Now, even though i have stated on more than occasion that there's no chance of us finishing in the top six, i have to consider eating some humble pie, as i am flabbergasted we are still only 4 points off a play off place. Admittedly this is more because of the poor teams around us in this division then us being that good, but even still, we are still in with a fighting chance. The next 4 games will probably make our break our season, as we will be playing 4 teams also in the hunt for a play off place. So, what will it take to sneak in the top six? My gut feeling is that 70 points might just about do it, which means we need to find another 19 points from our remaing 11 games (at an average of 1.7 points a game) With home games against; Wigan Derby Forest Donny Bournmouth Sheff Wed and away against Brighton Blackburn Huddersfield Watford Burnley ..i can see us just falling short. I think we will beat Donny, Bournemouth and Wednesday, but i think we will only get two points from the other 3 home games. Away, i can only see one win and two draws as a max - therefore giving us a points total of 67, which i don't quite think will be enough. So, even though i don't think we'll quite do it this year - i take my hat off to the team and MM for proving me wrong (up until now)
It'll be more than 70. Wigan only need to win another 6 from 14 and they're over that line. Town have 33 points to play for and therefore a max of 84 points - I reckon the line will be 75 points and Wigan will finish above 6th. Can we win 8 of 11? Not impossible but we probably need to beat all of Brighton, Forest and Wigan and win the next three or four on the bounce to really be in the realms of that as a possibility. Looking at March - we can probably celebrate a place in the play offs if we win three or forget all about it with a month left to play.
I agree that Wigan should make it, but there are two places realistically up for grabs...Forest and Reading are stuttering slightly (Forest more so) and we have them to play at home. I have a sneaky suspician that Brighton will be the final 6th placed team - on paper they have an easier run in (although the teams down the bottom will be fighting for their lives)
I dont honestly know if we will or not but what I do know is that it is great to be in the mix at this stage of the season as opposed to not having much to play for! Big credit to Mick TC and the players for giving us a decent season!
I don't think anyone really believes (Weighty excluded) that we're in the mix - but - the way the fixtures have landed is in our favour in that if we take at least 9 points in March (an incredibly tall order) we will be in the mix over the last seven games.
We've always got a chance of being in there albeit a slim one. As I've said before this time of the season seems to be when the teams at the bottom start picking up some wins and the teams up the top start faltering, so you never know
As I've said before I don't give up that easily ...while we are in with a shout I will remain optimistic and I try not to change my opinion after every game.
' As I've said before I don't give up that easily ...while we are in with a shout I will remain optimistic and I try not to change my opinion after every game. ' Amen Weighty. I will ALWAYS try to keep faith, at times it may be blind faith, it may border on the ridiculous, however that's me I'm afraid! I'm not one of those win a game 4-0, we're Barcelona, and lose 3-1, we're Bath City kind of people. I honestly am sure a lot of people don't play football or understand it particularly well! The thing I absolutely LOVE about this season, is we have from what I can see perhaps the worst set of individual players collectively since 05/06, 06/07. I honestly don't think we're anything special bar perhaps McGoldrick/Cressy. However, for the first time since I would argue 07/08 BEFORE we got the cash injection, we are A TEAM and united once again. That goes a long long way in football to achieve anything. I maintain on paper we have absolutely no right to be just four points off the zone - shame Wigan won last night, however they're clearly a good side. If they make the play offs, whoever gets them will be licking their lips as surely Wigan are going to be beyond shattered come then! They cannot win every game with this fixture backlog, of that I have no doubt! Palace came from absolutely nowhere that time, Reading went on a ridiculous run. Come on town, keep plodding away nicely and lets see where it takes us.
I said at the start of the season that I think we can make the play offs and that is still the case, we have got to where we are through hard work and toil rather than with flare and guile but when skinning a cat it doesn't matter how you do it as long as the skin comes off. I think we have a team of average players that MM has moulded into a close knit team and as has been said does go a long way especially in this league. Come on town
We're just short of 1.5 points per game so far (1.46). Without Dids, I think we'll struggle to make it up to 1.7, but it's not beyond the realms of possibility. If we get on a good run now, I believe it will come down to goal difference. When you look how the usual play-off contenders are performing (Watford, Leeds) that's got to give us some hope. COYB!
I don't even think it's rose tinted to think that we are still in with a slim chance of the playoffs. As I've said all season our team doesn't dip and trough that much we just trundle along picking up points which means we'll always be there or there abouts. In terms of form we probably one of the teams which fluctuates the least other teams seem to go on runs where they look like world beaters but then go on an awful run, that doesn't really happen to us under Mick. It'll be tough but we've had these conversations all season where after a couple of bad results we haven't got a chance of the playoffs then after a couple of wins we have suddenly got a chance but geuss what despite all those threads where people said we had no chance of getting into the playoffs we're still clinging in there
As an outsider looking in, I don't understand why anybody is questioning a top ten finish. Looks very likely to me. Top six is going to be tough, but a good run could do it, who knows. Play off games are very exciting, and you guys deserve it, it could happen just keep the faith. PS, I do like old Mick (in a purely platonic way, you understand)
We got there last season with 68 points and it's the lowest points ever needed We only won 3 of our last 17 games
Spanish like you I have constantly at the back of my mind all season thought we'd collapse, and absolutely plummet down the league table. This squad by and large I am not sure about to be honest! Though, we FINALLY have a spine to a team ( bar GK perhaps ) which is key. Mick has instilled a very strong mentality through the squad, how often do we lose two games on the spin? 2 wins from the last 3 without McGoldrick too, with absolutely everyone saying the season was done and dusted 3 games back. We're still in there somehow, and I will continue to keep faith until it looks impossible. Three points vs the most inform team in the division looks absolutely essential though....! Like Mick, hate Mick, agree with style of play, hate it, people can say what they want however Mick gets RESULTS and that's all I'm bothered about.
I think it will be about 74 points. Brighton,forest,reading have similar run ins but wigan have a tough run in plus a cup semi againt arsenal. Time will tell
