In theory he's right - we're 8 points off seventh with a game in hand, and 11 to play - hardly unbridgeable. In practice I'm sure we won't.

As for everyone being on form - tell that to Pavlyuchenko, Cudicini and Bale.

what's the point if we don't take the competition seriously

we do take it seriously, but PL survival is more serious. next season we'll be in a stronger position as we have palacios and keano now so there will more graft and will Parrett, Obika and Bostock looking decent we could have a well balanced squad for all competitions

If we don't qualify which I doubt we will, I think it may actually help us to improve our league form which has suffered since we have been in europe.

The UEFA Cup or Europa League the low revenue it brings in IMO doesn't justify the distruption it seems to cause many teams in their leagues. I get the feeling that if we are ever to get in the top four, we will do it when we don't have European games in midweek.

I don't want us to be in Europe.

Not next Season anyway..

Did we really have 2 points from 8 games? I do wish someone would've said something sooner :shhh: :wink:

"Dreaming" is the right word. 'Cause it isn't going to happen, not without the mother of all hot streaks.

Let's assume - possible, even likely, but not a foregone conclusion yet - that 7th place will qualify for the UEFA Cup this season.

In the history of the Premiership, the average number of points to achieve 7th place is 57. The minimum number was 53 (Charlton in 2003/04, a season when every position's point levels were a bit lower than usual thanks to Arsenal's unbeaten season and the 15 point gap between Man U in 3rd and Liverpool in 4th). The maximum number was 61 (Blackburn in 1995/96, when there was a 2 point gap between 4th and 8th positions).

So let's see how we could achieve 57 points from where we are now. Basically, it would require us to get 26 points from 11 matches. That's 2.36 points per match and is basically title-winning form (90 points over the course of a season).

Here's how we could get 56-58 points from 11 matches:

7 wins, 4 draws, 0 losses (56 points)
8 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss (57 points)
9 wins, 0 draws, 2 losses (58 points)

When you consider that we still have to play Villa, Chelsea, Man U, Everton & Liverpool in our 11 remaining matches, I don't feel that winning 7-9 out of 11 matches is a serious possibility.

EDIT: I'd just like to add that our league results since Redknapp arrived have garnered 29 points from 19 matches. If we kept that form up over the course of an entire season, we would finish with ... 58 points. And a probable finish in 6th, 7th or 8th position.

Out of those I would say that Villa, Everton and Liverpool are very very beatable. I mean we've already bea liverpool once, we are still undefeated by the big 4 in the league so what's to say that we can't do it.

With nothing else to focus on, unlike Liverpool, Man U, Chelsea we are in an advantageuos position.

If we win our game in hand we will be 5 points off 7th. That is very achieveable, especially as both Everton and Villa are going through a hiccup period.

Let's believe, otherwise we will have a very dull run in. This way we can still feel the blood pumping through our veins. A run of let's say 4 wins in a row, including the previous two games, would see us rocket up that league. Sunderland and Villa if I'm not mistaken. If ever there was a better time to play Villa...

I don't do "believe", I prefer "see clearly". Whether you and I "believe" has exactly zero effect on what happens. It's just self-manipulation. So I'd rather stay in the real world, which says that we have to finish the season with a sustained period of title-winning form to get anywhere near 7th.

In the unlikely event that we mount a late charge and qualify for Europe for the 4th season in a row, I'll be jumping up and down and punching the air, just like you. All the more so because I took a few minutes to work out the magnitude of the challenge.

This is typical of us though...start showing a bit of form, win a couple of games and we forget we are only two bad results away from being right in the sticky stuff again...

I'm all for optimism, but I, like David, will take the realism approach this season!

Whilst I know what you're saying David, I actually disagree, as I don't think the magnitude is relevant to being a supporter.

I think that the belief of our fans transmits to the players on the pitch, and something that our team desperately needs is confidence and belief... we're certainly not short of talent.

If there is nothing to aim for, and we simply dismiss the idea of catching West Ham as mathematically unlikely, based on the outcome of previous seasons, then this attitude can equally transmit to the players (like after the Carling Cup win last year). Besides, if we're going to go into the mathematics, I think 7th place will be closer to the 53 points Charlton acheived it with (so, one win less), what with everyone beating each other this season.

You can see as clearly as you want, but I think you're just playing it safe with your viewpoint. You're like me when someone asks me how I think Spurs will get on at the weekend... I sometimes play down our chances, so that I don't have suffer the public heartache of us not achieving what I hoped we would. I hate that I do that though, because I feel that i'm not supporting the team, more just revelling in the glory when it's acheived, like someone crashing a party.

However, my feeling is that, to acheive what we want, we need believers - positive fans - in the crowd, as the players will feed off of that. Besides, believing and aiming high is part of our club's tradition. Lest we forget these famous words:

And we at spurs have set our sights very high, so high in fact that even failure will have in it an echo of glory.

I hate to agree, but I have to.

If a european qualifier wins against a non european qualifier in the FA cup final, would the spot go to the league just like the carling cup did?

Nope, it goes to the losing finalist - FA cup is different to the CC in that respect...

It only served as a distration this term and if Harry doesn't take it seriously then we are better off out of it and concentrating on the league. Likewise with the carling cup next season, we should use the reserves/academy players like Wenger does because they deserve their chance and it would enable us to focus on the league proper. We cannot have another league season like the last two or i'll crack up.

7th place will be very hard i guess. If we win our game in hand at Sunderland, which won't be too easy, then we only have to look at West Ham, and hope there is no other team that hits an amazing form. The problem is that West Ham is on a similar run of form to us and with an easier programme ahead. So we need a serious dip from them, beat them at home and hope for the best

Now that might be a bit unrealistic but we're spurs, anything can happen! :smile:

Not only will we be 5 points off 7th, but we still have West Ham to play at home - who are currently 7th.

To add, I think we would need both FA Cup finalist to finish in the Top 6, in order for this to happen.

wat big player is gonna want to come to spurs if we arent in europe next season?