The race for fourth

[Dronny]

Strap yourself in Ladeez and Gents for it's going to be like this for every game until the end of the season. This is where we see if we have the "x" factor that winning teams have that enables them to slug it out even when things are shit and going against them.

[Hazy2]

4th or bust, for me,I have missed one game Lat nights, Do we look knackered.

[david yearsley]

Also worryingly is the fact that Spuds won last night with virtually no defence AND no Bale or Modric. When they´re back they´ll be flying again and they don´t have FA cup distractions , replays etc impeding their run in. They have CL but even then it´s one round less than we have if both progress. When fully fit they have a very strong squad with the experience and togetherness we still lack.
We simply have to step up big time or the inevitable sacking will ensue which no-one in their right mind REALLY wants

[Wooders]

4th and a cup - most of us said we would be alright with that back in August

[Goaters 103]

4th and a cup - most of us said we would be alright with that back in August

This. Top 4 is minimum baseline requirement, top 4 AND a Cup/Trophy should be what we obtain with this squad.

[avoidconfusion]

4th and a cup - most of us said we would be alright with that back in August

This. Top 4 is minimum baseline requirement, top 4 AND a Cup/Trophy should be what we obtain with this squad.

I'd be VERY happy with a trophy and a Top 4 finish.

[Original Dub]

Thought this was relevant again. Its gonna be tight!!

[lets all have a disco]

If Mancini doesnt get 4th MINIMUM then 'our Arsene' is on his arse.

Time to earn yer corn Bobby.

[Wooders]

if he doesn't - throw a ton of dosh at mourinho

[CityFanFromRome]

Thought this was relevant again. Its gonna be tight!!

Not so tight I think. I could be wrong, of course, but I still think it's comfortably ours unless we go on a disastrous run.

[Original Dub]

Thought this was relevant again. Its gonna be tight!!

Not so tight I think. I could be wrong, of course, but I still think it's comfortably ours unless we go on a disastrous run.

Even if we win every game to the end of the season, its not in our hands.

If the teams below win their games in hand we're in fifth. So "comfortable" is not a word I'd use mate!

[ashton287]

Thought this was relevant again. Its gonna be tight!!

Not so tight I think. I could be wrong, of course, but I still think it's comfortably ours unless we go on a disastrous run.

Even if we win every game to the end of the season, its not in our hands.

If the teams below win their games in hand we're in fifth. So "comfortable" is not a word I'd use mate!

well if we win every game for the rest of the season that means spuds and chelsea both lose atleast 1 so we finish fourth,

We've got chelsea away, liverpool away and spuds at home so i doubt we will win every game. We need the teams around us to lose atleast 3 each to get it i reckon.

[CityFanFromRome]

Thought this was relevant again. Its gonna be tight!!

Not so tight I think. I could be wrong, of course, but I still think it's comfortably ours unless we go on a disastrous run.

Even if we win every game to the end of the season, its not in our hands.

If the teams below win their games in hand we're in fifth. So "comfortable" is not a word I'd use mate!

Chelsea have to play the rags twice, and they also have other tough games including one against us which I think we can win; with their season so far, it's highly probable that they will drop a decent amount of points; same goes for Spurs, I think we can beat them at home, and that would nullify their game in hand even if they were to win it, plus now the CL is going to start again and they have some problems with injuries; some fuck up is just waiting to happen. This is why I think it's in our hands.

[Original Dub]

Thought this was relevant again. Its gonna be tight!!

Not so tight I think. I could be wrong, of course, but I still think it's comfortably ours unless we go on a disastrous run.

Even if we win every game to the end of the season, its not in our hands.

If the teams below win their games in hand we're in fifth. So "comfortable" is not a word I'd use mate!

well if we win every game for the rest of the season that means spuds and chelsea both lose atleast 1 so we finish fourth,

We've got chelsea away, liverpool away and spuds at home so i doubt we will win every game. We need the teams around us to lose atleast 3 each to get it i reckon.

I hadn't looked at it that way...

We're really gonna see what this side is made of in those matches in particular.

[Douglas Higginbottom]

Thought this was relevant again. Its gonna be tight!!

Not so tight I think. I could be wrong, of course, but I still think it's comfortably ours unless we go on a disastrous run.

Even if we win every game to the end of the season, its not in our hands.

If the teams below win their games in hand we're in fifth. So "comfortable" is not a word I'd use mate!

Chelsea have to play the rags twice, and they also have other tough games including one against us which I think we can win; with their season so far, it's highly probable that they will drop a decent amount of points; same goes for Spurs, I think we can beat them at home, and that would nullify their game in hand even if they were to win it, plus now the CL is going to start again and they have some problems with injuries; some fuck up is just waiting to happen. This is why I think it's in our hands.

Please give me the benefit of your optimism.You stated that "I still think it's comfortably ours unless we go on a disastrous run."

The whole key to the end result for me are the games against Chelsea,Liverpool and Everton away and then Spurs at home and I think I would also add the Bolton away game as it's the last one.Let's assume that we win ALL the other 6 games.What do you expect in these games and what would you consider disastrous?

[Ted Hughes]

I think the key is to play storming, attacking, exciting football, in the upcoming league (& cup) games & get 6 points on the board. If we blaze through those I games, I recon the world will look an entirely different place by the time those tricky away games come & we'll win some of them, whilst at the same time, some of our challengers will slip up. I really fancy us at Chelsea, if we win those two games.

Conversely, if we fuck up the next home league games, I recon we've shit it & Bob will have one foot out of the door.

[CityFanFromRome]

Please give me the benefit of your optimism.You stated that "I still think it's comfortably ours unless we go on a disastrous run."

The whole key to the end result for me are the games against Chelsea,Liverpool and Everton away and then Spurs at home and I think I would also add the Bolton away game as it's the last one.Let's assume that we win ALL the other 6 games.What do you expect in these games and what would you consider disastrous?

I would consider disastrous four defeats, or three defeats and a draw; as to what I expect, I think we can beat Spurs at home, and win at Anfield; Everton and Chelsea away are the toughest fixtures, one for the actual strength of the opposition, Chelsea, but their style should fit our way of playing as they will come forward and we can hit them on the break, especially if SWP plays, so if we perform like Sat we can even nick a win there; a draw would be ok though; the other, Everton, because of their style of play which always seems to create us problems; it pains me to admit it but a loss there is not a remote possibility; I think we will draw though, so all in all I expect 2 wins and 2 draws from those four fixtures.

the big problem comes in the other 6 games; we should win them all, but if we don't, especially if we drop points in half of those games, then we are making things hard for ourselves. Pair that with bad results in the four games we talked about before, and that's quite a disastrous run.

[Douglas Higginbottom]

"so all in all I expect 2 wins and 2 draws from those four fixtures."

I applaud your belief and optimism. If we can do that I have no doubt we will finish top 4.How amazing that you sound less confident against the "easy" games. I know we CAN get results in those games.I believe we CAN win any game but on current form we HAVE NOT got results in the last 3 away games and two of them were Villa and Brum.

[Beefymcfc]

The Battle for the Title = 1st, 2nd or 3rd.

The Race for 4th = 4th, 5th or 6th.

So glad to see expectations have come down to their correct levels. Just think, if we get fourth we get an extra game, what a bonus.

[avoidconfusion]

What I don't get is how teams like Bolton can comfortably beat Everton but we cannot... why is that? As long as we do not find an answer and a solution to that question I will always brick it when it is squeaky bum time.