Who's left in the Battle

[Loxton01]

So after yesterdays result I think there is definetly a few more teams being brought into the mire. I personally think you will need 38 or 39 points to stay up [particualarly 39 with our goal difference]

For me Reading is down. No manager I cannot see anyway they can get back into it.

QPR have a run in where you would say they can win matches particularly at home. However Saturday was massive. They will need to win at least 5 matches of 8 to have any chance for me and I just think it will be too much for them

Wigan got very lucky yesterday. Wigan play us, west ham, norwich and qpr. Again like QPR I can see them picking points up at home but struggling away as they have both spurs and man city. I can see them getting to 38 just as they do come on strong.

Sunderland. For me they are the team on the slide. They have man utd chelsea and newcastle in the next three games. If they get nothing out of them I can really see them struggling. After that they have everton at home then us. They are the team massively out of form. I can only see them picking up 6-7 max to get to 37-38 points. They have two home games against stoke and southampton at the end of the season they will need to win them for me and thats a big ask under huge pressure.

Southampton. I think they will be safe. They have a good strikeforce and are better defensively than us. They have 2-3 on paper good looking home games. I think they will be out of it.

West Ham - Like Sunderland I think there the only other team who could get drawn into. There on 33 so there going to have to have a terrible run. They have toughies like Man Utd but with that they then have alot of teams around them including Wigan. I think theyll just be ok.

I think the others like norwich, newcastle, stoke etc are safe as they will get to 38 points.

That leaves us!!! We have critical home games against Sunderland and Fulham. Win them both and I think we will be safe. Liverpool next game is massive get anything and that would be a big bonus to keep the momentum going. You can forget Man Utd away. So for me we need 8-9 points from 7 games. Norwich away and Stoke away are games we can get something from particulalry if they are safe. I would love to have the points before having to go to Wigan as Id hate having to get something there.

The last five games we have won the three we had to and lost narrowily against man city and arsenal. The last five games have given me the hope we can stay up and I think for once we had a bit of luck Saturday in terms of the way we survived the first half scored goals when we had to and didnt concede at the death!!!

[eastie]

I think we will get the points needed- i would say reading are gone and its 2 from wigan, qpr and Sunderland.

[Clampy]

It could be anyone from Stoke downwards although i can't see them being sucked into it. I can't really call it at the moment apart from Reading.

[paulcomben]

After 30 games last season, Villa were W7 D12 L11 GD-9 Pts33. This season, it is W7 D9 L14 GD-25Pts30.  In our last 8 games last season, we drew 5 and lost 3.  We have much better attacking momentum this year, but a dodgy defence.

[Damo70]

I don't believe that Fulham, Stoke, Newcastle, Norwich and West Ham can fail to get the few more points they need, even though Norwich and West Ham have had bad runs. That leaves three from six. Villa and Southampton do not look like teams that are going down based on recent results. Reading and QPR are in big trouble. That would leave Wigan and Sunderland. I actually think Wigan will go down. However, Sunderland are the team on a bad run and with home wins being crucial between now and the end of the season they appear to be the ones who are getting the most stick from their home support.

[eastie]

Sunderland still have villa and newcastle away as well as having to play man utd, Chelsea spurs and everton - the run in for wigan is much better than for Sunderland.

[paulcomben]

BTW Who's (who is left) not Whose (whose battle is this).

[dave.woodhall]

Stoke have four points from ten games - they're my favourites to slip into it.

[Clampy]

Stoke have four points from ten games - they're my favourites to slip into it.

I think Stoke will be ok. If i had to pick one who could possibly drop it's Newcastle. I thought they were shocking yesterday.

[TheMalandro]

we are our biggest threat. The way football seems to work, I cannot see anything but a last day, do or die match against Wigan

[paul_e]

I'm with Dave on this, I think I've said so on another thread last week as well, Stoke have a really tough run of games coming up where everyone they have left to play will go into it needing to win.  If Stoke don't realise they're in the battle they could easily  get drawn in during the next couple of weeks.

Away at Everton next where they'd do well to get a point, then home against us and Man Utd.  I predict we'll draw with them but they'll lose the other 2.  If so that keeps their terrible run of form going and at this point of the season momentum is everything, the reason a team gets drawn in and goes down so often is that they don't have enough time or confidence to turn things around.

West Ham are the other ones at risk but I think they've got it in them to win a couple which will see them safe.

I think we might see a fair few teams under the 40point mark this year though.

[PaulWinch again]

Stoke have four points from ten games - they're my favourites to slip into it.

I think Stoke will be ok. If i had to pick one who could possibly drop it's Newcastle. I thought they were shocking yesterday.

Not as bad as Sunderland, they are awful and have less individual talent than Newcastle.

[Damo70]

I think that when I did the BBC football predictor last week I had seven teams on less than forty points.

[dave.woodhall]

Stoke have four points from ten games - they're my favourites to slip into it.

I think Stoke will be ok. If i had to pick one who could possibly drop it's Newcastle. I thought they were shocking yesterday.

I said Stoke because while I think Newcastle might also struggle, they've been in it all season. Stoke are my 'from nowhere right into the thick of it' like us in 1995 & 2003.

[Clampy]

Stoke have four points from ten games - they're my favourites to slip into it.

I think Stoke will be ok. If i had to pick one who could possibly drop it's Newcastle. I thought they were shocking yesterday.

I said Stoke because while I think Newcastle might also struggle, they've been in it all season. Stoke are my 'from nowhere right into the thick of it' like us in 1995 & 2003.

Possibly, i hope you're right.