In the last 4 season's in the Championship, 80 points and +30 goal difference will have got you promoted. This season, my prediction is that is that the number of points needed will increase. Reading are on incredible form, 6 straight wins in a row. Saints getting back into form, like the start of the season, and West Ham are starting to pick up points in important games and they are recently becoming more consistent like all teams around us. If recent season's points total do end up the same, Southampton ONLY need to win 5 more games. 6 of the 12 games left, are at home. But for me, this season, a points total of 87-89 points will be needed to secure promotion. Reading and West Ham still have to play a couple of teams around them (and against eachother at Upton Park) and this is the only way I can see both dropping points in the run in. (expect them to win, then you won't be disappointed. Do the job yourself first) If we win 7 of the remaining 12 games, we'll be on 86 points. An incredible amount for any team to not be promoted with but for me it won't be enough. How many points do you reckon will get promotion this season? It's all getting very exciting! So close but yet so far. COYR!!!
If I had to put a figure to it, I'd say we need 89 points to get auto's this year but it will almost certainly be between 86-90. Just depends how Reading do against promotion rivals. I think West Ham can beat anyone on their day but just as easily lose too which is the same as us really. As I am a gambling man and stuck a cool £140 on Saints for Promotion at 14s at the start of the season I'm a little more edgy than most about the promotion chase.
if we all prove to good for the remainder of the season and west ham and us.. do our business against Reading.. then they won't catch either of us!
Thats potentially ipswich,barnsley,doncaster,pompey and coventry at home and milwall and posh away. on general form all winnable. leaving reading at home, hull, blackpool,middlesborough and crystal palace away to pick up extra points. This is the championship though and you can bet it wont go to script - there will be many twists and turns. Wouldnt swap our position/run in with anyone though. Like you say - its all getting very exciting
Put it this way, we've got the fixtures to do it. Eight of our remaining games are ver winnable, including our next three. Win all of them and get a draw somewhere else - ideally the home game vs Reading - and we'll hit the magical 90 point mark.
We need one more point to make absolute certain we will finish above the Skates in this years Championship, it's an absolute certainty now but not mathematically. Coventry cannot catch us and we need 3 more points to avoid relegation. I've got us down for winning another 22pts. Surely 87 pts will be enough?
I'd be shocked if the third place team finished at 87 points or above...it's certainly possible, but would require an enormous closing kick. Reading's the closest, and they would need 8-9 wins over their final 13 games; it can be done, but with away matches against West Ham, Brighton, ourselves and Birmingham, plus a likely insurmountable deficit in goal differential, their margin for error is quite slim. Going to guess that it will ultimately take 85 points to claim second; that would mean six wins and two draws over the final twelve.
Its so nervy. I really thopught that if we strung results together like we have done we would have created some breathing space, but as it stands we have had to get all these points to pretty much stand still. It looks like it could be a case of who blinks first out of the 3 of us. Not sure how many points we will need but the Reading match is looking more important by the day. If we are in the same position when we play them and win, that could see us up I think. Its like last year but with better teams around us. The thing is our squad didn't buckle under pressure last year and no what it takes to go on a run at the end of the season. Reading dipped out last year and West Ham could string results together to stay up. Think we are in a very good position and will hold our nerve. COYRS!
We seem to be in a similar position to last season when Huddersfield came on really strong at the end of the season and we had to win virtually every game and think this season will be no different Most of our team and the management worked through that so have experienced this so will not come as a shock and will know how to deal with the pressure In Nigel and the bBoys we have faith!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
