Looking at our fixtures at the start of the season I could see us having 10 points bythe time Chelsea visit. Anybody else feel this confident RE the fixture list?

-- Anonymous, August 01, 2000

Answers

Yes you are being overly optimistic and no I don't see us having 10 points by the Chelsea game...

I see us with 5 points....lose at Man utd, Beat Derby at home and draw with Spurs and Coventry...

We're crap defensively....same old story....

-- Anonymous, August 01, 2000

Draw at OT 1 point Beat Derby 3 points Draw Spurs 1 point Lose Coventry 0 points Chelsea draw 1 point. I predicted that we wouldn't get a point in August last year. I was wrong. We got one point. D'yer remember the joke "What's the difference between Newcastle and a cocktail stick?" "Newcastle have only got one point".

-- Anonymous, August 01, 2000

4 points Ot - 0 points , Derby - 1 point , Spurs 3 points , coventry - 0 points ... i wont be happy with that , but after the noise i was making pre season last year im saying nowt .. i just wish theyd hurry up and get the first two matches out the way , this is beginning to do my head in .

-- Anonymous, August 01, 2000

1 point at ManUre, 3 points Derby, 3 Points Spurs, 0 points at Cov.

I go for 7 points to the Chelsea game.

-- Anonymous, August 01, 2000

12 points. Wusses. Lightweights. Pantywaisters. F*ck me! It's like listening to Pit Bill's Desert Island Dirges on this thread ;-)

Newton Heath - overrated
Derby - sh*te
Spurs - shambolic
Coventry - due a pasting for last season's blip

No point in taking part if you can't be bothered to raise yourself. Take a chance of being knocked down so that the high feels better. No good waiting until the final whistle before feeling happy.

-- Anonymous, August 01, 2000

What makes Coventry so good ? I'd have thought we had more chance there than at OT.

If we're publishing wish lists, why not go the whole hog and say 15 points after Chelsea ?

There've been so many player changes in just about every side, that we have very little evidence on which to speculate on the outcome of games, so we might as well think big.

So here goes. 13 points after Chelsea, but I'm not even going to attempt a breakdown.

-- Anonymous, August 01, 2000

Pit Bill's Desert Island Dirges, indeed.

Eat your words Mr. Softie, for once we're on the same tack - you just beat me to it. :-/\

-- Anonymous, August 01, 2000

My apologies Bill, I would never have believed that your record collection would consist of:

Yazz - the Only way is Up
Led Zeppelin - Stairway to Heaven
Elton John - Rocket Man

I was fully expecting:

The Doors - The End
Rolling Stones - Paint it Black
AC/DC - Shot Down in Flames

-- Anonymous, August 01, 2000

I was extremely pessimistic last season as we had all of our bogey teams in thge first two months. If you look at it, we could get a draw at OT, we should beat Derby, we will beat Spurs as they have loads of new players to settle in and Coventry have sold MacAllister, Whelan and Keane. Why oh why (with the exception of Bartons elbow and Given in goal) should we lose at Coventry?

Last year I was pretty close, same this season. 10 points from the first four and top of the pile. Roll on May!

-- Anonymous, August 01, 2000

The stage is mine, get off. Man U are notoriously bad at the start of the season. They have only won once in the three years (I think) and that was a free kick from Beckam in the 10th minute of injury time. They start slow with overrated expectations. I don't see us losing a game until southampton--somethings never change.

-- Anonymous, August 01, 2000

My stomach is all in knots thinking about it all. I just want the first game over with...and hopefully won! Or at least draw. I'll worry about the rest after that. 20 more days......

-- Anonymous, August 01, 2000

Apology accepted Softie, and my record collection IS more like the second set.

Just cos I've got both feet through dethsdor but they slammed it before I got me head through doesn't mean I can't still occasionally always look on the bright side of what's left of life. :-/)

-- Anonymous, August 01, 2000

I dunno I disappear for a couple of days and I come back to see people predicting how many points we will have in a few matches.

Last season this was the scurge of our results. Remember West Ham and Bradford, which we needed to win to go eighth or something like that.

How about a BBS agreement that this be banned!?

-- Anonymous, August 02, 2000

I bet we beat Southampton away for the first time ever and I am convinced we'll win the Worthington, too.

-- Anonymous, August 02, 2000

PS. I know we have betaen Soton away but this was when London was still called Londinium and togas were all the rage.

-- Anonymous, August 02, 2000

Doug
Sounds like you're still suffering from the after effects of inhaling some of the noxious fumes that emanate from various objects lying around London Underground platforms.

-- Anonymous, August 02, 2000

Thanks for the reminder, debuilder! Agree....no talk of points. Especially in the week leading up to each game. That seemed to be when the damage was caused last season. No points, no league position predictions. Argh, i can feel the superstitions starting already. :-o

-- Anonymous, August 02, 2000

Problem is it's one way.

Expect the best, you're tempting fate and usually get the worst.

Expect the worst and you get what you expected.

There ain't no justice.

-- Anonymous, August 02, 2000

Which is why I usually try not to expect anything, hence my 'matchday tummy' which renders me incapable of eating or drinking until kick off when I suddenly find myself ravenous and ready to inhale the nearest snack stand. Or the contents of my refrigerator whilst at home during webcasts. ;-)

-- Anonymous, August 02, 2000

The squad looks good - better balanced than before. Still need a dominating figure in centre defence and a play-maker.
Confidence should be higher than the start last year given the apparently good team spirit, the good run second half of last season, the inspiring and reassuring presence of YBR and the increased noise and support at SJP what with wor lass getting stuck in.
I'm not counting points - but I expect a top 6 position throughout the season.

-- Anonymous, August 02, 2000