On track for the Champions League

WhiteWashMan

ok, so a couple of months ago we had a poll on who we felt would go through to the champions league.
personally, ive had to re-evaluate my position. with chelsea dropping so many points this weekend, i feel they may be on the way out


but seriouly, there are some exciting ties coming up between 2nd - 7th placed games which should really spice things up!

im still hoping that arsenal keep doing awful away fomr home, and spurs can capitalise on it, but at the same time, i thought liverpool would be running away with 2nd and man utd would do more than wobble.

its all got very interesting.....

while im a spurs supporter, i still feel that its arsenal to lose rather than for spurs to lose. i am also a little worried about west ham who we have as our last game of the season. away. im hoping that in the next 12 games, their squad gets decimated. i saw them outplay arsenal last week. very impressive. and blackburn are kicking (literally) their way up the league table and into a uefa cup spot. wigan are still there, and must be relegation safe at this stage!
and dont forget bolton hanging around like a bad smell. although, their european adventures could take a toll on the squad coming up to the end of the season

so, im going to go with my heart here, and not my head.

chelsea
man utd
liverpool
spurs.

yep, no difference from what it looks like now.

PHB

I still think that it will turn out like this,

I'm not going with my heart in this case, but fear of Arsenal which has been bred into me over the years, never ever write them off.

I expect Liverpool to drop quite a few points over the coming month, and so far they have dropped more than I have expected. Furthermore they are playing Arsenal are highbury tonight where Arsenal have only lost once this year, to Chelsea. If Arsenal win tonight, its down to 4 points. That said, If Liverpool do win, it will be a ten point, but still won't be enough imo, not that I think they'll win.

I'd love to see Arsenal loose to SPurs, it'd be fantastic, and Spurs are looking somewhat consistant, but I think if they want to get 4th themselves, and not be granted it, they need to raise their game a level, which they havn't done yet.

My prediction:

Chelsea
Man Utd
Arsenal
Liverpool
With Spurs really pushing for 4th, between Arsenal and Liverpool just nicking it.

Roddy23

Furthermore they are playing Arsenal are highbury tonight where Arsenal have only lost once this year, to Chelsea.

Eh, Anfield chief.

But I think ye might be right PHB,
I can see Arsenal finishing ahead of Liverpool, in that same order.

Necronomicon

PHB wrote:

Furthermore they are playing Arsenal are highbury tonight where Arsenal have only lost once this year, to Chelsea.

Don't forget West Ham

I think it's hard to call, but unless Liverpool come back into that form they had during Christmas that saw them win 10 or 11 on the trot, I think United are relatively safe in second. I can't see Arsenal or Spurs as a threat.
I think Nigel Winterburn hit the nail on the head with his view of the situation. At the moment, there are 4 teams playing for 2 positions (ie, Pool, Spurs, Arsenal and Bolton playing for a possible 3rd or 4th). But if Liverpool win tonight, they'll be safe in at least 3rd with leaves 3 teams playing for 4th spot. That's exactly how I see it.
I'm fairly confident of it being:
Chelsea
United
Liverpool
??? - I think it will be either Spurs or Arsenal, but can't call who.

Kingp35

I said at the start of the season that Spurs would come in 4th and I remember getting a bit of stick over it. Im sticking with my original choice in that Spurs will finish in the top 4.

el rabitos

Chelsea
Man Utd
Arsenal
Liverpool
With Spurs really pushing for 4th, between Arsenal and Liverpool just nicking it.

i think you've been smoking the funny cigarrettes, and been selling them to this guy...

I can see Arsenal finishing ahead of Liverpool, in that same order

liverpool beat spurs not 3 weeks ago, liverpool are more than capable of holding off spurs and arsenal for 3rd. theres a fight between 2nd and 3rd right now. not 3rd and 4th.

Roddy23

and been selling them to this guy...

We'll have to see about that, come Saturday at the soccer, one of us is gonna have a massive smile on our heads. (unless of course its a draw, and then all spurs and hammers fans will be happier)

SuprSi

I'd dearly love to see Spurs in 4th, but we're having a reasonably bad patch lately and losing so many points this season to last minute goals is going to hurt us. I hope Liverpool win tonight as I don't see us catching them, and it would keep the gap back to Arsenal at 4 points on equal games.

Heart on sleeve;

Chelsea
Utd
Liverpool
Spurs

Probable;

Chelsea
Utd
Liverpool
Arsenal

Rikand

i thought spurs would do it at the start of the season and i hope this is just a bad patch for them and they can pull on through and seal the deal from here on in

Start of Season Prediction :

Chelsea
Man U.
Arsenal
Spurs

Now :

Chelsea
Man U
Liverpool
Spurs

mike65

I'll go with the orthodoxy

Chelsea/Man Utd/Liverpool/Spurs but maybe not in that order!

Mike.

KdjaCL

Man Utd/Chelsea/ Arsenal/West ham

In that order


:eek:

:eek:
:eek: :eek: :eek:


kdjac

WhiteWashMan

KdjaC wrote:

Man Utd/Chelsea/ Arsenal/West ham

In that order


:eek:

:eek:
:eek: :eek: :eek:


kdjac

controversial!

and banned from the soccer forum for not haivng liverpool in the top two!

mike65

If the Hammers reach CL spot I'll......I'll......expect them to need a new manager next season!

Mike.

Necronomicon

I think Spurs would have taken this result tonight. Although they would have preferred a draw to keep 3rd place in sight, it keeps Arsenal off their backs. I think 4th is now definately the only place up for grabs in the top 4.

Jimi-Spandex

Even with tonights result, I still reckon Arsenal will grab fourth. I can see them getting a run together once the defence gets back to some sort of normality and Diaby and Adebayor settle into the side.

I fancy united to keep a hold of second as they don't have the usual welcome distraction of the champions league knockouts. They're playing the best attacking football in the prem at the moment and should stay up there if the defence manages to gel somewhat. I can see liverpools lack of strength up front costing them.

So I go for the predictable

Chelsea
Man Utd
Liverpool
Arsenal

Jivin Turkey

I still think Arsenal will snatch fourth, but only just. Having said that I would not be totally surprised if Spurs got it.

I feel however though once Arsenal get their team back in order they will put together a run. A 5th place finish and European football for Spurs would be a great season for them. The team could really then set its targets for next year. I just don't think they have the required experience when it comes to the crunch.

mayordenis

Chelsea
Liverpool
Man utd
Bolton

Pigman II

I think we've a carbon copy of last season only replace Liverpool-Everton with Arsenal-Spurs.

Everyone was saying Liverpool were 'too good' not to get 4th over 'little' Everton or that Liverpool would eventually come right and overtake them before the last game. But of course it didn't turn out that way and Everton got the qualification they deserved. The only basis for the assumptions of Liverpool getting 4th seemed to be because 'they were Liverpool' and not because they were doing anything wonderful out there on the pitch.

Same with Arsenal. Of what I've seen of them this season I'm amazed they're even 5th and suspect some people talking up their chances is just in no small part because of the clubs name alone. As such I'm very confident Spurs will take 4th

meditraitor

Dont count out Bolton!

Hobart

My Prediction,

Chelsea
Liverpool
Man Utd
Spurs

jem

mayordenis wrote:

Chelsea
Liverpool
Man utd
Bolton

agree totally

PHB

Hmm, with a ten point gap it seems very unlikely that Arsenal will catch up with Liverpool, so nows its in Liverpools hands.

Man City
Charlton
Arsenal
Newcastle
Everton

If Liverpool can get 7 points from those games, I expect them to hold onto 3rd place. I'd imagine they probably will now, unless they seriously **** it up, which I don't discount as a possibility, but is unlikely.

As for the Arsenal Spurs Bolton West Ham,
I think its Arsenal Spurs.
While I would absolutely love it to be Spurs, cause that would mean Henry would move which would mean two things,
1. Barca would dominate Europe for years to come, thus ruining Chelsea
2. Arsenal would need at least 3/4 years to rebuild to a top class team.

p.s. I think Henry will move anyway

Iago

I'll stick with my original selection

Chelsea
United
Liverpool
Spurs

I probably should have had a few quid on it

Necronomicon

PHB wrote:

Man City
Charlton
Arsenal
Newcastle
Everton

At first glance, I thought that was your prediction

Lets compare Arsenal and Spurs' next 6 fixtures.
Arsenal:
Blackburn (a)
Fulham (a)
Liverpool (h)
Charlton (h)
Portsmouth (a)
Aston Villa (h)

Spurs:
Wigan (h)
Blackburn (h)
Chelsea (a)
Birmingham (a)
West Brom (h)
Newcastle (a)

Can't really call who has it tougher, but Arsenal's next two certainly aren't desirable matches. With their away form, they are two of the toughest away fixtures you could ask for.
Lets not forget Bolton though:
Fulham (h)
Newcastle (a)
West Ham (h)
Sunderland (h)
Middelsbrough (a)
Man United (h)
Liverpool (a)

Spurs you could say have a slight advantage in not having the distraction of European football.

WhiteWashMan

martin jol said yesterday that he feels we still have nother 6 wins in us in the league. im think we have 2 more losses as well. and posisble 4 draws.
that takes us to 67 points. which i think is enough for a CL place.

however.....

i think we may well get anything up to 10 points less than that.

as a spurs fan, i have been conditioned to hope for the best, and expect the worst!
i am deperately hoping they dont live up to my expectations and take the 4th place.

Marq

Chelsea
Man Utd
Liverpool
Spurs

I'm worried about Spurs dropping points as they have been over the last few fixtures (If they hadn't dropped a goal against Sunderland on Sunday they'd be 6 points clear of Arsenal and I think almost everyone would be predicting a top four spot). Having said that, almost nothing about Arsenal has impressed me this season - I don't think that this year's squad has it in them to pull it out of the bag. I don't think it's enough to say that once they get a solid defence back together they'll hit a rush and leave the other 4th spot contenders in their wake - because their main problems have been in the centre with the vaccum left by vierra and up front because Thierry Henry has been under-performing all season. Arsenal's problems this season seem to be pandemic, and it'll take more than the remaining 12 games for them to return to contention.

Jivin Turkey

I think a big plus for Spurs fans is regardless of if they finish in a CL place or not, there is certainly cause for optimism. 5th place and European would be a good achievement for them, particularly seeing as they will probably be fighting for fourth (at least) to the death. Im sure if that was offered to Spurs fans at the beginning of the season they would have taken it.

Jol has bought wisely and another Summer could be just what it takes for Spurs to challenge for even bigger honours.

SuprSi

Agreed. At the beginning of the season I couldn't have hoped for Spurs to be in 4th. Top 6, with UEFA Cup football next season would've been huge progress, and I would've been content. The problem is that the team has been in 4th for most of the season so hopefully they can keep it.

therecklessone

Spurs run in:

Newcastle (a)
Man City (h)
Everton (a)
ManYoo (h)
Arsenal (a)
Bolton (h)
West Ham (a)

Not an easy game among those 7. And thats why I'd happily take a guaranteed 5th place right now. Of course, if Spurs can show the balls required to take points from that sequence then I'd be ecstatic.

This season could be the most nailbiting in terms of CL qualification ever, with 3 or 4 sides all trying to grab 4th place.

Jivin Turkey

The big thing for Spurs IMO is that even if they were to come "only" 5th, the gap to 4th is not huge. In comparison to say Everton/Liverpool this year, who were 20 odd points away from 3rd last year. There is not a huge step up required if they came 5th, and 4th would definitely be a realistic target for next year.

meditraitor

Maybe I am wrong, have spurs ever finished in the top 6 of the premiership?(dont think so), so even if they get a eufa cup place it will be amazing for them!

Bolton for me

therecklessone

meditraitor wrote:

Maybe I am wrong, have spurs ever finished in the top 6 of the premiership?(dont think so),

You are correct.

gracehopper

i Fancy Spurs to get into the CL. Martin Jol has done a great job at the lane and hasnt lost site of the tradition of the club which is to play a good passing/attacking game. They have a really good squad now and it seems they're no longer a club that has to sell they're most talented players. The addition of Davids and Jenas has been good for the team. It'd be nice to see them in the CL next season and obviously good for ireland if Robbie becomes captain of the club.

Marq

I doubt Robbie will hold on to the captaincy once King is back to being match-fit.

Big Nelly

I said Spurs at start of season and like KingP I got stick over it, but I am sticking with that choice, now with Mido back Spurs are a force again!

Davei141

Big Nelly wrote:

I said Spurs at start of season and like KingP I got stick over it, but I am sticking with that choice, now with Mido back Spurs are a force again!

I also remember everybody saying it would be ahead of liverpool for 4th. Of course we gave you stick.

Big Nelly

Davei141 wrote:

I also remember everybody saying it would be ahead of liverpool for 4th. Of course we gave you stick.

Ahh yeah now I remember.....still hope it happens:D

shedseven

I'd like to see Spurs in the top 4. Their fans have had a pretty lean time recently success-wise, whilst watching their neighbours pick up pot after pot. Jol has really turned things round and has some good young English and Irish players performing well at a consistant level. Robinson gets plaudits for being England's No1, rightly so, but I have also been impressed with Dawson at the back, who has put in some top performances with Ledley King. Keano and Jermain Defoe are both top strikers and Mido gives them an aerial option and can score goals too. I'd like to see them pip the Gooners for 4th spot. Yiddos, Yiddos!!!

Kingp35

Davei141 wrote:

I also remember everybody saying it would be ahead of liverpool for 4th. Of course we gave you stick.

I forgot about that bit