If we are still in the top 6 at the end of February.

[Ashtonwurzel]

 I am confident, after looking at the fixtures that we will at least make the play-offs. 

[Bar BS3]

I’d rather be there on 7th May. 

[Mr Popodopolous]

I've just took a quick skim of the runin (by which I mean our games v those of Derby)...even if things go well from start of March-7th May, I think 2nd will be just a bit beyond us tbh. We hit a bad run from Wolves at home to the present at just too bad a time. Combine that with a slow start (6 points from 5 games in August) and you can only really afford one bad run a season IMO. That's 1 bad 1 and one mediocre one encompassing all but 1/4 of the League season, or in other words 10 pts from 11 games- too much to make up unfortunately.

Top 6 otoh, yeah gotta be in with a good shout of that! Especially as quite a few contenders still have to play Wolves.

[Pezo]

I have been thinking this each month consecutively for about 3 months now but with our run since Christmas I would have expected us to have dropped out of the top 6 already but we're still in it due to picking up more points in the run up to Christmas than I expected.

The simple matter is we could lose someone like Baker/Pack/Smith at the beginning of April to injury and really struggle. Its a long drawn out season still and there's a lot of ups and downs left to come, it's how we deal with the downs that's going to effect our league possition the most and this at the moment is probably the lowest low we have had this season so it's probably time to accept it and find a way to deal with it and destroy a couple teams starting with Sunderland.

But injuries suspensions or other annoyance's aside I agree we're capable just need to keep doing what has put us in this possition and keep working hard at it.

[reddogkev]

Still confident we will make the top 6 - need to beat Sunderland, and hopefully grab at least a draw against Leeds, but have to watch out for the dreaded new manager bounce.

How big a game is City v Fulham?  Wow, getting chills thinking ahead to that one.

[Phileas Fogg]

13 minutes ago, reddogkev said:

Still confident we will make the top 6 - need to beat Sunderland, and hopefully grab at least a draw against Leeds, but have to watch out for the dreaded new manager bounce.

How big a game is City v Fulham?  Wow, getting chills thinking ahead to that one.

I agree Kev, I believe we can and will make the top 6. We really do need to win on Saturday though for belief as much as anything.

We have a horrible record at Leeds so agree a draw would be a good result - some interesting reading on the 'new manager bounce' here https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/soccernomics-does-sacking-manager-actually-make-difference

[Davefevs]

Boring, I know, but we have to take each game as it comes (maybe two!!!). We aim for 3 points v Sunderland and see where that leaves us.  We may have made ground on those above us and distanced ourselves from those below. 

There is no doubt that we will gain points against sides we might not expect to, and drop some against those we expect to win. 

Our form up to Xmas has afforded us a poor run and we are still level on points with 5th!  I’d have preferred it if we’d not, but there we go. 

As each game goes by we will know a bit more about our likely position in May. 

Had we lost with 10 men v QPR , but beaten Bolton we’d still have 51 points and would probably be happier. Funny the way we think about results. 

Saturday is miles away, wish it was nearer!

[The Dolman Pragmatist]

Even if we don't make the playoffs it will have been a great season, with the promise of next season being even better.

[Major Isewater]

We should wait until March before we start getting ahead of ourselves.

 

 

 

 

[Major Isewater]

13 minutes ago, The Dolman Pragmatist said:

Even if we don't make the playoffs it will have been a great season, with the promise of next season being even better.

If we don't make the play offs now having passed two thirds of the season in the top six this would, sadly , be seen as a failure.

We would probably lose our best players in the summer and the feel good factor would be hard to kick in again. 

Many of the first teamers who have come up from the third division are now coming into their primes and may fancy a new challenge.

So all change , perhaps for the better but a new ' team ' that would have to gel and grow in stature. 

No guarantees that next season we would be better placed to get promotion.

[Super]

1 hour ago, Mr Popodopolous said:

I've just took a quick skim of the runin (by which I mean our games v those of Derby)...even if things go well from start of March-7th May, I think 2nd will be just a bit beyond us tbh. We hit a bad run from Wolves at home to the present at just too bad a time. Combine that with a slow start (6 points from 5 games in August) and you can only really afford one bad run a season IMO. That's 1 bad 1 and one mediocre one encompassing all but 1/4 of the League season, or in other words 10 pts from 11 games- too much to make up unfortunately.

Top 6 otoh, yeah gotta be in with a good shout of that! Especially as quite a few contenders still have to play Wolves.

Not sure it matters considering we failed to beat Bolton Burton and Birmingham who are all struggling.

[BCFC_Dan]

2 hours ago, Major Isewater said:

We would probably lose our best players in the summer and the feel good factor would be hard to kick in again. 

Why would we? Other clubs that have done well but not quite made it don't seem to have suffered. Fulham haven't lost anyone significant from last season and are up there again. Brighton spent several years trying to get up and whilst they occasionally lost players along the way they seem to have improved year on year. Looking at this season's underachievers, Reading and Sheffield Wednesday, they've scarcely lost anyone at all, and nobody to a higher league, which suggests that a small amount of churn may even be a good thing.

We might lose Flint, which is understandable and would be a blow, and I suppose Smith might fancy a move for similar reasons, but I don't see why the home town boys would be angling for a move unless it was ridiculously good, and besides pretty much everybody is under contract.

To not go up this season would be disappointing after doing so well, but to be top 6 now is to be ahead of the curve somewhat. I think most people hoped for little more than a comfortable top half finish this season and we're going to get that. I don't get the sense that it's now or never for this squad. It's next season or the one after it. Now would be a bonus (and possibly a curse if the squad isn't ready, but I'd take it).

Most of the players are young and have improved dramatically on last season. We have players in Eliasson and Walsh who are where the likes of O'Dowda and Brownhill were last year and if they can develop to a similar extent will be like exciting new signings in the summer. We have a development squad stocked with talent, some of which is bound to come good.

I don't think the club has ever been so well set up for the future and so well able to weather setbacks.

[Major Isewater]

27 minutes ago, BCFC_Dan said:

Why would we? Other clubs that have done well but not quite made it don't seem to have suffered. Fulham haven't lost anyone significant from last season and are up there again. Brighton spent several years trying to get up and whilst they occasionally lost players along the way they seem to have improved year on year. Looking at this season's underachievers, Reading and Sheffield Wednesday, they've scarcely lost anyone at all, and nobody to a higher league, which suggests that a small amount of churn may even be a good thing.

We might lose Flint, which is understandable and would be a blow, and I suppose Smith might fancy a move for similar reasons, but I don't see why the home town boys would be angling for a move unless it was ridiculously good, and besides pretty much everybody is under contract.

To not go up this season would be disappointing after doing so well, but to be top 6 now is to be ahead of the curve somewhat. I think most people hoped for little more than a comfortable top half finish this season and we're going to get that. I don't get the sense that it's now or never for this squad. It's next season or the one after it. Now would be a bonus (and possibly a curse if the squad isn't ready, but I'd take it).

Most of the players are young and have improved dramatically on last season. We have players in Eliasson and Walsh who are where the likes of O'Dowda and Brownhill were last year and if they can develop to a similar extent will be like exciting new signings in the summer. We have a development squad stocked with talent, some of which is bound to come good.

I don't think the club has ever been so well set up for the future and so well able to weather setbacks.

I explained my theory in my post . 

You then went on and announced two players that could very well leave in the summer which kind of supports what I was saying .

If Joe or Bobby get Prem offers in the summer they will go . 

The ones remaining would be Frankie  and Pack from the double winning side .

It's the spine of the side that have played together through thick and thin for sometime now and know each other's game perfectly well.

Evidently  we have quality players coming through but it just may be that this group will have run its course and change is necessary.

 

[Bar BS3]

4 hours ago, reddogkev said:

Still confident we will make the top 6 - need to beat Sunderland, and hopefully grab at least a draw against Leeds, but have to watch out for the dreaded new manager bounce.

How big a game is City v Fulham?  Wow, getting chills thinking ahead to that one.

The Fulham game is looking almost as big as the Preston one..! 

[BCFC_Dan]

15 minutes ago, Major Isewater said:

I explained my theory in my post . 

You then went on and announced two players that could very well leave in the summer which kind of supports what I was saying .

If Joe or Bobby get Prem offers in the summer they will go . 

The ones remaining would be Frankie  and Pack from the double winning side .

It's the spine of the side that have played together through thick and thin for sometime now and know each other's game perfectly well.

Evidently  we have quality players coming through but it just may be that this group will have run its course and change is necessary.

 

I see what you're saying but I don't see why any of those players would be so quick to leave. I conceded one or two that might, but there's no guarantee of that.

That double winning side has already lost half of its spine and we're none the worse for it. They've been replaced with better players.

If we still had the 14/15 side in its entirety then I'd buy the "run its course" thing but most of the squad is under 25, signed in the last couple of years, and is contracted beyond the summer. It's not going to suddenly come apart.

I'm not disputing that one or two may go, I just don't think the likes of Derby, Fulham and others fret every year that half their squad will leave. They improve year on year until they get to where they want to be. We needn't be any different.

[underhanded]

I just predicted the rest of the season results. Pretty rushed, so not given loads of thought, but this is how it ended up!

 

1		Wolverhampton Wanderers	46	31	8	7	81:35	46	101
2		Derby County	46	25	14	7	72:37	35	89
3		Fulham FC	46	24	14	8	81:52	29	86
4		Aston Villa	46	24	13	9	67:40	27	85
5		Cardiff City	45	23	10	12	70:49	21	79
6		Bristol City	46	22	13	11	67:47	20	79
7		Middlesbrough FC	46	23	10	13	61:42	19	79
8		Preston North End	46	16	19	11	50:46	4	67
9		Norwich City	46	19	10	17	48:50	-2	67
10		Sheffield United	46	19	8	19	55:52	3	65
11		Brentford FC	46	16	15	15	54:53	1	63
12		Leeds United	46	17	11	18	56:54	2	62
13		Nottingham Forest	46	18	7	21	54:61	-7	61
14		Millwall FC	46	12	18	16	46:46	0	54
15		Ipswich Town	46	14	9	23	49:61	-12	51
16		Queens Park Rangers	46	12	15	19	43:59	-16	51
17		Hull City	46	11	17	18	56:63	-7	50
18		Sheffield Wednesday	46	12	14	20	47:57	-10	50
19		Reading FC	46	12	13	21	46:58	-12	49
20		Barnsley FC	46	10	16	20	43:61	-18	46
21		Sunderland AFC	46	10	16	20	44:65	-21	46
22		Birmingham City	46	12	9	25	36:61	-25	45
23		Bolton Wanderers	45	10	13	22	44:70	-26	43
24		Burton Albion	46	9	8	29	32:83	-51	35

[Bar BS3]

3 minutes ago, underhanded said:

I just predicted the rest of the season results. Pretty rushed, so not given loads of thought, but this is how it ended up!

 

1		Wolverhampton Wanderers	46	31	8	7	81:35	46	101
2		Derby County	46	25	14	7	72:37	35	89
3		Fulham FC	46	24	14	8	81:52	29	86
4		Aston Villa	46	24	13	9	67:40	27	85
5		Cardiff City	45	23	10	12	70:49	21	79
6		Bristol City	46	22	13	11	67:47	20	79
7		Middlesbrough FC	46	23	10	13	61:42	19	79
8		Preston North End	46	16	19	11	50:46	4	67
9		Norwich City	46	19	10	17	48:50	-2	67
10		Sheffield United	46	19	8	19	55:52	3	65
11		Brentford FC	46	16	15	15	54:53	1	63
12		Leeds United	46	17	11	18	56:54	2	62
13		Nottingham Forest	46	18	7	21	54:61	-7	61
14		Millwall FC	46	12	18	16	46:46	0	54
15		Ipswich Town	46	14	9	23	49:61	-12	51
16		Queens Park Rangers	46	12	15	19	43:59	-16	51
17		Hull City	46	11	17	18	56:63	-7	50
18		Sheffield Wednesday	46	12	14	20	47:57	-10	50
19		Reading FC	46	12	13	21	46:58	-12	49
20		Barnsley FC	46	10	16	20	43:61	-18	46
21		Sunderland AFC	46	10	16	20	44:65	-21	46
22		Birmingham City	46	12	9	25	36:61	-25	45
23		Bolton Wanderers	45	10	13	22	44:70	-26	43
24		Burton Albion	46	9	8	29	32:83	-51	35

Isn’t that utterly irrelevant, without telling us the scores that you predicted..?! 

[underhanded]

@Bar BS3 The title of the topic is about our league position at the end of the season, so a prediction of our league position at the end of the season, is fairly relevant, if you ask me. 

[Bar BS3]

3 minutes ago, underhanded said:

@Bar BS3 The title of the topic is about our league position at the end of the season, so a prediction of our league position at the end of the season, is fairly relevant, if you ask me. 

Ummm... no it’s not..! It’s about our league position at the end of February..! 

[underhanded]

@Bar BS3

See immediate post from OP below the title thread, referencing his belief we will make the play offs.

 

[Robbored]

Lets not over look the fact City are in the pray-offs in February despite the horrendous injury list we've had. Only Famara is back and the likes of GoN, Pisaro, CoD, Djruc and Hegeler are all still missing and now FF out with a groin injury and Taylor is out with a hernia op.

Gradually these guys will be returning and hopefully most of them will be fit again to feature in LJs selection options and they will strengthen the squad tremendously in readiness for the final push.

Im confident that City be in the top 6 come 46 games and who knows maybe the top two.

[Bar BS3]

9 minutes ago, underhanded said:

@Bar BS3

See immediate post from OP below the title thread, referencing his belief we will make the play offs.

 

It’s you that said the “the title of the topic”

[CyderInACan]

29 minutes ago, underhanded said:

I just predicted the rest of the season results. Pretty rushed, so not given loads of thought, but this is how it ended up!

 

1		Wolverhampton Wanderers	46	31	8	7	81:35	46	101
2		Derby County	46	25	14	7	72:37	35	89
3		Fulham FC	46	24	14	8	81:52	29	86
4		Aston Villa	46	24	13	9	67:40	27	85
5		Cardiff City	45	23	10	12	70:49	21	79
6		Bristol City	46	22	13	11	67:47	20	79
7		Middlesbrough FC	46	23	10	13	61:42	19	79
8		Preston North End	46	16	19	11	50:46	4	67
9		Norwich City	46	19	10	17	48:50	-2	67
10		Sheffield United	46	19	8	19	55:52	3	65
11		Brentford FC	46	16	15	15	54:53	1	63
12		Leeds United	46	17	11	18	56:54	2	62
13		Nottingham Forest	46	18	7	21	54:61	-7	61
14		Millwall FC	46	12	18	16	46:46	0	54
15		Ipswich Town	46	14	9	23	49:61	-12	51
16		Queens Park Rangers	46	12	15	19	43:59	-16	51
17		Hull City	46	11	17	18	56:63	-7	50
18		Sheffield Wednesday	46	12	14	20	47:57	-10	50
19		Reading FC	46	12	13	21	46:58	-12	49
20		Barnsley FC	46	10	16	20	43:61	-18	46
21		Sunderland AFC	46	10	16	20	44:65	-21	46
22		Birmingham City	46	12	9	25	36:61	-25	45
23		Bolton Wanderers	45	10	13	22	44:70	-26	43
24		Burton Albion	46	9	8	29	32:83	-51	35

Gonna be a tense last day of the season then!!!! 

[1960maaan]

acidental post

 

[Fat Cigar]

Bearing in mind the injuries, we'd actually overachieved until January. Considering we've had Bobby Reid leading the attack on his own.  The revelation has been how well Wright has adapted as a full back. 

We need Paterson to find form again. Gone off the boil in recent games.

One big factor to bear in mind is the mental exertion that the 3 huge cup games have had. Never mind the physical aspect of those games, the levels of concentration, the excitement, the adrenaline, ahead during and after would have been massive. We're not the only ones who get excited about these big games. 

We just need to get minds focused on the task ahead. 

I think we will sneak into the play offs but it's going to be very tight. The important thing is that we finish the season strongly. A good unbeaten 6-8 game finish puts us in a good position for the dreaded play offs. 

[underhanded]

@CyderInACan yup, I had us winning 3-1 vs Sheffield Utd which just dragged us over the line!

 

@Bar BS3 my Feb predictions were: 

City 1 vs 0 Sunderland 

Leeds 2 vs 2 City 

City 3 vs 2 Fulham

Cardiff 1 vs 0 City (boo)

 

 

[1960maaan]

Lets look at the next few games then;

9th/10th Feb
Millwall Vs Cardiff 
Sheffield United Vs Leeds United 
Bolton Wanderers Vs Fulham 
City Vs Sunderland 
Derby County Vs Norwich City
Brentford Vs Preston
Middlesbrough Vs Reading
Villa Vs Brum
Wolves Vs QPR

13th Feb
Cardiff Vs Bolton
Sheff W Vs Derby

17th Feb
Cardiff City Vs Middlesbrough
Fulham VsAston Villa
Leeds United Vs  City
Preston Vs Wolves

20th Feb
Aston Villa Vs Preston North End
Middlesbrough19:45Hull City
Sheffield United19:45Queens Park Rangers
City Vs Fulham 
Derby Vs Leeds
Wolves Vs Norwich

24th Feb
Hull Vs Sheff U
Preston Vs Ipswich
Reading Vs Derby
Sheff W Vs Villa
Sunderland Vs Midlesboro
Fulham Vs Wolves
Cardiff Vs City

So I can see the table a little like this. 

Wolves   76pts
Derby.     67
Villa         62
Cardiff.   62
Fulham.  59
City          56
Preston.  53
Sheff U.  53
M'bro.     55

Only guessing, and if we can get our earlier season form back, who knows. But that's the thing, while our form has dropped off , Derby, Fulham and Villa are flying so looking at the games ahead we really don't know . It's great having FD back and it looked promising , but it's almost like they have to learn to play with each other all over again. 

[Bar BS3]

39 minutes ago, underhanded said:

@CyderInACan yup, I had us winning 3-1 vs Sheffield Utd which just dragged us over the line!

 

@Bar BS3 my Feb predictions were: 

City 1 vs 0 Sunderland 

Leeds 2 vs 2 City 

City 3 vs 2 Fulham

Cardiff 1 vs 0 City (boo)

 

 

It’s all so close, especially with your final table, that even one goal out in one game will make an impact. 

Its going to be interesting, certainly..! 

[Ashtonwurzel]

1 hour ago, Fat Cigar said:

Bearing in mind the injuries, we'd actually overachieved until January. Considering we've had Bobby Reid leading the attack on his own.  The revelation has been how well Wright has adapted as a full back. 

We need Paterson to find form again. Gone off the boil in recent games.

One big factor to bear in mind is the mental exertion that the 3 huge cup games have had. Never mind the physical aspect of those games, the levels of concentration, the excitement, the adrenaline, ahead during and after would have been massive. We're not the only ones who get excited about these big games. 

We just need to get minds focused on the task ahead. 

I think we will sneak into the play offs but it's going to be very tight. The important thing is that we finish the season strongly. A good unbeaten 6-8 game finish puts us in a good position for the dreaded play offs. 

Exactly.

[old_eastender]

Based on recent league form, we will not be in the top 6 come end of Feb, we have got precisely 1 more point now than we had after 65 mins on January 30th!

Let's face it, nobody can accurately predict the Championship - which is what makes it such a great league - very few, if any of us predicted we would go to Bolton and put in such a lacklustre display and get beat. I know I was expecting 3 pts.

As the old saying goes just have to take it one game at a time.