8th.

[an tha]

Just now, Scott_M said:

I 

 

Although I'm not saying we should give up on the league, I do think our most realistic way back into the CL for next season is winning it in Istanbul.

 

Seems like a massive long shot, as the City games have proved, we can be up for it when we want to be and when we are up for it (with Anfield cranked to 11) there are few who'll be able to beat us.

As much as i would love to see it, i would be absolutely stunned if this team won the european cup this season.

 

When you look at how a side like Brighton eviscerated us i fear the best sides in europe will do the same - we have already seen Napoli absolutely take us apart this season. This team IMHO is not one that is just out of form/in a bad run - it is a broken team in need of major fixing.

 

29 pts from 19 league games is sadly a fair reflection of it.....I of course understand what we can pull out bag in europe - 2005 etc - but i see nothing to suggest those sort of miracles from this team now.

 

 

[Baltar]

The league is a write-off. Just focus on the Champions League. We'll probably get trounced by Real regardless. 

[Scott_M]

8 minutes ago, an tha said:

As much as i would love to see it, i would be absolutely stunned if this team won the european cup this season.

 

When you look at how a side like Brighton eviscerated us i fear the best sides in europe will do the same - we have already seen Napoli absolutely take us apart this season. This team IMHO is not one that is just out of form/in a bad run - it is a broken team in need of major fixing.

 

29 pts from 19 league games is sadly a fair reflection of it.....I of course understand what we can pull out bag in europe - 2005 etc - but i see nothing to suggest those sort of miracles from this team now.

 

 

 

I don’t disagree, we saw nothing of this in 2005, Chelsea saw nothing in the years they won it etc etc etc.

 

I get it’s an incredibly long shot, worse teams playing worse than this one have turned up on the CL stage. 

[El Rojo]

2 minutes ago, an tha said:

 

 

When you look at how a side like Brighton eviscerated us

 

 

 

Brighton had more players in the Spanish squad than Real Madrid in the Euros. They now have a World Cup winner in the middle, the highly coveted £60m/£70m Caicedo beside him, and a wonderkid up front in Ferguson. They're a world class outfit hiding in plain sight. 

 

Seriously though, we've been even worse against poorer sides like Forest and Leeds and Wolves in that awful first game. 

[Turkish Delight]

I'd rather be in the Europa League than nothing but not interested in the Conference League.

 

The later rounds are always still good nights and I'd rather that than have nothing at all. It might give me the chance to finally get my kids some European credits too.

[an tha]

Just now, El Rojo said:

 

Brighton had more players in the Spanish squad than Real Madrid in the Euros. They now have a World Cup winner in the middle, the highly coveted £60m/£70m Caicedo beside him, and a wonderkid up front in Ferguson. They're a world class outfit hiding in plain sight. 

 

Seriously though, we've been even worse against poorer sides like Forest and Leeds and Wolves in that awful first game. 

I don't disagree - Brighton are a good team which is why i used that example - i was actually comparing them with better sides in europe to say they could do same.

 

As much as the forest and leeds defeats were bad and hurt they were not clearly sides who were better than us tearing us apart - Brighton and Napoli very much were - the fear is same will likely happen again against such opposition.

[El Rojo]

Just now, an tha said:

I don't disagree - Brighton are a good team which is why i used that example - i was actually comparing them with better sides in europe to say they could do same.

 

As much as the forest and leeds defeats were bad and hurt they were not clearly sides who were better than us tearing us apart - Brighton and Napoli very much were - the fear is same will likely happen again against such opposition.

 

On current form of all three clubs, I'd rather be playing Real Madrid than Napoli in a few weeks time, particularly if we're still missing a few of Van Dijk, Diaz and Jota.

 

Still, they've held an Indian sign over us ever since we battered them under Benitez so we've no great reason to be confident going into it. We've a fantastic European legacy but we didn't turn up in two finals against them.

 

We tend to show our best in the European Cup, though, so bizarrely, I'd be more confident going into this than into an away game at Leeds. 

 

 

[johnsusername]

I've heard it on good authority that Jude Bellingham will only come if we're in the Europa Conference league. 

[an tha]

1 minute ago, El Rojo said:

 

On current form of all three clubs, I'd rather be playing Real Madrid than Napoli in a few weeks time, particularly if we're still missing a few of Van Dijk, Diaz and Jota.

 

Still, they've held an Indian sign over us ever since we battered them under Benitez so we've no great reason to be confident going into it. We've a fantastic European legacy but we didn't turn up in two finals against them.

 

We tend to show our best in the European Cup, though, so bizarrely, I'd be more confident going into this than into an away game at Leeds. 

 

 

Haven't seen enough of Real Madrid to know what to expect apart from they'll obviously be shithouses, bang up for it and of course even more so than us they always turn up in this competition.

 

Sadly with us it is hard to fancy us against anyone anywhere right now - little to no evidence to suggest that we could suddenly pull a big performance out, but we have to hope we can. Just feels like whatever we try right now we can't find a balance - we are either open, reasonably full of goals but porous or we are a bit more solid and compact but toothless!

 

You look at options we have available to us as it stands and for me you don't think "ah that will sort it, that will make us better"..it just looks like limited different options with different problems.

 

But we have to believe....

[Jairzinho]

They've conceded quite a lot this season, Real Madrid. Carvajal and Alaba have had a few injuries. That said, they score plenty and obviously their midfield is quite likely going to take the piss out of ours. 

 

I reckon over the two legs they'll nick it by eight or nine goals.

[AngryOfTuebrook]

5 hours ago, Captain Turdseye said:

It’s gone, Mal. Top four is an impossibility. 
 

Would you rather play in the shite UEFA competitions, or have a year out of Europe giving Klopp a week between matches to have a crack at the league?

If we win our game in hand, we're 7 points adrift with 18 games to go.

 

I'm not ready to throw in the towel yet.

[AngryOfTuebrook]

2 hours ago, Turkish Delight said:

I'd rather be in the Europa League than nothing but not interested in the Conference League.

 

The later rounds are always still good nights and I'd rather that than have nothing at all. It might give me the chance to finally get my kids some European credits too.

It would also give Klopp a chance to win the only major trophy he hasn't added to our Champions Wall.

[3 Stacks]

There's no way we should try to be in Europe if it's not the Champions League. People forget that we've played the most amount of football out of almost any club in the world in the past few seasons, and there is no doubt this has affected where we are now. Just look at Chelsea, and West Ham, and Leicester, where they are this season. West Ham and Leicester went deep in Europe and are now both terrible. Chelsea, like us, have played a million games in the past couple seasons. They're terrible.

 

If we're not in the Champions League, we need a break to reload. It's not even debatable. Winning the Europa League or God forbid, the conference league is simply small potatoes compared to the potential long term recuperation benefits of playing without Europe for one year.

 

The way the sport is going, if you're not fighting at the highest level, the matches are so intense across the board, you're far better off not playing as many of them at all and licking your wounds.

[Moo]

8 hours ago, an tha said:

As much as i would love to see it, i would be absolutely stunned if this team won the european cup this season.

 

When you look at how a side like Brighton eviscerated us i fear the best sides in europe will do the same - we have already seen Napoli absolutely take us apart this season. This team IMHO is not one that is just out of form/in a bad run - it is a broken team in need of major fixing.

 

29 pts from 19 league games is sadly a fair reflection of it.....I of course understand what we can pull out bag in europe - 2005 etc - but i see nothing to suggest those sort of miracles from this team now.

 

 

 

I'm sure none of us saw 2005 coming either.  But, it's a once in a lifetime achievement, certainly once in a generation at best.

Not happening.

[an tha]

 

8 minutes ago, 3 Stacks said:

 

 

If we're not in the Champions League, we need a break to reload. It's not even debatable. Winning the Europa League or God forbid, the conference league is simply small potatoes compared to the benefits of playing without Europe for one year.

 

 

 

You don't really get to choose do you.....to try and get into the european cup you can quite easily end up finishing 5th or 6th.

 

OK maybe argue that if 5th or 6th is as high as can realistically get don't chase it - but when exactly does that process start - could argue right now for us, but could also argue 4th is still on - where is the cut off/the point you 'decide'..... the argument you are making is blag it is a construct of people like here discussing stuff.

 

You aim to finish as high as possible and that is it.

 

 

[Moo]

4 minutes ago, an tha said:

 

 

You don't really get to choose do you.....to try and get into the european cup you can quite easily end up finishing 5th or 6th.

 

OK maybe argue that if 5th or 6th is as high as can realistically get don't chase it - but when exactly does that process start - could argue right now for us, but could also argue 4th is still on - where is the cut off/the point you 'decide'..... the argument you are making is blag it is a construct of people like here discussing stuff.

 

You aim to finish as high as possible and that is it.

 

 

I think we'll know in four or five matches but even if we wait until 10 matches left it will still give us a good opportunity to rest some players and see what the youngsters can do.

[an tha]

Just now, Moo said:

I think we'll know in four or five matches but even if we wait until 10 matches left it will still give us a good opportunity to rest some players and see what the youngsters can do.

It isn't case and it won't happen.

 

The club will 100% attempt to finish as high as possible in league until it is mathematically over....it has always been case and always will be.

[3 Stacks]

10 minutes ago, an tha said:

 

 

You don't really get to choose do you.....to try and get into the european cup you can quite easily end up finishing 5th or 6th.

 

OK maybe argue that if 5th or 6th is as high as can realistically get don't chase it - but when exactly does that process start - could argue right now for us, bit could also argye 4th is still on - the argument you are making is blag it is a construct of people like here discussing stuff.

 

You aim to finish as high as possible and that is it.

 

 

Fuck does that mean? Was that a sentence?

 

In American sports, you sometimes benefit by doing worse because of a particularity those sports have. Some teams arrive there not exactly by happy accident,  if you catch my drift. This particularity doesn't exist in football, but you still gain something on the pitch when your players aren't playing an extremely charged calendar for a full season. Klopp knows more than most about this, he complains about it non stop.

 

If 4th becomes very slim, I'm just saying we probably shouldn't try our hardest the rest of the season. It's not like the players have been trying hard this season to start with.

[an tha]

9 minutes ago, 3 Stacks said:

Fuck does that mean? Was that a sentence?

 

In American sports, you sometimes benefit by doing worse because of a particularity those sports have. Some teams arrive there not exactly by happy accident,  if you catch my drift. This particularity doesn't exist in football, but you still gain something on the pitch when your players aren't playing an extremely charged calendar for a full season. Klopp knows more than most about this, he complains about it non stop.

 

If 4th becomes very slim, I'm just saying we probably shouldn't try our hardest the rest of the season. It's not like the players have been trying hard this season to start with.

You know as well as i do that nobody at lfc will think like you are suggesting - it just does not happen - simply because it can't - as i said when does it start? 4th is already arguably slim - do we start not trying now?...Of course not is the answer.

 

We play every game with the aim of hoping and trying to win and hoping the sides above us drop pts.....aiming to win as many games and pts as possible until there is nothing to play for or until goals are met.

 

OK if through being shit we are 8th with 5 games left and 4th is not mathematically possible then maybe at that point there might be an argument to say sack off trying to finish 6th or 5th - but again it isn't gonna happen.

 

The idea of it exists in discussion boards like this only, not in the heads of people at football clubs - thankfully.

[3 Stacks]

1 minute ago, an tha said:

You know as well as i do that nobody at lfc will think like you are suggesting - it just does not happen - simply because it can't - as i said when does it start? 4th is already arguably slim - do we start not trying now?...Of course not is the answer.

 

We play every game with the aim of hoping and trying to win and hoping the sodes above us drop pts.

 

OK if through being shit we are 8th with 5 games left and 4th is not mathematically possible then maybe at that point there might be an argument to say sack off trying to finish 6th or 5th - but again it isn't gonna happen.

 

The idea of it exists in discussion boards like this only, not in the heads of people at football clubs - thankfully.

Of course they won't, but in a perfect world, they would.

 

In the sports I'm referring to, the teams who not so subtedly start losing for their own benefit figure out the timing because they know they're shit.

 

Football is not like that, partly because of relegation, but as we're not actually threatened by relegation (or are we) we'd be a prime candidate to try to manipulate where we ultimately finish to reap some kind of benefit later.

 

It's not realistic but people say unrealistic things on here all the time. I'm just arguing that doing this would very obviously benefit us.

 

But to be clear, 4th is still the best outcome possible. 

[an tha]

5 minutes ago, 3 Stacks said:

Of course they won't, but in a perfect world, they would.

 

In the sports I'm referring to, the teams who not so subtedly start losing for their own benefit figure out the timing because they know they're shit.

 

Football is not like that, partly because of relegation, but as we're not actually threatened by relegation (or are we) we'd be a prime candidate to try to manipulate where we ultimately finish to reap some kind of benefit later.

 

It's not realistic but people say unrealistic things on here all the time. I'm just arguing that doing this would very obviously benefit us.

 

But to be clear, 4th is still the best outcome possible. 

My own view is that 4th would be likely if we strengthened the midfield this month.

 

As it stands i feel it is unlikely we will get it but chasing what i feel is a pretty ordinary Newcastle team and competing with a very flaky Tottenham and Chelsea for 4th will even as bad as we are likely go close to the wire.

 

There is of course plenty of reasonable evidence to say we are not as good as Brighton this season never mind the others - and it may be unfair on them to rule them out whilst ruling us in based on what we have seen for half a season - but I am not ready to accept we can't get top 4 and of course won't be until we can't - the only positive of the shitshow of the 20/21 season was that we showed it is never over until it is over, coming from a place as bad as the one we are in now.

 

 

[JagSquared]

Is it bad that as we are very unlikely to get top 4 a very little (and I stress little) part of me wouldn’t mind getting in the conference league. It will obviously fuck up our season next year completely and is obviously a ball ache playing Thursday - Sunday and flying to places like Azerbaijan isn’t great for player fatigue.

But the sheer randomness of the teams really appeals to me. RFS, Silkeborg, Slovacko, Zalgirls.

 

Surely those are made up?

 

Ever heard of Pyunik?? - well these were all teams in the group phase. I have no idea who they are and I’m a seasoned FM player.

 

it would obviously be crap but if we’re gonna be shit at least our geography knowledge would improve.

[Bjornebye]

I'd rather be in the conference than the Europa conference league 

 

 

4th or 5th and win the champions League. It's happening. 

[3 Stacks]

8 minutes ago, an tha said:

My own view is that 4th would be likely if we strengthened the midfield this month.

 

As it stands i feel it is unlikely we will get it but chasing what i feel is a pretty ordinary Newcastle team and competing with a very flaky Tottenham and Chelsea for 4th will even as bad as we are likely go close to the wire.

 

There is of course plenty of reasonable evidence to say we are not as good as Brighton this season never mind the others - and it may be unfair on them to rule them out whilst ruling us in based on what we have seen for half a season - but I am not ready to accept we can't get top 4 and of course won't be until we can't - the only positive of the shitshow of the 20/21 season was that we showed it is never over until it is over, coming from a place as bad as the one we are in now.

 

 

 

United, I don't think can be caught. They aren't great, but they're solid tactically and they have some quality. They'd have to really fall apart. And the thing with Newcastle is they just don't concede goals. They have a part of the equation figured out. Spurs are shite but they have quality, plus a manager with pedigree. Chelsea are kind of where we are, they're irrelevant until they can put a run together.

 

There is a way we could do it, which is that we keep the slightly better defensive dynamic we've found in the last two games and then Jota and Diaz come back to give us the bit extra up front. Gakpo breaking out wouldn't go amiss either. But will all that happen perfectly, probably not. And the January transfer market, I would forget that. 

[Lee909]

11 hours ago, Bobby Hundreds said:

As high as possible. Theres no reason we can't use Europa for squad and young players and to get first team players game time if coming back from fitness. Just use it for our benefit and see how it goes.

 

I agree to a point with that. the europa league would be great for blooding Ramsey,Carvalho,Jones etc but the issue it leaves us in is the constant playing catch up with Sunday kickoffs