I know we always go on about the Championship being the most open league, but this season really, really is, usually 50 points and safe, no way this season, numerous of teams already on this amount and not safe, more like 54-55 points, you wold be gutted to get 54 points or more and get relegated, not looked at stats but wonder what the highest number of points teams have got relegated with? Look at Charlton only made themselves safe on Saturday, now with a good run could sneak into play offs?
Leicester went down with 52 points in 2009 and I seem to remember Sheffield Wednesday went down with about 55 points in the 90's, but this season is going to be an unusually high total and the play offs/top two will be a low total. There has been a levelling across the board and only Bristol City have been cut loose at the bottom this season (although they did take 4 points of us ) The points total has been tight throughout the league and it's been a bit of a freak season in that respect. Put it this way....last season if we had 74 points, we'd have been 4th but a massive 11 points behind Southampton who were on 85 points after 44 matches. Going further back to 2011 we'd have had only the slimmest of chances as 2nd place would have been on 80 points after 44 games. In 2010 WBA were on 89 points after 44, so no chance there. In 2009 Birmingham were 2nd on 80 points from 44. You'd have to go back to 2008, were Stoke were 2nd on 75 points. They eventually ended up with 79, so if Watford win their remaining 2 matches then 80 points would have been enough to get 2nd. No other season since then has 80 points gained you 2nd place. In fact I've checked back as far as 2000 and 80 points would have not been enough for 2nd place in any other season, apart from 2008.
From Sporting Life's report on the Millwall v Blackburn game: Millwall needed a victory to be certain of avoiding the drop themselves but they should be fine - in a ridiculously tight division three points would have still kept them in with a chance of reaching the play-offs.
