YES. Liverpool are never getting top 4 this year, so the only teams than can prevent us getting it are Spurs, Villa and Brighton. Spurs - utter rubbish and their season's gone to dogshit, they're not finishing above us. Villa - ok fire, but they've left it too late, we're 6 points ahead of them with a game in hand and they've only got 7 games left to play, can't see them getting top 4. Brighton - very good, but possibly not quite top 4, if we beat them at SJP we'll guarantee finishing above them.
I'm still holding my position that newcastle fall short and after yesterday there's no chance I'll change it.
My initial predict at the start of the season - 5th My adjusted prediction after the world cup had finished 4th I've stuck with my adjusted prediction since I made it, and I still stick with it.
As in don't adjust after every game, but I allowed myself a mid season adjustment as I was prepared to predict higher than 5th. Yesterday was a reality check, but Spurs will be the key match, win that and we pretty much eliminate their top 4 chances. Villa have a very winnable run of games, but they've left it too late for me. Very likely they'll be a major force next season though.
Villa may just have left it too late but at the moment they just don't look like losing. If they win the next 2 they are right in the thick of it.
They are class 6 points is nowt .. there's like 24 to 27 to play for. Two or 3 slips ups and nufc will be ****ed. Anything can happen.
Man U, Liverpool and Brighton will be tough games for Villa, their other 4 games look like ones they'll easily win. Thus at least another 12 points for Villa, and project bably more like at least 15. Needs us to get at least 10 points, which should not be a problem for us.
Beating Spurs is everything really - do that and we open up a 6 point gap on them with a game in hand. That also opens up a 9 point gap on Brighton and putting us almost out of sight of them. Even if Villa beat Brentford we'd still have a 6 point lead on them with little time left.
And again we have a game on Villa as well! A win this weekend would be huge and as some have suggested probably the biggest in recent history but by the same token I'm not sure it is the game that will define our season. Honestly think if we don't make it to CL you have to look at the 2 games vs Palace (0-0), Leeds (0-0) and the two vs Bournemouth (1-1). In a few of those games we had 60-70% possession and dominated without scoring as many as we should have (Edit: 90 shots, 32 on target, 2 goals across those 5 games...). 10 points there that were for the taking and we didn't. Even 4-6 points and we'd be in cruise control right now. Whatever happens I'll still be buzzing with the season and we are far ahead of where anyone could have expected this season.
