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. 7th is entirely possible, but i dont see why we cant dream about a 4th… But whatever happens and whatever position we end up occupying, i am sure that it will be an improvement on last season, and thats good enough for me.

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  2. 6th should be the goal now (which would obviosuly require us to finish higher than either Arsenal or LPool). I think it is posible if we can get another striker, defender, have santon come good, and not lose anyone major to injury. it would help if we could 2-3 points from the next two matches

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  3. 6th I think depends upon somebody failing to achieve and although may be possible this season, I doubt that it is currently sustainable.7th however is. And we can build on it. However I believe that we shold be looking to improve on points year in year out. This season we should be aiming at 60+ points.

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  4. I think it’s obviously realistic, but not necessarily probable, if that makes sense. We’re not quite at the point where we can sustain the level we’re at for the whole season, as injuries, ACN and suspensions alwasy build up and we don’t yet have the depth to sustain it.

    But if we don’t suffer from those things too much, or people like Sammy keep adding unexpected quality to the squad, why not?

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  5. Have to agree with most of you. 7th seems attainable but only if we can get the most out of a small squad as far as quality is concerned. It will be a real fight to achieve it. And look what happens to clubs who actually get into Europe but don’t have the finances to really push ahead. Stoke is in Europe and now they are struggling badly in the Prem so we would have to be very careful and our cheap owner would have to support us with some decent spending. If we have a battle for 6th it would eventually be with Liverpool and they have more resources and a deeper squad, although many will say Dalglish has spent poorly so far. I wish we had Suarez instead of them though.

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  6. Lets not talk about squad strength when looking at getting 7th. Our squad is just as strong as anybody’s outside the top 6. With the start we have had in mind, I believe it would be a disappointment if we failed to achieve 7th given the points we have accrued thus far.

    We are easily as good technically, in terms of pace, defensively and up front as anybody outside the top 6.

    As a result we should expect 7th place, or at least a very hard fight for it. Optimistically provided the key players in this team are kept together throughout January and 1 or 2 added to give us a bit more depth, I believe this side could put up a real fight for 5th or 6th.

    Not dillusional, realistic. Dont talk to me about injuries setting in either. Same can be said for anybody! Come on you Toon! 🙂

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  7. Before our amazing run I placed a tenner on a 5-1 bet that we will finish top 6. I am now glad I did with the rate were going. I thought the beting odds were too low but I am glad I bet on it anyway. That 50 pounds looks a lot closer now 😉

    I would be really happy if we clinched 6th slightly disappointed if we finish lower as I really believe we have the quality to stay in the top 6.

    Now if we finish any higher or even a Champions League spot I’ll be ecstatic and go out and get way pissed celebrating 😆

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  8. By the end of January it’s always the best guide to see where the team will end up. All teams around that time usually end up in that very position or just one or two places lower.

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  9. Having watched Aston Villa against Tottenham I would say Villa will continue to struggle this year and there seems to be a clear gap developing between the top 7 teams and the rest. With us sitting 4th and 10 points ahead of Villa and QPR it looks very promising right now but we still have ManU and Chelsea to come and perhaps then we should look again. If we maintain an 8-10 point gap between ourselves and the 8th place team by Christmas I would say we are in good shape despite the ACN coming up. It’s mostly hope and optimism right now because the winter months are by far the toughest to maintain position in the standings.

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  10. I gather you’re not a fan of Everton B1GSTEVE? They are definitely looking weaker than they have in years. Even Moyes may have trouble getting them into the top 10 this season.

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  11. Spot on JP from the rock. The winter months really take a toll. By the rock do you mean Newfoundland? How did you end up there?

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  12. 7th is attainable for sure and if we finish there it will be a very good season.

    Personally speaking though, I don;t see any reason (injuries permitting) that we can`t give the top 4 position a good go at.

    I`m not saying we will get there and the season is only a 3rd in but with lady luck and a few January signings , assuming we are still in the hunt by then…then I don;t see why we can;t give the so called bigger boys a run for their money.
    I think only Man City and Man Utd will be out of our reach, the rest we can chase and at least scare.

    Whether we get there or not remains to be seen but I’d rather hold out “hope” because stranger things have happened.

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  13. G2 my point is I think Everton are likely to finish above Villa & be challenging for 7th. They seem to always finish the season a lot better than they start

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  14. Maybe not this season B1GSTEVE. Moyes has no money at all to spend and they haven’t replaced the players they have lost like Arteta. I see them somewhere between 10th and 14th this season and maybe Moyes gets fed up and leaves. Just a guess though and you could be right. I fancy Fulham improving and Bolton getting out of the bottom three but nobody below 7th looks that impressive anymore. I think the big losses over the last few years have really hurt a lot of teams. Very difficult to compete for good players now without driving your team into financial difficulty. Look at Sunderland for example. All that money spent and what a state they are in!

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  15. I’d still be happy with top 10, owa the moon with top 8, doing fecking cartwheels wi top 6 😀

    Everton will grind out results as they always do, but in the past they’ve relied heavily on Arteta and Cahill, Arteta’s gone and so far this season Cahill may as well be too. Drenthe is a decent player but he’s not a goal scorer and if they have to sell any of their “big names” in Jan they may then struggle to even grind out results.

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  16. At the end of December we will have played exactly half of our games.

    Looking at all of the prem fixtures up to that date we should be comfortable in the top seven with a 10-12 points gap to the eighth team which should be Everton.

    Prem would be a two tier league.
    Its great that we will be in the top tier – even if we are near the bottom of that top tier.

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  17. True Richie. Arteta was a HUGE loss for them.

    I expect Aresenal to spend a bit in January. LPool probably won’t but all of those new players will likely mesh a bit better as the season progresses. That is why we will need a couple of players in January if we have dreams beyond top 10 (which I’d be thrilled with anyway)

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  18. G2 Stoke have spent a bit as well, but it aint done them much good, but everton are strong defensively, too good for bottom half, but who knows what might happen ❓

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  19. MDS….aye, I’ve always seen Cahill as a big player for them too but he seems to be having a poor season by his standards……so far.

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  20. I tell you what, it’s refreshing to actually be having this discussion.. I think other teams will probably pick up a bit of steam, but I think we can take it up a notch as well.

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  21. 7th is the most likely finish.
    6th would be great.
    It really depends on whether we can keep beating the teams below us.
    We’ve been lucky a few times, but we’re actually improving as the season goes on.

    With HBA back, a new defender & forward in January, we may surprise everyone and finish higher.

    Things are certainly looking up. Lots of youngsters too. Sammi, Abeid, Gosling, Vuckic, Ranger.

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  22. lots of ifs and buts,not just for us,i think chelsea as a team are getting too old,liverpool, are no better than us and suarez could possibly get a six game ban,and any injury to van persie will knock arsenal to bits,Liverpool and Arsenal will struggle without them two,more than we struggle with injuries as we are more of a team unit,top 4/5 for us 😆 😆

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  23. As long as we keep picking up the odd win, and avoid losing games, we won’t need to worry about the teams behind us, cos that would mean they would all have to put a great run together to overtake us. I think we have enough strength in depth to retain at least 7th place this season. If we bring in a couple of new players, and don’t lose anyone in January, then 7th place is certainly within our reach.

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  24. I’m a firm believer that teams have bad patches every season.Unfortunately the Gooners Spuds and Liverpool seem to have had theirs Chelsea seem to be in theirs at the moment That leaves us Manure and Man City lets hope ours is brief.

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  25. MM my only worry is couple bad injurys re;marv,you know the luck toon have as you say imo we need defence cover badly if we get that top ten nee bother 😉

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  26. As we have discussed it depends largely on how many quality players fatty cashes in on in january !
    If we get a injury or injuries in defence or to D Ba !
    If we sign a striker or centre half !
    I think with the squad we have now and colo S Taylor and D Ba staying fit most of the season then 7th is possible but thats a big ask to get no injuries and in those areas we are thread bare , so i will say my prediction is 8th 😉

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  27. Bayern M. for the CL for my money, going along quite nicely nee fuss the team to beat imo,anyone know if they pay big wages there?

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  28. Icedog…get your spondoolicks on FC Bayern mate. …Though Schweini is injured at the mo with a broken shoulder , Tony Kroos is bossing things in midfield. Schweini will be back in the new year, by which time Robben will be firing on all cylinders too….the final this year is at the Allianz Arena too…

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  29. kin ‘el….

    looks like Everton ressies cuffed wor lot, even with Santone in the team. He cannot be a happy camper swopping the San Siro for Benton… 🙁

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  30. Isn’t there something about wages in German football? Or am I going mad?

    I know they pay quite well over there but always thought the hyperinflation of wages was kind of tempered by the dirt cheap ticket prices a lot of teams have?

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  31. Toonsy…not sure about the wages mate, though I would imagine most of the FC Bayern stars are picking up high wages when compared to the Prem… Obviously not Tevez / Rooney / John Terry / Balotelli type wages, but still quite high.

    You are right about the ticket prices though, quite reasonable compared to the robbing bar stewards in England…

    Yesterday on tele they mentioned that FC Bayern have played the last 146 Bundesliga games, home and away, in front of a full house…not three bad….

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  32. aye santon will have got a shock,ressies havent won since wor peter left them to move up or was it down 😕

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  33. I can’t even bring myself to speak about top 6 at the minute, it just seems to ridiculous given how nervous i was before the start of the season, wishing the lads prove me wrong though!

    Think 7th place is ours to cement over the next two years, most the clubs around us (and even above us) are full of ageing stars that will take some replacing.
    Once we are established as the 7th best club i think it will only take a few tweaks and youngsters improving for us to be recongised as european contenders.

    Tbh i can see us being in a league of our own, really dont rate many of the teams below us:
    Everton – one striker, Cahill getting old, no playmaker.
    Villa – played 6 defenders against spurs, enough said
    Stoke – i do rate them, but their transfer policy this summer was tat, they sould’ve invested in future seasons, instead they went for quick fix players like crouch and woodgate that will need replacing in 2/3 seasons
    Fulham? Scum? West Brom? Really don’t think we have much to fear outside top 6

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  34. The thing about the ACN is we are not the only team that will loose important players for that competion . I think our squad is more than capable of finishing 7th and to be honest i could see us getting 5th . Mancity are already champions elect , manure , spurs and Chelsea will fill the other top 4 places . We are in the mix with Liverpool and Arsenal for 5th to 7th places . If Van Persie is sold in january (he hasn’t signed a new contract yet) then i can see Arsenal losing ground on the rest and imo we are better than liverpool . January transfer period will be the telling factor for us , a couple of defenders and a striker in and Europe here we come . Maybe releasing LuaLua today was the first step to offloading unwanted players and making room on the wage bill for incoming players .

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  35. 50.000 euros per month for an average player apparently. Apparently Luca Toni earned 10 mill euros per year during his time at FC Bayern…three seasons ago. I would imagine Ribery, Robben, Gomez, Schweini are all earning big bucks summat close to 600K per month …

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  36. Maybe Citeh should have restede more players v us 😆
    If they lose this then it’s an uphill struggle to qualify 😯

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  37. Ok we’re not going to finish top four for Definately. We’re not really likely to finish top 6 as all the trams we’re competing with up there have much better squads than us and are likely to strengthen too in Jan. The difference in squads will start to tell around now I would think.

    Now as for 7th, I will be gutted if we don’t finish 7th. We’re 10 points clear of Villa who looked a bag of ***** last night and I’d be dissapointed if we let a ten point gap reduce to nothing, especially considering the inconsistency of those we’rebe competing with.

    If we took the season from now I would consider it a failure if we didn’t finish 7th but if you’d have asked me in August I’d have taken 10th.

    7th it should be and try and build from there, but I still shudder at the thought of every transfer window and the delights Mr Ashley may have in store for us.

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  38. If they Napoli win and beat Sevilla they’re through, if Napoli draw wi Sevilla Citeh would need to beat Bayern……basically if I was Citeh i’d be gettng me **** into gear now.

    Napoli have lost 3 league games and 1 CL game this season 😉

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  39. As much as I dislike what City stand for, I really hope they equalise against yet another dirty cheating Italian side.

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