Match Day Thread +++++Saints v Man City 1st May 2016 4:30pm+++++

How do you think Man City will play? Do you think that you will pose a different attacking threat tomorrow, assuming the squad is rotated?

 

So we need West Brom (v West Ham) and Swansea (v Liverpool) to do us a favour. Doesn't seem likely, but all we can do is win our game.

And both have a game in hand.

 

Damn woke up thinking we were playing today

 

Looking on the bright side....we won't lose today.

 

All this talk of Europe is getting a bit serious.

Is the consensus we need to win to have a chance?

 

We surely have to win every game to have a chance, because Liverpool and West Ham have a game in hand. West Ham are not on form, but face WBA, Swansea, Stoke and United (if I remember correctly) so have a good chance of getting points. Think we can forget Liverpool. Seventh is likely to get in the Europa, whereas eighth is surely clutching at straws as it involves so many 'ifs'.

 

Minimum of 7 points from our last 3 games I would say. So yes we do!

 

Always hard to tell with Pellegrini,he might not rotate much at all
We never change much about the way we play,we'll come to attack
It's usually a question of whether or not they are prepared to graft enough off the ball,which has been the problem all season as they come across poorly motivated and that's nothing to do with the announcement of Guardiola coming as they've been like it all season

 

So then anyone going too the pub?

 

No question in my mind. I don't even think we'll get into Europe by winning three out of three to be honest, but it will at least give us a chance.

63 points if we do that. That means either (a) West Ham having to either lose two of out three, or draw one and lose one and hope that we can overtake their +5 GD advantage. That's not particularly likely as it, let alone if we don't even get to 63 points and so need them to slip up further.

Or (b) Liverpool failing to win the Europa League, and slipping up in two of their final four games. Again, that's a hard enough ask as it is, let alone if we don't get to 63 and so need them to slip up further.

(Both options require Utd to win the FA Cup)

Right now I'm still focusing just on pipping Chelsea to 8th. But that focus changes if we tomorrow (not least because it basically ends any chance of Chelsea catching us)

 

I was sort of being churlish really. Winning all 3 games and not being in Europe would be my perfect outcome. Or alternatively, finishing 7th but Man Utd losing the cup final.

 

I do have another question though. Is Charlie Austin fit?

 

Yes.

 

Well his wife fancies him.

 

I am...train gets in at 13:03 so should be pint in hand by half past. Not been to the Farmhouse before, heard there was a dodgy crowd hanging out there these days

 

Especially as I won't be there tomorrow to referee things. Therefore, it will be a complete free for all.

 

Here's me waffling about tomorrow's game.

 

My 'train' (bus service between bmth and soon tomorrow) should get in about 2:20 i think. i'll be there by 3 if i make it

 

One of many remarkable things about this season: that we could end with 60 points and still have little chance of finishing in the top seven. Only happened twice in the twenty-team PL era: Everton finished 8th on 61 points in '09/'10, Tottenham had the same finish and points total in '95/'96. So for anyone who is a fan of making history: if we win out, we stand a very good chance of being the best eighth-placed team in Premier League history! Yay?