If we win the other three, we'll be on 34 points before the year end and safe Happy Days! How's your team doing against its targets? The simple fact you are here and trying to bait us, tells us all we need to know about how good we are at this moment. Thank you.
The inaccuracy of the "results don't count until they're against the big clubs" probably owes as much as anything to the increased variability we're seeing in recent years, which itself is the result of the decline in defensive focus for bigger clubs. Go back the better part of a decade and virtually all of the European contenders surrendered less than a goal a game, typically far less; conversely, last season Man City had the second-best defensive record at .97 goals per game. Consequently, teams aren't always going into those matches attempting to simply contain...they're sending out sides that can attack in numbers, buoyed by increased money in the English game that ensures that there are few teams that don't have at least a couple dynamic attacking players. Not only is it no longer suicidal to get into a shootout with Man U, or Liverpool, etc, it's arguably the wisest tactic. So if this was 2006, they'd be right; a good side would win the majority against mid-table-and-below clubs, but their results against the big clubs would determine their standing in that hierarchy. Now, there's just too much variability to dismiss any string of results.
The results against the big clubs aren't that important to qualifying for the Champions League.... Just ask Arsenal fans
All I know is that we are beating the teams that are beating or at least taking points off the 'big clubs'. Chelsea look strong, although still prone to defensive errors, and Man City have goals in them, but so far this season, they are the only 2 'big clubs' that look like they might beat us based on form so far. I don't believe anyone wants to play us at the moment because Saints are not only hard to score against, they are hard to keep from scoring so bring on the 'big boys' like Arsenal and Man Utd and we'll see what happens.
Exactly. I've been banging this line out for a few weeks now. Likewise, Spurs and Everton have shown over the years - hell, to a lesser extent even us in the last two years - that the odd good result against a big side will count for very little in terms of getting in the top four, if you're constantly throwing away points against the other clubs. If you can beat 9th - 20th home and away, that is 24 wins, that is 72 points, that is (broadly) CL football. So far, WBA at home is our only blot.
I'd rather beat the small clubs than the big clubs as there are more points available, albeit the top team games are 6 pointers.
I'm either being slow on the uptake, or unduly pedantic, but is your reasoning about "there are more points available" down to the fact that there are more small clubs than big clubs?
