Kaizero Posted April 8, 2023 Share Posted April 8, 2023 9 minutes ago, Doctor Zaius said: Finishing the season with Leicester and Chelsea would have been tough I'd have thought in August, but Leicester in free fall and Chelsea having a nightmare season doesnt half suit us. Four of the current bottom 5 left to play, and Spurs, Brighton and Arsenal at SJP. Id fancy us if I didnt know better. The best possible set of fixtures at this stage of the season would've always been mid-table teams just waiting to go on holiday. Teams with something to play for (trying to avoid relegation/European Qualification) are all much larger potential banana skins. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
WilliamPS Posted April 8, 2023 Share Posted April 8, 2023 One of the things the boffins have shown over the last couple of years is that the idea that safe mid table teams are easier to play than teams in relegation battles at the end of the season is false. The best gauge of how tough an opponent will be is the league table and the form table. teams scrapping for relegation are near the bottom as they’re crap, whether they’re trying or not Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Optimistic Nut Posted April 8, 2023 Share Posted April 8, 2023 23 minutes ago, WilliamPS said: One of the things the boffins have shown over the last couple of years is that the idea that safe mid table teams are easier to play than teams in relegation battles at the end of the season is false. The best gauge of how tough an opponent will be is the league table and the form table. teams scrapping for relegation are near the bottom as they’re crap, whether they’re trying or not We were mid-table fodder when Arsenal showed up last season and look what happened. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The College Dropout Posted April 8, 2023 Share Posted April 8, 2023 1 minute ago, Optimistic Nut said: We were mid-table fodder when Arsenal showed up last season and look what happened. But we were in great form and team on the up. A team like Fulham is mid table and in poor form. It’s them and Chelsea that you want to be playing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor Zaius Posted April 8, 2023 Share Posted April 8, 2023 41 minutes ago, Kaizero said: The best possible set of fixtures at this stage of the season would've always been mid-table teams just waiting to go on holiday. Teams with something to play for (trying to avoid relegation/European Qualification) are all much larger potential banana skins. I've nowt to back it up with but I reckon thats a bit of a myth. Thinking about our two relegations we slid hopelessly towards relegation and couldnt buy a win. There'll be some teams pull it out the bag, but all in all they're down there because theyre worse than the rest of the league. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GideonShandy Posted April 8, 2023 Share Posted April 8, 2023 1 hour ago, Superior Acuña said: We won as many in a week as we’ve lost in the season. It's an absolutely astounding statistic that out of 29 league games played we've lost only three. In the club's entire history in the top division we have never lost fewer than eight in a season Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaizero Posted April 8, 2023 Share Posted April 8, 2023 33 minutes ago, Doctor Zaius said: I've nowt to back it up with but I reckon thats a bit of a myth. Thinking about our two relegations we slid hopelessly towards relegation and couldnt buy a win. There'll be some teams pull it out the bag, but all in all they're down there because theyre worse than the rest of the league. Oh, not saying that there's not some teams that are destined for the drop. But we all know that a few sometimes pull off a "great escape", those clubs are the potential banana skins. We might cruise through the lot, just saying I'd feel more certain we'd not slip up if the teams we were facing were already on holiday mentally and had nothing to lose or win going into our fixture. If we're lucky, none of the teams we play are on some great escape shit when we face them. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ameritoon Posted April 8, 2023 Share Posted April 8, 2023 There's not really a mid-tabke right now anyway. Fulham and Chelsea are it for now, I'm sure they will change in a few weeks but who knows this season. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stottie Posted April 9, 2023 Share Posted April 9, 2023 I'm a believer in the "on the beach" theory. However, all it means is that midtable teams are not at their best. It's also part of a bigger pattern of there being a good time to play someone. Anyone who played Villa before Emery got an easy ride. As did teams who played us during the Bruno suspension, which wasn't even off a league game. There's also the Thurs/Sun Europa League thing, which West Ham have taken into a relegation battle. My own fixture of doom would away at a promoted team on first day of the season. Full squad available, fully motivated, crowd massively up for it, media urging them on. Play the same fixture in late November and they'll probably be demoralized, three or four out to injury, their manager on Sack Watch, and the media expecting a bloodbath. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lush Vlad Posted April 9, 2023 Share Posted April 9, 2023 What are we looking at as a points total? Like what’s the average for 4th place? As in my head, 12 more points would see us secure CL football. Which coincidentally, that is what I got when being fairly pessimistic and cautious predicting results in our remaining games. Considering we have just won 5 on the spin and confidence is sky high. 3-4 wins out of 9 seems easily doable. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Prophet Posted April 9, 2023 Share Posted April 9, 2023 47 minutes ago, Lush Vlad said: What are we looking at as a points total? Like what’s the average for 4th place? As in my head, 12 more points would see us secure CL football. Which coincidentally, that is what I got when being fairly pessimistic and cautious predicting results in our remaining games. Considering we have just won 5 on the spin and confidence is sky high. 3-4 wins out of 9 seems easily doable. Points total for 4th for the last 5 years have been 71, 67, 66, 71, 75. So 70 will see you have a decent chance of qualifying, granted it isn't a guarantee. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colos Short and Curlies Posted April 9, 2023 Share Posted April 9, 2023 1 hour ago, The Prophet said: Points total for 4th for the last 5 years have been 71, 67, 66, 71, 75. So 70 will see you have a decent chance of qualifying, granted it isn't a guarantee. it’s 5th place you need to look at, the highest 5th place points total in the last 5 years has been 70 (4 and 5 years ago), typically mid to high 60s. You’d be unlucky to miss out if you hit 68 points Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Prophet Posted April 9, 2023 Share Posted April 9, 2023 Just now, Colos Short and Curlies said: it’s 5th place you need to look at, the highest 5th place points total in the last 5 years has been 70 (4 and 5 years ago), typically mid to high 60s. You’d be unlucky to miss out if you hit 68 points Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wallsendmag Posted April 9, 2023 Share Posted April 9, 2023 I actually think 4 more wins will do it as far as top 4 is concerned, provided 1 or those 4 wins is v Spurs. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heron Posted April 9, 2023 Share Posted April 9, 2023 (edited) I'm now an "Aye" and a "10". Cannot see us not doing it. My prediction is; Villa - Draw Spurs - Draw Everton - Win Southampton - Win Arsenal - Draw Leeds - Win Leicester - Win Chelsea - Draw Brighton - Draw 17 points thus finishing on 73. I see Spurs getting 16 more - maximum, and they're 3 behind us already (69). I reckon Man United will pip us to the post for 3rd and end up with around 20 / 23 points from their remaining games (76/79) but Europe and FA Cup pending they might slip up once or twice so that leaves that more open. We're the most consistent side of those three at present though with 5 wins from the last 5, the same as both title contenders. Factoring in we beat Man United and Brentford in 2 of those 5 suggests we're doing extremely well and have found our form. Squad is looking better, deeper and more capable too. I think you'll see us throw less caution to the wind too though in this last run, we have nowt to lose, so games where they may have been draws may turn into the occasional win. At the end of the day one win is better than two draws... We shall see. We will be as pragmatic and focused as ever. One thing for certain, we need to pinch ourselves Edited April 9, 2023 by Heron Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LFEE Posted April 9, 2023 Share Posted April 9, 2023 Win or don’t lose the key games (Villa/Spurs/Brighton) still priority. Think we will do well in all our home games as the crowd will be a factor. All our away games are very tricky. If we beat Spurs that could be another massive last momentum shift. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heron Posted April 9, 2023 Share Posted April 9, 2023 (edited) 33 minutes ago, LFEE said: Win or don’t lose the key games (Villa/Spurs/Brighton) still priority. Think we will do well in all our home games as the crowd will be a factor. All our away games are very tricky. If we beat Spurs that could be another massive last momentum shift. Beat Spurs and don't lose to Brighton and it's done. They'd have to get at least 7 more points than us from 7 games... Edited April 9, 2023 by Heron Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geogaddi Posted April 9, 2023 Share Posted April 9, 2023 I can see the Spurs game being similar to Arsenal at home last season and Man United last week , we will just steamroller all over them and they won’t know how to cope with us , very confident we win that . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PauloGeordio Posted April 9, 2023 Share Posted April 9, 2023 1 minute ago, Geogaddi said: I can see the Spurs game being similar to Arsenal at home last season and Man United last week , we will just steamroller all over them and they won’t know how to cope with us , very confident we win that . This! ??? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
STM Posted April 9, 2023 Share Posted April 9, 2023 That Spurs game needs to have full stadium black and white, like Arsenal last year. Hopefully wor Flags have something really special lined up. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gawalls Posted April 9, 2023 Share Posted April 9, 2023 (edited) 12 hours ago, Kaizero said: The best possible set of fixtures at this stage of the season would've always been mid-table teams just waiting to go on holiday. Teams with something to play for (trying to avoid relegation/European Qualification) are all much larger potential banana skins. And bottom teams more likely to pack the box and go for a point. Still, get the Villa game out of the way and if we win that then my confidence goes up ten fold. Edited April 9, 2023 by Gawalls Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty66 Posted April 9, 2023 Share Posted April 9, 2023 That Spurs v Man Utd game is massive for us. Best result is a draw I think so both teams effectively drop 2 points? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadow Puppets Posted April 9, 2023 Share Posted April 9, 2023 I’m currently at a 9. Win 4 more games, with one of them being the Spurs game, and I think that we’ll do it. Seems very doable providing we don’t get any big injuries / red cards / suspensions to key players. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RodneyCisse Posted April 9, 2023 Share Posted April 9, 2023 Any knowledge how bad Rashfords groin is? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AyeDubbleYoo Posted April 9, 2023 Share Posted April 9, 2023 2 minutes ago, RodneyCisse said: Any knowledge how bad Rashfords groin is? I should hope not. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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