Blackburn must buck the trend and slay the dreaded festive hoodoo if they are to become only the second team to maintain their Premier League status having propped up the Christmas standings. The one-time Premier League title holders are currently five points adrift of safety, having tasted defeat in 11 of their opening 17 games.
Ominously for Rovers supporters, since West Brom's miraculous survival in the 2004/05 season, every single team that has been bottom of the table at Christmas - Sunderland, Watford, Derby, West Brom, Portsmouth and West Ham - have remained rooted to the bottom come the end of the campaign.
Bryan Robson's West Brom tenure began in November 2004 and the writing seemed on the wall come Christmas Day with the Baggies five points from safety, securing just one win in their opening 18 fixtures. A 0-5 home reverse to Liverpool on Boxing Day was as bad it got for Robson, as his side forged a siege mentality to escape the seemingly inevitable. Their next 20 games yielded just six defeats and five victories, culminating in a 2-0 success against Portsmouth on the final day of the season as delirium ensued inside the intimate surroundings of the Hawthorns. The West Midlands club made Premier League history on two fronts - with their total of 34 points being the lowest of any team to avoid relegation in the competition.
West Brom transformed themselves from an easy touch into a side boasting steel and determination. There was nothing glamorous about their renaissance after Xmas - the 20 remaining fixtures saw them concede just 25 goals (five of which came in the aforementioned Boxing Day game versus Liverpool) as Robson tightened up a back-line which had leaked 36 goals in the opening 18 games. Compare that to West Ham last season, whose defensive record plummeted as they conceded 37 times in 18 games following the turn of 2011.
Seven years on, Blackburn find themselves in a precariously similar position with just 10 points in 17 games and an unenviable defensive record. One omen that may offer hope to all Rovers supporters could be the fact that the only other side to go in to Xmas with exactly 10 points under their belt since 1996/97 were the Baggies in 2004/05.
