Is Top 4 Gone Now And What Would Be The Ramifications?

[TottsAmazeballs]

Surely someone can rewrite some lyrics to Wonderwall... Wouldn't that be beautiful?

Fair play, always gonna be a day
They were gonna throw it back to you.
Bye now, you should've somehow
realised what you're not to do

We don't believe the governing bodies
Like the way you deal with that cash cow.

Don't bleat, the word is on the street
that the pile at your heart is out.
We're sure you heard it all before
So we never really had a doubt

We don't believe the governing bodies
Like the way you deal with that cash cow.

And all the deals your daddy did are binding
And all the dodgy cheques you wrote we're finding
There are many things that we would like to say to you
So let's start now...

'Cause Baby
You're gonna be the ones that save me
'Cause after all
It's not football

 

[BangkokSpud]

Question is whether all the EPL clubs would support that - I could imagine Chelsea would, but what about other clubs which are not financially doped - whether Norwich, Burnley, Southampton and even Spurs all of whom abide in general by FFP rules, yet PL money is split on the basis of league position, so ManCity has 'unfairly' been awarded hundreds of millions of pounds of prize money, a proportion of which should have gone to all other clubs.

And all clubs need more money which Mancity has broken the rules (which everybody else abides by) to get.

Points deduction and relegation to a lower division might be a more fitting punishment to many PL clubs ? Make it a big punishment for 2.7 billion pounds worth of doping.

Start the conversation at next EPL meeting by discussing the Leeds City precedent in 1919 (financial irregularities plus failure to cooperate with investigation = expulsion from Football League) and work from there.

Fair point, and add a retroactive demotion for Woolwich for bribing their way into the league as well ... sure it was 80 years ago but cheating is cheating.

 

[bonaspur23]

Say there is team a with 15 points and team b with 11. If A win, there will be a 7 point lead. If B wins there would be a 1 point lead. 7-1 = 6. Potential six point difference based on the result of the game.

this is actually what a 6 pointer is. Don’t know what kind of math some of you are doing.

 

[Herclueless]

we've had so many chances this season and fluffed the lot. Other teams have bent over backwards to help us . We haven't taken advantage of all those lost chances COYS

Last seasons clusterfuck of a Top 4 race has just carried on into this one, us, Chelsea, Utd and Woolwich all look like we don't want it.

Any one of us just needs a good run of form for 5 or 6 games and it'd pretty much secure it. But none look capable, even more annoying I don't look at ANY game for us with a great deal of confidence right now.

 

[SPursgirl]

Yeah it’s definitely gone now. I did a predictor, was pretty generous with our results and had us finishing 6th. Could of easily been 8th.

No if we beat Utd we right back in it. If we lose then yes it's over

 

[scott]

If 65% fuckwits think we can recover top 4 then holy bullwhip this site is one buttcretin jackass alpha central , dudes.

A lot will be the same ones who thought we have a really good team & squad & we just needed to sack poch. Now with mourinho we will be a top team. Probably don't want to admit the owners & levy haven't given us a good enough team & squad to win things. So just keep blaming the manager.
For the record I don't like the manager we have & he is a bad fit. But put klopp in charge & we still wouldn't become title winners. Only so much a manager can do.

 

[Spursidol]

Table tonight (Mancity played 29 games, others played 30 games),

Liverpool 83
ManCity 60
Leicester 54
Chelsea 51
---------------------Top 4
ManU 46
Wolves 46
Sheff U 44
Spurs 42

I'd suggest top 4 are probably already set in stone, small chance of any upset, we just lost too much ground even when Poch .was manager and injuries after that didnt help

Aim now is Europa League for a season
- Another way into CL
- Extra £30m - £40m possible which we cant easily turn down
- Opportunity to play some youngsters in group games
- With the size of squad we have, need extra games to give all players decent playing time.
- Decent trophy to aim for
- Potential for some fun away days for supporters - and other big teams will be in EL too.

 

[Gatsby]

I wouldn't.

To make it worthwhile you need to win the whole thing. The prize money is buttons but you get to be in CL. Everything else is just rubbish - boring oppo from Eastern Europe or even further into the Stans. Urgh.

If you don't win it, it'll stop you getting Top 4. The AVB season was a classic example. Got injuries to Bale, Lennon and Moose - and missed out by one point? Poch sabotaged our 2016 season title attempt ditto. Dropped 7 pts in first 3 Sunday matches and could never get a lead over Leics after that.

Maureen will want to win it, so forget about rotation. Harry had the right idea - it's for players coming back from injury and testing out the likes of Eyoma, Skipp, BLF et al.

Even with the kids playing I'd still go and see. Fab stadium and a tenner a ticket, what's not to like. But Kane will be played and he'll get injured.

No thanks

We aren't winning the league, so rule that out.

Europa League is the next best prize after UCL and the league. Kane might not play in the group stage, probably will in the knockout stages.

Players want to play in Europe. Mourinho is capable of winning us the Europa and a domestic trophy.

 

[MemphisWill]

Would having a season in the Europa league be a bad thing......providing we take it seriously. lets not kid ourselves we got to the final of the champions league by good luck & ignorance we are in that tournament to make up the numbers and make cash simple as! Doing well in the Europa League is better than playing out the second half of the season with nothing to play for.

I think the CL is gone, I accepted that when the penalty went in on Friday.

And, honestly, not bothered. I want us to give the Europa a go and have for a decade. We can win the fucking thing and maybe a domestic cup at the same time and at least clear out some of the negativity that's clouded over this club for ages. Then maybe we can move forward.

 

[Juno]

We’ve restarted pretty well results wise. 1 game extra played but a point behind the desired position/ places really keeps us with a lot to play for. One dodgy result for those ahead of us and it’s blown wide open.

We've picked up the same number of points as Man U since the restart and 2 points less than the Chavs and Wolves. The Man U game was the proverbial 6 pointer, we just had to win it, with the ground we had to make up. The customary dodgy penalty that they got killed off whatever chance we had.

 

[El flaco]

It’s probably gone now. I think we did the best we could in the bizarre circumstances this year, if that dubious penalty against United doesn’t get given then we are right in the mix. As we are are fixtures are too tough for us to realistically overhaul United. That’s assuming City’s blood money doesn’t get their ban overturned.

It all comes down to that first third of the season under Poch. 14 points from 12 matches is just feeble and made it almost impossible to qualify for the CL, we wasted so many points in easy matches. A season in the Europa might be what we need, with Jose we could actually win it.

It certainly didn't help but we've had our opportunities under Jose. Chelsea results, wolves at home all when we were 5th, horrible performances at Watford and Burnley. It's been a terrible season.

 

[Park Lane Mark Twain]

A team in the top 4 race loses and you think ohhhhh just maybe. Like dangling a carrot.

Just waiting for our inevitable fuck up tomorrow to remove all doubt.

Win tomorrow and we are alive and sniffing knickers pal

 

[sudoku]

IMO our chances of top 4 are gone.

 

[StripiestPilot]

Sooooooo A feeble start.

Last 12 games 15 points and worse GD than under Poch first 12.

And Sheffield United just made us look League 1 level attacking wise.

What’s the verdict. Players shit or Poch and mourinho shit?

Something is clearly shit anyway.

Sheffield made us look League one in Poch’s last game too, our team is just not that good anymore. It doesn’t have the technical quality, aggression or energy in the centre that it used to have. Instead of prime Dembele, Eriksen and Dele we have Sissoko, a newbie Gio and the zombie Dele. It’s not enough to disturb opponents and we don’t have the defensive solidity to grind out games.

Basically everything is wrong and I fear we have bet our future on a player in Ndombele who is not cut out for the serious end of English football. We didn’t spend £65m on Dembele’s replacement thinking he’s only be a reserve player in a game against a promoted side. His non-season is a major reason why we have been unable to improve. The team needs his help.

 

[stevee]

Last season we had a goal allowed average of .74, and this year we're at 1.38.

Can't defend worth shit, can't create chances, we are one of the worst team I've seen this year in the final third, and I don't see any leaders stepping up. We can't outscore our opponents to compensate enough for awful defending lapses.

I really hate being so negative and usually don't get like this, but something broke inside today with that performance. Top 4 is a joke and honestly doubt top 6.

tbf, we were the same under Poch. Loads of possesion, little or no shots on goal.

 

[Don Corleone]

Really frustrating and sad that United have truly passed us with ease now. They are miles better than us and that’s down a lot to the brilliant signing of Fernandes. Proper signing that, unlike our utter flop Ndombele. We are way behind Wolves, Leicester and United now. Very sad to see.

 

[Bazali]

But it's night and day between Emery and Arteta - and they have the same players too.

So who really is at fault here?

Have the players peaked? Have the players just lost any hunger? Is Mourinho phoning it in until the summer where he can get a pre-season and really decide to get his teeth sunk in?

A few of our players are past their best and are unlIkely to improve now

A few more to quote you have lost their hunger

Arteta is doing much better than most people thought he would

Jose is hoping we can still qualify for the Europa and then yes get his teeth stuck into a pre season and a clear out because we badly need one

 

[scott]

Lo celso was an Eriksen replacement, so no most of us wasn’t just happy with him. Hence why Spurs went for Dybala, so there was money in the bank to go for that next level elite player to push us forward, yet Levy failed once again. GLC, whilst a decent signing hasn’t made us any stronger than when Eriksen was here. He’s a replacement, nothing more and nothing less. He hasn’t had the impact Ferndades has had for United for instance. Levy failed to push us further as a club and failed to bring in that elite player.

People can try to defend them all they want whilst still claiming not to be very defensive of them. But the fact is under enic/levy we are a crap mid table team & they have taken us backwards from a few years ago.
It could be many years before we get top 4 again under these lot.
Its they who choose the scouts & recruitment staff. So another cock up.
Enic/levy have no intention of taking us to the next level. You gotta admire the faith of the enic/levy lovers who think they are.
They can actually watch us play football & Think we are on our way to the next level.

 

[harry7]

I've just crunched the numbers.

We're getting 5th boys.

And then City's ban will be overturned.

 

[Leviathan]

This scenario happening would just about be the most undeserved CL qualification in the history of the game.

Would make a great ending for the Amazon doc, though. Plus Mourinho would say it’s his greatest achievement ever.