Digging deeper into relegation battle as Blackburn Rovers enter key period

Blackburn Rovers FC Charlton Athletic FC Leicester City FC Oxford United FC Portsmouth FC West Bromwich Albion Football Sport

After an eventful few weeks in the relegation battle, The Lancashire Telegraph takes a closer look at the bottom of the table, how each club has fared and how things could pan out in the final stages of the campaign.

Sheffield Wednesday’s fate has already been confirmed after a season overshadowed by their troubles off the pitch.

There are still a handful of clubs battling to finish above the dotted line and plenty of twists and turns to be expected before May.

For each club, we have dug deeper into their recent form, next run of games and how Opta rates their chances of relegation.

Opta probability: 75.6%

Next five games: Preston (A), Rovers (H), Charlton (H), Southampton (A), Hull (H)

Matt Bloomfield hopes Oxford can kick on (Image: PA)

Matt Bloomfield’s side have the most work to do if they are to get out of trouble, but they will be hoping that last weekend’s win against West Brom can be a turning point.

The U’s will be desperate to pick up more points in the upcoming games against Rovers and Charlton, which are both on home turf.

Oxford are exactly where they were when Bloomfield took charge in January – 23rd in the table and three points adrift – but the ex-Luton boss has now had a bit of time to get to grips with the squad.

What they said: “I think it’s just a big relief. We wanted to get the first win (under me) at home, we wanted to get our first goals at home, share a moment with our supporters and give them a lift with a league result that really puts us back in touch,” said Bloomfield.

“We just need to keep playing the games the way we want to play them and be spot on tactically. It’s just one result and we want to be hungry for more, we hope it’s a springboard for more.”

Points: 34 (after six deducted)

Opta probability: 35.1%

Next five games: Ipswich (A), Bristol City (H), QPR (H), Watford (A), Preston (H)

Gary Rowett has been tasked with keeping Leicester up (Image: PA)

Gary Rowett has had a tough start with the Foxes – coming up against Stoke, Middlesbrough and Norwich - but picked up a couple of points.

Rowett was brought in on a deal until the end of the campaign to steady the ship after a difficult spell on and off the pitch.

There remains an element of uncertainty for Leicester after appealing their recent points deduction, but things aren’t about to get any easier on the field with a tough run of games coming up, starting with a trip to promotion hopefuls Ipswich on Saturday.

What they said: “You see a lot of people here that are desperate to get out of the situation we’re in, but we are where we are,” said Rowett.

“As a group, as a team, as a club we’ve got a fight to get out of it. We’ve got good players, but there’s no point having good players if we don’t do the basics of the game.

“This is the Championship, this is a different type of league. There has to be a physical element in the games in order to win them.”

Opta probability: 55.2%

Next five games: Sheffield United (A), Southampton (H), Hull (H), Bristol City (A), Wrexham (H)

West Brom axed Eric Ramsay after nine games (Image: PA)

The Baggies have gone 11 games without victory in the league and are at risk of dropping into the bottom three.

Eric Ramsay lasted only nine games in the hot seat before he was axed, and James Morrison took interim charge against Oxford last weekend as the Midlands outfit suffered more pain.

The club has now confirmed that Morrison will remain in the role for the rest of the campaign, although they have some tough games coming up.

“We gave (Oxford) two goals. I understand the criticism from our fans – they have every right to have a go at us, they’re passionate about this club.”

He added: “I’m hurting inside – the manner of it, how big a game it was and to not have the personality around the box.”

Opta probability: 22.0%

Next five games: Portsmouth (H), Oxford (A), Millwall (A), Middlesbrough (H), Birmingham (A)

Rovers boss Michael O'Neill (Image: CameraSport - Andrew Kearns)

Despite back-to-back defeats, Rovers have a four-point cushion above the drop zone thanks to the big results against QPR and Preston North End after Michael O’Neill’s appointment.

There were certainly positives to take from the second half against Bristol City and then the first half at Derby County.

But Rovers will be keen to find more consistency ahead of a couple of important fixtures against sides around them in the table.

What they said: “I've just said to them in there, be prepared for this to go right to the wire. That's the way we have to approach it,” said O’Neill.

“We have 11 games. We have a massive week ahead of us with three games, two away games. But it presents us with a big opportunity and we have to try and maximise that opportunity.”

Opta probability: 7.6%

Next five games: Rovers (A), Swansea (H), Derby (H), QPR (A), Norwich (A)

Portsmouth had a couple of important wins last month (Image: PA)

Pompey are still in the mix but have a game in hand, which could prove to be vital at this stage of the season.

John Mousinho’s side picked up a couple of big wins against Charlton and Millwall last month before narrow defeats against Wrexham and Hull.

They will be aiming for a response at Ewood Park this weekend to keep moving forward and avoid slipping closer to the danger zone.

What they said: “I’ve just said to the boys in there, it is totally up to us what we want to do for the rest of the season,” said Mousinho.

“We’ve got four games from now to the next international break, my genuine opinion is that the only team that can beat us is ourselves. We are adept at times at shooting ourselves in the foot.

“Last year we went 10 points clear and then we lost two in a row and were just two points clear. We have to be better than that this year.”

Opta probability: 4.4%

Next five games: Birmingham (H), Middlesbrough (A), Oxford (A), Norwich (H), Bristol City (H)

Charlton have a seven-point cushion above the drop zone (Image: PA)

The Addicks have a seven-point cushion at this stage and will be keen to make sure they don’t get dragged back into trouble.

Nathan Jones’ side have a tough run of matches coming up over the next few weeks, including an important game at Oxford.

The London club beat Stoke last month but failed to build on that moment, taking two points from their last four games including a draw at West Brom and defeat against Portsmouth.

What they said: “The level of performance (against Wrexham last weekend) was outstanding but how we haven’t scored three or four, I don’t know,” said Jones.

“It was a dominant performance, we were excellent in how we moved the ball. We limited them to just counter-attacks but good sides find a way to win games, they are clinical.”

He added: “I want to be in here eulogising about a fantastic performance but I’m not – I’m kicking myself because we lost the game.”