The Prem, is it a Top4 or Top3,

[red g]

Sorry, but only 3 teams have a serious chance of winning the title. How can you justify our inclusion as a serious contender when the best we've managed is 2nd place in the last 18/19 years????

It wouldn't matter if there was a Big5, Big6 or Big 15 - it still wouldn't make us any more likely to win the league!

year in, year out we are tipped by many to win the league from the Racing post, to other pundits.....ok we fail year in, year out.... but are you saying in the last 20yrs you have never believed at the start we can do it?

its absolute rubbish not to call us genuine contenders

[Slinky Skills]

I reckon we're going to beat Utd, Chelsea and Arsenal away this year, I just have a feeling it's going to happen and when it does we'll be right back in there.

I know I sound like I'm talking ****e here but this year we'll finally start beating these teams away. No doubt I'm going to get canned for this post!!

[Hot Carl]

No doubt I'm going to get canned for this post!!

no one will be putting you in a can

[Mattshark]

I reckon we're going to beat Utd, Chelsea and Arsenal away this year, I just have a feeling it's going to happen and when it does we'll be right back in there.

I know I sound like I'm talking ****e here but this year we'll finally start beating these teams away. No doubt I'm going to get canned for this post!!

I agree with you mate.

[Neil Young]

I reckon we're going to beat Utd, Chelsea and Arsenal away this year, I just have a feeling it's going to happen and when it does we'll be right back in there.

I know I sound like I'm talking ****e here but this year we'll finally start beating these teams away. No doubt I'm going to get canned for this post!!

I think you'll probably end up being proved wrong but I don't think you're talking ****e.

carheex, on the other hand, will probably end up being proved right when he says we won't win the league but as usual is still managing to talk ****e.

It's a paradoxical world at times.

[carheex]

year in, year out we are tipped by many to win the league from the Racing post, to other pundits.....ok we fail year in, year out.... but are you saying in the last 20yrs you have never believed at the start we can do it?

its absolute rubbish not to call us genuine contenders

I may well have believed at some point but so many false dawns has made me a realistic person. I'm not sure what your point is regarding the racing post - the only thing i can say is that they've been wrong every year! i HOPE every season that we'll win it and various changes within the club and new signings give me renewed hope (recent takeover, appointment of rafa, sacking of houllier, signing of torres, kewell, collymore, ince etc etc). The fact remains....nothing changes - as much as i hate to say it, we ARE a premiership also-ran. that's not an opinion or an objective observation....it's a fact.

[desertscouser]

The Chavs can spend what they want but Drogba is irreplacable imo.

I agree with you but if they go and spend 35 million quid on bringing both Berbatov and Anelka suddenly Drogba leaving isn't so bad anymore. You'd be replacing 1 player with a partnership which in my opinion would be awesome. When it comes to spending Chelsea will soon prove that their recent miserly approach to the transfer market was only temporary whilst Maureen was about to get the boot.

Chelsea will not collapse in the 2nd half of the season like so many are predicting.

[Slinky Skills]

no one will be putting you in a can

[carheex]

I think you'll probably end up being proved wrong but I don't think you're talking ****e.

carheex, on the other hand, will probably end up being proved right when he says we won't win the league but as usual is still managing to talk ****e.

It's a paradoxical world at times.

Proved right AND talking ****e!? you've reached new depths of talking out of your bracket this time - well done!

[Slinky Skills]

I agree with you mate.

Good man!!

I'm telling you it's coming.

[Neil Young]

Proved right AND talking ****e!? you've reached new depths of talking out of your bracket this time - well done!

It's perfectly understandable. It depends on your definitions. Try using your imagination and looking at things from someone else's point of view, if you can.

[desertscouser]

I may well have believed at some point but so many false dawns has made me a realistic person. I'm not sure what your point is regarding the racing post - the only thing i can say is that they've been wrong every year! i HOPE every season that we'll win it and various changes within the club and new signings give me renewed hope (recent takeover, appointment of rafa, sacking of houllier, signing of torres, kewell, collymore, ince etc etc). The fact remains....nothing changes - as much as i hate to say it, we ARE a premiership also-ran. that's not an opinion or an objective observation....it's a fact.

It's difficult to admit the above but it's painfully true, we're still short of really pushing for the title. I think we're definitely getting closer but we still have plenty to do for the likes of United and Arsenal to consider us as real title contenders. FFS we're closer to the likes of Everton, Villa, City and Portsmouth than we are to Arsenl. Granted we have games in hand but we have to win them first...

Fingers crossed we cuff Wigan tonight followed by going on some kind of legendary run taking our rivals and some of us by surprise.

[paulcooper4]

I mean how can anyone in their right mind EXPECT us to win the title?

I always EXPECT us to win the title

[Kenneth]

year in, year out we are tipped by many to win the league from the Racing post, to other pundits.....ok we fail year in, year out.... but are you saying in the last 20yrs you have never believed at the start we can do it?

its absolute rubbish not to call us genuine contenders

At the start of the season I had a slight hope we could win it. I didn't think we would, but we could. Any time in the last decade we could have won it, with a lot of luck and a following wind, but it's a small chance. We hope the small chance actually happens against the odds, and while it still can, we are contenders, but it doesn't happen. Long shots rarely do. I always think my Grand National sweepstake has a chance at the start, and of course they do, but the horses with all four legs tend to pull away over time. It's daft to say we can't win it, but it's also daft to pick a team who are, imo the 4th best in the league, and say we will win with any confidence.

These days the margin for error is so small that I think we have blown our relatively small chance this season. There's always next season, until we drop points at home to all of the big team obvisouly, and draw/lose to Birmingham, if they're still in the PL. WHo knows, the planets might align correctly and we'll win # 19, but with Chelsea and the mancs spending big again, it's unlikely.

[CharlieMansonsSquint]

if rafa can get traore a champs league medal ANYTHING is possible.

But then he bins the Reading game when there was still a chance of picking up points, then there's leaving Torres out against Birmingham for "tactical reasons".

It doesn't make sense.

He's a good manager. It's just a shame that the league isn't the first priority for him, that would be the European cup - anyone who denies this is, well, in denial - and fair enough maybe he's right, realisitically we can win that. But when's the mentality going to change towards our supposed league title challenge? When are we going to have enough players/the right balance to be genuinely in it from August to May?

Right now I still think it's treated a bit half arsed, just an impression. There isn't that urgency with us that you see with the other 3 to do what it takes to win.

You know deep down I'd like us not to qualify for the European Cup next year, because then we'd have to go all for the league. I'm sure I'll get slaughtered for saying this.