Top Ten Finish ?

MT03ALG · Post by **MT03ALG** » Tue Jan 03, 2017 5:29 pm

At the half-way stage with Burnley on 23 points, with the bottom five teams all to play away from home and with a good chance of five more victories at Turf Moor, we could be looking at at total of 56-60 points and a top ten finish !! My calculation assumes no more points from the remaining six games against the top seven in the league ! A bity too early for Europe which would be ok for 2017-2018 followed by the Champions League the following year. Am I being too optimistic ?
N.B. I have not had a drink today as yet !!

dpinsussex · Post by **dpinsussex** » Tue Jan 03, 2017 5:30 pm

Dont be greedy.
Lets stay up first
1 game at a time

mkmel · Post by **mkmel** » Tue Jan 03, 2017 5:30 pm

I'd be happy with a top seventeen finish

fidelcastro · Post by **fidelcastro** » Tue Jan 03, 2017 5:31 pm

Oh dear... I wondered who'd be the first to mention the "E" word on here... and I'm not talking about Brexit or that band who sang "The final countdown".

Are you being too optimistic?

Answers on a postcard.

Imploding Turtle · Post by **Imploding Turtle** » Tue Jan 03, 2017 5:34 pm

dpinsussex wrote:Dont be greedy.
Lets stay up first
1 game at a time

No ambition. Sack the bored.

starting_11 · Post by **starting_11** » Tue Jan 03, 2017 5:39 pm

We've just got to stay up this year.

Next year is when we'll eye the PL title followed by Europe the next!

summitclaret · Post by **summitclaret** » Tue Jan 03, 2017 5:40 pm

" 56-60 points "

Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.

We will scrape to 37/38 and stay up and I will be over the moon.

claretandy · Post by **claretandy** » Tue Jan 03, 2017 5:46 pm

So we have over-achieved to get 23 ponits from 20 games and you think we are going to get another 37 points from 18 games ?

Bertiebeehead · Post by **Bertiebeehead** » Tue Jan 03, 2017 5:48 pm

Only the cooking sherry and a bag of glue left? Don't worry, soon be Christmas.

MT03ALG · Post by **MT03ALG** » Tue Jan 03, 2017 5:50 pm

Five away games against the bottom five = 15 points ??

fidelcastro · Post by **fidelcastro** » Tue Jan 03, 2017 5:52 pm

MT03ALG wrote:Five away games against the bottom five = 15 points ??

And what are you basing this change in away form on?

This is the PL not the National League.

Croydon Claret · Post by **Croydon Claret** » Tue Jan 03, 2017 5:53 pm

Even if we signed Messi in January I doubt we'd achieve anything approaching that points total

MT03ALG · Post by **MT03ALG** » Tue Jan 03, 2017 5:54 pm

Based on the home form of the bottom five !!

fidelcastro · Post by **fidelcastro** » Tue Jan 03, 2017 5:56 pm

MT03ALG wrote:Based on the home form of the bottom five !!

And our away form suggests we'll beat all of them?

I'll have some of what you're on!

Wile E Coyote · Post by **Wile E Coyote** » Tue Jan 03, 2017 6:00 pm

whilst it would be an amazing feat, cannot see us getting that far,our away form suggests otherwise.
The priority is survivalin this division, I can see us managing that, but only just. One or two slip ups at home and we are right back amongst the dead men. I believe we will hold out to the end and escape the drop, top 10...no.

MT03ALG · Post by **MT03ALG** » Tue Jan 03, 2017 6:01 pm

I sincerely hope to remind you of your pessimism later in the season Fidel !! Too early for a drink, by 10 p.m. I might be predicting a top six finish !!

fidelcastro · Post by **fidelcastro** » Tue Jan 03, 2017 6:03 pm

MT03ALG wrote:I sincerely hope to remind you of your pessimism later in the season Fidel !! Too early for a drink, by 10 p.m. I might be predicting a top six finish !!

It's not pessimism, it's realism.

MT03ALG · Post by **MT03ALG** » Tue Jan 03, 2017 6:11 pm

I thought you might say that. I sincerely hope to remind you of your realism later in the season !!

Rowls · Post by **Rowls** » Tue Jan 03, 2017 6:22 pm

Top ten isn't entirely bonkers but neither is predicting relegation either.

From 8th downwards it's all to play for essentially.

nil_desperandum · Post by **nil_desperandum** » Tue Jan 03, 2017 6:24 pm

Given the current number of points of the bottom 3, I'd take 38 (with a decent goal difference) now.
Staying up would be a fantastic achievement, and most seasons 38 would do the job.
Any out of Swansea, Hull and Sunderland getting 39 points from here would be some turnaround.

Steddyman · Post by **Steddyman** » Tue Jan 03, 2017 7:22 pm

I'd be happy just to stay up, but I'd be far happier with Top 10. I placed a bet on win league, top 4 and top 10 before the start of the season.

JohnMac · Post by **JohnMac** » Wed Jan 04, 2017 8:26 am

Let's enjoy a good little spell of home form without getting carried away.

The bottom teams will be relishing the opportunity to be playing us at their own ground with a chance to pick up points as much as we see the reverse.

davemanu2000 · Post by **davemanu2000** » Wed Jan 04, 2017 3:02 pm

Burnley have done pretty well so far . We do not aim that they would be among the ten best .The competition is really tough as each club is armed and forearmed . It is our earnest wish that they stay and survive the division .

Claretto · Post by **Claretto** » Wed Jan 04, 2017 3:17 pm

I would be very happy with 40 given we have played the bottom teams at home already, and only have 8 home games left.

Jambo · Post by **Jambo** » Wed Jan 04, 2017 4:22 pm

Top half should be the new target - absolutely. The league this season is six very good sides and 14 others who are mediocre to some degree in PL terms. Obviously staying up is the most important thing, but we can and should be a bit more ambitious now. Lots of away games to come against poor teams and we'll fancy ourselves against anyone at the Turf.

jlup1980 · Post by **jlup1980** » Wed Jan 04, 2017 4:30 pm

We'll do very well to gain 40 points this season, very well. That assumes 17 more points from 18 games; 5 wins, 2 draws and 10 defeats. I'd snap your hand off for that if it were offered!!

ClaretLoup · Post by **ClaretLoup** » Wed Jan 04, 2017 4:31 pm

A lot will depend on who, if anyone, we sign in the window. Nobody = down to the wire, couple of good signings could well be mid table.

LoveCurryPies · Post by **LoveCurryPies** » Wed Jan 04, 2017 4:52 pm

At the start of the season, I predicted we would in 14th place.

We've put in some great performances against top clubs, although not always picked up a point. If we can improve our away results, then a mid table finish is achievable.

Suspect that depends who we sign in the next few weeks. In my eyes, we need more goals so a top quality striker to play alongside Andre.

summitclaret · Post by **summitclaret** » Wed Jan 04, 2017 5:35 pm

Priority must be given to creating goals.

Caernarfon_Claret · Post by **Caernarfon_Claret** » Wed Jan 04, 2017 6:59 pm

Somewhere between 14th and 18th

South West Claret. · Post by **South West Claret.** » Wed Jan 04, 2017 9:24 pm

As the season progresses the idea of a TTF doesn't seem so daft.

Right_winger · Post by **Right_winger** » Wed Jan 04, 2017 11:51 pm

Out of interest does anyone know the prize money splits for each finishing position in the league?

As above a top 17 finish I will be over the moon. We should be able to manage it. 4 more wins and a couple of draws will see us safe.

Vegas Claret · Post by **Vegas Claret** » Thu Jan 05, 2017 3:08 am

MT03ALG wrote:At the half-way stage with Burnley on 23 points, with the bottom five teams all to play away from home and with a good chance of five more victories at Turf Moor, we could be looking at at total of 56-60 points and a top ten finish !! My calculation assumes no more points from the remaining six games against the top seven in the league ! A bity too early for Europe which would be ok for 2017-2018 followed by the Champions League the following year. Am I being too optimistic ?
N.B. I have not had a drink today as yet !!

You might not have been drinking but you might want to lower your drug intake

CharlieinNewMexico · Post by **CharlieinNewMexico** » Thu Jan 05, 2017 3:41 am

This doesn't take into account a few things:

a) second time around teams invariably have worked out how to play us
b) many lower teams strengthen considerably in the window
c) we still haven't proved we can beat anyone away, even bottom sides.

Example: Sunderland away Feb? 2015. A game we should have been targeting at that point in the season. Lost 2-0. Simply rolled over. Complete damp squib. Those points would have kept us up.

Buxtonclaret · Post by **Buxtonclaret** » Thu Jan 05, 2017 10:17 am

Right_winger wrote:Out of interest does anyone know the prize money splits for each finishing position in the league?

As above a top 17 finish I will be over the moon. We should be able to manage it. 4 more wins and a couple of draws will see us safe.

Link
http://www.totalsportek.com/money/premi ... ize-money/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

aggi · Post by **aggi** » Thu Jan 05, 2017 10:25 am

Right_winger wrote:Out of interest does anyone know the prize money splits for each finishing position in the league?

As above a top 17 finish I will be over the moon. We should be able to manage it. 4 more wins and a couple of draws will see us safe.

Basically about £2m for each place.

Spijed · Post by **Spijed** » Thu Jan 05, 2017 11:19 am

CharlieinNewMexico wrote:This doesn't take into account a few things:

a) second time around teams invariably have worked out how to play us
b) many lower teams strengthen considerably in the window
c) we still haven't proved we can beat anyone away, even bottom sides.

Example: Sunderland away Feb? 2015. A game we should have been targeting at that point in the season. Lost 2-0. Simply rolled over. Complete damp squib. Those points would have kept us up.

a) second time around teams invariably have worked out how to play us

We got 17 points in the second half of the season two years ago, compared with 16 in the first. That would give us 40 points this time around. And when you look at the points gained so far, we'll need 13-14 points to survive.

b) many lower teams strengthen considerably in the window

Is that really true? Aren't Sunderland skint?

c) we still haven't proved we can beat anyone away, even bottom sides.

We've played 7 teams above us, only only 2 below us away so far. We haven't played any of the bottom sides yet.

wilks_bfc · Post by **wilks_bfc** » Thu Jan 05, 2017 12:40 pm

£5 @ 14/1 says I'll be happy a top 10 finish

CnBtruntru · Post by **CnBtruntru** » Thu Jan 05, 2017 12:44 pm

Possible not impossible and I like to think we will. UTC

box_of_frogs · Post by **box_of_frogs** » Thu Jan 05, 2017 12:50 pm

Like many, I'll take a top 17 spot. If we get sort our away nightmare out then we'll be top 14. If we don't win away then I think we'll go down.

Spijed · Post by **Spijed** » Thu Jan 05, 2017 12:56 pm

box_of_frogs wrote:Like many, I'll take a top 17 spot. If we get sort our away nightmare out then we'll be top 14. If we don't win away then I think we'll go down.

That depends. If we win 4 of our 8 home matches we won't be relegated.

box_of_frogs · Post by **box_of_frogs** » Thu Jan 05, 2017 2:18 pm

I'm not convinced that 35 points will keep us up! We can't even draw away...!

Steddyman · Post by **Steddyman** » Thu Jan 05, 2017 3:30 pm

wilks_bfc wrote:£5 @ 14/1 says I'll be happy a top 10 finish

£140 @ 14/1 for a top 10 finish for me

It was a win pot from last season that I had forgotten I had made, burning a hole in my online betting wallet.

mikeS · Post by **mikeS** » Thu Jan 05, 2017 3:43 pm

After the best six-point Christmas in a long, long while, I'd be over the moon if the Clarets avoid relegation and stay up this season.
That would be a very happy end to the season for me.

wilks_bfc · Post by **wilks_bfc** » Thu Jan 05, 2017 5:43 pm

Steddyman wrote:£140 @ 14/1 for a top 10 finish for me

It was a win pot from last season that I had forgotten I had made, burning a hole in my online betting wallet.

I thought I was pushing it with the £5

MT03ALG · Post by **MT03ALG** » Tue Jan 17, 2017 12:49 am

We have reached the top ten - can we stay there ?

bartons baggage · Post by **bartons baggage** » Tue Jan 17, 2017 5:44 am

Like Joey say's aim small miss small.
A few away points and who knows what our final placing will be.
Like the majority on here,i'd be happy just to stay up.

Caernarfon_Claret · Post by **Caernarfon_Claret** » Tue Jan 17, 2017 7:50 am

Let's see where we are when we've played an equal number of home and away matches (I know that's not til March) it'll balance things up a bit - but if we can win a couple and draw a couple away in that time then yes we should finish between 8th and 13th any higher is beyond us I feel.

MiltonKeynesClaret93 · Post by **MiltonKeynesClaret93** » Tue Jan 17, 2017 8:07 am

Looking at our remaining games there has to be a couple of home wins at least in there, and given how we've started to look in recent away games I think we'll be more than ok.

HOME:

Leicester
Chelsea
Spurs
Stoke
Man United
West Brom
West Ham

AWAY:

Arsenal
Watford
Hull
Swansea
Liverpool
Sunderland
Middlesbrough
Everton
Palace
Bournemouth

summitclaret · Post by **summitclaret** » Tue Jan 17, 2017 9:30 am

This will probably sound mad given what has happened so far, but I think we will get the majority of points from now on away and stay up. I think we are going to do really well apart from at Liverpool, Arsenal and Everton.

I don't think we will be able to handle Chelsea or Spurs who will be slogging it out for the title. MU may get a lucky win. We will beat Leicester. The other 3 are all potential draws.

That should put us around 13/14th, which would be excellent.