How many pivots are there in this season, anyway ?

I think we've identified about a dozen pivotal games so far. We have another on Saturday.

The 3 points are necessary if we are going to stay tight to Chelsae and Arsenal. A result in the derby in necessary to maintain our position vs the mackems that we've had all season. A performance is necessary if the team is goign to beleive it still knows how to play football.

A win and all is rosy-ish again in the garden. A draw and mediocrity beckons. Losing doesn't bare thinking about, but seems all too possible.

HTL

 

Wolves really was one, Im still gutted with the result. Anyway the derbies really are the 2 biggest of the season so heres hoping for a beter performance.

 

Wolves had "comfortable warm up game" written all over it. We managed to make a hash of it with th most disjointed performance I've seen us put in all season. Colocinni and Cisse played quite well - - everbody else was between disappointing and dire.

All that actually happened, though, was that we dropped 2 points. Get a couple of wins in the next 3 games and no one will even remember it by mid March. **** up on Saturday, however, and the scars will hurt for a long time to come

 

I think there have been pivotal points in games rather than pivotal games, such as the Luiz non red card.
After the excellent start to the season we hit a bad patch but it was felt we would come good once the injuries cleared up.
However we've really just been strolling through since and relying on Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool to **** up and keep us where we are.
Sunday is a pivotal game for the fans attitude, a poor show and grumblings may be aired.
More so due to us going off the boil after such a long time in touching distance of Europe, tied in with the other Euro contenders cleaning up their acts.
It's a bad time for Sunderland to have been beaten 4-0, is it a bad time for Arsenal to have won 5-2?

 

We aren't playing on Saturday, so there certainly isn't a pivotal game then...

 

Could've been much worse - you could've had the "warm up game" we had!!!!

I think I posted a similar article on our board that the game could well be defining for the rest of the season - when you played us 2nd game in it lifted your players and I firmly believe was the catalyst you needed to get where you are now - if you'd lost then maybe the table would've been the other way around (who knows!)

I am 50% excited and 50% nervous as **** about this match!!! Love it and hate it in equal proportions

 

I wanted to get a good comfortable win against Wolves , didnt happen and got an edgy draw instead.
I have said in other posts that Sunderland were the team in form until Saturday and I'm sure MON will be hoping they bounce back.
Both teams have to pick themselves up and I hoping we can do it better.
I'm going for a 2-1 win but would be happy with a draw.

 

Wigan top and Man City bottom?!? I doubt it!

On a serious note, isn't it funny how these pivotal games are always ones where we don't get the result we want. Everytime we've had a decent chance to really state our intention and stamp a little piece of "hello, we're here too" on the 4th place battle we **** it up.

vs West Brom, Chelsea draw with Spurs, Arsenal win and Liverpool draw with Wigan, Bottled it at home vs a team who were 15th at the time

vs Liverpool, Chelsea lost to Villa and Arsenal drew at home to Wolves, Bottled it after leading 1-0

vs Spurs, Liverpool and Chelsea draw and we sit only 2 points behind Arsenal, a win in the late KO would take us clear 4th with the next 2 games being at home vs Wolves and Sunderland and we bottle it.

vs Wolves, 2 home games to come against teams we can beat as proven by 2 away wins earlier in the season. Bottled it after a having a 2 goal lead.

Next up Sunderland at home another chance to state our intent as Liverpool play Arsenal and West Brom host an out of form Chelsea.

 

I thought Wolves was pivotal in how our season might run off the back of the game. As it is we drew and played poorly. A defeat would have been a problem but maybe the draw has just transferred the pressure to the Sunderland game. Hopefully the derby can take away any anxiety amongst fans and we can ensure it goes the right way by winning it.