Ipswich Town’s Polish goalkeeper has called on his team mates - and the fans - to believe in the Blues as they are left fearing relegation following a 3-1 defeat against Cardiff and a run of draws.
Bialkowski – a big believer in positive mental attitude – said this week “It’s all in your head” in an attempt to make everyone feel better, but probably only served to make Blues fans worry more about the hours, days and weeks ahead.
“I’ve been in this situation with Notts County when we were fighting relegation,” said the Polish custodian.
“We were down at the bottom almost all season, we were still bottom with eight games to go, but we believed, the fans were behind us, we kept working hard and managed to stay in the league on the last game of the season.
“I think that shows it’s all in your head.
“You don’t suddenly become better players over those last two months. It’s all in your head.
“I am confident it won’t go down to the last day because we have so much quality in our team. I believe in them.”
The problem is, Ipswich are not trying to scrap their way out of danger but rather sleepwalking their way into it.
Blackburn are on the up under Tony Mowbray, Burton will be channelling an underdog spirit under Nigel Clough, Nottingham Forest could get a lift from new boss Mark Warburton, while Bristol City have recently thumped Huddersfield. The shackles are off those teams suddenly. The pressure can suddenly alleviate. It’s almost like they embrace a ‘nothing to lose now’ mentality.
As Blues boss Mick McCarthy admitted following the 3-1 defeat at Cardiff, prior to last weekend’s international break: “There is always someone that slithers into the bottom three and always somebody that scraps their way out.
“It’s funny, when you’re trying to scrap your way out it’s amazing how much fight you have in you. When you are going the other way it can be quite the opposite.”
As fate would have it, Town host the other side taking them on in that slow slither race today – Birmingham City.
Like Ipswich, they have won just two games this calender year. Locked on 45 points both know that a couple more victories should do the job. A negative cycle can gather just as much momentum as a positive one though.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here