[Football] Relegation, heart v head. WELL?!

[blue-shifted]

My heart and head are fairly aligned on this one.

Here are the runners and riders in the bottom half

Comfortable

Sheff Utd = They won’t get another 25+ points in the second half of the season, but a handful of wins now will get them over the 40 mark. Won’t ever be in serious danger

Brighton = Twists and turns to come, but our ability to pick up points on the road and bounce back from a defeat means that we’ll keep the trapdoor at arms length

West Ham = Sadly Moyes will extract a bit more of the huge potential of the squad than Pellegrini did. Comfortably in the high 40’s

A few nerves, but will be well clear in the end

Palace = Got to credit them for getting to the 28 points already. I think they’ll have a much weaker second half of the season, but not the disaster needed for them to flirt with relegation

Southampton = A combination of astute manager and lethal goalscorer will keep them up with a bit to spare.

Watford = The current new manager bounce will wear off, but Foster and Deeney will get them to their target

Squeaky bum time

Villa = Some really good players and I rate Smith. They’ll do it. Just

Newcastle = I don’t see them going on a good run for the rest of the season. When the pressure builds the club will come apart not pull together. In deep doo-doo

Burnley = They need to keep hold of McNeill. If they don’t their limitations will catch up with them

Bournemouth = Past performance in avoiding relegation is not an accurate predictor of the future. I actually think they will panic in the spring and sack Howe. Easily good enough players to stay up, but I think they’ve been worked out a bit and have been unlucky with injuries.

As good as gone

Norwich = I think they’ll be the best bottom finishing team in Premier League history. Lovely to watch, a soft underbelly though. And this league is ruthless.

 

[Grombleton]

I think it depends on how the teams deal with their injuries. Bournemouth have a full treatment room, Palace haven't had a defence for a while (some would say years) but are getting people back, Newcastle & Villa players are dropping like flies and you can't really say that any of those have deep squads.

Heart says:

Palace
Bournemouth
West Ham

Head says:
Norwich
Bournemouth
Villa (Grealish alone isn't enough to keep them up)

 

[Wellesley]

Heart:

Palace
Liverpool
Villa

Head:

Villa
Liverpool
Palace

 

[Mackenzie]

Heart
Palace
Southampton
Bournemouth

Head
Palace
Southampton
Bournemouth


Haha

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

Both Palace and Newcastle massively outperforming their xG so those two could easily get sucked in to the battle soon

Palace
Newcastle
Norwich

Feel sure that both Palarse and the Toon will be ok, Hodgson's lot are suffering at the moment due to an injury crisis, and Newcastle surely aren't one of the three worst teams in the division?

Then again, what do l know?

 

[Seasider78]

Start of the season I went for Norwich, Villa and Palace on the basis their whole team (Zaha) was looking like he was leaving

Will keep the first two but will add Southampton in the mix as Ings is a huge part of why they have picked up and history says he won’t be far from another spell injured on the sidelines

 

[Wellesley]

Feel sure that both Palarse and the Toon will be ok, Hodgson's lot are suffering at the moment due to an injury crisis, and Newcastle surely aren't one of the three worst teams in the division?

Then again, what do l know?

A lot of Chelsea fans seem to think they are signing Zaha. Could be a game changer. Fingers crossed.

 

[Couldn't Be Hyypia]

' A period of unexpected points !!! '
Man U ( a )..........LOST
Leics ( h )..........LOST
Livpool( a )..........LOST
Arsenal a )...........WON
Wolves( h )..........DRAW
Palace ( a )..........DRAW
Sheff U( h )..........LOST
Spurs ( a )...........LOST
Bmuff ( h )...........WON
Chelsea h )..........DRAW

10 GAMES = 9 Points...............Hardly inspiring stuff.....If there is a downturn coming, we are fooked.

Played 7
Won 2
Drawn 3
Lost 2

 

[Couldn't Be Hyypia]

This is such a topsy turvy season that I really can’t make a case for anyone being more nailed on than anyone else, except perhaps Norwich. Even a recovery by them wouldn’t really surprise me. I still believe that we will be in the mix as we are still lacking that killer instinct when we are on top. How many points have we let slip this season by not closing a game out?

I think a third of our goals have come in the last 10 minutes of games. We keep going this season.

 

[Weststander]

Heart
Palace
Southampton
Bournemouth

Head
Palace
Southampton
Bournemouth


Haha

They’re my son’s choices too.

 

[DarrenFreemansPerm]

I don't think we will be relegated but at the same time I believe we will lose many more games and will finish just above the bottom 3. Right now we are experiencing a period of unexpected points. There is a down turn coming.

2 wins in the last 10 doesn’t equal a huge points tally. I wouldn’t be expecting a huge dip in form, I believe we are where we would expect to see, new manager in a new league with some new players, I can see us getting the 16 or so points required to survive.

 

[Uh_huh_him]

A lot of Chelsea fans seem to think they are signing Zaha. Could be a game changer. Fingers crossed.

Hopefully our performance yesterday helps convince them they need to shell out the money and sign him sharpish.

 

[banjo]

The way we play now we can beat anyone on our day, but also loose. Hope this helps.

 

[KnowMe-Joe]

Would like Palace, Burnley and Saints to go down. I think next season could be the year Palace go down though unless they get some good business done. They've been very lucky with results this season and are one of the least talented teams in the league aside from a few key players they are stoke but with Zaha. Burnley are just an awful footballing team who also play in a shed like Palace think the league would be better without them. Saints because I just don't like them, although losing 9-0 at home to Leicester does kind of make me smile even if they stay up.

Head says Norwich, Aston Villa and Bournemouth. Norwich barely improved there side from when they got promoted they also have arguably the weakest defence in the league. Although they are capable of beating anyone on there day. Aston Villa, done the opposite went a bit too far with the spending, they are also capable of a great result but for me they are one of the 3 worst teams, and Bournemouth have been smashed by injuries, the strikers have stopped scoring and the defence is looking old and tired. Unless Watford and Southampton crash back down to earth again or Newcastle and Palace stop picking up points in games they've been outclassed in I can't see Eddie getting them out of it. Although Burnley will also be down there.

I don't think we have too much to worry about, we've played all the top 6 away 2 of our losses are down to being a man down. I think Potter is now starting to understand how each player works and is sussing the league out. We'll probably finish between 12th-14th. Just hope we can ease the pressure a bit and put a run together.

 

[fleet]

I’m really struggling to see 3 that will go down. It really looks like teams that are “too good to go down” will be in the bottom 3. As of this moment (and things seem to change week by week - I had Saints nailed on just a few weeks back!) I would say Norwich, Bournemouth and Burnley. That said I can see both Burnley and Bournemouth going on a good run and pulling clear. So maybe Villa and one other drop into the bottom 3. We have to collect loads of points in this run of games against the “easier to beat” teams if we want to stay clear. Our run in is hard.

 

[mwrpoole]

Just to throw in another variable to the mix.

If Liverpool carry on as they are they could potentially win the PL with 5 or 6 games to spare, then their remaining fixtures could throw up some strange results particularly if they are still in the CL.

Likewise ManC & Leicester could potentially be guaranteed CL football next season with a few games to go and so may well ease off as well, especially for City if they are still in CL.

When the top end of the table is done & dusted with games to spare and they're playing teams fighting for survival then 'shock' results will occur.

 

[Marshy]

I have no bloody clue who will go down.

Could be any of 10. Whoever gets a bad injury list, or just gets a bit unlucky.

 

[ConfusedGloryHunter]

I think Liverpool are now safe and maybe Leicester and Man City too.

 

[Stumpy Tim]

I have no bloody clue who will go down.

Could be any of 10. Whoever gets a bad injury list, or just gets a bit unlucky.

This. I suspect Norwich are doomed, but the other two positions are completely open. I also suspect Newcastle will drop like a stone, though that doesn´t necessarily mean they´ll go down.

Two important things for me. Southampton are very reliant on injury-proned Danny Ings... if he gets injured they´ll be screwed. Also Watford have had a real bounce from the new manager... will that last?

 

[Stat Brother]

Burnley have had 10 (ten) shots on target since the end of November.

Odd that should coincide with the 'not good enough' thread plummeting down through the Big Board pages.