We're not going down! Who is? From fantasy to reality...

edited May 2017 in Men's First Team
Ok ladies and gents.

Now that we could be 3 points off the relegation zone tonight (although that could also be 9), I think it's fair to ask this question. This thread is solely about us and our plight, as opposed to a general relegation thread, and weather you genuinely fear the drop.

Last win: 4th Feb - Saints 1-3 WHU

Since then:
WBA (h) 2-2 draw
Watford (a) 1-1 draw
Chelsea (h) 1-2 loss
Bournemouth (a) 3-2 loss
Leicester (h) 2-3 loss
Hull (a) 2-1 loss

2 points from 6 games, 13 goals conceded.

Scaremongering or reassurance to follow...
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Comments

  • Until Saturday's game I wasn't worried, but we're letting in so many soft goals. Most seasons there is one team that plummets like a stone and ends up getting dragged into a relegation dogfight from a seemingly safe position, and this season it looks like being us.

    On the plus side, I think a relatively low total will keep you up this season, 36 or even 35 points could well be enough, so although I still think we'll stay up (at the moment) I am a little concerned and am more worried about just staying up than trying to finish top 10.
  • I don't think we'll go down.
  • I very much doubt we will go down. We could make it very difficult for ourselves, but I can't honestly see relegation from our current position.
  • I dont think we will go down; At the minute it difficult because the results have been off and those fighting relegation have picked up some results, so the natural reaction is to fear the worst and believe that their form and ours will continue, when in reality we are still only 2 results away from most likely being safe and, perhaps to put the hull defeat in more context, if we had beaten them then that wouldve been it done and dusted. However, if you break down the performances or flow of the games then I dont think we are playing as badly as people are making out and have certainly deserved to pick up points:-

    WBA (h) 2-2 draw:- dominated and conceded a dubious late goal:- 2 more points.
    Watford (a) 1-1 draw:- dominated again and should've killed the game off:- 2 more.
    Chelsea (h) 1-2 loss :- good performance.
    Bournemouth (a) 3-2 loss:- bad performance but should've seen the game out at 2-2-: 1 more point.
    Leicester (h) 2-3 loss:-- except the first 10 mins, we created lots and played v.well. Should've won:- 3 more points.
    Hull (a) 2-1 loss:- poor performance 2nd half but once again should've seen out the game at 1-1.- 1 more point.

    Confidence is low and we are getting severely punished for individual mistakes but its something than can be rectified and worked on as its basic decision making and intelligent game control, its not as though teams have been playing us off the pitch or WHU havent had a foot hold in the games. We need to go a bit back to basics and craft our game more because sometimes we are a bit too impulsive and dont have the athleticism to adapt/recover quickly enough. I dont expect us to beat arsenal , though we certainly have it in us to beat them; but we do have a number of very winnable games against teams down there:- Swansea, Stoke, Sunderland, Burnley, in addition to important home games- LFC, EFC, THFC.
  • edited April 2017

    .

    Confidence is low and we are getting severely punished for individual mistakes but its something than can be rectified and worked on as its basic decision making and intelligent game control, its not as though teams have been playing us off the pitch or WHU havent had a foot hold in the games.

    It hasn't being rectified in over 2 years to be frank. Individual errors cost us last season to for the Champs League.
    Would also argue in the times we are getting dominated in game we are lucky to not be 3 or 4 down giving away gilt edged changes. When we dominate the game even against Leicester we weren't creating enough gilt edged chances. There is a difference I think...
  • We've sold our best player. All our better players are woefully out of form apart from Carroll and Lanzini. Our second and third best performers of the season are crocked. We have a keeper not good enough to be a regular PL No.1. The money was not spent wisely in the summer (if we accept that we did spend money and the Dave's weren't as tight as I make out, it wasn't spent wisely). We've only played well twice at home all season (Chelsea in the cup and WBA).
  • This back five:

    Randolph
    Byram - Fonte - Collins - Masuaku

    Is simply not good enough. Fonte is a good player but will need Reid or Ogbonna besides him.
  • I don't see that back 5 changing much over summer if we stay up either ? a big emphasis is being put on getting Burke and Oxford into the team and I don't think they want to block their path to get there.
  • Yeold - it doesn't need much tweaking. Reid, Ogbonna and Cresswell with Fonte as a back-up is fine. The issue is we need a quality GK, RB and DM. Add those three to the defensive unit and we'll be fine. Byram and Randolph aren't good enough and we have no proper DM other than Nord and he'll be gone in the summer.


  • It hasn't being rectified in over 2 years to be frank. Individual errors cost us last season to for the Champs League.

    But players in the middle Pl teams are always going to make more than their fair share of individual errors. If they weren't, they'd not be playing for middle-rank teams.

    I agree it would be great if the individuals stopped making errors ... but then they'd be consistently good, and be off to more prestigious teams.

    As to Luke's question, I don't think we'll be relegated.
  • It's funny how Ogbonna was getting pelters on here before he was crocked but now we miss him so. ;hmm
  • P.S.

    I don't think we're going down.
  • I think we'll stay up at a pinch
    But I'm not looking forward to the transfer window much.
    I can see a few players we don't want to lose going.
    And I don't think that there will be adequate investment again. ;weep
  • edited April 2017
    I think we miss him when Reid is also crocked.

    I think if all our CB's were available I'd rather Reid and Fonte or Reid and Collins.

    But as Reid is injured we do miss him next to one of the current two, and he also offers us the chance to go three at the back, which I think works with a left-footed LCB, but struggles for balance when it's three right-footers.

    I didn't realise he had played with an injury all season, which explained his rustiness.

    The same way as Noble and Cresswell are now getting pelters, however I still think both are among our best players when on form.
  • Herb, i wasn't giving him 'pelters' but i was criticising his performances.
    However those 'questioning him' had no idea he was playing with an injury.
  • Not singling anyone out Twist but in general he was getting a bad, and unfair imo, press. ;ok

    Lukerz,
    Cressie has not been the same since he returned from injury and now he seems to be up and down with his hamstring. We may have seen the best of him.
  • edited April 2017
    Personally, I think it will be very, very close, and could even come down to goal difference, where we have the edge. After Sunderland we'll have a better idea, but right now, as I type, I think we will just about survive.
  • Swansea on Saturday will go a long way to deciding, if we win we are nearly there if we lose the pressure ramps up and we are in serious trouble. I think we will scrape it but I am not looking forward to the rest of the season at the min.
  • edited April 2017
    See I don't think we'll beat Swansea, which is why I'm worried.
  • For some reason I've got it in my head that we will beat Stoke away. Best teams to play at the end of the season are those with nothing to play for. My nerves will be in pieces if we haven't won by then though.
  • edited April 2017
    Swansea's away record is pretty poor hopefully that will continue on Saturday then again so was Leicester's ;lol
  • I agree with Buffy's comment - every year a team drops into the dogfight from mid table and I think that this year it is us, I do not think we will go down.

    The truth is however, that there are Five or six teams realistically fighting to avoid the final relegation slot and we are very much in the mix so there is no reason why it could not be us.

    Thankfully I believe that it is comfortably within us to avoid getting further embroiled but right now, our form and the form of those around us means it is twitchy bum time.

    COYI
  • Win tonight, lose Saturday. West Ham way ;ok
  • Don't see us winning Sat. I think that ground is a huge weight on everyone's shoulders at the moment.

    Hopefully we can just go and attack today and maybe get 3 points to make up for the last few weeks.
  • Don't see us winning tonight, either.

    Sunderland is the most likely three points. Get a point from Swansea, Stoke and Burnley and we'll creep home.

    Crikey, I miss last season.
  • I think a lot will depend on the Swansea game. I don't think we will go down, but then again, I thought exactly the same in 2003 and we all know what happened then.
  • edited April 2017
    Well as it stands now, it's looking pretty terrible.

    We need at least 4 points from the next two.
  • Three points above the drop, no form and no confidence and two six-pointers coming up.

    Feels good.
  • Liverpool now winning
  • West Ham have broken me now. I just don't care anymore.
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