Who's left in the Battle

[dave.woodhall]

There are three things you can guarantee because they happen every year. One club will drop like a stone, one will put together a run to get out of trouble earlier than they thought and one will win a couple of games only to drop back in it when they think they're safe.

Yes and hopefully we're option two in that scenario rather than option three.

... is what I was thinking as well.

[john2710]

I see Lawro in the Mirror is still tipping us to go down with Reading & QPR. With Wigan staying clear of the drop despite being 3 points behind us.

Evidently Sunderland, Southampton et-al have nothing to worry about.

[PeterWithe]

You'd also hope that Liverpool, Man Utd and Chelsea probably aren't in the sort of form to stick 4/5 up us and damage the fragile confidence.

[Lastfootstamper]

I see Lawro in the Mirror is still tipping us to go down with Reading & QPR. With Wigan staying clear of the drop despite being 3 points behind us.

Evidently Sunderland, Southampton et-al have nothing to worry about.

Well heaven forbid he'd ever actually give something some thought before it emanates from his head.
"Shit, I've gotta get that article emailed off in five minutes! Where's that league table? Right, bottom two, they'll do, Wigan's goal difference is better than Villa's, bound to win their game in hand, so let's have them in there too.
And......send.
Phew, almost didn't get paid there!"

[DeKuip]

Every team from Fulham (36pts) down is still in it but realistically I think they, Newcastle and West Ham have enough to get the necessary points.
I think Reading and QPR will go, which leaves one from us Wigan, Southampton, Sunderland, Norwich and Stoke.
Personally I like the way Wigan play, and the calmness about their game, although they were very fortunate yesterday. I wouldn't be very confident going into the last few games if it's between them and us.
Stoke are in free fall, but you always expect them to bully their way to a few points when needed, possibly against us.
It's going to be very very close and nerve wracking to the end but if I had to put any money on it I'd go for Sunderland to drop - simply because they are now going to feel the pressure of suddenly finding themselves in it, and that pressure will be cranked up by a look at their remaining games and realising that we've hit a bit of form and now have our fans fully behind us.

It's all much more fun than the normal boring mid-table end of season isn't it!
Isn't it?

[WarszaVillan]

I can't remember the time we last had a boring mid-table season

[damon loves JT]

Probably because it was so boring.

[Tokyo Sexwhale]

I can't remember the time we last had a boring mid-table season

O'Neill's first season, I think.

[Ads]

I think Newcastle and Stoke will totter close but draw away from it with two games to spare.

I think our forwards are comfortably top six and will blast our way out of trouble come April. Norwich will do the opposite and grind their way out of it in the same time span.

Reading are down, QPR have far too much to do and are going down (serves them right for charging £45 for a tin shed).

Wigan will put Sunderland under murderous pressure and looking at their run in, I think we could seal their fate in April like we did with the Noses.


If I had to choose it would be Reading, QPR and Stoke, however I think in will be Reading, QPR and Sunderland.

[damon loves JT]

Make no mistake, we are going to have a couple of terrible matchdays between now and the end of the season, where we throw away crucial points and the teams around us get unexpected results. What matters is how we respond to them. I hope we can just put them behind us, Wigan-like, and pretend they never happened.

[evalast1910]

Reading, Sunderland and Stoke.

[Irish villain]

I can't remember the time we last had a boring mid-table season

If you looked at a graph of our league positions since we got promoted it would be interesting. We tend to be either either top six or bottom six! We average out as mid-table but seldom actually finish mid-table.  This is about what, our seventh relegation battle since promotion(?) while we have  been 2nd twice, 4th once and sixth several times. We never finished below eight with Gregory? You could say we finished mid-table under Houllier, O'Leary and Atkinson?

[maidstonevillain]

and one will win a couple of games only to drop back in it when they think they're safe.

And the probability is that will be us.

[Ads]

No it wont.

We will be safe by the time we beat Sunderland.

[bob]

Sunderland's run in is tough. They are in big trouble.