So will we stay up or not

[tiger76]

In previous seasons we've had a great record against the teams in and around us in the table, but this year it's not been as impressive. We've only really beaten Sheff United.

Yes and we will need to improve on this, although equally we've only lost to Leeds, Newcastle and Southampton of the lower half sides, and the 1st one of those was undeserved, and the latter two occurred early in the season when we were struggling with injuries, plus both Newcastle and Saints were in much better form, but yes we do need to turn at least a couple of these draws into victories to ensure a more comfortable end to the season I agree.

[WiscoClaret]

Very much in the balance for me. Next three Fulham games, as difficult as they are for them, are key for us. In that time we really could do with a win or two ourselves.

Spot on^. Results went as good as they could have for us so far this weekend IMO. However, if we can nick a win against Leicester or at least a draw...we could breathe a little better. Hopefully we shake the dust from out boots and kick on from this Spurs game.

[bfcjg]

Just.

[Pstotto]

I think the survival target is 41 points this year.

4 wins and a draw.

[Wembley09]

Apart from Newcastle and Sheff Utd, the rest of our remaning fixtures look daunting.

Hope we can pick up some more unexpected points again, and ease the pressure.

[tiger76]

I think the survival target is 41 points this year.

4 wins and a draw.

I'll be surprised if it's as high as 41, can you honestly see all 3 of Brighton, Newcastle & Fulham getting 40 points because I can't, 36-38 should be enough even with the improvement of the bottom sides in recent weeks, so 3 wins and a couple of draws will suffice for us, now where those wins are coming from on current form is another matter.

[boatshed bill]

It hardly matters.
Without huge investment in the squad our days are numbered so if it's not this season then, without major cash input, it will be next season.

[IanMcL]

We will be fine.

There are some on here who think our dozen limping pros should be winning the league!

Yes we have had some remarkable results, this season. All credit to our genies and the management. However, if the big teams actually turn up, we would get murdered, no matter what.

A glimpse at the pace of Spurs today said it all. One second we are heading back across goal, to see if someone can get the 3nd ball, a few seconds later, they had 4 players tearing down the pitch, clear of our defenders. We can't do that. Bale half a mill a week. What about the rest? Colossal. Bale is probably half our squad pay!

I thought we kept going and did some good stuff. No issues from me.

[Dark Cloud]

I'll be surprised if it's as high as 41, can you honestly see all 3 of Brighton, Newcastle & Fulham getting 40 points because I can't, 36-38 should be enough even with the improvement of the bottom sides in recent weeks, so 3 wins and a couple of draws will suffice for us, now where those wins are coming from on current form is another matter.

I did a double take and then realised who had written it. I suspect even he will be surprised if A. the survival target is 41 points and B. we actually achieve 41 points. He's reeled you in I fear!!!

[Top Claret]

Beat Leicester and all turn coats will be turned

[Top Claret]

Sin it before and will see it again, once the tide turns so do the turn coats

[Grumps]

Apart from Newcastle and Sheff Utd, the rest of our remaning fixtures look daunting.

Hope we can pick up some more unexpected points again, and ease the pressure.

Daunting?.. Against sides we have got results against in the none too distant past... Anyone would think we've never won a Premier league game.

[Greenmile]

When you stand still and don't try to improve, you deserve everything you get.

Right again. And what we evidently deserve from our alleged failure to try to improve is 5 straight seasons in the Premier League.

I predict we’ll make that 6, not strengthen to your (and many others’) liking in the summer, then go on to stay up yet again next season.

In fact, I’m so confident that I’d be challenging you to a bet on it, if I thought there was the slightest chance that you wouldn’t welch out on it when you lost.

[Greenmile]

It hardly matters.
Without huge investment in the squad our days are numbered so if it's not this season then, without major cash input, it will be next season.

How many seasons now is it that folk have been coming out with stuff like this? Yet here we still are, without any major cash input yet.

[boatshed bill]

How many seasons now is it that folk have been coming out with stuff like this? Yet here we still are, without any major cash input yet.

I honestly believe that the club is at its weakest since we got promoted the first time with Coyle.
Maybe i'll be proved wrong, but we seem to be at best treading water, and we have an unknown entity in the chair.

[Greenmile]

I honestly believe that the club is at its weakest since we got promoted the first time with Coyle.
Maybe i'll be proved wrong, but we seem to be at best treading water, and we have an unknown entity in the chair.

Really? Weaker than the Brian Laws years?

The league table disagrees.

[boatshed bill]

Really? Weaker than the Brian Laws years?

The league table disagrees.

The tiny Laws cameo was the Coyle PL season. Same thing, and we were weak then

[Greenmile]

The tiny Laws cameo was the Coyle PL season. Same thing, and we were weak then

You said since we got promoted with Coyle. That was August (or May) 2009. Laws left in December 2010. I’d say that for that entire period we were in a significantly weaker position than we are now, by pretty much every conceivable metric.

[Nonayforever]

I think we will stay up - just.
It's ugly though, and without enjoyment.
Our saving grace could be Corvid. This summer needs a complete overhaul within the team, I think everyone is in agreement with that ( more or less ). A lot of teams finances will be in disarray, apart from the few at the top of the pyramid, I think there will be a huge amount of activity this summer.

[boatshed bill]

You said since we got promoted with Coyle. That was August (or May) 2009. Laws left in December 2010. I’d say that for that entire period we were in a significantly weaker position than we are now, by pretty much every conceivable metric.

Obviously what I meant was the promotion season, when we first arrived in the PL.

[Greenmile]

Obviously what I meant was the promotion season, when we first arrived in the PL.

It would have been obvious to you, but the rest of us don’t have access to your thoughts, so we have to go off the words you use.

So do you think we’re in a weaker position now than when we were in the Championship under Laws with the likes of Chris Iwelumo and Leon Cort turning out for us every week? Unless you obviously don’t mean the actual thing you’re saying again, then I think you may be over-reacting a little bit.

[boatshed bill]

It would have been obvious to you, but the rest of us don’t have access to your thoughts, so we have to go off the words you use.

So do you think we’re in a weaker position now than when we were in the Championship under Laws with the likes of Chris Iwelumo and Leon Cort turning out for us every week? Unless you obviously don’t mean the actual thing you’re saying again, then I think you may be over-reacting a little bit.

I'm only comparing it to our situation in the PL. it's all relative.
But I would be very surprised if our current squad could get promoted from the championship.

[taio]

I'm only comparing it to our situation in the PL. it's all relative.
But I would be very surprised if our current squad could get promoted from the championship.

[boatshed bill]

You may not be laughing next season.

[taio]

You may not be laughing next season.

Why?

[boatshed bill]

Because I doubt that our ageing squad (albeit minus our best 2 or 3 players) could mount a promotion challenge in the Championship.
We need 3 teams to end up worse than us this season, but at present there's no assurance of that.

[taio]

Because I doubt that our ageing squad (albeit minus our best 2 or 3 players) could mount a promotion challenge in the Championship.
We need 3 teams to end up worse than us this season, but at present there's no assurance of that.

We won't have our current squad next season and that would certainly be the case if we went down.

[boatshed bill]

We won't have our current squad next season and that would certainly be the case if we went down.

Could we actually get shut of them if we go down?

[taio]

Could we actually get shut of them if we go down?

We would lose a few of our best players I reckon.

[boatshed bill]

We would lose a few of our best players I reckon.

Pope, Tarkowski and McNeil, who more or less carry us.

[taio]

Pope, Tarkowski and McNeil, who more or less carry us.

We've got more good players than just those three.

[Newcastleclaret93]

I'm only comparing it to our situation in the PL. it's all relative.
But I would be very surprised if our current squad could get promoted from the championship.

I 100% agree.

This will most likely be our starting eleven in the championship if we were relegated.

Farrell
Lowton Long Mee Taylor
Gudmundsson Westwood Cork (no idea who would play LM)
Barnes Vydra

That team would probably finish mid table.

[taio]

I 100% agree.

This will most likely be our starting eleven in the championship if we were relegated.

Farrell
Lowton Long Mee Taylor
Gudmundsson Westwood Cork (no idea who would play LM)
Barnes Vydra

That team would probably finish mid table.

He said our current squad.

[Newcastleclaret93]

He said our current squad.

Given the size of our squad he is probably not far off.

We have struggled to fill a bench with senior players for almost two seasons now.

[buzzclarets79]

It hardly matters.
Without huge investment in the squad our days are numbered so if it's not this season then, without major cash input, it will be next season.

Exactly this. We probably will survive this season, but the future is looking decidedly bleak. An squad which is already one of the oldest, low on numbers and Tarks will more than likely leave in summer so we don’t lose him on a free.
We’d require 5/6 additions of real quality in the summer, not journey men that work hard, we need pace and creativity, all of which costs money, money I’m not sure we have, and also we only do our shopping in certain places which seriously hampering recruitment

[boatshed bill]

He said our current squad.

Because I doubt that our ageing squad (albeit minus our best 2 or 3 players) could mount a promotion challenge in the Championship.
We need 3 teams to end up worse than us this season, but at present there's no assurance of that

You are being at best "selective with the truth"

[taio]

Given the size of our squad he is probably not far off.

We have struggled to fill a bench with senior players for almost two seasons now.

Crikey, you have a real downer on the manager and players don't you. The latest that our current team wouldn't be good enough to get our of the championship despite it being good enough to routinely stay in the premier league. Mind you, you described them all as donkeys earlier.

[taio]

Because I doubt that our ageing squad (albeit minus our best 2 or 3 players) could mount a promotion challenge in the Championship.
We need 3 teams to end up worse than us this season, but at present there's no assurance of that .You are being at best "selective with the truth"

Not intentionally. But this is what you said:

But I would be very surprised if our current squad could get promoted from the championship.

[Greenmile]

I'm only comparing it to our situation in the PL. it's all relative.
But I would be very surprised if our current squad could get promoted from the championship.

So when you said “the club is at its weakest since we got promoted the first time with Coyle”, you (obviously) meant “...apart from the season in the Premier League under Coyle and Laws, and every other season we’ve spent in the Championship since then” (which makes up pretty much 50% of the time that has passed since we got promoted under Coyle)

How stupid of me not to realise.

I think we were in a weaker position than now the season we got relegated back to the Championship under Dyche, or does that not count either?

I also think our current squad (and manager) would easily win the Championship.

[claptrappers_union]

I think it’s much easier to stay in Premier League than it is to get promoted into it

[boatshed bill]

Not intentionally. But this is what you said:

But I would be very surprised if our current squad could get promoted from the championship.

OK, So we sort of agree. I went back over posts to check.
I think it's fair to say that we have been struggling to maintain the quality of squad needed in the PL for the last couple of seasons, through no-one's fault, it's just an economic fact.
We really do need to hang on this season, but recent performances put that in doubt.
This squad is tired.

[tiger76]

I 100% agree.

This will most likely be our starting eleven in the championship if we were relegated.

Farrell
Lowton Long Mee Taylor
Gudmundsson Westwood Cork (no idea who would play LM)
Barnes Vydra

That team would probably finish mid table.

If we suffered relegation we wouldn't find it so easy to return as last time, we'd definitely lose a few stalwarts, and as others have alluded to we aren't carrying the strength in depth that we possessed in 2016, plus the squad is rapidly ageing, the one possible upside to playing in the Championship might be that our most promising youngsters may get more 1st team chances, but matched against all the downsides, notably our recent debt accumulation, it's vital that we retain our top flight status for as long as possible, because if we do drop it may well be sometime until we returned I'm afraid, as the lessons of our new neighbours should make crystal clear.

[claptrappers_union]

I think as a squad, we are much weaker and we’re lucky that the teams around us are so poor this season. We are capable of winning any match and getting a run together. It won’t be pretty though.

[taio]

I think it’s much easier to stay in Premier League than it is to get promoted into it

History shows that many promoted clubs find it incredibly difficult to stay up.

[claptrappers_union]

And incredibly difficult to come back too

[taio]

And incredibly difficult to come back too

I agree. But I don't think staying up after promotion is much easier.

[boatshed bill]

Not intentionally. But this is what you said:

But I would be very surprised if our current squad could get promoted from the championship.

Actually I think I'd happily stand with my original comment, when I think about it.
Our squad is tired, ageing, and I'm really not sure they could manage the 2 games per week schedule demanded in the Championship.
And if our best 3 players left, not a prayer.

[taio]

Actually I think I'd happily stand with my original comment, when I think about it.
Our squad is tired, ageing, and I'm really not sure they could manage the 2 games per week schedule demanded in the Championship.
And if our best 3 players left, not a prayer.

If that's the case I'd happily stand by my three laughing emojis.

[boatshed bill]

If that's the case I'd happily stand by my three laughing emojis.

You are welcome.

[The Hung Juror]

Got to say I’m seriously worried this season. The Blades and the Baggies are gone in my view. Fulham, Newcastle, and Brighton are all playing better football than us, we are abject at the moment. They have all been creating chances, but yes they haven’t been taking them, especially Brighton. We haven’t been creating anything of note. Yes we have injury issues, but those that think that our problems will be simply solved when those out come back are deluded.