The race for CL spot

[blues2win]

I'm rooting for the Arse, Spurs, United and Chelsea in the CL. If we progress in the bloody Europa League and any of them get knocked out of the CL they'll have a real advantage in the run in. I can't see us winning both Cups and I won't cry huge numbers of tears if the Europa Cup takes the strain.

I predicted 70 points for City a few weeks ago and was accused of being a pathetic bottler. I'm not convinced we'll get many more. It might be enough for fourth but we CANNOT lose to Spurs. The key will be their threat from the flanks. We have to keep Bale and Lennnon quiet. In my view the only way we'll do that is to double up. Richards can't cope with Bale on his own so he needs Nigel to help and Zaba will find Lennon a handful so will need Barry (hmmm).

If we can do that we can impose our own game with a physically strong midfield and the quality of Tevez, Silva and Balotelli. Never know we might even score from a dead ball situation. Win against Spurs and we WILL make the top four.

[avoidconfusion]

Knowing our luck we will finish 4th... and then either Chelsea or Spurs finish 5th but win the Champions League which will mean we won't qualify.

[Douglas Higginbottom]

I'm rooting for the Arse, Spurs, United and Chelsea in the CL. If we progress in the bloody Europa League and any of them get knocked out of the CL they'll have a real advantage in the run in. I can't see us winning both Cups and I won't cry huge numbers of tears if the Europa Cup takes the strain.

I predicted 70 points for City a few weeks ago and was accused of being a pathetic bottler. I'm not convinced we'll get many more. It might be enough for fourth but we CANNOT lose to Spurs. The key will be their threat from the flanks. We have to keep Bale and Lennnon quiet. In my view the only way we'll do that is to double up. Richards can't cope with Bale on his own so he needs Nigel to help and Zaba will find Lennon a handful so will need Barry (hmmm).

If we can do that we can impose our own game with a physically strong midfield and the quality of Tevez, Silva and Balotelli. Never know we might even score from a dead ball situation. Win against Spurs and we WILL make the top four.

haha 70 points =bottler is crazy.I do think 70 will be enough but it will be very hard to get them and no silly slip ups allowed.So Sunderland,WHU,Stoke,Bolton and BBurn have to be won.

[Arjan Van Schotte]

Done the BBC predictor. Ended up with Arsenal winning the league, us level on points with Chelsea but coming 4th on goal difference. Blackpool, West Brom and Wigan to go down. We would finish on 72 points.

i've got arsenal winning on 85, Utd on 82, chelsea on 79 and us on 70, with spurs on 68 after drawing at eastlands.

However i haven't won anything since the "design an anti-litter poster" competition in Holmewood in 1981, so discount all of those as incorrect.

i would settle for that though.

[brite blu sky]

The season so far has been defined by how well we could get the team together and playing up to the standard they offer on paper. While I personally rekon they have done ok on that..particularly in the early part of the season; what we have all been waiting for is for them to click into gear on a permanent basis. The rest of the season for me is all about whether they can improve. We have needed to improve all season and imo what will define the season and determine the final positions will be down to that. Mancini has to show his worth now.. there are still 27 pts on offer. City have to play better now than at any point in the season so far.
The rest will take care of itself.

[Ted Hughes]

Tbh, I don't really care if we gel or not this season now, I just want to get the results & that means we have to battle it out when things get tough, which we didn't do very well v Fulham & Wigan. If we do better than just battle through, it's a bonus for me.

[brite blu sky]

Well if you consider that when we play well we can outplay teams, when we dont perform we end up battling with them.. so by that angle it is better we perform well.. as it is easier on us and so probably less taxing on the players. For various reasons we haven't yet hit it off, and i dont see why it is too late to do that in the run in. DeJong coming back will help as might Milner, in a work level sense. Imo it is as it was a month or so back where we need the attacking line up to click. I'm not particularly expecting it, but i wouldn't rule it out iether that the front men can make headway and we finish the season stronger. It is there to play for and it is their job.

[BobKowalski]

I'm not entirely convinced that its just about CL places. Listening to one of the many football podcasts they talked about Rio Ferdinand, their chat with him and the general view that it is MU's title to lose. Rio's thinks that this is bollocks and if Chelsea were sitting were Arsenal are right now MU would not win it. The inference is that within the MU camp they are as unconvinced by their form as everyone else and 3 defeats in 6 games would say they are right. The manner of the defeat against Liverpool has to be a concern. Not just the performance but the bizarre decision to go with Carrick and Scholes in midfield with no extra body to protect an untried CB pairing.

Arsenal have lost in the CC final, drew with Sunderland at home and lost again last night. Wenger said before the game his team had to believe they can win - well they didn't (win or believe) and managed zero shots on goal. Question is how much does this effect them? They play MU in the FA Cup with both sides needing a boost. Do Arsenal give this a priority rating now they don't have a pot in the bag and have gone out of the CL? Do they focus on the PL? MU will not care about the FA Cup and throw everying at PL and CL but another defeat is not good and do they want to restore Arsenals confidence?

Chelsea well fuck knows. Still not looking great. Torres still can't buy a goal. Ashley Cole is shooting trainees. Terry is getting slower. Luiz seems to think clattering into people is the way to defend. Ancelotti looks like he would prefer to be somewhere else. But Chelsea seem to operate on chaos so god alone knows where they will finish.

Spurs just keep shipping goals. 3 against Blackpool, 3 against Wolves. However morale wise I think they are probably the most upbeat. Form wise in the PL they haven't been good for a while and 2 cracking late goals from Kranjaer in 2 separate games have masked some indifferent performances. CL though is a different story. Go through against Milan and that is going to be their main focus and I can't say I blame them. Go out against Milan (unlikely) and I can see them folding like a cheap suit. But it will clear their schedule with only the PL to focus on so its a tough call from our perspective.

City are almost boring by comparison. A draw with Fulham with Hughes and Mancini fighting it out for the title of 'Who Can Be The Biggest 5 Year Old' is about as much drama we can muster on the pitch. Even Kolo and the diet pills hasn't generated that much heat. Our main obsession lately is the war on Mancini and his 'tired' players which kind of sums it up really.

Looking at everyone including us no one's form is that good and the way results have gone this season I'm not sure there is much point in trying to predict anything but here are some observations.

Spurs will finish out of the Top 4. Their GD of + 7 is just not top 4 quality and reflects their tendency to leak goals which will cost them too many points.

Arsenal will lose against MU in the FA Cup and fade. This week will have proven to be a defining week for Wenger and Arsenal and not in a good way.

Chelsea will get better and it will be between us and them for 2nd/3rd. Too close to call.

MU will bumble along to the title and collapse in a sorry heap over the line. The one final act of a decaying corpse.

I will of course be proven totally and utterly wrong.

[Ted Hughes]

As I've said before, I recon the rags' title depends on their home form. They can muddle through picking up the occasional ill deserved, bent ref induced win, away from home, provided they maintain their home form. It would be different if any of the teams below them was to start winning away games every week but there's almost no chance that will happen, so when the rags fuck up, the rest will give them back the points by doing the same the week after.

If they start dropping points at home however, they'll be lucky to get top 4.