Why the binners should be worried

[DumbleDelia is Magic 0]

I''ve been looking at the table since our win at Coventry and if I were an Ipswich fan (God forbid!) I would be starting to get a little worried. If you look at the top 6/8 there are a lot of good sides up there. I personally don''t think we will be caught. We are playing well and, without tempting fate, I think we will win it. I also think West Brom have the experience and strengh in depth to go up in second spot. So that takes out the top two.

In the play-off spots I think that Wigan, West Ham and Crystal Palace are definites. Wigan and West Ham have the quality and cash invested in their squads to keep pushing. Iain Dowie has reinstalled unbelievable confidence in the Palace squad. With the roll they are on and if Johnson keeps finding the back of the net they will make the play-offs. So that leaves just one more place. Realistically the other clubs who will be looking to the play offs are Sheff Utd, Sunderland, Ipswich, Preston and Reading. One place for five clubs. That is going to be tough. Also, Sheff utd, West Ham, Sunderland and Preston all have games in hand on the Binners. Couple this with their leaky defence and they are gonna have to play pretty damn well between now and the end of the season just to make top 6. My heart bleeds!

[First Wizard 0]

DD I must chastise you!. You said that ''I'' word in full, go hang your head in eternal shame in a bucket of cold water.

Being serious though, a damn good post as always, and I must agree with everything you say.

[DumbleDelia is Magic 0]

I do apologise must profusely Wiz! I never like to use the "I" word. From now on it will always be I*****h, the binners, the 2nd team in Anglia or TWO-NIL HA HA HA!!

[Vlad 0]

Hmmmm, hate to puncture the current wave of optimism and hope, but it isn''t just the scummers who should be worried. There is no room for complacency when you consider a run-in that matches us up with every promotion contender except Sheff Utd. [In fact, every one in the top ten except for Sheff U.]

Of course, all of them except Sunderland, Palace & Reading have to come to Carrow Rd. Maintaining our great home form would see us win the division at a canter. Chuck in a few draws and a defeat to - say WBA - and it will be tight right to the end.

On the plus side - it is in our hands and wins against these opponents would be "doubly good" - their "one extra game played, no points scored" compounded by our gain of three.

Another plus side - if those scummers average 2pts per game for the rest of the season they''ll finish on 80pts. If we average 1pt per game we''ll finish on 77pts. Can anyone see them outscoring us 2pts-1 over 15 games. Nope, didn''t think so.

Its hotting up nicely.

OTBC

[a1canary 0]

I''m suprised at you Wiz for not chastising Dumble also on the overt confidence in us winning the league! So I''ll do it! Please stop tempting fate DD! Football has a horrible habit of dumping you just when you''re flying. It happens again and again.
The next month will pretty much tell us if it can really happen cos i still can''t quite believe it, sorry! West Ham, Sunderland, West Brom. If we get 5 points out of those games we will have done well and yet could find our lead down to a point. If we lose by the odd margin or have a couple of unlucky games or off games the wheels could come off before you can say Wolverhampton Wanderers. They looked red hot this time two years ago. They had probably the only young English keeper to rival Greeno in Matt Murray, a strong defence and Sturridge, Blake, Kennedy, Cameron, Rae and co all on fire. And they had a bigger lead than we have now. And remember, if we fall to third, that''s pretty much it. Looking at the strength of the teams congregating in the play off places, i really doubt we''d make it having lost momentum ourselves if we were in third. So it has to be an automatic spot...