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Thread: Business end - those challenging for Top Four + fixtures.

  1. #41
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    I personally don't see us doing it. Our run isn't bad but W.hams is pretty favourable aside from the Chelsea and possibly Everton games.
    Like Noods says we will need to win them all and thats a big enough ask with how we simply fail to take chances. Saturday could have been different had Villa been somewhere near as good as they have been lately. We obviously dominated them but didn't put chances away, something that's been the issue for quite some time.
    Leeds and Utd consecutively will be hard games.
    It'll probably come down to the last day for 3rd and 4th.

  2. #42
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    Quote Originally Posted by teesred View Post
    I personally don't see us doing it. Our run isn't bad but W.hams is pretty favourable aside from the Chelsea and possibly Everton games.
    Like Noods says we will need to win them all and thats a big enough ask with how we simply fail to take chances.
    What encourages me a bit now is that we have more players available than we did.

    Also, besides Man United, all of our remaining matches will be against sides outside of the Top Four - it will be mostly mid-table teams who, as the end of the season draws closer, will have less to play for, as they know they aren't getting European footie but also know they aren't getting relegated.

    To add, assuming we don't progress past Real Madrid (will be ecstatic if we do but turning 2-goal deficits around in Europe isn't easy, plus no crowd) we will have rather forgiving periods of time in-between matches, meaning more opportunities for rest/recovery/whatever the medical staff advise as well as tactical prep for specific teams.

    The last-ditch goal from Trent also is our first match since....October(?)....where we have come from behind to win a game. This will be psychologically useful in the remaining games should we go behind, or be level after 70-80 minutes.

    Chelsea have also dropped a few points of late, with West Ham being one of those sides that I think could struggle more in their home games against mid-table opposition than against "big" sides. Leicester are also spluttering a bit (10-point lead they had over us is now just 4 points) and both Leicester+Chelsea have a very difficult last few games to close the season out.

    I wouldn't put my House on it by any means, but my belief that we can nick it in the 37th or 38th round of fixtures is quite high now.

  3. #43
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    I can also see the top four race going down to the final day. I just fear that we gave ourselves to much to do and as a result we'll just miss out, something that I think will have a number of potentially/likely catastrophic and long lasting knock on effects.

  4. #44
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    We're 3rd favourites with the bookies now to finish in the top 4. Behind city and united.

    Think we'll need to win, or be dam close to winning all our remaining fixtures.

    Those odds could be skewed by money put on earlier in the season. But also a reality of the other 3 narrowly ahead of us having to play each other in the coming weeks iirc

  5. #45
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    Leeds and Man Utd away are the two obstacles, win one we have a chance, win both we’ll be strong favourites after City and Utd.

  6. #46
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    Chelsea's match against West Ham (one we could very well be keeping an eye on) is on the 24th of April, a Saturday, with their first leg of the Champion's League semi-final to be played on the following Tuesday, the 27th.

    They also will face City as the match that follows their second leg of that tie.

  7. #47
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    Its not really about other teams its about us. we are NOT gonna get an easy fixture. we will have to work hard until the final minute of the season. lets see if the players are up for it. fk knows they get paid well enough
    Cleaning up the Scots since the 13th century

  8. #48
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    I still think we're going to come up just short, and if we do I think it will have serious implication, potentially for the foreseeable future. If we don't make the top four, not only is it going to give FSG yet another excuse to spend little to f-all (relatively speaking), but also a few players who might have been interested in joining us will probably look to go elsewhere. I know some will say "well if they don't want to join us because we've missed out on the CL, we don't want them, and are probably better off without them", but I don't think we are in a position to assume or be ok with that.

    I was already expecting a very disheartening summer transfer window for us, but if we finish outside the top four I think I'm going to ignore the comings and goings in the world of football as I can see a lack of quality additions to our team/squad combined with others making serious 'statement of intent' signings royally peeing me off.

  9. #49
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    Quote Originally Posted by justme View Post
    Its not really about other teams its about us. we are NOT gonna get an easy fixture. we will have to work hard until the final minute of the season. lets see if the players are up for it. fk knows they get paid well enough
    I agree if we win all but one I think we do it.

    Its easy saying it but doing it is another matter as it isnt going to be easy.

    People look at what it usually takes to get top 4 and panic no need you not need as many points this season imo.

    Could be first season in a long time champions get less than 90 points too.

  10. #50
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    Quote Originally Posted by justme View Post
    Its not really about other teams its about us. we are NOT gonna get an easy fixture. we will have to work hard until the final minute of the season. lets see if the players are up for it. fk knows they get paid well enough
    I truly don't disagree with this - but I do think it will be so close (final day) that an opposition result in our favour (X team drops points to Y team) it does help - we all say "if we win our games it's irrelevant" but if Leicester and West Ham, or West Ham and Chelsea, or Leicester and Chelsea (whatever combo) do the exact same thing then we're helpless - we'll inevitably have one eye on another match at least once, probably more.
    Your hobbies are rollerblading and you're also a bit of a rat-hound? Steel Wool
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