Other Games 23/24

[pingpong]

12 minutes ago, JRM said:

Anyone got the championship table after 27 games last season? Would be interesting to compare. This season feels unprecedented for top sides. 

West Brom still looking really good 

https://www.royals.org/tables/140123.php

 

[Lighthouse]

13 minutes ago, pingpong said:

https://www.royals.org/tables/140123.php

So the playoff finalists were 9th and 15th, the latter being below relegated Reading.

[FarehamSaintJames]

52 minutes ago, whelk said:

Leicester definitely aren’t all that either. League table doesn’t lie and all that but we are the best side in this league (at the mo)

Literally said this the other day and got canned 😢😅

[AlexLaw76]

1 minute ago, FarehamSaintJames said:

Literally said this the other day and got canned 😢😅

Yet, they are better than us in every metric, right?

[trousers]

9 minutes ago, FarehamSaintJames said:

Literally said this the other day and got canned 😢😅

Sounds painful... Would prefer to be caned myself

[farawaysaint]

9 hours ago, AlexLaw76 said:

Yet, they are better than us in every metric, right?

Are we not beating them in possession stats? Go team 👏 

[CB Fry]

11 hours ago, pingpong said:

https://www.royals.org/tables/140123.php

 

Really shows that Leicester are the anomaly this season - Us and Ipswich have very similar points to Burnley and Sheff United achieved last year.

[Winnersaint]

Let’s not do Ipswich a disservice, to be where they are is amazing. 

[farawaysaint]

42 minutes ago, CB Fry said:

Really shows that Leicester are the anomaly this season - Us and Ipswich have very similar points to Burnley and Sheff United achieved last year.

Leicester had far too good a squad to go down to be fair. They screwed up even worse than us last season in a very weird year. 

[hypochondriac]

Leicester and Ipswich is up next. What are we wanting from that? Would it be wrong to hope for an Ipswich and saints win so we close the gap on Leicester to 7? That feels a lot more like a gap we can bridge. 

[AlexLaw76]

2 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

Leicester and Ipswich is up next. What are we wanting from that? Would it be wrong to hope for an Ipswich and saints win so we close the gap on Leicester to 7? That feels a lot more like a gap we can bridge. 

Leicester win...we are not even 2nd and people are not wanting 2nd place to lose...

[goodymatt]

Leicester do have the best team in the league and to have a 10 point lead on us given how well we are playing and that we have now lost the same amount of games is a credit to them.

From a Saints perspective it’s frustrating when you think of draws like Rotherham, Watford, Norwich and Huddersfield. all 4 of those game we were by far the better team and that is the difference, killing off games, especially away from home.

[hypochondriac]

Just now, AlexLaw76 said:

Leicester win...we are not even 2nd and people are not wanting 2nd place to lose...

I'm aware we aren't second. My point was that having the team at the top going through a blip may be beneficial as it give us two place to play for rather than one which at the moment is too far away. 

[AlexLaw76]

Just now, hypochondriac said:

I'm aware we aren't second. My point was that having the team at the top going through a blip may be beneficial as it give us two place to play for rather than one which at the moment is too far away. 

Leicester will win the league, them losing the odd game will not change that, they win more than we do, and have enough to beat most of the dross in the league.

[goodymatt]

Just now, hypochondriac said:

I'm aware we aren't second. My point was that having the team at the top going through a blip may be beneficial as it give us two place to play for rather than one which at the moment is too far away. 

I think Leicester are still on track for a record points haul. The chance of them not finishing top 2 must be an extremely low probability. For that reason I hope they beat Ipswich. If Vestergaard could avoid any last minute deflections this time please.

[hypochondriac]

1 minute ago, AlexLaw76 said:

Leicester will win the league, them losing the odd game will not change that, they win more than we do, and have enough to beat most of the dross in the league.

Conversely, losing two in a row if we win both closes the gap to 7 points which is achievable. Of course they are heavy favourites but losing some of their best players to AFCON will have had an effect. There's an argument that we have actually been the best team in the league since our unbeaten run started and not that long ago Ipswich were ten ahead of us. It's unlikely but it's still a possibility at the moment. 

[hypochondriac]

I still haven't quite given up the chance of winning the league. Think we need a bit more optimism after my terribly incorrect prediction for the Wednesday game. Next five games for us will be crucial with all except one away. 

[AlexLaw76]

1 minute ago, hypochondriac said:

Conversely, losing two in a row if we win both closes the gap to 7 points which is achievable. Of course they are heavy favourites but losing some of their best players to AFCON will have had an effect. There's an argument that we have actually been the best team in the league since our unbeaten run started and not that long ago Ipswich were ten ahead of us. It's unlikely but it's still a possibility at the moment. 

yet, in that unbeaten run, we are 3rd, noting the easiest set of xmas fixtures in the league. We draw too many away. The unbeaten run has been great, but means nothing if we do not get promoted.

Leicester only have 2 more league games in Jan, both of those at home, one of which is Swansea. If they are not at the very least 7 points clear of Saints come start of Feb, I will be stunned.

IMO, we need to be 3-6 points clear of Ipswich and Leeds prior to the week we are away to Bristol city and WBA, as we are not THAT good away from home.

 

[hypochondriac]

6 minutes ago, AlexLaw76 said:

yet, in that unbeaten run, we are 3rd, noting the easiest set of xmas fixtures in the league. We draw too many away. The unbeaten run has been great, but means nothing if we do not get promoted.

Leicester only have 2 more league games in Jan, both of those at home, one of which is Swansea. If they are not at the very least 7 points clear of Saints come start of Feb, I will be stunned.

IMO, we need to be 3-6 points clear of Ipswich and Leeds prior to the week we are away to Bristol city and WBA, as we are not THAT good away from home.

 

Are we third in that unbeaten run? Thought I saw we were first. 

[AlexLaw76]

Just now, hypochondriac said:

Are we third in that unbeaten run? Thought I saw we were first. 

3rd in the league mate - you know this

[CB Fry]

3 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

Leicester and Ipswich is up next. What are we wanting from that? Would it be wrong to hope for an Ipswich and saints win so we close the gap on Leicester to 7? That feels a lot more like a gap we can bridge. 

No. Leicester are going break all the records, they are finishing top. We're keeping pace with normal top 2 standard and still nowhere near them.

We need Leicester to do Ipswich a soul destroying 4-0. 

[Turkish]

25 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

Leicester and Ipswich is up next. What are we wanting from that? Would it be wrong to hope for an Ipswich and saints win so we close the gap on Leicester to 7? That feels a lot more like a gap we can bridge. 

Ipswich to win, us to stay third and win the play offs not boring saintsy runners up again 

[hypochondriac]

17 minutes ago, CB Fry said:

No. Leicester are going break all the records, they are finishing top. We're keeping pace with normal top 2 standard and still nowhere near them.

We need Leicester to do Ipswich a soul destroying 4-0. 

I'm not blaming you in the slightest and it was entirely understandable, but to be fair you did state with absolute cast iron certainty earlier in the season that automatic promotion had already gone and that there was no chance of us getting it. 

[hypochondriac]

19 minutes ago, AlexLaw76 said:

3rd in the league mate - you know this

You said "in that unbeaten run we are third." in the unbeaten run we are first but over the entire season we are third. My point was that we have taken the most points in the league since the end of September. 

[AlexLaw76]

Just now, hypochondriac said:

You said "in that unbeaten run we are third." in the unbeaten run we are first but over the entire season we are third. My point was that we have taken the most points in the league since the end of September. 

Great, we are still 3rd in the league after the easiest set of xmas fixtures of everyone. We have been very good lately, but even Martin said we should have more points right now due to dropping too many away...and he is right. 

[hypochondriac]

1 minute ago, AlexLaw76 said:

Great, we are still 3rd in the league after the easiest set of xmas fixtures of everyone. We have been very good lately, but even Martin said we should have more points right now due to dropping too many away...and he is right. 

Don't think I've disagreed with anything you said there. I have faith that we can overhaul Ipswich even if they win next week. 

Edited 14 January, 2024 by hypochondriac

[AlexLaw76]

Just now, hypochondriac said:

Don't think I've disagreed with anything you said there. I have faith that we can overhaul Ipswich even if they win next week. 

I am sure we will overhaul ipswich, but do we have enough to remain ahead of Leeds, given we have the toughest away fixtures to come of the top 4....and we are not THAT good away, I am not so sure.

[whelk]

37 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

I still haven't quite given up the chance of winning the league. Think we need a bit more optimism after my terribly incorrect prediction for the Wednesday game. Next five games for us will be crucial with all except one away. 

Me neither. Very unlikely of course but if Leicester lose to Ipswich lost I wouldn’t be crying. All a refreshing change chasing top places but also need to be philosophical if we don’t catch Ipswich then we didnt deserve to go up automatically 

Edited 14 January, 2024 by whelk

[hypochondriac]

4 minutes ago, AlexLaw76 said:

I am sure we will overhaul ipswich, but do we have enough to remain ahead of Leeds, given we have the toughest away fixtures to come of the top 4....and we are not THAT good away, I am not so sure.

Well if you think we will overhaul Ipswich then surely an Ipswich win next week would be a positive thing. Chance to move just seven points behind Leicester and potentially drag another team into it. They still have Leeds, Sunderland and hull to play away and us at home of course. Again, not saying it's likely but it's still possible at the moment. 

[whelk]

Surprised Batman hasn’t given up on the play offs yet given his known pessimism 

[AlexLaw76]

Just now, hypochondriac said:

Well if you think we will overhaul Ipswich then surely an Ipswich win next week would be a positive thing. Chance to move just seven points behind Leicester and potentially drag another team into it. They still have Leeds, Sunderland and hull to play away and us at home of course. Again, not saying it's likely but it's still possible at the moment. 

No. I think we will not spend 1 second above leicester for the remainder of the season...nor will anyone else. they are better than all of us.

[hypochondriac]

1 minute ago, whelk said:

Me neither. Very unlikely of course but if Leicester lose to Ipswich lost I wouldn’t be crying. All a refreshing change chasing top places but also need to be philosophical if we don’t catch Ipswich then we didnt deserve to go up automatically 

I'm glad you agree I thought I was the only one! 

[hypochondriac]

2 minutes ago, AlexLaw76 said:

No. I think we will not spend 1 second above leicester for the remainder of the season...nor will anyone else. they are better than all of us.

Well they haven't been better than us since the end of September if we use the only metric that really matters. 

[AlexLaw76]

5 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

Well they haven't been better than us since the end of September if we use the only metric that really matters. 

Not the league table? Fair enough....

[The Cat]

A few months ago it was apparently impossible for us finish 2nd and we were being told to hope for play offs at best.

Therefore I'm not writing off the chance we could catch Leicester. It's odds against but there's still a lot of games left.

[hypochondriac]

Just now, AlexLaw76 said:

Not the league table? Fair enough....

The only metric which really matters for determining who is the best. I said the end of September for a reason. 

[hypochondriac]

1 minute ago, The Cat said:

A few months ago it was apparently impossible for us finish 2nd and we were being told to hope for play offs at best.

Therefore I'm not writing off the chance we could catch Leicester. It's odds against but there's still a lot of games left.

Yes that's my stance too. It's a very small chance but that chance increases a fair amount if they lose next week with a few difficult games to come. 

[AlexLaw76]

5 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

The only metric which really matters for determining who is the best. I said the end of September for a reason. 

Since the start of this run (19 or 20 games), we have gained 1 point and 1 goal on Leicester

The remaining 19 games are clearly more difficult....

Chances of catching them? not much above zero.

 

Edited 14 January, 2024 by AlexLaw76

[Lee On Solent Saint]

I don't care if we catch Leicester or not. Promotion was, and remains the goal for this season. Finishing second still achieves that goal. 

[macca155]

Leicester beating everyone else simply clear the path for Saints. Long may it continue.

The upcoming fixtures are going to see Saints lose ground a little. They aren't going to win five away games, so we need to brace a bit for that.

I reckon it's going to be an absolutely epic gladiatorial battle for 2nd place between Saints, Ipswich, and Leeds.

What a fabulous season, brilliant for all fans.

[hypochondriac]

5 minutes ago, Lee On Solent Saint said:

I don't care if we catch Leicester or not. Promotion was, and remains the goal for this season. Finishing second still achieves that goal. 

It's not really about catching Leicester, it's about increasing our chances of promotion by dragging them back into things. If Leeds carry in their unbelievable run then currently it's 3 teams going for one spot. Would be better to be four teams going for two.

[saint lard]

My biggest fear is that Leeds are the ones to watch. 
what a last game of the season that could be. 🫣

[gio1saints]

I still don’t see the Ipswich squad as strong enough to sustain there form second half of the season. We will eventually overtake them is my view and get automatic. First or second depends on if LCFC can do a Saintsy 4 losses in a row but it’s unlikely not impossible. 

Our #1 competition is Leeds. 

The play offs will be Leeds, Ipswich, WBA and Coventry. 

[whelk]

20 minutes ago, saint lard said:

My biggest fear is that Leeds are the ones to watch. 
what a last game of the season that could be. 🫣

Surely you’d never forgive Martin if we only came 2nd and didn’t win the Championship? 

[ErwinK1961]

I think to catch Leicester we need 9-10 points from Ipswich, West Brom, Leeds and Leicester away (including beating Leicester). Personally can’t see that happening.

If we can find a way to put teams to bed away from home (which is all that is currently missing) then we’ll go up.

[saintant]

41 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

It's not really about catching Leicester, it's about increasing our chances of promotion by dragging them back into things. If Leeds carry in their unbelievable run then currently it's 3 teams going for one spot. Would be better to be four teams going for two.

Is that the unbelievable run that has seen them lose 3 and draw 1 of their last 7 games?

[hypochondriac]

10 minutes ago, saintant said:

Is that the unbelievable run that has seen them lose 3 and draw 1 of their last 7 games?

Over the course of the season, they have a points total hugely above the average for 4th in the table. 

[bpsaint]

1 hour ago, Lee On Solent Saint said:

I don't care if we catch Leicester or not. Promotion was, and remains the goal for this season. Finishing second still achieves that goal. 

This for me too. Yeah winning the league would be nice but matters not in the greater picture. Look what happened to the team that pipped us to 1st in 2011/12.

[CB Fry]

1 hour ago, hypochondriac said:

I'm not blaming you in the slightest and it was entirely understandable, but to be fair you did state with absolute cast iron certainty earlier in the season that automatic promotion had already gone and that there was no chance of us getting it. 

But surely that supports my point not yours?

We're on a historical record breaking run, nine home wins on the spin and we are STILL not top 2. Because we fucked ourselves in September and lost momentum and gave ourselves too much to do.

Ipswich are on a dogshit run of one win in six or whatever it is and they ARE still top 2.

For Leicester to smash 90 points they don't even have to try to be Leicester for the rest of the season, they can bimble about being Norwich or Preston and they will still do it.

To overtake Leicester we need to carry this run going for the entirety of the season.

Fine if we do it and Leicester completely fuck it see you in May and you can gloat then.

[saintant]

12 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

Over the course of the season, they have a points total hugely above the average for 4th in the table. 

But if we'd lost 3 and drawn 1 of our last 7 games I doubt you'd be talking about an unbelievable run. Ok, they have a good record over the season but their current run is ordinary at best.