[Archived] "the Run In"

[grizfoot]

3 of those games have been chosen for Live TV coverage. Liverpool is now on the Sunday on Sky at 1.30; Manu is now at 5.15 on Setanta on the saturday and Pompey away is on TV. They obviously feel that we have a chance to qualify.

Or they are more instersted in showing United in the title race and Liverpool & Pompey fighting for the european spots maybe ?

[Mr. E]

The thing is though, if it's not 4th it's not gonna make much of a difference. Sure, a UEFA place will be "nice", but it won't mean much.

Too many good teams around us this season I'm afraid. Everton and Pool will fight it out for 4th, and we'll do well to finish above any of Villa, Pompey or City.

[philipl]

City are catchable and will be without Petrov after his red card last night.

Did the BBC prediction game again last night but recognising there are perverse results in the tail end of every season, automatically gave a win to the lower club in every fifth bottom half v current top half confrontation.

It produced a Derby win against Arsenal (actually bottom beating top is not all that rare- Mansfield did MK Dons away three weeks ago) effectively costing Arsenal the title (Chelsea, Man U and Arse all finished within a point of each other but the Mancs have that Bolton game to play) but also a Spurs win at Ewood and Brum saving themselves by beating us. Even with such a random factor working, Newcastle did n't get a single 5th game and went down on goal difference with Fulham and Derby! One point covered Reading, Wigan Brum and Newcastle.

Apart from theexcitements at the extremities, Rovers came 8th behind Liverpool on GD. Everton got 4th comfortably, Spurs moved up to 9th and City slipped to 11th.

[BlueMonday]

I got Rovers at 9th on 60 points. Seems to be the concensus, meaning no Euro footy.

Arse winning & ManU 2nd is interesting. Chelski & Pool claim CL spots.

Villa & Toffies in Euro spots

Brum, Fulham, Derby bitting the dust with Wigan Bolton & Reading scraping in.

Time wil tell :!:

[tony gale's mic]

The thing is though, if it's not 4th it's not gonna make much of a difference. Sure, a UEFA place will be "nice", but it won't mean much.

Too many good teams around us this season I'm afraid. Everton and Pool will fight it out for 4th, and we'll do well to finish above any of Villa, Pompey or City.

If you're going to take that attitude then whats the point in even existing as a football club? 4th is a very lofty ambition for a club like ours and even with a very talented manager and a good squad of players we don't really look like making it. A UEFA cup spot is important as it shows we're consistently in the top 7 or 8 teams in the country and being able to compete on the european stage, which for a club of our budget and our size is an extremely impressive achievement. Also it will help attract new players who want to come.

[Mr. E]

If you're going to take that attitude then whats the point in even existing as a football club? 4th is a very lofty ambition for a club like ours and even with a very talented manager and a good squad of players we don't really look like making it. A UEFA cup spot is important as it shows we're consistently in the top 7 or 8 teams in the country and being able to compete on the european stage, which for a club of our budget and our size is an extremely impressive achievement. Also it will help attract new players who want to come.

Well in today's game, only the CL is significant progress. Not that we're doing bad at all - but I just don't see it as a huge thing if we miss out on UEFA by a place or two. We would have done well this season regardless.

Also I'd argue that the Premiership football itself is a bigger draw for foreign players than the UEFA cup.

[CAPT KAYOS]

Also I'd argue that the Premiership football itself is a bigger draw for foreign players than the UEFA cup.

Personally I would say its the 'ease to riches' that is the bigger draw

[American]

Interesting how people will complain that European football is ruining the English game yet get defensive if someone doesn't mind if we don't get European football.

[Fife Rover]

Well in today's game, only the CL is significant progress. Not that we're doing bad at all - but I just don't see it as a huge thing if we miss out on UEFA by a place or two. We would have done well this season regardless.

Also I'd argue that the Premiership football itself is a bigger draw for foreign players than the UEFA cup.

Make that Premiership wages and I will agree with you.

[only2garners]

Looking at our last 11 games last season we won 5, drew 3 and lost 3, getting 18 points. Fixtures were similar except we had 6 at home and 5 away (reverse this year) and we only had one match against the "Big 4" against 2 this year (except of course Liverpool currently aren't in the top 4). On the other hand the 3 matches we lost were the 3 immediately before the cup semi final and we don't have that distraction this year. Another 18 point haul would see us on 60 points. Last year that would have got us 5th or 6th place but probably not this year.

[Ozz]

Well if we get the same results this year against the sides we have yet to play as we did last year, we will get 14 points, plus what ever home to Derby and away at Brum gives us (6 points?). 20 points more gives us 62.

[BuckyRover]

Make that Premiership wages and I will agree with you.

This must mean I have one thing in common with Premiership footballers. The wage is my main factor when I choose to change jobs.

Santa Cruz said the UEFA cup was one of the main reasons he joined the club.

It's imperative we get into Europe

[joey_big_nose]

Well in today's game, only the CL is significant progress. Not that we're doing bad at all - but I just don't see it as a huge thing if we miss out on UEFA by a place or two. We would have done well this season regardless.

Also I'd argue that the Premiership football itself is a bigger draw for foreign players than the UEFA cup.

But its a question of degrees. Sure most players would go for and Premier League team out of the Uefa cup rather than a Bulgarian team in the uefa cup. But then if a foreign player is looking for a move to the Premiership he might prefer a team in the Uefa cup than one out of it.

A very relavent examples would be Santa Cruz and McCarthy. It must of swayed their decision quite a lot.

We should aim to finish as high as we can. Anything less will result in us stagnating and losing our focus.

[Paul]

The thing is though, if it's not 4th it's not gonna make much of a difference. Sure, a UEFA place will be "nice", but it won't mean much.

Too many good teams around us this season I'm afraid. Everton and Pool will fight it out for 4th, and we'll do well to finish above any of Villa, Pompey or City.

He's right. The UEFA cup is a very minor competition these days. When the CL was just that, and the UEFA cup gave a chance of drawing a quality side it meant something but today it's pointless. Name a quality European side to visit Ewood in the UEFA cup. I mean a "name", a sell out the ground team. Last one was Celtic, since then we've played a bunch of nothing teams. That is not the point of European football.

The UEFA cup gives a few hundred people the chance for a good break in a foreign city, and good luck to them, but for the majority of fans it means turning up out of loyalty to watch a home game against a team you've never heard of.

[waggy]

19 for me