Results watching . . . . . . .

[WesHoolahansDefendant 0]

For all those instantly writing us off tomorrow, if you knew anything about football (as wins against Arsenal and United) show, many wins comes unexpected and you can win any game if you turn up, or often without.

Now pipe down and enjoy the sport and team you claim to support. Supporting a team, is getting behind them and inspiring a result. Or are you all followers?

[Blurboy1980 36]

So to me this is the deal...we are 9 points clear of 18th...that is 3 games and with 8 games remaining for most teams that gives them 5 games where they pretty much always have to win and we always have to lose. If we get a point tomorrow that is an extra game which means they have to do it in 4 games remaining.So pretty much we always have to lose and they always have to win..We are not a easy team to beat.

I don''t like the way this team is going but I know it''s all about survival this year and this management needs to promise better football for next year.

Btw I do think Holt will have a great game tomorrow to make up for last week...unless he is played as a lone striker ughhh.

[GJL Mid-Norfolk Canary 1,749]

I''m not confident about us tomorrow, so we will be looking for a favour from Newcastle  at Wigan tomorrow, which given their Europan exersions on Thursday, I''m equally not confident.  Our game at Wigan in a fortnight is going to be huge.

[chicken 0]

Last comment aimed at grefstad.

Can people please quit this ''labeling'' rubbish. I would not do it to a fellow fan the way some people on here are, it''s pretty disgusting to be honest.

Some food for thought:

Sunderland fixtures: Norwich(H), Man Utd(H), Chelsea(A), Newcastle(A), Everton(H), Aston Villa(A), Stoke(H), Southampton(H), Spurs(A).

Villa: Liverpool(H), Stoke(A), Fulham(H), Man Utd(A), Sunderland(H), Norwich(A), Chelsea(H), Wigan(A).

QPR: Fulham(A), Wigan(H), Everton(A), Stoke(H), Reading(A), Arsenal(H), Newcastle(H), Liverpool(A).

Reading: Man Utd(A - today), Arsenal(A), Southampton(H), Liverpool(H), Norwich(A), QPR(H), Fulham(A), Man City(H), West Ham(A).

Wigan: Newcastle(H), Norwich(H), QPR(A), Man City(A), West Ham(A), Spurs(H), West Brom(A), Swansea(H), Arsenal(A), Villa(H).

Norwich: Sunderland(A), Wigan(A), Swansea(H), Arsenal(A), Reading(H), Stoke(A), Villa(H), West Brom(H), Man City(A).

At this point in the season I think it is fair to say most teams down their would normally be looking to home fixtures for security. Looking at those fixtures, on paper I think it is fair to say we have the easier home fixtures remaining, The highest currently placed team we are yet to play at home is West Brom.

I''m not saying that games against them and Swansea are easy, more that we are more likely to get something out of them than say Man Utd, Chelsea, Arsenal, Man City or even the likes of Everton, Spurs or Liverpool.

Most of the teams down there have two of those teams yet to play at home. How many will get the results we did Vs Arsenal and Man Utd?

I also don''t think it will go to the wire. I think the next three sets of fixtures (after this weekend) could really impact on the outcome of the season in terms of relegation.

QPR: Fulham, Wigan, Everton.

Villa: Liverpool, Stoke, Fulham.

Reading:Arsenal, Southampton, Liverpool.

Wigan: Norwich, QPR, Man City.

Sunderland: Man U, Chelsea, Newcastle

If QPR fail to get three points out of those three games they won''t catch us. It will leave them with 5 games in which to get 10points just to get what we have now.

I''d be surprised if reading get anything more than a point out of their next three fixtures and again, five games to get 9 points to get what we have now. I''d take a 100 rolled up newspaper slams on my butt if they manage to stay up.

Wigan have a decent chance of picking up at least three points you''d have to say - whether they can do it though is something else.

And even if they did, it would be dragging the likes of Villa and Sunderland into it first rather than us.

Infact if you look at how many times West Ham and Fulham have got games against the bottom five, you could see them getting dragged into it even more if they loose to them. They are on the same points total as us at the moment.

[grefstad 0]

Good post, chicken.

But Wigan got a game in hand, vs Newcastle, and it is not very unlikely that they can beat Newcastle, beat Norwich and beat QPR, while losing at Man C.

Thats 9 points, and equal to our tally, if we fail to get something at Sunderland and lose to Swansea at home.

Not that likely maybe, but certainly ont unlikely either, given Wigans upswing in form of late, and our demise.

Lets hope Wigans FA cup excertions will tire them a bit though.

[gorlestongirl 0]

Wigan hasn''t had an upswing in form in the League. According to the Run-in on Football365, they are due to get 32 pts on season form and 31 pts on recent form. True, they have a history of getting out of the mire, but their luck will run out some time.

[GJL Mid-Norfolk Canary 1,749]

[quote user="gorlestongirl"]Wigan hasn''t had an upswing in form in the League. According to the Run-in on Football365, they are due to get 32 pts on season form and 31 pts on recent form. True, they have a history of getting out of the mire, but their luck will run out some time.[/quote]

I''m always sceptical about trying to predict a team''s final point total based on their form over the season or from reent matches?,  surely itsmore to do with the standard on team theyverecently played compared to the fixtures they have coming up?

besides which ''form'' can go out of the window toward the end of the season as bottom clubs come up against more and more clubs who have nothing to play for when they may have had a month earlier.

[chicken 0]

[quote user="grefstad"]Good post, chicken.

But Wigan got a game in hand, vs Newcastle, and it is not very unlikely that they can beat Newcastle, beat Norwich and beat QPR, while losing at Man C.

Thats 9 points, and equal to our tally, if we fail to get something at Sunderland and lose to Swansea at home.

Not that likely maybe, but certainly ont unlikely either, given Wigans upswing in form of late, and our demise.

Lets hope Wigans FA cup excertions will tire them a bit though.[/quote]

Ok, well this actually goes with my thoughts that in three games time Reading and QPR will be pretty much gonners. Wigan are the only ones out of that three that I feel have a chance to claw their way out.

The thing is you then have 10th-17th all within four points of each other.

It is fair to say that we might get dragged in, but there are three other teams more likely to get dragged in, and should it get as far as us you essentially have half the league in a battle not to fill that last relegation spot.

As for our bad run of form, we don''t have one, we may have an indifferent run of form but that isn''t bad.

One thing my grandfather used to say, God bless his soul, is that if your playing badly, just make sure you don''t get beaten. We''re not playing especially badly, not especially well either but we are defending solidly. If we can keep up the rearguard action then we should be fine.

None of the other teams down there have a decent defense, they have decent attackers but that is a risky game to play.

[chicken 0]

I tell you what, I would like any of you that think we are nailed on for relegation to tell me if we are so poor how on earth did ten of our men look better than 11 of theirs today?

Adam Johnson, Larson, Seseseseonion, Fletcher, Graham - what exactly did they do against us - nothing.

And I''ll say with conviction that if it hadn''t of been for two of the worse decisions I think I have ever seen from officials in a game I think we would have been looking at a decent score line, 2 or even 3 goals to the better and with a victory. As it was we still carved the better chances with ten men.

We continue to play like that and we have nothing to worry about.

Back to todays other fixtures.

Ideal results:

Chelsea win Vs West Ham.

Spurs win Vs Fulham.

Newcastle win or draw Vs Wigan.

Currently:

Chelsea 2-0 West Ham

Spurs 0-1 Fulham

Wigan 1-0 Newcastle

Come on the toon. Come on the Spurs.

[chicken 0]

The toon equalise.

Fulham win, but it''s not that vital, would have been nice to see them stay bellow us.

[yoda 0]

If I was a Sunderland fan i''d be a bit worried looking at their remaining fixtures

[RvWs 4 year contract 0]

Hope Wigan dont win.Would be a mini disaster, especially if you bear in mind they''ve got us at home next and then a game hand!

*Although my sources tell me their game in hand is V Man City so might be ok...*

[chicken 0]

You had to go and jinx it didn''t you?

Wigan 2 - 1 Newcastle

[ricardo 7,395]

[quote user="chicken"]You had to go and jinx it didn''t you?

Wigan 2 - 1 Newcastle[/quote]Clear handball again, the ref''s are having a huge say in relegation, it''s a disgrace.

[unique 435]

Another handball missed by the officials - funny how Norwich got pulled up twice on two extremely dubious calls.......

[whoareyou? 0]

Another cheating ref biased to the home team.Figueroa should have been sent off not celebrating the winner.Disgraceful.

[Mister Chops 7]

Wigan should have had ten men for 60-odd minutes.  Not even a yellow card, I hear - dreadful!

[RvWs 4 year contract 0]

Wigan is now must not lose.

Come on you yellows!

[The saint 3]

Remember, that if it was not for the unlikely wins over Arsenal and Man U in that 10 match unbeaten run, we would be on 27 points now, and deep in the mire.

Hate messages like this!

Fact is we desrved to win both those games so why dwell on them just because they are games "we re not expected to win"

Doesnt matter where you get your points from!

[Stig 0]

I really can''t fathom why people are afraid of Wigan? Sure they can pull some results out of the bag, but the fact of the matter is they aren''t going to catch up with us - even IF we lose against them. It''s that simple...

[Dicky 0]

[quote user="grefstad"]If only the players could have a bit of belief in themselves, but I´m more and more afraid that Hughtons callculation gameplan for survivial is stuck in the players heads too, and as such, they become a bit stale, and afraid of losing.

1 point here and there is just not enough for us in this situation.

Reminds me very much about 94-95.

Remember, that if it was not for the unlikely wins over Arsenal and Man U in that 10 match unbeaten run, we would be on 27 points now, and deep in the mire.[/quote]

Nice bit of selectivity there..... Still, why not knock the team at every opportunity eh?

[RvWs 4 year contract 0]

[quote user="Stig"]I really can''t fathom why people are afraid of Wigan? Sure they can pull some results out of the bag, but the fact of the matter is they aren''t going to catch up with us - even IF we lose against them. It''s that simple...[/quote]A Wigan win would help Operation relegation Vile..

I wouldnt be adverse to losing at Wigan if it contributes...

[chicken 0]

Apart from anything else results can''t be changed. We only need to look ahead not behind.

As I have said before we have drawn or lost games we should have won and won/drawn games we should have lost as well as the more straightforward results.

At the end of the day we are back to a seven point gap which is still better than a six or less point gap those bellow us have.

As said we have many must not loose games whilst the current bottom three must win.

Today''s injustice should be enough to fire the lads up for the next game. If we can play the way we did today we''ll do fine.

[chicken 0]

So, today at the start of play you would want (excluding our result):

Man Utd to win Vs Sunderland.

Arsenal to win Vs Reading.

Man City to win Vs Newcastle.

Chelsea to win Vs Southampton.

Spurs to win Vs Swansea.

West Brom to win Vs West Ham.

Everton to win Vs Stoke.

Man Utd have already won.

Arsenal and Spurs are winning.

[chicken 0]

Man Utd won Vs Sunderland. FT.

Arsenal 1 - 0 Reading.

Man City 0-0 Newcastle.

Chelsea to win Vs Southampton. Southampton 1 up.

Spurs to win Vs Swansea. Spurs 2-0 up.

West Brom to win Vs West Ham. West Ham 2-0 up.

Everton to win Vs Stoke. Late kick off.

[grefstad 0]

[quote user="grefstad"]Good post, chicken.

But Wigan got a game in hand, vs Newcastle, and it is not very unlikely that they can beat Newcastle, beat Norwich and beat QPR, while losing at Man C.

Thats 9 points, and equal to our tally, if we fail to get something at Sunderland and lose to Swansea at home.

Not that likely maybe, but certainly ont unlikely either, given Wigans upswing in form of late, and our demise.

Lets hope Wigans FA cup excertions will tire them a bit though.[/quote]

Seems I was pretty correct in my assertions on March 16th.

Although we got something at Sunderland, we lost at Wigan, and Wigan have picked up late wins to put pressure on all teams down there.

Now, we must win vs Swansea and Reading, and even 2 wins there might not be enough, depending on how Villa and Wigan fare.

I dont believe 38p is enough this year, and it may well go down to goal difference.

Villa on current form will beat us at Carrow Road in May, nd with the present poor form of the team, I think we will struggle even to beat Reading at home, let alone Swansea.

Hughton has really installed fear into us with his calculating game.

It is not paying off, and I suspect he was gambling on the other teams failing, but when they win, his "dont lose" plan falls to pieces.

This has a distinct smell of 1994-1995 about it, and I certainly fear the worst.

Ive been a Norwich supporter since 1986, and know all too well that this club does not have what it takes to handle pressure like this.

I just hope I´m wrong, so you can all laught at me afterwards, but so far I feel I am pretty bang on with my fears.

[Lavanche 0]

Heh I''m quite sure grefstad that you are hoping you are right.

Same goes for everyone who post only after poor results ^^ I dont even want to waste my time for people who have their own agendas in this forum instead of supporting the team whose support forums this should be.

With our current form we could beat ANYONE. Why?

50% of scoring is based for luck. One ball that bounces in our favour to opponents goal and Hughton can keep 0 for the rest of the game ^^ I would be more worried about winning games if we would concede in every game.

Our current form reminds me Mourinho''s Chelsea who didnt really defend so deep, but they took their time to attack without losing their formation. We just lack their quality of squad.

[Citizen Journalist Foghorn 0]

How much did QPR pay for Samba... was it £12.5 million and £100,000 a week....

Lunacy!

[chicken 0]

Well I missed doing todays but lets look at tomorrow''s:

Liverpool Vs West Ham: No real gain for us here at the the moment especially considering we cannot rely on the Scousers doing us any favours. In an ideal world West Ham lose. Would leave them a place and a point above us with a game in hand.

Spurs Vs Everton: No real bearing on our season now.

Chealse Vs Sunderland: Ideally we want Chelsea to give Sunderland a good stuffing.

Newcastle Vs Fulham: I''d say a Fulham win. They are four points ahead of us with two games in hand. They are picking up good form and really, keeping the Toon bellow us will only help. It would also help set up the Toon Vs Sunderland game nicely.

QPR Vs Wigan: Probably the most crucial game tomorrow. QPR to win this one. If they don''t I think they can get the 8 points they need in the last 6 games. This is one of their remaining ''winnable'' games. Would help us keep Wigan at bay. A tough one to call though.

Monday - Man Utd Vs Man City. Again nothing to do with us but if Man Utd win they''ll pretty much take the trophy. That would put them 18 points ahead with 7 games remaining. In other words 18 points with 21 left to play for after that requiring Man Utd to loose every game left to play. Man City win and they move up to 12 points behind. Which is a bit more achievable but still a tough mountain to climb.