Game 31 - FFC 1 Portsmouth 1

Another draw then, I was stuck at work yesterday and relying on the painfully slow "live" BBC website updates for the score, so left for home at 5:00 thinking we had lost 1-0. Finding out that we had actually snatched a point put me in a much better frame of mind than I might otherwise have felt about the scoreline. There were mixed opinions on TFi yesterday, but a great report on Craven Cottage Newsround seems to sum it all up very well. I'm particularly pleased for Ian Pearce who's taken quite a bit of stick over the last two seasons. The fact that he was even on the pitch at all shows his spirit and commitment, and I believe we need players like Ian, who aren't going to cost the club a fortune but can be called upon to do a job when required.

So, after yesterday's results are we now involved in a relegation scrap? Mathematically we're not safe, but I think, when you look at the comparative run-in's of the main clubs involved, we'll be OK. They've all got tough matches against "top 4" opponents, as well as tricky games against each other, so despite struggling to see where the Whites can manage much more than 7 points I think that will still be enough.

FFC - Everton (A), Man City (H), Reading (A), Blackburn (H), Arsenal (A), Liverpool (H), Middlesbrough (A)
Sheffield United - Bolton (H), Newcastle (A), West Ham (H), Man U (A), Charlton (A), Watford (H), Villa (A), Wigan (H)
Charlton - Man City (A), Reading (H), Everton (A), Sheff U (H), Blackburn (A), Spurs (H), Liverpool (A)
West Ham - Arsenal (A), Sheff U (A), Chavski (H), Everton (H), Wigan (A), Bolton (H), Man U (A)

I think Cookie's safe until the end of the season, mainly because he's still meeting the objectives that MAF and the board have set him. The quotes in the papers suggest that he has picked up on the criticism from the fans, and with the press also reporting it quite widely, there may be added pressure when the board look at the longer term situation.