[cgpg5]

If Chelsea win the CL they will qualify as holders regardless of position in the league.

[Helix]

Originally Posted by G.K.

Actually Helix, Chelsea would qualify if they won the CL, wherever they finished.

http://www.premierleague.com/en-gb/f...lay-in-europe/

i stand corrected

that's new

either way, it'd be a hell of a risk wouldn't it... resting all your players on the basis that there's no CL football if you don't win the final with half a starting xi suspended

[Mr Alan]

Actually you're wrong Helix

IF CHELSEA WIN THE UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
The Blues will qualify for the Group Stage of next season's tournament as winners.
If Chelsea also finish third in the Barclays Premier League (their highest-possible finish as of April 25th), then the fourth-placed team will enter the competition at the Play-Off stage (which follows the three qualifcation rounds) - the final obstacle ahead of the Group Stage.
If Chelsea finish fourth, all four Barclays Premier League teams will enter at the Group Stage.
If Chelsea finish fifth or lower, they still enter at the Group Stage as defending champions. Because no nation can have more than four teams in the competition, the team that finishes fourth in the Barclays Premier League will qualify for the UEFA Europa League, not the UEFA Champions League. The top three clubs will enter the UEFA Champions League at the Group Stage as normal.

From premierleague.com

[cgpg5]

Originally Posted by Helix

i stand corrected

that's new

either way, it'd be a hell of a risk wouldn't it... resting all your players on the basis that there's no CL football if you don't win the final with half a starting xi suspended

Exactly they have to go all out tomorrow. As I said they can play Terry, Ramires, Ivanovic and Meireles with no fear of them missing the final if they acquired an injury.

[Mr Alan]

It's not new, the rule was changed back after we won it.

[Patser]

Either way, there's a long gap to the CL and FA cup finals for Chelseas now, so unlike last weekend, they don't need to be resting players.

Also to be 100% fair, Wigan have now beaten 3 of the top 4 over the last few weeks. Back then, with that run ahead, Wigan looked dead and buried. After beating Utd, Arsenal and hammering Newcastle today, they deserve to stay up. If QPR can go on a similar run and beat Chelsea and City, it'd be hard to begrudge them safety too. But that's if they go on that run.

IMO it's looking like it'll all come down to the last day of the season, same as last year, and at a guess I'll say Blackburn will be gone by then too. So it'll be us, QPR and Bolton fighting it out for survival that day. If so and given the stakes, I'd rather be playing Norwich than a Man City side possibly chasing the title. Monday night's game suddenly has a big impact on our season.

It's all so very, very frustrating. How many times over the last few games have we looked suddenly safe - ahead against Stoke, ahead against Bolton, 0-0s with Sunderland and WBA where any jammy goal would have sealed it. And still we're down on the mix.

[pavb2]

20 points dropped from winnng positions isn't it?

I think Blackburn are gone, so QPR looking most likely to join them with Stoke (H) Chelsea & Man City away. But as Wigan have shown......

Think we need a City win on Monday

[Patser]

Well Blackburn's loss today makes it all but impossible for them to catch us - 6 points and 14 goals behind us. And QPR's thrashing by Chelsea doesn't bode well for their fighting abilities since they'll need to get something from the City match, regardless of what they do against Stoke.

So it is starting to look like we're dragging ourselves slowly over the finish line. Hopefully this will act as a wake up call the Randy Lerner, that flirting with relegation last season, then selling all our most creative players, is not going to make us any more competitive the following year. It's starting to feel like the Villa Thread belongs in with the Irish Economy forum, we've gone through so much austerity the last few years after our MON Tiger years but really there's not that much more left to cut from the team. Instead it needs investment and some excitement back for next season to get us, the fans, back interetested.

[Doodee]

Originally Posted by Patser

Well Blackburn's loss today makes it all but impossible for them to catch us - 6 points and 14 goals behind us. And QPR's thrashing by Chelsea doesn't bode well for their fighting abilities since they'll need to get something from the City match, regardless of what they do against Stoke.

So it is starting to look like we're dragging ourselves slowly over the finish line. Hopefully this will act as a wake up call the Randy Lerner, that flirting with relegation last season, then selling all our most creative players, is not going to make us any more competitive the following year. It's starting to feel like the Villa Thread belongs in with the Irish Economy forum, we've gone through so much austerity the last few years after our MON Tiger years but really there's not that much more left to cut from the team. Instead it needs investment and some excitement back for next season to get us, the fans, back interetested.

I must say that given how Wigan appear to fight through the rough times I would welcome Martinez as club manager.
Too bad he is not interested :/

[cgpg5]

Ye can now afford to lose ye're remaining games and still stay up imo. But boy do improvements have to be made

[Helix]

Originally Posted by Doodee

I must say that given how Wigan appear to fight through the rough times I would welcome Martinez as club manager.
Too bad he is not interested :/

to play devil's advocate there, it's also worth remembering he's the manager who was in charge to get them into tough times to begin with. this run they're on seems to be making people forget that they got into that mess with him as manager too

that said, i think he'd do a decent job

[Paully D]

Originally Posted by cgpg5

Ye can now afford to lose ye're remaining games and still stay up imo. But boy do improvements have to be made

Bent will be back fit at the start of the season which is a big boost to Villa. They've struggled to score lately and he's good for 15 a season.

[Helix]

Originally Posted by Paully D

Bent will be back fit at the start of the season which is a big boost to Villa. They've struggled to score lately and he's good for 15 a season.

assuming there's a new manager in and the way we play is changed, he's probably good for 20 tbh

our problems run deeper than our manager though. our lack of movement has been a problem since before lerner bought the club, and it continues to be our biggest issue. that doesnt get fixed overnight, so it's something that we're going to have to deal with for the best part of another decade

[O.A.P]

My stomach is churning watching this, hopefully Villa stay up and then get rid of the hired help from over the road,
Wigan hopefully stay up too they play nice stuff and definately deserve a place in the premier league more so than Villa I'm afraid.

[Paully D]

Wigan and Villa will stay up.

Blackburn and Wolves are gone now and it's between QPR and Bolton for that last spot. QPR will take it IMO.

I have to say I've taken Helix's view with regard to Villa's relegation chances and basically said there's no way they'll go down. I know it has looked hairy at times but it's never really got as bad as most of you thought IMO.