A top 4 finish

[Gunga Din]

Lets say the champions finish up with 85 points. we are currently 11 points behind the leaders. now, assuming we match Chelsea point for point the rest of the season, we end up on 74 points. I dont think we are capable of matching Chelsea. infact, i think we might drop 10 more ppoints than they will minimum the rest of the season, and we will end up with, at best a mid 60's points total, which, i honestly think we'll miss out on Champions League football.

 

We are in a mess. infact, i'd go as far as saying we are in crisis, and missing out on the champions league will set us back years

[Dan]

Serious threat.

 

Need to beat City big time. Don't think we will though.

 

Edit: People keep talking about when we have our injured players back. Don't think we're ever gonna have our strongest 11 out there this season. Too many underlying problems injury wise.

Edited November 10, 2009 by DS77

[johngibo YPC]

I think we will finish fourth. Others are faultering as well

Still think we will have a strong second half of the season and have a feeling we'll win something

[Conrad]

Our biggest rivals for 4th are City and Spurs - I see Villa fading away again. Makes the next home game crucial. I think we'll need 70 points to get Champions League football next year, which means taking an average of 2 points a game for the reminder of the season.

[CarraLegend]

This gets said every year, usually about us or Arsenal and only once has it happened. And that was with us not giving a f*** about league games to concentrate on the CL. Thats not to say it cant happen but we are in "crisis" and yet look how close we are to the top 4. A 5 game winning run at some point will be enough.

 

We'll be in the top 4.

[budgie]

This gets said every year, usually about us or Arsenal and only once has it happened. And that was with us not giving a f*** about league games to concentrate on the CL. Thats not to say it cant happen but we are in "crisis" and yet look how close we are to the top 4. A 5 game winning run at some point will be enough.

 

We'll be in the top 4.

 

 

Exactly. We're in crisis but we're still only 2 pts behind Villa & 3 behind Spurs. City at most will be 4 ahead. I would be worried if City's defence wasn't more of a shambles than ours is.

 

I think we'll go a run soon and be back in the top 4 comfortably.

[Billy Talbot]

Nothing will be decided until late on the season. What might give is the edge is that we've been in this situation before and succeeded, where all (apart from Everton) failed (how they managed to finish 4th with a negative goal difference still perplexes me).

 

Also - as usual, we'll get better and better after the new year.

[Chili Palmer]

We will finish 4th, I think the top 3 will finish a good bit clear of the rest.

[_00_deathscar]

Exactly. We're in crisis but we're still only 2 pts behind Villa & 3 behind Spurs. City at most will be 4 ahead. I would be worried if City's defence wasn't more of a shambles than ours is.

 

I think we'll go a run soon and be back in the top 4 comfortably.

 

Right - so clean sheet for City next 3 games it is then.

[Swipe]

This gets said every year, usually about us or Arsenal and only once has it happened. And that was with us not giving a f*** about league games to concentrate on the CL. Thats not to say it cant happen but we are in "crisis" and yet look how close we are to the top 4. A 5 game winning run at some point will be enough.

 

We'll be in the top 4.

 

Agree.

 

Add to that, City, Spurs, Sunderland and Villa all flatter to deceive.

 

A mess of a season thus far, but still think we'll finish top 4.

Edited November 10, 2009 by Swipe

[RedHarvest]

We are in a mess. infact, i'd go as far as saying we are in crisis, and missing out on the champions league will set us back years

It is a crisis for the club, that's been apparent since the Klinsmann incident. Rafa and the team deflected all talk of that crisis by finishing 2nd last season while beating the top 3 comfortably and playing some scintillating football. Now we've hit a blip, inevitable because of the lies of G&H and lack of money. It was on the cards.

We need to support our team through this cos there's no quick fix answer - no arab money, no major signings, no new owners...just the best manager available to us already at the club and an excellent first 11. I think we'll definitely finish in the top 4. Injury has done for our Champions league, but we'll survive it.

[Marvin]

We may or may not finish in the top four this season. It would of course be a major setback if we don't but I don't see how long term we can sustain or expect a regular top 4 position unless the manager is properly backed financially.

[blago]

City and Tottenham will be inconsistent so if we manage to put together a decent string of wins I have no doubt we will make it. With the luck we have had with injuries it is difficult to call.

I reckon if we can keep the likes of Torres, Agger, Johnson and Gerrard relatively injury free for the remainder of the season it will be no problem. That seems a tall order at the moment though.

[Stevie H]

still think we'll finish top four but it would be f***ing nice to be able to attempt it with something near a fuly fit squad. when all are fit and firing i'm sure we'll go on a run of wins that'll carry us along, but it won't be enough to get particularly close to chelsea.

[stressederic]

still think we'll finish top four but it would be f***ing nice to be able to attempt it with something near a fuly fit squad. when all are fit and firing i'm sure we'll go on a run of wins that'll carry us along, but it won't be enough to get particularly close to chelsea.

 

Pretty much my view.

 

If/when we get a fit and settled side out we'll pick up a good succession of wins. Until then we're understandably struggling. We're nopt going to win the league but it'd be nice if we could aim for 3rd spot to avoid the qualifying rounds of the European Cup next year.

[Stevie H]

plus we won't have that unnecessary annoying distraction of the champions league knockout stages to worry about. play the kids in the europa league until the final against barca.

[Andy @ Allerton]

Lets say the champions finish up with 85 points. we are currently 11 points behind the leaders. now, assuming we match Chelsea point for point the rest of the season, we end up on 74 points. I dont think we are capable of matching Chelsea. infact, i think we might drop 10 more ppoints than they will minimum the rest of the season, and we will end up with, at best a mid 60's points total, which, i honestly think we'll miss out on Champions League football.

 

We are in a mess. infact, i'd go as far as saying we are in crisis, and missing out on the champions league will set us back years

 

 

We'll finish top four no bother. Once we get our form back (And we're already improving) and our injury problems sort themselves out, we have a history of finishing very,very strongly with Benitez. I reckon we'll finish 2nd or 3rd. The league this season has already shown that the so-called 'top four' are not going to have it all their own way. The other clubs have progressed and are battling. Come the new year I expect us to begin a determined march up the table and if everyone is fit (Plus potentially one or two signings using all that mysteriously missing cash) then things will look rosier.

[Dan]

we're never going to have everyone fully fit

[Falconhoof]

I can't see us being consistent enough to get the points needed for a top 4 place.

Having said that, Man City and Spurs are doing a tremendous job of keeping us in touch with them.

[Gunga Din]

I can't see us being consistent enough to get the points needed for a top 4 place.

Having said that, Man City and Spurs are doing a tremendous job of keeping us in touch with them.

 

 

our next 2 league games are massive for us

[Stevie H]

I can't see us being consistent enough to get the points needed for a top 4 place.

Having said that, Man City and Spurs are doing a tremendous job of keeping us in touch with them.

we're not going to be as steady as we have been previous seasons because of the squad of players we have this season. but an attacking five of torres, gerrard, aquilani, kuyt and yossi backed up by johnson and aurelio will be way too much for most teams. we'll concede more no doubt, but we'll win more.

[Falconhoof]

our next 2 league games are massive for us

 

2 very difficult fixtures. We don't want to be nursing half fit players through a derby game particularly.

 

I doubt anyone can confidently predict 6 points from those City and Everton games. Then we have an anxious wait to see if Torres and/or Gerrard require surgery. Whats the word on Benayoun and Rieira ?

 

This is the way it will go for a few months now, filling gaps in a depleted lineup, little in reserve on the bench and the threat of further defeats around the corner.

[Andy @ Allerton]

our next 2 league games are massive for us

 

 

Every game til the end of the season is 'massive' - but you just don't need to win that many to make the 'top four'.

 

Villa, Citeh, Everton, Spurs wil all struggle at some point. They will take points off each other and they will pick up injuries and suspensions and runs of bad luck.

 

We're going through the worst spell of bad luck, bad form and injuries all at the same time and if we can come out of this spell within touching distance then I don't see it as a problem.

 

For once the International break has come at a great time for us. We can regroup, concentrate on getting some of our bods back into fitness. Continue with training and building and when we start playing again in earnest hopefully we can call on Gerrard, Torres, Aquilani, Aurelio, Agger, Riera, Benayoun and the others struggling. Some may not be 100% but a two week layoff will mean they can get proper treatment and rest.

 

We play Manc City at Anfield for our next game and they are going through a terrible spell themselves. It's all to play for and then a decent performance against Debrenci (Which we may be able to afford to relax on) plus a gut-busting game against Everton could be just the ticket.

 

Bring it on!!

[antona]

Still think we'll comfortably finish in the top 4. Even without Gerrard and Torres we are much better than Spuds and City and its only a matter of time when our luck will turn.

Btw, I still haven't lost all hope about us winning the league. Of course its highly unlikely but stranger things happened in football, Istanbul...

[Gravy]

We are in a mess. infact, i'd go as far as saying we are in crisis, and missing out on the champions league will set us back years

 

No it won't, losing Benitez will set us back years.