The battle for 4th place

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and to think we won the first 5 games of the season scoring 10 and conceding 0 - how has it come to this?
 
ayrshire_blue said:
The same way the title was gone when we were 2nd/3rd with however many games left. Because we're on a huge downward spiral and other teams are flying. That's been the case since September time.
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Fighting for first place when you're second/third isn't really the same as fighting for fourth when you're....fourth though is it? Not to sound a condescending douche but it's madness to suggest a finishing place is out of our grasp when we're currently in that position.


Cheesy said:
Over the last 25 games we've averaged 1.4 points per game. There's not much evidence to point towards that getting any better, so if we carry on as we have been were heading for something like 61 points.

I genuinely don't know the answer to this as can't be arsed checking, but has this ever been enough for CL qualification?
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I don't know and can't be arsed either.

FWIW I agree with you both in what you are saying, form/performances put us in a real battle for fourth but as I've just said above, It's madness to write off finishing fourth when we are in fact, fourth, which is what the thread title is saying.

We just have to hope a few returning players after the international break can give the team a boost until the end of the season.
 
Chippy_boy said:
We are 15 points behind Leicester.
I'll pause for a moment whilst you just sit and let thank sink in. 15 points behind Leicester.
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It's depressing obviously, but Leicester have played just six cup ties this season while we've played seventeen with at least two more to play; so that's at least thirteen more games. Then we have the simple fact that we have more international players so fewer get a rest during international breaks.
And ignoring injuries in internationals (eg Silva) and cup games (KDB) we still get too many knocks in training or recurrences during the recovery phase. As for Vincent........ We're not in the Paul Lake/Peter Swales era of third rate treatment yet we still can't keep the bugger fit for ten minutes. Why the fuck did we play him in a dead game against Kiev with the derby coming up?
There's also the possibility Leicester's style is easier to maintain when energy levels are low. They can grind out 1-0 wins as Chelsea did last season.
But 15 points uses up a lot of excuses.
 
Hung said:
I'm afraid that winning the League Cup, whilst 'a trophy', cannot compensate for the unmitigated disaster that this season has turned in to. Not finishing in the top 4 will hold us back for 3 years, largely down to the effect it will have on transfer dealings and the possibility that it will put the cross hairs even more firmly on Aguero from Real and Barca - and who would blame him if he wanted to go?
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Fully agree with this. We will end up like paying crazy money for average players. Hey. But has that not happened already anyway!!!
 
markbmcfc said:
How can it be gone when we're currently sat in 4th with 8 games left?
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Agree it is not gone. But I have lost track of the number of desperation Monday's around here of late. We are in roughly the same position as last year but I fear the task is much more difficult. I really think we must win the next two games which we could do if we apply ourselves. However, I believe the boss will prioritise the CL tie( a tie I believe we have only an outside chance of winning) and we may be faced with a mountain to climb in the league. It should never of got to this imo and apart from a fairly crap manager and bad luck with injuries blame should also be pointed in the direction of a lot of faces in the background.
 
markbmcfc said:
Fighting for first place when you're second/third isn't really the same as fighting for fourth when you're....fourth though is it? Not to sound a condescending douche but it's madness to suggest a finishing place is out of our grasp when we're currently in that position.




I don't know and can't be arsed either.

FWIW I agree with you both in what you are saying, form/performances put us in a real battle for fourth but as I've just said above, It's madness to write off finishing fourth when we are in fact, fourth, which is what the thread title is saying.

We just have to hope a few returning players after the international break can give the team a boost until the end of the season.
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Kind of feel the same. We have been so awful in the league most of the season that deep down a lot of us believe that we don't really deserve to be in the CL next year. Perhaps the Thursday night cup is where we rightfully belong. The sense of drift is palpable and somewhat distressing and at this stage a lot of us just want to be put out of our agony and move on. Hopefully in three years time we will be in a much better place or as a lot of overseas managers say a much better "moment".Keep the faith
 
This is as dated as the we can still win the title thread which has lingered with a stench on here far too long.

4th? No, we will finish around 6th based on the logical trajectory of results
 
Cheesy said:
Over the last 25 games we've averaged 1.4 points per game. There's not much evidence to point towards that getting any better, so if we carry on as we have been were heading for something like 61 points.

I genuinely don't know the answer to this as can't be arsed checking, but has this ever been enough for CL qualification?
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2003/4 Liverpool qualified with 60pts


2004/5 Everton finished 4th with 61pts but Liverpool won the CL and they lost their spot anyway.
 
markbmcfc said:
Fighting for first place when you're second/third isn't really the same as fighting for fourth when you're....fourth though is it? Not to sound a condescending douche but it's madness to suggest a finishing place is out of our grasp when we're currently in that position.




I don't know and can't be arsed either.

FWIW I agree with you both in what you are saying, form/performances put us in a real battle for fourth but as I've just said above, It's madness to write off finishing fourth when we are in fact, fourth, which is what the thread title is saying.

We just have to hope a few returning players after the international break can give the team a boost until the end of the season.
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You seem incapable of differentiating between the present and the future. The fact that we are 4th at the moment means nothing.

Aston Villa were top at 3:01 on the first day but that didn't mean they had any chance of finishing top.

Yes if we're 4th with a 8 point gap to 5th and 4 or 5 games left. But we are 1 point ahead of two teams playing better than us - much better - who have better fixtures and some momentum behind them.

My biggest concern is that honestly, genuinely, I don't think Pellegrini is remotely bothered if we get 4th or not. He will throw the games preceding the PSG games, that's a given.

For me, 4th requires a fundamental change in approach starting right now. That probably requires a change of manager starting right now. Stick with the same manager, same strategy, same approach and the same results will surely ensue. That will leave us fighting for 6th.

That's the reality I think. Make big changes or accept 6th.
 
how on earth can 4th be gone....we are 4th!!! some people are so pessimistic its ridiculous....agree we are paying like a mid table side but we have more then enough ability to turn it on when we have to...i cant see these players just letting it drift into a europa league spot....it might need us to drop down a spot or two in the short term to give them a reality check though.
 
Our best keeper,Injured.
Our best Defender, Injured.
Our assist king, Injured.
Our promising winger, Injured.
Our best forward, Injury prone... probably overdue another injury.
Our Manager, Clueless.

Top four is slipping away, and I have no clue why anyone thinks we can turn this around from here.
 
If someone had said to me at the start of the season that we might struggle to get top 4 then i'd have laughed in their face.
Forget the injuries, all clubs have them but to miss out on top 4 with the money we've spent would be a f*cking disgrace, basically it seems as though some players and maybe even Pellers have downed tools and said "fuck it".
Personally i still think we'll finish 4th.
 
bluemoon32 said:
If someone had said to me at the start of the season that we might struggle to get top 4 then i'd have laughed in their face.
Forget the injuries, all clubs have them but to miss out on top 4 with the money we've spent would be a f*cking disgrace, basically it seems as though some players and maybe even Pellers have downed tools and said "fuck it".
Personally i still think we'll finish 4th.
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this all day for me. to think back to the way we started the season. 5 wins and no goals conceded to then have witnessed 36 points from 25 games, conceding goals left right and centre and barely scoring, well its just dismal. been a horrific season, heres hoping we can scrape a few wins together and then pray west hame and united slip up
 
littlemarkyc said:
..we have more then enough ability to turn it on when we have to...i cant see these players just letting it drift into a europa league spot....it might need us to drop down a spot or two in the short term to give them a reality check though.
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Not sure how you can say that after Sunday. If you can't turn it on at home in a Derby to arguably the worst ManUre side since the Premier League began then we're fucked!
 
bluemoon32 said:
If someone had said to me at the start of the season that we might struggle to get top 4 then i'd have laughed in their face.
Forget the injuries, all clubs have them but to miss out on top 4 with the money we've spent would be a f*cking disgrace, basically it seems as though some players and maybe even Pellers have downed tools and said "fuck it".
Personally i still think we'll finish 4th.
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You'd almost think Pellers was trying to fuck us over by not finishing top 4.

I don't believe that for one minute by the way but when you look at team selection, and subs used (obviously keeper problems aside) it was almost laughable... or intentional to lose!
 
littlemarkyc said:
how on earth can 4th be gone....we are 4th!!! some people are so pessimistic its ridiculous....agree we are paying like a mid table side but we have more then enough ability to turn it on when we have to...i cant see these players just letting it drift into a europa league spot....it might need us to drop down a spot or two in the short term to give them a reality check though.
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Mate if we can't turn it on for derby we aren't going to do it for much else.. I see what you're saying but I really can't see us holding a 1 point gap.
 
mardon85 said:
Mate if we can't turn it on for derby we aren't going to do it for much else.. I see what you're saying but I really can't see us holding a 1 point gap.
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No-one seems to be thinking about the effect yesterday's shambles will have had on West Ham, the scum or even Liverpool. They will all be bang up for it now - even more than they were before. And with no CL QF distraction they will be 100% focused on that 4th spot.

I'll be amazed if we get 4th now. I hope of course I am wrong.

I know it's probably nonsense but I can't shake from my mind the thought that maybe just maybe the Pep thing may fall through if we don't get 4th.
 
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