With SIX games remaining..

[shen]

We're not going to keep this excellent points form up. We WILL slip up in some of those games.

After all, we are down at the bottom of the table, which is mostly due to a lack of quality.

Likewise, you have to assume teams around us will be picking up points too.

 

There is no doubt in my mind that we are better than Burnley, QPR and Sunderland, but can the team keep their heads cool in what is bound to be some very nervy affairs?

[bovril]

I really think QPR will be mathematically down when we play them. If we are out of the zone with that one game to go, I am confident we'll do it.

[talking_goldfish]

I really think QPR will be mathematically down when we play them. If we are out of the zone with that one game to go, I am confident we'll do it.

 

If we were to need a result to stay up then this would be the ideal scenario.

 

If QPR were already mentally in the Championship with nothing to play for you'd think we'd be a cert for a win at home, you'd think...

[reynard]

At the moment things look quite good but next week we could easily be bottom again and then things won't be so positive. We're still in a mess and I reckon still need 9 points to be sure.

I think all the teams at the bottom will get around 35/36 points. It is surprising how teams at the bottom rally towards the end of the season.

Burnley away is vitallly important. A win there would be a significant step forwards towards survival. Especially as they have probably as easy a run in as us.

QPR will beat both West Ham and Newcastle at home.

 

Outside of our matches the Hull vs Burnley game is huge.

[bovril]

If we were to need a result to stay up then this would be the ideal scenario.

 

If QPR were already mentally in the Championship with nothing to play for you'd think we'd be a cert for a win at home, you'd think...

 

It can work both ways. I remember going to Hillsborough in 2000 and they beat us 4-0 even though they were 'mentally' in the 2nd tier. The occasion could get to us, we could freeze, Pearson could bottle it. It's going to be tight whatever happens.

[NotTheMarketLeader]

I was a slim chance last week, but the win is now making it a 50/50 chance.

If we avoid defeat at Burnley, we stay ahead and that's a massive blow for them, as they need to win.

Lose and we are back in the ***t, with the pressure piling on.

Note to Nige: please don't bottle it and play for the draw - you have proven over the period 4/10/14 to 03/04/15 we are no good at that game.

[Fox Ulike]

I was a slim chance last week, but the win is now making it a 50/50 chance.

If we avoid defeat at Burnley, we stay ahead and that's a massive blow for them, as they need to win.

Lose and we are back in the ***t, with the pressure piling on.

Note to Nige: please don't bottle it and play for the draw - you have proven over the period 4/10/14 to 03/04/15 we are no good at that game.

 

Agree. I think we're at 50/50 now. One thing that our recent form will do is make Hull and Sunderland realise that they are now in a real battle.

 

However I think a draw at Burnley will be a good result.

Hopefully Pearson will realise that playing at Home to a team like Swansea (with nothing to play for) is a totally different scenario to playing away at Burnley. We’re not going to be able to out-fight Burnley as easily as we did Swansea who were already ‘on the beach’, as they say.

[ealingfox]

Hull and Sunderland both have at least 1 win left in them, surprise or otherwise. I think we will need more than 35 to stay up.

 

How anyone can say that any team is virtually/pretty much/basically already down at this point given what we've just done over the last 3 games is beyond me.

[midland_red]

Still 50-50 for me (pessimistic as usual...)

My thinking is that we are bound to have unexpected and unpreditable reverses, and Dull and Sunderland are likely to do better than their form and fixture list would suggest..

[NotTheMarketLeader]

Still 50-50 for me (pessimistic as usual...)

My thinking is that we are bound to have unexpected and unpreditable reverses, and Dull and Sunderland are likely to do better than their form and fixture list would suggest..

The last point is something people should be considering, which they don't seem to be at present.

That is, it is possible that others will pick up points and even win games. We will probably lose games. Not sure that circumstance is being considered a high probability on here now though.

It's going to be a nightmare the next few weeks.

[Harry - LCFC]

Hull and Sunderland both have at least 1 win left in them, surprise or otherwise. I think we will need more than 35 to stay up.

 

How anyone can say that any team is virtually/pretty much/basically already down at this point given what we've just done over the last 3 games is beyond me.

 

I agree with you, comments like "Hull are down for me", "we don't need to be concerned about QPR overtaking us" are all bollocks. People do it because they like to present themselves as knowledgeable and assertive.

[The Doctor]

Hull and Sunderland both have at least 1 win left in them, surprise or otherwise. I think we will need more than 35 to stay up.

How anyone can say that any team is virtually/pretty much/basically already down at this point given what we've just done over the last 3 games is beyond me.

Both have awful run ins - I can see hull getting 1 or 2 results from Burnley and palace but they're not easy games, and if I were a Sunderland fan I'd see Leicester at home as the only winnable match - I certainly can't see them getting the 7+ points needed to make 35 not enough

[trabuch]

I hope everyone who voted 50/50 or less is going to put their money where their miserable mouths are - you can get odds of better than 2-1 against. 

[ealingfox]

Both have awful run ins - I can see hull getting 1 or 2 results from Burnley and palace but they're not easy games, and if I were a Sunderland fan I'd see Leicester at home as the only winnable match - I certainly can't see them getting the 7+ points needed to make 35 not enough

 

I'm sure even Sunderland fans said similar last season when staring relegation in the face and facing trips to the Etihad, Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge.

[shen]

I hope everyone who voted 50/50 or less is going to put their money where their miserable mouths are - you can get odds of better than 2-1 against. 

 

What a 'miserable' response that is.

We're still occupying a relegation place and some are acting as if it is a foregone conclusion that we will leapfrog Hull and/or Sunderland while keeping Burnley and QPR behind us.

I hope that the belief the players and Pearson should have now, will carry on until the very final day.

Not only that, but that this belief will translate into results which we haven't gotten prior to the three most recent games.

Who's to say we will have the rub of the green for the run-in?

Far be it from miserable to assess our chances as '50/50', it's just realistic!

[Fox Ulike]

I hope everyone who voted 50/50 or less is going to put their money where their miserable mouths are - you can get odds of better than 2-1 against. 

 

Well if they voted 50/50 then which way are you suggesting they bet?? You gimp!!

[gurru991]

All the other relegation candidates will be playing some desperate football ... We can do it but it ain't gonna be easy

[NotTheMarketLeader]

What a 'miserable' response that is.

We're still occupying a relegation place and some are acting as if it is a foregone conclusion that we will leapfrog Hull and/or Sunderland while keeping Burnley and QPR behind us.

I hope that the belief the players and Pearson should have now, will carry on until the very final day.

Not only that, but that this belief will translate into results which we haven't gotten prior to the three most recent games.

Who's to say we will have the rub of the green for the run-in?

Far be it from miserable to assess our chances as '50/50', it's just realistic!

Anything

I'm with you on this.

We could play well, get another shocking penalty against us, Wes could score another own goal with his arse, Kasper could leave Burnley 9/10ths of the goal to aim at when we've missed 10 golden chances. The list goes on.

Have those who think we are shoo ins to stay up seen nothing and learnt nothing about the unpredictability of football in the last 8 months?

**** knows what's going to happen.

[DANGEROUS TIGER]

Pretty slim, in my book, but I look forward to being proved wrong.

[eye666]

Sorry but how have we got a slim chance of survival? I think we'll be comfortable if we keep playing like we have. The past few games have brought back a winning mentality and that is priceless at this level.

We have some big games ahead but I would wager that the teams will be very fearful of us. The burnley, Sunderland and qpr games are certainly double edged swords, but we are definitely better teams than all of them. We've found that winning formula and I'm confident (but by no means taking it for granted) that if we go our play how we have been that we will win and win well.

Nigel... Cometh the hour, cometh the man...

[weller54]

Pretty slim, in my book, but I look forward to being proved wrong.

You will be!

[Carl the Llama]

You'll forgive me for not getting carried away just yet, this forum has a nasty habit of swinging from one emotional extreme to the other.   We can stay up, but slip up against Burnley and our chances drop right back off again (and this place will go back to being unbearably negative once more).

[nnfox]

I have been through lots of permutations.  It's doing my head in.  What I have found is that most chains of results have us going into the QPR game needing a win to guarantee safety.  Confidence is a massive factor.  The last 3 games have been great - playing without fear and full of confidence and we need to continue with that style.  There is a danger that if we approach the Burnley game as a "musn't lose" and change our style and then lose the game, the momentum will stutter.  Nerves amongst the players and us fans creep in and then we have Chelsea to play and that's back to back defeats and all of a sudden the pressure is back on for the Newcastle game. 

 

So, at the moment I'd say our chances are quite good and continue to be quite good if we beat Burnley.  Anything other than a win on Saturday and I'd say 50/50

[nnfox]

Thankfully Charlie Nicholas has published an article titled "How to beat Chelsea".  I am a bit more confident now, providing Nigel reads this article and follows the instructions that should be another 3 points in the bag.  Thanks Charlie!

[Leeds Fox]

The amount of 6 pointers left to play amongst the bottom teams means that it could easily swing from week to week. I expect the bottom 3 to rotate a few times between now and the QPR game. Anyone could go down, there is so many variable to affect the final standings it's too hard to even guess yet!