The Race to the Title

[Shea]

the trouble with the January window is if we were to only get a loan deal, they still have to be a player Poch wanted.

this season the only games I felt we never deserved the win over 90mins were Newcastle, the 2nd half we were as bad if not worse than the 1st half v Wet Spam, which is the other game. had we had Berahino in from the start, not the end of the window, we would most probably be 5pts ahead of Leicester

I agree But I'm sure in the wide world of football the scouts and poch could have agreed on a player as a back up striking option and someone to cover dier's role worthy of being short term squad option solutions

West ham loaned emenike for example

I'm not a fan if making signings for the hell of it but I think we had two areas with distinct need for cover and those two areas should really have been addressed

I find it hard to imagine that no suitable player in all of football could have been identified and agreed by the people who make these decisions

 

[hodsgod]

Take it you don't like him then. I don't much either, remember him bad mouthing Spurs pretty classlessly.

But I couldn't help focus on your sentence suggesting winning a few cups is meaningless. That's one of the strangest things I've ever read on here, and that's saying something.

Because the only thing that really counts is winning the league. It's not so long ago Wigan won the fa cup, what did that mean? It meant nothing, therefore meaningless. You get five minutes of glory and not a lot else.

Take Chelsea and Liverpool winning the CL, did anyone consider they were the best team in Europe? All they did was somehow manage to find a way to win and get the name on the trophy, they weren't even the best team in their respective cities!

Five minutes of glory for their supporters and for the rest of us dismissing it as luck.

I have always regarded cup competitions in this manner because the best team in the competition rarely win.

 

[StartingPrice]

Aristotle...was a Tottenham fan and had a season ticket in the Paxton Road end.

Was he the ol' fella in the white bed-sheet carrying a placard saying
Down with Levy?​

 

[worcestersauce]

Of course winning the title will confirm that our business in the summer and January was spot on.

 

[StartingPrice]

Our points tally will obviously be effected by the form of other teams though - e.g. City are pretty shit this season, enabling us to get 6 more points than we usually would from them.

Your point doesn't counter his argument - it reinforces it.

It hasn't quite worked out like that, though, Bobs:

The Race to the Title

Since making that post, I would also observe that we won at United too seasons running, and really should have got something this season, so maybe it was last season's defeat that was slightly anomalous when viewed as a recent trend.

And I didn't want to include Liverpool because they were not top four last season, far from it, and that is hardly against the grain for all but one of the last seven seasons, but: Liverpool's results against us, when they gave us those trouncings, look to me more like taking advantage of our club being into a bit of disarray when viewed in the context of seven or eight years. Indeed, I think they were lucky (and therefore our points total suffered compared to what it could have been) at the Lane this season because they had the new manager's first game Klopp effect. Otherwise, the form we were in and the form we were in, I think we'd have had a very good chance at taking four points off them, too. And why shouldn't we? They are not a top four team and haven't been for a while (bar an anomalous season thanks to bitey racist), and our league comparative league positions proves that.

In fact, the irony, considering the argument you are making, is that the only club who fits that argument is Citeh - because they are still in the top four and, technically, fighting for the title. So we have arguably lost points compared to last season, or the trend of recent seasons, against Chelsea, the Goons and United, counteracting the points we have gained against Citeh (who aren't even outside the top four).

The basis of our points tally this season comes not from our head-to-heads with last season's top four, but from all other clubs - most of whom are probably stronger this season (thanks to, among other things, TV money).

 

[Bulletspur]

Yea but Jan we knew where we stood and we knew what we had and what we needed

We could have addressed the weak areas in our squad depth but we chose to stick with what we had

Even had we made a loan signing or two it could have helped managed the rotation and fatigue levels in our squad, it didn't have to be a top long term signing

What bothers me is in more than one previous season we saw a lack of winter window investment in a squad well placed to make cl end up falling short in no small part to a lack of attacking options or squad cover yet almost as if having not learnt form mistakes we decided to just gamble on what we had with not so much as a loan striker signing to offer kane a little support

The one year we actually made the cl a loan of gudjohnsson played a small but important role in us getting over the line

Something similar could have been a major boost to our chances of the title when the run in gets tough and we have to battle with just a single first team striker on our books

Have faith

 

[Shea]

Have faith

I have as much faith as I've had all season

I dont think we will win but I think we are in the mix and have a great chance

 

[Everlasting Seconds]

If all club directors knew in July that we would be where we are now, they'd bring on board a striker beyond doubt. And maybe I for one was to judgemental towards some targets, eg. Chicharito, in hindsight. So yeah, summer transfers could have been even better. That being said, there is nothing we could have done in January IMO that would have increased our chances significantly. I think they did the right thing during the winter.

 

[nicdic]

Tomorrow is huge.

Really hope we go out and make a real statement of intent. Heap pressure on Leicester's game on Monday night, and pull away from City who dropped points, and Arsenal who don't play in the league this weekend.

Would see us 6 and 7 points clear of them with the games next weekend looking pretty favourable too...

Everton v Arsenal
Palace v Leicester
Man City v Man Utd
Spurs v Bournemouth

 

[kaz Hirai]

Damn Chelsea look more painfully average than Everton who are painfully average.

We surely must finally smash them at the bridge

 

[Giovanni]

I just wish leicester would hit a bad patch and open that door again....i think second time round we would storm through it

Question is will we get another sniff? I can only see it if the get a couple of injuries to key players.

 

[mattie g]

Today's result between Norwich v Man City shows there can be no room for complacency against Villa. Now is the time they will be fighting for their lives. This will be a hard match.

What lives are they fighting for? Maybe to impress their manager for when they go down next season, or perhaps to get a move to a Prem club in the summer, but otherwise there's nothing worth fighting for. They're finished.

Obviously we can't overlook any team, but to suggest Villa will be "fighting for their lives" is a bit of an overstatement.

 

[Shea]

What lives are they fighting for? Maybe to impress their manager for when they go down next season, or perhaps to get a move to a Prem club in the summer, but otherwise there's nothing worth fighting for. They're finished.

Obviously we can't overlook any team, but to suggest Villa will be "fighting for their lives" is a bit of an overstatement.

They've shown very little fight, they're going down with a wimper

If we struggle against them tomorrow it will be our under performace at fault not any super human effort from a team playing out their skins fighting to survive

 

[Mr Pink]

We have to win tomorrow, its that simple. Keeping in touch in terms of the title and in terms of consolidating our position for top four. Its a golden opportunity and Villa are ripe.

I get that people are hesitant as it feels a bit too good to be true heading up there but this is a game that depends hugely on how we start it. If we're sluggish and complacent and allow them to grab an early goal it could totally change the mood up there. I would still expect us to come back from it but it would turn into a difficult game. If we start strong, ideally scoring relatively early, they'll be so deflated we'll probably end up battering them.

 

[jari17]

Damn Chelsea look more painfully average than Everton who are painfully average.

We surely must finally smash them at the bridge

That's the only game they have to please their fans, they have nothing else to play for. Wouldn't have imagined saying this before but that will be their cup final.

 

[Hazardousman]

Tomorrow is huge.

Really hope we go out and make a real statement of intent. Heap pressure on Leicester's game on Monday night, and pull away from City who dropped points, and Arsenal who don't play in the league this weekend.

Would see us 6 and 7 points clear of them with the games next weekend looking pretty favourable too...

Everton v Arsenal
Palace v Leicester
Man City v Man Utd
Spurs v Bournemouth

Would be nice to win by a larger margin as well to help our goal difference.

 

[cozzo]

Would be nice to win by a larger margin as well to help our goal difference.

I would take 1-0

 

[Tucker]

I would take 1-0

Yup, three points are all that matters. Of course double figures would be lovely, but that would just be a bonus.

 

[millsey]

If all club directors knew in July that we would be where we are now, they'd bring on board a striker beyond doubt. And maybe I for one was to judgemental towards some targets, eg. Chicharito, in hindsight. So yeah, summer transfers could have been even better. That being said, there is nothing we could have done in January IMO that would have increased our chances significantly. I think they did the right thing during the winter.

Yep agree. Jan is for the desperate and you don't get players who can fit in our current team easy. Or cheap! We quite obviously messed up in the summer in not purchasing a striker, and we got lucky that Dier turned into a brilliant DM. No one, even Poch, could have predicted that: not to mention Allis raise to where he is now.

 

[Dov67]

I think they genuinely believed Berihino was in the bag, and by the time he wasn't it was too late for anyone else.

If so, just goes to prove you should always have a Plan B, and no deal is in the bag, till its done.

Even so, Son and Chadli have chipped in with a few goals and NJie is still to come back. Would have liked to have had more goals from Dembele and Lamela though, as they are both more than capable.