Race for top 4 | Finito.

KiD MoYeS

Good Craig got his c'nuppins
Joined
Feb 1, 2010
Messages
32,863
Location
Love is Blind
We draw against Chelsea twice a year. It will be a good result for us and their best result this season, its done.
 

Mr Pigeon

Illiterate Flying Rat
Scout
Joined
Mar 27, 2014
Messages
26,107
Location
bin
Villa supporting work colleague is getting the finest small latte available at Costa on Monday.

Leeds supporting colleague at work is getting a chair thrown at him, just because.
 

Mr Pigeon

Illiterate Flying Rat
Scout
Joined
Mar 27, 2014
Messages
26,107
Location
bin
A top four finish will be progress. It's not worth celebrating but should certainly be acknowledged.
It's the big reset button though, which we need. Get it, and get the club sale fixed, and then the big challenge starts... Top three next year let's gooooo
 

NYAS

Full Member
Joined
Dec 25, 2012
Messages
4,315
To be absolutely precise: up until that point if the Champions League winner didn't qualify for next year's competition via their league finish, it was left up to the domestic league to decide which team they want to nominate. For example, Real Madrid finished 5th in La Liga in 2000 but won the Champions League and La Liga fecked fourth placed Real Zaragoza without a moment's hesitation.

In 2005, the Premier League didn't want to screw over Everton so Liverpool would have been out but for a massive campaign that saw UEFA relent and allow Liverpool to start in the first qualifying round. Technically they weren't counted as an English club that season, hence getting drawn in the same group as Chelsea. At the same time, UEFA clarified the rule: the CL winner always qualifies for the competition but if they come from an association that already has 4 CL places, that association won't get a 5th slot even if the CL winner doesn't finish in the top 4. Thus if Spurs had finished fourth in 2006 but Arsenal won the CL (neither happened obviously but bear with me), Spurs would have been fecked.

This got changed a few years ago and now the top leagues can have a maximum of five participants. Now the only way the 4th placed team in the Premier League can miss out is if both the Champions League and the Europa League is won by a Premier League club that finishes outside the top 4. Which theoretically could have happened, for example, in 16/17 where Arsenal were really close to a CL win while we won the Europa League. And by really close I mean they shipped ten in two games against Bayern in the round of 16.
Don’t worry about all that, what happened to Liverpool winning every game?
 

Offside

Euro 2016 sweepstake winner
Joined
Jun 9, 2012
Messages
26,630
Location
London
Dream scenario has happened with us winning two games and Liverpool dropping points. It’s done now which is great for us.
 

Carl

has permanently erect nipples
Joined
Mar 6, 2008
Messages
45,327
Is this thread still full of bed wetters or have they all calmed down now?
 

AFC NimbleThumb

Full Member
Joined
Apr 21, 2019
Messages
8,284
Maybe I'm a debbie downer , but finishing fourth and celebrating just feels wrong to me.
Same people celebrating 4th are the same people that celebrate us going out of the Europa League all so we can you know, get into the Champions League & do feck all.

I’m happy we’ve got 4th but we used to take the piss out of the Wenger boys for the way some are acting.
 

Josh 76

Full Member
Joined
Mar 14, 2018
Messages
5,567
Same people celebrating 4th are the same people that celebrate us going out of the Europa League all so we can you know, get into the Champions League & do feck all.

I’m happy we’ve got 4th but we used to take the piss out of the Wenger boys for the way some are acting.
Football has changed. I remember celebrating the FA cup and European Cup winners cup victories back in the day. Now it’s confidence building.

At the end of the day. There are only two trophies to win and celebrate. The PL and CL.
 

Dominos

Full Member
Joined
Jul 5, 2009
Messages
6,959
Location
Manchester
Same people celebrating 4th are the same people that celebrate us going out of the Europa League all so we can you know, get into the Champions League & do feck all.

I’m happy we’ve got 4th but we used to take the piss out of the Wenger boys for the way some are acting.
Inter are about to play a CL final and they're shit.

If we have a good window we have a chance. CL money is key to getting us the players we need to win the league and CL again.
 

astracrazy

Full Member
Joined
Feb 12, 2013
Messages
1,272
Same people celebrating 4th are the same people that celebrate us going out of the Europa League all so we can you know, get into the Champions League & do feck all.

I’m happy we’ve got 4th but we used to take the piss out of the Wenger boys for the way some are acting.
Difference is they were at their prime during that period and celebrating. They never strived to achieve more.

No one will be happy with just "top 4" next season, but for this season its what we needed.
 

Siorac

Full Member
Joined
Sep 1, 2010
Messages
23,789
Don’t worry about all that, what happened to Liverpool winning every game?
Gotta admit, I did expect stuff like them getting 15 minutes of extra time to score a winner but I didn't think they'd still feck it up somehow.
 

el3mel

Full Member
Joined
Oct 23, 2016
Messages
43,735
Location
Egypt
Always liked Emery. Gave us 3 points and stopped Liverpool. My most favorite manager in the league.
 

Oscar Bonavena

Full Member
Joined
Jan 3, 2022
Messages
1,172
Location
Ireland
We draw against Chelsea twice a year. It will be a good result for us and their best result this season, its done.
Frank would be happy with a draw too, it would look respectable on his cv: "got a point in Old Trafford"

Need a solid, professional job on Thursday!
 

Rightnr

Wants players fined for winning away.
Joined
Jan 25, 2015
Messages
13,881
Always liked Emery. Gave us 3 points and stopped Liverpool. My most favorite manager in the league.
Also got 3 off us with a dodgy free kick on his manager bounce but I guess today was karma
 

AFC NimbleThumb

Full Member
Joined
Apr 21, 2019
Messages
8,284
Football has changed. I remember celebrating the FA cup and European Cup winners cup victories back in the day. Now it’s confidence building.

At the end of the day. There are only two trophies to win and celebrate. The PL and CL.
Football hasn’t changed though, football fandom has.

Winning an FA Cup is still winning the FA Cup. People acting like you can’t win a cup & reach reasonable league goals is a phenomena I’m never understanding.

I’ve always thought winning trophies helped build confidence but maybe losing in a Europa League Quarter Final is the confidence boost this teams needs for next season. . .
 

AFC NimbleThumb

Full Member
Joined
Apr 21, 2019
Messages
8,284
Inter are about to play a CL final and they're shit.

If we have a good window we have a chance. CL money is key to getting us the players we need to win the league and CL again.
Some people never learn.
Difference is they were at their prime during that period and celebrating. They never strived to achieve more.

No one will be happy with just "top 4" next season, but for this season its what we needed.
We’ll see.

We’ve been continually knocked out of the Cups people don’t care for & people think the bulk of this squad will suddenly improve next year, good luck with that.

Apparently only 2 competitions count & we’re long shots for both already next year but whoopee, Champions League money. . .
 

cyberman

Full Member
Joined
May 26, 2010
Messages
37,331
Some people never learn.

We’ll see.

We’ve been continually knocked out of the Cups people don’t care for & people think the bulk of this squad will suddenly improve next year, good luck with that.

Apparently only 2 competitions count & we’re long shots for both already next year but whoopee, Champions League money. . .
We are a week away from doing the domestic cup double? Who says we don’t care about them?
 

ShinjiNinja26

Full Member
Joined
Feb 9, 2013
Messages
11,027
Location
Location, Location
Villa doing us a big favour. Although if Watkins didn’t crumble at the penalty spot it would’ve been done and dusted. That said if we can’t secure 1 point from our last 2 games then we don’t deserve CL.
 

Dominos

Full Member
Joined
Jul 5, 2009
Messages
6,959
Location
Manchester
Some people never learn.

We’ll see.

We’ve been continually knocked out of the Cups people don’t care for & people think the bulk of this squad will suddenly improve next year, good luck with that.

Apparently only 2 competitions count & we’re long shots for both already next year but whoopee, Champions League money. . .
I'm assuming you want to see us win the league and CL again.

Do you not think qualifying for the CL increases our chances of that happening?

Would you rather see us play in the Europa because the quality is lower and we have a better chance of winning?

I'm sure Inter are devastated they have a "long shot" of winning the CL and would rather be in a 2nd rate competition instead.
 

AFC NimbleThumb

Full Member
Joined
Apr 21, 2019
Messages
8,284
Well fair enough.
I’d say there’s an element of truth to that as well. No time builds to win the Carabao or FA cup
Exactly. No team builds to win them but not many teams crash out of the Europa & clinch Top4 with a game to go then suddenly become European & title contenders.

When we ruled the world dismissing trophies made sense but we can’t even win the ones we apparently don’t care about consistently. The League Cup was the first trophy in how long?

There’s a reason Peps City have won the League Cup so many times, squad depth is a major one but it also is about a standard. By all means don’t be cut up if we lose but this squad get too many passes.
 

sewey89

Incorrectly predicted the de Jong transfer 2022
Joined
Jun 15, 2011
Messages
10,669
Location
Chesterfield
Liverpool are 25/1 to finish in the top 4 now and you can get 16/1 on United NOT finishing in the top 4. If anyone’s nervous still, fill your boots
 

SteveCoppellFan

Full Member
Joined
Jul 17, 2014
Messages
828
I'm confused ...

Are the same people that were convinced we would bottle top 4 because the almighty Liverpool were breathing down our necks are now saying that getting top 4 is nothing to celebrate about ?
 

Real Name

Full Member
Joined
Oct 21, 2020
Messages
14,140
Location
Croatia
Same people celebrating 4th are the same people that celebrate us going out of the Europa League all so we can you know, get into the Champions League & do feck all.

I’m happy we’ve got 4th but we used to take the piss out of the Wenger boys for the way some are acting.
Baby steps and all. I mean nobody is celebrating, people are glad if that's allowed.
 

Oscar Bonavena

Full Member
Joined
Jan 3, 2022
Messages
1,172
Location
Ireland
The bearded baboon was in the stand for Liverpool's game today, I wonder if that had a bearing on them not getting a win?
 

DOTA

wants Amber Rudd to call him a naughty boy
Joined
Jul 3, 2012
Messages
24,504
Liverpool are 25/1 to finish in the top 4 now and you can get 16/1 on United NOT finishing in the top 4. If anyone’s nervous still, fill your boots
I'm a bit nervous. Those numbers seem about right, though, I wouldn't be hugely tempted myself.
 

Its all gone Shane Long

New Member
Newbie
Joined
May 1, 2023
Messages
193
Not going to lie, I had doubts just for how quickly Liverpool were winning so many in a row and us struggling to get results against teams we should be blowing away with the talent we have.
Just delighted now that it looks like we have CL for next season, more money, better calibre of player and make a right go of it. I mean, someone has to be able to take it to city
 

siw2007

Full Member
Joined
Jan 1, 2014
Messages
2,366
After feeling pretty doom and gloom after the West Ham game, I can finally feel a little easier. 1 point is very achievable in our next two games.

We still need to show professionalism and concentration in our final matches. It might be 1 point but it’s not given for free, it must be earned. Chelsea might be rubbish but they could still be dangerous if we don’t take it seriously. Fulham already played us off the park at Old Trafford once this season and we got lucky to win that one so don’t take the task lightly.

Would ideally get it sorted in the Chelsea game and have a no pressure game at the end of the season.