over the hump

[McBain]

Once we get past the next few games, we look like weve played our toughest games (exept UTD on 2nd Feb, and Chelski after that depending on the FA). Villa and Arsenal have tougher runs in and Europe to fight in aswell.

I reckon this year we have got a good crack at the TOP 4, probably more than at any other year in the PL.

What do you think of our chances?

 

[Slight_Return]

Lets see how the next four games pan out. lets see who gets booked and sent off. and injured. we might yet sign a forward.

we really could do with improving the 'goals for' column.

transitional season this one for me, moyes contract in the summer and settling players in late meant being up against it from the off. hoping and expecting a uefa cup place, and hopefully standard go as far as possible as well, thereby upping our euro score.

 

[BlueFG]

Whilst we've done great lately, I can't see our squad of players keeping it going for another 4 months. We only need to get an injury to someone likfe Cahill or Arteta and we'd be fooked. Same thing happens to us every season, we get to March and our squad seems to run out of steam.

Also I know the same could be said of Villa if they lost Young or Agbonthewhore, but then there's Arsenal to overcome too.

Now if we had the Yak to come back sometime soon...

 

[kenada_blue]

Well ashley bunghole is out for 3 games after picking up a straight red so expect villa to go off the boil.

I think arsenal will get 4th still. They come up trumps by the last 2 months I think

We needs striker and another midfielder mainly a winger just to have options and keep things alive

 

[Seamus Colemole]

Lets see how the next four games pan out. lets see who gets booked and sent off. and injured. we might yet sign a forward.

we really could do with improving the 'goals for' column.

transitional season this one for me, moyes contract in the summer and settling players in late meant being up against it from the off. hoping and expecting a uefa cup place, and hopefully standard go as far as possible as well, thereby upping our euro score.

Does that actually affect us?

I think we should be in the UEFA next season if only because no one beneath us looks like coming good enough to overtake us.

And considering how awful we started the season thats a great acheivment. I never thought we were gonna be relegated and knew if we pulled ourselves together and played like we did last season we would be ok.

Looks like hopefully we are there now.

I kinda dread next summer though cause we are gonna be in exact same situation as we were this : in a great position to move forward and break the top 4. But we couldn't do that this summer so cant see us doing it this.

God knows what will happen then.

 

[Dom1878]

We can get 6th at best. Look at the table. We wont catch Villa, probably not Arsenal either - if they are going to sign Arshavin. We just have to hope that the Uefa Cup place opens up to 6th place aswell.

 

[Goat]

We can get 6th at best. Look at the table. We wont catch Villa, probably not Arsenal either - if they are going to sign Arshavin. We just have to hope that the Uefa Cup place opens up to 6th place aswell.

6th is a UEFA Cup place for sure, due to no more intertoto, possibly 7th could be. But your right, i dont think we can catch the teams above us, we really need to stop people from behind, but if we keep winning, you never know, i just think its maybe too much.

 

[BlueFG]

6th is a UEFA Cup place for sure, due to no more intertoto, possibly 7th could be. But your right, i dont think we can catch the teams above us, we really need to stop people from behind, but if we keep winning, you never know, i just think its maybe too much.

How are you sure of this? Has there been an announcement? The BBC still show only 5th as UEFA cup spot...

BBC SPORT | Football | Premier League | Table

 

[Dom1878]

How are you sure of this? Has there been an announcement? The BBC still show only 5th as UEFA cup spot...

BBC SPORT | Football | Premier League | Table

Top 5 team needs to win either the Carling or FA Cup, then were in. I think the fair play opportunity has gone down the drain with the signing of Fellaini

 

[kenada_blue]

How are you sure of this? Has there been an announcement? The BBC still show only 5th as UEFA cup spot...

BBC SPORT | Football | Premier League | Table

uefa.com


UEFA Cup - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
New format in 2009–10

From the 2009-10 season, the competition will be rebranded as the UEFA Europa League in a bid to increase the competition's profile. [2]
A new format for the UEFA Europa League will be introduced for the three-year cycle, starting in the 2009–10 season. The biggest change is that there will be a group stage with 12 groups of four teams (in a double round robin) instead of eight groups of five (in a single round robin). Apart from that, the qualification will change significantly.
Associations ranked 7–9 in the UEFA coefficients will send the Cup winner and three other teams to the UEFA Europa League qualification, all other nations send a Cup winner and two other teams, except Liechtenstein, Andorra and San Marino, who will only send a Cup winner. Usually, the other teams will be the next highest ranked clubs in each domestic league after those participating in the Champions League, however France and England will most likely continue to use one spot for their League Cup winner. Additionally, three places in the first of four qualifying rounds are still reserved for Fair Play winners.
Generally, the higher an association is ranked in the UEFA coefficients, the later its clubs start in the qualification, however every team except the title holder has to play at least one qualification round.
Apart from the teams mentioned, an additional 15 losing teams from the Champions League qualification round two will enter in the fourth and last UEFA Europa League qualification round, formerly known as the first round, and the 10 losers of the Champions League qualification round 3 will directly enter the UEFA Europa League group stage. The 12 winners and the 12 runners-up in the group stage will advance to the first knock out round, together with eight 3rd placed teams from the Champions League.
Like the UEFA Cup, the Intertoto Cup will be folded into the UEFA Europa League, much like the Cup Winners' Cup had been in the late 1990s.
Cup winners who have already qualified for European competition via league placing will no longer hand their UEFA Europa League slot to the losing finalist. Their place in the competition will instead devolve onto the highest-placed team in the league not yet in European competition

So....there's 3 Uefa places. 5th is defo for Uefa so its either we've given the places to FA Cup and Carling Cup winners or the intertoto. But i think the intertoto place is completely gone so no 6th place me thinks.

 

[tadpole]

I think we should be in the UEFA next season if only because no one beneath us looks like coming good enough to overtake us.

And considering how awful we started the season thats a great acheivment. I never thought we were gonna be relegated and knew if we pulled ourselves together and played like we did last season we would be ok.

Looks like hopefully we are there now.

Jesus ! We've only got 17 games to go, the season's barely half over, believe me there's lots of sweaty moments to come and lots of chances to let it slip away yet. Don't be surprised if we wait until the last 10 minutes of the last day of the season to seal a UEFA place ...

 

[Dom1878]

Jesus ! We've only got 17 games to go, the season's barely half over, believe me there's lots of sweaty moments to come and lots of chances to let it slip away yet. Don't be surprised if we wait until the last 10 minutes of the last day of the season to seal a UEFA place ...

Tony Hibbert 40 yard screamer?

 

[TX Bill]

We just need to avoid any major injuries and I think we could pull off a 5th place finish.

Everyone says that Villa's gonna implode at some point but I just don't see it. I think they have a real chance at a CL spot.

 

[Goat]

How are you sure of this? Has there been an announcement? The BBC still show only 5th as UEFA cup spot...

BBC SPORT | Football | Premier League | Table

There was a huge thread in which we looked at the ins and outs, 6th place will be UEFA regardless of who wins the Carling or the FA cup.

 

[Seamus Colemole]

uefa.com


UEFA Cup - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
New format in 2009–10

From the 2009-10 season, the competition will be rebranded as the UEFA Europa League in a bid to increase the competition's profile. [2]
A new format for the UEFA Europa League will be introduced for the three-year cycle, starting in the 2009–10 season. The biggest change is that there will be a group stage with 12 groups of four teams (in a double round robin) instead of eight groups of five (in a single round robin). Apart from that, the qualification will change significantly.
Associations ranked 7–9 in the UEFA coefficients will send the Cup winner and three other teams to the UEFA Europa League qualification, all other nations send a Cup winner and two other teams, except Liechtenstein, Andorra and San Marino, who will only send a Cup winner. Usually, the other teams will be the next highest ranked clubs in each domestic league after those participating in the Champions League, however France and England will most likely continue to use one spot for their League Cup winner. Additionally, three places in the first of four qualifying rounds are still reserved for Fair Play winners.
Generally, the higher an association is ranked in the UEFA coefficients, the later its clubs start in the qualification, however every team except the title holder has to play at least one qualification round.
Apart from the teams mentioned, an additional 15 losing teams from the Champions League qualification round two will enter in the fourth and last UEFA Europa League qualification round, formerly known as the first round, and the 10 losers of the Champions League qualification round 3 will directly enter the UEFA Europa League group stage. The 12 winners and the 12 runners-up in the group stage will advance to the first knock out round, together with eight 3rd placed teams from the Champions League.
Like the UEFA Cup, the Intertoto Cup will be folded into the UEFA Europa League, much like the Cup Winners' Cup had been in the late 1990s.
Cup winners who have already qualified for European competition via league placing will no longer hand their UEFA Europa League slot to the losing finalist. Their place in the competition will instead devolve onto the highest-placed team in the league not yet in European competition

So....there's 3 Uefa places. 5th is defo for Uefa so its either we've given the places to FA Cup and Carling Cup winners or the intertoto. But i think the intertoto place is completely gone so no 6th place me thinks.

That says cup winner plus 3 other places. One of whom will be the Carling cup so that leaves 2 places in the league, 5th and 6th.

Of course if the 2 cup winners have already qualified for Europe via the league it means 7th and 8th also qualify for the Europa Goblet.