I posted after the Stoke loss that relegation was still a threat and was roundly ridiculed. Ok at the time the chance of relegation was only perhaps 10%. Well a few matches later I reckon its 40% and a few more defeats will moves us above 50% into the "probable" zone. How so? Home form has collapsed - 5 out of last seven SoL matches lost. Fortress long since gone. The last 7 matches against teams below us will be much harder than Liverpool, who rarely had to break sweat to beat us. All teams below 6th are in a relegation scrap this season and our remaining opponents (except Man City, maybe the easiest in a sense) have got used to scrapping all season. The attack has collapsed. No goals and barely a shot for 3 games. The ES/SNQ/SB management's first big mistake was to leave us almost striker-less. How did we sell KJ for less than a quarter of Andy Carroll's fee when we know Kenwyn is arguable a better player, and they should have refused DBs request unless a replacement was found. Gyan is at best (I hope) simply needing a rest or support, at worst is not a serious Premiership player. (Off the wall thought. Posts have suggested we need a KJ -type player. Why not KJ himself to come back next term to the place he didn't want to leave? Our policy of offloading cast offs to Stoke looks like ending in humiliation partly because we havn't got a "Hoof it Houth" big man - lets bring KJ back.) We can't come back from even a goal down. OK the Liverpool penalty was shocking (have you seen the Telegraph's side-on photos proving it was not one but 2 metres outside the box) but that does not have to mean we give in. Blackburn, West Ham and yes, Newcastle have come back from 2 3 and 4 goals! I think 42 points will be needed to avoid relegation. We need 4 from 8 games. Normally possible but a win and 3 draws, or 4 draws, looks tricky right now. Reading and almost Hull sunk from similar top 6 positions post Xmas- Reading slept walked to relegation. So more important, what can be done? Better Posts than me have suggested the right team for the next few matches, what I would add is this: all thoughts of Europe must be banished and instead replaced by a "scrapping mentality". If that means players like Sess and Muntari (who joined to push for Europe) are not mentally up for it then leave them out for seasoned relegation fighters like Cats and Rico. I really hope Turner gets fit - ideal for what could be a make or break 8 games for the clubs future. The EPL is so tough this season that finishing just above relegation is no disgrace - lets make sure we do! The point of optimism is that the Subs bench looks really strong - except see above for complete lack of a striker - other than that surely we have a strong enough squad to stay up - don't we?!
Yes we do.Listening to Ellis Shortt interview relegation is simply not an option.Personally I would not like to get on the wrong side of him.Bruce will make sureit's top ten and not relegation.KTF
Hmmmm...... so many teams now involved .... ..we could get dragged in if for instance we lose our next two games. I recall Peter Reid's team going down with 40 points. ..and I'm not being totally negative, we're just in one of those no win sequences .. We could have our "usual" last game of the season scenario!
Thanks for the post SAFCexpat - But as WhiteRoseTiger says, along with many of us on previous threads, There are far worse teams down there than SAFC. End of.
you cant really compare the fees for carroll and jones, different ages, different potential, but mostly of all is the fact liverpool simply had to replace torres in a day
It's still not a threat, we have easy home games. Last season 13th and this season probably higher and probably top 10. The previous 2 seasons we survived probably 'cos there were 3 worse teams than us in this league then. There is no way on earth that Blackpool, Blackburn, Wigan, Wolves, West Brom, Birmingham, Fulham, West Ham are better teams - even Stoke, skunks and Villa: all worse than us - DO YOU HONESTLY THINK THEY WILL ALL GET 8-12 points in the remaining fixtures? You feeling better now? Please don't be a doomsayer.
So you can guarantee that we will not be caught up in a relegation battle? I admit that it should be very unlike however……..**** happens….
I don't much like this talk about easy home games. When you've lost 5 of your last 7 home games (one against a third division side) the days of easy ones have gone. Now, teams are coming to SoL knowing they can get something - and that confidence means they probably will. There are a whole lot of worse teams in this league. But bad teams that scrap sometimes get a point. We're not scrapping any more - we're giving games away. It's the sheer gutlessness that's the worrying thing. Relegation is still possible, but I don't think very likely. Myrtle's right- they won't all catch us up. Having said that, I don't think we'll finish in the top 10 either. Not the way we're playing now.
I didn’t want this season to be about staying up just because we are the least **** of a ****y bunch…. not what I call progress. I’m trying not to be negative………………..
Good news, and bad news for you. Bad news is the anti-depressants you are taking seem to be a bit strong, see your doc again, or ask for a second opinion? Good news is that if you're NOT on anti-depressants, and you reckon there is a 40% chance (or more) of SAFC relegation then you can get 100/1 at the bookies. Cheer yourself up with a tenner bet and come end of May you're a grand up
sleep walking to relegation? well after a few bottles of tiger beer i went to sleep, then it happened (without my knowledge) i turned on the tv and the vision was there, it was saint naill "commachio go forth and spread the word, tell the lads all will be ok, top ten we will finish ktf" so from the great man himself believe in what we have, talk of relegation is not an issue, look up not down, the great man himself has spoken to me and my faith has been restored. woke up with a helluva hangover mind, but still believe
Commachio, will buy a dozen Tiger's on the way home this evening but hope to meet someone a bit better looking than Quinn in my dreams………….. wouldn’t mind a 30 year old naked Elizabeth Taylor………. She’d have to have the same message mind…….
Please not Jones! We cannot put up with players who don't put in a full shift every week. He had his chance and blew it.
Not a cat in hells chance . I understand your concerns with it being sunderland and all that but It wont happen for reasons already stated . KTF
