The Race to the Title

[Everlasting Seconds]

You cant aim to tighten your grip on second.

What's that even mean? Win nearly as many, but slightly less, than top. But a little more than 3rd.

That's quite a specific remit

It means focusing on the closest task at hand. Right now, we are 5 points behind 1st. (Stating the obvious). One match cannot change that. BUT, one match can easily tip us from 2nd. Hence, the most imminent task is to stay 2nd, not to win 1st.
Like it or not.

 

[riggi]

Too scared Riggi.

Petrified.

 

[riggi]

You watched that last night Aswell?

 

[CowInAComa]

It means focusing on the closest task at hand. Right now, we are 5 points behind 1st. (Stating the obvious). One match cannot change that. BUT, one match can easily tip us from 2nd. Hence, the most imminent task is to stay 2nd, not to win 1st.
Like it or not.

The task is to close the 5 point gap to first. Nothing less.

In a race you concentrate on those in front not behind. If you are capable of winning the race then that should be your only consideration.

Don't keep shitting your pants about Arsenal.

 

[Gassin's finest]

The thing that makes me think that Leicester can hold onto it is the mentality and attitude they displayed in the Man City game... there couldn't have been a bigger disparity in the players' approaches to the game. Leicester to a man just looked like they really, really wanted it. They just believe it themselves now, and are totally up for the fight, getting stuck in and working for each other. Man City on the other hand looked like the soft, jaded mid table club, with very little fight or drive. At one point their midfield were letting Leicester just walk through.

We have that drive too, but with Leicester it's like a fury to defy. It can carry them all the way, as long as they keep Vardy and Mahrez fit. Lose those two and they'll fall right off.

 

[Shea]

But you said you don't think we will win it? But we are as good as anyone? So why won't we win it?

I said we are as good as anyone and therefore we can win it

I also said based on personal opinion that I don't think we will. Never said we can't, juSt that I don't think we actually will

 

[Hazardousman]

I can't believe we are discussing winning the title, massive credit to Poch and this set of wonderful players that we have, 18 months ago I couldn't think of more than 4 players I related to in this side and now I love every single one of em and the management.

Extremely proud to be a spurs supporter, prouder than I have been in 28 years and being a 31 year old now the thought I could witness us win a title is mind blowing, even if we don't manage it I will still be extremely proud of the job that's being done, the future is bright. COYS

 

[Gassin's finest]

You watched that last night Aswell?

Lol, I didn't realise it was on! Bugger!

I've seen it enough to almost quote it though

 

[riggi]

Lol, I didn't realise it was on! Bugger!

I've seen it enough to almost quote it though

I never realised how risqué it was.

 

[Everlasting Seconds]

The task is to close the 5 point gap to first. Nothing less.

In a race you concentrate on those in front not behind. If you are capable of winning the race then that should be your only consideration.

Don't keep shitting your pants about Arsenal.

I don't even know who they are.

Look, picture old fashioned warfare, and you are leading a little gang of rebels north of London. In the woods and the marshes. Your gang has captured a minor fortress. Your closest and financially strong rival, led by an Arab prince, are close to your fortress, and you have to battle them. Do you a) try to secure your fortress now, or b) focus on the probability of capturing the whole capitol a few weeks into the future.

If you say that PL footie is nothing like old fashioned warfare, I'd say that's where you are wrong. We can learn a lot from great warriors.

 

[TaoistMonkey]

Fair thread, we are currently in thr title race even if some of our fans are too scared to admit it.

100% this!

We are scared as we've been here so many times before.

Oh the ridicule!!

 

[Gassin's finest]

I never realised how risqué it was.

 

[CowInAComa]

I don't even know who they are.

Look, picture old fashioned warfare, and you are leading a little gang of rebels north of London. In the woods and the marshes. Your gang has captured a minor fortress. Your closest and financially strong rival, led by an Arab prince, are close to your fortress, and you have to battle them. Do you a) try to secure your fortress now, or b) focus on the probability of capturing the whole capitol a few weeks into the future.

If you say that PL footie is nothing like old fashioned warfare, I'd say that's where you are wrong. We can learn a lot from great warriors.

No one 'consolidates' second. Stop being a scaredy cat.

We have a target and like it or not, it's not consolidating second.

 

[Everlasting Seconds]

No one 'consolidates' second. Stop being a scaredy cat.

We have a target and like it or not, it's not consolidating second.

It's not about targets. It's about strategies.

 

[Spursidol]

There is one third of the PL season to go - 13 games so in theory any team can get another 39 points (and we have 48 so far), which means that mathematically even Aston Villa could get more points than us (of course they won't win that many, but it just goes to illustrate how much of the season there is to go).

ManU in 5th place are 12 points off Leicester with 13 PL games to go, so with the top 4 all getting about 2 points a game we'd all need to drop form for them to stand any chance of the title - so realistically its only one of the current top 4 who could win the title.

But after that its really a matter of opinion.

Leicester have a great advantage of no other matches to play - which means they are playing once a week for the rest of the season - and being 5 points ahead, its for them to lose the title.

By comparison Spurs in EL and FA Cup have a minimum of 3 games more, and most likely we'll find that rises to 6 or 7 games more, which means we will be playing mid week and weekend for at least half the rest of the season - a disadvantage in going for the title.

ManCity and Arsenal are both breathing down our neck too.

So Leicester have a lot of advantages but with 39 points for us all to play for, its far too early for anything approaching a certainty - better to wait until end March/April to better see how things are looking.

 

[millsey]

Doesn't matter what team, every single game and every single point won during a season contributes to where you finish in the league, this idea that games at one point in the season mean more than another is purely an illusion, the race for the title is between 20 teams, but it's a marathon and not a sprint, we're going well in the chasing pack, just need to have the stamina to stay there.

Can't agree. Aston villa aren't in a title race at the start of the year. The title race being pressure and expectation. That's when it starts and that's he difference between leading in October and leading in March.

 

[millsey]

100% this!

We are scared as we've been here so many times before.

Oh the ridicule!!

Have we been here before? Think I read weve only been in the top 2 once at this time of year in the last 35 years

 

[TaoistMonkey]

Have we been here before? Think I read weve only been in the top 2 once at this time of year in the last 35 years

Not second. I mean in a position where its hugely positive and can only go one way!

 

[Everlasting Seconds]

There is one third of the PL season to go - 13 games so in theory any team can get another 39 points (and we have 48 so far), which means that mathematically even Aston Villa could get more points than us (of course they won't win that many, but it just goes to illustrate how much of the season there is to go).

ManU in 5th place are 12 points off Leicester with 13 PL games to go, so with the top 4 all getting about 2 points a game we'd all need to drop form for them to stand any chance of the title - so realistically its only one of the current top 4 who could win the title.

But after that its really a matter of opinion.

Leicester have a great advantage of no other matches to play - which means they are playing once a week for the rest of the season - and being 5 points ahead, its for them to lose the title.

By comparison Spurs in EL and FA Cup have a minimum of 3 games more, and most likely we'll find that rises to 6 or 7 games more, which means we will be playing mid week and weekend for at least half the rest of the season - a disadvantage in going for the title.

ManCity and Arsenal are both breathing down our neck too.

So Leicester have a lot of advantages but with 39 points for us all to play for, its far too early for anything approaching a certainty - better to wait until end March/April to better see how things are looking.

Agreed, apart from one thing, which ties in with what I've highlighted. I think it safe to assume that we know the top 4 teams now. But we don't know the order of them.

 

[Donki]

We simply go into every game trying to win it, COYS!