I think if we win Crystal Palace and Watford then that second place will be ours. Obviously a few others but if we win them two it should be ours
It all depends if we have 1 or more of our poor lapses again, against some of the lower teams edit: nothing is a given in this league as we all know
It wasn't long ago people were saying we couldn't beat the bigger teams. We've lost to Cardiff, Boro, Brighton, failed to beat Lester twice. I can't actually remember the Palace home game without checking....
Crystal Palace missed the chance to move back to the top of the Championship after a goalless draw with Hull City at the KC Stadium. However it was the Tigers, who dominated possession without finding the goal their performance deserved. Robert Koren missed their best chance of the game when he fired over from close range with the goal at his mercy. Eagles winger Wilfried Zaha almost pinched a win with the last kick of the game but was denied by David Stockdale. Palace's busy week Saturday: Lost 2-1 at Leeds, a round trip of 405 miles Tuesday: Draw at Hull, a round trip of 410 miles Hull were close to an opener in the third minute when Koren just failed to get on the end of Robbie Brady's dangerous low cross. And the Slovenian missed an even better chance in the 24th minute when Ahmed Elmohamady's cross dropped to Koren six yards' out, but he blasted the ball over the bar. Hull continued to dominate in the second half with Stephen Quinn kept at bay by Palace keeper Julian Speroni while Sone Aluko curled a 25-yard free-kick just over. Quinn then flicked another Elmohamady cross just off target while Koren missed another opportunity, this time Speroni saving from the midfielder. Play media But in the dying minutes, the Eagles spurned two chances to steal the win. Yannick Bolasie shot wide after latching onto a short back pass before Stockdale saved from England international Zaha deep into injury time. Hull boss Steve Bruce: "We couldn't have played any better, especially in the first half. "If I had to be critical over the last five or six months, we are creating some really good chances but we don't take them. "The chances we had in the first half and the crosses we put in were breathtaking. We have had 19 attempts which is a colossal amount. But we haven't taken one and that's key to a game of football. Your team is only as good as its strikers. It concerns me." Crystal Palace boss Ian Holloway: "They had the better of the first half. I felt we didn't get to grips with their shape and what they were doing. "I'm relieved to be 0-0 at half-time and in the second half I thought the longer it went on, the more imposing we got. We looked pretty good as the game went on and that is full credit to the lads. "It's a madness of a trip that we will now get back at 3am after coming up to Leeds [on Saturday]. That computer that does these games needs a right good volley! How can this be a midweek fixture? How can that be?" LINEUP, BOOKINGS (5) & SUBSTITUTIONS (4) Hull City 34 Stockdale 05 Chester 15 McShane 28 Bruce 08 Evans 10 Koren (Proschwitz - 76' ) 24 Aluko (Mclean - 76' Booked ) 27 Elmohamady 29 Quinn 31 Meyler Booked 30 Brady Booked (Rosenior - 83' Booked ) Substitutes 01 Jakupovic 02 Rosenior 04 McKenna 23 Faye 09 Mclean 11 Simpson 33 Proschwitz Crystal Palace 01 Speroni 02 Ward 27 Delaney 28 Ramage 04 Parr 07 Bolasie 08 Dikgacoi 10 Garvan 15 Jedinak 16 Zaha 19 Easter Booked (Wilbraham - 61' ) Substitutes 34 Price 06 Martin 21 Moxey 33 Gabbidon 22 O'Keefe 18 Wilbraham 24 Appiah
Aye it does but we did absolutely dominate Palace and with our current strike force should of won. We also did beat Watford, so our form against the two teams mentioned isn't that bad at all. Technically we have lost against the other teams in the top four, winning one, drawing one. Stats are easy to turn on people.
My favourite stat at the moment: In the two games since Boyd signed we've scored 6 and conceded 1 with him on the pitch. With him off the pitch we've scored 0 and conceded 5. I'm sure it's mainly coincidence but it's a hell of a stat.
To be fair Watford are a completely different prospect to when we last played them, they're a much better side now. Our record against the top teams hasn't been great this season but we've not always got the results our performances have deserved, mainly due to the lack of goals which seems to have been addressed now.
I have to agree with that, obviously it wouldn't be a given but the confidence we'd have going into that final set of games should carry us through.
After watching Palace on the FLS I thought they were more than lucky to take the points at Derby. So on the back of yesterday's 5-2 win City should have the edge in confidence. COYK
I see you've given up boasting about your own team's chances in favour of bitter little snipes against ours. You sound like a Scotland fan during the World Cup finals. BTW I couldn't find Nige's after match interview on the Beeb. Was he having a bit of a sulk? Bless.
