Portsmouth relegation rivals at centre of ‘unfair’ controversy
Portsmouth’s relegation rivals Cardiff City are now at the centre of an “unfair” claim heading into the final few games of the season.
The race for survival is heating up at the bottom of the Championship, with only three fixtures remaining for teams to secure their futures in the division.
Every match and decision made by the clubs involved at the foot of the table is crucial at this stage, with no margin for error if they want to survive the drop.
While a lot has to do with what goes down the pitch once the whistle is blown, the choices made away from the pitch have just as much potential to make a difference at the same time.
Portsmouth’s rivals have made an ‘unfair’ decision
Cardiff appointed Aaron Ramsey as the new manager for the final three games of the season, with the Welsh outfit opting to dismiss Omer Riza after their disappointing season.
He takes over the team second from bottom in the division, with every single game being a cup final that they must win if they want to survive in the second tier of English football.
There is very little time for Ramsey to truly make an impact or influence things, with the club seemingly just hoping that a change in presence will make all the difference.
Former Bluebirds legend Robert Earnshaw has spoken to BBC Radio Wales (20 April) about the decision, which he admitted was “a bit of a weird” one.
He said: “I just thought, from the club, it was very unfair to put Rambo, as a player right now, injured, in charge and say to him ‘get us out of trouble’.
“I just thought it was a very unfair type of pressure. Aaron’s going to get asked ‘Will you take the team for the last three games?’ Aaron’s not going to say ‘no’, of course he’s not.”
Portsmouth could secure their own future
While many of their relegation rivals are scrapping for points and relying on other results to help them, Portsmouth have everything in their own hands.
| Portsmouth are safe Monday if… | Elsewhere |
| Win v Watford | SAFE |
| Draw v Watford | Two of: Cardiff draw/lose, Luton lose, Derby lose, Hull draw/lose and Derby draw/win |
| Lose v Watford | Plymouth draw/lose, Cardiff lose, Hull lose and Derby draw/lose |
That’s a credit to the work that John Mousinho and his squad have put in throughout the season, particularly at Fratton Park, where Pompey have been dominant.
Portsmouth have the opportunity to secure their future in the division on Monday (21 April) when they host Watford.
Three points will be enough to ensure that the Blues avoid the drop after the team created a six-point gap between themselves and the relegation zone after defeating Norwich 5-3 in their most recent outing.