Pardew sees us as being safe.... do you?

If we haven't picked up 3 (preferably at least 6) points by the time we play Liverpool, then we could be in a lot of trouble. It isn't the easiest run in that we have, especially if we are still playing in Europe. I'd be a lot happier if we had strikers who looked like they really knew how to bang in the goals. That's the pessimistic outlook. Mind, I'm very glad we got 3 against Stoke.

 

I honestly think we're safe already. Unless we go on a 9 game losing streak, we are not going to let a 9 pt gap slip. We'll likely be picking up points as they struggle to gain ground on us, and a 9 pt gap at the bottom is not easily breached.

 

Your squad is simply too good to go down. I'd say you've been safe for a couple of weeks now.

 

Objectively speaking, we're not on 40 points...so we're not safe yet

 

except that there really wasn't very much quality in that side, at least not on the pitch, just a lot of players whose wages presented an illusion of quality, the same illusion that led many people at the time to say 'all our best players left us' when what was actually true was that all our highest paid players left us. There was very little overlap between the two groups !

So this time, I do think there is a whole heap more quality in the side. Arguably more quality on the bench, though a lot of this quality comes from attitude, management etc.

As for the relegation thing, we need to remember that it isn't just the bottom three who need to make up the gap in order for use to slip that far, but also all but two of the teams below us, so even if the bottom three do go on CL form runs, while we go on a relegation form run, then we would still need to see other teams winning a few of the right games too.

 

Obviously I've said all along we'd be safe so I'm going to agree. However it was getting a bit squeaky bum at some stages. I tried to bet a mate £1000 we wouldn't finish below 15th when we were really struggling. He was on the brink of taking it and after another bad result he was kicking himself. He said on Sunday "I'm glad I didn't take that ****ing bet!"

Damn him and his conservative ways!

 

We were never going down and anyone who thought we were is a little bitch.

We have too much quality to go down and if it weren't for injuries and europe we'd be around the top 8.

 

completely agree, though I had a twitchy moment or two !

however I had faith in the hierarchy to right their mistakes in January and they certainly did that - now there is no doubt with me at all.

all this 40 point stuff is just a nice round number anyway, its usually lower than that.

 

If we had not have bought the players we did in January we would have been down simple as that, end of conversation

 

Difficult to argue with that.

 

Not really, no real way of knowing that. Bottom line is we bought and bought well. The doom mongers have been proven wrong most likely.

 

They may have been right. We had a hard time dealing with Europa + EPL with Saylor(oft injured) Colo(not having a good season) Perch(undersized) Willo() as our centrebacks.

And we had to constantly trot out the likes of Sammy and Overran due to lack of squad depth..

 

I have not been proven wrong as I stated all the time in December that the most important part of this season was the January transfer window and with fat mikes previous window activity who would have blamed me.
Still concerned bout lack of firepower
Up top

 

You said we were guaranteed to go down. You also said we wouldn't strengthen the squad. It looks likely we'll stay up. We did strengthen the squad.

 

That is the key word. Nobody can say for certain one way or the other.

 

Look at my early post as I stated I did not think we would strength so I was wrong there.
Regarding did I think we would go down in December 100% I did IF we did not bring in additional players in which we did.
Fat mike surprised every one just a shame he did not do it six months early, I would expect baa replacement. To be signed with a coule of weeks
In July and have it virtually sorted
When the window opens