Just to help us gauge the situation a bit better. please log in to view this image please log in to view this image Look at West ham. Flying at the minute. The slow point rate of most of our rivals is very reassuring going into this tough patch, really could have done with getting the man city game out of the way like. I'm sure we'll be dropping down the form table in the coming weeks but hopefully not drifting too far in the league table. Both ourselves and Palace should be proud oursleves for give ourselves a good fighting chance. We've earned our leeway for our up coming games, if we can snatch a couple points these tough league games we'll be in good stead for our games with Palace Norwich and West Ham. See the European contenders, the Nags and Hull, are showing us what form is all about.
This will be the acid test for me. Pulis has them playing decent football and competing as a unit now so they will be no pushover. We are running out of fixtures against the lesser opposition at home and with only an improved WHU and WBA to come at home before Cardiff we could be goosed.
You think we could be relegated with three games left? That would need a return to early season for form surely?
Nope. I said we are running out of games against lesser opposition and Palace represents the first of the so called easier fixtures. Stumble against them and we will give the other lot a boost. I take the view all games are winnable, it just depends on the team's determination as well as skill.
The thinking behind the claims we could be 'cut adrift' after the next few games is flawed. Whatever happens in those games it would take wins for quite a few clubs to make a significant difference. There's no reason the likes of Fulham, Cardiff, Norwich etc should suddenly burst into life and start winning more games than Sunderland. West Brom have only won 4 all season. Yes these teams may pick up the odd win but they're few and far between. One might start a 'West Ham' style run but not all of them. It's just as likely that Palace and West Ham will hit a bad patch and slide back down, they're at the bottom for a reason. But ............... I've said for 2 months that Hull would be this year's 'suicide' club who snatch relegation from a position of relative safety. Their team is average but capable of winning the odd game including last Saturday's shambles. But their squad is well below average and their injuries may prove their downfall. McShane held their defence together and the replacements for him, Rosenior and others just aren't good enough. They also have the worst possible balance of fixture although their supporters may see it differently. They have Man City, Arsenal, Everton, Newcastle at home and 5 'relegation' matches away where they're poor. They only have 2 'relegation' matches at home. I can see quite a few draws but few wins out of those games. Sunderland have the reverse, 5 'relegation' matches at home but we obviously need to take advantage and win 3 of them. We'd need 4 draws from elsewhere or a win and a draw. With our form we're capable of that and I think we'll confirm safety against Cardiff, 3 games from the end
what leeway i fail to see we have any at all tbh, for us to still talk about home games being our saviour something had better change as its proved to be our failure so far
Regardless of previous home matches I'd always rather have 5 relegation matches at home than away. We have won well at home and will do so again.
not so sure the players do , they seem to perform better away imo, plus the fans who go to the away games get behind them 100%
Don't forget we gave all those other teams 7 games head start before Gus came to the rescue. I've been though loads of relegation seasons in the past , this season doesn't have the feel of one of those. Fulham Cardiff and Norwich to go down for me.
What leeway? We were 7 points cut adrift! We've been showing that away form can compensate for home flaws. Can't you be happy for the determination and character we've shown? I know you think you're the anchor that grounds us but you just sound like an ungrateful whining old man when ever you post. I know Champions league form is the only thing you'll accept, clearly as our recent form just isn't good enough for you. But were not a champions league team. You're deluded.
i think bri you should calm down ,who said our recent form is not good enough for me,the fact is our home form has not been good has it,you are putting words into things i have never said ,who mentioned cl form ? where and when please point the post out to me. we have no leeway look at the table ,yes we have clawed our way to a place alongside the other teams at the bottom ,wheres the leeway
Form isn't something you can just turn on and off. It takes time to build momentum and we have that now in the last 10 games albeit with a couple of blips like the Villa and Hull games. The season will probably go right to the wire as many predicted (including Gus) but as we approach the final run in, there are teams like Cardiff, Norwich and especially Fulham who cant buy wins and turning that into 3 points a week or even 1 point isn't going to just happen now. We have got ourselves back in a race we looked to be at least a lap behind a few weeks ago and tbh I think we will be bobbing between 3rd bottom and 12th off top quite a bit in the next few weeks, until the last day of the season is played out. I'm comfortable with that as back in October I didn't think we had a hope in hells chance of staying up. We may well lose the next 2 games (not guaranteed mind) but have enough games from Palace, Cardiff, West Ham, Swansea at home and Norwich away to get to 38 points. I don't think the current poor form teams will fair so well.
Hull were in that group until Saturday and probably back in now .......... West Brom have won 4 games this season, so there's hope
I'm calm. I never claimed you said that. We were recently sitting fifth place in the form table and you've been crying on about home form. What do they have to do to please you? You've made it clear with negative posts you're not happy with the form. I used some logic that's all.
im happy , what they have to do most of all is win at home,where else is the negativity from me ,as i say i see more of away games than i do of home ones due to location ,away to me they look a more relaxed team and without the pressure of the home crowd boo boys. Alls well that ends well AND johnson is playing well to boot.
I'm just worried about our home form, we scraped the win against Stoke (we won which is the important thing) but we made a meal of it. We need to start cutting out stupid mistakes from our game at home, maybe we should be more direct when at home?
If your a season ticket holder you can get cheap tickets for the Palace, West ham & West brom games. so hopefully we will get big crowds against them lot.
That's the thing fella. We don't even know if our home form is questionable. our recent run of form include hard fought victory at home to Stoke. That mistake against Hull made that game unwinnable regardless of form. Our next home game is nearly a month away against Palace. I'll worry about home form if we don't pick up three points against them.
