Will we qualify for the CL?

[aj2k77]

If we finish 5th after having sanctions applied to us and no net spend for a few years then that's an incredible achievement again from Emery. If we do it after winning a trophy then it's astounding.

We're playing bottom half footballing wise since Christmas. We've held on for so many 1 goal victories this season and it wouldn't surprise me at all to qualify for Champions League with a negative goal difference.

It's all on Thursday for me. Forget Burnley too. Beat Forest and I think and I reckon so does Emery that we go on to win the Europa, qualify, can spend money in the Summer and cement his name in our folklore. Lose and it dribbles away to shit. It's all on Thursday, a massive, massive game.

[dorsetvillian]

I don't think we will automatically beat Burnley Ads. It's also really bloody difficult to make the case for Thursday. Momentum has been shattered from the Fulham game onwards and its a struggle to turn form and confidence on or off. Unai might be playing some form of 4D chess but last night left a very bad taste. We didn't just rest players last night, the attitude of manager and players went deeper than that. If another team did what we did last night I would also say they don't deserve CL football.

[Smithy]

Burnley haven't won for 9 games.  Losing 7 of them.  If we can't beat a team like that, when we really need to, and when the pressure is on, then I'm not sure we can honestly say we deserve a Champions league place.  Chasing Champions League places, and playing two of the bottom three, and failing to beat either would be a pretty damning indictment on our CL credentials.

We might well stumble across the line thanks to bad results for others, rather than us taking control ourselves, but we should not be relying on that.

Beat Forest and Burnley, and the season will have a very different complexion.  Yes, two fixtures shouldn't alone determine good/bad seasons, but given the position we've got ourselves into (multiple times), to throw it away now would feel worse than missing out on goal difference last year (when at least it was competitive to the last game)

[Bobby Boy]

If Bogarde is our holding midfielder v Forest we will lose the game.

For the second game running I'm more concerned about the absence of the player next to him. At Forest he slept through the first 30 minutes. Last night he abandoned Bogarde to go walk about, looked confused and dazed as the game passed him by, no leadership, no drive, just frustration. Not sure what's happened to Youri but we desperately need him back playing like we know he can.

Maybe Barkley is the answer as I doubt he broke sweat last night and proved he's no number 10 unless we're talking buses.

Tielemans lost the ball in a tackle in the first half and as Tottenham subsequently attacked he literally just stood where he was, made no attempt to get back at all. It was weird. Like he'd been frozen.

[Flamingo Lane]

Essentially, what we have done is gamble 5th place on beating Burnley and then trusting that Bournemouth will not beat Man City at home.

[Ads]

I think there's very simple and compelling cases to make for winning our next two games, but I'm nit going to ridiculous lengths to wallow. The manager has not given a no keys about the last two games.

The same bloke launching his coat at Brighton, steaming down the touchline going mental hopping about all over the place, with his hands in his pockets as we stroll about? Ok.

If anybody thinks its over, please pass your tickets onto somebody else and don't bother Thursday, don't bother Sunday.

[Villan82]

I think there's very simple and compelling cases to make for winning our next two games, but I'm nit going to ridiculous lengths to wallow. The manager has not given a no keys about the last two games.

The same bloke launching his coat at Brighton, steaming down the touchline going mental hopping about all over the place, with his hands in his pockets as we stroll about? Ok.

If anybody thinks its over, please pass your tickets onto somebody else and don't bother Thursday, don't bother Sunday.

Spurs, only last January, were able to beat us to a signing even though we were in a title race and they were fighting relegation.

Relegating them would have gone a long way to guaranteeing our medium-term ambitions to remain a champions league contender.

It was a bad call.

[RamboandBruno]

I think there's very simple and compelling cases to make for winning our next two games, but I'm nit going to ridiculous lengths to wallow. The manager has not given a no keys about the last two games.

The same bloke launching his coat at Brighton, steaming down the touchline going mental hopping about all over the place, with his hands in his pockets as we stroll about? Ok.

If anybody thinks its over, please pass your tickets onto somebody else and don't bother Thursday, don't bother Sunday.

Spurs, only last January, were able to beat us to a signing even though we were in a title race and they were fighting relegation.

Relegating them would have gone a long way to guaranteeing our medium-term ambitions to remain a champions league contender.

It was a bad call.

I think you need to get over spurs and just think about the Villa. Tying yourself up in knots over competition for future signings bla bla bla, is just a waste of energy in my view. Thursday is huge, a European semi final, possibly the biggest game for in decades. Thats my focus. Up to you though.

[Monty]

I think there's very simple and compelling cases to make for winning our next two games, but I'm nit going to ridiculous lengths to wallow. The manager has not given a no keys about the last two games.

The same bloke launching his coat at Brighton, steaming down the touchline going mental hopping about all over the place, with his hands in his pockets as we stroll about? Ok.

If anybody thinks its over, please pass your tickets onto somebody else and don't bother Thursday, don't bother Sunday.

Spurs, only last January, were able to beat us to a signing even though we were in a title race and they were fighting relegation.

Relegating them would have gone a long way to guaranteeing our medium-term ambitions to remain a champions league contender.

It was a bad call.

I think you need to get over spurs and just think about the Villa. Tying yourself up in knots over competition for future signings bla bla bla, is just a waste of energy in my view. Thursday is huge, a European semi final, possibly the biggest game for in decades. Thats my focus. Up to you though.

I'm not entirely sure it matters materially what any of us think on this if I'm honest.

[dorsetvillian]

I'm really struggling to see a compelling case to win on Thursday. Maybe Burnley because they are awful. However Forest are 1 up and in great form. We are in terrible form and with potential injuries to crucial players. Our win rate without McGinn is woeful. What am I missing?

[Ads]

Might as well not bother then. Don't rebuild the North, as Emery will go, we won't replace him. The squad will get weaker as Spurs will sign all our targets. We'll slip down the league and attendances will fall. Only need one bad run and we're in relegation trouble. As we've seen based on the evidence of two league games in the immediate vicinity of a European semi-final, we wouldn't cope with a relegation battle. We'll slip into the 2nd division. Owners will get disinterested. Administration will become likely. Chance of becoming a new Leicester and double dipping.

Am I doing it right?

[LeeB]

Might as well not bother then. Don't rebuild the North, as Emery will go, we won't replace him. The squad will get weaker as Spurs will sign all our targets. We'll slip down the league and attendances will fall. Only need one bad run and we're in relegation trouble. As we've seen based on the evidence of two league games in the immediate vicinity of a European semi-final, we wouldn't cope with a relegation battle. We'll slip into the 2nd division. Owners will get disinterested. Administration will become likely. Chance of becoming a new Leicester and double dipping.

Am I doing it right?

On the plus side it should be a bit easier getting tickets.

[john e]

Might as well not bother then. Don't rebuild the North, as Emery will go, we won't replace him. The squad will get weaker as Spurs will sign all our targets. We'll slip down the league and attendances will fall. Only need one bad run and we're in relegation trouble. As we've seen based on the evidence of two league games in the immediate vicinity of a European semi-final, we wouldn't cope with a relegation battle. We'll slip into the 2nd division. Owners will get disinterested. Administration will become likely. Chance of becoming a new Leicester and double dipping.

Am I doing it right?

On the plus side it should be a bit easier getting tickets.

And no one selling half and half scarves outside the ground

[eamonn]

Lincoln away olé olé!

[Ads]

Might as well not bother then. Don't rebuild the North, as Emery will go, we won't replace him. The squad will get weaker as Spurs will sign all our targets. We'll slip down the league and attendances will fall. Only need one bad run and we're in relegation trouble. As we've seen based on the evidence of two league games in the immediate vicinity of a European semi-final, we wouldn't cope with a relegation battle. We'll slip into the 2nd division. Owners will get disinterested. Administration will become likely. Chance of becoming a new Leicester and double dipping.

Am I doing it right?

On the plus side it should be a bit easier getting tickets.

And no one selling half and half scarves outside the ground

We could be playing the Sulpherites (a nickname I'd never heard of) if we keep this up.