13 Feb 2018 10:27:30
11 fixtures left. Only 2 teams that will be difficult. The dark side and Man City. We should be picking up a lot of points from the rest. 9 very winnable fixtures. Should see us climb the table to 7th.

I'm one who is supporting SA. However I honestly say if he doesn't get 7th by the the end of the season its a failure. We are in a very good position to do it. Burnley are struggling as of late. I'm not one to give out about managers generally and have stood up for SA but he has to get 7th.

1.) 13 Feb 2018
13 Feb 2018 10:39:38
I stand to be corrected here but if he manages to get us into 7th and Europe he will become the first ever Premiership manager to take a team out of a relegation battle and into the top 7 in the same season.

2.) 13 Feb 2018
13 Feb 2018 10:43:37
Nice post NBTB mate, hope you are right but I do think you are in a dreamworld?

3.) 13 Feb 2018
13 Feb 2018 10:55:29
I would love him to get us to 7th mate and honestly think it is achievable, we need to improve our away record to do it though.

I need to personally show more support for SA he is after-all our manager.

4.) 13 Feb 2018
13 Feb 2018 11:00:19
I think 7th is doable but not an achievement. And I don’t think SA can do anything between now and the end of the season that can convince me he deserves anther year.

He has delivered to a degree what was required of him but nothing else. Let’s be honest, surely the 18 months on his contract are for 6 to get us out of trouble and the other 12 to secure a good handshake when the inevitable happens in the summer.

I respect what the guy does so well and my goodness we needed it. But if this is the sum of our ambition, I’m going to need to sit in a dark room for a while.

7th, when so many this season are struggling is just plain average. I do understand it’s an improvement from where we are but come on, another 12 months of this guy and we are looking at a very forgettable 2018/ 19.

5.) 13 Feb 2018
13 Feb 2018 11:52:22
I agree Toffee Ace. For me, despite the fact that 7th was the best we were ever going to finish by the time he took over, the standard in the rest of the league is so bad that we've only won 5 games in 2 and a half months and we are still in with a shout.

So given that we can't realistically finish higher than 7th for me it's about performances and results. We need to get a good team going, dominate teams around us and show that we are the 7th best team in the league. If that happens I'll give San a chance, as I don't believe that the players are as poor as some people on here woupd have you believe.

6.) 13 Feb 2018
13 Feb 2018 13:19:01
Stig, dreamworld? Even people who don't rate or want Sam say its achievable.

7.) 13 Feb 2018
13 Feb 2018 13:25:20
Won’t happen we are poor, poor team. Think it’s a little arrogant to rule out those currently above us, and those just below us. Let’s see what people think after the Watford game.

8.) 13 Feb 2018
13 Feb 2018 13:52:00
Woburnblue, I think there’s always a chance given there’s only 2 points in it. Burnley were crap against Swansea. Leicester are by no means certs for 7th either. Yes we are playing some grot at the moment but to say it won’t happen is as pessimistic as saying it will is arrogant.

9.) 13 Feb 2018
13 Feb 2018 14:07:09
Couldn't of put it better myself Toffee Ace.

10.) 13 Feb 2018
13 Feb 2018 14:55:12
Ok I would love to be optimistic but have a look at Leicesters run in compared to ours and then see if you still think 7th is achievable.
Our next 5 games are Watford, Burnley both away, Brighton at home, Stoke away then city at home. At best with the way we play away from home you should say we pick up a point from each away game and 3 at home to Brighton and 0 from city, that's 6 points and the magic 40 point mark. Let's look at Leicester's 5 games, they have Stoke, Bournemouth and Arsenal at home with 2 away games at West Brom and Brighton. So let's say they collect a point at each away game, which they should at a bare minimum and collect 7 points from the 3 very winnable home games, that's 9 points from 15 compared to our 6 from 15 and puts them on 44 points 4 clear of us, we then play Lpool at home and our record against our neighbours is well, its embarrassing, meanwhile Leicester have a home game against Newcastle so by the end of this round of fixtures we could find ourselves 7 points behind Leicester.
I would love to share the optimism that 7th is achievable, it would be if we had a manager who set a team up to win away from home, which we don't, I reckon we will finish 9th myself due to our away record.
Just for the record as well Burnley's next 6 are home games against Saints, us and Chelsea, I would say 5 points from them 3, West ham, West Brom and Watford away, using the same 1 point at each away game that's 3 points and 8 from 18 and puts them on 44 points and 4 ahead of us.
Of course this is just my guess, but I can only see the teams above us going further ahead rather than us clawing it back, would love to be wrong but doubt it.

11.) 13 Feb 2018
13 Feb 2018 16:22:11
Fair point Bluegray. But since the middle of December both teams have been pretty bad. Leicester have only won 2 out of 9 and Burnley haven’t one any in their last 9. Both teams have their troubles right now as do we. And whilst those predictions you’ve made are very reasonable, when I look at the recent form I still think there’s a fair shout for us.

12.) 13 Feb 2018
13 Feb 2018 16:42:51
So what your saying is we will get seventh because we won’t be quite as bad as the rest of the crap in the league. Am I a pessimist? Not really just a realist, and personally think 10th is where we will end up.

13.) 13 Feb 2018
13 Feb 2018 16:55:59
To achieve and remain at 7th is possible but as others have said it needs a change of selection and tactics from Sam toward away games. At present because of this approach all it takes is a blip at home and we slip back down again.

{Ed025's Note - i wont be very happy if sam sacrifices away games DFS, its a recipe for disaster and never mind it sapping confidence what about them poor buggers who travel the country following the team?, i have to be honest with you if he starts that nonsense again i will be calling for his head..

14.) 13 Feb 2018
13 Feb 2018 20:46:44
We should be going to Watford, Stoke, Swansea and Burnley and attacking them, yet I feel this won't happen and Sam will revert to type and play Schneids and Gueye and leave a single man up top isolated.

Watford will attack us and leave gaps and we should be exploiting this, we have a settled midfield in Rooney, Gueye and Davies and they seem to have an understanding so why break them up just because its an away game? We should only change a winning side if we have injuries, yet Sam seems to change it every time an away game pops up! The only way I would sacrifice one from that midfield 3 was to go 2 up top.