UEFA Europa Conference League - Alkmaar, Legia and Zrinjski

[ChicagoLion]

We are now in a mini league of 4 with Spurs, Liverpool, Brighton for positions 5th to 8th.
Brighton obviously have games in hand but that means a congested programme. They also have to play Man C and go to Arsenal.
Liverpool and Spurs play each other next week, a draw would be ideal.
Our final three games are all against our mini league rivals.
Unless Liverpool go on the winning run which the media keep expecting then we could be heading into a final day shoot out with Brighton for 5th place.

For me, ideally we want a Liverpool win, as I realistically expect it to be between us, Brighton and Spurs for 6 & 7, so every point these two drop is good for us

I think Liverpool are the biggest threat because of thier run in.

[Brazilian Villain]

For me, ideally we want a Liverpool win, as I realistically expect it to be between us, Brighton and Spurs for 6 & 7, so every point these two drop is good for us

I think Liverpool are the biggest threat because of thier run in.

Same here, would like to keep them below us for as long as possible so want them to drop points, even if it's against Spurs.

[Monty]

Just think that, as a general rule, you want your rivals to draw when they play each other.

[eamonn]

Blimey, imagine 'arry parachuted in to save Spurs.

[Drummond]

I've done that predictor thingy again and I've got us 7th, above Spuds in 8th, with us needing to beat them to do that.

Liverpool and Brighton have easier run ins and I think realistically we have to beat all three of them, and two out of Fulham, ManUtd and Wolves to get a Europa League place.

[VILLA MOLE]

Blimey, imagine 'arry parachuted in to save Spurs.

getting the gang together again , Triffic

[Dave]

Blimey, imagine 'arry parachuted in to save Spurs.

getting the gang together again , Triffic

Niko Krancjar in to support Harry Kane.

[Smithy]

I've done that predictor thingy again and I've got us 7th, above Spuds in 8th, with us needing to beat them to do that.

Liverpool and Brighton have easier run ins and I think realistically we have to beat all three of them, and two out of Fulham, ManUtd and Wolves to get a Europa League place.

Mine was similar, we've effectively got to continue our form to the end of the season, or hope a couple of other other teams lose their form too.  Liverpool scoring 10 goals in their last 3 games isn't helping.  They look like they MIGHT be hitting some goalscoring form at precisely the wrong time for us.

I still have us playing Brighton on the last day for a place in Europe.

[OCD]

My worry is that Spurs were so bad yesterday that they'll get a manager in until the end of the season. If they do, hopefully, it's someone who wants to play with a back 4 (because it worked so well yesterday). Would love it if they played the same team against us.

[Drummond]

I've done that predictor thingy again and I've got us 7th, above Spuds in 8th, with us needing to beat them to do that.

Liverpool and Brighton have easier run ins and I think realistically we have to beat all three of them, and two out of Fulham, ManUtd and Wolves to get a Europa League place.

Mine was similar, we've effectively got to continue our form to the end of the season, or hope a couple of other other teams lose their form too.  Liverpool scoring 10 goals in their last 3 games isn't helping.  They look like they MIGHT be hitting some goalscoring form at precisely the wrong time for us.

I still have us playing Brighton on the last day for a place in Europe.

Yep, we beat them and get 7th. Lose and we're 8th.

Remarkable to be honest to be considering it given where we were in November.

The bottom of the table is so close too. One result can make a hug difference.

[eamonn]

Newcastle seem to get a lot of breaks - teams set-up against them in bone-headed fashion i.e Spurs yesterday. I wish we could funeral them every week. Unai would crush Howe every time, be it at football or arm-wrestling.

[Smithy]

Spurs' next two games are Man Utd and Liverpool.  They could feasibly be 8th by the time we play them, at which point you would hope their heads would be gone completely, having spunked a champions league place up the wall.

[Risso]

Spurs' next two games are Man Utd and Liverpool.  They could feasibly be 8th by the time we play them, at which point you would hope their heads would be gone completely, having spunked a champions league place up the wall.

Also bizarrely, given our shit start and the fact that they've been in the top 5 all season, we're close to overhauling their goal difference as well.

[Lastfootstamper]

If we are above them when we clash, there's all likelihood we'll already have the better GD.

[tomd2103]

Was talking about this with someone over the weekend.  Have to admit that I'm starting to have some conflicting feelings about playing European football next season. 

Yes, I want to see us playing in European competitions as soon as possible and feel that Liverpool's and Chelsea's form this season might have opened up an opportunity that might not be there in the coming seasons.  Therefore, we might need to grasp this opportunity when it is available.

I think that there is a bigger picture though and there is that thought of the impact European football might have on our progress next season.  We are undoubtedly a team and club on the up at the moment, but I'm not sure that we will have the squad to compete (even after the summer) in a European competition and finish in the higher reaches of the league next season.  To counter that, we have a manager who knows exactly what it takes to do that and of course we may bring enough players in during the summer to ensure we are competitive in both. 

It is just that it feels like we have got done momentum at the club now and what we don't really need next season is a slip down the league due to the extra workload of the Europa or Europa Conference League.  Maintaining the momentum in the league is probably the priority in the bigger picture (along with having a proper crack at the domestic cups) and I just wonder if we would be better placed to do that without having European football next season.  By the end of next season, we would have also had two more windows to build a squad capable of handling the extra workload of European football.

So a bit torn really, as on the one hand I would be delighted to se pe us back in European football and think that we would have a decent chance of actually progressing far in both the Europa and Conference tournaments.  On the other hand though, I just feel it might be a season too early and our development as a team might be better suited to not having European football next season.