Ifs, buts and Maybes

[Shukes]

As it stands, we wouldn’t be relegated. Games in hand don’t really mean much to teams that are losing. It’s more of an opportunity for your goal difference to get worse.

if you asked any team below us if they would swap their game in hand for our position they would all undoubtedly swap.

I definitely feel much better being 15th. And anyone I speak to seems much more positive about us now.

[Hafnia]

Just heard Neil rudduck saying that West Ham fans don’t react well when the club is in trouble, they are hostile etc. Leicester fans likewise seem opposed to Brendan. 
 

if we get 3 points fa Chelsea it is gonna heap pressure on those around us, they have fans demanding a manager is sacked etc, too late for that.   A few weeks ago we were certain for the drop, now with dyche rep as a good fire fighter and the strong results we’ve had they are starting to panic. 

[Goodison Glory]

I hope we keep this positive mood through what I feel will be a tough few weeks. Just my opinion (and that's all it is) is that we will get 0-1pts from the next 3 games.

We are very poor away (we've not scored in 7 of our last 10 away games and only picked up 2 points). Even the shock results we've seen from lower side vs top sides have generally come when the lower side is at home (CHE vs. SOTON the exception)

I do believe we will have a good easter/run-in and end up staying up, I just think we are in for a rough ride and we shouldn't  "throw the baby out with the bath water" after those games.

[Bailey]

We should rename this the "if's and but's thread".

[RuffRob]

13 hours ago, Shukes said:

As it stands, we wouldn’t be relegated. Games in hand don’t really mean much to teams that are losing. It’s more of an opportunity for your goal difference to get worse.

if you asked any team below us if they would swap their game in hand for our position they would all undoubtedly swap.

I definitely feel much better being 15th. And anyone I speak to seems much more positive about us now.

I would really feel a lot better if we could get DCL on the pitch for the best part of the run in ahead. 

[AlbanyNYToffee]

Haven't won in the league at the Bridge since 1994!!!! Didn't do the research on the other grounds but this has to be our worst away record. Winless in our last 27 league games there, and if you add in the cups we have 1 win at the Bridge in our last 33 visits (FA Cup replay in 2011). We managed to score a goal in our league game there last season for a 1-1 draw, prior to that we went 5 league visits without even scoring a goal. Sorry for the doom and gloom but if anyone thinks we will get a point or three this weekend I definitely want whatever you're on. 

[Matt]

50 minutes ago, AlbanyNYToffee said:

Haven't won in the league at the Bridge since 1994!!!! Didn't do the research on the other grounds but this has to be our worst away record. Winless in our last 27 league games there, and if you add in the cups we have 1 win at the Bridge in our last 33 visits (FA Cup replay in 2011). We managed to score a goal in our league game there last season for a 1-1 draw, prior to that we went 5 league visits without even scoring a goal. Sorry for the doom and gloom but if anyone thinks we will get a point or three this weekend I definitely want whatever you're on. 

About time for a win then, statistically speaking

 

[Gwlad]

2 hours ago, RuffRob said:

I would really feel a lot better if we could get DCL on the pitch for the best part of the run in ahead. 

Just wonder how brittle he might be though. Maybe for 45 mins a game.

[Hafnia]

11 hours ago, AlbanyNYToffee said:

Haven't won in the league at the Bridge since 1994!!!! Didn't do the research on the other grounds but this has to be our worst away record. Winless in our last 27 league games there, and if you add in the cups we have 1 win at the Bridge in our last 33 visits (FA Cup replay in 2011). We managed to score a goal in our league game there last season for a 1-1 draw, prior to that we went 5 league visits without even scoring a goal. Sorry for the doom and gloom but if anyone thinks we will get a point or three this weekend I definitely want whatever you're on. 

I never understand why some people are so fixated on never having a good record at a certain ground.  It doesn’t make sense.  It’s a footy pitch with goals, many of the players we have playing for us haven’t been a part of the team going back to 2019 let alone 1994. 
 

we have a real chance. 

[Romey 1878]

13 hours ago, Bailey said:

We should rename this the "if's and but's thread".

Who did that! 

[Palfy]

On 13/03/2023 at 16:34, MikeO said:

Of course it is (repeating myself again); we have 33 points left to play for so a potential final total of 58, you think that number will see us relegated?

If the teams below us win their remaining games then mid-table clubs will be further sucked in.

Totally in our hands still.

All I have to do is dreeeaaam dream dream dream

[Matt]

3 hours ago, Romey 1878 said:

Who did that! 

Did Mike get you for missing the apostrophes?

[MikeO]

7 minutes ago, Matt said:

Did Mike get you for missing the apostrophes?

Au contraire, there shouldn't be any apostrophes in it at all.

As it stands it reads "if is but is and maybe is".

[Romey 1878]

8 minutes ago, MikeO said:

Au contraire, there shouldn't be any apostrophes in it at all.

As it stands it reads "if is but is and maybe is".

Oh ffs, I had it right first time and then questioned myself!

[Matt]

12 minutes ago, MikeO said:

Au contraire, there shouldn't be any apostrophes in it at all.

As it stands it reads "if is but is and maybe is".

Spoil sport

 

[Goodison Glory]

9 hours ago, Hafnia said:

I never understand why some people are so fixated on never having a good record at a certain ground.  It doesn’t make sense.  It’s a footy pitch with goals, many of the players we have playing for us haven’t been a part of the team going back to 2019 let alone 1994. 
 

we have a real chance. 

I'd argue we have "A" chance in as much as "it's a footy pitch with goals". I think it's a tall order and I am not basing that on any historical trends. Their squad is better than ours and they might just be figuring out who to play/where, they are at home (where they perform better), we are away (where we perform shite), their recent form is better (our recent away form is worst in the league). Do we have a chance...yes in the sense that everyone has a chance in any given game....is that a real(istic) chance. I don't think so.

[Hafnia]

54 minutes ago, Goodison Glory said:

I'd argue we have "A" chance in as much as "it's a footy pitch with goals". I think it's a tall order and I am not basing that on any historical trends. Their squad is better than ours and they might just be figuring out who to play/where, they are at home (where they perform better), we are away (where we perform shite), their recent form is better (our recent away form is worst in the league). Do we have a chance...yes in the sense that everyone has a chance in any given game....is that a real(istic) chance. I don't think so.

They have been noted as a mentally weak side this year. If we get at them and their fans grumble then it plays into our hands. 

[Aidan]

So far so good in tonight's fixtures. Palace slowly getting sucked in and Southampton stay bottom.

[Hafnia]

28 minutes ago, Aidan said:

So far so good in tonight's fixtures. Palace slowly getting sucked in and Southampton stay bottom.

Palace have been sleep walking to it for weeks.  Played better tonight by all accounts but they now need to dig in and don’t have any momentum.

Southampton losing too, 2-0. Good night for the blues. 

 

[duncanmckenzieismagic]

Great night for us 

[dunlopp9987]

25 minutes ago, duncanmckenzieismagic said:

Great night for us 

Plus the shite lost. Couldn't have asked for much more

[Romey 1878]

What about an if, but or maybe?

FFS, keep up.

[Goodison Glory]

Fixed it:

 

Plus the shite lost. Couldn't have asked for much more. Maybe if forest also lose on Friday, but they probably won't. 

 

[Romey 1878]

1 hour ago, Goodison Glory said:

Fixed it:

 

Plus the shite lost. Couldn't have asked for much more. Maybe if forest also lose on Friday, but they probably won't. 

 

Much better!

[Aidan]

4/5 points out of these next three games would be absolutely huge, although I'd absolutely settle for 3.

[Goodison Glory]

4 hours ago, Aidan said:

4/5 points out of these next three games would be absolutely huge, although I'd absolutely settle for 3.

4/5 points would be bordering on ludicrous. 3 points is going to be tough. We are in for a rough ride the next 2 weeks. I've no doubt we will bounce back...I just hope the fans, and more importantly, the players don't lose hope/momentum. It's just a tough break that we have a run of consecutive fixtures like this, at a time when Dyche was starting to get some momentum.

[dunlopp9987]

41 minutes ago, Goodison Glory said:

4/5 points would be bordering on ludicrous. 3 points is going to be tough. We are in for a rough ride the next 2 weeks. I've no doubt we will bounce back...I just hope the fans, and more importantly, the players don't lose hope/momentum. It's just a tough break that we have a run of consecutive fixtures like this, at a time when Dyche was starting to get some momentum.

Momentum hasn't really meant much lately. Bournemouth were smashed by City and then lost a 2-0 lead in the last seconds against Arsenal. And then got a 1-0 win against the shite. No one could've seen that coming. 

You just can't predict anything anymore. 

[Aidan]

1 hour ago, Goodison Glory said:

4/5 points would be bordering on ludicrous. 3 points is going to be tough. We are in for a rough ride the next 2 weeks. I've no doubt we will bounce back...I just hope the fans, and more importantly, the players don't lose hope/momentum. It's just a tough break that we have a run of consecutive fixtures like this, at a time when Dyche was starting to get some momentum.

We've taken a point off liverpool, a point away to city and 3 off arsenal this season, I don't see 4 points being borderline ludicrous. definitely achievable if the players work hard enough and add in bit of luck.

[Goodison Glory]

10 hours ago, Aidan said:

We've taken a point off liverpool, a point away to city and 3 off arsenal this season, I don't see 4 points being borderline ludicrous. definitely achievable if the players work hard enough and add in bit of luck.

Two of the games you reference were at home. If we were playing 2 of these upcoming games at home, I might think differently.

You would "settle for 3" but how many do you feel we will actually get?

 

 

[London Blue]

With Palace sacking Viera will they get a new manager bounce?

Viera seemed to be a popular manager with the squad, from a selfish viewpoint I hope they finish below us but sad that Viera has gone. 

No black managers in the PL is shocking, so much needs to be done on that front, but that's for another thread.