The Unthinkable?

Chris James 03/03/2008 11comments | Jump to last

In response to a number of doom-mongering posts that have appeared in the last couple of weeks pertaining to an end of season collapse or finishing 4th and being pipped by CL winning neighbours, I thought I'd redress the balance with a best-case scenario.

For the record I'm not usually into schadenfreude and actually don't hate to see Liverpool do well (my supporting days started back in the early 80s when we were exchanging titles), but considering the attitude of a certain Spaniard across the park and the way we were robbed at Goodison I might just make an exception this year.

Right now the table is:
4. Everton P28 / 53 Pts
5. Liverpool P 27 / 50 Pts
6. A Villa P28 / 48 Pts

(N.B. I'm not even going to bring Chelsea into this as quite frankly I think we're in fantasy land if we expect them to perform 6 points worse than us on their run-in with a game in hand.)

Let's assume we take just 17 points from our remaining games (i.e. winning 5, drawing 2 and losing to Arsenal, Chelsea and one other, maybe Villa?).

Liverpool's run in has 2 likely defeats (Man U and Arsenal) and 7 tricky games they could easily draw/lose against Man City, Blackburn, Spurs, Newcastle, West Ham, Brum and us. Let's say they lose one of those and draw 3 (obviously we can create one of those results), leaving them with 5 wins, 3 draws and 18 points.

Meanwhile, Villa have a comparatively easy run in, facing only Man U as a pretty certain defeat and Pompey, Us, Brum and Hammers in the possible draw/lose category. Hence let's say they secure 6 wins and 3 draws, so 21 points.

This leaves us with a table of:
4. Everton p38 / 70 pts
5. Aston Villa p38 / 69 pts
6. Liverpool p38 / 68pts

Add to this happy picture the possible fact that the FA Cup final isn't a Man U v Chelsea affair, (thus awarding the finalists runner up UEFA spot to Pompey, Boro, Bristol or Cardiff) and suddenly it's Everton off to the CL, Villa+Spurs+FA Cup runners up going to UEFA and Liverpool not qualifying at all via domestic league or cup.

Of course there's the Intertoto, but hang on Liverpool haven't applied for entry...so that would leave them having to win the Champions League final to get any European football, IF they even got to the final.

Amount spent by Rafa in last four years to build a 'title winning' team...£174.85m
Liverpools latest debt...£150m (at least)
Watching the reds sweat it out for 120 mins in Russia before losing to a last minute penalty...Priceless!

Reader Comments

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Jay Harris
1 Posted 03/03/2008 at 17:09:17

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Chris its all FANTASY FOOTBALL - and long may it continue!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
COYB

Carl Rutherford
2 Posted 03/03/2008 at 17:15:45

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I like this new found optimism amongst blues! You haven?t mentioned the derby, I think we will win with a last minute penalty given when the ball strikes Jamie Carragher?s chest outside the area after the ref should have given a foul in the build-up outside the area! Rafa?s head then explodes in a fit of anger and Steven Gerrard and Torres get sent off for fighting after Gerrard says alice bands are for girls...

paul c
3 Posted 03/03/2008 at 18:31:54

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i personally think the pink lot across the park are more likely to lose the matches against lesser apponents than the likes of united and arsenal.

Martin Cutler
4 Posted 03/03/2008 at 19:16:03

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I would love for Carl’s post to become a reality!!
And for that matter Chris James’s.........even I think RS are a threat to us for the 4th spot but just as likely is the scenario that they won’t be in Europe next season!!
Please, please, please.............!!!

Gavin Ramejkis
5 Posted 03/03/2008 at 19:49:23

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Not picked up on by the twats at Sky but Fox’s highlights of the Pompey victory pointed out that Everton currently have the best disciplinary record in the EPL too that’s good for a Euro backdoor even if it is the inter joke-o cup

Sean Condon
6 Posted 03/03/2008 at 20:52:20

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Surely, this marks the first instance of the use of the word schadenfreude on TW. Apparently, the remarkable efforts of our beloved team are turning us into a bunch of brainboxes.
Wait a minute.....i just read Erik Dols? post. I take that last sentence back.

Man, is this really happening? Can this actually keep getting better? Absolutely awestruck by the last 20 min yesterday.

COYB!!!!!

Lyndon Lloyd
Editorial Team
7 Posted 03/03/2008 at 21:03:43

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Sean, this site has always been read by brainboxes! Type "schadenfreude" into the search box at the top of the page :)

Andy MacFarlane
8 Posted 03/03/2008 at 23:59:02

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Fuckin Hell, Lyndon. I was sad enough to do just what you said, and you?re right, "schadenfreude" appears all over the site history! Who did he play for, and in what era?

Sean Condon
9 Posted 04/03/2008 at 05:39:59

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Small wonder that on my YouTube profile I have a personal admonition to "watch my mouth". You?re sure that we?re not confusing schadenfreude with van der Meyde? Fuck, getting this egg off my face is damn near impossible! Thanks, Lyndon.
Btw, what the hell is a "search box"? Do know that i like to search for box, but...that?s another day, another thread.
COYB!!!!

Phil Roberts
10 Posted 04/03/2008 at 11:10:16

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Even better version came with Chelsea imploding and finishing 5th. Everton and Liverpool taking the last 2 champions league places, Everton in 3rd and them lot in 4th.

However Chelsea and Avram Grant?s season is saved by a 93rd minute penalty by Lampard to win the Champions League and thereby allow them back into Europe at the expense of the 4th placed team......:-)

Pete Gunby
11 Posted 04/03/2008 at 15:08:47

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Shady Freud was Sigmunds elder brother. He identified the urge for weak minded, characterless simpletons to support whoever the media promotes and/or is a frontrunner. These fair weather supporters are easily identified as the burks who protest loudly "I’ve always supported Manu" or "I’ve bee a Red forever". This in spite of the photo’s of them in thier Leeds Utd. strip sometime back in the mid 90’s. Love all the league scenarios given but only caring about us getting top 4. COYB.

eve austin
12 Posted 04/03/2008 at 19:32:20

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I’d love it if ’the unthinkable’ happend. I’d love it if we sent the barcodes to the championship on the last day of the season. Oh what joy...

Sean Allinson
13 Posted 05/03/2008 at 10:54:41

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If the RS came 6th, how long before UEFA moved some goalposts and changed the rules to allow late entry into the Inter-Toto?

Not as much glory, but none of the shame.