Champions League Contention

[Jon Crofts]

I think it will go right down to the wire who gets fourth spot.

I think we'll know what we need to do at the latest 2 weeks before the end of the season, Spuds have a horrendous run of games, Newcastle, Chelsea, Arsenal and the Oil Tramps, they've then got 2 relatively easy ones to end on.

[Risso]

I've got to the point where it's hard to see where our next win will come from. Arsenal up next will be a battering I suspect, but then Bournemouth at home *should* be a comfortable win. I suspect it won't be though. Brentford should have been straightforward, and if we're honest we just haven't played consistently well for ages now and Bournemouth are better than Brentford. After that it's Chelsea at home, who easily dicked us in the cup, and are unbeaten since the start of Feb. Then Brighton away, which could go either way, and Liverpool at home which will probably be a home defeat. I hope we don't therefore go to Palace needing to win because our record there is pretty crap over the years.

[Ads]

The Chelsea that drew away at Sheffield United, the Bournemouth that lost away at Luton, that are below Dingles who we beat 9 days ago. The Brighton away who we annihilated, who have beat us once in 40+ years. The Palace away who have 30 fewer points.

[eamonn]

Yeah but you would have been denigrating Brentford similarly up until half four on Saturday.

Villa Park isn't a fortress anymore, we're leaking goals every time we play there and even the shit-munchers will fancy their chances.

[Meanwood Villa]

We didn't even lose on Saturday and the doom and gloom is off the charts. Get a grip.

[Ads]

Poor performances happen. Poor moments happen. I think its important to be able to maintain concerns for various current issues, without catastrophising. I appreciate its a coping strategy, but its not somewhere I particularly like to dwell for any length of time. Just take the hits, if and as they come, and if they're big enough to knock you off your feet, you stand back up again with the benefit of something learnt. Don't hide, dont let fear rule you. In football, life, anything.

[PeterWithesShin]

No game is a gimme as Brentford showed us and Fulham showed Spurs, but we're 5th. We shouldn't worry about playing sides 9th, 10th, 12th and 14th and have spent the last 18 months being far worse than us. Fuck Arsenal as well, we beat them last time and should have had at least a point the time before that, flukey twats.

[Hookeysmith]

As much as a kick in the cock that Saturday was - we showed great balls to get ourselves back in to get a point and could of even won it (as we have done a few times this season)


I think it would be remiss of us to dismiss our chances just yet. In the face of adversity we have had a brilliant season if we do not win another game.

We have all seen what a tactical genius this Manager, i like a few others thought last season was a new manager bounce and we could not keep it up - it got better and the level of consistency has been amazing

Now imagine his 2nd full year but this time with a fully fit

Mings
Buendia
Ramsay
Kamara

And that is without and new recruits

Lets not be too defeatest just yet - many surprises to happen still especially as we are head to head with the greatest bottlers of all time

[PaulWinch again]

Yeah but you would have been denigrating Brentford similarly up until half four on Saturday.

Villa Park isn't a fortress anymore, we're leaking goals every time we play there and even the shit-munchers will fancy their chances.

This is it for me - unless we start to play better consistently we’re going to keep shipping goals and then consistency of results is out of the window. Spurs have a horrible run in up to their last couple of games, but unless we can play better and string a few wins together it’s not going to matter.

[Demitri_C]

The Chelsea that drew away at Sheffield United, the Bournemouth that lost away at Luton, that are below Dingles who we beat 9 days ago. The Brighton away who we annihilated, who have beat us once in 40+ years. The Palace away who have 30 fewer points.

Im sure most of us expected to beat brentford. It doesnt always work the way you described as we have found out.

Cant see anything against arsenal. Bournemouth we should bwat them pending how much the lille game takes out of us. Chelsea for me is a tough game. They have been better side in both games in my opinion. We edged it at SB in 1st cup game though

[Drummond]

I've got to the point where it's hard to see where our next win will come from. Arsenal up next will be a battering I suspect, but then Bournemouth at home *should* be a comfortable win. I suspect it won't be though. Brentford should have been straightforward, and if we're honest we just haven't played consistently well for ages now and Bournemouth are better than Brentford. After that it's Chelsea at home, who easily dicked us in the cup, and are unbeaten since the start of Feb. Then Brighton away, which could go either way, and Liverpool at home which will probably be a home defeat. I hope we don't therefore go to Palace needing to win because our record there is pretty crap over the years.

No it isn't. Try Thursday night.

The top 3 are in a different league at the moment, and Arsenal is a hard game for anyone, then we'll beat Bournemouth.

We were by far the better side for 80 odd minutes on Saturday, and weakened for 9 minutes when the damage was done, conceding a goal from a complete miss-kick when the ball ricocheted off his standing leg and then struggled as we lost a bit of composure. Don't focus on the 9 minutes, focus on the other 90% of the game.

[PaulWinch again]

Right but conceding plenty of goals in these rubbish phases keeps happening, so I’m not sure you can just ignore that 9 minutes. Yes it was particularly stark, but our level dropping and us conceding a couple of goals + in those phases isn’t that uncommon. Hopefully we won’t do it against Bournemouth, but who knows.

[Risso]

Right but conceding plenty of goals in these rubbish phases keeps happening, so I’m not sure you can just ignore that 9 minutes. Yes it was particularly stark, but our level dropping and us conceding a couple of goals + in those phases isn’t that uncommon. Hopefully we won’t do it against Bournemouth, but who knows.

Exactly. It might "only" have been 9 minutes, but those 9 minutes cost us two points. We seem to have had those dodgy 10-15 minute spells in lots of game since Christmas, where we concede two or more goals in short order eg Man U away, Forest at home,  Luton away, Spurs at home (twice), Man City away and now Brentford at home.

[Lucky Eddie]

Would you bet against us?

[Drummond]

Right but conceding plenty of goals in these rubbish phases keeps happening, so I’m not sure you can just ignore that 9 minutes. Yes it was particularly stark, but our level dropping and us conceding a couple of goals + in those phases isn’t that uncommon. Hopefully we won’t do it against Bournemouth, but who knows.

Exactly. It might "only" have been 9 minutes, but those 9 minutes cost us two points. We seem to have had those dodgy 10-15 minute spells in lots of game since Christmas, where we concede two or more goals in short order eg Man U away, Forest at home,  Luton away, Spurs at home (twice), Man City away and now Brentford at home.

That shouldn't lead to you not being able to see us winning another game, should it?

Form over the last 10 (since beginning February) is: WLWWWLDWLD

April
P2 W0 D1 L1

March
P4 W2 D1 L1

February
P4 W3 D0 L1

You'll no doubt use the last 5 rather than, say last 6 and of course that's only one win in 5.

We're not playing as well as we should be, I suspect the backroom team will be doing a lot of psychological work this week as a result, but I believe we will come out and win enough to get at least 5th, and potentially 4th, depending on Spurs next 5 games.

We're scoring goals, and just need to tighten things up a bit at the back.