Rival watch

[PowerSpurs]

You've answered your own question there RDBD. If we hit 76 points as you envision, this then requires Leicester to drop 11 points. Eleven. Where on Earth do you suppose those points will come from? As I said, even a return of 20 out of 24 points for a 78 point total (an unbelievable achievement if we pull it off) means Leicester need to drop 9 points. And I can't see where that would come from either. I get that we can potentially turn over all of our remaining opponents. But the likelihood is that we won't and Leicester are getting so good at these narrow wins that the 5 point gap will only increase.

Leicester have been achieving pretty close to 2 points a game all season so with 8 games left the central estimate of how many points they will drop is 8. As other posters have pointed out they appear to have had slightly above average luck so far and they might also get nervous in the run in. Look at Newcastle under Keegan. If they reverted to type for a mid-table team they might easily end with 3 wins, 2 draws and 3 losses so dropping 13 points.
Another way of looking at this is that we normally get at least 0.7 points more per game than clubs like Leicester. So we should make up 5 or 6 points over 8 games. It is more likely that the two clubs will revert to their normal form over the next 8 matches than their current runs will continue.

 

[Spurlock]

Can't we keep it simple?

One loss one draw and we are top....6 games to match their results in whatever order.

I'll leave the rest to our lads....if we don't win it, we haven't deserved it.

 

[vimhawk]

Your nemesis (Poll, not Piskie) thinks that it is onside as a Toon defender heads it and so it becomes a second phase. Utterly, utterly wrong. How did he ever become our top ref?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...icester-s-winning-goal-against-Newcastle.html

And I bet you could find another referee who will say that isn't the second phase (whatever that really means) and Vardy is actually offside. Again, this is why I think the offside rule is bad, because any rule where two refs can see the same thing and decide different outcomes is a bad rule. Whenever refs have to decide something subjectively then bad things happen (unless you are ManU under SAF of course).

 

[Blue and White]

As I see it, Leicester are already retreating back into their own half.

Look at it as a 90 minute game. They are defending trying to hold onto a 2 goal lead. We know what can happen- Everton vs WH most recently.

One goal (3 points ) and who knows what will happen.

 

[Citizen Kane]

Leicester have been achieving pretty close to 2 points a game all season so with 8 games left the central estimate of how many points they will drop is 8. As other posters have pointed out they appear to have had slightly above average luck so far and they might also get nervous in the run in. Look at Newcastle under Keegan. If they reverted to type for a mid-table team they might easily end with 3 wins, 2 draws and 3 losses so dropping 13 points.
Another way of looking at this is that we normally get at least 0.7 points more per game than clubs like Leicester. So we should make up 5 or 6 points over 8 games. It is more likely that the two clubs will revert to their normal form over the next 8 matches than their current runs will continue.

It's this type of circa 2014 thinking that has seen them walk the league so far.

They haven't played like a 'mid-table' team since last March. We 'normally' get 0.7 points more per game than Leicester...so do City, Chelsea, United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Southampton. But this year none of them have, not just us.
"It is more likely that the two clubs will revert to their normal form over the next 8 matches than their current runs will continue". No it isn't.

I hate to be the Scrooge of the forum but I'd rather not build up the hope only to have it crushed come the end of the season, especially when that hope is with the greatest respect to my fellow posters, somewhat illogical.

 

[PowerSpurs]

It's this type of circa 2014 thinking that has seen them walk the league so far.

They haven't played like a 'mid-table' team since last March. We 'normally' get 0.7 points more per game than Leicester...so do City, Chelsea, United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Southampton. But this year none of them have, not just us.
"It is more likely that the two clubs will revert to their normal form over the next 8 matches than their current runs will continue". No it isn't.

I hate to be the Scrooge of the forum but I'd rather not build up the hope only to have it crushed come the end of the season, especially when that hope is with the greatest respect to my fellow posters, somewhat illogical.

They've got into the top position by having an exceptional run. There is no evidence at all that that means they are a much better team than they were a year ago. The performance of their competitors is irrelevant. Sport is littered with teams and individuals who've played above themselves for a spell and then fallen never to be seen again.
I'm not saying this will happen but if in this position if we get 19 points from our last 8 matches I reckon we will be champions more often than not.

 

["Thanks for that Brian"]

“It is better to fail aiming high than to succeed aiming low. And we of Spurs have set our sights very high, so high in fact that even failure will have in it an echo of glory.”

We aim to win it. Bugger what our competitors do. Players, manager. staff and supporters all together must want and will us to do it. If we fail in so doing then we will have lived up to a great man's wishes. Anything else is unacceptable.

 

[RobSpur]

They've got into the top position by having an exceptional run. There is no evidence at all that that means they are a much better team than they were a year ago. The performance of their competitors is irrelevant. Sport is littered with teams and individuals who've played above themselves for a spell and then fallen never to be seen again.
I'm not saying this will happen but if in this position if we get 19 points from our last 8 matches I reckon we will be champions more often than not.

No way will Leicester get less than 15 points.

Reckon we need 21 from 24, absolute minimum.

 

[Moorpheus19]

I don't understand the sour grapes towards Leicester. 5 points top and 11 points clear of 3rd - no team dominates to that extent after 30 games unless it's on merit.

They've had to grind out three 1-0 wins recently, but all title winning teams do at some point. And the crucial figure in those wins is the 0. They can keep clean sheets. They have a good 'keeper, a very organised back four and two central midfielders who work very hard.

They don't lack ability either. In Mahrez and Vardy, they have two of the most outstanding players this season, who score and create goals with pace and skill.

Their success so far might be unexpected, but it's for no other reason than the fact that they've been the best team.

The bitterness is because we're normally nowhere near the title race at this point of the season. Now that we are, there's another team, who are also normally nowhere near the title race (even less so than us), doing a bit better.

If this was City or Chelsea top (i.e. 'normal' teams to win the league) then the same bitterness wouldn't be present I don't think.

 

[deedub93]

The bitterness is because we're normally nowhere near the title race at this point of the season. Now that we are, there's another team, who are also normally nowhere near the title race (even less so than us), doing a bit better.

If this was City or Chelsea top (i.e. 'normal' teams to win the league) then the same bitterness wouldn't be present I don't think.

Agreed, it would be pure hatred rather than bitterness.

 

[PleaseNotPoll]

I don't understand the sour grapes towards Leicester. 5 points top and 11 points clear of 3rd - no team dominates to that extent after 30 games unless it's on merit.

They've had to grind out three 1-0 wins recently, but all title winning teams do at some point. And the crucial figure in those wins is the 0. They can keep clean sheets. They have a good 'keeper, a very organised back four and two central midfielders who work very hard.

They don't lack ability either. In Mahrez and Vardy, they have two of the most outstanding players this season, who score and create goals with pace and skill.

Their success so far might be unexpected, but it's for no other reason than the fact that they've been the best team.

Why is it sour grapes to criticise a team's playing style and point out lucky events that have gone their way?
They won again yesterday, but only managed one shot on target and it should've been chalked off for offside.
Morgan blocking a possible equaliser with his arm and getting away with it was also rather controversial.
When you're chasing that team, it's bloody annoying. Why shouldn't we mention it?

Officials make mistakes and that's just something that we have to put up with.
We shouldn't have to listen to idiots claiming that they were right after watching a ton of replays, though.
That supposedly top officials can't get things right with the assistance of technology is ridiculous.

Either the refs have been given an instruction that nobody else got or something's utterly wrong with their training.
Where's the second phase for Okazaki's goal? Vardy's offside from a cross that reaches him via a defenders flick-on.
Is someone now automatically onside if an opposition player gets a touch? If so, when did that get introduced?

 

[littleDinosaurLuke]

They've played 30 games and only two of the other 19 PL teams have been able to beat them. There's a bit more to them than a bit of good fortune.

Of course you're entitled to curse your luck. But to suggest that Leicester are lucky to be where they are is wrong. Everyone can point to isolated incidents in games and say but for this or but for that......However, it doesn't follow that if Leicester's goal had been disallowed, they wouldn't have won last night's game. Who's to say they wouldn't have found a winning goal(s) had they needed to? I've said it here many times. You can't isolate an event and claim that it alone determined the outcome of a game. It might be significant, but it's not necessarily defining.

 

[PleaseNotPoll]

They've played 30 games and only two of the other 19 PL teams have been able to beat them. There's a bit more to them than a bit of good fortune.

Of course you're entitled to curse your luck. But to suggest that Leicester are lucky to be where they are is wrong. Everyone can point to isolated incidents in games and say but for this or but for that......However, it doesn't follow that if Leicester's goal had been disallowed, they wouldn't have won last night's game. Who's to say they wouldn't have found a winning goal(s) had they needed to? I've said it here many times. You can't isolate an event and claim that it alone determined the outcome of a game. It might be significant, but it's not necessarily defining.

I didn't say that they're lucky generally, merely that they were fortunate yesterday.
People bemoaned some of the decisions that went Chelsea's way last season. Why is this different?

 

[PleaseNotPoll]

The guy taking charge of the Man Utd v Liverpool game was voted worst referee at the 2014 World Cup!
Serbian Milorad Mazic provoked this outburst by Carlos Queiroz, who was manager of Iran at the tournament:
"I have no complaints or excuses, only the frustration with a referee that nobody can understand in the world."
"How can this guy sleep tonight, or for the rest of his life?"

According to Wikipedia, his motto is: "You can't please everyone"
This should go well!

 

[MIAMI_FOX]

They've got into the top position by having an exceptional run. There is no evidence at all that that means they are a much better team than they were a year ago. The performance of their competitors is irrelevant. Sport is littered with teams and individuals who've played above themselves for a spell and then fallen never to be seen again.
I'm not saying this will happen but if in this position if we get 19 points from our last 8 matches I reckon we will be champions more often than not.

The problem with that is that our "exceptional run now" has been going for 39 games!!! not bad eh

 

["Thanks for that Brian"]

The guy taking charge of the Man Utd v Liverpool game was voted worst referee at the 2014 World Cup!
Serbian Milorad Mazic provoked this outburst by Carlos Queiroz, who was manager of Iran at the tournament:
"I have no complaints or excuses, only the frustration with a referee that nobody can understand in the world."
"How can this guy sleep tonight, or for the rest of his life?"

According to Wikipedia, his motto is: "You can't please everyone"
This should go well!

I had no interest in this game until now. Sounds like it could be essential viewing. Excellent.

 

[remembercolinlee]

It's this type of circa 2014 thinking that has seen them walk the league so far.

They haven't played like a 'mid-table' team since last March. We 'normally' get 0.7 points more per game than Leicester...so do City, Chelsea, United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Southampton. But this year none of them have, not just us.
"It is more likely that the two clubs will revert to their normal form over the next 8 matches than their current runs will continue". No it isn't.

I hate to be the Scrooge of the forum but I'd rather not build up the hope only to have it crushed come the end of the season, especially when that hope is with the greatest respect to my fellow posters, somewhat illogical.

There's only room room for one bah humbug pessimist on this board so feck off and stop stealing my thunder

 

["Thanks for that Brian"]

There's only room room for one bah humbug pessimist on this board so feck off and stop stealing my thunder

Only one pessimist? That's very un-Spursy.

 

[remembercolinlee]

There's plenty of pessimists but only room for one bah humbug grumpy pessimist. ..and that's me!
So sod off and stop arguing with me!

 

["Thanks for that Brian"]

I am currently Tigger, full of unbounded and unfounded optimism and as stupid as a bag of hammers. Fortunately for all "The most wonderful thing about Tiggers is, I'm the only one!"