Game On

[redandwhite1874]

8 games to go and 5 points separate the bottom 5. In terms of league form we are 10th over the last 6 and 9th over the last 10: http://www.soccerstats.com/formtable.as ... e=scotland

We are the smallest team in the league and are trying to have a 4th consecutive season in the top flight for the first time since the 1930s

No one is saying the garden is all rosy, and relegation is still a clear possibility, but we are still competing.

[Willie Wastle]

Correct.

If everyone associated with the club does their bit, and we give our full support - we can stay up. And what an achievement that would be.

[accies1874]

Too right, mate! No matter your stance, we quite simply have to back them for the remaining games.

[redandwhite1874]

Just seen that Killie's games before the split are all against the top 5 so they could yet get dragged back. RC playing dundee on Tuesday and it's hard to figure out what result would suit us best? but Aberdeen scudding ICT would do nicely.

[Stevie Clarke]

Just seen that Killie's games before the split are all against the top 5 so they could yet get dragged back. RC playing dundee on Tuesday and it's hard to figure out what result would suit us best? but Aberdeen scudding ICT would do nicely.

I said after the Dons miracle that four more wins and a couple of draws should be enough to save us and that was maybe a bonus win yesterday. Ideally we'll get the other three against Well twice and away at Inverness. But there's no reason why we can't do even better. Having said that, I can actually see us getting scudded again in midweek but a win over County would make up for it. Home form against very average sides will probably be the key. I think we'll only have two home games after the split the way it's looking - Motherwell and Dundee.

[redandwhite1874]

You could be right re post split fixtures albeit did we not only have 16 home games before the split whilst others will have had 17? Not sure we have ever gained an advantage from the built in disparity the split introduces?

[Euan]

We need Kilmarnock to overtake Thistle for the top 6 spot to get another home game vs.Thistle. However we have a good away record at Rugby Park and it's a good away trip so that might be preferable.

[Willie Wastle]

I want to see Kilmarnock in the bottom six - then we'll see what they're made of. Their last three before the split are away to Celtic, and at home to Rangers and Hearts - they could lose all three, while our three games are all winnable. We could certainly close the six point gap between us and Killie.

I don't think we will win all three, but I'd settle for home wins and away draws from here in - that would guarantee us safety (3 x home wins + 4 x away draws = 13 points, taking us up to 40).

In each of the last two seasons, 37 points was needed for 10th place safety - 36 points three seasons ago. As we're currently on 27, we need another 10 points, so it would be good to get half of those before the split.

As regards the other teams, draws suit us best when they play each other, and that includes Ross County v Dundee tomorrow night (failing that, a Dundee win would surely demoralise County).

We can do this.

[redandwhite1874]

Things went well tonight until the death when 10 men RC got a penalty. Still it drags Dundee into it but makes Saturday even bigger even before tomorrow night.

[Stevie Clarke]

Things went well tonight until the death when 10 men RC got a penalty. Still it drags Dundee into it but makes Saturday even bigger even before tomorrow night.

Five defeats in a row for Dundee though and they go to Hearts on Saturday. They've already lost six in a row once this season then we came calling! Same could happen again, hopefully with us doing better. Our worst run is four in a row and that was the crazy spell of Celtic, Rangers, Celtic again and Aberdeen.

Jim O'Brien suspended for Saturday so that's good too.

[Willie Wastle]

If we win tonight, we go above Motherwell, dropping them into the play-off place, we go level with Dundee, 1 behind County and 3 behind Killie (if they lose tonight).

A few IFs, but that would be a great place to be going into Saturday's showdown v County.

[redandwhite1874]

Last home game before the split and away form suggests this is huge for us and a massive boost to catch RC ( by 2 goals to go above them); whilst they would probably take a point.

Hopefully Hearts get sorted against Dundee, St J take care of ICT and Partick destroy Motherwell. It's not much to ask 4 games to all go our way is it

[redandwhite1874]

Well other results went for us yesterday so now on to next week. Hopefully Killie and County get nothing from Hearts & Celtic but Well v ICT is an interesting one - do we want Well to give a huge blow to the bottom team ? Or ICT to drag Well deeper into trouble ?

Post split fixtures out early next week and although our opponents would suggest 3 away and 2 at home we are actually due 3 home fixtures to ensure 19 home and away over the season. RC for a third trip here please !?

[accies1874]

I've said on P&B that County at home's the one we're wanting for the extra home game, although it'll depend on what everyone else is due. We've not beaten Killie at home in 7 years, and we can most definitely beat Inverness either home or away; I don't think I could say the same about the other two.
These next 6 games are all winnable, but they're all just as easily not. Every single team will be saying the same. I don't know about everyone else, but I'm surprisingly excited.

[Stevie Clarke]

If we win next week I'll be hoping Inverness do the same. Would love to see Motherwell have a real brush with relegation. If we draw, then another draw would be good.

Interesting that we have taken ten more points at home than Well while of course they've taken ten more points away. We have the poorest scoring record in the bottom six and the best defence.

[Willie Wastle]

As a general rule, it's best for our relegation rivals to draw with one another. The arithmetic is no better illustrated than by Motherwell playing ICT: up to three points can be won, but if it's a draw only two points are won - as both teams are below us, it's better that they draw. In certain circumstances, a win can be better: for example, if next week's were the last fixtures, an ICT win would be best, because unless we lost by >6 goals, that would leave us ahead of both of them. However, that sort of situation aside, it's better that we keep the maximum possible distance between ourselves and the automatic relegation spot - at least in a play-off we still have a chance - so it's playing with fire to wish for an ICT win. Second best would be a Motherwell win, but draws are usually best.

Of course, none of this matters if we can't win games ourselves. We definitely need at least two more wins to hope to survive. But if we don't win at Dundee (and I don't expect us to) then it's all the more important that Motherwell and ICT share the points.

[redandwhite1874]

Well the Championship play off teams are now confirmed as Falkirk, United and Morton with the places still up for grabs. Hopefully we have no interest in this

[WAC]

Well the Championship play off teams are now confirmed as Falkirk, United and Morton with the places still up for grabs. Hopefully we have no interest in this

Hopefully it's Motherwell or Dundee with 1 of them being relegated automatically

[Jacobsladder]

I will admit I was one of the many who has been screaming Canning Out for ages but I'm now prepared to eat a big slice of humble pie
I am now expecting us to stay up - Caley will go down and i think it will be an all-Dundee playoff final with the Arabs coming back up. That will be especially pleasing for 2 reason - 1) Dundee being relegated after all the pasy history and 2) the chance to see Tony Andreu #22 at the Superseal again (although we hope the Arabs get gubbed when they visit)

[Neilhoodwasmyhero]

I'll be surprised if "22" is still at Tannadice next season. He will probably be into the last few months of his contract at Norwich and will either be getting a final once over from them to see if they want to retain him (unlikely) or moving to division One or two in England for more bucks than he will get up here.