Relegation

[Armaghtoffee]

Defo. That's the way I see it going too. They'll be beaten handily by WHU. Then we'll be 4 points ahead with a game in hand. If we beat Leicester a few days later we'll place massive pressure on them beating Southampton...a dangerous team to face.

We have a clear path out of this nightmare now and that just didn’t seem possible on Wednesday night.

 

[davek]

Have to say Dave how the "F" did they beat us ?

The wheels fell off that day.

How can you go to Stamford Bridge and pick up a draw and then get beaten by Norwich?


I think this will be the way it is for us this season: playing well against the better teams and suffering humiliating losses to the lesser teams.

We have Leicister twice, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal still to come. I can see us getting at least one win and a couple of draws from those games; and we can win against Brentford, Palace and away win against Watford.

Realistically though (knowing how this lot cant be consistent) I'd say that we'll likely get between 9-12 points. 37-40 points will be too rich for Burnley.

 

[davek]

We have a clear path out of this nightmare now and that just didn’t seem possible on Wednesday night.

Looking at Burnley's performance filled me with hope as much as their defeat. They really do belong in the Championship. They had it on a plate for back to back wins to get momentum and blew it.

Our lot are tripe too, but the level of performance we saw after 3 games in less than a week against United was very heartening.

 

[arch stanton]

Looking at Burnley's performance filled me with hope as much as their defeat. They really do belong in the Championship. They had it on a plate for back to back wins to get momentum and blew it.

Our lot are tripe too, but the level of performance we saw after 3 games in less than a week against United was very heartening.

I agree with your last two posts Dave, it really is in our hands again now, however they cant rest on the job thinking it is done, there meeds to be the highest level of performance for every one of those games left to make sure, they aren't good or confident enough to coast to the finish line and stay up.

 

[TGW89]

The problem is that Burnley still have to play alot of teams who will have nothing to play for come their run in and the potential banana skin of Stevie G gifting them points to put us down. Honestly wouldn't put it past the man with the hate he has for us.

Think Dalglish tried a similar trick in 94... his Blackburn side were guaranteed second so they did naff all at home against Ipswich, who were a pub team with a PL badge on their sleeve.

Ended up shafting Sheff and not us though.

However, for every Dalglish there's a Vialli. Always welcome at Goodison that man.

 

[davek]

I agree with your last two posts Dave, it really is in our hands again now, however they cant rest on the job thinking it is done, there meeds to be the highest level of performance for every one of those games left to make sure, they aren't good or confident enough to coast to the finish line and stay up.

There's been false dawns with our recovery under Lampard before. He's got to get stuck right into this lot and make sure we dont have one more false dawn, because this platform to build from could be our last.


And FFS he simply cant allow DCL to waste a jersey again.

 

[Armaghtoffee]

Looking at Burnley's performance filled me with hope as much as their defeat. They really do belong in the Championship. They had it on a plate for back to back wins to get momentum and blew it.

Our lot are tripe too, but the level of performance we saw after 3 games in less than a week against United was very heartening.

Burnley are only dangerous from set pieces and is there any team better equipped than Moyes’ West Ham to snuff out that threat? Not for me.

 

[roy vernon]

For the first time since last Sunday I feel optimistic about our chances.

Looking at Burnley today: they are utter muck. I cant see them rallying to overhaul a 4 point lead we have. For all our faults we have a team that can duke it out with decent teams. For that reason I actually think our *harder* run in might suit us.

You could be right there Dave, we do seem to play better against better opposition, partly, I suppose, because we don't have to try to be creative and try to think about how to open them up. When we play the better teams we are more concerned with battling them higher up the pitch and giving them a real physical test, which does unsettle some of them. I watched the Norwich and Burnley game today and I thought to myself, how on earth did we lose to either of these, they are truly woeful.

It's more than possible that your hypothesis about a harder run in suiting us could be correct. I'm going to console myself with that thought anyway.

 

[Runub]

We have a clear path out of this nightmare now and that just didn’t seem possible on Wednesday night.

That clear path has some tricky obstacles to negotiate but in comparison to Wednesday night it is much better. Just have that feeling that Everton are experts at not taking advantage of situations, seen it so many times before. Hopefully we can get some decent points together quickly and the other strugglers keep losing.

 

[allen]

Burnley are only dangerous from set pieces and is there any team better equipped than Moyes’ West Ham to snuff out that threat? Not for me.

Plus, Moyes is very much a “stop the rot,” kind of manager. I don’t remember too many bad runs under him. That Brentford loss will have stung.

 

[roy vernon]

Burnley are only dangerous from set pieces and is there any team better equipped than Moyes’ West Ham to snuff out that threat? Not for me.

Spot on, even today Hanley and Gibson out grocked Burnley's Grocks. Hanley especially was a monster.

 

[davek]

Burnley are only dangerous from set pieces and is there any team better equipped than Moyes’ West Ham to snuff out that threat? Not for me.

Should be a banker home win.

 

[BrendanGOT]

Think Dalglish tried a similar trick in 94... his Blackburn side were guaranteed second so they did naff all at home against Ipswich, who were a pub team with a PL badge on their sleeve.

Ended up shafting Sheff and not us though.

However, for every Dalglish there's a Vialli. Always welcome at Goodison that man.

Just hoping Stevie Gs ego gets the better of him and he tries to get as many points as possible but it's def a worry they're safe with no chance of Europe and have to play Burnley twice

 

[davek]

You could be right there Dave, we do seem to play better against better opposition, partly, I suppose, because we don't have to try to be creative and try to think about how to open them up. When we play the better teams we are more concerned with battling them higher up the pitch and giving them a real physical test, which does unsettle some of them. I watched the Norwich and Burnley game today and I thought to myself, how on earth did we lose to either of these, they are truly woeful.

It's more than possible that your hypothesis about a harder run in suiting us could be correct. I'm going to console myself with that thought anyway.

Spot on mate.

 

[Sheedy's right peg]

Should be a banker home win.

It's just so hard to predict.
Look at Leeds winning at Wolves, Brentford hammering Chelsea.

I just wish we'd got a draw at Burnley as that would have made a huge difference.

But no point looking back or worrying about Burnley. Lampard needs to transmit the ruthless streak he had as a player into our lot.