Ric Flair Posted 16 December 2020 Posted 16 December 2020 After last seasons capitulation, I'm not even considering us having the bollocks to cope with the pressure of being in a title race. This season the winners are likely to be less than 90 points, possibly a similar points total to when we won it in 2015/16 but I don't expect us to be doing that again. Obviously it would be less of a shock if we did but I'm just trying to enjoy us overcoming last season and trying to progress and develop in the league and in Europe. Top 6 and a good go at the EL will be a good season, anything else is a real bonus. 2
Xen Posted 16 December 2020 Posted 16 December 2020 We were in a similar position this time last year having just won 8 on the bounce with a fully fit squad, and we know what happened after that... Of course its possible, but there are at least 4-5 other teams who'll be saying the exact same thing who are better placed currently and/or have better resources than we do, so it'd be foolish to put too much stock into it at this stage. Hold fire, see where we are around GW25-30 and maybe then we can talk about how things will play out at the sharp end of the season. We've still got european football to contend with as well as a domestic cup, all with a squad which doesn't (currently) have a huge amount of depth, and we've already shown to falter under little pressure on more than one occasion this season. There's a hell of a lot of games still to go, so just enjoy it whilst its happening and dont worry too much about what might be.
Japanfox Posted 16 December 2020 Posted 16 December 2020 It's Christmas and it's the time to believe. We all want the PL present.....right lads. Tis the season to be jolly......
Julian Joachim Jr Shabadoo Posted 16 December 2020 Posted 16 December 2020 Nah not after last season, but to fight for top 4 would be great With the inconsistency of pretty much everyone though, I think the points tally for top spot will be the lowest since we won it, interesting to see Liverpool and Man City dropping points so regularly this year
CosbehFox Posted 16 December 2020 Posted 16 December 2020 If you want a sobering reply, we had more points at this stage last season and look how that went 2 1
Stevosevic Posted 16 December 2020 Posted 16 December 2020 Too early. We've lost 4 games already which isn't a good sign 1
shen Posted 16 December 2020 Posted 16 December 2020 We've been very inconsistent already this season and with so many teams already bunched at the top, I don't think we stick out. I think we can improve on last season, but expectations are very different from December 2015. Fans are quickly getting accustomed to us consistently challenging for Europe, which was a pipe dream just a few years ago.
Julian Joachim Jr Shabadoo Posted 16 December 2020 Posted 16 December 2020 9 minutes ago, Stevosevic said: Too early. We've lost 4 games already which isn't a good sign It's not, but to put a spin on it, we've only dropped points in 4 matches. Liverpool and Spurs have dropped points in 5 each
nnfox Posted 16 December 2020 Posted 16 December 2020 It's very difficult to win the league when you drop lots of points in home games against West Ham, Villa and Fulham. Also, the pack is very tight this season. There are 5 points covering the top 10 and Villa are only 2 points behind with two games in hand over most. So many teams in with a shout of top 4/winning it. If we can go on a run of 5 or 6 consecutive wins by the end of January, then we'd give ourselves a chance, but I think, realistically, we are too inconsistent to do that this season.
Ric Flair Posted 16 December 2020 Posted 16 December 2020 1 minute ago, nnfox said: It's very difficult to win the league when you drop lots of points in home games against West Ham, Villa and Fulham. Also, the pack is very tight this season. There are 5 points covering the top 10 and Villa are only 2 points behind with two games in hand over most. So many teams in with a shout of top 4/winning it. If we can go on a run of 5 or 6 consecutive wins by the end of January, then we'd give ourselves a chance, but I think, realistically, we are too inconsistent to do that this season. Yeah, we can't be losing 12 games over the course of a season and realistically be in with a chance of winning it. I think it will still be around 80-85 points that wins it so we would need to be averaging 2.3 points a game which will require an improvement over the course of the season. Getting Ricardo, Castagne and Soyuncu back though makes that more of a possibility but still a huge ask and not one we really ought to expect to happen.
CosbehFox Posted 16 December 2020 Posted 16 December 2020 31 minutes ago, Stevosevic said: Too early. We've lost 4 games already which isn't a good sign We’ve also won more games than anyone else in the league
Nalis Posted 16 December 2020 Posted 16 December 2020 The table is very congested, we'll do well to finish top 6. Still think we'll finish 9th as we can only really rest players in the FA Cup.
shen Posted 16 December 2020 Posted 16 December 2020 25 minutes ago, Ric Flair said: Yeah, we can't be losing 12 games over the course of a season and realistically be in with a chance of winning it. I think it will still be around 80-85 points that wins it so we would need to be averaging 2.3 points a game which will require an improvement over the course of the season. Getting Ricardo, Castagne and Soyuncu back though makes that more of a possibility but still a huge ask and not one we really ought to expect to happen. This is assuming that 1) they will be back playing at their normal levels within a short space of time, 2) they don't suffer recurring injuries (RIP Soyuncu) and 3) that the rest of our squad stays mostly injury-free, which is not likely in this congested season with Europa League and both domestic cup competitions to contend with as well.
M0901 Posted 16 December 2020 Posted 16 December 2020 If we lose tonight this thread will take a hammering...😁 2
Ric Flair Posted 16 December 2020 Posted 16 December 2020 30 minutes ago, shen said: This is assuming that 1) they will be back playing at their normal levels within a short space of time, 2) they don't suffer recurring injuries (RIP Soyuncu) and 3) that the rest of our squad stays mostly injury-free, which is not likely in this congested season with Europa League and both domestic cup competitions to contend with as well. Would be highly unlikely to get all 3 suffering recurring injuries and not returning to their previous high standard. 1
mozartfox Posted 16 December 2020 Posted 16 December 2020 Just enjoy. Get to 40 pts first and foremost. After last seasons brain-fart, anything can happen to us.
HighPeakFox Posted 16 December 2020 Posted 16 December 2020 Just to remind you, the OP simply asked if anyone is thinking about a possibility, however small. 1
ARM1968 Posted 16 December 2020 Posted 16 December 2020 Couple of results either way and we look like challenges or muppets. It’s tight and everyone is inconsistent. Any team now in the top 5 or 6 who hit a consistent streak will likely pull away. I’m not betting on us being that team.
MPH Posted 16 December 2020 Posted 16 December 2020 Ask me again around the end of feb. Not before christmas!
shen Posted 16 December 2020 Posted 16 December 2020 20 minutes ago, Ric Flair said: Would be highly unlikely to get all 3 suffering recurring injuries and not returning to their previous high standard. One is already affected and we haven't had an appearance from Ricardo since his 45 min cameo against Zorya, missing the subsequent three games, which could indicate something's up. We have no idea about Castagne yet. It would also be highly unlikely that the rest of our squad manage the hectic schedule without any costly injuries.
The_77 Posted 16 December 2020 Posted 16 December 2020 Let’s get through this small matter first... 1 1
LVFox Posted 16 December 2020 Posted 16 December 2020 There are too many reasons for us to fall away unfortunately. 1) We aren't strong enough mentally 2) We are too inconsistent 3) European football will play its part on our squad (could argue it already is) I still think as good as our start has been, if we qualify for any kind of european football next year it's been a fantastic season. 1
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