Ljungberg targets top four - POLL

[Liam]

ok, i'm not saying i think we can target 4th but surely all he is really saying is that we aren't that far behind Villa Man City Pompey etc so whay aren't we in the mix.

its the same kind of pressure that Slavan was talking about on sunday, lets have the positive pressure that we need and want to win every game and see where it gets us.

[sendô]

unrealistic maybe, but f*ck it.

he just came from Arsenal, was a big part of the 'unbeatables' and used to staying top four so he knows the slog.

No need to c*nt him off, I'm glad we have a winners attitude in our team.
again, this is why Curbs signed him, shows he aint just here for the money, his performances are fast becoming top class.

Well done Freddie I'm behind you even if this lot arn't.

Well said. I don't think any of us really thinks we will make 4th, but the fact is it is still possible, and we could certainly make a go of it, but that will only happen if the players have the right attitude, like Freddy has shown, rather than thinking "Well, we're likely to end up mid table, so f*** it why bother?". If they go for broke to get 4th, we might end up 6th or 7th with a bit of luck. It's not like we're still in any cups is it?

[k-r-c]

Now i'm not saying we will finish 4th place, and i dare not even delude myself into believing we can do it this season.

However last season, 29 games in, we sat bottom of the league. We managed to make up 4 points on charlton, 10 points on city(they also had 2 games in hand), 11 points on sheff united, and 12 points on wigan to finish 15th. (beating everton, blackburn, arsenal and man utd in the run in)

Making up the 9 points up to 4th or the 7 points up to fifth, a mean feat yes, but just as impossible as it was of us staving of relegation last year.

If this kind of attitude from Freddie can rub off on some of the other players paired with the returning of the likes of fit again Faubert and Bellamy, Ashton finding some kind of fitness again, Ljungberg hitting some kind of form. The continuation of Green, upson, linda, mullins and CFC's form. Why cant we aim for a top 8 finish? or dare i say a top 6 finish.

rose tinted specs etc etc.

COME ON YOU IRONS!

Good post.

[Jiminy_Cricket]

LOL! this guy been on the wacky backy clearly. you never know though i mean who would of thought we would of got out of the **** we were in last yr? a run like that could do it.

but it wont happen especially without another quality striker

[James P]

I'm all for optimism as long as it doesn't breed unfair expectation. If it drives the players on to achieve their potential then brilliant, but if it leads to a fans backlash because they can't perform miracles that could be harmful. A tenth place finish this season should in no way be considered a failure, even if we're setting our sights higher.

On another point, there's a lot of talk about if we can replicate the end of last season's form we can make Europe. Don't forget that higher up the table it's a lot harder to catch teams as the teams above you score more points. We were able to make up 10 points on Wigan, Charlton, Sheff Utd because they weren't picking up points themselves. Man City, Villa, and Everton will continue to pick up points as the season continues. They are likely to maintain good form and so we need to be incredibly strong to not just match them, but outscore them over the last 16 games.

For people interested in the maths, Villa and Man City in sixth and seventh are currently scoring 1.73 points a game this season. If they maintain that form, and there's no reason to suspect they won't, they'll finish on 65 points. We're on 32 points with 16 games left. To make 65 points we need to score over 2 points a game between now and the end of the season. That's a hell of a task and we need to bear in mind when we start setting targets. By all means we can aim for a top seven finish, but we should realise the size the task before we start expecting it.

[bubbles1966]

1 team in the top 7 will fall away sharply - it usually happens. My money's on Man City.

Now they've started playing decent teams at home they aren't winning. Their 100% home record was largely built against the bottom 7.

[johnpantsil]

Ok then, so IF we do make a euro place, what will happen to the 'tightening of the belts' at Upton Park? Will BG get his cheque book out and sign some talent in the summer???

[Mick188]

Fair play to him! I think he's starting to show that he still has a lot to offer and with a few important players coming back then why not?

[Hambrosia Stu]

this time last season all our new signings were saying that we will be staying up oh how we laughed, as the deluded twats hadn't seen us play

wonder if we'll be thinking similar come may as we did last may

if the players believe they can then we need to help drive them on

probably too much to ask but we are nearer fourth now than we were from safety this time last year

Good points. It's good to have optimism, and I don't think Freddie is over-egging the pudding

He's realistic enough to suggest it's a possibility rather than a likely outcome. But it's certainly not out of the question.

I take James P's point about it being harder to make up points at the top end, where teams will continue picking up regular points. But at the same time there's still a lot of the season to go, and we've got where we are so far with a patched up squad really

It should make for an interesting close to the season. If you look at our rivals for the European spots, how many are likely to improve, how many may drop off, and who is likely to remain at their current level? I guess those hit by the African nations are the ones most likely to drop off. I'd say Pompey and Blackburn would be my favourites to drop off. You'd think Everton are solid and will stay so. Both Newcastle and Spuds will surely improve, by how much is anyone's guess. I guess you could say it is likely that Villa & Man City will improve, if anything, as they're both coming out of a transition period, so will surely become more settled as time goes by

A bit like us. But with us, it's harder to guess due to the amount of players we've had out. Are we playing at or above our natural level? Will the injury jinx keep going until the end of the season? Will getting players back make little or no difference to the overall level of the team? Or, at the other extreme, could we suddenly get a fully fit squad, with competition for places pushing the team on to new levels?
Who knows, but if it is the latter, Freddie's optimism may not be misplaced

[Yarpio]

Maybe if he targeted the big black guy and the fat white bloke with the dodgy hair with the ball a little more frequently we might get somewhere.

[Mr Mutts]

Great attitude from a guy who has spent most of his career in one of the best setups in the country. Our younger players can certainly learn a lot from him. When curbs said at the weekend that we're looking at top 8, I agreed with him. Just look at what we've done with all the crocks.

Maybe it'll take too much time to make a real push...but the attitude of going for a top 4 might just mean that we stand a better chance of going the distance and getting a UEFA spot. And that, would be a great result IMO

[k-r-c]

And then we can draw Palermo away again :lol:

[monkeyhanger]

What's all this "Mr Sex" and "The Gay" ? Is Freddie defined by his sexuality FFS ? At least one poster said "Well done Freddie I'm behind you even if this lot arn't" Yeah and they wouldn't be in front of him either by the sound of it. :shock:

Back on topic, the gap between us Pompey, and Blackburn has been widening over recent weeks and we need to go on a decent run to catch them up. I still don't see us finishing higher than 8th this season but after last season that's a major improvement. I just wish we were playing more entertaining football in achieving this (especially at home).

[k-r-c]

Widening?

Just before christmas we was 11 points off 4th, 4 points behind Blackburn and 8 points behind Pompey.

We are now 4 points behind both Blackburn and Pompey and are 9 points off 4th.


Seems to me in the last 4 weeks we have made progress?

[il_martello_di_genovesi]

Great optimism from Freddie, and I agree with him totally. You have to make that target. It's obviously going to be very hard and unlikely...however it is still very possible. I think making comments like this shows that the players are up for the cause. It seems Ljungberg has seen that 4th spot is very open this season, and with the squad we have and the next few games we have, that we COULD achieve it. I don't think teams like Villa/City/Portsmouth are any better than us.

Our bext 4 games are very important...as they are all winnable. Obviously this means these are the types of games which will determine what we play for this season. if we can beat Liverpool next Wednesday, or even avoid defeat...I think it sets us up for a European qualification scrap. Man City have had a lot of easier games at home, and a lot of harder ones away...so now that will reverse, and we might see them slip down the table. Villa have a small squad, which when challenging for 4th place, could be their downfall. Portsmouth will lose points due to the players away at the ANC.

I think we should look at finishing 4th for sure, just as an outside target. Noone expects us there, so it will make no difference if we fall short.

[Hambrosia Stu]

I just wish we were playing more entertaining football in achieving this (especially at home).

But there have been glimpses. At City on sunday, we played some great passing football. Admittedly a lot of it had little end product, but the signs were encouraging

When you look at the injuries we've had, it's kind of determined how we've played. Defensively we've had relatively few problems, injury wise, and we've been excellent.

The midfield has seen much change. At times, like on sunday, we've looked like we're finally getting some good understandings going on. Quick passing and movement. The troubles been that Curbs has rarely had the cahnce to pick the same midfield 2 games in a row. Just as it's look like we have a good midfield shaping up, we have to change it. Despite that, we've done okay

And up front we've struggled. At times we've only had one fit striker. This has been reflected in how we've found it difficult to score goals, and how we've struggled to find a cutting edge in the final third. This has been even more obvious at home, where there is more emphasis to attack

I personally feel that if/when we finally get enough fit for competition for places in the midfield and upfront, we may see those areas perform as well as the defence have. If we can do that, we should be far more entertaining to watch when going forwards

[Yarpio]

Does anyone else think if we chucked a bit more money into it for a non-injured midfielder and a decent striker we could really make a go of that last champions league place? Then offload some players in the summer to recoup some of the cash back.

Or even a couple of loan players. Good ones though.

[Up the Junction]

Poll now added.

[West Ham Tom]

I think we should be aiming for fourth place. I remember Pards saying you need to aim high. If we aim for a top 10 place we might not make it, aim for europe probably at least be in the top 10 and if we aim for fourth then uefa cup place at the very least!
I do miss Pards enthusiaum as he really did make me believe we could acheive anything!

[Up the Junction]

I remember Pards saying you need to aim high.

He was great at soundbites, for sure. Shame he couldn't back it up with actions - or get his players to believe him.