The Race For The Top Four

[Elephant Pyjamas]

Yep. Last time I looked it was 2022 though.

So they should change the image every week?

 

[Boozad]

So they should change the image every week?

It's not exactly difficult.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

I think we have put ourselves in a great position but we are going to need a lot of favours along the way. We need Manchester United and West Ham to keep tanking and also the wheels to come off at the Emirates a little bit.

I make Arsenal the favourites for fourth but while it remains possible I am going to dream. The next fortnight will tell us a lot about how realistic those dreams are. If we aim for fourth and finish up sixth I will be very pleased indeed. If we pulled it off I think I would explode in delight.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

I imagine West Ham would quite like a striker who has 41 goals and 15 assists in his last 50 games, but they sold him for about 50% of what they paid for him...

Said he was a good player, just horribly used. They look like they're running on fumes a bit. Still a very decent team though.

I don't see anyone roaring away with it, Spurs look most vulnerable to completely falling away.

 

[prawnking]

I'd be happy with 7th tbh!

 

[Jinky]

It's annoying that we're still 7th despite having such a good run of results/form, Arsenal aside, which just shows how difficult it is to keep in the mix with these top sides. Consistency will absolutely be the key - and I can't imagine Spurs/Man Utd will continue to play at the level they are at the moment. Eventually they'll put a run together or be gifted a few results from incompetent refereeing.

I'm actually more concerned about getting a result against Leicester than I am in the return fixture v Arsenal. I reckon the boys will use the defeat last week and the way Arsenal celebrated to go out there against them and put in a proper performance (hopefully with a positive result) meaning we'll have the last laugh.

I think the fact Sky etc continue to overlook us is helping Lage and the close-knit squad. We've got nothing to lose, where as clubs like Arsenal and Spurs are EXPECTED to qualify for Europe every year.

 

[sycophantia]

Hands up all those who thought we'd be having this discussion in a realistic way 6 months ago?

 

[Sniffer]

 

[Carsy]

Great to be at this stage of the season with something tangible to play for, rather than just a ‘top 10’ finish. I gave us finishing 7th. If we were to finish 8th however, I think surely we would have to count that as a successful season?

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

It's annoying that we're still 7th despite having such a good run of results/form, Arsenal aside, which just shows how difficult it is to keep in the mix with these top sides.

True. However, as our form has been good the table is beginning to fracture. The top three are probably away and gone, but 4th-9th have opened up a good gap on the rest, and that is with being kind and including Brighton. There is a strong possibility of it effectively becoming a five team mini league unless Brighton put in one hell of a run.

 

[Wilf Wolf]

Looking at our fixtures there are some tough games. The teams close to the relegation zone could be tricky which includes Burnley, Newcastle, Norwich and Watford and of those the only one I'd be confident of beating is Watford. Local derby with Villa will be tricky and even though he'll be crap long-term Lampard may get some kind of response for the rest of the season at Everton, so both of these could be tough. Throw in likely defeats against the top three and my head is telling me that top 4 is a couple of bridges too far. I'd be delighted if we got 8th and anything higher would be a tremendous achievement.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

So we are playing the entire bottom five and this is tough? It is clearly the five weakest teams in the division. We couldn't ask for better fixtures in there.

 

[Alan]

Runs both ways. Teams down there tend to fight harder but also open themselves up to more mental lapses. Rushes of blood to the head and all that.

Fact of the matter is that we're better than those sides; if we play to a decent standard we will beat them.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Pre-fuckin-cisely. It's on us to play at the standard we can.

 

[Carsy]

Pre-fuckin-cisely. It's on us to play at the standard we can.

The phrase ‘it’s in our own hands’ springs to mind

 

[Wilf Wolf]

So we are playing the entire bottom five and this is tough? It is clearly the five weakest teams in the division. We couldn't ask for better fixtures in there.

Practically every year the bottom teams improve towards the end of the season. We always struggle against Burnley and Newcastle have just won three on the trot. Luckily it won't just be Wolves that probably drop points against these teams though.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

The point is that the boys pushing for the real top stuff rarely lose to the absolute dross. Our 2004 result against United was a serious anomaly. If we want to be in the conversation for champions league football (*faints at the mere thought of it*) then we need to find a way to put these sides away reasonably consistently.

 

[The Bear]

Teams just above the relegation zone tend to fight a bit harder towards the end of the season as they know what is at stake.

If we can get a settled front three to start playing into some kind of form with Jimenez scoring a few more then I'm confident we can push for top 4. If we don't then I think 7th is what we can achieve.

 

[WolfMan]

Can anyone with any medical knowledge enlighten me as to whether Neto is likely to come back the same physically as he was before. Also is there any risk of recurrence with this type of injury or was it just one of those freak things that can happen and is just bad luck on his part.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Very few injuries these days are career enders. Medical technology has moved on to a ridiculous degree.