The run-in for the "looking" doomed

[Toronto Villa]

Not that this is any attempt to temper the mood on here tonight, but given today's disaster, I thought it might draw some perspective looking at everyone elses run in. Just as we are in the dumps right now, it isn't going to be easy for the others between now and the end. All of us have very tricky games to negotiate and I doubt the spirits at those clubs are any better than ours. Today was bad, and not for a minute am I trying to deflect anything. But our run in isn't any more daunting than these other teams:

The Table:

 
Barclays Premier League table
Team                         P GD PTS
 
13 Blackburn             30 -12 33
14 Aston Villa            30 -14 33
15 Blackpool              30 -15 33
16 West Brom           30 -15 33
17 West Ham            30 -13 32
18 Wolves                 30 -14 32
19 Birmingham          29 -13 31
20 Wigan                  30 -22 30

Blackburn:            Villa:                      Blackpool:           West Brom:              West Ham:            Wolves:              Birmingham:      Wigan:

Arsenal (a)           Everton (a)            Fulham (a)          Liverpool (h)            Man U (h)              Newcastle (a)      Bolton (h)           Spurs (h)
Birmingham (h)    Newcastle (h)         Arsenal (h)         Sunderland (a)         Bolton (a)              Everton (h)          Blackburn (a)     Chelsea (a)
Everton (h)          West Ham (a)        Wigan (h)             Chelsea (h)             VILLA (h)               Stoke (a)          Sunderland (h)   Blackpool (a)
Man City (a)         Stoke (h)               Newcastle (h)      Spurs (a)                Chelsea (a)           Fulham (h)            Chelsea (a)         Sunderland  (a)
                                                                                                                                                                   Liverpool (a)
Bolton (h)             West Brom (a)        Stoke (h)            VILLA (h)                 Man City (a)         Birmingham (h)     Wolves (h)         Everton (h)     
West Ham (a)       Wigan (h)               Spurs (a)            Wolves (a)              Blackburn (h)         West Brom (h)     Newcastle (a)     VILLA (a)
Man U (h)              Arsenal (a)             Bolton (h)           Everton (h)              Wigan (a)             Sunderland (a)      Fulham (h)        West Ham (h)
Wolves (a)           Liverpool (h)           Man U (a)            Newcastle (a)          Sunderland (h)     Blackburn (h)        Spurs (a)           Stoke (a)

[The Man With A Stick]

But some of the others (Wolves, Albion and Blackpool specifically) seem to be able to pick up shock results, whereas we don't.  We simply have to beat Wigan, Albion and West Ham, otherwise we're dead.

[avfcpg]

It's going to be a right old scrap now. I can see this going to the wire...not finishing Bolton off t'other week followed by that today has left us well and truly in it...confidence looks absolutely shot to pieces..

[Toronto Villa]

But some of the others (Wolves, Albion and Blackpool specifically) seem to be able to pick up shock results, whereas we don't.  We simply have to beat Wigan, Albion and West Ham, otherwise we're dead.

true, but they also lose games they have a chance of winning. Which is why they are down there with us. Blackburn got battered by us, should have lost today and came back for a point. I can't predict what any of those teams will do from one game to next, and that very much includes us. If any of those teams puts together any semblence of a positive run, they'll get out. We have to be that team.

[ozzjim]

I posted from the ground at half time, we just look like a team beaten at the moment, and from our fixtures I don't glean much confidence. We need to get back to basics, possibly even going to a traditional 4-4-2, get Heskey up with Bent and Ash out wide. Reo Coker and Makoun in the centre of midfield, get the big men back at the back with Collins, Clark and Cuellar alongside Walker. Then go to war. There is enough quality to finish top8, but they have to start doing it.

[pauliewalnuts]

I understand why you'd look at those fixtures with some hope, but it wasn't that long ago that we were looking at the start of our "easy" run in and thnking we'd be ok.

Fulham
Blackpool
Blackburn
Bolton
Wolves.

5 points from 15 there. Not nearly enough

Our problem is one which will affect us regardless of who we play - Man United or Wigan - we have zero spirit. None at all.

[Rip Van We Go Again]

- we have zero spirit. None at all.

Spot on.
I'd say we are by far the most gutless of all the bottom 8.

[Billy Walker]

We can either throw in the towel or get the fight and spirit going again.  We've got to get the positive vibes flowing and get behind the club and the players.  The fans can play a big part in getting us firing again, of that I am sure.  Eight games to go - we are far from doomed.  We need to make Villa Park an absolute fortress for those remaining four home matches and LIFT the lads. 

(Does Mazrim still have that orange dot?  We need to dust it down and get the positive vibes buzzing again.)

[TheSandman]

Wolves are a limited side and a team we simply had to beat. If we cannot beat them then we will struggle to beat anyone. I can see some of the other teams picking up points but I struggle to see where ours are going to come from. I'm hopeless at predicting anything so I'm not even going to try to look at the fixtures and see what is going to happen.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

I posted from the ground at half time, we just look like a team beaten at the moment, and from our fixtures I don't glean much confidence. We need to get back to basics, possibly even going to a traditional 4-4-2, get Heskey up with Bent and Ash out wide. Reo Coker and Makoun in the centre of midfield, get the big men back at the back with Collins, Clark and Cuellar alongside Walker. Then go to war. There is enough quality to finish top8, but they have to start doing it.

And give the captaincy to NRC. He thrives on it. Tell Ashley to concentrate on what he does best, out wide, cutting in. We need warriors not wimps.

[Toronto Villa]

- we have zero spirit. None at all.

Spot on.
I'd say we are by far the most gutless of all the bottom 8.

thing is we looked gutless today. Let's dismiss the Man City game for all the obvious reasons, but playing against Bolton and Blackburn we didn't look gutless for long spells, and should have won easily against a good Bolton side. We lacked belief today, and I just wonder how much this weeks events actually affected the club. I think the club tried to put as positive a spin on it as possible, but there's some deep rooted stuff there that they clearly cannot shake.

[ozzjim]

Agreed Mark. Taking NRC off today was a bigger sin than Albirghton for me who apart from a run early, had done nothing second half. Ashley is petulant, and annoying. Reo Coker is a fighter, and possibly our only one really.

[richard moore]

Waste of time, this sort of thread. The other teams at the bottom are showing they can get results against the top sides

We are showing we can't beat any of the lower sides

[Toronto Villa]

Waste of time, this sort of thread. The other teams at the bottom are showing they can get results against the top sides

We are showing we can't beat any of the lower sides

how is this a waste Richard? How are the other sides around showing any more form than us? Wigan and Wolves won today. But they've been bollocks all season which is why they are where they are. How are any of the sides around us getting results against the top sides? Come on, I know things are bleak but that's just nonsense.

[The Situation]

I look at it how many points it'll take to be relegated and many points we' re realistically going to get. I hope we can have atleast 42 points by the final 2 games because that's when it starts to get worrying.

Look at it as pessimistic as you can. Even a draw today would mean 1 point closer to staying up.