[Albion] Apparently 8th place "still gets Europe", if...

[pigmanovich]

5th most dropped from winning positions (22 points). Last minute winners probably 10 points gained?

Bit disingenuous to compare points dropped from winning positions overall and points gained *at the death* - this will look a lot more favorable if we compare points dropped from winning positions overall and points gained from losing positions overall.

 

[Justice]

False equivalency.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Football supporters can be thoughtful, but boy do they cling to tropes and make themselves look silly.

The Big 4
The Big 6
Nobody can compete with....
Football has changed and is now dominated by one club.
Football has changed and is now dominated by two clubs.
Football has changed and is now dominated by three clubs.
Football has changed and is now dominated by four club.
None of the other clubs can hope to win anything.
Since Leicester won the League, none of the other clubs can hope to win anything.
Manchester City are in a league of their own.
This season with no club running away with it, the EPL is shit.
Any one of 6 clubs could win the league, the quality is that poor.
The EPL is the best league in the world.
Palace winning the cup shows how far City have fallen.
Since Wigan beat City, the cup has been devalued.
After United ducked out of the FA cup the competition has been devalued.
Nothing can beat the magic of the cup.
And so on.

Football is apparently all about opinions.

 

[Lenny Rider]

Nonsense.

If we want to maintain a big squad and keep hold of some very decent players with enormous potential (rather than loaning them out) who might get restless with so few minutes available in domestic competitions (Yalcouyé, Tzimas, Watson, Gomez, Gruda etc), the Conference League is absolutely perfect for giving them more game time.

Playing teams you've never heard of through the season with really interesting European destinations for fans whilst performing in a competition where we would be one of the favourites to lift our first major trophy would be awesome.

You've not thought this through properly have you!

Looks like we are going to have to agree to differ old boy, but that’s the beauty of the Albion

 

[Bold Seagull]

It’s interesting because I do, not about the model per se, but elements of, in terms of an argument for a combination of not only promising youngsters but a more PL ready player.

At this moment, it is only heightened because of the City result yesterday….

The goalscorer yesterday could have been an ideal signing, I think Andy Naylor in The Athletic had identified him as a good option, obviously we’ll never know if we enquired, but would have improved us.

Anyway, can’t change anything, best to look forward…..

I think it is difficult for a club in the table battling like we've been doing for top 7 in the last 3 seasons to also be battling in the cups. CP have been no where near top half for most of the season, but with relegation months ago, could focus on the cup. Look at their victories; City, Villa, Fulham - all massively invested in the league to fight for Europe.

Palace's good fortune has been as much about having a poor start to the season as it has been about genius recruitment. It has come together for them as it does sometimes when an underdog wins the cup - hence it still has a bit of romance.

Perhaps we just need to be a bit out of the fight for Europe to concentrate on a cup? Although that is as silly a suggestion as many others...

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

I think it is difficult for a club in the table battling like we've been doing for top 7 in the last 3 seasons to also be battling in the cups. CP have been no where near top half for most of the season, but with relegation months ago, could focus on the cup. Look at their victories; City, Villa, Fulham - all massively invested in the league to fight for Europe.

Palace's good fortune has been as much about having a poor start to the season as it has been about genius recruitment. It has come together for them as it does sometimes when an underdog wins the cup - hence it still has a bit of romance.

Perhaps we just need to be a bit out of the fight for Europe to concentrate on a cup? Although that is as silly a suggestion as many others...

All very true, but are we making it unnecessarily harder for ourselves.

 

[peterward]

This thread will die after 4pm today.

Our European dreams formally ended by an unholy trinity of Atwell, Palace and Potter.

 

[tstanbur]

post shite for months

Quick copy and paste and there’s your signature sorted. You’re welcome

 

[oldboyroy]

This thread will die after 4pm today.

Our European dreams formally ended by an unholy trinity of Atwell, Palace and Potter.

Or failing that, we end it ourselves by not finishing 8th anyway. Imagine the scenario where we need a win at spurs (very probable to win) and Atwell is the ref for it and ultimately rules out a goal or nailed on penalty for us which is confirmed on Var..........run by Salisbury

 

[Machiavelli]

I think it is difficult for a club in the table battling like we've been doing for top 7 in the last 3 seasons to also be battling in the cups. CP have been no where near top half for most of the season, but with relegation months ago, could focus on the cup. Look at their victories; City, Villa, Fulham - all massively invested in the league to fight for Europe.

Palace's good fortune has been as much about having a poor start to the season as it has been about genius recruitment. It has come together for them as it does sometimes when an underdog wins the cup - hence it still has a bit of romance.

Perhaps we just need to be a bit out of the fight for Europe to concentrate on a cup? Although that is as silly a suggestion as many others...

That's part of it but they've also escaped the injury toll that has blighted our season. This is in part due to the 'intensity' that FH requires, and the transition to it. I think it's also a feature of the profile of our squad: we have lots of very promising youngsters and those towards the end of their career all of whom are more injury-prone, whereas so many of their starting XI are in the 'peak' moment of their careers roughly in the 24-29 age range.
It's striking that the team that started for them yesterday is probably their first choice XI and I'd be interested to know how many games they've started with those XI (but also with just a few alternatives).

 

[Weststander]

That's part of it but they've also escaped the injury toll that has blighted our season. This is in part due to the 'intensity' that FH requires, and the transition to it. I think it's also a feature of the profile of our squad: we have lots of very promising youngsters and those towards the end of their career all of whom are more injury-prone, whereas so many of their starting XI are in the 'peak' moment of their careers roughly in the 24-29 age range.
It's striking that the team that started for them yesterday is probably their first choice XI and I'd be interested to know how many games they've started with those XI (but also with just a few alternatives).

And their tactics. They spent yesterday and most games sitting deep, just two or three runners in rare moments of transition. They simply don’t put in the km shifts of Albion teams. Similarly Everton, Forest, Villa.

 

[Bozza]

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

Apparently so, the same trophy many on here labelled Micky Mouse yet now we all want a piece of, roll on the end of the season an the unveiling of the inevitable shit 25/26 kit offerings…..

Before XL and XXL sells out in 48 hours and isn’t available again until Feb 2026

 

[SweatyMexican]

It’s actually not that unlikely. Forest have Chelsea at home last game, and if Forest win (and assuming they also continue to beat West Ham now) Chelsea are likely to finish 7th.

So it’s still on… kinda…

 

[oldboyroy]

It’s actually not that unlikely. Forest have Chelsea at home last game, and if Forest win (and assuming they also continue to beat West Ham now) Chelsea are likely to finish 7th.

So it’s still on… kinda…

Providing City and Villa pick up points in remaining games too. Villa at united last game and need points likewise City but, City I wouldn't be so sure with the way they played yesterday.

 

[peterward]

Chelsea finishing 7th is the only feasible option. Not a chance Newcastle will imho.

And for that to happen, Forest need to win today and next week at home to Chelsea. Villa need 1 point at Old Trafford, and Citeh need at least 1 point from final 2 games.

Then if Chelsea win UCol and we finish 8th, its on.

#HoldTheNerve

 

[trueblue]

I think it’s strange that the PL article on whether eighth place can get into Europe includes the words “according to ESPN's Dale Johnson”. Surely ESPN should be contacting the PL for clarification, not the other way round!

It does sound weird but sites like the Premier League, Sky, BBC, even UEFA are written by journalists trying to make sense of all the scenarios and interpreting information statisticians have provided. Frequently, in trying to make it easily understandable, a tiny detail gets missed that makes all the difference. Dale Johnson is a specialist at working it all out himself which makes for a quite boring read, but accurate.

 

[Machiavelli]

And their tactics. They spent yesterday and most games sitting deep, just two or three runners in rare moments of transition. They simply don’t put in the km shifts of Albion teams. Similarly Everton, Forest, Villa.

Villa less so, I'd say. But on the broader point, you're right. The FH style will put players' bodies under more pressure and its shown this season for some of the injuries. It takes time to transition to different styles of play and we've suffered as a result of that. A couple of points on this:

-- I suspect one of the reasons we signed so many attacking players in the summer was so that FH could freshen things up from the bench and bring on more quality. The players substituted would be in the following order (taking into account distance covered and intensive sprints): front four; CMs and FBs; and ideally not GK or CBs.

-- we've suffered a few freak injuries this season and been unlucky on that front (Joao Pedro and MOR due to thuggery; Georginio got his foot caught; probably some others too), and these have had a knock-on effect on the rest of the squad. Don't think it'll be so bad on that front next season and the squad will be more attuned to the FH style (including new signings, pre-season training) for next season.

-- some will claim that we should adopt the Nuno style. I don't think Tony wants to and glad of this. One thing looks pretty clear is that the Pep suffocate the opposition through possession style has seen its day and that one style will predominate in the years ahead. The FH/Iraola style is currently in pole position but it might be the Nuno one. On which, Jonathan Liew said that our home gam against Bournemouth was the best game of the season and was like watching football from the future.

 

[JonnyComeEarly]

Just the small issue of also having to find 1 extra point than brentford in these last 2 games which actually looks the least likely option vs all the others for chelsea to finish 7th and win the cup

 

[saafend_seagull]

5th most dropped from winning positions (22 points). Last minute winners probably 10 points gained?

What a dumb comment,

Compare points lost in last minute, versus won in last minute.

It’s worst case even.