It will be interesting to see what the safety mark will be this season. Early April I thought 36pts might keep you up (hence I wasn’t panicking at our position), still seems this might be the case although looking at Swansea and Southampton it might be 36 plus goal difference. Be worried if I was Hudders fan though - only 35 points with 3 tricky games to come.
Swansea v Southampton is a massive game, if it isn't televised by Sky TV they have dropped a right clanger
I think the lesson we can all take from this, is that people who think that teams who have won 5 of their first 34 games are going to win 3 of their last 4, don't understand football.
West Brom were never part of the conversation, presumably because their revival was too much of a given for the experts on here to bother mentioning, whereas only those with superior footballing intellect realised that Swansea and Southampton were about to hit league-winning form. In other news, I notice that Chokeanovic is up to his old tricks again.
Yes, but football is a funny old game and anything could still happen from here. I'd feel a lot safer if we had 40 points than our current total.
When Moore took over they needed 2.8 points a game to catch us. With 4 games left they needed 13 points to catch us (so you're right). The absurdity was that some people thought multiple teams below us would put together astonishing runs, while assuming the worst case scenario for us. The reality is that we have 5 more wins than West Brom and Stoke with a game to play, and 5 more wins than Southampton with two to play.
And all these teams did it in the same season did they? The equation for us to go down required multiple teams to do it at once. That was what was absurd to all but a stubborn minority.
You never understood the difference between "might" and "will" did you but I guess it doesn't matter now. Who thought these teams would put together "astonishing runs" ? It was a matter of fact that if we had finished on 38 pts, we'd have been down if soton had won at everton who had nothing to play for (came within one kick), beaten Swansea, Swansea beaten Muff and relegated stoke and HTFC got 4 points from their last 3 games (got 1 today). That was without WHU and CP both winning yesterday. Always unlikely, very unlikely, but possible before yesterday. No "astonishing runs" needed. Fortunately our win with one game to go makes that academic.
I understand these things perfectly fine. The probability of that outcome of events you describe is so low that that I consider it effectively zero, and so choose not to worry about it. There is a chance that Gino gets done for bribery and we get kicked out the league, but I don't worry about that either.
Doesn't really change all that much yet, they're still within striking distance with that goal difference, though if they can nab a point (maybe against Arsenal in Wenger's last game) it'll be a great help to them
Yep, and I reckon it'll actually be 34 points. Either way, I believe we passed 36 points after the West Brom match? So in essence we were actually safe a long long time ago. Same as last year. Yeah we collapsed but that did not make us one of the third worst teams
More unrest against the Pozzo’s today. Udinese fans protesting as they lost 4-0 to Inter and sit 1 point above relegation with 2 games to play. Apparently fans were holding up signs/banners and chanting for the Pozzo’s to sell the club.
I always base my hopes on who goes down on ‘who could improve more next season and therefore cause us much more problems?’ approach. So on that basis am I right hoping Southampton drop while Swansea and Huddersfield stay? Thoughts please..
Exactly. I want Soton to go for the same reason. Oh plus the Hughes factor !! I think they really must win at Swansea to stay up. Draw and they will probably need points against Man City. Same logic governs who I want to come up. Sorry Joka but Cardiff are probably more likely to drop next season. I'd hoped millwall would come up through the playoffs .difficult call now. I guess anyone but Villa ?
I must be a masochist - I'd like Derby to come up. To let Vydra and Anya show us how wrong we were to let them go...
Agreed. I have a nasty feeling Saints will stay but given their bad luck,especially if you listen to Hughes,perhaps they'll drop? Media have gone very quiet on Cava thingy,was everyone's favourite Portugese boss* until recently. * Not much competition I know!