9 games left, 27 points possible, I'm no professor but I think 52 points and we're safe, that's 10 points needed, not a challenge but a fact. Now I think we're going to be OK and our manager seems to be doing OK, what do you think we need to survive.? Please keep it simple. Up the City..
Firstly we, the players, the fans. the management, must not become complacent and think that the job is done. Because if we do, it will quickly collapse around our heads. Secondly, we have bought ourselves breathing space where one bad result will not immediately drop us back into the mire; All of the teams except Colchester cannot overtake us on one game only. The next game ironically is against Colchester, who also play on Tuesday. If they don't win, they will still be below us. It shows how we have put ourselves in the driving seat to stay up, where our destiny is now totally wthin our own remit. We have suddenly begun to look like a joined up football team. Yes we made mistakes against Swindon, the biggest being the fact that when Swindon were reduced to ten players, we still tried to get through them by trying to take the ball around defenders and more often than not by losing it - JET yet again the prime culprit. The best way to defeat a ten man team is pass and run, keep the ball moving so that they don't get enough opportunities to tackle. We were not clever enough to do that. However, in answer to the thread question, what do we need to survive. Keep it tight at the back, work like hell in the middle of the park and be braver and more accurate in the final third. Three wins, three draws is achievable with the form that we have shown over the last 10 games. It is unlikely, although with City one can never be 100% certain, that we will implode and blow it all away. COYREDS we are staying up!!!!!!!!!!!!
Win 3 more games and a draw then let the others worry about it. In honestly I would like just one season not having to be concerned with relegation, we seem to having the same discussion now for 3-4 years.
win the home games, with the possible exception of Preston and we'll be ok. Anything we get on the road will be a bonus. Up The City
As long as we beat every team we have left to play that are below us then I am pretty sure we will be safe. The other games against teams above us shouldn't matter then if we lose a few, but would be nice to finish a season on a bit of a high for a change.
what supcon says make sense, to the point whereby if we even stop those teams below us winning, then that is the next best thing. That's where we have let ourselves down this year, gifting points to teams that are clearly inferior to us. 3 wins before the last game of the season, and that should be us done.
For the first time in a long while a defeat in our next game cannot, and will not, put us back in the bottom four. We need to keep that simple fact as our goal to achieve after every game for the rest of the season by keeping ourselves away from the possibility of returning to the drop zone. Waiting for the other teams to do our job is not what should be the order of the day and although we may wish for certain things to happen when our opposition play their games in hand the focus needs to be getting the results that we need. Just the fact that SC has gone out and addressed the shortages we have due to injury and suspension gives me more confidence than I have had since the previous man did absolutely nothing and just sat by and let us sink. Getting something from every game needs to be our motto and whether the target is 51 or 53 points is irrelevant unless we get the right results.
Staying in the league seems a lot more doable now. I reckon we need three wins and a few draws to stay up. However, I reckon we could lay a decent marker for next season if Cotterill is capable of getting his players to push for a winning streak at the end of the season. If it's all down to mentality, then the manager needs to get his team to end the season as if they are challengers, rather than stragglers, in the hope that a good run at the end of the season will help bring some much-needed confidence for next season.
We should be ok now, but the job not yet done. Anyone know who is out of contract at the end of the season?
So apart from the loan players, it's Carey, Pearson, Elliott, Burns and Fontaine Obviously they will offer Burns a deal - would you offer any of the others?
Me I would be looking to secure Wade Elliott for a season and would possibly take a punt on Gillett much to Redprints annoyance both are starting to impress me. If Patterson can stay fit I think he will do well in this league and on one showing 100% better than Barnett. And Nosworth is 1000% better than Al Bad so perhaps we should send him back. But both of these are free transfers end of the season.
Agree ROD but El-Bad is ours for three and a half years from January 2014. All we can hope for is that he is better than his performances since he arrived. But don't hold your breath!
Nosworthy is a quality player. Only left out of Watford's team as he had a run in with a non-Watford fan, who gave him some abuse whilst he was out with his missus and Nyron gave him a bit of a push. The wind up merchant complained to the club, and so as a penalty they had to leave him out of the team. Since then, Watford have gone 4 home games without conceding a goal, so he couldn't get back in. If we could get him then we should try for sure.
