Is 7th the realistic aim for this season?

Can Captain Colo lead us to Europe?
There has been a lot of talk of unbeaten runs and unexpected league positions already this season.

And quite rightly too! I mean we do currently occupy 4th place in the Premier League and have only lost one game all season, to what is arguably the best team in the league at the moment.

It’s all a bit premature though isn’t it? I mean don’t get me wrong, it’s great whilst it lasts and the longer it goes on the better it will feel no doubt. But it can’t go on can it? A quick look at the other squads is enough to kind of reinforce that train of thought.

So inspired by Toon Chicken and his point about us now being ten points clear of 8th place it’s made me wonder if 7th is about the best we could do, and whether or not that would be a bad thing in the grand scheme of things.

Personally I’d be over the moon with a 7th placed finish. It would makes us the “best of the rest” in my opinion and would line us up behind the six teams at the top that have had a nasty habit of being the six teams at the top for the last few years now. No shame in that is there?

A 7th placed finish may just about be good enough for Europe aswell. A quick look at who is left in the Carling Cup shows that all of the big hitters are left in the competition and it’s entirely possible that the final could be made up of two teams that will qualify for Europe through the league. That would make 6th place good enough for Europa League qualification.

Then there is the FA Cup which is generally considered to be the one that is taken more seriously. With more teams battling it out to make sure they don’t have a trophyless season you can bet that all of the big guns will be trying their best to win it. Of course we should be trying our best also, but when push comes to shove it’s the teams like Manchester United and Manchester City that have the squads capable of mounting challenges on multiple fronts. Should that be that case it would make 7th place a Europa League spot.

I’ve seen nothing to suggest that we couldn’t be the best of the rest. Of course this is largely dependent on keeping the players we have at the club but on the flipside of that you could argue that, should we strengthen in January, we could even pip 6th, maybe even 5th at a stretch.

Optimistic? Perhaps, given the strength in depth of the squads of teams we are competing with. Unrealistic? Nope, not at all.

In one season we’ve gone from a team that was competing to stay in the league, although in fairness that was achieved pretty easily aside from a few hairy moments in January and February, to a team that has a realistic chance of cementing a European spot.

That’s progress isn’t it?

About toonsy

A lifelong Newcastle fan and current webmaster of this very 'blog who has the sole aim of creating a place by Newcastle United fans, for Newcastle United fans.

94 thoughts on “Is 7th the realistic aim for this season?

  1. TOONSY aye i remember when they were the closest thing to being a one man team ive seen when the hand of god played for them 😀

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  2. Dont mention 7th
    even the mention of it gets Mackems all hot and bothered
    they froth at the mouth their eyes roll and rotate and if allone their hand homes in on their groin.

    It is the mystical number , number 7
    they mansged it (twice) and ever since became worse than they were before

    There was a Kia car advert that had them flapping not long ago….. Funny
    well it uncovered the mind of the micey Mackem

    But they havent quite tuned in to the season they are currently enjoying
    surging ahead with a home point against Fulham has again got them all inflamed and erect.

    Whatever happens I dont want Geordies to catch Septofever as it addles your mind.

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  3. I would imagine 7th to be our best bet.

    There are 3 types of 7th, though – best of the rest; worst of the best; and in a league of your own.

    Best of the rest means you are still lumped with the also rans; in a league of your own suggests a transition; the worst of the best means you might be on the brink of being a major player.

    A 7th that was within touching distance of 6th would be a tremendous achievement.

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  4. A few wise words from Arrigo Sacchi, that probably explain why we are doing so well:

    ‘”No. It is not a question of 4-4-2 or 4-2-1-3, it is a question of having a team which is ordered, in which the players are connected to one another, which moves together, as if it was a single player,” he interjects even as the question is being asked. “Today few teams know how to do this. Few teams work as a unit – few, really few teams. They are all made up of little groups. There is no great connection, nor a good distribution of players around the pitch.’

    Plus, realistically, we should get 6th spot, one place above Liverpool.

    article from the Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/nov/22/arrigo-sacchi-milan-italy

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  5. 7TH IT IS THEN …. FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A LOOOOOOOONG TIME I THINK WE HAVE A CHANCE OF GETTING SOMETHING FROM THE DIRTY MANCS .. I HAVE A GOOD FRIEND WHO SUPPORTS THESE ******* AND IT WILL GIVE ME A MASSIVE AMOUNT OF JOY IF I CAN SHOUT ‘FUUUUUUUUUUUCCCKKKKK YOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU DIIIIIIRTY MANC BASSSSSSTARRRRRDDDDDDDDDDDDDD’ DOWN THE PHONE IF WE GET A WIN COOOOOOOOMR ON

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  6. HOPE MR T IS FIT F UCKING HOPE SO AND NOT SLOW LIKE HE WAS AT THE START HE NEEDS TO BE QUICK SUPER QUICK AND BEAT THE ***** OUT OF SHREK AND FLETCH ERNAD THAT NANI NOBBER

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  7. For the first time I will be dissapointed if we don’t get a result at Old Trafford. This is the worst Man U side in a long time yet still 2nd in the league. Take away Rooney and Little Pea and they would be mid table.

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  8. ‘But Cavani’s low shot early in the second half saw off City, who must now beat Bayern Munich on 7 December to stand any chance of progression.

    They also need Villarreal to take at least a point off Napoli in Spain.’

    I fancy putting a bet on that those scenarios will happen and Man City will get to the final.

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  9. that champions league looks a tough competition,graham carr will have to discover a few more gems ,for us when we qualify,at the end of the season. 😆 😆

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  10. Honesty, i m happy that the newcastle is in the 4th place, and the illusion that see the Newcastle playing in the next champions league is kind of a dream, but a 7th place and play the Europa League is a good thing to, I prefer the 4to place but 7th is ok to.

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  11. 7th is def acheivable with current squad and 6th should be the aim – albeit probably far fetched but you need to aim high
    I don’t think Liverpool or spurs have great squads and up to date have been lucky on the injury front – we could even get 6th with rub of the green 🙂

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  12. 7th would be mint. I’m talking a 7th not too far behind 5th and 6th with a respectable gap to 4th. And a healthy margin between us and 8th. I think that’s what we broadly need to be aiming for given our start, the level of competition and the evident quality in our squad

    Howay the toon 🙂

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  13. Rooney’s a doubt for saturday which can only be a good thing! man united’s having problems this season, especially with injuries.

    Maybe with a bit of luck we can get a draw… or even 😯 end the 39 year hoodoo ❓ 😯

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  14. Between 6th and 10th would be right. If we get two draws out of next two games then maybe a defo 6th is on the cards. End of January will tell us which direction to be looking in.

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  15. 7th or 8th would be a fantastic season. Runner up in carling cup dont get europe anyway. Only runner up of fa cup do if its against a top 5 team.

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