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Author Topic: Relegation Watch  (Read 148987 times)

Offline hilts_coolerking

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Re: Relegation Watch
« Reply #390 on: June 19, 2020, 10:58:28 AM »
It doesn't seem to matter much where our opponents are in the table.  We struggle to beat most of them.

Offline chrisw1

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Re: Relegation Watch
« Reply #391 on: June 19, 2020, 11:03:57 AM »
Why was Sheffield United one of our most winnable? This arrogance keeps rearing its head. We have nine games remaining and only three of them are above Sheffield United. Only Liverpool, in all four divisions, have conceded fewer and they've only lost two of their last twenty-three away games, against Liverpool and Man City.
All of this is true.  But on the day they were there for the taking and it was a big opportunity missed.

Offline cdbearsfan

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Re: Relegation Watch
« Reply #392 on: June 19, 2020, 11:12:08 AM »
We have seven wins, none of which are against teams in the top nine. We clearly need to improve that between now and the end of the season, but it doesn't make any of the matches against the elite teams "must win", at least not yet.

Remaining matches against teams challenging near the top:

Chelsea (h), Wolves (h), Liverpool (a), Man Utd (h), Arsenal (h)

Other matches left:

Newcastle (a), Palace (h), Everton (a), West Ham (a).

If we can get four points against teams near the top that would leave us requiring two wins out of four of the "winnable" games to get to 36, which is usually enough just to scrape survival.

Doesn't seem impossible, also doesn't mean that Chelsea is "must win" yet, either. Though oddly I fancy us more than I did on Wednesday.

The enforced break and drinks breaks suit Sheffield United's intense style of play. They were about the worst team we could have started against, other than Liverpool.
« Last Edit: June 19, 2020, 11:14:44 AM by cdbullyweefan »

Offline paul_e

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Re: Relegation Watch
« Reply #393 on: June 19, 2020, 11:36:45 AM »
We have seven wins, none of which are against teams in the top nine. We clearly need to improve that between now and the end of the season, but it doesn't make any of the matches against the elite teams "must win", at least not yet.

Remaining matches against teams challenging near the top:

Chelsea (h), Wolves (h), Liverpool (a), Man Utd (h), Arsenal (h)

Other matches left:

Newcastle (a), Palace (h), Everton (a), West Ham (a).

If we can get four points against teams near the top that would leave us requiring two wins out of four of the "winnable" games to get to 36, which is usually enough just to scrape survival.

Doesn't seem impossible, also doesn't mean that Chelsea is "must win" yet, either. Though oddly I fancy us more than I did on Wednesday.

The enforced break and drinks breaks suit Sheffield United's intense style of play. They were about the worst team we could have started against, other than Liverpool.

By the time we play them I suspect Liverpool, Palace, Everton and Arsenal will all be 'on the beach', Liverpool will still be a tough match but the other 3 are all games we should be targeting for points. 6-8 points from those 4 games is definitely reasonable and would mean 5-6 from the others could easily be enough. What I'd really like is for us to win 1, fairly soon, by a decent margin so our goal difference isn't working against us.

Looking through all the games I'd say Chelsea and Man U at home are the 2 'free hits' so I'd like us to be a bit braver in those games. To clarify all the other games are against teams with little to play for , a team in the battle with us or a local rival so they're the ones you'd target.

Offline dave.woodhall

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Re: Relegation Watch
« Reply #394 on: June 19, 2020, 11:41:14 AM »


By the time we play them I suspect Liverpool, Palace, Everton and Arsenal will all be 'on the beach', Liverpool will still be a tough match but the other 3 are all games we should be targeting for points. 6-8 points from those 4 games is definitely reasonable and would mean 5-6 from the others could easily be enough. What I'd really like is for us to win 1, fairly soon, by a decent margin so our goal difference isn't working against us.

Looking through all the games I'd say Chelsea and Man U at home are the 2 'free hits' so I'd like us to be a bit braver in those games. To clarify all the other games are against teams with little to play for , a team in the battle with us or a local rival so they're the ones you'd target.

We talk about Manchester United being a free hit and Sheffield United being a must-win/if we can't beat them who can we beat? yet the reality is that there's one point and one league place between them.

Offline hilts_coolerking

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Re: Relegation Watch
« Reply #395 on: June 19, 2020, 12:03:47 PM »
It was said for weeks before the break that sooner or later we'd have to start beating teams.  It's even more vital now.  It doesn't matter where they are in the table, we've got to get wins.  We've struggled against the top sides and said 'ah well, they're a much better side than us, and it's the teams around us we need to beat' and then been beaten by the sides around us.  For us this season there haven't been any easy games: they've either been hard or harder.

Offline cdbearsfan

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Re: Relegation Watch
« Reply #396 on: June 19, 2020, 12:15:07 PM »
Norwich away, Newcastle home, Burnley away. All relatively easy, though the Burnley one ended closer than it should have been.

Offline cdbearsfan

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Re: Relegation Watch
« Reply #397 on: June 19, 2020, 01:44:56 PM »
Four teams have played so far and three of them have looked poor. Think it will take a while for most to get into the swing of things after months off followed by weird training sessions.

Offline paul_e

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Re: Relegation Watch
« Reply #398 on: June 19, 2020, 02:44:32 PM »


By the time we play them I suspect Liverpool, Palace, Everton and Arsenal will all be 'on the beach', Liverpool will still be a tough match but the other 3 are all games we should be targeting for points. 6-8 points from those 4 games is definitely reasonable and would mean 5-6 from the others could easily be enough. What I'd really like is for us to win 1, fairly soon, by a decent margin so our goal difference isn't working against us.

Looking through all the games I'd say Chelsea and Man U at home are the 2 'free hits' so I'd like us to be a bit braver in those games. To clarify all the other games are against teams with little to play for , a team in the battle with us or a local rival so they're the ones you'd target.

We talk about Manchester United being a free hit and Sheffield United being a must-win/if we can't beat them who can we beat? yet the reality is that there's one point and one league place between them.

I never claimed sheff utd was a must win and all I mean by free hit is that they have as much to play for as well do, I'd have said the same about Sheff UTd if it hadn't been the first game back. As it was we needed to avoid a defeat and put in a decent performance to build on. I think we did exactly that and I'm not sure why so many people are determined to see Wednesday as 2 points dropped.

Offline dave.woodhall

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Re: Relegation Watch
« Reply #399 on: June 19, 2020, 02:55:23 PM »


By the time we play them I suspect Liverpool, Palace, Everton and Arsenal will all be 'on the beach', Liverpool will still be a tough match but the other 3 are all games we should be targeting for points. 6-8 points from those 4 games is definitely reasonable and would mean 5-6 from the others could easily be enough. What I'd really like is for us to win 1, fairly soon, by a decent margin so our goal difference isn't working against us.

Looking through all the games I'd say Chelsea and Man U at home are the 2 'free hits' so I'd like us to be a bit braver in those games. To clarify all the other games are against teams with little to play for , a team in the battle with us or a local rival so they're the ones you'd target.

We talk about Manchester United being a free hit and Sheffield United being a must-win/if we can't beat them who can we beat? yet the reality is that there's one point and one league place between them.

I never claimed sheff utd was a must win and all I mean by free hit is that they have as much to play for as well do, I'd have said the same about Sheff UTd if it hadn't been the first game back. As it was we needed to avoid a defeat and put in a decent performance to build on. I think we did exactly that and I'm not sure why so many people are determined to see Wednesday as 2 points dropped.

Sorry - I know you didn't say that; I was using it as an example to support what you say. There's a strange double standard that's saying becasue we didn't beat what looked like poor opposition we're doomed, when more valid is the belief that we were better than a top six side, which is encouraging. 

Offline paul_e

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Re: Relegation Watch
« Reply #400 on: June 19, 2020, 03:03:53 PM »
Sorry - I know you didn't say that; I was using it as an example to support what you say. There's a strange double standard that's saying becasue we didn't beat what looked like poor opposition we're doomed, when more valid is the belief that we were better than a top six side, which is encouraging. 

I wasn't sure so I just wanted to clarify what I meant by free hit.

For me not losing and avoiding injuries/bans were the top priorities for Wednesday, doing it with a good performance and then a win came after that. The games are coming thick and fast now, keeping as many players as possible available will be the biggest difference between the clubs near the bottom.

Offline dave.woodhall

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Re: Relegation Watch
« Reply #401 on: June 19, 2020, 03:29:02 PM »
Sorry - I know you didn't say that; I was using it as an example to support what you say. There's a strange double standard that's saying becasue we didn't beat what looked like poor opposition we're doomed, when more valid is the belief that we were better than a top six side, which is encouraging. 

I wasn't sure so I just wanted to clarify what I meant by free hit.

For me not losing and avoiding injuries/bans were the top priorities for Wednesday, doing it with a good performance and then a win came after that. The games are coming thick and fast now, keeping as many players as possible available will be the biggest difference between the clubs near the bottom.

I think it showed the whole thing is a farce and whatver happens between now and the end of the season is still going to be unfair on at least two clubs.

Offline SoccerHQ

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Re: Relegation Watch
« Reply #402 on: June 19, 2020, 03:38:03 PM »
We need to beat Palace, Newcastle and Arsenal to stay up I think. I think those are our three most winnable games from what we have left although of course we don't know what West Ham and Everton will be like when we play them. Poor game management massively let Arsenal off the hook in the away game.

We need to win one of our next 3 anyway otherwise the task is too hard. If we can get a draw off Chelsea and then beat Newcastle and get 7 points from our last 4 that could well be enough.

Offline CT

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Re: Relegation Watch
« Reply #403 on: June 19, 2020, 03:55:03 PM »
I’ve really missed not having to worry about “I hope Southampton are motivated for tonight”.

Offline chrisw1

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Re: Relegation Watch
« Reply #404 on: June 19, 2020, 03:57:11 PM »
I’ve really missed not having to worry about “I hope Southampton are motivated for tonight”.
Yeah, they seem to be on a one team mission to ruin our season.

 


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