The Top Five Race 2024-25 (poll added)

[Blue Elvis]

Win at Bournemouth should be enough are last home game we could technically be bringing out the FA Cup at the end of the game too. A lap of honour for KDB he will want to have his last game at home as a win and we will do it. We are just over reacting after todays game.

Not over reacting after today's game .... just realising that we are unforunately quite capable (after today's pathetic performance by Pep and the team ) of losing the next three games no matter what the odds may say.

If Pep can't select a team to beat a very poor Saints team why should we have any confidence that we can beat a rested Bournemouth team only a few days after the Cup Final and a nothing to lose Fulham team, both teams being significantly better than Southampton.

Think today showed once again how far we have fallen from the standards of previous seasons so I wouldn't be surprised to see us fail to win the Cup again or fail to qualify in the top 5.

 

[Jonas.shaffer]

I still think we’ll be ok, but it just shows how terrible that result was today.

Indeed, but still better than losing!

 

[come-on-barney]

We drew with the 2nd worse team in Premier league history

Some won’t get it

 

[Oyster28catcher]

One Cup Final followed by one cup final... and potentially another cup final.

Club W.C.?! Not capable of thinking about it! Need a vast improvement to make Cash League next season

 

[coolcity]

Not over reacting after today's game .... just realising that we are unforunately quite capable (after today's pathetic performance by Pep and the team ) of losing the next three games no matter what the odds may say.

If Pep can't select a team to beat a very poor Saints team why should we have any confidence that we can beat a rested Bournemouth team only a few days after the Cup Final and a nothing to lose Fulham team, both teams being significantly better than Southampton.

Think today showed once again how far we have fallen from the standards of previous seasons so I wouldn't be surprised to see us fail to win the Cup again or fail to qualify in the top 5.

I've never been a fan of this team selection malarky. Nobody knows which players are going to win a game like this pre-kick off. When a team decides to park the bus you will get days when you get through and win, you will get days when you can't break them down and they get a late break and you lose, and you get days like today when neither side gets much out of it. A post here, a wicked deflection there, a free kick that goes into the top corner or into the top tier, it's football. I still remember an away FA Cup game I think it was when we played Notts County off the park with something like 37 shots on goal. they had one shot. We lost 1-0. It happens, always has, always will. It's a lot easier to play a team that doesn't play all 11 players in the 6 yard box.

If you actually look at the current permutations for finishing in the top 5 your head will hurt - I'll post them in a minute - but you won't be surprised to see us qualify.

 

[coolcity]

If City win one of their two remaining matches, to NOT finish in the top 5, all this needs to happen:
I'm assuming Arsenal will get the point they need, but if I'm not mistaken even they could miss out on a top 5 place mathematically.

Newcastle and Chelsea BOTH need to win two of their last 3 (and they have to play each other yet), while Chelsea also have to play Arsenal and Newcastle have to play Forest.

Villa need to win both matches, home to Spurs and away to United.

Or course you can go off at tangents all over the place depending on the head-to-heads with the other clubs. Easiest way to think about it at the moment is if City win one more and Forest lose one of their three remaining matches, City qualify.

If we win both we definitely qualify.

 

[gordondaviesmoustache]

Think the stars are aligning against us this season.

Never change @Big Yaya Wilko 12

 

[IrishBlueSince92]

So many of our games are turgid to watch these days
united, Everton, Leicester, wolves and today, just from the last few weeks alone.
We didn’t lose any of them but exciting football was at a premium

 

[gordondaviesmoustache]

The issue is, after watching that today it's difficult to see us getting 4 points out of 6,

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.

 

[Tbilisi]

Before today we have had so much luck with teams hitting the woodwork at crucial times in our last 5 games. It seemed to run out v Southampton.

Team selections have been mind boggling really.

 

[bladdered]

Not over reacting after today's game .... just realising that we are unforunately quite capable (after today's pathetic performance by Pep and the team ) of losing the next three games no matter what the odds may say.

If Pep can't select a team to beat a very poor Saints team why should we have any confidence that we can beat a rested Bournemouth team only a few days after the Cup Final and a nothing to lose Fulham team, both teams being significantly better than Southampton.

Think today showed once again how far we have fallen from the standards of previous seasons so I wouldn't be surprised to see us fail to win the Cup again or fail to qualify in the top 5.

 

[Brightwell Bros.]

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.

We are the third (or fourth) best team in the country. We're playing the stodgiest football we've played for a long time with a squad at the end of their cycle, but anyone would think we are the shittest team in the league on some comments here. Pep has settled in, we will finish top five comfortably, and we might yet win a trophy. I just don't have it in me to get distraught at an away draw (even against a relegated team) that doesn't cost us anything in the short or medium term.

 

[gordondaviesmoustache]

We are the third (or fourth) best team in the country. We're playing the stodgiest football we've played for a long time with a squad at the end of their cycle, but anyone would think we are the shittest team in the league on some comments here. Pep has settled in, we will finish top five comfortably, and we might yet win a trophy. I just don't have it in me to get distraught at an away draw (even against a relegated team) that doesn't cost us anything in the short or medium term.

This season overall, we have been playing like a team that’s not good enough to win the league, but is good enough to finish top six.

I’m not sure how people have such difficulty reconciling that with the fact we are currently third.

We are exactly where we deserve to be and that means a level of inconsistency that wasn’t there when we were winning titles.

It’s unbelievably simple and no rational person should have any difficulty understanding it.

 

[Brightwell Bros.]

This season overall, we have been playing like a team that’s not good enough to win the league, but is good enough to finish top six.

I’m not sure how people have such difficulty reconciling that with the fact we are current third.

We are exactly where we deserve to be and that means a level of inconsistency that wasn’t there when we were winning titles.

It’s unbelievably simple.

I suppose when you get used to 90+ seasons you forget what merely "good" football teams look like. Pep will always be the biggest victim of his own success. Without the relegation form we had in the late Autumn we'd have challenged for the league again, though admittedly probably come a bit short.

 

[gordondaviesmoustache]

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.

 

[gordondaviesmoustache]

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.

And 1977/78 which was the season I fell in love with this football club.

 

[Axel Freed]

So will pep if he can’t get this shit together

One more slip and we’re out of the cl imo

As is to be expected in a forum awash with fannies, there have been some absurd comments today but yours is right up there with the daftest

Your contention is that the greatest manager ever to grace these shores will be gone in 6 months unless he gets this shit together

Just to clarify, "this shit" means 3rd place in the league and FA Cup finalists ?

 

[youngbob]

Done a predictor thing.

Said our games would be:

2-2 vs Liverpool (1) (0)
1-1 vs Spurs (2) (3)
0-2 vs Forest (2) (3)
2-1 vs Brighton (5) (4)
3-0 vs Leicester (8) (7)
2-2 vs United (9) (8)
3-1 vs Palace (12) (11)
2-2 vs Everton (13) (14)
2-1 vs Villa (16) (17)
3-1 vs Wolves (19) (20)
3-1 vs Southampton (22) (21)
2-2 vs Bournemouth (23)
2-2 vs Fulham (24)

Finishing the season with W6 D6 L1. 24 points.

View attachment 147430

Predicted back in February that we'd pick up 22 points from our next 11 games (including Southampton). And 24 from the last 13.

In reality we've picked up 21, and we need to win at least one our remaining two games and avoid defeat in the other to finish top five. That would take us up to 25 from the last 13 games. I think that's possible. Beating Bournemouth would be a massive help.

 

[youngbob]

Four points should do it.

If United could do us one favour in their last couple of games (either vs Chelsea or Villa) the rest should take care of itself.

 

[jimharri]

Four points should do it.

If United could do us one favour in their last couple of games (either vs Chelsea or Villa) the rest should take care of itself.

Don't bank on it. Their focus will be on the EL final. And you can't blame them, I suppose . Playing weakened sides in the PL and finishing, say, 16th as opposed to maybe 12th or 13th is pretty much irrelevant to them now. They're not going to go down, unfortunately. And the incentive to win the EL is huge (££££££).