Les-TA-Jon

Are you for real? You've been banging on about August all this time... Of course I discounted it. You've been the one obsessed with August and 'once this team of Galacticos was assembled by 29th August' and now the cold hard facts don't fit your arbitrary narrative you're now saying 'oh can we count some of the results I didn't like in September too?' It's quite simple. You LITERALLY played 4 league games in August. You got 5 points out of 12. You've had other 4 game runs that have UNCONTESTABLY resulted in fewer points - 4 out of 12

Try again. 6th August Leeds vs Cardiff 2-2 12th August Birmingham vs Leeds 1-0 18th August Leeds vs West Brom 1-1 26th August Ipswich vs Leeds 3-4 5 points out of 12 16th December Leeds vs Coventry 1-1 23rd December Leeds vs Ipswich 4-0 26th December Preston vs Leeds 2-1 29th December West Brom vs Leeds 1-0 4 points out of 12

A few things can be true at once: - Leicester were the better side vs Leeds for most of the game - Leicester capitulated in the final 10 mins - Leeds got the job done and found a way to win - Leeds are in great form and currently the in form team - if you arbitrarily look at the post-August table, Leeds have more points than Leicester - if you look at the actual table Leicester have 6 more points than Leeds - @Pub breath is obsessed with August and overstates how much of a disruption it was Note that Leeds have had 4 game runs with a worse points return that their August, which kinda renders the whole ‘August’ argument a bit pointless…

Vardy’s miss vs Boro was worse and cost us the same amount of points. I imagine you won’t be forgiving Vardy either?

Apart from all the times we've done it this season...

A loss/bad performance shouldn't be expected but it's totally not out of the question. I think the fanbase needs to recognise that the next 5 fixtures could be our hardest run of the season - could be something like 1 win in 5 with losses to Leeds and Southampton (but obviously I'd back us to do better). By the end of it, the table could look tighter than it ever has, but then we can kick on again in the final 8 games. We'll only invite pressure on ourselves if everyone panics.

With a nonsensical and unintuitive colour system I might add!

New version. It's tricky though because are the bottom third 'easiest = green' or should they be amber for 'yeah they're bad and down there for a reason but they'll be scrapping to avoid relegation' There's an argument to say that it's the middle third that should be green for 'easiest' fixtures as they have less to play for. This is what that looks like: Ahhhhh I think it might be better to just subscribe to the 'no easy games in the Championship' cliche! Will be a lot of twists and turns yet!

Likewise. A win for us is fantastic and makes it very very difficult to overtake us A draw is a huge blow for Leeds who need to win A loss does not decide our overall fate

I think people are worried about the perceived idea that losing to them is a 'wheels coming off' and 'leeds overtaking us' moment - I sense people more worried about it being the beginning of the end more than the match itself. I think the Leicester fanbase will probably lack the maturity to stomach the fact that the gap between all the top 4 is likely to shrink between now and the end of the Southampton game (the next 5 matches) but even if it does I back us to have a better finish and get over the line anyhow. For clarity, whilst I think Leeds are favourites on Friday, I'm not worried about the above, just trying to second guess other people

Even if they all get maximum points it's: Leeds 108 Ipswich 108 Southampton 106 They literally can't anyway, because they play each other And for us to get something like 105 points we can do W8 D3 L2 (specifically vs Leeds and Southampton)

Have the 33 games so far not been a slog? Have we not already shown fight and consistent high standards to get to and maintain where we are? Winning 13 out of the opening 14 games. Winning from behind vs Coventry on the opening day. Last minute winner vs Cardiff. Battering Southampton 4-1 at their place. 2-0 away at an in-form Norwich. Ground out 1-0 at home vs Bristol. 4-1 away at Blackburn with them in decent nick at the time. 3-0 vs Preston when they were top half had a few scalps already and turned up with the most negative bus parking I've seen. 3-1 away win vs Swansea who were playing good stuff at the time. Late winner with a worldie from Winks vs QPR, after their late equaliser. Responding to the double loss vs Leeds and Middlesbrough with 10 games unbeaten, including 8 wins - including grinding out the 2-0 vs Watford, last minute winner vs West Brom, two tight 3-2s vs Millwall and Birmingham, 1-1 away to Ipswich Etc etc.

Hence why I update it...

Oh OK then. So even if he does only have one plan (which he doesn't), it doesn't matter...

I think the nature of the league is there are very few if any dead rubbers in the run in

Or even brighter? @Ricey

Better?

The trouble for your argument is that the plan virtually always works...

Tidbit: Southampton can no longer get the 107 point record. Leeds and Ipswich can't achieve it if they lose a single game

Just updated this. As I've said before, a few weeks back, by the end of MW 38, I think the gap between the top 4 will have shrunk right down. Ipswich and Leeds have an opportunity to really close the gap. But if we navigate the next 5 without the wheels coming off, and keep calm on the back of some 'bad' results, then we've the opportunity in the final 8 games to pull away again. Even if we do something like W8 D3 L2 (to Leeds and Southampton) we finish on 105. Ipswich and Leeds can only get 108 with max points Southampton can only get 106 with max points And they can't all do that since they all play each other

From who's side? His or Maresca or....?

More playing around with outlooks: If we lose to both Leeds and Southampton, have 3 draws and then win the other 8, we finish on 105. If Leeds win all their games, draw with Southampton and draw 1 other game If Southampton win all their games and draw with Ipswich and Leeds If Ipswich win all their games, with 2 draws including vs Southampton: The remaining form and final table looks like this We've dropped points in 8 games out of 33. Even if we drop points in 5 games out of 13, we're giving the others a mountain to climb.

It's 105, because it's "lose to Leeds and Southampton, draw 3 and win the other 8" I typo'd the 8 into a 7

Happy to be told where I was antagonistic, argumentative or offended. I thought it was an interesting discussion and reasoned debate.

But the ongoing, overall run rate looks like: 97 points for us would be W5 D4 L4