Why we cant finish 4th

[Blue Since 76]

Motty reckoned we'd finish 4th on 5Live last night, so he's in my good books.

Home form could be critical - we've still got to play Liverpool, Villa and Spurs at home and they are all 6 pointers. Win all of those and we will be a lot closer to 4th.

Away from home, we've still got to go to Chelsea, and Arse where we may have to accept anything is a good result. Other than that, there's no reason why we couldn't win all our remaining away games. I know we won't, but there is nothing to fear from anyone of them individually, even if the likes of Stoke and Burnley are tough games.

[BobKowalski]

Before we get too carried away, all i'd say is it will be our away form that will decide it and we have to learn from what Everton etc have done in recent years especially away from home, where they don't play well but keep it tight, stay in the game and nick it 1-0 and take the 3points. It's games like Hull and Stoke away that are going to define whether we are capitalise on our very good position at the moment.

Good point about grinding out some 1-0's away from home. As Chelsea found out tonight, away games against some of the lower teams can be a battle and we need to be prepared for a real fight at times. I still think there will be some major twists and turns for the title and for the CL places but we are as well equipped as any other team right now and I really fancy our chances for one of those CL spots...

...and yeah in brief moments of wild optimism I do think about nicking the title as well. The key words here are 'brief', 'wild' and 'optimism'

[walmai]

Can see you making 4th at the weekend - its at least possible - still with that game in hand (who's it against? Please say Bolton!).
Once there, your next big test is Liverpool. And they're so inconsistent, you've got to back City. I would anyway.

[Wonderwall]

Can see you making 4th at the weekend - its at least possible - still with that game in hand (who's it against? Please say Bolton!).
Once there, your next big test is Liverpool. And they're so inconsistent, you've got to back City. I would anyway.

no mate, Everton at home and Stoke away are the two games in hand we have. Both tough ones imo

[french_tony]

Looking at our fixtures I think it is very possible.

A Hull City Barclays Premier League 3 points
H Bolton Wanderers Barclays Premier League 3 points
A Stoke City Barclays Premier League 3 points
H Liverpool Barclays Premier League 1 point
A Chelsea Barclays Premier League 0 point
H Tottenham Hotspur Barclays Premier League 1 point
A Sunderland Barclays Premier League 3 points
A Fulham Barclays Premier League 3 points
H Wigan Athletic Barclays Premier League 1 point (we never beat wigan away)
A Burnley Barclays Premier League 3 points
H Birmingham City Barclays Premier League 1 point
H Manchester United Barclays Premier League 1 point
A Arsenal Barclays Premier League 0 points
H Aston Villa Barclays Premier League 3 points
A West Ham United Barclays Premier League 3 points

EDIT: Still got that Everton game to play which isn't listed on website. Three points

Thats 32 points and will put us at 72 points exactly - and I think some of those drawers are winnable. I think we have a real chance as long as Tevez stays fit. FUCK OF MERSON YOU DEGENERATE TWAT!

(However knowing out luck we'll do an Everton and get knocked out in the qualifying rounds)

[Lev Bronstein]

Funnily enough, it isn't the Villas, Spurs, Arse and the like that worry me. It's getting three points from Stoke, Hull, and the like that do. Like Chelsea tonight, all the "top" teams seem to be losing important points against the bottom bunch.

[bobadji]

Tony I think you've underestimated Burnley, Stoke and Fulham at home there (Away for us). That being said, these are the sort of games that need winning if you want to finish 4th.

[Fish111]

The bookies say we'll finish 4th so i take more notice of them rather than degenerate crack-heads and the other has-beens. Also, Spurs & Villa are yet to have a shit period whereas we have already had ours with the 7 or 8 draws in a row.

[Alex Sapphire]

The bookies say we'll finish 4th so i take more notice of them rather than degenerate crack-heads and the other has-beens. Also, Spurs & Villa are yet to have a shit period whereas we have already had ours with the 7 or 8 draws in a row.

It was six, with a cup victory in the middle. 2 of them were away at Villa and Liverpool. That's not that shit (by which I mean we shouldn't assume our "bad" results are all behind us.

edit: fookin OS, it was 3 plus 4 = 7 league draws. Still it could get worse

[BlueMoonAwoken]

If we keep quite in the media and cook doesent go shouting we are going to be the biggest club in the world, then the so called smaller teams might not have an excuse to raise there game with us like they would with the usual top 4.

[Ted Hughes]

I think we can finish 3rd but only if last Sunday was a one off, it was unacceptable. On the other side of the coin, if we produce the level of football we did v Chelsea & Arsenal then anything is possible & we should have all those players back, fit, soon for the 1st time since the Chelsea game.

The next game is key imo. A convincing win & we're set up for the run in, another Portsmouth & the season could be almost over as nerves will kick in for both team & fans.

[Alex Sapphire]

I think we can finish 3rd but only if last Sunday was a one off, it was unacceptable. On the other side of the coin, if we produce the level of football we did v Chelsea & Arsenal then anything is possible & we should have all those players back, fit, soon for the 1st time since the Chelsea game.

The next game is key imo. A convincing win & we're set up for the run in, another Portsmouth & the season could be almost over as nerves will kick in for both team & fans.

We can win the thing if we hit the Chelsea/Arsenal form again.
I look at it this way...
if Scum and Chelski draw at the swamp, we just need ...

Chelsea to draw 2 of these: Arse, Villa at home, Spurs away
Scum to lose 1 of these: Villa away, Scouse, Spurs at the swamp

and City to win all our remaining fixtures.

So fourth it is, unless we play like we did against Pompey and Everton

[Ted Hughes]

I think we can finish 3rd but only if last Sunday was a one off, it was unacceptable. On the other side of the coin, if we produce the level of football we did v Chelsea & Arsenal then anything is possible & we should have all those players back, fit, soon for the 1st time since the Chelsea game.

The next game is key imo. A convincing win & we're set up for the run in, another Portsmouth & the season could be almost over as nerves will kick in for both team & fans.

We can win the thing if we hit the Chelsea/Arsenal form again.
I look at it this way...
if Scum and Chelski draw at the swamp, we just need ...

Chelsea to draw 2 of these: Arse, Villa at home, Spurs away
Scum to lose 1 of these: Villa away, Scouse, Spurs at the swamp

and City to win all our remaining fixtures.

So fourth it is, unless we play like we did against Pompey and Everton

Rags have raised their game thanks to us, they've been twice the side they were just a few weeks ago. If they maintain it, I think they'll win most games & the league but it requires Rooney to play at 100% & the rest to stay mostly fit . If they slip back to what they were, a decent run from anyone will cause them problems. Not convinced by Arsenal & Chelsea are due a bad spell.

Ferguson is going to run Rooney into the ground for the rest of the season & he'll probably be fucked by the time the World Cup comes around.

[Mr Miyagi]

I hope to have some egg on the face for this one.
A few weeks ago I said "we won't finish top 4 unless we strengthen full back positions during the transfer window".... Hopefully I'll be proved wrong....

[john68]

Because of the way all the top clubs are dropping points, the race to the top is still very much wide open.
Chelsea have droppped 11pts in the last 10 games.
The rags have dropped 10pts in their last 11games
Arsenal have dropped 7pts in their last 10 games
Spurs have dropped 14pts in their last 10 games
Villa have dropped 10pts in their last 9games
L'Pool have dropped 8pts in their last 10 games
Brum have dropped 8pts in their last 10 games

City have dropped 8pts in our last 8 games, so we have been at the better end of consistency since the start of December. There remains 38 games yet to be played between the teams in the top 8 positions and enough uncertainty of form to let any team with a decent run, challenge for a top place.
THE GAME IS STILL VERY MUCH ON!!!

[ant london]

Sure this was mentioned in another thread but amusing bitchslapping of the crackhead on f365

Medal Me This
Paul Merson on Sky Sports News: "He [Patrick Vieira] will just sit in front of the back four and keep things ticking over. He's got the experience. You look at that Man City squad and I don't think the rest of them have got a medal between then."

You're absolutely right Paul, if you ignore Wayne Bridge (Premier League and FA Cup), Shaun Wright-Phillips (Premier League and FA Cup), Roque Santa Cruz (five Bundesligas, four German Cups and a Champions League), Sylvinho (three La Ligas, one Spanish Cup, two Champions Leagues), Kolo Toure (Premier League and FA Cup), Carlos Tevez (two Premier Leagues, Champions League and League Cup), Vincent Kompany (two Belgian titles) and Nigel De Jong (one Eredivisie and one Dutch Cup).

Throw in a handful of losers' medals, some Brazilian winners' medals, a couple of international youth tournaments and Mediawatch comes up with a quite conservative haul of around 40 medals.

Merson: Easily Shocked
You would have thought Merse had seen it all - but his review of the deadline-day signings on the Sky Sports website shows a man very, very easily shaken.

On Robbie Keane to Celtic: ' I was shocked when I heard about this one...'

On Alan Hutton to Sunderland: 'That one surprises me...'

On Asmir Begovic to Stoke: 'This one surprises me...'

On Diomansy Kamara to Celtic: 'That shocks me.'

[carl_feedthegoat]

Sure this was mentioned in another thread but amusing bitchslapping of the crackhead on f365

Medal Me This
Paul Merson on Sky Sports News: "He [Patrick Vieira] will just sit in front of the back four and keep things ticking over. He's got the experience. You look at that Man City squad and I don't think the rest of them have got a medal between then."

You're absolutely right Paul, if you ignore Wayne Bridge (Premier League and FA Cup), Shaun Wright-Phillips (Premier League and FA Cup), Roque Santa Cruz (five Bundesligas, four German Cups and a Champions League), Sylvinho (three La Ligas, one Spanish Cup, two Champions Leagues), Kolo Toure (Premier League and FA Cup), Carlos Tevez (two Premier Leagues, Champions League and League Cup), Vincent Kompany (two Belgian titles) and Nigel De Jong (one Eredivisie and one Dutch Cup).

Throw in a handful of losers' medals, some Brazilian winners' medals, a couple of international youth tournaments and Mediawatch comes up with a quite conservative haul of around 40 medals.

Merson: Easily Shocked
You would have thought Merse had seen it all - but his review of the deadline-day signings on the Sky Sports website shows a man very, very easily shaken.

On Robbie Keane to Celtic: ' I was shocked when I heard about this one...'

On Alan Hutton to Sunderland: 'That one surprises me...'

On Asmir Begovic to Stoke: 'This one surprises me...'

On Diomansy Kamara to Celtic: 'That shocks me.'

HILARIOUS.

YOU SHOULD SEND THAT OFF TO THE PRESS.......MAKE HIM LOOK THE IDIOT THAT HE IS.

[btajim]

4th will be an incredible achievement because we only truly began to build a side capable of finishing in a Champions League place last Summer. Lots to then build upon.

I think Tottenham will begin to drop off towards the end of the season and Liverpool will be our major rival for 4th spot. Their non involvement in the FA Cup and CL will be their advantage too - but we've got a strong squad.

Ignore the Pundits. We used to get pity but now we get hatred. Just a different emotion.

[Vhero]

I think we will finish third this season the gooners started off good but are looking like they cannot keep it up for a whole season. I reckon they are gonna drop some more points and as long as we don't fuck up 3rd is ours for the taking so fuck 4th let the rest battle it out for 4th, 3rd is ours!