REVIEWING THE SITUATION

By Tuesday night the position could be somewhat clearer. West Ham are at Burnley today, then play their game in hand at Peterborough on Tuesday.

Currently, we are 7 points up on West Ham. By Tuesday, at opposite extremes, we could be just one point ahead or there could be a 13 point gap.

Could be Saints on 75, West Ham 74, Reading 73 and all with seven games to play. Much too close for my liking.

We really need the 3 points this afternoon...........just a little worried that lowly Bristol City completed a double over us recently, don't want it happening again against Doncaster.

omg, I am rambling on, must be pre-match jitters.

Saints and Reading win, West Ham draw.

1 Southampton 39 37 78
2 Reading 39 22 73
3 West Ham 38 21 69
4 Brighton 39 8 62
5 Middlesbrough 38 3 61
6 Blackpool 39 10 60
7 Birmingham 37 19 59
8 Cardiff 38 7 59
9 Hull 38 6 58
10 Leeds United 39 2 57

(Interesting now that if Saints lose all remaining matches and Leeds win all their remaining matches we should still finish above Leeds on goal difference)

Points Gap with West Ham
Feb 19 2
Feb 22 -1
Feb 26 1
Mar 3 4
Mar 4 1
Mar 6 2
Mar 7 1
Mar 10 3
Mar 17 5
Mar 20 7
Mar 24 9

Points Gap with Reading
Feb 19 5
Feb 26 5
Mar 3 5
Mar 6 3
Mar 13 2
Mar 20 5

Points Gap with Birmingham
Feb 19 8
Feb 22 5
Feb 26 8
Mar 3 10
Mar 6 11
Mar 10 13
Mar 20 16
Mar 24 19

Points Gap with Blackpool
Feb 19 7
Feb 22 7
Feb 26 7
Mar 2 6
Mar 3 9
Mar 6 10
Mar 10 13
Mar 20 16
Mar 21 15
Mar 24 18

Points Gap with Cardiff
Feb 19 6
Feb 26 9
Mar 3 12
Mar 6 13
Mar 7 12
Mar 17 15
Mar 18 14
Mar 20 17
Mar 21 16
Mar 24 19

Points Gap with Brighton
Feb 19 10
Feb 23 9
Feb 26 9
Mar 3 11
Mar 6 12
Mar 7 11
Mar 17 14
Mar 24 16

Points Gap with Middlesbrough
Feb 19 9
Feb 22 6
Feb 26 9
Mar 3 9
Mar 6 7
Mar 10 10
Mar 17 13
Mar 20 15
Mar 24 17

Points Gap with Hull
Feb 19 9
Feb 23 8
Feb 26 11
Mar 2 10
Mar 3 13
Mar 6 13
Mar 10 15
Mar 13 12
Mar 17 14
Mar 20 17
Mar 24 20

Remaining fixtures for the top three....

SAINTS
Mar 31 BLACKPOOL (away)
Apr 7 PORTSMOUTH (home)
Apr 9 CRYSTAL PALACE (away)
Apr 13 READING (home)
Apr 17 PETERBOROUGH (away)
Apr 21 MIDDLESBROUGH (away)
Apr 28 COVENTRY (home)

READING
Mar 31 WEST HAM (away)
Apr 6 LEEDS (home)
Apr 10 BRIGHTON (away)
Apr 13 SOUTHAMPTON (away)
Apr 17 NOTTINGHAM FOREST (home)
Apr 21 CRYSTAL PALACE (home)
Apr 28 BIRMINGHAM (away)

WEST HAM
Mar 27 PETERBOROUGH (away)
Mar 31 READING (home)
Apr 6 BARNSLEY (away)
Apr 9 BIRMINGHAM (home)
Apr 14 BRIGHTON (home)
Apr 17 BRISTOL CITY (away)
Apr 21 LEICESTER (away)
Apr 28 HULL CITY (home)

How is it that West Ham play their Easter games on 6th and 9th (3 days apart), Reading play theirs on 6th and 10th (4 days apart) and Saints 7th and 9th (just 2 days apart)??

Seems somewhat unfair to me!!!

SaintMike wrote:How is it that West Ham play their Easter games on 6th and 9th (3 days apart), Reading play theirs on 6th and 10th (4 days apart) and Saints 7th and 9th (just 2 days apart)??

Seems somewhat unfair to me!!!

At least the Easter schedule means Saints will have 4 days to recover and prepare for the clash with Reading the following Friday. Reading will only get 3 days between.

I think the FL saw we were playing the skates and thought we would put out our reserves and still win so played them close together!

I think our last 3 games are probably the hardest with 2 away games with Reading having their tough run over next 4 games. Thats why importnat we keep on winning. Need to take at leats 7 points from next 4 games, potentially Redaing could lose more points in next 4 games which would give us that cushion for those last 3 nervy games.

Would like saints to win next 4 then all done and dusted but saints seldom do it the easy way.

the good news is dont think we have been on top form in last few weeks but have been winning. Earlier in the season were pulling teams apart and if we can find that form then really could pull away fro the other two.

A little nice reading found on a Hull City website....

1. It’s not been a good week for City. Little shame in being outclassed by Southampton, but the nature of the defeat at Leicester was worrying. It’s always bad to lose having led, but City had three-quarters of the match to rescue something, much of it against ten men, and rarely looked like doing so.

2. Southampton are a brilliant Championship team, it causes no shame or hurt to say it. Cracking team, positive attitude, really good manager who threatens to actually become great (and this is an ex-Scunthorpe boss with a bit of foot-in-mouth history round our way, so that’s some renaissance) and, actually, a rather sporting and generous set of fans too.

Seems West Ham don't want to roll over just yet, 3 points for them at Peterborough.

1 Southampton 39 37 78
2 Reading 39 22 73
3 West Ham 39 23 72
4 Brighton 39 8 62
5 Middlesbrough 39 3 62
6 Birmingham 38 19 60
7 Blackpool 39 10 60
8 Cardiff 39 7 60
9 Hull 39 4 58
10 Leeds United 39 2 57
11 Leicester 39 8 56
12 Derby 39 -8 55
13 Crystal Palace 39 4 54
14 Watford 39 -9 54

Points Gap with West Ham
Feb 19 2
Feb 22 -1
Feb 26 1
Mar 3 4
Mar 4 1
Mar 6 2
Mar 7 1
Mar 10 3
Mar 17 5
Mar 20 7
Mar 24 9
Mar 27 6

Points Gap with Reading
Feb 19 5
Feb 26 5
Mar 3 5
Mar 6 3
Mar 13 2
Mar 20 5

Fat Sam hasn't quite blown it just yet. Unfortunately.

didnt think they would be out of it, look at their squad and really a joke that they havent walked away with the title. As Nigel has said recently though lets focus on what we can do, just need a few more wins. Certainly I dont see it a foregone conclusion like some fans as we have some tricky games but remain confident Nigel will have them prepared as best he can. then down to how the players perform on the pitch.

I think it's down to us and Reading now. Fat Sam's completely blown it, WHU are 2-4 down at home to Reading. The outcome of Saints' home game against Reading on the 13th will probably dictate the destination of the title.

As an amusing aside, the Skates have been hammered 5-1 at home by Burnley. Hopefully Saints can inflict more of the same on them next week.

After today's games.....

1 Southampton 40 34 78
2 Reading 40 24 76
3 West Ham 40 21 72
4 Birmingham 39 21 63
5 Blackpool 40 13 63
6 Brighton 40 8 63
7 Middlesbrough 40 3 63
8 Cardiff 40 7 61

Points Gap with West Ham
Feb 19 2
Feb 22 -1
Feb 26 1
Mar 3 4
Mar 4 1
Mar 6 2
Mar 7 1
Mar 10 3
Mar 17 5
Mar 20 7
Mar 24 9
Mar 27 6

Points Gap with Reading
Feb 19 5
Feb 26 5
Mar 3 5
Mar 6 3
Mar 13 2
Mar 20 5
Mar 31 2

Nostromo wrote:I think it's down to us and Reading now. Fat Sam's completely blown it, WHU are 2-4 down at home to Reading. The outcome of Saints' home game against Reading on the 13th will probably dictate the destination of the title.

As an amusing aside, the Skates have been hammered 5-1 at home by Burnley. Hopefully Saints can inflict more of the same on them next week.

Wish I could feel as confident.......2 more televised games that could again be disasters. And Pompey are gonna fight for their lives.

I think our remaining games could easily end...

PORTSMOUTH (H) draw
CRYSTAL PAL (A) draw
READING (H) lose
PETERBOROUGH (A) draw
MIDDLESBROUGH (A) lose
COVENTRY (H) win

6 points from the last games would take us to 84 points. I reckon that would leave Reading as outright champions by maybe 6 points............and a scrap between us and West Ham for second place and that could go either way.

(Before today I was confident we would be going up so hopefully I'll feel better again tomorrow)

matty07uk wrote:well my predictions are

Saints 87 points
WHam 86 points
Reading 85 points

Have tried not to be overly optimistic for saints, 3 wins 3 draws and 2 defeats last 8 games.

Adjusted this based on last 2 actual results since I made predictiosn would see

Reading 88 points
Saints 87 points
WHam 83 points

Just need Rickie, Lee and Richardson for for final games!

SaintMike wrote:

Nostromo wrote:I think it's down to us and Reading now. Fat Sam's completely blown it, WHU are 2-4 down at home to Reading. The outcome of Saints' home game against Reading on the 13th will probably dictate the destination of the title.

As an amusing aside, the Skates have been hammered 5-1 at home by Burnley. Hopefully Saints can inflict more of the same on them next week.

Wish I could feel as confident.......2 more televised games that could again be disasters. And Pompey are gonna fight for their lives.

I think our remaining games could easily end...

PORTSMOUTH (H) draw
CRYSTAL PAL (A) draw
READING (H) lose
PETERBOROUGH (A) draw
MIDDLESBROUGH (A) lose
COVENTRY (H) win

6 points from the last games would take us to 84 points. I reckon that would leave Reading as outright champions by maybe 6 points............and a scrap between us and West Ham for second place and that could go either way.

(Before today I was confident we would be going up so hopefully I'll feel better again tomorrow)

Yeah, well, I posted that before our dismal flop of a non-display in front of the BBC cameras yesterday. Absolutely f*cking dire.

I hope the team recovers from yesterday, Lambert returns for the Skate game (Adkins said in his interview yesterday that he was just rested as a precaution) and that we not only get promoted automatically but aren't pipped by Reading (apart from anything else, I don't think I could bear to see Sally Taylor's smug face on South Today if that happened - she claims to be a Reading fan).

Hope Friday turns out to be a good friday for Yorkshire clubs..........as Reading and West Ham face Leeds and Barnsley.

never know with Leeds, would think some would be fired up with Warnock but seem to have given up now.

A horrible thought......but much stranger things happen in football........and by putting this in black and white now I hope it will not happen.

It is unfortunately quite conceivable that the next 6 days could shape up something like this......

Friday
Reading draw with Leeds
West Ham win at Barnsley

Saturday
Saints lose to Pompey (please no!!)

Monday
West Ham beat Birmingham
Saints lose at Palace

Tuesday
Reading draw at Brighton

That, by no means impossible, set of results would leave the three teams in deadlock on 78 points......all with 4 games to play.......and with the Saints/Reading clash next up. Something of a nightmare scenario I am thinking so please don't let it happen....

Thanks for painting that bleak picture.

I am going to miss three out of the next six games (I'm going to the US on Tuesday and back just before the Cov game) and while I do regret missing the games, in a strange way I am also not sorry. Why? Because, if we do cock it up, then a 6-hour time difference and 5000 miles will ease the pain of it...a bit.