(accidental alliteration ) Anyway, we've decided it's down to Us, Reading, and the Hammers. What results will they get? Southampton Blackpool: 1-2 (loss, sorry guys) Portsmouth: 2-0 Crystal Palace: 1-2 (us) Reading: 2-1 Peterborough: 2-2 Middlesbrough: 0-1 (us) Coventry: 3-0 Reading West Ham: 2-1 (Reading) Brighton: 1-0 Saints: 2-1 loss Forest: 3-1 Crystal Palace: 2-0 Birmingham: 1-1 West Ham Peterborough: 1-2 win Reading: 1-2 loss Brighton: 1-1 Bristol City: 0-2 win Leicester: 2-2 Hull: 1-0 So that's: 1st Southampton 94 2nd Reading 86 3rd West Ham 80 Maybe a little bit of bias snuck in, but I think that's about right. Your predictions?
Blackpool's defence is ****. On our current form, we should score more than 1 at Blackpool. I would go for a Saints 3-1 or 3-2 win, or maybe a 2-2 draw. I think we will not lose another game this season.
Think you missed Reading-Leeds. The most pessimistic run-in I can imagine: Saints: L, W, D, L, D, L, W = 86 points. Reading: W, W, D, W, W, W, D = 90 points. West Ham: W, L, W, W, D, W, D, W = 86 points. Even there, we go up.
Just posted on the match thread that with another 10 points from the season we would go up as West ham would have to win 6 and draw 2 from their last 8 because of the goal difference to match that total. Yours pesamistic view is still good reading so that has got to be a good sign. The more I think about it though, I think even 6 points would be enough to go up as West Ham would still need to win 5 from 8 to catch us. Its looking good.
If West Ham fail to win there match in hand then I will be favoring a Reading victory Saturday. Maintain or better that 9 point advantage over the hammers after the Blackpool game and that leaves West Ham requiring 4 more victories than us from the remaining 6 games.
We still have some very tough looking games left make no mistake about it. Blackpool away could go either way, Blackpool score a lot of goals (and K.Phillips is bound to score) but we are much more solid at the back then they are. Portsmouth at home, all about the occasion...if we can just get on with what we do best we should win. Crystal Palace are a decent team. Reading at home is of course a massive game but a draw would be a good result. Peterborough can beat anyone on their day, especially at their place (Reading being the most recent). Middlesbrough away...they are pretty hit or miss in terms of performances and results. Coventry at home last game of the season, they will likely be relegated by then, but will we be promoted? My point being, that although we find ourselves in an enviable position there is still a lot of work to do to cross the line. Chances are we will slip up at least once over the next 7 games, it's how we respond to it as a team and as fans when it happens. One game at a time and a week for Sir Richard to recover (fingers crossed), we may not be a one man team, but we sure as hell stand a better chance with him in our team. A couple more good results and I may allow myself to relax a little. COYR
The point is that we can afford to slip up, whereas Reading and, especially, West Ham can't. Can you see the Hammers winning all their games? Reading will be really up for their games against us and West Ham...they have a real opportunity if they win both. Can't see us dropping many points in the next 7 games with the confidence running through the team.
Yeah, am I the only one worried about the Skate game? I mean, lots at stake and a fiery atmosphere, that could be a banana skin. I am confident though, as we are the better team.
Am worried about the Pompey game but not for the usual reasons. Portsmouth fans will have nothing to lose and may decide to try and get Saints into trouble....hoping Saints fans will rise above it.
I guess despite the odds being stacked in our favour I cannot look beyond the fact that there are still 7 games to go and there are just too many variables to consider. Adkins was still vocal about needing to win the Walsall game last season despite being all but mathmatically up after the Plymouth game. I'm sure on the inside he knew that we were up... and at the moment I'm in a similar state of mind. I know that we should now finish the season in an auto spot. But I'm not going to admit it yet, especially with 21 points still up for grabs. I can only concentrate on our fixtures and results and be very smug when others drop points but there are still too many games and too many points to be won or lost for me to get carried away. Pessimistic or what!!
Every-one will drop points but at the moment we are clear at the top with the best Chairman, manager, squad and fans! not forgetting we are also top of the recent form league!
I did my predictions yesterday - had both us and West Ham getting 13 points leaving us comfortably ahead.
