final league position target

[BlueToff]

I did notice at Villa, Martinez was shouting at players more than usual, think his hoop is going slightly knowing he's massively under performed the last 2 seasons.

Not at all.

It's got nothing to do with a 'comfort zone', RM shouts at the players constantly in a match pretty much. He did it at Villa to get them to press out quicker than they were when we had the ball. The first time he did it, we broke quickly and scored the second...

He isn't getting sacked any time soon. Moshiri isn't the owner and can't make those decisions (yet).

The investment, when it comes, means that there'll be more money available probably and that's when RM will be judged.

 

[BlueToff]

Season target this should be.

We play in three competitions after all.

Two good cup runs to SF stage at least + top half finish should be our target now. Both within our grasp.

I'd say top 8 is doable, though we have to beat the teams around us in the games we have left against them - which all come up in the next few weeks.

 

[davek]

I'd say top 8 is doable, though we have to beat the teams around us in the games we have left against them - which all come up in the next few weeks.

We've won 3 of the last 4 league games and it only has us in 11th. That's how crazy the league is right now. A team like Stoke looked like they were set to tumble down the table a few weeks back but edge a few close matches and are up to 7th. It's all so congested in our middle third of the league.

We have a game in hand, of course, so if we win that we're top 8. But we need to make our current form of 3 wins in 4 games 7 wins in 10 games to take a firm grip in the top half. Another 12=14 points from the next 18 on offer will do that for us.

What happens now in the remainder of the FA Cup programme could influence all that.

 

[BlueToff]

We've won 3 of the last 4 league games and it only has us in 11th. That's how crazy the league is right now. A team like Stoke looked like they were set to tumble down the table a few weeks back but edge a few close matches and are up to 7th. It's all so congested in our middle third of the league.

We have a game in hand, of course, so if we win that we're top 8. But we need to make our current form of 3 wins in 4 games 7 wins in 10 games to take a firm grip in the top half. Another 12=14 points from the next 18 on offer will do that for us.

What happens now in the remainder of the FA Cup programme could influence all that.

Yep good point.

As I said, the crunch matches that are within our control are the ones against the teams in the little mini-league we find ourselves in, though it's all so congested at the moment it's hard to tell.

There's nearly always a reaction in this league.

Sotton are currently out of form after they had gone on a superb run, whilst Chelsea were lucky to beat Norwich the other night by all accounts. Hugely close and all we can do is take it game by game and get the results.

 

[davek]

Yep good point.

As I said, the crunch matches that are within our control are the ones against the teams in the little mini-league we find ourselves in, though it's all so congested at the moment it's hard to tell.

There's nearly always a reaction in this league.

Sotton are currently out of form after they had gone on a superb run, whilst Chelsea were lucky to beat Norwich the other night by all accounts. Hugely close and all we can do is take it game by game and get the results.

For these very reasons we should look upon finishing positions this season a bit more philosophically than a normal season. Any finish between, say, 7th and 11th is going to be a matter of fractions and not a clear pecking order.

That's why I'd argue that the season should be judged on all competitive performances to determine what a good season and an average season and a bad season look like for those affected clubs in that zone. If we do that then we see that our overall competitive performance allows us to describe our season in a more favourable way than say a team currently in 7th who hasn't competed well in any cup competition.

You determine a season's value by the entirety of that season, not just PL results.

 

[TomDixie]

8th - Keeping it simple.

 

[eternal_defiance]

If we win most games we could finish 5th! Why not. The Moshiri factor.

 

[Igrok]

For these very reasons we should look upon finishing positions this season a bit more philosophically than a normal season. Any finish between, say, 7th and 11th is going to be a matter of fractions and not a clear pecking order.

That's why I'd argue that the season should be judged on all competitive performances to determine what a good season and an average season and a bad season look like for those affected clubs in that zone. If we do that then we see that our overall competitive performance allows us to describe our season in a more favourable way than say a team currently in 7th who hasn't competed well in any cup competition.

You determine a season's value by the entirety of that season, not just PL results.

Example of pure sophism...phenomenal...

 

[BlueToff]

Example of pure sophism...phenomenal...

top seven and two cup semi finals (obviously fingers crossed more than that in the cup) would be deemed a success in any season.

long way to go to achieve that, mind, but we're definitely capable of it.

 

[Baines' left foot]

If we finish no lower than 8th then couple with 2 good cup runs I think it should be considered at least a satisfactory season. If we get a 6th/7th and then get to the semis of the FA Cup then that's a good season all things considered.

 

[LydiateLee]

Not arsed as long as we win the FA Cup

 

[Carlito]

Doesn't matter. Winning is passé.

 

[Simon the Brummie]

We had to improve on last seasons finish - so if we make the top 7 i will be happy as its progress, just wish Martinez had noticed a few of the things holding us back earlier.

Am not arsed about the cups unless we win them - you don't get a trophy for the semi finals.

It's better to be challenging for cups, whether or not we fail to reach the final, than getting knocked out in 1st rounds. Winning breeds success and players will be better able to cope with nerves better the more semis/finals they play which in turn will help with league form.

 

[eyeeyepopeye]

Think we'll finish 10th, slight improvement on last season,

 

[Gibbo4]

My analysis of the Martinez era says that we will finish on between 62-64 points. This might seem a tad optimistic (24-26 points from the final 11 games) but it is what the numbers are telling me and I believe that it is possible. This would represent a 5th-7th place finish and all in all would be very respectable. It would certainly earn Martinez another crack at it next season with another spin at the transfer window.

Well it didn't take long for my prediction to go tits up. I should have known better than to hope that we would start getting the results that we should be. It's simply happened too many times and is not good enough. Revised prediction. 52 points 11th.