Even though we only got a draw today, our magic number is down to 11 for automatic promotion. With 5 games to go and WHU with many top teams to play we are still in good position. Points gained by us plus points dropped by WHU which equals 11 and we are up. Unless WHU can run the table we likely only need 3 wins at most. To be champions we will have to win or draw the Reading game. For me promotion is thefocus. Champion would be icing on the cake but next year it will mean nothing. With only 48 hours to the next game hopefully the boys can get rested for Monday. Playing a mid table team with nothing on the line should be good for us. Come on SAINTS
11 points from 5 games sounds a bit sqeaky bum time. 8 points from 4 games sounds a whole lot better.
Yep in reality we could have done without the derby had that been another relegation team it should have been easier like donny. It's still ours to loose but now palace is a huge game 3 points would be a giant leap to the prem anything less and it's getting real tight with nige I still think well do it COYRS.
Magic Number today was #11 too - Billy Sharp! Good recovery from his spot-kick miss, he'll be key in this run-in. Sorry to hijack the thread, I think 9 is the magic number.
The simple fact is that we have to match West Ham's results with the advantage of being able to slip up a couple of times...I really don't see them winning all of their remaining games and we still have a vastly superior GD...I must be unusual, because I have totally accepted whatever the outcome of this season is, automatic promotion as champions will be great, via the play-offs will be just as good. If we fail in the play-offs, I will be disappointed, but I will philisophical enough to accept that maybe it's not to be yet and look forward to another go next season, probably with a strengthened team
Birmingham certainly have the players to do us a favour on Monday. West Ham travel to Leicester as well, potentially massive.
There are certainly more twists and turns to come. I said on a thread I started earlier in the week it is highly conceivable that both Reading and ourselves would approach Friday on equal points. Reading's final game of the season is at St Andrews too!
Well worst case scenario is that West Ham win every game, we obviously have a 4 point gap to them, and a better goal difference, so lets call it 5 points. Basically means we can afford to lose 1 and draw 1 of the remaining 5 and we will be guarenteed to finish ahead of them, even if they win every game. So Palace, P'boro and Coventry wins, draw with M'boro and lose to Reading and we are up no matter what West Ham do
if they win all of their games we can only afford to lose one and win the rest or draw 2 and win the rest
Indeed. This is why I hate the saying "GD is worth an extra point". It's not. Look at it as being worth an extra 0.5 of a point, by all means. But not a whole point. Two draws for us will be fine, assuming WH don't put a few more 4-0 wins together (this weekend alone they've cut our GD advantage from 13 to 9). But if we lose either of them, WH can steal in. We can afford to lose 4 points, and keep it in our own hands. We could afford to lose 4.5 points, if it were matchmatically possible. But we can't afford to lose 5 points, and keep it in our hands.
