[Albion] NSC Confidence Test: Which position do you think we will finish in?

[Thunder Bolt]

He is not working with the same manager or players at Villa. It may well be that he just clicked in our set up. As Thunder Bolt points out our results since he left perhaps she would concede that we look much more vulnerable defensively now and it is highly unlikely that we would have conceded 3 goals at both Huddersfield and Brentford and then a very soft goal against Ipswich.

We conceded 4 against Cardiff & 2 against Rotherham, who were fighting a relegation battle, or more recently, 2 away to Blackburn. All under his watch.

 

[DavePage]

We have 45 points to play for, lets assume we get 25 to take us onto 90, that means we lost a potential 20 points. So for our remaining games a 25/20 does that really sound so undoable?
That is put in simple terms I know and doesn’t really factor in the difference between a win and a draw.
Of course we could go unbeaten and still only get 15 points.
Surely the crucial games the six pointers, must not lose those.
How ironic it would be the neither Newcastle or ourselves ended up in the top two? Bookies rejoice. Now no-one wants to see them happy…well with one possible exception

 

[heathgate]

I think 4th

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

 

[Mo Gosfield]

In the mid seventies, just after I moved to Brighton and started going to games I used to have a laugh with the old codger who collected the pools coupons and money. We were flying under Peter Taylor Mark one and the sky seemed to be the limit to me. This old guy ( reminds me of myself now) always though the Albion would **** up because they apparently always did. Couldn't understand his negativity and we did go on and have five or six fabulous years.

However, having followed this club for over 40 years I now feel exactly like that pools collecter did when we start to wobble. I am sure those who have started following the Albion in recent times cannot understand this negativity any more than I did when I was young. You and I have been following this club too long to get carried away until the promotion is actually sealed PFF and they will all eventually learn to expect us to fail...

When I started following the Albion in the mid 60's, I remember older fans always churning out the same old argument....." They don't want to get promoted "....." The Directors want to stay where they are "....." They don't want the extra cost of promotion "....etc etc etc.
In my first season of support, the club stormed to the 4th Division title, so there was no evidence of lack of ambition and I was a bit puzzled to hear this old chestnut repeated over and over again. I looked back at previous years and realised that pre-war and from 1946 to 1958, the club played in the 3rd Division South. Only one club got promoted from the two regional third tiers. It was clearly incredibly difficult to get promoted to the 2nd Division. Twice we finished runners-up, with high points totals, that would have guaranteed promotion beyond one place available. There were plenty of near misses and heartbreak and there must have been massive pressure to try and secure the one spot available. I guess the disappointment and frustration of those near misses, over those years, led to gossip, banter, half-truths and wildly inaccurate speculation. This seems to have permeated the psyche of future generations and led to this feeling of insecurity that, somehow, the Albion will always cock it up.
But history shows that we don't. We have had many famously successful campaigns, all different in their own ways, Sometimes making the running, sometimes coming with a storming late run and often surprising fans with our resilience. The old codger was a product of those times, when we regarded ourselves as a smallish backwater club, that appeared, on the surface, to lack ambition. Not anymore. We have been making strong, relentless progress as a club and we are heading in one direction. Banish any thoughts of insecurity.
( 2nd for me )

 

[BLOCK F]

If I had to put a substantial sum of dosh on a bet, I would go for third.
Just a horrible feeling we may cock up again.
No science or pouring over fixtures, just a feeling.
Naturally, hope I am wrong.

 

[sparkie]

Who are the 2 jokers that have voted for 7th or lower?

I've gone for 1st as I'm feed up with the play-offs, and we will need as much time as possible to improve the squad.

The lozenge guy and a palace troll ?

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

Second

Newcastle will win the title - as they should with the squad they have.

Nothing wrong with finishing second, all about promotion

To many people worrying about sides below - Huddersfield have a tough couple of games coming up as well, so the chances are they will drop points as well - if that's what Brighton do at all.

 

[Perfidious Albion]

Glad to be with the majority with second..
Boo to the couple of miseries who said we would miss even the play offs

 

[B.W.]

Top... Newcastle and the rest will trail in the mighty Albion's wake...

 

[Exile]

The lozenge guy and a palace troll ?

So, two Palace trolls, then.

 

[chaileyjem]

I have gone for 3rd because I think that we have lost the defensive organisation that we had when Colin Calderwood was here and we now look like we will concede goals at any time.

If Villa hired Calderwood for his ability to install some defensive organisation then they're not getting much value for money.
2 clean sheets in total since he arrived. And 6 defeats out of 7 in 2017 with 13 goals conceded.

 

[Bob'n'weave]

2nd for me.

 

[Exile]

If Villa hired Calderwood for his ability to install some defensive organisation then they're not getting much value for money.
2 clean sheets in total since he arrived. And 6 defeats out of 7 in 2017 with 13 goals conceded.

Since Calderwood moved between the clubs (19.11.16) respective defensive (league) records are as follows:

Albion, have conceded 16 goals in 15 matches, keeping 6 clean sheets, and losing just twice.

Villa, have conceded 19 goals in 14 matches, keeping just 2 clean sheets, and losing 8 times.

Seems Calderwood's defensive coaching is as good as [MENTION=451]BensGrandad[/MENTION] 's analysis.

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

Many are feeling nervy today, so let's try to assess quite how nervy.

70 % of respondents think we will be promoted ! Very few nerves, conclusion is we still believe ( damn, that's from a song and it's now going round my head) !!!!! Come on you super Seagulls, rip 'em apart !!!

 

[Hotchilidog]

Against my better judgement I have plumped for 1st.

We clearly have another gear to find, to remain only a point off top with our somewhat spluttering form of late gives us a good platform should we recover our confidence. Rather than being games to fear the Reading and Newcastle games are a fantastic opportunity to make a bold statement going into the last few games. We have got through 31 games and been unbeaten in 27 of them, we have the stamina to see this out.

I have spent most of the week fretting along with the best of them and just feel today is the day for a bit of blind optimism backed up by a long season's worth of data. We have come too far to throw this away now. We shall prevail! (I hope......)

 

[Billy the Fish]

I've gone for first. I think we'll hit a bit of form in March and pip Newcastle and Huddersfield to the title.

I reckon the winners will need 92 points, 2nd and 3rd will both get 90.

 

[deletebeepbeepbeep]

Gone for fourth with Newcastle 1st, Huddersfield 2nd and Leeds 3rd.

 

[BBassic]

I think 2nd but that might change after the Newcastle and Reading games.

Win one or both of those and I think we'll be fine. Of the two I'd rather beat Reading. Put some more distance between us and them, reducing the chance of them pipping up into the top 2.

 

[JJ McClure]

Gone for fourth with Newcastle 1st, Huddersfield 2nd and Leeds 3rd.

That's my current thoughts too. Pessimism in full flow at casa McClure.

 

[PWA]

We will win the league.