5th is not an option. We have not spent £106 million on new players this summer to finish 5th.
AVB will get the sack and rightly so if we don't get at least 3rd and IMO he gets the bullet if there is any danger of us not getting top 4 with a few games to go.
We will get 3rd minimum.
If we finish 5th in a similar fashion to last season then imo, no way is Villas-Boas getting sacked. Quite obviously if we are 5th by a long margin and well out of the running for a CL place finish then he will be under pressure but this is a long term project. I don't see Levy sacking him unless we have a very average season given the expenditure. To say that if we don't get at least 3rd, AVB will rightly get the sack says to me that you live in cloud cuckoo land.
You really believe that over the course of a 38 game season we have the right to say we should displace both Man Utd and Arsenal whilst holding off Liverpool's challenge to regain CL qualification? We haven't finished 3rd since 1990 and haven't finished above Arsenal since 1995 or Manchester United since 1990 so to think that both should come true in one season is a joke.
You expect Man Utd to suddenly drop 3-4 places because they have changed manager? I agree they will have a season of transition but it is fanciful in the extreme to think they will drop to 4th/5th in the league and we will suddenly gel overnight and become solid challengers to both City and Chelsea, who are widely regarded as the two favourites for the title.
I agree that we should, taking into account what we have done with the squad, look to finish 4th but it is all on paper and in isolation. You can't just look at the finish and completely rule out other factors. Realistically we are talking about 1 space being available, possibly 2 if one of the other three teams have a wobble like Chelsea did last season and 3-4 teams will be going for those 1-2 spots and I am sorry but at least two of those teams have greater experience and know how in getting the job done at this moment in time.
We have a young ssquad now with a number of new additions and those players will need time to adapt to the team, the league and this country. If we keep everybody together and don't lose players then over the next couple of seasons we can be a real force but putting pressure on them and the management by suggesting that 3rd is a minimum target for this season is unreasonable and unrealistic in my own opinion.
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If we finish 5th AVB is out of the door. But he will not be sacked because we will finish 3rd minimum.
We are in top 3 form and have been for some time. If we keep that form or improve it then if the other teams do not improve we go above them.
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If we finish 5th AVB is out of the door. But he will not be sacked because we will finish 3rd minimum.
We are in top 3 form and have been for some time. If we keep that form or improve it then if the other teams do not improve we go above them.
I think some of you have way too much confidence/faith in our board. They have sacked managers after good seasons or even during the season after great results or early in the season.
I would be delighted with top 4 provided we aren't shafted by another lucky English team that finished below but wins the CL. I guess people are writing United off because of Moyes which I can understand, but I really don't see how we're going to finish above scum.
Look at what you are saying and see how many "ifs" are in the sentence. That should tell you all you need to know when looking at the scenario of finishing 5th in isolation.
We were in Top 3 form with a World Class Gareth Bale performing at the top of his game. We do not have that anymore. We have a stronger collective but a collective that in the main have hardly got any experience playing with eachother.
I would be willing to bet you now that AVB would still be here if we finish 5th unless it was by a wide margin, never anywhere near to 4th and we completely underperformed in the cups as well.
Disagree with both those statements.
And I'm not Statto, but I doubt the second one is factually true.
I think some of you have way too much confidence/faith in our board. They have sacked managers after good seasons or even during the season after great results or early in the season.
I would be delighted with top 4 provided we aren't shafted by another lucky English team that finished below but wins the CL. I guess people are writing United off because of Moyes which I can understand, but I really don't see how we're going to finish above scum.
There are 2 ifs. One if is we finish 5th. The other if is we finish higher. They are both possibilities.
Bookies would be pleased to take your bet. Without Bale we have 6 points from 9. After a few more games we will see who is right.
I think some of you have way too much confidence/faith in our board. They have sacked managers after good seasons or even during the season after great results or early in the season.
I would be delighted with top 4 provided we aren't shafted by another lucky English team that finished below but wins the CL. I guess people are writing United off because of Moyes which I can understand, but I really don't see how we're going to finish above scum.
No we can see if one of us is right if we finish 5th and in the manner in which we do so should it happen. Im not saying we won't finish 3rd or 4th, i'm just disagreeing with your cavalier attitude that AVB should be sacked if we finish 5th because you are taking the position in isolation when a number of factors could have influenced that finish.
Without wanting to be pedantic, 3 If's. If we finish 5th, If we keep our top 3 form and if other teams don't improve. 3 Big variables there which make If an extremely large word over the course of a month never mind a season.
They are not big variables. There never has been a season when all top 5 teams improved IFIRC.
I just checked and 68-77 points got 3rd spot in 15 out of the 18 seasons since the EPL went to 38 games. When making predictions it is impossible to do so without using that biggest of all words.
The only prediction I can make with assurity is not all my predictions will come true.
We've taken 45 points from the last 22 games. That form would give us 77-78 points over a season which would surely be good enough for at least 4th. I don't think we'll keep that form up though.