Fourth place

[Molby]

There is lot of twists and turns ahead over the rest of the season, we are certainly capable of taking 4th. We are the form side at the minute...

It would be safe to assume that if anybody had've suggested after the Blackpool game we would've won 4 in a row and not conceded any, they would've been laughed at!

Anything is possible, especially with the King on the throne.

It's there for the taking. Of course we can get 4th.

[ELNINO 9]

if kenny had of been brought in a few weeks earlier i would say yes but the defeats to wolves,blackburn and blackpool cost us dearly here

[danperkins]

IMO the standard of the premier league and the conclusion to whether it has become weaker can be better judged by how well the English teams do in Europe against the top european opposition. We'll know by how well they do come the end of these competitions.

Thus far all English teams in the Champions League and the Europa League finished top of their respective groups. IMO there are more teams challenging and competiting in the top tier of the premier league, and taking points off each other, also IMO the mid table teams the likes of Sunderland,Bolton etc seem to have improved and seem more competitive. its gone from a predictable 2 or 3 horse race, to a 4 and 5 horse race, where any of these 5 teams can take points off each other, i think its great to be honest the more the merrier.

As for the champs league, IMO its Barca's to lose, if they play the way they can play, nobody will beat them.

[BobTheCharmer]

As for the champs league, IMO its Barca's to lose, if they play the way they can play, nobody will beat them.

people said the same when we played Wimbledon in 1988 or Palace in the semi's in 1991.

Way too early to say Barca will win it. They came unstuck last year.

[Craig_H]

What do you suggest someone says then Bob, when considering a prediction? Should they opt for someone OTHER than who they think are the most likely winners?

[spanky]

if kenny had of been brought in a few weeks earlier i would say yes but the defeats to wolves,blackburn and blackpool cost us dearly here

i know, blackburn, wigan, stoke, wolves, newcastle, sunderland results. even if we took maximum points from half of them we'd be 6/9 points better off or nicely placed in 4th.

but we are were we are and all we can do is get ourselves in the position to take advantage if spurs and chavs slip up

[little dave hedgehog]

i know, blackburn, wigan, stoke, wolves, newcastle, sunderland results. even if we took maximum points from half of them we'd be 6/9 points better off or nicely placed in 4th.

but we are were we are and all we can do is get ourselves in the position to take advantage if spurs and chavs slip up

this is the most confusing thing ever written.

[Fosterbloke]

this is the most confusing thing ever written.

I understood it even it was misspelled. Let me help you -

We are where we are (so you can't turn back time) and it's up to us to keep winning matches and go for 4th.

[spanky]

thanks

[red g]

Liverpool are a team on the up and look set for a Top Six finish when a relegation battle looked a more likely scenario earlier on in the season. But the Betfair Contrarian is pushing the boat out even more and predicting a Champions League spot for the Reds...

The Betfair Contrarian: Why Liverpool will finish in the top four

Four weeks ago, the Contrarian ignored Kenny Dalglish's losses to Manchester United and Blackpool in his first two games back in charge at Anfield to recommend backing Liverpool to finish in the top six at 3.9. Five matches and 13 points later, the Reds are in to 1.42 in that market and progressing at an even faster rate than the notorious champion of the underdog expected. So swiftly in fact, that he is now tipping them to qualify for the Champions League at 7.0. Here's why...

The gap is only six points...

A team six points behind the Premier League leaders at this point in the season having played a game more might have their title credentials doubted - Manchester City find themselves in a similar position now - but it's not a decisive margin in the battle for a top-four finish, as has been proven frequently in recent campaigns. Arsenal recovered a four-point deficit with just four left to play when battling with Tottenham in 2005-06, while they trailed Aston Villa by seven points on this date two years ago. Liverpool also have experience of chasing, having clawed their way back from seventh at the start of February 2008 to eventually end up a whopping 11 points clear of fifth-placed Everton.

...and they have already recovered six

The greatest proof that Liverpool have nothing to fear and plenty of time to make up the ground required with a dozen fixtures remaining is that in their last four outings alone they have already recovered six points, having been 12 points shy of the Champions League positions following their 2-2 draw with Everton at Anfield on January 16.

Liverpool have an undaunting run-in

Chelsea have a game in hand on Liverpool but there's no guarantee that they'll pick up any points against table-topping Manchester United, who they still have to face twice. Tottenham have a game in hand too, however the worry for them is that just one of their final 13 matches is against a club placed between eighth and 14th, the ones likely to have the least to play for in the closing weeks, and therefore more favourable opponents than those fighting relegation, of which Spurs clash with seven to Liverpool's four. Encouragingly, Dalglish's side meet only four of the ten teams that have already beaten them in their closing 12 ties, and each of those encounters takes place at Anfield.

The Suarez and Carroll partnership is still to come

Liverpool defeated two top-half Premier League sides last week without departed top goalscorer Fernando Torres and big-money January acquisitions Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll in the starting line-up. A key reason for that success is the defensive improvement under Dalglish, with four successive clean sheets obtained, and Raul Meireles in form, but it begs the question that if they can achieve so much without a proven goal-getter, how much better will they get with two? Carroll's price tag can be questioned, yet he has scored more goals this season than any top-flight player besides Dimitar Berbatov and Carlos Tevez. This despite an injury absence and playing for a promoted team, while Suarez netted 49 times for Ajax last year, showing it was no fluke by delivering at the World Cup too.

They did the double over Chelsea

How about this for a promising omen? Since Roman Abramovich took over at Chelsea in 2003, rapidly turning them from top-six regulars that never looked capable of finishing first into regular title contenders, Liverpool had only once done the double over the Blues - in 2008-09 - and that was the only one of the first seven seasons of Abramovich's reign in which the Reds outperformed their west London rivals. Last weekend's 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge allowed them to replicate the feat.

[ChesterDave]

Its going to be very difficult for us to make fourth. Near on impossible without some serious choking from the teams above us

I used the BBC predictor thing and put a 1-0 win for every team in the top 6 in all their matches not against each other, and a 1-0 win for Liverpool against others in the top 6 to see how important the matches against each other were.

This is what the table would look like.


TEAM--P--GD--PTS
Arse---36--36-80
Utd----34--38-78
LFC----38--15-74
Citeh--35--27--73
------------------
Spuds-35--16-71
-------------------
Chavs--33-31--68

Utd v City
Chel v Utd
Chels v City
City v Spurs
Arse v Utd
Che v Spurs
Utd v Chels
Arse v ??? Appear to have an unscheduled game?
Spurs v ?? also seem to have 1 fixture missing

Now obviously this scenario is unlikely we wont win all those games and no doubt the others will not win all their games. Even if we drop points at the same rate as the teams around us we still need to take maxpoints from utd/arsenal/city/utd... I cant see that happening at all.

5th yes, fourth no.

[Craig_H]

The missing fixture IS Spurs v Arsenal at WHL.

And Chelsea also had a fixture missing, i think. Home to Brum.

[RichC]

this would be a really tough acheivement but it's not impossible - nobody is looking great this season and we certainly look like the team in the top 10 that's currently in good form

12 games left for us, if we could get 9 wins & a draw from that we'd have given ourselves a decent chance at it.

[Craig_H]

We've made up 6 points on Chelsea and Spurs in the last 4 games.

[RichC]

We have indeed, like I said be tough to get it but it's certainly do able

So nice to actually have a feel good factor back in the club after having H&G then the Bodge!