Seven games to go and six points difference between Fulham in 10th (39 pts) and us in 15th (33 pts). The Mackems are a place below us in 16th (31 pts) but have a better GD. West Ham in 11th with 36 points have a +6 better GD but look catchable, and as we have to play them we could ensure our own safety. I know we'll take our full allocation of tickets for all our remaining games and hope we can get behind the guys and urge them on to victory. We really can be the 12th man. I enjoyed our time in the Championship but don't want to go back there.
QPR and Wigan are as good as gone for me. We just need to better the form of one of Villa/Wigan/Sunderland and we'd be clear. Reckon we'd only need 3 points for safety, but 6 will give us breathing space. I'd like to predict we've got about 7 points left, gained probably versus Fulham/Sunderland/Liverpool/QPR(if their down by then). Wigan's run-in looks horrific, and cant see them picking up more than 4 points at most. Sunderland probably won't amass much more, than 5-6 either. Same with Villa, cannot see them picking up more than 2 wins as well. Not concerned about the league - the entire picture will look much clearer in about 10 days time! Howay the lads!
QPR and Reading are gone but we've seen what Wigan can do on their day and it's all still to play for.
Well we just HAVE to beat Fulham so that we can breathe a little easier and 'enjoy' the derby against Mussolini and his black shirts, I mean black cats. I just hope it's not the cue for one of our worst signings in recent years - Duff - to play out of his anaemic skin. If we don't win that game, the shadow of relegation will become all too real. We clearly have more theoretical talent than most clubs around us but unexpected injuries, loss of form, suspensions, poor refereeing and plain bad luck can hit any club at any time. Like many I really hope Villa go down, but the Whelan/McManaman outrage has made them a pleasant alternative option. West Ham would have been a happy relegation after the Tories decided to give them a present paid for by you and me, but they appear safe.
I think that three points required is too optimistic at this moment. There's seven games left and Newcastle have only three points advantage; that's just one game. The fact that Villa and Wigan have to play each other means that they both can't win all their games so this is effectively a game in hand over one of those two. If the home game against Sunderland goes badly wrong then needing just three points isn't going to be good enough. At the moment I would say that Newcastle need 19 points minus the highest of those three other teams drop. The next win isn't going to settle safety, not by a long way. Newcastle could well be in the mire until the last couple of games, at best. Let's face it, the away record isn't anything to get excited about so imagining zero points from the remainder of the away games isn't going to be absurd. Newcastle have tripped up so many times at home this season and there's no way that I can see six points from the next two games. And, again, allowing for ONE point from the next two games is a very distinct possibility. I mean, how many times this season have people come out of SJP shaking their heads and thinking "What on earth has happened there?" Newcastle need an disproportionate amount of points between now and the end of the season to be thinking of tackling the tenth spot. Don't get me wrong; I am not a gloom monger for fun, but I make my living from studying form and I know a poor season when I see one. And this is one such season where nothing has gone right. The good news is that if things never worked and the Toon avoid the drop then I am really hoping that next season that something clicks into place and a respectable finish next year is enjoyed.
Two wins should do the business. What would ease the pressure on everyone is if we can get those against Fulham and the fascists!
it is turning out to be a really exciting end to the season. If we get a stuffing tomorrow, the fulham game will be a horrible watch.
We have not lost at home since the Reading debacle so hopefully we can keep it that way.And to be honest if we can not beat the tramps and Fulham at home we don't deserve to stay up.
The problem with supporting Newcastle, for those that have suffered long enough, is there's become this sort of weird poetic inevitability for the worst outcome transpiring. Believe me I don't like being negative and I DON'T want to bring anyone on this brilliant board down â I can't stress that enough, you deserve far better than this season's shambles. However over the years I've learnt to be realistically pessimistic regarding Newcastle United so I'm somewhat prepared for disappointment. It never works, mind! So I'm most worried about stuff like LeazesParkProwler says, ex-players or significant players coming back to haunt us. Damien Duff is an obvious one for Fulham, but what's the betting on Danny Graham suddenly finding his shooting boots for PDC? It's similarly inevitable that Fat Sham and Andy Carroll will throw a spanner in the works, along with a certain QPR French forward too. You can almost hear the bloody cockney mafia journalists writing their smug headlines already! What the players need to grasp NOW before its too late is the dangers of this stuff, anticipate it as motivation and fight it head-on. As the games grow fewer without any points at all (EVEN DRAWS HELP) the chances of getting out of the mess gets more slender, more pressurised. Get it sorted while it remains in your own hands, it also delivers a demoralising blow to the rest around you that can't be overstated. God I hope they are reading this...
Well I hope Pardew and more importantly John Carver are at least drumming this kind of thing at them. There seems to be a worrying sense of calm from them publicly like we have nowt to worry about. I can't believe they are that naive if I'm honest, but the relegation year DVDs should be on regular rotation in contrast to the highlight reels from last term. PAUSE BUTTON... "So which is it to be then lads?"
Well I sympathise with you then mate! We'll always be behind them 100% but it doesn't half feel sickeningly masochistic at times eh? HWTL!
I think we'll get a couple of wins and a couple of draws, or 3-4 draws and a win. We'll be safe around 40pts.
If we don't pick up at least 4 points over the next two games we could be ****ed. Get two wins though and we are fine
two wins, if we lost the next two (i would be fuming) we would be right up to our necks in the brown stuff, and thats not the ale!
