How many points will keep us up?

[neo_Villan]

If the Wigan game were at home, then I'd have no doubt whatsoever that the team would choke. The fact it is away gives me some hope that we can get some sort of result.

[Concrete John]

Having just done the BBC predictor thingy as objectively as possible (given the existence of claret / blue tinted galsses), I arrived with Sunderland taking the third slot on only 35 points; with us on 40 (at 13th!). More to do with my negative opinion of those clubs near the bottom than massive confidence in us.

Oh, were it that clear-cut and simple!

That's the thing I can see us getting to a minimum of 37 points before we play Wigan. (And we should all remember that the Wigan game isn't lost yet, we all seem to have written it off, including me. In fact I hadn't factored the Wigan game into any of my forecasts, I wanted us safe before then as if it was simply a write off). I can't see Sunderland getting to that figure before the last day. And, in the worst case scenario, if it does come down to the last day we are only playing Wigan. Escapologists they might be but they are still only fucking Wigan and if we need a result there we can get it with a loud, packed away end behind us.

Obviously in an idea world we will go into that game on 40 points looking to get a win to put some respectability to our final points tally. I'm only saying it is a winnable game if it comes down to us or Sunderland on the last day.

One scenario that I haven't seen mentioned yet is if we go into the Wigan game with us both needing a point to see us save and thereby relegate Sunderland............

[Mister E]

...We're bookies favourites because we're in the spot currently and they're playing it safe, it doesn't really mean that much this late in the season.

I think you've said much more clearly, Paul, what I was trying to say in an earlier post!

[Irish villain]

Having just done the BBC predictor thingy as objectively as possible (given the existence of claret / blue tinted galsses), I arrived with Sunderland taking the third slot on only 35 points; with us on 40 (at 13th!). More to do with my negative opinion of those clubs near the bottom than massive confidence in us.

Oh, were it that clear-cut and simple!

That's the thing I can see us getting to a minimum of 37 points before we play Wigan. (And we should all remember that the Wigan game isn't lost yet, we all seem to have written it off, including me. In fact I hadn't factored the Wigan game into any of my forecasts, I wanted us safe before then as if it was simply a write off). I can't see Sunderland getting to that figure before the last day. And, in the worst case scenario, if it does come down to the last day we are only playing Wigan. Escapologists they might be but they are still only fucking Wigan and if we need a result there we can get it with a loud, packed away end behind us.

Obviously in an idea world we will go into that game on 40 points looking to get a win to put some respectability to our final points tally. I'm only saying it is a winnable game if it comes down to us or Sunderland on the last day.

One scenario that I haven't seen mentioned yet is if we go into the Wigan game with us both needing a point to see us save and thereby relegate Sunderland............

I'd be quite happy for us to pass it around our own half for 90 minutes. I'm sure Roberto Martinez would concur!

[eastie]

Having just done the BBC predictor thingy as objectively as possible (given the existence of claret / blue tinted galsses), I arrived with Sunderland taking the third slot on only 35 points; with us on 40 (at 13th!). More to do with my negative opinion of those clubs near the bottom than massive confidence in us.

Oh, were it that clear-cut and simple!

That's the thing I can see us getting to a minimum of 37 points before we play Wigan. (And we should all remember that the Wigan game isn't lost yet, we all seem to have written it off, including me. In fact I hadn't factored the Wigan game into any of my forecasts, I wanted us safe before then as if it was simply a write off). I can't see Sunderland getting to that figure before the last day. And, in the worst case scenario, if it does come down to the last day we are only playing Wigan. Escapologists they might be but they are still only fucking Wigan and if we need a result there we can get it with a loud, packed away end behind us.

Obviously in an idea world we will go into that game on 40 points looking to get a win to put some respectability to our final points tally. I'm only saying it is a winnable game if it comes down to us or Sunderland on the last day.

One scenario that I haven't seen mentioned yet is if we go into the Wigan game with us both needing a point to see us save and thereby relegate Sunderland............

I'd be quite happy for us to pass it around our own half for 90 minutes. I'm sure Roberto Martinez would concur!

Yes until the last minute and the bastards would probably score - i wouldn't trust that situation at all and it wouldn't happen like that  for 90 minutes.

[Ads]

Didn't the Danes and the Swedes play out a sterile 0-0 in the World Cup/Euros once when both needed a point to get out of the group?

[eastie]

We should win 3 games before wigan and go there breathing easily.
Sunderland suffered the fate in 1977 when coventry and Bristol city both stayed up with a draw ans sent sunderland down- the teams were passing the ball to each other in a carnival like atmosphere the last 10 minutes .

I was at the game and it was quite surreal- sunderland fans still talk about it today and it caused a huge stink at the time.

I believe jimmy hill paid coventry's fine as it was at his request that the Sunderland result was flashed on the scoreboard and coventry's game was held up due to crowd congestion meaning they were 20 mins behind.

Once they knew sunderland had lost both teams kept the ball in the middle area of the pitch.

[eamonn]

Looking at his quotes today it seems he is looking to play an adventurous style - Not the time of season to change your way of play - by the time they get used to it it could be all over.

When John Gregory arrived in February 1998 he got us attacking straight away and results picked up. We sometimes forget these are professional footballers. They are quite capable of change. We just have to hope you are right.

We had the likes of yorke and collymore , they have danny graham!

collymore hardly played, but we did have Savo and Joachim in addition to Yorke. Even Joachim scored more than Graham.

Digression from the thread but while we're discussing such an optimistic, exciting time down the Villa (15 shaggin' years...where does it go?):

Lil'Lee had also broken through and probably showed the best form of his career in those few months. We won 9 out of our last 11 league games including winning 5 on the bounce and 4 consecutive away wins (I doubt we've beaten either stat in the 15 years since). Ironically the only blemishes were home defeats to two teams who went on to be relegated - Barnsley and Bolton. If I recall correctly we battered both of these but were undone by poor defending.

Spring '98 when Gregory took charge was the best footballing side we've had at Villa in all the years since then in my estimation. The balance in the side that had eluded Sir Brian was suddenly there. Instead of having to shoehorn in Collymore, the likes of J Julian and Hendrie took the chance to make their mark.

Even the following season when we were top til January we'd lost a bit of the joie de vivre in our play from that spring, possibly because Yorke and Savo had departed and probably also because we had been playing with a lot of freedom with no real pressure at the end of '97/'98.
By spring 1999, just twelve months later following the gradual erosion of our attacking instinct and the beginning of Gregory's more negative tactics (despite the efforts of new signing Merson), we were well and truly found out and went through that horrific spell of seven defeats and three draws in ten games.

[eamonn]

Didn't the Danes and the Swedes play out a sterile 0-0 in the World Cup/Euros once when both needed a point to get out of the group?

Wasn't it a 2-2; the only scoreline that would just happen to put Italia out?

[Legion]

Poll reset and amended.

[eastie]

If only we could find that joie de vivre in our remaining games this season !
39 points will see us safe in my view.

[eamonn]

Poll reset and amended.

's a good'un.

[curiousorange]

Looking at his quotes today it seems he is looking to play an adventurous style - Not the time of season to change your way of play - by the time they get used to it it could be all over.

When John Gregory arrived in February 1998 he got us attacking straight away and results picked up. We sometimes forget these are professional footballers. They are quite capable of change. We just have to hope you are right.

We had the likes of yorke and collymore , they have danny graham!

collymore hardly played, but we did have Savo and Joachim in addition to Yorke. Even Joachim scored more than Graham.

Digression from the thread but while we're discussing such an optimistic, exciting time down the Villa (15 shaggin' years...where does it go?):

Lil'Lee had also broken through and probably showed the best form of his career in those few months. We won 9 out of our last 11 league games including winning 5 on the bounce and 4 consecutive away wins (I doubt we've beaten either stat in the 15 years since). Ironically the only blemishes were home defeats to two teams who went on to be relegated - Barnsley and Bolton. If I recall correctly we battered both of these but were undone by poor defending.

Spring '98 when Gregory took charge was the best footballing side we've had at Villa in all the years since then in my estimation. The balance in the side that had eluded Sir Brian was suddenly there. Instead of having to shoehorn in Collymore, the likes of J Julian and Hendrie took the chance to make their mark.

Even the following season when we were top til January we'd lost a bit of the joie de vivre in our play from that spring, possibly because Yorke and Savo had departed and probably also because we had been playing with a lot of freedom with no real pressure at the end of '97/'98.
By spring 1999, just twelve months later following the gradual erosion of our attacking instinct and the beginning of Gregory's more negative tactics (despite the efforts of new signing Merson), we were well and truly found out and went through that horrific spell of seven defeats and three draws in ten games.

The end of the season after Gregory had come in was phenomenal. One loss in how many, and it was to Barnsley at home! Absolutely freezing that night too.

I'm hoping that the Liverpool game was our Barnsley, just a case of a confident team getting a reality-check.

[neo_Villan]

Was tempted to go for 39 points but I have felt for a while that a good old McLeish-esque (draw every game) 38 points would just about be enough.

[TaxDodger]

Didn't the Danes and the Swedes play out a sterile 0-0 in the World Cup/Euros once when both needed a point to get out of the group?

Wasn't it a 2-2; the only scoreline that would just happen to put Italia out?

It was. There was also a banner in the crowd which read '2-2. The Pizzas are out'. Which amused me highly.