Staying Up Thread 2019/20 | Page 5 | Vital Football

Staying Up Thread 2019/20

Keep saying that we are stumbling on . Think it sums the season up perfectly. Think thats how we will continue. There is no evidence that we can put a consistent string of results to pull away with games to spare. We have been just about ok not get cast adrift like last time we were relegated but nowhere near good enough to pull away
It will go down to the last few games, if not the wire.
 
There is a significant correlation between our dip in form and McGinn not playing anymore. Its also another blow to the armchairs experts who continually said McGinn was out of form, was he? Or was he being asked to do a job nobody else is able to do defensively?

we were losing before he got injured though.

And was he out of form? Not sure, think it was more him being shifted in role slightly to let Jack get more forward.

He did have a few games where he wasn't his usual, excellent self, and that's no surprise if he was having to have painkilling injections to get on the pitch (thigh injury wasn't it?)

He's certainly been missed.
 
I've compared our fixtures with those of the teams down there with us. I wouldn't advise doing that as it makes for grim reading.

I just can not see a way out of this even though I believe we are the best of those teams, and by quite a distance.
 
I've compared our fixtures with those of the teams down there with us. I wouldn't advise doing that as it makes for grim reading.

I just can not see a way out of this even though I believe we are the best of those teams, and by quite a distance.

We certainly need to break what appears to be a psychological barrier by beating a team that we are not expected to beat.
We have taken points against teams around us that we have played twice apart from Bournemouth which is very poor but....
Norwich - 6 points
Brighton- 4 points
Burnley - 3 points
Watford- 3 points

This means though we need to take points from top half teams I'm afraid..
Amongst the nightmare games we CAN beat the likes of Palace at home, Newcastle away. Maybe by the time Sheff United is rescheduled they will be safe and on the beach ....
 
we were losing before he got injured though.

And was he out of form? Not sure, think it was more him being shifted in role slightly to let Jack get more forward.

Don't think I got across everything how I meant it, my command of English is shocking but I am Irish so it makes sense.

I don't think we had the same flood of goals going in before McGinn got injured vs. the last few games. I believe Marv has way too much to do with McGinn beside him.

I didnt think he was out of form either I just remember a lot of posts saying he was out of form and some suggesting he should be dropped. I think its a combination of possible painkillers and being asked to be more disciplined.

1.
Engels - Mings
McGinn - Marv

2.
Konsa - Mings - Hause
Luiz - Marv

The first set of players looks a stronger unit than the latter IMO.
 
Think we’ll stay up as well. As long as - no jinx - we are over major injury blows - and, please football gods, we are due. The starting 11 should start to gel - again. We have not had that luxury since McGinn, Heaton, and especially Wesley went down. Without a natural striker, Smith and the squad had to improvise style of play. As soon as they got that down pat, whamo, we get strikers in the transfer window. So now, while a good thing, everyone has to go back to a system where we do have a natural striker up front. Certainly not the only/main reason for inconsistent play, but a factor in my humble. Me thinks we’ll improve match by match. And if we get a healthy McGinn back for the final stretch, we actually might be able to enjoy those last weeks.
 
we were losing before he got injured though.

And was he out of form? Not sure, think it was more him being shifted in role slightly to let Jack get more forward.

He did have a few games where he wasn't his usual, excellent self, and that's no surprise if he was having to have painkilling injections to get on the pitch (thigh injury wasn't it?)

He's certainly been missed.
Our season started to turn in December, after the Man U game on December 1st. Mcginn got injured against Southampton which was the 4th game we’d lost in a row

He had declined a bit, he was playing injured apparently, can’t remember how long for but I also though opposition teams had worked out his game somewhat which limited the impact he had.

We certainly miss him though, I think Smith built the midfield around him and Grealish with Nakamba, Luiz and Hourihane fighting it out for the remaining spot but with him out and Grealish moving out wide we’ve had to rely on the others way more than we ideally would have
 
Another glimmer of hope. Of the 5 PL games this year, it's W2 D1 L2. That's 1.4 points a game, stay-up form. OK only Man C was a big club, but still. The thing which has hit us was the (unexpectedly) lousy December; W1 D1 L4. 0.66 points a game.
 
I think we will be fine. 25 points from 25 games is decent enough for now.

West Ham have stinking fixtures. I think they are done. Norwich are gone. We seem to have burst Watford's bubble but they might still get out of it. The last relegation spot is between Watford, Bournemouth and Brighton.
 
Historically what does 25pts after 25 games get you? Yes it's possible higher tally will be needed for survival but...

2019 15th-17th were on 24pts

2018 14th-17th were on 24pts

2017 15th was on 24pts

2016 17th was on 24pts. (We were 16pts in 20th the season we got relegated)
 
Its enlightening to see so many fans believing we will stay up. I'm not one of them due to my personality defect but it's good to see so many thinking we can do it.
 
Dean seems to have as much idea of saving us as I do judging by the performance at Bournemouth, and many others. The three centre half solution has not stopped us conceding goals and Jack is our only valuable asset and can’t do it on his own. We have been unable to cope week in and week out with the intensity of the PL not surprising because our buys have never played anywhere near this level. Dean is at the stage where he puts out a team and hopes they compete and don't overly cock-up when under pressure - not the recipe for survival.
On the plus side, the fans will put all their heart into this fight and at Villa Park with luck, it may just be enough to spark a win even against the better teams. Because our players have performed so abjectly, the best ones are the ones that aren’t currently playing and the best formation is always the one that hasn’t been tried.