I have us down for two wins (vs West Ham and Stoke) and three draws (vs Reading, WBA and Sunderland). That puts us on 36 points. Now even though that somehow keeps us up when I use the bbc predictor (without cheating!), I don't honestly believe that 36 points will keep us up.
I've been targetting 39 points since the new year - and beating QPR (which I had previously factored in) would have kept us bang on course for that imo. With our GD, two of the bottom four would have to finish on 40 points to send us down - and I cannot see that happening. I'm convinced that 39 points will be enough for us.
But because we lost QPR I think we now do need to get three points from elsewhere. Turning one of those draws into a win, and one of the defeats (vs Norwich, Liverpool, Chelsea, Swansea and Spurs) into a draw, would get those three extra points. And put like that, it doesn't sound too hard to me. We should be able to do that.
The one thing that has always left me worried with my prediction, and still does worry me, is that it includes beating Stoke on the last day. That's bad to two respects, unless my expectations before then are exceeded. Firstly, it doesn't give us a second chance. Stoke is the final game, there will be no next week. Slip up and that is it, screwed. Secondly, it means that we wont be enjoying a nice relaxing end to the season. Unlike the likes of Fulham and West Ham, we wont be securing our survival with weeks to spare.