City - can we catch them up ?

[sammysaint]

Really cant see us catching them and finishing above them, but then I didnt see us being in 3rd, I thought 9th or 10th at best this season so what do I know.

[scotty]

There's a report in The Times this morning that Aaron Ramsey thinks Arsenal are still in the race for the title. If he thinks that why shouldn't we?

 

 

Why should we? IMHO, arsenal are not still in the race for the title.

[L_O_Z]

Alpine seems content to take it match by match. You're the one who is wringing his hands on the basis of just one result believing that it is detrimental to our chances that Arsenal beat City

 

I don't see it as one random game, it was what it stood for. Arsenal get in the top 4 every season despite being known for not beating top teams. Wenger completely changed his tactics and found out how to do the one thing his team haven't been able to do. Next season they could go from a top 4 team to a team that could challenge for the title.

 

If 5 left because we finished 8th, don't tell me, if we finished 5th or 6th, 7 or 8 will leave. If we finished 3rd, surely the whole squad will want away. And even if we did lose a player or two, why should it necessarily be that we couldn't repeat the success in replacing those players at a profit and getting at least as good players in? We have recent precedent of that situation. Losing Koeman would be the bigger blow. The higher we go, the more chance we have of keeping players and attracting better players to come here.

 

I'm saying that we lost half our team and manager because we finished 8th. We can't pay them top money and we can't offer them UCL football. If we finish between 5th and 7th you've got to assume we're going to lose top players as 5th to 7th says that the players are better than the last lot and nothings changed in relation to wages/UCL football. The chances of repeating the success from the last transfer window is unlikely. Yes we have an amazing scouting network, the system is possibly the best in the country, but anyone who thinks there was no luck involved is a little deluded.

 

If the clubs below us beat the teams above us, they don't gain ground on us if we keep on winning. But if that happened, we gain ground on the teams above us, or didn't you spot that possibility? Go easy on the crazy or mad stuff; I know how hard it is for most of us to believe where we are and where we could be, but we are here currently on merit.

 

Yes IF we keep winning. But our squad is smaller than those right below us. Chances are sadly we wont keep winning (I hope we do keep winning) but this is the time of year when the deeper squads shine through. Of course I understand that we would temporarily gain ground on the 2 above us if they lose and we win but with or squad size it would be a miracle if we finished 4th let alone 1st/2nd. Not sure why anyone would want to give the teams right below us 3 points that they usually wouldn't get. We are here on merit yes and every season I watch and hope we win the league, but I'd rather get 4th or 3rd this season and push on from there.

 

We have momentum too, don't we? Why can't we work out how to get into the UCL without beating top teams too? Or is it only Wenger who has the intelligence to work that out? I assume that the way to do that, is to beat the teams below you and hope that the other top teams take points off each other. What's your theory?

 

Sorry you misunderstood me there. Tactically Koeman is sound and we've proved we can beat top teams. My point is Arsenal almost always slip up against them so there was a great chance we'd have some free points over Arsenal. Now they've found some Kryptonite we've got a real battle on. I'd just rather Chelsea and City both stuffed all the teams below us this season to give us a better chance of getting in the UCL. Getting in the UCL would be massive for the club. Let me try and explain why I don't want to risk finishing 5th by hoping the teams below us beat the teams above us in the chance we finish 2nd.

 

Finishing 4th or 3rd means:

 

Lots of money (extra financial stability)

More likely to keep current players (UCL football)

Increase in wage paying ability (to attract world class players)

Encourage world class players with UCL football

Boost club profile massively

Amazing for us fans possibly seeing saints play teams like Real Madrid

Stick 2 fingers up at Liverpool, Spurs, Arsenal, Utd and all the pundits who said we had no chance.

 

Finishing 2nd:

 

As above with a little extra money

 

Finishing 5th:

 

Probably lose key players to top clubs as no UCL football

Earn much less money compared with 4th as no UCL football

Probably wont attract world class players as no UCL football

Pundits will say told you so

Less publicity for club as no one really cares about the Europa

More games next season which is worth it in UCL but not really in the Europa

Some of the defectors will have made the right decision to leave.

 

I'd love 2nd but finishing 5th could be a disaster based on the way the Prem sadly works. There's 4 golden tickets, when one of the big 5 drops out of the top 4 it really doesn't matter too much as they're a "big" club that can pay huge wages and probably offer UCL football next season (plus there's the glamour and fame of playing for a top 5 club).

 

I just think hoping Arsenal, Utd, Liverpool and Spurs beating City and Chelsea could destroy our chances of going down in history for doing the impossible. I almost feel like we would be being greedy by hoping they gain on us so we can try for 2nd :/ which has almost no benefit over 3rd apart from a little extra money and some extra bragging rights.

[parkgatesaint]

No, we will not catch the top three up as at today and Arsenal and Spurs are playing well and so I can see five clubs above us come the end of the season