The Race for Fourth Place

[Sixpence]

If RVP gets back to full fitness we've got more than a chance but without him I just don't see us having enough and we have some incredibly hard away games still to play. 3 places are already gone in my eyes, City, Chelsea & Arsenal are certainties for the CL. There's only one space up from grabs with us, Everton, Liverpool and Spurs all going for it. It's going to be close.

Christ, is this what it's been like to be an Arsenal fans all these years? Jesus wept.

 

[100]

On current performances no. However I can't see us doing any worse than we already have, especially considering Moyes has obviously learnt a lot from his first 19 fixtures. I'd be more confident going away to the likes of Newcastle than at home this season too, although less confident against Chelsea and Everton.

Liverpool will benefit from the majority of the big fixtures being at home, but there's less of those home fixtures against the small teams that Liverpool seem to have being successful in this season - I think we'll see a slip up or two more from them against teams in the bottom half.

 

[Fergus' son]

6th IMO. We'll get around 29 points from those games, and that's not being pessimistic.

 

[Cal?]

If RVP gets back to full fitness we've got more than a chance but without him I just don't see us having enough and we have some incredibly hard away games still to play. 3 places are already gone in my eyes, City, Chelsea & Arsenal are certainties for the CL. There's only one space up from grabs with us, Everton, Liverpool and Spurs all going for it. It's going to be close.

Christ, is this what it's been like to be an Arsenal fans all these years? Jesus wept.

I still think Arsenal will fall away soon, but we won't be the ones taking advantage.

 

[CantonaVeron]

Swansea (H) 3
Chelsea (A) 1
Cardiff (H) 3
Stoke (A) 3
Fulham (H) 3
Arsenal (A) 3
City (H) 1
Palace (A) 3
Liverpool (H) 3
WBA (A) 3
Villa (H) 3
West Ham (A) 3
Hull (H) 3
Newcastle (A) 1
Norwich (H) 3
Everton (A) 1
Sunderland (H) 3
Southampton (A) 3

46 points I think, unbeaten until the end of the season, I think we will go on a run, the players have too much pride to let this continue.

 

[marjen]

We'll finish 6th.

 

[Sixpence]

Swansea (H) 3
Chelsea (A) 1
Cardiff (H) 3
Stoke (A) 3
Fulham (H) 3
Arsenal (A) 3
City (H) 1
Palace (A) 3
Liverpool (H) 3
WBA (A) 3
Villa (H) 3
West Ham (A) 3
Hull (H) 3
Newcastle (A) 1
Norwich (H) 3
Everton (A) 1
Sunderland (H) 3
Southampton (A) 3

46 points I think, unbeaten until the end of the season, I think we will go on a run, the players have too much pride to let this continue.

Drugs are bad.

 

[shaggy]

6th unless we spend.

 

[LawCharltonBest]

If we don't finish top 4 then Moyes would be sacked

 

[pocco]

Our ability to get top 4 depends entirely on our injury list for the remainder of the season. If we can get Carrick, Jones and RVP back soon then we will get top 4 I believe.

 

[KiD MoYeS]

Swansea H W PTS 37
Chelsea A L PTS 37
Cardiff H W PTS 40
Stoke A D PTS 41
Fulham H W PTS 44
Arsenal A L PTS 44
City H L PTS 44
Palace A W PTS 47
Liverpool H L PTS 47
WBA A W PTS 50
Villa H W PTS 53
West Ham A D PTS 54
Hull H W PTS 57
Newcastle A D PTS 58
Norwich H W PTS 61
Everton A L PTS 61
Sunderland H W PTS 64
Southampton A D PTS 65

That's how I see it going.

 

[pocco]

If we don't finish top 4 then Moyes would be sacked

Thanks for your insight. We've not heard that said before.

 

[KiD MoYeS]

If we don't finish top 4 then Moyes would be sacked

We won't and he won't.

 

[Nickosaur]

For what it's worth I don't think Moyes would be sacked if we fail to get 4th.

 

[Everest Red]

Hopefully. Beat Liverpool and we're 3 points behind them(but again, it's a home game, doubt we'll win). Then we have to better their run by a small margin. The other two, IMO, will fade away.

 

[JonDahl]

We're 5 off 4th. People don't think Liverpool will lose 2 games more than us this half of the season?

 

[LawCharltonBest]

Thanks for your insight. We've not heard that said before.

But he would be sacked. Like, he wouldn't have a job any more at Manchester United.

 

[KiD MoYeS]

We're 5 off 4th. People don't think Liverpool will lose 2 games more than us this half of the season?

What reason does anyone have to suggest Liverpool will drop more points than us?

 

[Nick 0208 Ldn]

Swansea (H) 3
Chelsea (A) 0
Cardiff (H) 3
Stoke (A) 1
Fulham (H) 3
Arsenal (A) 3
City (H) 1
Palace (A) 3
Liverpool (H) 1
WBA (A) 0
Villa (H) 3
West Ham (A) 3
Hull (H) 1
Newcastle (A) 3
Norwich (H) 1
Everton (A) 3
Sunderland (H) 3
Southampton (A) 3

So that's an additional 38 points which sees us reach 72 once all is said and done.

 

[LawCharltonBest]

We won't and he won't.

If you don't think he will finish outside the top 4 then why don't you like him?

Considering the strength of some of the teams and the lack of talent we have in midfield, 4th would be a pretty decent finish (would have to sign big in the Summer though)

 

[Barney]

Anyone got a link to the BBC predictor? Seems to have disappeared this season.

They got rid of it.

 

[CantonaVeron]

Drugs are bad.

Why should we not go on a run, we have been written off before I have a feeling we will go on a run and not stop, there will be no complancy because we have no FA cup and probably will also get knocked out of the CL in the quaters. We have gone one long runs before, if the injuries clear up and Rooney and RVP hit form together we won't lose again in the league this season imo. If you look at the games on paper, the tough games are obviously City, Liverpool, Aresnal and Chelsea. We have an excellent record at Arsenal, Chelsea will be the toughest match left. City and Liverpool are at Old Trafford.

 

[Ryan's Beard]

Why should we not go on a run, we have been written off before I have a feeling we will go on a run and not stop, there will be no complancy because we have no FA cup and probably will also get knocked out of the CL in the quaters. We have gone one long runs before, if the injuries clear up and Rooney and RVP hit form together we won't lose again in the league this season imo. If you look at the games on paper, the tough games are obviously City, Liverpool, Aresnal and Chelsea. We have an excellent record at Arsenal, Chelsea will be the toughest match left. City and Liverpool are at Old Trafford.

You've not seen much of us this season, have you?

 

[Guy Incognito]

Yes, yes, yes.

 

[Someone]

We can get 4th, plenty of time for that, but we need to get better and soon.

 

[soapythecat]

No, I don't think we can, our fixture list is much tougher than Liverpool's, we're five points behind them with a shit GD and they have the best player in the league. We're also not very good.

Totally agree with this. I think Liverpool will runaway with 4th, if not 3rd.

 

[buckooo1978]

Yes but reliant on injuries

Get RVP, Rooney, Nani, Rafael and Jones fit for a prolonged period and we could rack up winning sequences

 

[Amir]

At the moment we are doing fine against the lesser sides (I think we only dropped points against WBA and Cardiff out of the teams ranked 10th and under) and dreadfully against the top 9 (one win). If we can't change that and start picking up points against good teams, we won't get it. And we've just had another show of a good run, beating four of the weaker teams, then once again losing against a better side. So it's highly questionable if we are capable of doing it.

Something has to change in order for us to finish fourth, and so far it hasn't. So I don't think we'll get it, no.

 

[Revan]

We can if we improve. 5 points aren't nothing on 18 games and surely Liverpool will dropp a lot of points from now 'till the end of season. Can we take advantage on that is something else, and frankly speaking I think that they are favorites for it.

 

[ItsEssexRob]

Why are some people so sure Liverpool are going to drop so many points or that thhey will suffer in the later stages of the season?

For a start they have nothing other than the league and the FA cup weekends which are kept as separate weekends anyway, amd secondly their fixtures are better than the rest of us.

I really dont see where or why they are going to drop so many points.

 

[Randall Flagg]

Yes of course we can.Predicted it at the start,nothing so far changes my mind.

I didn't predict top 4 at start of the season

The thought it may not happen never even entered my head.

Not that it really is a fight I think we can do it if we can keep RVP and Rooney fit. If not it's gonna be hard

 

[pauldyson1uk]

The way we are playing with no passion , No I dont think we can get 4th, I think we will struggle to get 6th.
Get players fit and start playing like a team, them hopefully we can pull it round.

 

[cj_sparky]

I thought this season would be transitional even in Fergie was in charge. But I still expected to get at least fourth.

As for getting 4th this season, I don't think we stand a good chance. Hard to see the other sides dropping enough points for us to catch up.

 

[hp88]

They got rid of it.

Found a similar website, wish I hadn't.

http://www.the-mustard.com/predictor.html

 

[SirFergie]

Certainly the team are capable of putting together a run to achieve that, however i am nervous that the 13/14 version seen thus far and Moyes' current plan will see us finishing in 5th.

Right now we are the retreating British Eighth Army in North Africa, i'm just waiting for our El Alamein moment.

Hopefully tomorrow. If we can get a good result tomorrow, beat Swansea on Saturday then get a decent result against Chelsea (who I don't think are playing that particularly well) then we may seem some form and confidence come back.

 

[togg]

Unless the confidence of the team drastically changes and Moyes actually develops some alternative game plans (or is that a game plan at all)....like tomorrow, then no...I don't think we have a cat's hell in chance of getting 4th now.

 

[Chabon]

Why are some people so sure Liverpool are going to drop so many points or that thhey will suffer in the later stages of the season?

They've dropped points in 40% of their games so far this season. Theyre not exactly the Invincibles....

 

[Siorac]

I think we'll get around 32-35 points from the remaining fixtures. I don't think that'll be enough but it's not impossible.

 

[africanspur]

Why are some people so sure Liverpool are going to drop so many points or that thhey will suffer in the later stages of the season?

For a start they have nothing other than the league and the FA cup weekends which are kept as separate weekends anyway, amd secondly their fixtures are better than the rest of us.

I really dont see where or why they are going to drop so many points.

Because they've been going at relatively full pelt for the season so far, with Suarez on ridiculous and almost certainly unsustainable form (not because he isn't a good player but because maintaining it would mean he'd break every single scoring record in this league by some distance) and they're still only 2 points ahead of Spurs and 5 ahead of Man Utd, who have both experienced quite some turbulence this season and who have not been playing at a particularly high level.

They're a very good team with an excellent chance of top 4 but I really don't consider it all that unbelievable that they'll drop off as the season goes on.

 

[Nick 0208 Ldn]

With the exception of West Ham we at least have the benefit of playing teams battling for survival at Old Trafford, well the nearer one gets to crunch time at least.

This could be a pivotal weekend for teams both near the top and the bottom of the table, what state Sunderland are in at that point only time will tell.

3rd May 2014
Fixture

Arsenal V West Brom

Aston Villa V Hull

Chelsea V Norwich

Crystal Palace V Liverpool

Everton V Man City

Man Utd V Sunderland

Newcastle V Cardiff

Stoke V Fulham

Swansea V Southampton

West Ham V Tottenham

Hopefully tomorrow. If we can get a good result tomorrow, beat Swansea on Saturday then get a decent result against Chelsea (who I don't think are playing that particularly well) then we may seem some form and confidence come back.

Yes hopefully so, a gutsy performance against Chelsea might be the moment, heck we've got to dig in and stand fast sooner or later.