[Albion] The Battle for 8th, and whether it means Europe or not

[essbee1]

8th and Europe? Nah - a shed load of meaningless games in a trivial competition which screws us up for a season.

Not interested.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

8th and Europe? Nah - a shed load of meaningless games in a trivial competition which screws us up for a season.

Not interested.

Cool.

That's one less person in the ticket queue for Lincoln Red Imps away.

 

[Garry Nelson's Left Foot]

I for one certainly don't want us to get into Europe next season as we have already seen the devastation it causes in the League with injuries and fixture pile ups (don't like Thursday & Sunday games as well) . It will be doubly worse with the bunch of injury prone players we have now. So I am in a quandary for the remainder of the season - I want us to win every game but stay out of Europe !

I, on the other hand, would absolutely LOVE IT if we made Europe again.

Football is cyclical. At the moment we are at, or very close to being at, the top of our turning wheel of fortune. We've seen how low the bottom of the cycle is so I want as much as possible from when we're at the top.

We will sooner or later get relegated. When we do there's no guarantee that we'll get back to the premier league quickly. If we end up slumming around at the bottom of the championship or in League one I want to hark back to the glory days and have some actual glory to reminisce about. Competing in Europe is glory to me. Winning trophies is absolute glory. Europe is a very decent second.

I want in!

 

[Mancgull]

10 points might do - although it would be tight. So 3 wins and 1 draw or 2 wins and 4 draws.

Also think ten points will probably do it.

 

[The Optimist]

IF we beat Brentford on Saturday then that must be them out of the race.

 

[Iggle Piggle]

There is a scenario where 9th could do. We just need our best mates at Chelsea to do us a favour

Chelsea win the Conference League and finish sixth, the Premier League gets an extra team in the Europa League, and nine in Europe. Once the EPS is applied, the Europa League place originally for fifth goes to the team in seventh

How Premier League teams can qualify for Champions League, Europe this season

The Premier League season is edging toward its climax, but how can clubs qualify for the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League?

www.espn.co.uk

 

[Flounce]

There is a scenario where 9th could do. We just need our best mates at Chelsea to do us a favour

Chelsea win the Conference League and finish sixth, the Premier League gets an extra team in the Europa League, and nine in Europe. Once the EPS is applied, the Europa League place originally for fifth goes to the team in seventh

How Premier League teams can qualify for Champions League, Europe this season

The Premier League season is edging toward its climax, but how can clubs qualify for the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League?

www.espn.co.uk

So you envisage a scenario where we get back to cheering Cucurella rather than booing him every time he has the ball?

 

[Flounce]

Hate to break it to you but the teams immediately competing for eighth - us, Fulham, and Bournemouth - are all "a little shite" so that doesn't rule us out.

Would it be harsh to suggest that we are currently MORE shite than either of them?

 

[Bob!]

There is a scenario where 9th could do. We just need our best mates at Chelsea to do us a favour

Chelsea win the Conference League and finish sixth, the Premier League gets an extra team in the Europa League, and nine in Europe. Once the EPS is applied, the Europa League place originally for fifth goes to the team in seventh

How Premier League teams can qualify for Champions League, Europe this season

The Premier League season is edging toward its climax, but how can clubs qualify for the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League?

www.espn.co.uk

.... and our best mates at Villa to get to the FA Cup final

 

[Joey Jo Jo Jr. Shabadoo]

There is a scenario where 9th could do. We just need our best mates at Chelsea to do us a favour

Chelsea win the Conference League and finish sixth, the Premier League gets an extra team in the Europa League, and nine in Europe. Once the EPS is applied, the Europa League place originally for fifth goes to the team in seventh

How Premier League teams can qualify for Champions League, Europe this season

The Premier League season is edging toward its climax, but how can clubs qualify for the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League?

www.espn.co.uk

I think ESPN have got it slightly incorrect. The place for the winners is only applied if they fail to qualify through their league position for the equivalent competition or better.

If Chelsea finished 6th and won the Conference League it wouldn't change the qualification places as 6th already qualifies for the Europa League. The same applies to a 7th place finish (assuming both cups are won by teams in the top 7).

The only way 9th could qualify is if Chelsea finished 8th and won the Conference League as that place would normally get the Conference League spot but as Chelsea had already qualified for the Europa League then the place would drop to 9th.

 

[pigmanovich]

Would it be harsh to suggest that we are currently MORE shite than either of them?

I think so - over the past 10 games we've gained only one point fewer than Fulham, and three more than Bournemouth, who until Monday hadn't won in the league since February.

 

[deletebeepbeepbeep]

I would love some conference league action.

 

[GJN1]

'The Battle for 8th' ​

They'll talk about this for millennia...

 

[Peteinblack]

Sadly, I think that 8th is beyond us now, given our overall inconsistency, our depressing lack of clinical finishing or ruthlessness in the opponent's penalty area, and our awful list of injuries.

 

[Freddo]

Getting 8th and Conference League would be absolutely brilliant for us.
1. We'd have a chance of winning the trophy
2. We'd get to go to obscure places in Europe
3. Having the ridiculously oversized squad that we will have in the summer would be worth it, and we wouldn't have to loan out really talented young players who end up just sitting on the bench for their loan teams.

 

[Flounce]

I think so - over the past 10 games we've gained only one point fewer than Fulham, and three more than Bournemouth, who until Monday hadn't won in the league since February.

Fair enough, I thought Bournemouth were one of the best teams we have played at the Amex and for once we beat Fulham very very late in the game so I tend to think both are a match for us, and our form has taken such a nose dive that I am feeling a bit negative about our chances of Europe. Compounded by us being both wasteful and useless in attack and shite in defence against Leicester. A win on Saturday will swing the pendulum the other way but I confess to thinking that we will almost certainly lose given what I’ve seen of us recently

 

[WhingForPresident]

If we get Veltman and Mitoma back for our remaining games, maybe Igor as well, we have a good chance. Can't see it happening if not.

 

[London Irish]

Finishing 8th, and getting a place in the Europa Conference League, is the best chance any us have of seeing the Albion win a trophy*

*except possibly winning the Championship, but let's not think about that right now.

And whilst a European adventure does create some workload issues for the squad, the pay-off is some unforgettable trips for the fans, some brilliant nights at the Amex. It also might help persuade one or two players to stay with us, who otherwise might consider moving on.

I do think too, that the workload / fixture pile up thing would be less of an issue if it were the Conference League rather than the Europa League. SOME of the opposition would be such that we could rotate heavily.

Yes it's a win-win - those of us who want to see games on the Continent get that adventure; while those who think we should have eternal development seasons will get plenty of chance to see youngsters play in a competition they can cope with

 

[oldboyroy]

This is the big 1 guys. Follow the process and we can do this

 

[Peteinblack]

This is the big 1 guys. Follow the process and we can do this
View attachment 200104

Looks like No.2 to me!