We are only 3 points above Chelsea. But at the same time we are only 3 points behind (Title challenging Liverpool)if we win our game in hand. So if we are confident enough to say that we will win our game in hand, then if L'pool slip up next league game and we win we are effectively level with a team that is being tipped as having a great chance of winning the title.

-- Anonymous, March 16, 2002

Answers

i'd love to be that optimistic mate, but i don't think we have the defenders to do it - and now without the WonderBellamy (tm) we look worse in attack. 6th.

-- Anonymous, March 16, 2002

We might not play another game without him if he's back next week. Come on, we are not incapible of winning 5 league matches in a row. Especially with Dyer and Bellamy coming back. If we did we'd probably be about 2 off top with a game in hand. Yes it's an IF. But to say our chances are over is to say that you don't believe we can win something like 5 on a row. I think it's unlikely but not impossible. It will have a lot to do with Bellamy.

-- Anonymous, March 16, 2002

i'm really pessimistic. i blmae the intertoto, we're tired :-)

-- Anonymous, March 16, 2002

Sorry Jim, but why the feck should I try to cheer myself up when it's that lot on the pitch who should set the tone ?

It's turned out that they've lived down to my expectations after losing to Arse and L'pool, because they didn't stuff Ipswich. That's the history of NUFC, and it wouldn't surprise me in the least that the season is now tits up, because over the years, that's what I've been conditioned by experience to expect.

I'd still love to be proved wrong, but if we can't beat the likes of Ipswich at home with just one main player missing, who can we beat ?

Ifs and buts are no consolation.

-- Anonymous, March 17, 2002

Like I said it depends on how we look at this..

Most people are feeling like you Bill. Most people are thinking, "We're only 3 points ahead of Chelsea."

But lets not forget that we are only 6 points behind title contending Liverpool and we have a game in hand over them.

We would have taken 8th at the start of the season.

-- Anonymous, March 17, 2002

I went through the 'our season is over we're shite and we know we are' fury after the Leicester match. Honestly, that's when what little bubble I had about our season burst. I've allowed myself some thought of winning trophies, but never allowed myself to believe in it. Just the way I tend to be about most things, I guess. So I'm disappointed about yesterday, but from reading some of the posts today it sounds like we still have more reason to be hopeful than the last couple of seasons at this stage. That's the difference.

Mind, if we lose every match until the end of the season, I may need to be restrained from the overwhelming urge to personally kick the behind of each one of our players....repeatedly. ;-)

-- Anonymous, March 17, 2002

What a difference a year makes......

;-)

-- Anonymous, March 17, 2002

The thing is, expectations change over the season.

Of course at the start of the season we would have taken 6th, but we shouldn't really now.

If a marathon runner was expecting a lowly finish, but with 2 miles left found himself in the top 4 places, he / she wouldn't stop there and give up, settling for a lower place, he'd run his / her heart out to try to stay in the top 4.

Forget about pre season expectations, it's expectations now that matter.

-- Anonymous, March 17, 2002