Relegation Possibility

[JUAN PABLO]

Newcastle managed to hold on to their players, and win the Championship. Surely we could?

would we want to hold on to them?

[JUAN PABLO]

Just said on radio , small heath were 1 point better off them us at the same time last year

[Vanilla]

My thoughts were:

From beginning of season until about October: Yes.
Then October until February: No (after seeing what how poor teams were in the league).
From mid February until now I think: Maybe, yes.

One issue we have (amongst many) is that we usually have a run of injuries mid-season, with players coming back to lift performances towards the end of the season. This season our injuries are coinciding with the crunch games at the latter part.

Relying on inexperienced players to glide us through the quagmire of mid-season vacillations is one thing, relying on them to power us through a full on relegation battle is quite another.

[N'ZMAV]

Newcastle managed to hold on to their players, and win the Championship. Surely we could?

Newcastle have a much lower wage structure than us

Quite possibly. But they had a few big earners on the books then. Barton, Nolan, Coloccini, Enrique, Alan Smith

[JUAN PABLO]

Newcastle managed to hold on to their players, and win the Championship. Surely we could?

Newcastle have a much lower wage structure than us

Quite possibly. But they had a few big earners on the books then. Barton, Nolan, Coloccini, Enrique, Alan Smith

and done much better getting rid of most of them .

[pauliewalnuts]

The difference between us and Newcastle is that when they went down, they didn't really have a particularly good squad in the first place, so found it easier to keep their side together.

They had, for example, no Darren Bent, who would be straight off if we went down. Or Shay Given, for that matter.

[N'ZMAV]

The difference between us and Newcastle is that when they went down, they didn't really have a particularly good squad in the first place, so found it easier to keep their side together.

They had, for example, no Darren Bent, who would be straight off if we went down. Or Shay Given, for that matter.

  Michael Owen was then as good as Bent is now.

[Concrete John]

The difference between us and Newcastle is that when they went down, they didn't really have a particularly good squad in the first place, so found it easier to keep their side together.

They had, for example, no Darren Bent, who would be straight off if we went down. Or Shay Given, for that matter.

  Michael Owen was then as good as Bent is now.

If you mean injured, then I agree!

[MonsXI]

My bash at the predictor:



with us drawing at anfield beating stoke and bolton and losing the rest.

[Dave]

Newcastle managed to hold on to their players, and win the Championship. Surely we could?

Newcastle have a much lower wage structure than us

Quite possibly. But they had a few big earners on the books then. Barton, Nolan, Coloccini, Enrique, Alan Smith

and done much better getting rid of most of them .

Every single one of those players stayed with them for whole time they were in the Championship.

[Concrete John]

My bash at the predictor:



with us drawing at anfield beating stoke and bolton and losing the rest.

Did mine and had us finishing 15th on 39 points, with those extra 6 coming from home draws to Sunderland and Stoke, away to WBA and beatign Bolton.  It also had us being 8 points clear, so some margin for error.

[JUAN PABLO]

Newcastle managed to hold on to their players, and win the Championship. Surely we could?

Newcastle have a much lower wage structure than us

Quite possibly. But they had a few big earners on the books then. Barton, Nolan, Coloccini, Enrique, Alan Smith

and done much better getting rid of most of them .

Every single one of those players stayed with them for whole time they were in the Championship.

I meant in the Prem   including Carroll

[j66acd]

The difference between us and Newcastle is that when they went down, they didn't really have a particularly good squad in the first place, so found it easier to keep their side together.

They had, for example, no Darren Bent, who would be straight off if we went down. Or Shay Given, for that matter.

I wouldn't be that bothered if Given went. He's a good shot stopper, but doesn't come for crosses which shows from our record of defending set pieces.

[pauliewalnuts]

The difference between us and Newcastle is that when they went down, they didn't really have a particularly good squad in the first place, so found it easier to keep their side together.

They had, for example, no Darren Bent, who would be straight off if we went down. Or Shay Given, for that matter.

  Michael Owen was then as good as Bent is now.

You're joking, aren't you?

He was permanently injured for a start.

[Concrete John]

It's worth poitning out that if we do beat Bolton, which is our game in hand, and we'd be favourites on paper to do so at home, we'd be level with WBA on 36 points, who nobody is talking about in terms of relegation.