Our Run In

90pts is a record of w26 d12 l8 (one combo at least). Norwich are ahead of this target, Brentford are pretty much on track and ourselves, Swansea and Reading aren't too far off. Whilst you have to take into account matches against each other, a three team 90+ point finish is certainly not out of the realms of possibility.

 

Football League First Division
1997/98

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P W D L F A W D L F A GD PTS
1 Nottm Forest 46 18 2 3 52 20 10 8 5 30 22 +40 94 (C)
2 Middlesbrough 46 17 4 2 51 12 10 6 7 26 29 +36 91 (P)
3 Sunderland 46 14 7 2 49 22 12 5 6 37 28 +36 90
4 Charlton 46 17 5 1 48 17 9 5 9 32 32 +31 88 (P)
5 Ipswich 46 14 5 4 47 20 9 9 5 30 23 +34 83
6 Sheff Utd 46 16 5 2 44 20 3 12 8 25 34 +15 74
7 Birmingham 46 10 8 5 27 15 9 9 5 33 20 +25 74
8 Stockport 46 14 6 3 46 21 5 2 16 25 48 +2 65
9 Wolves 46 13 6 4 42 25 5 5 13 15 28 +4 65
10 West Brom 46 9 8 6 27 26 7 5 11 23 30 -6 61
11 Crewe 46 10 2 11 30 34 8 3 12 28 31 -7 59
12 Oxford 46 12 6 5 36 20 4 4 15 24 44 -4 58
13 Bradford 46 10 9 4 26 23 4 6 13 20 36 -13 57
14 Tranmere 46 9 8 6 34 26 5 6 12 20 31 -3 56
15 Norwich 46 9 8 6 32 27 5 5 13 20 42 -17 55
16 Huddersfield 46 9 5 9 28 28 5 6 12 22 44 -22 53
17 Bury 46 7 10 6 22 22 4 9 10 20 36 -16 52
18 Swindon 46 9 6 8 28 25 5 4 14 14 48 -31 52
19 Port Vale 46 7 6 10 25 24 6 4 13 31 42 -10 49
20 Portsmouth 46 8 6 9 28 30 5 4 14 23 33 -12 49
21 QPR 46 8 9 6 28 21 2 10 11 23 42 -12 49
22 Man City 46 6 6 11 28 26 6 6 11 28 31 -1 48 (R)
23 Stoke 46 8 5 10 30 40 3 8 12 14 34 -30 46 (R)
24 Reading 46 8 4 11 27 31 3 5 15 12 47 -39 42 (R)

 

Poor old Sunderland. Got 90 points but didn't go up (Charlton beat them in the "Michael Gray" playoff final)

 

It’s funny to think that several teams could end up with 90+ points again, because this division doesn’t look anything like that quality.

Charlton had a quality team under Curbishley, Ipswich were always great to watch during that era and Sunderland had little Kev who scored 31 league goals (and would get even better two years later in a higher division).

 

Look at Man City falling through the trap door into Division 2.

 

Prefer the 2nd division table myself.


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As Norwich showed, we can turn up when we want to. Would be delighted if we were still in the automatic promotion mix with 4 to play.

Failing to win games like tonight's at the Den are the reason we might not be in that mix.

 

Brentford are a real wildcard with the way their fixtures have worked out, if they win their games in hand, they'd have a cushion over us, but then again there's also a chance they'll struggle towards the end of the season. Had a long cup run too, I know they rotated their squad in that, but still, it's not like they played 11 puddings

 

I've not seen any Brentford games but some who have say they've not been impressed. However as this league this season is pretty turgid the teams at the top end are just those with a bit more quality. We can rue dropped points but we know what we need to do in the next 15 games, the only tough fixture is Muff away. To have any serious attempt at promotion we need to be racking up at the very least 32 points from the next possible 45, that's really a minimum of 10 wins from 15.

 

No problem, we'll already have secured automatic promotion by then.

 

The lack of general quality is the main reason why 3 teams could get 90 points...

 

It's pretty much why I suggested this in the first place yesterday. I reckon that if any of the current top 6 teams were transported in time to the division in 2014/15, none of them would get close to the play offs.

 

Can't see us being in the running for top 2 by the last 6 games.

Swansea, Brentford and Norwich are far more coherent and consistent than we are. I'm just hoping we sort ourselves out before the playoffs.

 

That's the thing about having a striker - if you have someone who can create and take advantage of danger, squeeze off a chance out of nowhere and finish what his teammates do actually manage to create with any kind of regularity or reliability, that can really lift the burden from a team who just aren't particularly coherent or consistent (and, indeed, don't really appear to have any great tactical plan or identity). Essentially, if you can rely on talent and moments of brilliance from them, it can mitigate that tactical lack - it's what we are relying on in other positions throughout the squad; the players we have being of a higher quality than the ones they are coming up against, man for man.

That is what is so insane, and so laughable, about our current striker situation. We are the exact opposite to any kind of team that could stomach and ride out the horrific ineptitude of the players whose sole job it is to put the ball in the back of the net - and we are therefore completely and utterly missing the one aspect that we rely on as a team this season to win games in arguably the most important position. We are essentially doubly exposed as a result.

This is why it's so inexplicable, and so maddening that, as it stands, Gino can watch these performances and still come to the conclusion that bodging along ignoring the problem is fine and, in fact, the best way to go about things.

 

Problem is, there’s almost certainly a huge amount of money tied up in our main striking options. Even if the club wanted to give them away they’d have to find someone who is prepared to match their enormous wages or (more likely) top up any shortfall by contributing to their wages. That then compromises the amount available to spend on replacements.

It seems unlikely the club are unaware they have a problem to solve in the short or medium term, but how do they do it without burning a lot of money?

 

My main response to that, which is of course seemingly true and a fair point, is that they'll be burning a whole lot more money failing to get promoted in lacklustre fashion.

I'm not a scout, so I'll freely admit I don't have any amazing answers, but there have to be some answers out there. Exploit the loan market; look in lesser markets abroad - the standard we are chasing at the moment is a centre forward who is capable of playing as a centre forward and scoring any goals at all at Championship level - we're hardly trying to pour honey potion in the ear of Kylian Mbappé.

Are we really saying that is something that is impossible for us to find with any value whatsoever? I would suggest that (if it is indeed true) Lea-Siliki's interest in moving to us provides some evidence that we should not be. There is miraculously still some draw in playing for us. Whether we send Gray to the shadow zone or not, and how much his wage is, is basically irrelevant, because he will be being paid that regardless. The only thing that is relevant is whether he can contribute to promotion or not, and the answer is overwhelmingly clearly 'no'. So, as a result, we have no choice but to bring in someone who can.

Gino has consistently had big problems with spending a certain outlay now to avoid losing far more later - where we are now is the ultimate demonstration of that. But he cannot allow that thinking to rule his decision-making now, of all times; it is more imperative than ever.

Gray, and Gino's attitude towards him, is the ultimate manifestation of the sunk-cost fallacy. Now he needs to sink.

 

I think Pozzo has toasted the finances so much that there is no room for manoeuvre. Pozzo is the losing gambler down to his last bet and hoping for his tricast to come in somehow and squeak promotion. He has no answers, just hope.

 

Title decider against Norwich, bring it on.

 

Agreed. I think playing the top teams at the end of season, makes it exciting and a chance to put the other teams to bed .