Source: FOOTYMAD
Jones playing 'snakes and ladders'
Speaking ahead of tonight's Championship game with W.B.A. Dave Jones has liked the division to a game of snakes and ladders. The City boss is not writing off catching the top two. One of those, W.B.A. visit the Cardiff City Stadium this evening. The Bluebirds have a game in hand over Albion so the current 11 point deficit could swing quickly to 5 points with a City win tonight and victory in the game in hand."We haven't written anything off yet, you never give up anything in this division," Jones said."The Championship is a crazy, crazy division. So many matches are played in a short time and so much can change."You can charge up the table - or plunge down. It's like playing football on a snakes and ladders board."With so many matches left and points available you are always in with a shout."If you start giving up now and saying the top two are away then you might as well forget it. If we beat West Brom and win our game in hand then the gap looks a lot closer."Meanwhile Albion boss Roberto Di Matteo is couning the cost of injuries and suspensions after the weekends' FA Cup tie at Reading. It maybe mind games but Di Matteo is playing down his sides chances tonight. He hopes that his squad deficiencies will galvanise the side that runs out at 7:45pm."Sometimes, adversity can bring strength out of people that they probably didn't know they had" he told www.wba.co.uk "Obviously, I look at the players I've got available and it's not very healthy at the moment. "The cup cost us very dearly on Saturday. "I lost one player to injury before the game and three more through injury and suspension during the game and I already had other players out. "I am looking at tonight and thinking 'interesting'! "I am realistic. I know tonight is going to be difficult. "But I also know we'll go there and be competitive."There's no mistaking the fact that tonight's game has come at a bad time for us with all the players we have out," reflected Di Matteo. "I would have liked to go there with a full squad and it would have been a great game. "It's going to be difficult for us - but we'll give it our best shot."
