Bristol City in battle - Lansdown

Last updated : 09 March 2010 By BBC Sport

Bristol City chairman Steve Lansdown says the club is now in a relegation battle following a season that has gone "from the sublime to the ridiculous".The Robins have slipped to 15th in the table, five points above the relegation zone, after taking just 11 points from a possible 36 since Christmas.

Lansdown told BBC Radio Bristol: "It is a difficult time for us.

"We have three very tough away games - three relegation battles with teams that are trying to catch us."

A brief rally against West Brom a fortnight ago was followed by a 5-2 home drubbing by Doncaster Rovers on Saturday that left many City fans voicing their displeasure.

Millionaire financier Lansdown continued: "We're not playing as well this season as we have in the previous one. But I don't want to put out a list of excuses.

"We are a 'nearly' team at the moment. We have got to put it right in the summer and move on from that."

City face fourth-from-bottom Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Tuesday.

And with trip to fellow strugglers Reading and Plymouth to come, Lansdown admitted that it was a critical time.

"You have to take every result as it comes and look where you are afterwards," he added.

"We are under no illusions now that we have a fight on our hands and we have to battle for our survival.

"That's when we'll see what we're really made of. We'll have to make a judgement after we come off the pitch whether we put the commitment in and whether we need to do anything else."

Source: BBC Sport

Source: BBC Sport