11 points, surely 44 should see us safe? looks like our Jeckyl and Hyde team might have another season of top flight football in them yet.....

Defeat against Liverpool should bring us back down to earth with a bump....

-- Anonymous, September 27, 2001

Answers

Don't get your hopes up. I remember Norwich. 2nd at Christmas - beat us on New Years Day and didn't win a single game after that and were promptly relegated.

I wouldn't crack open the babychams until we get another 33.

-- Anonymous, September 27, 2001

49,185 last night. Bliddy wishy washy Foxes fans on a Wednesday night. Must of been oooh about 100 of them. I find something madjik about 50,000

-- Anonymous, September 27, 2001

Gav - your blind optomism needs to be tempered with the realties of NUFC ;-)

I too will be happy when the magic 40 points appears - hopefully sooner rather than later. I think there's enough in the team to see us to 6th - no really I do. There's far worse in the PL this season, and so long as we beat them we'll be fine (Leicester being #1 candidate). As I see it, we need 4 pts off: Charlton, Southampton, Leicester (3 up), Ipswich, Bolton, Derby, Everton, Boro and Blackburn. Anything after that is a bonus...like beating Man U :-)

-- Anonymous, September 27, 2001

I'd be VERY happy with a draw this weekend.....

-- Anonymous, September 27, 2001

I'm happy with a loss if we play well. Hmm no, I'm not.

-- Anonymous, September 27, 2001

Would there be a surge in optimism if we actually won on Sunday? Not totally inconceivable, as we've always tended to up the ante against better teams, especially at home. As a bunch, I think we tend to be very introspective and healthily critical of Newcastle, if not downright pessimistic (probably for more historical reasons). Because of this, we tend to be blindsided about the weaknesses of other teams. We're not the only side that has consistency problems. I sometimes feel after a sh@t performance that persecuted, 'why is it always us?' feeling, but every week there's a team that for some reason performs below expectation, and one of those teams has been Liverpool, despite the hype, losing at home to Villa and away to Bolton already.

-- Anonymous, September 27, 2001

I'm always hopelessly optimistic and then I usually end up badly disappointed ! Still I reckon we can get a result on Sunday, Liverpool haven't played consistantly in the league so far...........I'm gonna be disappointed again aren't I ?

-- Anonymous, September 27, 2001

Look, we beat Liverpool last season in what has to be our spawniest result in years. It could happen again.

-- Anonymous, September 27, 2001

Or we could get thrashed. But then YMO won't be playing, and Gerrard is suspended, so I'd say we've got a good chance. We just have play like we did against MoanU.

-- Anonymous, September 27, 2001

Pete
There's a lot in what you're saying about us maybe being blinkered to the weaknesses of other PL teams.

It would explain our what looks like flattering table position, cos on the basis of some of the garbage we've seen even this soon after the start of the season, we could be forgiven in thinking we're potential relegation fodder.

This miserable outlook is based on some of the stuff I keep seeing that's less than encouraging, even when we win.

If that's going to be par for the rest of the season, I can see quite a few nervous wrecks come May.

-- Anonymous, September 27, 2001

MAY? look around you now Pit Bill!

-- Anonymous, September 27, 2001

Correct Gus, I just didn't want to cast nasturtiums on anybody's ability to cope with soul destroying stress, I mean, we have only played half a dozen games, we should be made of sterner stuff. :-)

-- Anonymous, September 27, 2001

Exactly why I'm not getting suicidal about our season this early. I'll wait until after Christmas to worry about relegation. Unless we start our annual losing streak sooner. ;-)

-- Anonymous, September 27, 2001

Losing against Wham away was a bad result. A perforamance that surely puts us on a level with the relegation candidates. None of the top sides challenging for Europe would have dropped points like that so early on in the season.

Apart from Arsenal of course, who've already lost at home and could only scrape a draw at home against newly promoted Bolton.
And Liverpool who were beaten at home by Villa and away by Bolton and scraped a win with a late goal against a depleted West HAm, and struggled against Spurs.
And Chelsea I suppose, who can't win at home and have dropped points against average teams like Middlesborough and Newcastle as well as Arsenal, already.
And ManU to an extent, who struggle to get points away from home, managing just two draws at Blackburn and Villa (as opposed to our 4 points away from home so far, in same no. of games played)
Leeds are doing well though, albeit not in Europe. But they haven't played ManU, Chelsea, Liverpool, Villa or Newcastle yet
Villa, are they a top side to be feared? Of all the above they've easily got the best record considering the teams played.

I wonder if the InterToto has got anything to do with it?

-- Anonymous, September 27, 2001

Just a thought, but if you divide the Premiership into likely top, middle, and bottom thirds, after six games we've actually played home and away against a team from each third. So our results so far might be representative of our overall ability.

Top third: Man U, Chelsea Middle third: Mackems, West Ham Bottom third: Leicester, Boro

So if we continue to play like this for the rest of the season, we'll have 66 points with two games left to play. Last season the 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th teams ended up with 69, 68, 66, and 61 points respectively.

-- Anonymous, September 27, 2001

What's with all the doom and gloom. We're doing ok, if not better. When Man U get a 1-0 victory every says how well they do to win 1-0 playing badly. Well we won, and, from what little I've seen and read, fairly convincingly.

When I was a lad I used to occasionaly go and watch Hartlepools United with my Grandfather. he used to sit with the same group of old men every week and no matter what the result or how badly or how well they palyed they used to moan. Mind, they often had a lot to moan about. I heard the best bit of football criticism there wne one of the guys shouted 'Why eye. I off haeme, Basil Brush is on telly'. This board is in danger of becopming that group of old men. What's happened to TIWY that everyone was talking about in the summer. We're 5th. We've only lost one match this season. We're playing some good, attractive football. We've got some class players. Be happy!

-- Anonymous, September 27, 2001

What happened to TIWY?

Dunno Nick. What did we do in that year?? ;-)

Anyway, there's nowt wrong with being a Grumpy Old Man. They even made a film about it. (BTW there's no truth in the rumour that Jonno, Clarky and me are being lined up to appear in the sequel).

-- Anonymous, September 27, 2001

we've come a long way. It may be premature to believe such things, but compare us now to last season. While the results may say similar things we are a far superior side this season. Our experience and depth is that much better. Players who should NOT have been forced into the side last season, but due to lack of depth were thrown in, have gained invaluable experience from the extended time in the first team. Thus we MUST expect more from all the lads, and then it really will be TIWY!

-- Anonymous, September 27, 2001

Boy, were Gregory's Girls abysmal last night. Absolutely gutless and inept...again showing that all sides that are pretenders for the top third of the Premiership are equally capable of performing like..oh I don't know..like Newcastle all to often in the last few seasons.

-- Anonymous, September 28, 2001

Ahhh...so NUFC's cunning plan is working! Instead of splashing tons of money (which we don't have) trying to buy star names, we've somehow contrived to get the rest of the PL to follow our example and start playing like us. ;-))

-- Anonymous, September 28, 2001

...... careful ciara - you'll be getting lumped in with the 'Old Farts Brigade' if you're not careful, and eternally optimistic! ;o{)

-- Anonymous, September 28, 2001

Well considering we lose every time I'm absolutely convinced we'll win, I'm happy to join the Old Farts Brigade. :-)

-- Anonymous, September 28, 2001

Robbie Fowler is due some goals - if there's a sniff that GH will play him I'm putting £5 on him scoring. That should make us safe.

-- Anonymous, September 28, 2001