The Top Five Race 2024-25 (poll added)

[Betterdeedthan red]

Ourselves and Chelsea had to win a champions league to qualify.
Would you prefer if the rags/dippers/ the bumnal were going there instead of us?

Couldn't really careless who's in it.
If it wasn't in America.
And who ever Messi plays for hadn't been given a place I might feel different

 

[marco]

Don't matter what the result is think we need to win one game to make sure!

we need two wins and no one can touch us, one win and a draw and we rely on score permutations from other games, one win and we rely on a result like ours yesterday happening to someone and permutations from other games, no win and we miss out

 

[chesterbells]

we need two wins and no one can touch us, one win and a draw and we rely on score permutations from other games, one win and we rely on a result like ours yesterday happening to someone and permutations from other games, no win and we miss out

We rely on score permutations?
Other than enormous goal difference swings the size of which just don’t happen, isn’t 4 points enough?

 

[Georgian Maestro]

Dumb question as am horrendously hungover. Do we want Newcastle v Chelsea to be a draw?

If the aim is to finish third we want a draw. If the aim is to finish in the top 5 we want a Newcastle win.

 

[Coatigan]

What are posters ultimately saying about this season, especially given where the rags are going to finish and the fact we’re in a FA Cup Final?

Are they saying 1971/72, 1976/77, 1990/91 and 1991/92 were ‘shit seasons’?

Some people need to have a fucking word with themselves.

Embarrassing cunts.

What I am saying about this season, is still the exact same thing I have been saying since November.

We have hit a perfect storm. And for me the only way through that is preseverance, patience and not doing anything stupid. Wait it the fuck out.

Everyone at the club will say it. Khaldoon. Pep. The key players. This season is not to our standards, and expectations are higher and we need to improve. Cool. Maybe we end it with the FA cup and CL football, maybe we don't. I'd have taken that back in November.

I take the pain of yesterday. Just as I took the pain of the utd games, the spurs game, and the 6 in a row we lost at one point. Grind my teeth, and then look to the next one. And the next one.

This whole bunch of such useless pensioners including the braindead Pep and cheapskate Txiki that we have made them out to be, I still love them all. And that's still the least I feel they deserve from me, even just after the 7 trophies they have given me in the last 2 years, never mind the 18 in the last 8. See you at the finish line.

 

[marco]

If the aim is to finish third we want a draw. If the aim is to finish in the top 5 we want a Newcastle win.

it has to be the later i think, makes no difference if we finnish 5th or 3rd as long as we qualify, its all forgotten the day after

 

[Coatigan]

What I don't get is that the same people who a few months ago were convinced we would be nowhere near this end of the table or a CL qualification place, are now up in arms because our very decent chance of securing a CL place has become slightly less decent.

Yesterday was a shitter, of course. But we could have won yesterday and had found ourselves in a worse position than 3rd, elsewhere along the road. Still two games to play for.

 

[Tb1981]

Let’s be honest we have been shit all season
Can’t remember any game where we have looked like a pep guardiola team
We had a tough run against some good teams and were appalling
Recently we have had a good run of games and looked average but got wins
If we get top 5 it’s an achievement
But this team is over and it’s a 2/3 year rebuild

 

[balotellishaircut]

Is there anyway we get top 5 with 3 points or less?

No

 

[Craig]

What I don't get is that the same people who a few months ago were convinced we would be nowhere near this end of the table or a CL qualification place, are now up in arms because our very decent chance of securing a CL place has become slightly less decent.

Yesterday was a shitter, of course. But we could have won yesterday and had found ourselves in a worse position than 3rd, elsewhere along the road. Still two games to play for.

Yeah, we’d have all taken where we are a few months ago. However, having got to a great position to completely waste a full half of football (probably longer) with a truly senseless team selection was shocking from Pep.

 

[chaddblue]

Is there anyway we get top 5 with 3 points or less?

Yeah, 3 points could probably be enough..... 1 point and we're seriously struggling

 

[Blue Since 76]

Are there still qualifying rounds for the CL or did they go with the new format? It used to be 4th meant a round prior to the group so if still the same, those games could be as the CWC finishes

 

[waspish]

we need two wins and no one can touch us, one win and a draw and we rely on score permutations from other games, one win and we rely on a result like ours yesterday happening to someone and permutations from other games, no win and we miss out

Year to be 100% sure am just saying one win think that will do it

 

[.db.]

Are there still qualifying rounds for the CL or did they go with the new format? It used to be 4th meant a round prior to the group so if still the same, those games could be as the CWC finishes

Can we play EB Streymur in Barnsley again?

 

[chris85mcfc]

The issue is today’s performance but not all the league wins that immediately preceded it?

How is that ‘the issue’ and not all those victories?

It’s mental how easily some folk just crumble at the slightest bump in the road. Judging by your username you’ve obviously been supporting us for a while, and obviously through some challenging periods, and yet our success appears to have made you totally unable to cope with any form of adversity to the extent that you think that a group of players that has delivered for us again and again is incapable of winning a home game and drawing an away game against mid-table opposition.

God help you when we actually turn to shit, rather than sitting third in the PL.

It was a post made out of complete frustration with where we 'are' at the moment.

Yes, form has been good in the last few months, but a performance like yesterday brings you back to the reality of where we are at the moment, where we 'were', and the level of work that needs to be done to get us back to a level anywhere near that.

Frustration of signing £180m worth of players in January, when we all agreed we needed reinforcements, and just watching them largely either sat on the bench, or not even making the squad; begs the question as to what they can bring to this club moving forward.

So in short (!), my post was pure frustration over a few things that just don't seem right on the pitch, and also the concern that there aren't many glimmers of hope with this current squad, going into next season.

I appreciate a lot is likely to change over the summer, but we really do need to bring in some serious quality.

 

[supercity88]

It was a post made out of complete frustration with where we 'are' at the moment.

Yes, form has been good in the last few months, but a performance like yesterday brings you back to the reality of where we are at the moment, where we 'were', and the level of work that needs to be done to get us back to a level anywhere near that.

Frustration of signing £180m worth of players in January, when we all agreed we needed reinforcements, and just watching them largely either sat on the bench, or not even making the squad; begs the question as to what they can bring to this club moving forward.

So in short (!), my post was pure frustration over a few things that just don't seem right on the pitch, and also the concern that there aren't many glimmers of hope with this current squad, going into next season.

I appreciate a lot is likely to change over the summer, but we really do need to bring in some serious quality.

If we win the FA Cup and yesterday was equally a case of resting some for that game then I think we can forgive the sterile football. When we were 2-0 down to Palace it felt like our CL hopes were crumbling with a tricky game at Goodison and then home to Villa. We won all three and beat Wolves. We have put ourselves in an excellent position.

It was a chance to go and near enough seal our CL spot yesterday, to take pressure off the final two games. I've seen us in similar positions in title winning campaigns and we havent taken our chance - West Ham away for example, which meant it all came down to Villa at home.

These results happen. They'll happen for other teams as well. We aren't fighting for the title, we are up against equally inconsistent teams and still have it in our hands.

The mindset from some is that our rivals will win all of their games (ignoring clashes between them) and we will struggle to get the results we need. We are on a solid unbeaten run and have won 4 of our last 5.

That's better than any of our rivals.

 

[blue61]

Are there still qualifying rounds for the CL or did they go with the new format? It used to be 4th meant a round prior to the group so if still the same, those games could be as the CWC finishes

Yes there are still qualifying rounds. As far as I can see it won’t affect the EPL teams. It appears that the country co-efficient is the key

The nearest we have is that Celtic will be in the play off round , that being the last one before the league stage

City have the 3rd highest co-efficient of all clubs, so will not be affected no matter what position, assuming they qualify!

 

[cheddar404]

It was a post made out of complete frustration with where we 'are' at the moment.

Yes, form has been good in the last few months, but a performance like yesterday brings you back to the reality of where we are at the moment, where we 'were', and the level of work that needs to be done to get us back to a level anywhere near that.

Frustration of signing £180m worth of players in January, when we all agreed we needed reinforcements, and just watching them largely either sat on the bench, or not even making the squad; begs the question as to what they can bring to this club moving forward.

So in short (!), my post was pure frustration over a few things that just don't seem right on the pitch, and also the concern that there aren't many glimmers of hope with this current squad, going into next season.t

I appreciate a lot is likely to change over the summer, but we really do need to bring in some serious quality.

To be fair, our form has been much better but some of the performances have been quite sterile and yesterday wasn't a massive shock to me. Without an early goal we will struggle to break teams down that play that way with our slow passing.

 

[chris85mcfc]

If we win the FA Cup and yesterday was equally a case of resting some for that game then I think we can forgive the sterile football. When we were 2-0 down to Palace it felt like our CL hopes were crumbling with a tricky game at Goodison and then home to Villa. We won all three and beat Wolves. We have put ourselves in an excellent position.

It was a chance to go and near enough seal our CL spot yesterday, to take pressure off the final two games. I've seen us in similar positions in title winning campaigns and we havent taken our chance - West Ham away for example, which meant it all came down to Villa at home.

These results happen. They'll happen for other teams as well. We aren't fighting for the title, we are up against equally inconsistent teams and still have it in our hands.

The mindset from some is that our rivals will win all of their games (ignoring clashes between them) and we will struggle to get the results we need. We are on a solid unbeaten run and have won 4 of our last 5.

That's better than any of our rivals.

Totally agree mate, and I've said the same in previous posts in regards to how other teams will drop points etc

For me, it was just using that game in isolation, and thinking we now have two tricky games coming up after an fa cup final

As I mentioned though, the large part of my frustration is at the future; I just don't know where the trajectory is going, and you'd struggle to argue that it's likely to change dramatically, which is what needs to happen

I think if we could click our fingers, we'd do away with almost half of this current squad.

There's a lot of emphasis on Rodri coming back fully fit and having the same impact; take Rodri out and we fall back into the pack IMO

 

[Brightwell Bros.]

Totally agree mate, and I've said the same in previous posts in regards to how other teams will drop points etc

For me, it was just using that game in isolation, and thinking we now have two tricky games coming up after an fa cup final

As I mentioned though, the large part of my frustration is at the future; I just don't know where the trajectory is going, and you'd struggle to argue that it's likely to change dramatically, which is what needs to happen

I think if we could click our fingers, we'd do away with almost half of this current squad.

There's a lot of emphasis on Rodri coming back fully fit and having the same impact; take Rodri out and we fall back into the pack IMO

I do get these feelings, but the glass half full reading is we have had our worst season in a decade and we still got to the CL knockouts, a cup final, and will likely finish top four.

Foden has had his worst season for us, Haaland has had his worst season for us, a bunch of players aged out. The momentum next season is we are the start of a new cycle. Loads of positives in the new signings, new players to come in.