the playoff either tbh. Our players aren’t trying and when that goes then it’s over really.

It's bollocks to say the players aren't trying (with the possible exception of Main who gave one of the most half arsed performances in the second half I've ever seen). The rest were putting in effort, however we were hamstrung by a strange starting set up and then very late subs who had little chance to make an impact. On balance, a draw would have been a fairer result.

 

[ropy]

We obviously dabbled with the playoffs a few years ago and as it turned out it was wonderful.  However the thought of going down was terrifying.  The teams involved this year have largely been down and up over the past 20 years.  Is it ok? Or something to be afraid of?

[btb]

As a long suffering fan I can remember a coupla times in the past when we pulled of unexpected wins to escape relegations - the two Great Escapes and at least once under Gus when we pulled off a big win out of the blue but none of these came in the midst of such a moribund run.

Really I am hoping for something like 87/88 when we pulled of a totally unexpected away win against Hertz in the penultimate game of the season although I am not advocating the managerial change we made before that game.

I too have the fear!

Edited April 24, 2022 by btb

[btb]

4 minutes ago, ropy said:

We obviously dabbled with the playoffs a few years ago and as it turned out it was wonderful.  However the thought of going down was terrifying.  The teams involved this year have largely been down and up over the past 20 years.  Is it ok? Or something to be afraid of?

No, the team going down from the Premiership is usually the team to shoot at and if you don't bounce straight back the novelty aspect wears off.

[Coventry Saint]

6 minutes ago, btb said:

As a long suffering fan I can remember a coupla times in the past when we pulled of unexpected wins to escape relegations - the two Great Escapes and at least once under Gus when we pulled of big wins out of the blue but none of these came in the midst of such a moribund run.

Really I am hoping for something like 87/88 when we pulled of a totally unexpected away win against Hertz in the penultimate game of the season although I am not advocating the managerial change we made before that game.

I too have the fear!

I think the big issue is the mood around the club. The Ross/Kearney survival years, we'd been shite all season but the fans and the players rallied. There was a real movement.

This, on the other hand, is fucking dismal and there's no energy anywhere.

Any bookies offering a market on places in the league?

[dezz]

Not the ideal set of results for the neutral yesterday with Dundee failing to close the gap on St J, who also only gained a point on Aberdeen. I think that probably consigns Dundee to the automatic relegation place as I can’t see them being good enough to claw back 5 points plus some GD in 4 matches. It’s up to St Johnstone to pull in Aberdeen and St Mirren to make it a proper race for the playoffs. Next weeks game in Perth will be huge and if the gap drops to 2 points then it’s properly on for the final 3 matches.
It’s really nice not to be involved in all of this.

[Lex]

It's bollocks to say the players aren't trying (with the possible exception of Main who gave one of the most half arsed performances in the second half I've ever seen). The rest were putting in effort, however we were hamstrung by a strange starting set up and then very late subs who had little chance to make an impact. On balance, a draw would have been a fairer result.
 

There’s busting a gut and there’s going through the motions. Before Robinson arrived we were doing the former, now we are doing the latter. The same players don’t go from one defeat in 11 to losing eight out of nine without a serious attitude change, and that’s what we’ve seen.
The game itself was rubbish, Hibs clearly weren’t that arsed either. The fact they weren’t and could still come to our ground, keep a clean sheet and win comfortably shows how much trouble we are in.

[Hendo]

52 minutes ago, Coventry Saint said:

I think the big issue is the mood around the club. The Ross/Kearney survival years, we'd been shite all season but the fans and the players rallied. There was a real movement.

This, on the other hand, is fucking dismal and there's no energy anywhere.

Any bookies offering a market on places in the league?

Current odds have St J 1/10 to finish in bottom 2, ourselves 6/1 and Aberdeen 16/1.

That feels about right. Realistically, St Mirren and Aberdeen only need about one win out of four to probably be OK, as if that happens St J will need to win at least 3 out of 4.

 

[LiviLion]

3 hours ago, mizfit said:

Still think we’re doomed to 11th at most unless we beat St Mirren and Livingston. Then and only then will I allow myself to consider 10th place.

We might have won yesterday but a lot of our play had the feeling of a pre-season friendly (and Aberdeen are pump). If we're coming to Perth and* you have something to play for I'd expect you to get 1 if not all 3 points; I think most of our players will be fully on the beach by then, especially since it'll likely be mathematically confirmed we're staying up. 

 

*ETA: fucked it

Edited April 24, 2022 by LiviLion

[EdinburghLivi]

1 minute ago, LiviLion said:

We might have won yesterday but a lot of our play had the feeling of a pre-season friendly (and Aberdeen are pump). If we're coming to Perth and you have something to play for I'd expect you to get 1 if not all 3 points; I think most of our players will be fully on the beach by then, especially since it'll likely be mathematically confirmed we're staying up. 

We're at home to St. Johnstone.

[LiviLion]

Just now, EdinburghLivi said:

We're at home to St. Johnstone.

So if we're going to Perth they're definitely getting the 3 points then.

Hope the players haven't chucked it as much as I have.

[mizfit]

We're at home to St. Johnstone.

I mean, still send your players on holiday, please.

[EdinburghLivi]

18 minutes ago, mizfit said:

I mean, still send your players on holiday, please.

I'm still bitter so I want a full strength team plus Hassan Kachloul signed on a short term deal. 

[craigkillie]

We obviously dabbled with the playoffs a few years ago and as it turned out it was wonderful.  However the thought of going down was terrifying.  The teams involved this year have largely been down and up over the past 20 years.  Is it ok? Or something to be afraid of?

You hear folk saying that they prefer the Championship to the Premiership as a fan, but that's absolute bollocks that mostly comes from supporters of clubs that are rarely in the top flight.

Killie have won 20 games this season and yet we have mostly been horrifyingly shite and unenjoyable to watch. The only good bits have been visiting a couple of grounds I hadn't been to before, beating Ayr on their own patch twice, and then winning a league title with a last minute goal.

[accies1874]

You hear folk saying that they prefer the Championship to the Premiership as a fan, but that's absolute bollocks that mostly comes from supporters of clubs that are rarely in the top flight.

Killie have won 20 games this season and yet we have mostly been horrifyingly shite and unenjoyable to watch. The only good bits have been visiting a couple of grounds I hadn't been to before, beating Ayr on their own patch twice, and then winning a league title with a last minute goal.

We lost 20 games every season in the top flight and it was mostly horrifyingly shite and unenjoyable to watch.

This season has been grim too tbf.

[Coventry Saint]

13 minutes ago, craigkillie said:

You hear folk saying that they prefer the Championship to the Premiership as a fan, but that's absolute bollocks that mostly comes from supporters of clubs that are rarely in the top flight.

Killie have won 20 games this season and yet we have mostly been horrifyingly shite and unenjoyable to watch. The only good bits have been visiting a couple of grounds I hadn't been to before, beating Ayr on their own patch twice, and then winning a league title with a last minute goal.

My theory is that the 'first season return', for a club of Killie's size, probably doesn't feel that special. You've not been down long enough to have your spirit truly crushed, in order that a title tilt feels a bit special. On our previous two spells in the Championship we'd actually managed to flirt with relegation to the seaside league. By the time title challenges came round, they felt good.

TL;Dr - you simply didn't manage to become shit enough to enjoy the Championship.