Top 4 and CL football

[StartingPrice]

Manu lost at Burnley and Chelsea lost at Wigan.
If, and it's a very big if, we get the points and finish fourth then we would deserve it even with today's poor performance and others over the season.
I definately wouldn't be embarrassed more singing from the roof-tops type thing.

This is true...but it is also true that if we just miss out it isn't the draws away to Villa (great performance against a very good Villa), and Everton, or the defeats against United, Chelsea and AstraScum, it is this result today. How can we expect anyone to take us seriously after that:shrug:

 

[alfiespurs]

Today was not a freak result, but a sign of reality. Sorry folks, I think Villa and Man City have a greater chance then our beloved Spurs breaking into the top 4.. I did not see the game between Villa and Manure .. But it is evident that Spurs do not have blood or grit to grind out results ... I honestly see a top 7 finish, if we can over come rejuvinated Fulham or Birmingham .. possession means nothing ...

 

[hybridsoldier]

the problem for me is that realistically if you WANT to finish 4th, you should be winning the home games bar the top 2 plus maybe another 2 games. Because nobody's away form is that great, the home games count alot...thats WINS not DRAWS.

Now that we have lost 2 home games we should be winning, it means we have to win 2 other games somewhere we ought not to be winning. With that your talking about Liverpool at Anfield, Man City at Eastlands, maybe Blackburn away or even Chelsea and Arsenal at the Lane.

On a plus we have drawn away at Everton and Villa, those were good results, but most definately it was where 2pts was lost rather than a point gained in both cases.

Over the last 3 games we have dropped 7 points, despite played some of our best stuff all season especially away from home. Now we sit a mere 3pts above BIRMINGHAM CITY.......not any indication that we are not doing well but an indication of just how competitive the league is now.

I think we have a great bunch of players and manager, but lack the mental toughness and ability to break down sides who sit back and defend deep.

 

[southlondonyiddo]

This is not a knee jerk. We do not deserve top 4. No team that gets beaten at home by stoke and wolves deserve to play in the CL. You can picture the top 4 sides losing to one such team once in a while but do they ever lost to two in the space of a couple of months?
Villa beat manu at old trafford, yes a weakened manu, and yet we can't even beat their youth and reserve team.
Villa deserve to be in CL more than us. City and pool are the favourites. After this performance, I will be embarass if we actually play in the CL.

:rofl:

 

[alfiespurs]

:rofl:

What so funny, Eric has stated a valid discussion as opposed to you mindless image. somes up some jokers on this site ..

 

[ShelfSide18]

What so funny, Eric has stated a valid discussion as opposed to you mindless image. somes up some jokers on this site ..

To be fair, it was pretty laughable.

 

[SpurSince57]

This is not a knee jerk. We do not deserve top 4. No team that gets beaten at home by stoke and wolves deserve to play in the CL. You can picture the top 4 sides losing to one such team once in a while but do they ever lost to two in the space of a couple of months?
Villa beat manu at old trafford, yes a weakened manu, and yet we can't even beat their youth and reserve team.
Villa deserve to be in CL more than us. City and pool are the favourites. After this performance, I will be embarass if we actually play in the CL.

Yet we played Villa off the park at their place. Last season they finished off as badly as we started. City have drawn 8 of their last 9 games, most if not all of them against opposition they should be beating. We have 8 points from our last 6 games, Liverpool have 9. If they lose or draw to the Goons tomorrow they'll only have 6 or 7. Yes, I guess that makes them shit-hot favourites.

By the most amazing foresight, just yesterday I bought up a job lot of genuine neoprene (honest!) knee braces. Sounds like you need a couple. PM me for a great price.

 

[gibbs131]

Actually we would have won if we got top 4 reffing.

 

[claw_diddy]

Marathon not a race springs to mind, look how far off the pace we were last year but we still managed to claw back to within touching distance of european places by the season end.

A win against Man Ciy will be a decent cure-all for the time being.

 

[Shanks]

We ain;t gonna get CL spot this season.

Losing to Stoke and Wolves at home, is a clear indication that this isn't going to happen.

No amount of other team loses make that any better, we start by sorting out our form, not other teams form.

If taking other teams results into account, I get pissed off, because by those results, we should be flying at the top.

 

[phil]

Only Man Utd and Chelsea have won more pts away from home than us.

You can use stats to twist any argument. Whether we are ready or not for top 4 will be reflected on the table at the end of the season

Period.

I believe that the most reliable statistics are comparing our results this season with the corresponding matches last season. Despite our good start this season we currently have two fewer points this season than in the corresponding games.

It is generally accepted (on this forum) that we will need around 70 points to qualify for CL (actually 70 points would not have got a top 4 position in each of the past two seasons). This means that we will now need 21 more points from our remaining fixtures than we achieved last season. Impossible? No. Unlikely? I think so.

We have now lost two home matches against so-called weaker teams. Aspiring top 4 teams cannot afford such profligacy. The top 4 rarely give away points at home against these teams. In fact 3 home defeats with Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City still to visit is looking rather worrying.

I am still hoping for 60 points and a top 6 spot, but I am concerned that we may have already thrown away our best chance of European football next season when we were beaten in the CC at Old Trafford.

 

[hybridsoldier]

Villa deserve to be in the CL more than us? Tell me why? Is it because we completely outplayed them on their own patch 2 weeks ago, completed over double amount of passes that them and can look back at being incredibly unlucky to not have come away with a win?

See I think in the grand scheme of things that game was irrelevant. Liverpool beat man u last season, and this season -did they and do they deserve to finish above them? no way!

I agree with you, we totally outclassed them and a work-mate said to me "well a point there is a good result, and you battered them so at least your looking better for 4th". But in reality it doesnt matter, if we can't beat teams like Wolves and Stoke at home, OR compensate by beating the likes of ManU etc at home then we shouldn't be 4th and probably won't be.

Villa have now beaten Chelsea, Man U and Liverpool these season, they have't outplayed any of them, but they have WON.

I have always poured cold water over them, saying their squad isn't big enough and they rely on Young too much. Now they have Milner, Young and Downing, their defence looks solid and Curtis Davies isn't back yet, and Friedel is surely the best keeper in the league? I still think their CM is weak and their forwards don't have enough fire-power. But hey that Everton side that finished 4th was nothing special at all. They just got results by hook or by crook.

Finishing 4th is not impossible by any means but I think relying on goal-shy Crouch and probably the shakiest back 4 in the league it isn't gonna happen.