Relegation v4.0

[HanoiVillan]

 

 

 

It's good that all the other teams lost, my point is that we lost perhaps one of our easiest fixtures left of the season whilst our rivals lost one of their toughest fixtures left. Hopefully when the others play their 'easier' games they can be as kind to us  as we was to them yesterday.

 

I still think we'll stay up though finishing above both Hull and Burnley.

Are Swansea really that easy though? QPR will definitely be "easier", as will West Ham and Everton probably.

 

At this stage it's about getting points on the board, especially so for the teams currently below us. Sunderland, Burnley and QPR fans won't take solace in the fact that we lost an easier game than them, they'll be ruing the fact that we just got one round closer to the finish line without them gaining on us.

 

 

QPR will be fightng for their lives as it'll probably be their last chance of staying in touch, so I don't think that match will be as easy as some might imagine. West Ham have been challenging near the top for much of the season and Everton might kick on a bit now that they're out of the Europa.

 

 

I think you're overestimating the extent to which "having something to play for" can affect results. Don't get me wrong, it has an affect, but there's a reason why the teams down the bottom are down the bottom. If you look at our last 5 fixtures for example Stoke and Swansea were supposed to be the easiest because both of those teams had nothing to play for yet we lost. On the other hand, West Brom and Sunderland both had something to play for yet we beat them both.

 

We've got a better team than QPR and their away record isn't far off being as bad as it could possibly be. It won't be an easy game but I'm more confident of us winning that than I was about winning yesterday.

 

 

I agree with this. After 30 games, the league table is a reasonable judge of quality, ie. we're rubbish, but QPR are even more rubbish, especially away from home. I'm not advocating complacency, but we will be heavy favourites going into that game. Also 'having something to play for' goes both ways - it's a must-win game for us too. 

[YGabbana]

Wins against QPR and Burnley will be enough imo

[smetrov]

Wins against QPR and Burnley will be enough imo

 

Probably true - but I wouldn't want to go into that Burnley game needing 3 points to stay up - given how wasteful we are in front of goal - anything could happen in that game.

 

My big fear is that Clark is 1 card away from a ban - if he picks up 1 at Manu - would he miss the QPR game - throw in an injured Benteke - and perhaps that game doesn't look so straightforward...

[S-Platt]

I thought that 10 yellows rule finished at the end of March??? Clark should be ok now. 2 week international break get a few players fit that are carrying knocks and we are good to go for the run in.

[smetrov]

I thought that 10 yellows rule finished at the end of March??? Clark should be ok now. 2 week international break get a few players fit that are carrying knocks and we are good to go for the run in.

 

Hope youre right.

[omariqy]

I think it's early April

[picicata]

I thought that 10 yellows rule finished at the end of March??? Clark should be ok now. 2 week international break get a few players fit that are carrying knocks and we are good to go for the run in.

 

 

The yellow Cards count gets reset on the second sunday in April.

[Mantis]

 

Wins against QPR and Burnley will be enough imo

 

Probably true - but I wouldn't want to go into that Burnley game needing 3 points to stay up - given how wasteful we are in front of goal - anything could happen in that game.

 

My big fear is that Clark is 1 card away from a ban - if he picks up 1 at Manu - would he miss the QPR game - throw in an injured Benteke - and perhaps that game doesn't look so straightforward...

 

 

It's unlikely we'll need to beat Burnley to stay up. A more likely scenario is that it'll be a case of simply having to avoid defeat. Or it may be that only a certain combination of results sends us down (e.g. Burnley beating us and other teams winning). Depending on how teams like Sunderland and Hull do there might even be a strange situation where a draw keeps both teams up.

 

Benteke should be fit for the QPR game - it's over two weeks away.

[BleedClaretAndBlue]

If we have everyone fit there can be no excuses at home to QPR.

Man Utd I would have been more confident of winning a few weeks back but they have looked alright the last few games. Hopefully the break will knock them out their stride and they pick up a few knocks.

City/Tottenham, if we're confident we can take something from them but in my head I have all 3 down as a loss and I have us beating QPR. 3 pts from the next 12 will more than likely have us sitting where we are now or maybe lower.

[jayEm]

I thought that 10 yellows rule finished at the end of March??? Clark should be ok now. 2 week international break get a few players fit that are carrying knocks and we are good to go for the run in.

The yellow Cards count gets reset on the second sunday in April.

Annoyingly we play 3 more games before then.

[troon_villan]

I don't think they'll catch us but Leicester could make a real good go of stopping up, with the fixtures they have left to play. Obviously they're down there because they've performed poorly in similar fixtures earlier in the season, but at this time of the year things sometimes change, I wouldn't rule them as relegated yet.

I don't think so. They're so out of touch with what it's like to win now, I think they're sunk. They don''t have a reservoir of good feeling to tap.

Love that last sentence!

[VillaChris]

it's not beyond the realms of possibility that QPR beat WBA leaving them just three points behind us (If we get nothing at United) before the game at Villa Park. A shock point or three at Old Trafford would be really handy.

 

Pulis is a master at winning home games against relegation rivals. I'd expect that to be 1 or 2-0 to West Brom.

[VillaChris]

Get concrete out on his wheelchair if Clark picks up a ban.

[leviramsey]

Leicester: 87.7%

QPR: 84.7%

Burnley: 50.4%

Sunderland: 45.2% v

Villa: 17.2%

Hull: 14.7% ^

WBA: 0.1%

Leicester: 88.9%

QPR: 85.2% vv

Burnley: 47.9% ^^^

Sunderland: 39.3% vv

Hull: 21.5% v

Villa: 16.8% ^^

Palace: 0.2%

WBA: 0.1%

Everton: 0.1%

[useless]

 

it's not beyond the realms of possibility that QPR beat WBA leaving them just three points behind us (If we get nothing at United) before the game at Villa Park. A shock point or three at Old Trafford would be really handy.

 

Pulis is a master at winning home games against relegation rivals. I'd expect that to be 1 or 2-0 to West Brom.

 

 

Albion need the points themselves to make sure, because they still have some tough fixtures left to play, but I'm taking nothing for granted. I just hope when we play United the team's minds aren't already on the QPR game, I'm wondering if Sherwood might even rest a few players, at the very least we need to concede as few goals as possible, but I think we can get a point.

[pacbuddies]

We should not need anything from the final game of the season against Burnley. If we are good enough we will have survival wrapped up before then.

[PaulC]

Theres a lot of pressure on our home games though with the tough games we have away from home. I'm not so confident after the Swansea game. QPR now becomes a must win game. 

[romavillan]

Theres a lot of pressure on our home games though with the tough games we have away from home. I'm not so confident after the Swansea game. QPR now becomes a must win game. 

 

Yeah, QPR has been for a while, and you're right, even more so now we lost to the swans. Still though, I wasn't really pinning my hopes on us winning 3 on the bounce. Being undefeated in 3 would have been good though going in to a tougher run of games. I think we'll need at least 7 more points, if we can get those without beating qpr anf burnley then great, but I have a feelign we'll need to win both of those to be sure of being a prem side next season.

[dont_do_it_doug.]

I think the expectation on them to win every game might cripple them in the short term. They MUST see it out game by game.

[VillaChris]

Not sure it will be done before the Burnley game tbh, I'd have been very achievable if we'd beaten Swansea.

 

It would require I'd say a win v QPR and 4 points v West Ham and Everton, maybe even a point at Southampton if teams around us also pick up points.

 

That would have us on 36 points going into the Burnley game so you'd have to think we'd be near enough safe but might need a draw just to make sure which I'd happily sign up for right now.

 

Little margin for error though unless we pick up a shock away win somewhere. I actually think if we defend well we could nick a draw at Spurs and I've also got a wierd feeling we might actually do something at Man. City this year. Nothing at Old Trafford of course.