[Football] Will Goal Difference Be The Key?

[Napper]

I think there are times that we take him for granted. He does have games where he makes some brilliant saves although sometimes the backs don't allow him to be brilliant but I really think the goal difference is due to him.

Top keeper. The little he gets discussed is testament to this.

OK the odd goal you may question but pretty solid overall.

Lucky to have him

 

[Bob!]

Only two out of the 91 teams are yet to register a win in 2020.

Feb 29th will surely be a draw.

Hopefully we'll get our second win of 2020 and leap ahead of them on that day.

 

[Beanstalk]

Hopefully we'll get our second win of 2020 and leap ahead of them on that day.

Quickly, stick that optimism away before someone sees you!

 

[vegster]

Unlikely, how often does GD determine the PL cut off between 17th and 18th?

The Albion need to start winning again, multiples of three points will determine our fate.

Indeed. Two wins in two for us and we can start to exhale again.....two wins in two for a couple of our rivals and we are deep in the shat. Single points every other game is relegation form.

 

[Perfidious Albion]

I agree about Ryan, he has saved us time and again
Too soon to think about goal difference, come Easter....if we need to.

 

[Beanstalk]

You joke, but we have scored more goals than 8 other PL teams so far this season - that's solid mid-table.

Newcastle, who've scored 7 fewer goals than us, and conceded 10 more, should consider themselves very lucky to be 4 points and 2 places ahead of us.

Newcastle are a weird anomaly this year aren't they. Statistically, they are one of the worst teams going forward and pretty bad in defence.

Goals Scored = 19th
Passes = 20th
Shots = 19th

Shots Faced = 2nd
Fouls = 19th
Tackles = 14th

Regardless, they have four more points and are arguably (fingers crossed for complete capitulation) close to safety.

 

[Trufflehound]

Could be .....

Penry, the mild-mannered janitor?

 

[Machiavelli]

Should we get 0 or 1 points from the next two, I think we’re likely to drop.

Even the ever optimists here say we need 3 wins, so where would they come from in an ever shortening fixtures list?

On the other hand, 4 or 6 points from the next 2 would be a huge boost.

Getting points on the board early will settle down the more nervy elements of the fan base.
I don't think we need 3 wins, but suspect you're right that we'll need 9 points, and that's the bottom of the range. 38 points I'm pretty sure will see us safe, especially given our goal difference. This is all based on:
1, there are five teams on or below a point a game (continued this will translate into 35-38 points)
2, it's usually the case that in the final third some teams' points total declines and I think that's likely to happen to more than one of the bottom eight (which, of course, includes us)

 

[Bakero]

Newcastle are a weird anomaly this year aren't they. Statistically, they are one of the worst teams going forward and pretty bad in defence.

Goals Scored = 19th
Passes = 20th
Shots = 19th

Shots Faced = 2nd
Fouls = 19th
Tackles = 14th

Regardless, they have four more points and are arguably (fingers crossed for complete capitulation) close to safety.

They certainly are. All year I've been waiting for their luck to change but they've continued picking up points.

 

[Tim Over Whelmed]

Penry, the mild-mannered janitor?

Can't be, he's in quarantine.

 

[schmunk]

Newcastle are a weird anomaly this year aren't they. Statistically, they are one of the worst teams going forward and pretty bad in defence.

Goals Scored = 19th
Passes = 20th
Shots = 19th

Shots Faced = 2nd
Fouls = 19th
Tackles = 14th

Regardless, they have four more points and are arguably (fingers crossed for complete capitulation) close to safety.

A similar (but more-succesful) riding of luck in the 2011/12 season led to Pardew and Co. being awarded 8 year contracts...

 

[MattBackHome]

Non.

 

[Weststander]

Newcastle are a weird anomaly this year aren't they. Statistically, they are one of the worst teams going forward and pretty bad in defence.

Goals Scored = 19th
Passes = 20th
Shots = 19th

Shots Faced = 2nd
Fouls = 19th
Tackles = 14th

Regardless, they have four more points and are arguably (fingers crossed for complete capitulation) close to safety.

A friend from up that way is a huge Newcastle fan, normally a very positive person. His take is that their football's been awful to watch, it's based on a mass and expertly marshalled defence (CH anyone?). With that, your always in with a puncher's chance of nicking a win.

MOTD covered that, with a positive spin, when they beat CP at SJP. They sucked the life out of Zaha, he had no space whatsoever.

He really enjoyed the football under Rafa …. it may've only been midtable also, but it wasn't based on 8 or 9 players sitting deep.

 

[Beanstalk]

A similar (but more-succesful) riding of luck in the 2011/12 season led to Pardew and Co. being awarded 8 year contracts...

Though gifting Pardew the world's longest contract may have been stupid - statistically Newcastle were pretty clinical and defensively sound.

This team are neither of those things and somehow they're doing okay...

 

[Swansman]

Newcastle are a weird anomaly this year aren't they. Statistically, they are one of the worst teams going forward and pretty bad in defence.

Goals Scored = 19th
Passes = 20th
Shots = 19th

Shots Faced = 2nd
Fouls = 19th
Tackles = 14th

Regardless, they have four more points and are arguably (fingers crossed for complete capitulation) close to safety.

Yeah all of their fans are wondering about how they can be so lucky and how Steve Bruce is "getting away with it". Rare to hear from fans of teams exceeding expectations.

 

[southstandandy]

It could help us definitely, but factor in that we still have to play Man City, Liverpool, Wolves, Leicester, Arsenal, Man Utd, and Sheffield Utd in our last dozen games and I think this might well take a substantial hit. Hope for one it doesn't come down to this. Fingers crossed for the 4 more wins that should see us safe.

 

[Surf's Up]

This is what worries me......

https://www.twtd.co.uk/league-tables/competition:premier-league/form/matches:6/type:home-and-away#

 

[Insel affe]

This is what worries me......

https://www.twtd.co.uk/league-tables/competition:premier-league/form/matches:6/type:home-and-away#

Form is there to be ripped up......

We can do so much worse than that.....

 

[Weststander]

This is what worries me......

https://www.twtd.co.uk/league-tables/competition:premier-league/form/matches:6/type:home-and-away#

The form tables over any length show that we’ve been shit for months.

Strangely, we don’t feature that much in national media debates about relegation. I think Potter’s lovely football last autumn wooed many football writers and pundits.

 

[Granny on the wing]

This is what worries me......

https://www.twtd.co.uk/league-tables/competition:premier-league/form/matches:6/type:home-and-away#

I really hope our two new players are going to make us a better team .This could be crucial to our survival as we have little pace in midfield although i have read that Alexis is not quick but he does look a top player .Lamptey is very quick it depends if his crossing is any good .Last 6 games less then 1 point a game is no good .