In a way I agree but you can assess the quality of their side, for me Hull and Cardiff have enough quality to stay up bar any injuries. Based on your statement though we should close the thread as anyone could go down, we're speculating based on how the teams are playing now aren't we?
Two points, firstly I personally strongly disagree that both teams have enough quality to stay up (not that having quality on paper would necessarily be enough anyway, surely QPR had some decent quality in their squad last year?) and secondly, the injuries that you casually toss in as a throwaway comment could be massive - just imagine the Hull team without Huddlestone, and he is very, very injury prone and very unlikely to play the whole season. Not for a second did I suggest that this thread is a waste of time and should be closed, I'm just saying I personally think it's crazy for anyone to make statements with any confidence about how anyone is going to safe or doomed this early when teams are only halfway through playing each other for the first time
Christmas is the key time because that is the point when teams have all played each other.I keep on saying this but the average position of our opponents to date is around 7th - 8th so a bit like having played Everton and Man Utd every week rather than Hull and West Brom,who occupy the median 10.5th.This represents a difference in points of 0.45 per game.in other words had we played the average position sides we could expect to be 4.5points better off.
Well such a team (one consisting of players who couldn't even make our Championship team) got us a draw against a very strong Spurs side last Wednesday. We're far superior to Palace, Sunderland are ****e and Fulham are looking like this year's QPR. You've got a great squad but the worst manager in the league.
Palace continue their inexorable slide Championshipwards.Now quoted at 1/14 to survive despite a battling point against Everton.Sunderland meanwhile leap from 3/5 on to 6/5 agin.The week's biggest movers.New third favourites are Fulham.After being decisively whacked by the Scousers,with GD damage they slide from11/4 down to 9/4. Cardiff also pull in from 3/1 to 5/2,while Norwich move the other way from 9/4 out to 3/1.now fifth favourites. Hull shorten a little from 7/2 10/3.Stoke's 9/2 draws in to 4/1.The biggest movers of those on the periphery of the dogfight are West Ham who move from 10/1 to 7/1.I still think that is too long.I can't see them having any better survival prospects than Hull.
Thanks for the update CT. I think once we get to Xmas/New Year when all the teams have played each other we'll have a better idea of how things will work out. Some VERY unexpected results today and at easat Stoke didn't go above us.
It's wide open, Sunderland looked dead and burried and they have won their last two home games Cardiff and hull are sliding a little now
You may be right Queenslander, but we are not bottom i3 as I type this. So what facts do you have to back what you started? We have played, Liverpool, Arsenal, Utd away and only Arsenal beat us easily. Drew with Citeah, Saints at home. All of these teams will be top half next May. Also beat the Shammers easily, outplayed Fulham both away games. Now we have drawn away at Swansea. You seem to have an obsession, with Mark Hughes, I wonder why.
Hughes was a big mistake for QPR and they,understandably in a way still feel bad about the episode.His record with them was truly horrendous.You are right to highlight your fixtures to date,a reason that I feel is at least partly responsible for our poor start.My own feeling is that Cardiff are a team watch as they seem to be getting worse as the season goes on,their draw at our place must have used up their full amount of good luck for the whole season. I know Pulis was despised by a fair number of your fans.To an outsider it looked like he did a good job with scant resources.
i don't think stoke will go down. although i'm not a hughes fan, i think he was quite a clever signing after pulis. there's little doubt he had a disaster at qpr but he did well at blackburn under similar circumstances to that he inherits at stoke.
Now that we have caught up to the point a game target we have an opportunity to consolidate a safe position.Our next two games should yield three points as I think there is probably at least as much chance of beating Palace as there is that Newcastle beat us. Meanwhile we have Stoke v Sunderland so whatever our result there we can't drop beneath both.West Ham are at home to Chelsea who will be desperate for a win,especially as United go to Cardiff on the Sunday. Fulham v Swansea will be a must win for Martin Jol,a very tough one to call there. So,when we go out against Palace Cardiff will be taking on Arsenal and Stoke will be playing at Goodison Park,Sunderland are away to Villa and West Ham take on Fulham.
I also sense that Hull and Cardiff's early boost is running out. Cardiff's next two games are ManUtd and Arsenal. Hull have Palace, then Liverpool. I think that City have greater potential for moving above the relegation scrap than those two, but the next two games will be important.
Cardiff and Hull will be right in the mix within a month and will remain so until the end of the season, we will finish comfortably above both
this is what a lot of people are hoping for rick! i think more cardiff than hull this is true, cardiff certainly are struggling for goals of late.
Listening to the Monday night football chat on Five Live, they did a 'bottom three at Christmas' prediction. None mentioned City. Palace, Sunderland and Fulham mainly featured. If I remember correctly, I think Cardiff and Hull were mentioned by some.
As CT said above, the key indicator comes at Christmas when everybody has played everybody else. We'll also see whether Cardiff and Hull's 'promoted team boost' through work rate and enthusiasm has run its course. Fulham also have a lot of older players who are going to find it hard to keep up with the PL pace as the season goes on, especially with the crush of games around Christmas. Sunderland and Palace also have an older average age.
That, in my book, is the bottom five places in the table at the end of the season - you old soothsayer, you!
We are back to where we were prior to Man City - 3 points off 9th. There are probably 11 teams in the shake up - well Palace and 2 more and nothing will be clear cut until post Christmas.
