The race for the Top 4 - RUNNERS UP, a game to spare

[Millwallawayveteran1988]

Re: The race for the Top 4

we need 10 points form our remaining home games , hammers,villa,QPR.saints , this will guarantee champs league , the dippers have to got to the Chavs and their goal difference is crap. Spuds have away games at stoke and saints , they will drop points.
If we could guarantee champs league with a couple of games left , it would be nice to see some EDS players given a game , Angelino,Maffeo,Barker,Byrne,Pozo , spring to mind , these kids deserve a chance and no doubt their honesty and endeavour would put a few of our 1st team squad to shame. Actually cant wait for Wednesday nights FA Youth Cup game , after the Palace result , (and its live on the telly ITV4)

And therein lies the problem. Southampton are a good team, and Villa and QPR will be scrapping for their lives. Those games will likely be carbon copies of last night. Ten men behind the ball at all times. I fully expect us to drop points in at least 2 of those 4 fixtures as a consequence, which would then leave us needing to pick up a win at either the Swamp, WHL or the Liberty. We've lost 4 in a row away, with the manager's team selections and formations at least partly responsible on each occasion. Realistically I don't see us picking up more than between 7 to 9 points in our remaining games. It may not be enough.

Despite our horrendous form, I can see us winning against at least 3 of the sides at home and beating Swansea who will be on the beach by then.

I expect around 13/14 points from remaining games and 3rd or 4th depending on how united do in their other games.

Arsenal will finish 2nd for me.

I can't see us getting anything out of united with the form both sides are in and a draw or defeat at Spurs.

 

[Exeter Blue I am here]

Re: The race for the Top 4

we need 10 points form our remaining home games , hammers,villa,QPR.saints , this will guarantee champs league , the dippers have to got to the Chavs and their goal difference is crap. Spuds have away games at stoke and saints , they will drop points.
If we could guarantee champs league with a couple of games left , it would be nice to see some EDS players given a game , Angelino,Maffeo,Barker,Byrne,Pozo , spring to mind , these kids deserve a chance and no doubt their honesty and endeavour would put a few of our 1st team squad to shame. Actually cant wait for Wednesday nights FA Youth Cup game , after the Palace result , (and its live on the telly ITV4)

And therein lies the problem. Southampton are a good team, and Villa and QPR will be scrapping for their lives. Those games will likely be carbon copies of last night. Ten men behind the ball at all times. I fully expect us to drop points in at least 2 of those 4 fixtures as a consequence, which would then leave us needing to pick up a win at either the Swamp, WHL or the Liberty. We've lost 4 in a row away, with the manager's team selections and formations at least partly responsible on each occasion. Realistically I don't see us picking up more than between 7 to 9 points in our remaining games. It may not be enough.

Despite our horrendous form, I can see us winning against at least 3 of the sides at home and beating Swansea who will be on the beach by then.

I expect around 13/14 points from remaining games and 3rd or 4th depending on how united do in their other games.

Arsenal will finish 2nd for me.

I can't see us getting anything out of united with the form both sides are in and a draw or defeat at Spurs.

There's nothing about 4 wins in 14 games that gives me any faith that we'll pick up anywhere near 13 points in our remaining fixtures. And Palace had nothing to play for last night either! The trouble is, the way City games are panning out at the moment, we invite opposition intensity in even the most meaningless of games. We inevitably concede a sloppy 1st half goal (10 times in the last 15 games) to go behind, at which point our opponents park a gigantic bus and with every passing minute and desperate last ditch block, the atmosphere becomes a bearpit and the opposition team is able to feed off that and defend as if their lives depended on it. I'm sick of seeing the same pattern unfold again and again and again. Trust me, 9 points is the most we will pick up

 

[SWP's back]

Re: The race for the Top 4

And therein lies the problem. Southampton are a good team, and Villa and QPR will be scrapping for their lives. Those games will likely be carbon copies of last night. Ten men behind the ball at all times. I fully expect us to drop points in at least 2 of those 4 fixtures as a consequence, which would then leave us needing to pick up a win at either the Swamp, WHL or the Liberty. We've lost 4 in a row away, with the manager's team selections and formations at least partly responsible on each occasion. Realistically I don't see us picking up more than between 7 to 9 points in our remaining games. It may not be enough.

Despite our horrendous form, I can see us winning against at least 3 of the sides at home and beating Swansea who will be on the beach by then.

I expect around 13/14 points from remaining games and 3rd or 4th depending on how united do in their other games.

Arsenal will finish 2nd for me.

I can't see us getting anything out of united with the form both sides are in and a draw or defeat at Spurs.

There's nothing about 4 wins in 14 games that gives me any faith that we'll pick up anywhere near 13 points in our remaining fixtures. And Palace had nothing to play for last night either! The trouble is, the way City games are panning out at the moment, we invite opposition intensity in even the most meaningless of games. We inevitably concede a sloppy 1st half goal (10 times in the last 15 games) to go behind, at which point our opponents park a gigantic bus and with every passing minute and desperate last ditch block, the atmosphere becomes a bearpit and the opposition team is able to feed off that and defend as if their lives depended on it. I'm sick of seeing the same pattern unfold again and again and again. Trust me, 9 points is the most we will pick up

No I don't think I'll trust you. We will win this weekend for a start.

 

[Millwallawayveteran1988]

Re: The race for the Top 4

And therein lies the problem. Southampton are a good team, and Villa and QPR will be scrapping for their lives. Those games will likely be carbon copies of last night. Ten men behind the ball at all times. I fully expect us to drop points in at least 2 of those 4 fixtures as a consequence, which would then leave us needing to pick up a win at either the Swamp, WHL or the Liberty. We've lost 4 in a row away, with the manager's team selections and formations at least partly responsible on each occasion. Realistically I don't see us picking up more than between 7 to 9 points in our remaining games. It may not be enough.

Despite our horrendous form, I can see us winning against at least 3 of the sides at home and beating Swansea who will be on the beach by then.

I expect around 13/14 points from remaining games and 3rd or 4th depending on how united do in their other games.

Arsenal will finish 2nd for me.

I can't see us getting anything out of united with the form both sides are in and a draw or defeat at Spurs.

There's nothing about 4 wins in 14 games that gives me any faith that we'll pick up anywhere near 13 points in our remaining fixtures. And Palace had nothing to play for last night either! The trouble is, the way City games are panning out at the moment, we invite opposition intensity in even the most meaningless of games. We inevitably concede a sloppy 1st half goal (10 times in the last 15 games) to go behind, at which point our opponents park a gigantic bus and with every passing minute and desperate last ditch block, the atmosphere becomes a bearpit and the opposition team is able to feed off that and defend as if their lives depended on it. I'm sick of seeing the same pattern unfold again and again and again. Trust me, 9 points is the most we will pick up

You could be right. I'm just hoping really! Nothing behind my blind faith!

 

[ZZmaestro]

Re: The race for the Top 4

And therein lies the problem. Southampton are a good team, and Villa and QPR will be scrapping for their lives. Those games will likely be carbon copies of last night. Ten men behind the ball at all times. I fully expect us to drop points in at least 2 of those 4 fixtures as a consequence, which would then leave us needing to pick up a win at either the Swamp, WHL or the Liberty. We've lost 4 in a row away, with the manager's team selections and formations at least partly responsible on each occasion. Realistically I don't see us picking up more than between 7 to 9 points in our remaining games. It may not be enough.

Despite our horrendous form, I can see us winning against at least 3 of the sides at home and beating Swansea who will be on the beach by then.

I expect around 13/14 points from remaining games and 3rd or 4th depending on how united do in their other games.

Arsenal will finish 2nd for me.

I can't see us getting anything out of united with the form both sides are in and a draw or defeat at Spurs.

There's nothing about 4 wins in 14 games that gives me any faith that we'll pick up anywhere near 13 points in our remaining fixtures. And Palace had nothing to play for last night either! The trouble is, the way City games are panning out at the moment, we invite opposition intensity in even the most meaningless of games. We inevitably concede a sloppy 1st half goal (10 times in the last 15 games) to go behind, at which point our opponents park a gigantic bus and with every passing minute and desperate last ditch block, the atmosphere becomes a bearpit and the opposition team is able to feed off that and defend as if their lives depended on it. I'm sick of seeing the same pattern unfold again and again and again. Trust me, 9 points is the most we will pick up

This.
I don't fancy us getting more than ten points because our stats this season since the boxing day are an average 1.5 pts per match ratio.
If we loose on Sunday, we will end-up being caught by the dippers come the last trench of the race, they are on form and averaging 2.15 pts per match, a gap of 4 pts won't keep us clear of them...

If the things goes this way, it won't be good having Rags/dipers and gooners as colleagues at the office.
Personally, i am dreading this end of season; they were waiting since ages for a proper City crisis, and we are serving it on a silver plate this season.

 

[Cheadle Blue]

Re: The race for the Top 4

We are to easy to defend against now, pack the middle, push us out wide and we can't deliver a decent cross from either side in over 20 attempts

Even that idiot at the swamp will realise this

 

[Exeter Blue I am here]

Re: The race for the Top 4

Despite our horrendous form, I can see us winning against at least 3 of the sides at home and beating Swansea who will be on the beach by then.

I expect around 13/14 points from remaining games and 3rd or 4th depending on how united do in their other games.

Arsenal will finish 2nd for me.

I can't see us getting anything out of united with the form both sides are in and a draw or defeat at Spurs.

There's nothing about 4 wins in 14 games that gives me any faith that we'll pick up anywhere near 13 points in our remaining fixtures. And Palace had nothing to play for last night either! The trouble is, the way City games are panning out at the moment, we invite opposition intensity in even the most meaningless of games. We inevitably concede a sloppy 1st half goal (10 times in the last 15 games) to go behind, at which point our opponents park a gigantic bus and with every passing minute and desperate last ditch block, the atmosphere becomes a bearpit and the opposition team is able to feed off that and defend as if their lives depended on it. I'm sick of seeing the same pattern unfold again and again and again. Trust me, 9 points is the most we will pick up

No I don't think I'll trust you. We will win this weekend for a start.

Hope you're right......

 

[Latics Fan SJK]

Re: The race for the Top 4

On another day, you'd have scored 4 last night and won. Yes, you're in shite form, however I have no doubts you'll finish in the Top 4.

Wherther I'd be confident of you navigating through the CL qualifying round though - I'm not so sure.

 

[Deleted member 58678]

Re: The race for the Top 4

It should be "top 3" we're concentrating on anyway, fourth does not get you into the Champions League.

 

[IH8MUFC]

Re: The race for the Top 4

You and me both - the facts have been staring us in the face all season. No surprise we're in a dog fight now. The complacency and/over presumptive bravado on here has been astounding to me.
By weekend the pre-match thread will have us going to "rip them a new one" no doubt. On the Pelle thread he'll be a poor pawn at the hands of FFP and lazy players and Txiki could have done no better with his transfers. There is of course a scintilla of truth to these - but when you look at who we've been losing and drawing to - there can be no sympathy.

What's the lottery numbers please mate?

Thanks for entering the debate with a worthwhile response.
The answer to your question is I don't know - but I could tell you the probability of you winning it based on figures and facts that you could draw a conclusion from.

Just don't see the logic in your post. We've looked like being in the top 2 all season. Now all of a sudden people crawl out of the woodwork with the "I knew this would happen blah blah blah".