It’s been a very tough period, a baptism of fire for Joe Edwards, but Millwall are bang in trouble.
Anyone who denies that Millwall are in a relegation battle is dreaming.
Last night’s humbling by Ipswich Town was a worrying sign. We have seen bad defending at times this season, but that was the worst.
Take out the opening 25 minutes where the Lions looked like a real threat. It was undoubtedly a Valentine’s night to forget for the majority in SE16.
THE RELEGATION BATTLE IS ON
While it looks like at least one spot in the bottom three has been taken with Rotherham on 19 points, they are 14 points behind Millwall, now the club occupying 21st place after last night’s results.
Many within the Millwall family have not wanted to admit they are in a relegation battle, but with 14 games of the season to go and their position, it’s hard for anyone to say they aren’t.
We are not used to these battles in SE16. Four years of play-off pushes have had us forget about the bottom end of the table.
It is, of course, still in our own hands, which we must remember. Victory over Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday will get us back in touch with the teams above should they drop points.
QPR’s defeat to Stoke last night could well have dampened spirits within the Loftus Road changing room but that is something Millwall can not afford to think about, they must focus on doing their job which is to beat Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday.
SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY IS HUGE FOR EVERYONE
Sheffield Wednesday, come to The Den on Saturday afternoon; that is a massive game in the battle for survival.
The Owl’s are seven points behind Millwall going into the game. Should the Lions come out victorious, that gap will be ten points with 13 games to go, and you feel that is a lot of points for the Owls to make up – even with Millwall in the form we find ourselves in right now.
We say it’s a huge game, and it’s huge for everyone. The Club knows how important a game it is; the fans and players know it, and Joe Edwards knows it.
The reaction from the home support when the third goal went in was dire. The fan mood in SE16 is turning; if things go badly on Saturday, it could get very toxic.
WHO IS TO BLAME?
No one predicted this was how the season was going to play out.
After the last four years, we thought there was a possibility there would be a drop-off, but to see the level of the drop-off is very alarming.
But who is to blame? The finger always gets pointed at the guy in charge. However, this has now been similar under two different managers.
Gary Rowett knew his time was coming to an end one way or the other, and you could see that his journey with this side had ended. You can see when things go stale and that possibly the after-effects of last season’s dramatic collapse had taken it out of him.
Joe Edwards has come in with fresh ideas. He knows what he wants to do. You can see what he wants to do; unfortunately, it’s not going to plan for him right now. The players have let him down with countless individual mistakes.
Sadly, for him, there is nothing he can do about those. Let’s be honest; he’s had a challenging ride since the start of 2024. After the win at Bristol City, Millwall were in a good place. However, injuries, illness and suspensions have hit hard. It’s not an excuse as all teams have to suffer that, but not all to the same levels.
Image: Millwall FC