It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over

Saturday's 2-1 defeat at relegation rivals Blackpool has seen the Owls drop back in to the Championship's bottom three with just two games to go, but it ain't over until it's over...

Our trip to the seaside was bad, very bad, as bad as anything I've seen under Brian Laws and probably up there with anything I've seen during my time supporting the blue and white wizards.

It was spineless, passionless, and to an extent, pathetic.

Some of our play made me cringe, we were being out-battled, out-thought and out-played by a team who looked a lot more desperate than us to secure their Championship status for another year.

My thoughts on leaving Bloomfield Road were that of a man ready to return to League One and watch my team return to arguably one of the toughest leagues to get out of - when would we be returning to the Championship?

But the frustration of losing our 'relegation six pointer' has gone, and I look at the league table and the remaining fixtures of our relegation rivals and realise that although we may be the bookies favourites for the drop now (hey, we're bottom three with two games to go, we can't argue with that), I'd put a wager on us staying in this league by the skin of our teeth.

It's the Wednesday way, isn't it?

Looking through the hundreds of posts on Wednesday message boards anyone would think we're already down, the end is nigh, relegation has been confirmed.

It's actually more encouraging reading message boards of other club's such as Leicester City and Southampton, who believe they are both in grave danger of taking the third relegation spot from us.

Indeed, it certainly ain't over until it's over.

My close friends and family always say I'm forever looking at the glass half empty, but for some strange reason, despite the performance I witnessed at Bloomfield Road, I've a feeling we're going to get something at Leicester, and even if it's a point, it'll be a good one.

I highlighted Southampton as the team that would take the plunge earlier in the season, and I hope I don't have to eat my words, but they face an extremely tough trip to West Brom on Monday night - with the Baggies, arguably the best side in the division, needing a crucial win to help them achieve promotion back to the Premiership.

A betting man would put West Brom down as odds on to win that game, and that would leave Wednesday needing just a draw at the Walkers Stadium to climb above the Saints on goal difference, and leave their fate in their own hands going in to the final match of the season.

Of course, Wednesday could well be looking to rivals Sheffield United giving them a helping hand come the last day of the season, with Kevin Blackwell taking his men to Southampton on the final day, while Wednesday will have a more favourable clash against Norwich City at Hillsborough to contend with. I know who the bookies will be backing on that one.

Glenn Roeder's City aren't out of it either, with a tricky tie against QPR at home on Saturday, with defeat, or even a draw leaving the Canaries with the chance of the drop with a journey to Hillsborough on the final day.

There are lots of 'ifs' and 'buts' at the moment, but if I was a betting man I'd certainly have a wager on the Owls to survive this season, regardless of all the doom and gloom that's flooding the internet message boards at the moment.

To take a certain infamous phrase from a certain someone down at S6 this season - forget this season for a minute, these two games are vital, the difference between survival and relegation this season, in particular, will be massive.

Don't give up hope, it ain't over 'til it's over...