I'm backing Dennis Wise's men to pull off the Great Escape - as long as it's not at our expense.
With seven clubs now separated by just five points at the bottom of the Championship, the two-week international 'mini-break' forces fans to swap their flags and scarves for scraps of paper and calculators until battle resumes again. >From Hull to Luton and Barnsley to Southend, you can already hear the tapping of keys and the scribbling of pens as supporters of the not-so-magnificent seven seek to demonstrate how their side will pick up three points here and one point there en route to the mythical 49 or 50-point safety target. And while I'm duty-bound, especially after this weekend's oh-so-sweet 3-1 win at Leicester City, to include my team QPR among the lucky escapees on my prediction list, I'll throw in another forecast for good measure – that bottom-placed Leeds will join us in avoiding the drop. Now I know that many of Leeds' own fans have been saying for weeks that they're doomed. And I don't have any interest in them staying up, especially if it ends up being at our expense. But I just have a sneaking suspicion that the Elland Road revival - expected but not forthcoming all season - might just be about to happen. Call it illogical if you will, but where's the logic in this crazy league, anyway? Sunderland were rock bottom when Roy Keane took over; now they're within touching distance of automatic promotion. Southend and Hull looked doomed for months, now they're as well placed as anyone to complete the Great Escape. At the same time, early-season form sides Burnley and Luton can't buy a win at any price and are sinking further and further into the mire. QPR's season also displays the same alarming lack of logic, impressive away performances at promotion-chasing Derby, Southampton, Preston, West Brom and Cardiff sitting uncomfortably alongside a string of spineless defeats by fellow strugglers since the turn of the year. So against this background, why shouldn't Leeds make a go of it and haul themselves to safety? They've still got the support - 25,000 passionate fans united behind their team is a weapon none of the other six can boast. It could make all the difference as first Preston, then Plymouth, Burnley and Ipswich head for Elland Road over the next few weeks. On paper, some of those fixtures look tantalisingly juicy if Leeds can just get their act together. Meanwhile, the players, internationals like David Healy and Eddie Lewis, owe the club big time after failing to deliver throughout the season. For them, this would be exactly the time to prove the saying that form is temporary, class permanent. As for Dennis Wise, although for many his name sits uneasily alongside those of previous Leeds managers, he's the sort of crafty streetfighter who may just come into his own at this crucial stage. And the fact is, Leeds are still fighting, as their priceless late equaliser at Southend this weekend showed. I reckon we'll see more of the same as this compelling struggle moves towards its conclusion. And I'm putting my money on two more big Leeds v QPR games next season – in the Championship, not in League One. So who will go down? Any three of the other five will be fine with me! Can Leeds really avoid the drop? Let Sportingo have your views on the relegation dogfight. http://www.sportingo.com/football/leeds-united-will-avoid-the-drop---and-thats-from-a-qpr-fan/1001,2759 -- Richard Young Freelance writer and editor 079 4108 1739 020 8543 7135 http://snipurl.com/EFCblog http://rjgy.blogspot.com/ 12 points to go... . _______________________________________________ the Leeds List is an unmoderated mailing list and the list administrators accept no liability for the personal views and opinions of contributors. Leedslist mailing list [email protected] http://list.zetnet.co.uk/mailman/listinfo/leedslist it's a God awful small affair
