[Albion] Excited but a bloody nervous..........

[oldboyroy]

It's that time of year now where the run in for our beloved Brighton (and the potential for glory) is making me nervy but excited in equal measure. I'm 58 and football and our club is still always on my mind. City tomorrow and although I normally expect us to get beat I'm so hoping for a glorious win to keep momentum going. Is it just me or anyone else my age group getting nervy but hopeful in equal measure?
It's not even that it's last game and Europe depends on it, we've still got plenty of games after! We've had massive wins against Chelsea Bournemouth Newcastle Saints and Fulham yet this City game seems another level. 1 game at a time still with Villa Forest Palace to come after the break but getting something at City(even a point) will be huge for me

 

[Insel affe]

It's that time of year now where the run in for our beloved Brighton (and the potential for glory) is making me nervy but excited in equal measure. I'm 58 and football and our club is still always on my mind. City tomorrow and although I normally expect us to get beat I'm so hoping for a glorious win to keep momentum going. Is it just me or anyone else my age group getting nervy but hopeful in equal measure?
It's not even that it's last game and Europe depends on it, we've still got plenty of games after!

Same as...

It is twitchy bum time for sure, it could all go so right or so wrong....
For as long as I recall we have never done things the simple way, I could see us lose the next three games in a row, this place go into melt down and then go unbeaten and grab a last minute European place, that is the Albion way.

I am not going tomorrow and look at it as a free hit, so nervous I do not want to listen on the radio so me and the daughter I going to see Worthing for the first time for me since 1977, hopefully it will take my mind off things.....

UTA

 

[dazzer6666]

It’s the hope that kills you

 

[Flounce]

I have a mindset of whenever we can cement a good run, we’ll mess it up. I have been proved wrong over the last few games but I expect nothing from tomorrow whilst knowing that we can set our season alight if we pull off a win at City.

Am I nervous? Yes, of course, but I have been very nervous in every game since we got stuffed by Forest. So much so that in the Bournemouth game that I struggled to actually enjoy it!

My head is telling me that a draw will be a great result, my heart tells me we need to win. Unthinkable not so long ago.

No free hits for the Albion these days

 

[The Optimist]

Not quite the same age (44) but yes very excited. I have myself half convinced that we’re going to get 5th. I know that realistically any European qualification would be an incredible achievement and 5th is probably out of reach, but then I start thinking why not.

 

[deletebeepbeepbeep]

See this as a free hit, have us down as struggling for the next few games but then winning our last 5 games on the bounce to end the season on 65 points.

 

[Beach Hut]

Never played at the Etihad before when in such good form...........

That moron Sutton predicts we will lose 3-1

 

[oldboyroy]

Same as...

It is twitchy bum time for sure, it could all go so right or so wrong....
For as long as I recall we have never done things the simple way, I could see us lose the next three games in a row, this place go into melt down and then go unbeaten and grab a last minute European place, that is the Albion way.

I am not going tomorrow and look at it as a free hit, so nervous I do not want to listen on the radio so me and the daughter I going to see Worthing for the first time for me since 1977, hopefully it will take my mind off things.....

UTA

Oh I shall be listening whatever. I just cant help myself. Even if I was doing something else I simply have to see how we're doing wherever I am.

 

[Mo Gosfield]

One game dominates my thoughts...Forest in the Quarters. For me...its the be all and end all. Two Semi's in recent times and two close defeats. This really feels like it could be our time. It's an open field. Seven possible winners ( sorry Preston ) We have the ammo to be a good cup side. Game changers coming off the bench. We can beat anyone left in on our day.
The league can take care of itself. A trophy would lift us to a new level. We've waited a long time.

 

[Simster]

We're all of the same mindset, which explains why we're all on here. I'm super excited about every game at the moment. Weirdly I'm more excited about the cup than the league, but it's incredible that we're bang in the mix for both a trophy and a place at Europe's top table.

For the first time that I can remember, things are beginning to work out really quite well for us in terms of injuries at the business end of the season. I mean look at the quality of subs that came on against Fulham and turned the game. I think that's where my real source of excitement comes from this season - a belief that the club is not running on fumes in the way it was by the end of that memorable RDZ season, where he essentially threw the game at Newcastle with an outside chance of top 4 still on the line. None of that this season I think.

 

[zefarelly]

Im not nervous, nothing to worry about. We're in safe hands in a very safe position, but the hope is always there. I try not to get too rattled these dsays as there's nothing you can do about it.

Big day out tomorrow.

 

[Happy Exile]

I don't think I ever approach a game expecting anything but mild disappointment in the result even though I'm also excited about every one and loving the experience. Even Southampton, at 2-0 up, I still felt like there was potential for it to go wrong, not because of anything that was happening on the pitch that day, just because.

The last City away game was a weird one for me and with the lottery of the fixture list it was a while ago being October 2023. We've come a long (long) way together since then. Doku was amazing for City and one of the best performances of a player against us I've seen for a while, De Zerbi was still a hero to all, Fati scored for us. Milner looked way off the pace and exposed right from the start. Solly got his injury, and but for Akenji committing a foul that got him sent off we probably would have got a draw as momentum and all the chances in the last 10 minutes were ours and City were very uncomfortable. The ground felt very quiet throughout and was even silent for long periods (Pep commented not long after about their fans needing to be more vocal), but our fans seemed subdued too even before Solly went down, and I left the ground to some sad news from home that put everything in perspective. All in all a day that felt a bit surreal.

I'm hoping tomorrow might exorcise some ghosts and we'll humiliate them, but obviously I'm expecting City to finally hit their form and that I'll be on the coach back with a thousand yard stare and wondering why I ever imagined the 7-0 against Forest was probably the most I'd ever see us concede.

 

[Oh_aye]

One game dominates my thoughts...Forest in the Quarters. For me...its the be all and end all. Two Semi's in recent times and two close defeats. This really feels like it could be our time. It's an open field. Seven possible winners ( sorry Preston ) We have the ammo to be a good cup side. Game changers coming off the bench. We can beat anyone left in on our day.
The league can take care of itself. A trophy would lift us to a new level. We've waited a long time.

That's how I feel. Get past forest and its going to get serious.

 

[el punal]

See this as a free hit, have us down as struggling for the next few games but then winning our last 5 games on the bounce to end the season on 65 points.

If we can replicate the results of the last 10 games of 2022/23 season that would be something. Then we won 5, drew 1, lost 4 and accumulated 16 points. There is no reason why we can’t repeat that or improve on it based on our current form. As it stands we have only lost 6 games so far which is a fair indicator that we are tough to beat - let’s put aside the Forest debacle.

My feeling? A very good chance of qualifying for a European competition next season, but Champions League perhaps a stretch too far. Hope is everything being an Albion fan!

 

[Uh_huh_him]

In the next 2 weeks, the most important resut for me, is Fulham vs Palace.

I don't want there to be any chance of them getting through.
I trust the team to do their best in every game we have left, and whatever happens, happens.

apart from us having to play Palace at Wembley.
Or them getting through and us not.

I will not be able to focus on anything else.
I want their season to drift away into the usual mid table mediocrity.
But I fear, this may be their season.

 

[Han Solo]

Not nervous about this one. If we lose, its normal, if we win, its great.

We can afford losing 2-3 of the remaining games and still qualify for Europe.

 

[Brovion]

Unlike others, for the first time in our PL history, I am NOT looking at a match with Man City as a 'free hit'. They're not the team they were, and they're one of our rivals for a European slot next season, maybe even a Champions' League place. I'll be disappointed with a defeat.

Disappointed with a defeat at Man City as they're one of our rivals for a European place. I can't believe I've just written that.

 

[oldboyroy]

One game dominates my thoughts...Forest in the Quarters. For me...its the be all and end all. Two Semi's in recent times and two close defeats. This really feels like it could be our time. It's an open field. Seven possible winners ( sorry Preston ) We have the ammo to be a good cup side. Game changers coming off the bench. We can beat anyone left in on our day.
The league can take care of itself. A trophy would lift us to a new level. We've waited a long time.

I get that. Lose against City Villa and Palace but win the cup game will, in some ways do. A trophy would be magical but, keeping within touching distance in the league (in case Forest turn us over) please

 

[oldboyroy]

Never played at the Etihad before when in such good form...........

That moron Sutton predicts we will lose 3-1

Unfortunately, that will be my prediction in score predictor (I haven't got 1 correct so far)

 

[Thunder Bolt]

I’m not worried about Man City but am worried about Forest. The best we’ve done so far is a draw and obviously they thrashed us.
Maybe we can beat them but their confidence must be high.

Edit to add, we must get something at Selhurst Park as there’s no way we should let them do the double over us!