never thought i'd be saying this but.....

1) pressure - avoid at all costs. uncle bob is doing the right thing in playing down our chances, best scenario is to stay within a couple of points of manu and arsenal and pip them at the post. the '96 team were champions elect at xmas and bottled it. similarly liverpool were earmarked in november and they've hardly won a game since.

2) injuries - avoid at all costs. So far we've been lucky this season especially compared to last. we don't have a big squad and can't cope with more than a couple of first choice players missing at a time.

3) playing to potential - keep it up. the title won't be decided against liverpool or arsenal, rather we have to fight to get wins against derby, ipswich, blackburn etc. so far the team seem to play well against so called inferior opposition, this will get harder as the relegation battles warm up.

4) europe - glad we opted out. - hopefully the CL will bring bad luck fatigue injuries and cancelled flights to the "big 3".

i think everything has to go our way to win it but we're better now than in the first half of the season, and we had 39 points from 19 games so you never know.

is 40-1 still available?

-- Anonymous, January 14, 2002

Answers

Aye gb, the thing is we could indeed do it. Scary eh, or what?

-- Anonymous, January 14, 2002

I think it will go to one of Man Utd or Arsenal, but we should be looking to push for top 3. Liverpool and Leeds are not worthy Championship winners.

-- Anonymous, January 14, 2002

Down to 12-1 in tonight's Chronic.

-- Anonymous, January 14, 2002

it won't get really scary until we get to the point where we "should" win it.

-- Anonymous, January 14, 2002

To be fair, we've won the vast majority of games that we should win.

Apart from maybe West Ham who at the time were playing some awful stuff, we've done a hell of a lot better than anyone expected.

Bobby did say at the start of last season that we were two years away from catching Man Utd up. While I didn't agree at the time, we aren't that far away.

-- Anonymous, January 14, 2002

I am sure that our best bet is, from hereon in, to try to win each game as it comes and let the position take care of itself. It's years since we've been safe in January: if we relax, enjoy our football and try our best, everything else will follow.

-- Anonymous, January 14, 2002

John Barnes thinks we'll come in the top 5 and McCoist think we'll come in the top 8...

-- Anonymous, January 14, 2002