Run In as from today 5th April | Vital Football

Run In as from today 5th April

Yep, the fixtures are bad. The motivation to end the season on a high probably isn't there. It's a good opportunity for Smith to mix it up a bit.
 
It's a pretty grim and grueling fixture list for sure...and even if Jack comes back early doors for the remaining games how influential can we expect him to be? If we finish in the top ten it would still be a great season and will give us something to build on next season. Anything higher than 8th would be a massive result but considering the teams we have to play ( I think the two games against Everton will be crucial ) I think in all honesty a top 8 finish is a big ask.
I would have taken a top ten place at the start of the season and if we get there it's job done and gives us a platform to aim higher next campaign, especially if it's true that the owners are focusing their efforts on improving the forward positions
 
The pressure is off us. I'm sure the players don't want things to just fizzle out; it's their careers on the line. I'm optimistic. None of those teams are going to find it easy against us. Let's see what happens.
 
I would have taken anything above 15th at the start of the season. Now finishing outside the top half will seem disappointing. With Jack and on form I'd back us to have a good chance of beating anyone bar Man City in this league.

Right now I'd take where we are. 9th. Highest finish in a decade, no relegation battle and although I'd love to get into Europe the reality is the squad probably isn't ready just yet in terms of depth. Not that that will stop me from celebrating if we do qualify though.
 
City are the only team consistent enough to worry about, Man Utd for obvious reasons. like they could put out 11 traffic cones and still fluke it.
I'd love to finish 7th and hope we don't get a Europa League place, so we don't have to suffer that shite. We don't have the squad for that yet.
I won't be too happy if we finish 11th or lower as that is the bottom half.
We are capable of beating anyone or losing to anyone hat's for sure
 
Depending on what form the team is in, fixtures look very different. At the beginning of the season when we turned over everyone week after week, and were playing some great football, it didn't really matter who we had next, I thought we would win whoever it was.

The problem is now, without any real form, a run of very flat performances, and no Jack on the pitch in sight, every game looks a lot more difficult. I don't care if its Sheff U, Newecastle, Fulham we're playing - we just don't look like we've got the beating of anyone. Its not as if we haven't seen what the players can do from pre Christmas, but now we look all over the place and Dean doesn't seem to know his best team, how to get them going and so it looks very much like the season is sailing away from us.

Don't get me wrong, I said pre season that really anything that avoids the drama of relegation would be very welcome, and that somewhere around 12th give or take a few places either way would represent progress. But its clear that since January the wheels have come off what was a runaway train - and for whatever reason, no Jack, lasting effects of Covid on the players, or whatever else, we look a much poorer team than we did, resembling the clueless mob from most of last season before the miracle.

Lets hope through whatever means that they rediscover their mojo, and soon.
 
I honestly don't care about Arsenal. Kind of had an inkling all along we'd end up behind them.

All this season boils down to now for me is finishing above Leeds. If we finish 10th and above that lot I'll be delighted.
 
Here's my forecast (don't put the deeds of the house on it!).

10/04 - Liverpool (A) Loss
21/04 - Man City (H) Loss
25/04 - West Brom (H) Win
01/05 - Everton (A) Draw
08/05 - Man United (H) Draw
11/05 - Crystal Palace (A) Draw
15/05 - Tottenham (A) Loss
23/05 - Chelsea (H) Draw
TBC - Everton (H) Draw

That'd net us 52 points.
 
Here's my forecast (don't put the deeds of the house on it!).

10/04 - Liverpool (A) Loss
21/04 - Man City (H) Loss
25/04 - West Brom (H) Win
01/05 - Everton (A) Draw
08/05 - Man United (H) Draw
11/05 - Crystal Palace (A) Draw
15/05 - Tottenham (A) Loss
23/05 - Chelsea (H) Draw
TBC - Everton (H) Draw

That'd net us 52 points.
Only one win for the rest of the season? That unusually pessimistic for you BBJ.
 
Yep looked ahead a while ago and could immediately see we threw our season away with those poor results at Burnley, Brighton and Sheffield Utd maybe West Ham too. That said a top half finish would still be excellent but we were never breaking into the European positions after we dropped points against those teams when you could see which fixtures were remaining