4th a Realistic Target

Make up your mind man!

 

I think we would have to win most games now to finish 4th, I think top 6 is realistic. If we continue to buy well and not sell, in a couple of seasons we might finish top 4

 

I have always said if we finish 7th it has been a very successful season anything better then i will be in dreamworld

 

i think 5th or above is a realistic position for us this season chaps we have had some mis fortunes but got on with it and played some good football

 

Saying nothing.

 

SAFC fan in peace - I did the BBC predictor (as a lot of my mates on our board did!) and most of them had us 8th and you guys 9th - I did it (with my head) and got you finishing 8th and Sunderland 9th - 3 points behind Newcastle

Think if I'd compoleted it with my heart we'd be top 6 and you guys wouldn't win another game!!!!!

I think 9th shows a good consistent improvement - particularly after the start we had - I never expected you guys to do so well in the early part of the season but that has put you in great stead for the remainder

 

well if we make it past the acon period then we definitely have a chance of pushing on

 

Can't see it. Chelski will pick up again, as will Arsenal once they get a few back. Liverpool I'd expect to finish above us but I think it is realistic to expect us to challenge them for 6th. To me they look a side that will be a whole lot better next year. They are still settling down as a team, not quite coherent.

I'm more concerned with keeping a gap between us and 8th to be honest. One thing for sure now though. People are going to have to accept that luck has nothing to do with it, we're just a good side.

 

At the start of the season I think most of us were wanting safety and maybe a top ten finish. However the way we've been playing I think the top six is well within our grasp.

Of course injuries may take their toll and we could do with a new body or two in, but things are looking quite good at the moment.

 

If you look at the average points total for 8th/9th over the past 5/6 seasons it comes out at around 47-52 points...Considering we're already on 36 points and have won the past 2 games we've had WITHOUT Ba and Tiote....Where do you see us slipping up so badly to only get 11-16 points in the next 17 games?

 

Very nice.

 

Signature material right here!

 

The last 2 games is one thing (you don't get points in the cup) but another 5 or 6 without a player of Ba's quality is a bit different - without his goals you'd likely be bottom of the league - yesterday you played a QPR side and had 1 shot on target in 90 minutes - OK so you won but that 1 shot on target won't go in every week and the defence will concede occasionally which means you really need to raise the game without Ba. This is why I have you in 8th place. Demba Ba would've had a field day yesterday - his workrate and ability are superb - he will score goals no matter what - and not just "right place right time" goals - he can score from anywhere - that's why I think you'll struggle over the next month or so

EDIT - BTW - it's a predictor and I'm usually useless with them so either we'll finish above you or you guys will finish in 5th or 6th something!!!!!! I'm bound to have got most of them wrong!!

 

If you're basing how we play on yesterday's performance then yeah, I can see why you'd get to that prediction. We were awful yesterday, one of our worst performances - luckily QPR were about just as bad. Plus you're also excluding the thought that we might (read: 'might', haha) get a new striker in too.

 

I don't think anyone should settle for lower than 7th now. At this point in time there genuinley isn't more than 6 teams better than us in the league. 7th at the end I'd be happy with, 6th actually seems reachable as Liverpool certainly aren't consistent. 5th I maybe too far, barring bad luck to Chelsea/Arsenal. But having targets just out of reach is usually better IMO.

6th I'd be absolutely over the moon with. I think our squad is definitely strong enough to compete in Europa, whoever said it wasn't... Have you seen the majority of the competition in it? Not saying we're finalist material but we'd be capable of a good run.

 

Yeah, at this point lower than 7th would be a massive disappointment. Before the season kicked off 8th to 13th was reasonable to me, but we're over halfway through the season and we've shown we're a strong side, and we ought to be able to continue in that way.

I think if we were to qualify for the Europa League we'd at least make the quarter-final. We almost got there in 06/07 with a far, far worse squad than we have now.

 

Think realistically we will finish 7th, though have to say Arsenal and Liverpool may be catchable, would be happy to just get into the Europa Cup.

 

You do realise we didn't have Ba last year and all the same **** was being said? Bottom of the league? Bizarre you must be smoking some good ****. We're 6th on merit, and taking one player out of a team in 6th would not result in them suddenly being bottom of the league. You seem to be mistaking us for a one man team. Best stepped up last year when we lost Carroll, and I'm sure once Pards realises he has to start Benni instead of Shola, we'll be fine in terms of goals.

 

There's definitely truth in what you're saying, but I reckon Best needs to be with another out-and-out striker to really work properly. He doesn't hold the ball up enough to play with Ben Arfa behind him. I actually reckon Ben Arfa behind Shola could work.

 

Please don't hog it all

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