January 15th - May 9th

[New York Red]

So here we are.

 

Stevie, Nando, Benny are injured.

 

Kuyt and Carra woefully off form.

 

Rafa is going nowhere.

 

We need to be fourth, It is the only goal. If we do, we may well get the stadium underway, new money, new ownership structure, a spalsh of cash in the summer (debatable).

 

So...

 

Stoke away -- win (tough battle)

Spurs home -- win (a huge game)

Wolves away -- win (we really should cane them)

Bolton home -- win (four wins on the trot)

Everton home -- win (we beat them there, we'll beta them at home)

Arsenal away -- loss (they'll win the league)

Man City away -- draw (a fair result)

Blackburn home -- win (rubbish team this year)

Wigan away -- win (another rubbish team this year)

Portsmouth home -- win (revenge for that terrible game)

Man Utd away -- loss (realistic)

Sunderland home -- win (payback)

Birmingham away -- draw (tricky)

Fulham home -- draw (very tricky)

West Ham home -- win (a tough win)

Burnley away -- win (they will be reeling at this point)

Chelsea home -- draw (maybe f*cking them up)

Hull away -- win (relegating the fish gutters)

 

That will give us 73 points.

 

In the last five years, fourth place was:

 

2009 Arsenal 72 pts

2008 Liverpool 76 pts

2007 Arsenal 68 pts

2006 Arsenal 67 pts

2005 Everton 61 pts

 

Even with a few slip ups we have a great chance of finishing fourth. It won't be easy, but realistically we have a great chance of salvaging things.

 

With Maxi and another signing, Pacheco surprising us all, we'll do it.

 

Then we can get new investment, restructure our staff, get rid of the dead wood, buy some players in the summer, start the stadium, things look up.

 

Bullet avoided.

[Zoob]

You're smoking too much crack if you think we're gonna win 7 of our next 10 league games, particularly without Torres, Gerrard and Benayoun for most of them.

 

I hate these threads listing our upcoming fixtures and predictions of how we should do. I remember one about a month ago showing what a relatively easy run of fixtures we were about to have, and we all know how that ended up...

[New York Red]

One thing we have been good at, and that is performing against the grain. We'll need a run otherwise it will be disaster.

 

We need it now.

[Zoob]

One thing we have been good at, and that is performing against the grain. We'll need a run otherwise it will be disaster.

 

We need it now.

 

True - as in beating United and Everton when nobody really expected it. But the fact that our wins against Wolves and Villa were our first back to back league wins since the end of September shows what kind of massive change - in luck, injuries, refereeing decisions, form, tactics... is needed before we can have any realistic hope of winning 7 out of 10.

 

And even if we do scrape into 4th, this season is already a disaster.

[New York Red]

True - as in beating United and Everton when nobody really expected it. But the fact that our wins against Wolves and Villa were our first back to back league wins since the end of September shows what kind of massive change - in luck, injuries, refereeing decisions, form, tactics... is needed before we can have any realistic hope of winning 7 out of 10.

 

And even if we do scrape into 4th, this season is already a disaster.

 

Agreed. But we need a lifeline.

[Nebraska Red]

Stoke away -- win (tough battle) loss, they'll be up for it and we wont

Spurs home -- win (a huge game) draw, if we are lucky

Wolves away -- win (we really should cane them) win

Bolton home -- win (four wins on the trot) win

Everton home -- win (we beat them there, we'll beta them at home) draw

Arsenal away -- loss (they'll win the league) loss, might be nasty

Man City away -- draw (a fair result) loss

Blackburn home -- win (rubbish team this year) win

Wigan away -- win (another rubbish team this year) win

Portsmouth home -- win (revenge for that terrible game) win

Man Utd away -- loss (realistic) loss

Sunderland home -- win (payback) win

Birmingham away -- draw (tricky) loss

Fulham home -- draw (very tricky) win

West Ham home -- win (a tough win) win

Burnley away -- win (they will be reeling at this point) win

Chelsea home -- draw (maybe f*cking them up) loss

Hull away -- win (relegating the fish gutters) win

 

we will need an enormous amount of luck and an amazing change of attitude if we are to salvage this season. any 11 we put out that does not include Torres or Gerrard is going to struggle unless all 11 get their heads out of their asses and start playing like a team, instead of 11 individuals. my big concern is that we will struggle mightily if we go behind in any of the next 7 or 8 games.

[surf]

True - as in beating United and Everton when nobody really expected it. But the fact that our wins against Wolves and Villa were our first back to back league wins since the end of September shows what kind of massive change - in luck, injuries, refereeing decisions, form, tactics... is needed before we can have any realistic hope of winning 7 out of 10.

 

And even if we do scrape into 4th, this season is already a disaster.

 

4th and winning the EL would be pretty decent

[Falconhoof]

Stoke away -- win (tough battle)

Spurs home -- win (a huge game)

Wolves away -- win (we really should cane them)

Bolton home -- win (four wins on the trot)

Everton home -- win (we beat them there, we'll beta them at home)

Arsenal away -- loss (they'll win the league)

Man City away -- draw (a fair result)

 

 

Even with a few slip ups we have a great chance of finishing fourth. It won't be easy, but realistically we have a great chance of salvaging things.

 

 

You can't seriously look at those fixtures, take our form into account, look at our team and predict that run of wins can you ?

I think we'll be at least 10 points away from 4th place by the time we get down to the last 10 fixtures.

[muleskinner]

Only 2 defeats in that run?

[Jacks Jackie Jackson]

You're smoking too much crack if you think we're gonna win 7 of our next 10 league games, particularly without Torres, Gerrard and Benayoun for most of them.

 

I hate these threads listing our upcoming fixtures and predictions of how we should do. I remember one about a month ago showing what a relatively easy run of fixtures we were about to have, and we all know how that ended up...

 

Me too. I'd much rather have a thread asking people to predict what position we'll occupy when Nando makes his return to first team action. Me, I reckon it'll be outside the top ten.

[Falconhoof]

Me too. I'd much rather have a thread asking people to predict what position we'll occupy when Nando makes his return to first team action. Me, I reckon it'll be outside the top ten.

 

I think thats going a tad too far, Fulham and Birmingham have a good chance to go above us in the coming weeks. To drop below 10th would take 2 of Sunderland, Everton and Fulham to gain 9 or 10 points on us during the next 6-8 weeks.

Either way, we'll be so far from Rafa's prediction of finishing 4th that the fans will turn against him, or oust the owners in a bloody coup.

[Jacks Jackie Jackson]

I think thats going a tad too far, Fulham and Birmingham have a good chance to go above us in the coming weeks. To drop below 10th would take 2 of Sunderland, Everton and Fulham to gain 9 or 10 points on us during the next 6-8 weeks.

Either way, we'll be so far from Rafa's prediction of finishing 4th that the fans will turn against him, or oust the owners in a bloody coup.

 

I hope so but we are in freefall when a team struggling in 21st place in the championship and without a full-time manager is beating us at Anfield. No-one fears us and we look to be there for the taking so other teams are going to come at us for the full 90 in each game we play. I fear what's going to happen over the next two months, I really do.

[Gunga Din]

we've won 5 in 21, and people are expecting us to win 7 and 8 of our next 10, with Torres injured and Gerrard and Benayoun out, and our defence playing like the Dog & Duck second XI?

 

I think people need to lower their expectation levels a bit this season. i think we will struggle to get 65 points

[Gerrardrules]

The team lacks fighting spirit. We will get battered a lot of matches.

[Nebraska Red]

The team lacks fighting spirit. We will get battered a lot of matches.

 

we will bore most teams to death as we starngle the game in midfield.

 

the better teams will hit us for a couple of goals and then sit back as we huff and puff just inside our own half.

 

we just don't have the players to put in a decent attacking display, and our defence will tire at the end of games having been under the cosh too often.

 

what a depressing outlook.

 

time for bed.

[New York Red]

Back to the drawing board for me. Ah well...

[Walrus]

So how can we realistically salvage this season?

 

By playing better and more effective football.

 

I don't think listing our fixtures and guessing the results is the magic formula, which will get us out the rut.

 

Incidentally, is the forum dead this morning?

[richwilks]

I know this sounds ridiculous but for all the s*** we've had to put up with so far this season and with all the talk of it being a mini miracle for us to reach the Top 4 we are only actually 4 points of Spurs in 4th, a win tomorrow puts us just 1 point behind the might Harry Redknapps team.

 

We're only actually 12 points behind Chelsea who have been lauded for their amazing season.

 

The truth is that every team is f***ing up this season, Mancs look ordinary, Arsenal have struggled. If we can put a run on, and we're due a run of results then the Top 4 should be easily within our grasps and we should be looking to kick on past that.

 

What we need to do is to get Johnson and Kelly fit again at right back, drop Insua and move Aurelio to left bac, get Riera fit and back firing on the left and hope that Maxi hits the ground running.

[growler]

We are not far away. a win or draw home to spurs awill hopefully start a recovery.

 

4th this season will do.

 

No one wanted this at the start of the season, but guess what? s*** happens. If we finish 4th this season, its the equiv of a company having 5 years of consecutive growth, and then have one flat year. You don't sack the board for that, you give them another year.

[Walrus]

I know this sounds ridiculous but for all the s*** we've had to put up with so far this season and with all the talk of it being a mini miracle for us to reach the Top 4 we are only actually 4 points of Spurs in 4th, a win tomorrow puts us just 1 point behind the might Harry Redknapps team.

 

We're only actually 12 points behind Chelsea who have been lauded for their amazing season.

 

The truth is that every team is f***ing up this season, Mancs look ordinary, Arsenal have struggled. If we can put a run on, and we're due a run of results then the Top 4 should be easily within our grasps and we should be looking to kick on past that.

 

What we need to do is to get Johnson and Kelly fit again at right back, drop Insua and move Aurelio to left bac, get Riera fit and back firing on the left and hope that Maxi hits the ground running.

Not meaning to sound rude, but isn't that what everyone has been saying? We are unbelieavably only 4 points off 4th etc. and everyone seems to be doing their best not to win the league this year. I haven't noticed anyone lauding Chelsea's amazing season either.

 

Agree about us still having a great chance for top 4.