11 points off automatic spot

[Berkshire Blade]

but back in 2019, nobody was saying White, Bellingham, Tomori, Henry, Martinez were going to be top ballers back then.

Bellingham absolutely was hyped up. Mount doesn't even make this list. The squad that came 2nd and made 9th in the premier league with mostly championship incomings doesn't make this list.

I don't see much championship football kit involving us but even back then various players got on my radar. Will never forget how amazing James was in one game against Leeds or the pigs and texting all my Chelsea pals. Nothing like that now imo!

 

[Tarqs]

Bellingham absolutely was hyped up. Mount doesn't even make this list. The squad that came 2nd and made 9th in the premier league with mostly championship incomings doesn't make this list.

I don't see much championship football kit involving us but even back then various players got on my radar. Will never forget how amazing James was in one game against Leeds or the pigs and texting all my Chelsea pals. Nothing like that now imo!

Bellingham had only just started playing that season. Yeah he looked decent, but absolutely NOBODY is thinking he was going to be world class.

 

[Berkshire Blade]

Bellingham had only just started playing that season. Yeah he looked decent, but absolutely NOBODY is thinking he was going to be world class.

Birmingham literally retired his shirt number such was the hype there and he left in the summer

 

[Isaw Joeshaw]

I think I’m right in saying that over the last 5 games only Coventry have accumulated more points than us .

If we were to have similar success over the next 5 , it would send us flying up the table and putting us in contention for at least the the playoffs and looking at these fixtures there seems to be a good chance that this could happen .

My optimism in this respect stems from the fact that we have now established a team selection , formation and style of play that is far more conducive to winning games of football than has been the case this season until recent times .

This has had a noticeable effect on many of our players who are now playing with a smile on their face and a spring in their step which had been sadly missing .

Long may it continue .

 

[A Storm of Blades]

Match Day 18 last season. Coventry were a point worse off than us now and 1 point further away from 6th. They finished 5th.

 

[Uganda Blade]

I really really want this to be true (the flying up the table bit), but I don't know if it's possible.
For example, if we beat Stoke on Saturday, the highest we can climb is one place, above Blackburn, if they lose at home. Against the pigs.
The permutations for the mid-week games don't look much better.
I suspect we will add to our points total, but it might be more a case of inching than flying up the table.

 

[Keen Blade]

We've proved beyond doubt that we don't have the wealthy owners or the critical mass to enjoy the PL.

So why all this clamouring for a journey into embarrassing pain & failure ?

Why can't we simply enjoy football at our natural level , ensuring that we avoid dropping to L1 ?

It's ironic that as soon as i suggested something which might allow upwards progress , like a merger of the two Sheffield clubs or , at the very least , a ground share to bring us into the 21st century , the overwhelming majority want to crush the idea.

You can't have it both ways.

You either want the national & global prestige of genuine PL membership for Sheffield - and are prepared to make bold moves to achieve it.

Or you want to continue as per the last 50 or 70 years - as little old Sheffield United , up & down all over the place , but mainly Championship level.

Shit or get off the pot.

 

[Silent Blade]

We've proved beyond doubt that we don't have the wealthy owners or the critical mass to enjoy the PL.

So why all this clamouring for a journey into embarrassing pain & failure ?

Why can't we simply enjoy football at our natural level , ensuring that we avoid dropping to L1 ?

It's ironic that as soon as i suggested something which might allow upwards progress , like a merger of the two Sheffield clubs or , at the very least , a ground share to bring us into the 21st century , the overwhelming majority want to crush the idea.

You can't have it both ways.

You either want the national & global prestige of genuine PL membership for Sheffield - and are prepared to make bold moves to achieve it.

Or you want to continue as per the last 50 or 70 years - as little old Sheffield United , up & down all over the place , but mainly Championship level.

Shit or get off the pot.

 

[PaulPeschBlade]

We have the best player Hamer

The best CB Tanganga

And the best set of strikers in the league

If we don’t get top two I’ll be firmly wilder out

 

[Rodley]

If we beat Stoke then we will have more points than at the same stage of the Slav/Hecky season where we finished 5th. Difference is that team had Ndiaye, Gibbs-White and Berge though

We’re already ahead of Coventry on points last season. Don’t think we necessarily need that difference the way we are playing and the quality we have.

 

[PaulPeschBlade]

We’re already ahead of Coventry on points last season. Don’t think we necessarily need that difference the way we are playing and the quality we have.

Look at Leyton orient and the run they put in last season


Get up to mid table around jan and anything can happen

 

[Rodley]

If we don’t get top two I’ll be firmly wilder out

Too blatant Fallowfield.

 

[mattbianco1]

It hurts more every bloody time. But attendance is compulsory…

Owlstalk is that way >>>>>>>

 

[Dkc]

6th place was 66 points last season. That was a huge outlier. It's currently tracking at 74 points for 6th.

United would need 2 points a game over the last 28 games to get to 75. Not a chance

We achieved that last season

 

[mattbianco1]

Catching up 11 points (or however many it is now the weekend's fixtures are complete) over 28 games isn't the issue.

There are SIXTEEN teams ahead of us in the hypothetical race for 2nd and that traffic is the issue.

Example, Bristol City only need 39 points from 28 games to match what they did last season, which was good enough for the last playoff spot.

For us to emulate that points total (68), we'd need 49 from 28 which translates to an 80 point season overall.

Every further point above 38 they gain, our task gets pushed to the edge of reality. If they did 49 from 28 - not a crazy target for a team already in 6th - we'd need title-winning equivalent form above 2 pts per game to catch them.

The point is that even when you consider all that, there are still 4 teams better placed than Bristol City in the race for 2nd. And another 12 between us and them.

If we were 7th and 11 pts off, we'd talk about giving it our best shot and if teams take points off each other then who knows.

I'm still wishing for it, mind. It's the hope etc etc

But the top 6 this season have a combined 196pts between them, that includes Coventry on 43pts... 5pts more than United (league leaders) at the same point last season.

The top 6 last season at this point were on 202pts.

Everybody is beating everybody so i think the points required for 6th will be lower.

We could do with Coventry continuing to smash everybody

 

[mattbianco1]

I think I’m right in saying that over the last 5 games only Coventry have accumulated more points than us .

We're currently 4th in the form guide:



Interestingly, our only defeat in those 5 was against Coventry

I really really want this to be true (the flying up the table bit), but I don't know if it's possible.
For example, if we beat Stoke on Saturday, the highest we can climb is one place, above Blackburn, if they lose at home. Against the pigs.
The permutations for the mid-week games don't look much better.
I suspect we will add to our points total, but it might be more a case of inching than flying up the table.

You're right, until we can break into the next group.

4th place to 14th place are just 6 points apart for example

 

[Roygbiv]

We’re already ahead of Coventry on points last season. Don’t think we necessarily need that difference the way we are playing and the quality we have.

I've written a piece on the similarities to Heckys first season that I'll post on here when the it's published. I still think it's highly unlikely but nice to be even thinking about it

 

[GymClassHero]

It’s way too early to start thinking about promotion. We are halfway through the season and sit just above the bottom 3.

First priority has got to be keeping on picking up points and reaching a position of safety.

I’m fairly certain we will be ok this season, Wilder is now looking to have corrected the idiocy of the Selles reign and disastrous AI experiment but this season still looks like a write off.

The most sensible thing we can do is focus on firstly staying up, secondly finishing as high as we can and thirdly rebuilding for a tilt at promotion next season

A small part of me does believe we can do it (promotion), but the realist in me says safety is the goal. Which I think we will comfortably achieve.

 

[Houston_Blade]

If we beat Stoke then we will have more points than at the same stage of the Slav/Hecky season where we finished 5th. Difference is that team had Ndiaye, Gibbs-White and Berge though

Sander scored the deciding goal for Man City last night, he’s finally achieved his ambition!