9pts away from...

[nigel]

I've said all season that we'll finish in the 9th, 10th & 11th bracket.
I feel our home form has to improve, though. Having said that, I also feel that out home support must improve. I'm not tarring everyone with the same brush, but, the home support turn too quickly. The away team must know that they only have to pressure us and the supporters turn against the team.
The away support is fantastic. My mate, a Wolves fan, said that when Warnock made a great tackle on Kighty in front of the Villa fans you literaly saw his confidence swell up.
If we could transfer that away support to home fixtures I'm convinced it would have a possitive effect on the players.
I would love to hear the crowd get behind the team if/when we go a goal down.

[pauliewalnuts]

Our support is no different to anyone else's, really. There's certainly not a team in the country who doesn't have the home / away support contrast, either.

I think the days of the home support lifting the team before the team give them something to get excited about are long gone, a consequence of expensive tickets changing the way people act at matches. So, I wouldn't expect that to happen, unfortunately.

If the team show a bit of belief and have a go, though, the crowd will get behind them. The Arsenal match was a good example. Despite losing, it was the only home game in a decent sequence where we didn't get booed off, the reason being we had a go, and the crowd responded to it. There was hardly any moaning that night. In fact, I can't speak for others, but I left the ground exhilarated, despite losing.

[richard moore]

Our support is no different to anyone else's, really. There's certainly not a team in the country who doesn't have the home / away support contrast, either.

I think the days of the home support lifting the team before the team give them something to get excited about are long gone, a consequence of expensive tickets changing the way people act at matches. So, I wouldn't expect that to happen, unfortunately.

If the team show a bit of belief and have a go, though, the crowd will get behind them. The Arsenal match was a good example. Despite losing, it was the only home game in a decent sequence where we didn't get booed off, the reason being we had a go, and the crowd responded to it. There was hardly any moaning that night. In fact, I can't speak for others, but I left the ground exhilarated, despite losing.

I am looking right now at one of a set of black and white postcards on my wall of fans in flares and with long hair and scarves hanging from their wrists queueing to get into the Holte End prior to a match. Remember those days? I used to worry that getting to the ground at 1pm might be too late for the big really big ones such as Man Utd...

[Concrete John]

A decent win on Saturday, but I can't see that a lot has changed - a couple of bad results and we'll slide a few places down the table; a couple of good ones and we can push into the top half. Things can turn around pretty swiftly in the Premier League, especially this season. I can't see us being in a relegation battle - we've shown enough to suggest we can beat those teams in the bottom places.

A good sign of progress will be if we can secure successive victories and put together some sort of consistent run.

This pretty much sums it up for me.

Thing is we'll probably have both the couple of bad results and couple of good results between now and May, so probably end up pretty close to where we are now.  Consistency is the key, so if AM gets that right we'll push towards 6th. 

[andrew08]

It is certainly a contrast of mood though supporting at home as to going away. At VP I'm cold sober and usually sit back, arms crossed, waiting to be entertained. I'll maybe jump up for a corner or something. But I'm extremely cynical at best and absolutely certain of defeat !

Away though I'm generally a little bit boozed up, more than likely standing, singing my head off and proper up for it. If warnock had done that header against Everton in front of an away end rather than the Holte, most would probably have laughed rather than boo'd.

An away goal celebration is why I still watch footy....one of lifes best feelings.

[Chris Smith]

Our support is no different to anyone else's, really. There's certainly not a team in the country who doesn't have the home / away support contrast, either.

True but it is more marked at VP thus season than I ever remember it. That's partly down to results but also because of a collective loss of confidence; all the certainties of the MON era have disappeared and people aren't sure of the direction of the club.

We need a good home win to spark things off.

[john e]

never been worried about relegation, not this season or last, to much quality in the team to go down.
all the huffing and puffing about being doomed was way of the mark,

 even an unadventures AM is capable of a mid table position with this team, and in fairness he is trying to be more attacking, certainly with his lineups.

[VILLA MOLE]

13 points from safety is how  I see it and and 4 months away from Heskey leaving bless him

[James]

I said last week that consecutive wins at Dogheads and home to QPR were essential. I stand by that. A loss to QPR would destroy the win at Dogheads just as Swansea destroyed the Chelsea result, whereas back-to-back wins will give us the lift we've been needing. Draws in either game were/are not enough. The truth is we could as easily finish safely upper-mid table as right in the shit, and with our form this season nobody can safely predict which, and won't until we get some consistency going. Certainly not safe yet, and with Blackburn, Bolton and QPR improving we need to ensure that we do too!

[pauliewalnuts]

Our support is no different to anyone else's, really. There's certainly not a team in the country who doesn't have the home / away support contrast, either.

True but it is more marked at VP thus season than I ever remember it. That's partly down to results but also because of a collective loss of confidence; all the certainties of the MON era have disappeared and people aren't sure of the direction of the club.

We need a good home win to spark things off.

We certainly do. Something to spark the confidence. Everyone is tense, fans and players, and it doesn't help. The booing doesn't help either, especially not at half time when they've still got to come back out and play another 45 minutes.

I also think you need to look at the current run of results, plus the fact that we were largely rubbish at home last year, and unentertaining for a couple of years before that at home to see why people are a touch underwhelmed.

[pauliewalnuts]

I said last week that consecutive wins at Dogheads and home to QPR were essential. I stand by that. A loss to QPR would destroy the win at Dogheads just as Swansea destroyed the Chelsea result,

That was what was so frustrating - following Chelsea with the rubbish against Swansea. Very much like last year, when a great performance and 3-3 draw at Chelsea was followed by a meek surrender at home to Sunderland.

[Concrete John]

Lets not forget that in between Wolves and QPR we also have the cup game at Arsenal, which will also effect the team's confidence one way or the other, dependent on result. 

[Dave Clark Five]

I said last week that consecutive wins at Dogheads and home to QPR were essential. I stand by that. A loss to QPR would destroy the win at Dogheads just as Swansea destroyed the Chelsea result,

Very much like last year, when a great performance and 3-3 draw at Chelsea was followed by a meek surrender at home to Sunderland.

I call on dazzyg to find a reason to blame McLeish for that.

[pauliewalnuts]

Lets not forget that in between Wolves and QPR we also have the cup game at Arsenal, which will also effect the team's confidence one way or the other, dependent on result. 

To be honest, unless we got an absolute panning, I don't think that'd be too negative if we lost it.

Despite having a fantastic record there, most people will be expecting us to lose. I think if anything, the cup match will maybe give them a break from the pressures of the league.

Anyway, we're going to win, so it won't be a problem.

[Concrete John]

Lets not forget that in between Wolves and QPR we also have the cup game at Arsenal, which will also effect the team's confidence one way or the other, dependent on result. 

To be honest, unless we got an absolute panning, I don't think that'd be too negative if we lost it.

Despite having a fantastic record there, most people will be expecting us to lose. I think if anything, the cup match will maybe give them a break from the pressures of the league.

Anyway, we're going to win, so it won't be a problem.

And when we do we'll be going into QPR with great confidence.

And lose 1 nil to a set piece.