That Sinking Feeling at QPR

Is there any truth in the rumour that Fernades suddenly realises that QPR face a titanic struggle to survive in the Prem? Well with the plimsoll line rising up towards their hooped arses, and the Rs sinking lower and lower in the table, some of the cocky fans in their ranks might begin to realise that staying afloat in the top division needs more than just bluster and bullshit.

To be fair, their form has been pretty decent, and there is certainly no shame in going down 1-0 to Liverpool at Anfield - a result we West Ham fans can only dream of! - but the trouble for Warnock's Warriors is that pre season favourites for the drop - Norwich and Swansea - still sit above them in the table, whilst those in the basement are beginning to show a bit of form. The uncomfortable truth is that Rangers now sit precariously just 4 points above the bottom three. A bad December could spell disaster.

Of those in the bottom three, Blackburn look doomed, especially if the rumours of financial problems are true. The next two games will decide their fate. Win both and they have a chance. Anything less than 4 points and you can put your mortgage on them to go down.

Bolton remind me a lot of West Ham last season - ironically given Allardyce has made us West Ham Wanderers this! A nightmare fixture list at the start of the season did for them, and recovering from a dreadful start is like trying to drag yourself out of quicksand - especially when injuries keep striking. They don't just need back to back wins, they need three or four victories on the trot. Are they trapped in the perfect storm or is the situation still salvageable? They look to be holed beneath the waterline to me but they have a good manager and Cahill could be traded in January for three or four useful recruits. My money will still be on them to go down. They need 29 points from 23 games and that is a tall order for a team low on confidence. That said, they finished on 46 points last season which is pretty much the 1.28 points a game they need, so find their form and they are in with a chance.

Wigan are the big worry for the Hoops. Martinez is a good manager and they have experience of fighting the drop successfully - unlike Warnock and his charges. True Rangers have Ferdinand and Gabbidon who were with us during the Great Escape, but (although signed on a dodgy Third Party Agreement) Faurlin aint Tevez, and Warnock "knows" Tevez is the only reason we stayed up doesn't he?

At the moment, QPR are still clear favourites to survive. Swansea and Norwich could both "do a Blackpool" just as easily as the Hoops. But there is icy cold water around the Rs ankles all of a sudden and Fernades's bilge pipes won't talk them into staying up, and neither will Warnock's bluster. They don't want a striker in January apparently, which is odd because they have scored just 6 goals at home, the lowest return in the division. In fact 15 goals from 15 games is a recipe for disaster. We managed 43 goals last season and still went down. Blackpool scored 55 and Birmingham, with 37, dropped because they couldn't score and so drew too many games - 15 in total.

Rangers fans will probably hurl abuse again, but if the results go against them in the next 3 weeks, they will find themselves in very, very deep water!