A chance?

They couldn’t, could they? I mean there’s a chance?

No. No. No.

Get those thoughts out of your head immediately, it’ll only be all the more painful once the inevitable happens.

Reading became the latest Championship club to be deducted points this week as the six chalked off by the EFL, means that Paul Ince’s side are now on the periphery of the relegation zone and not in the best of form.

If we had only managed to pay salaries on time in March I would be supremely confident of our survival chances over the next few weeks.

Under Shaun Maloney we have become hard to beat and although we’re struggling with the same inflection in terms of scoring goals as we have all season there is at least a method to our game plan.

Something we simply didn’t have under the hapless Kolo Toure, method or indeed a plan.

So although we can look with hope at the table and all the permutations the fact remains that we need five wins and sadly have only managed eight all season.

A ridiculous managerial appointment, combined with a ridiculously damaging points deduction will see us relegated.

The worst bit about it all? It was all so preventable.

Some seasons the Championship is just too strong, and although comparatively speaking we are minnows at Championship level, this year needn’t have been one where we struggled so much.

We could and ney should have been able to avoid relegation this season. As Rotherham seem likely to and as QPR probably will.

A word on QPR who must be the luckiest side alive, they’ve barely won a game since Bonfire night yet will remain in the championship due to a combination of points deductions and sides in the bottom three unable to take advantage.

But as the phrase goes we are where we are. There’s nothing else we can do now apart from give our all to those lads on the pitch and hope that it’s reciprocated.

Our run in does look favourable compared to other sides, but we’re going to have to put the run of all run’s together to have a chance of taking advantage of that.

Does a squad who have been messed around constantly this season have it in them to put one of those famous Wigan runs together?

Does a squad who have been paid late four times have it in them to beat some of the top sides in the country, all in the name of the badge?

I’m not sure, but I know this there’s no one better at motivating that side than Shaun Maloney and Graham Barrow. We saw the passion from the staff and players on Saturday.

That probably won’t be enough in the end but without Maloney and that passion we’d have already been relegated.

Let’s hope the Easter double header is where Jesus’s allegiance to Wigan is once again proven.

Sean Livesey

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