How high can Leicester finish in the BPLSBB?

[Kikó]

With another win and nearly half way through the season, Leicester are still comfortably top. They have the best Italian manager in the league and Jamie Vardy having a party every week with Mahrez.

But surely it's going to stop soon? They can't win it can they?

So where will they finish?

[igor_balis]

I'm not sure it is based on anything but pessimism but I think they'll end up 6th or thereabouts. Also think Chelsea will finish above them.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I think looking at the table now you've got to take Arsenal and City out of it, but they could definitely come third, especially if they can find anyone to give them more depth in January. And I say depth advisedly, they don't need to go buying bigger names.

There's no chance whatsoever Chelsea will finish above them. We'll just go into mid-table irrelevance and go at the cups.

[Shindig]

Top 4. Points on the board during the stage where they're not really expecting it and then a couple of slips at the business end.

[hfswjyr]

Champions. Lock it in. Wheres the closest William Hill?

[Lee]

We won't finish top four. 6th would be amazing. Top ten would still feel good after the fact.

[mugbull]

1 in 30 of winning, 1 in 4 of top 4. They'll probably end up 5th/6th.

[Jimmy Floyd]

We won't finish top four. 6th would be amazing. Top ten would still feel good after the fact.

I think you're being quite pessimistic there. 4th is definitely on and 3rd is not beyond the realms of possibility. You've already seen off Chelsea and you're 9 ahead of United, 9 of Spurs and 14 of Liverpool.

[Magic]

Arsenal
City
Leicester

All it would take is an injury or two and Les are done.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

They're on a roll with too many points for three teams to overtake them.

3rd for me.

[Lee]

I think you're being quite pessimistic there. 4th is definitely on and 3rd is not beyond the realms of possibility. You've already seen off Chelsea and you're 9 ahead of United, 9 of Spurs and 14 of Liverpool.

I know, but we're us. I have to be pessimistic not to go mental with it all. You've got to remember too that staying up in the top flight is (and has for our 130 year history) us at the top end of our average. This is just so bizarre. We've not finished higher than 8th in my lifetime and we the one time we finished as high as 2nd was in 1929. Our best ever side finished 4th and lost in the FA Cup final in 1962. We just don't do this.

If we got into Europe I'd be so happy. I watched us lose at home to Red Star Belgrade in 2000 and to be honest I'd given up on us ever playing that sort of game again. If we somehow managed to get into the European Cup I genuinely don't think I'd give a shit if we went down that season. It will happen at some point anyway.

[Gray Fox]

This depends on how seriously United, Spurs, Chelsea and Liverpool sort their shit out. They'll hit a bad patch as some point but I'd expect them to still make top 4 from here.

[Lee]

Arsenal
City
Leicester

All it would take is an injury or two and Les are done.


Depends who is injured. Vary and Mahrez would obviously be losses, as would either of the full backs. We've got cover to cope with players missing from elsewhere. Mind you if we got injuries to any of our main players I trust Ranieri to change things enough tactically that we wouldn't turn to complete shit. I think if any side lose their best players they struggle, relatively speaking. Look at Man City.

When we do inevitably lose form it will either be fatigue or pressure rather than missing players, I think.

[John]

I know, but we're us. I have to be pessimistic not to go mental with it all. You've got to remember too that staying up in the top flight is (and has for our 130 year history) us at the top end of our average. This is just so bizarre. We've not finished higher than 8th in my lifetime and we the one time we finished as high as 2nd was in 1929. Our best ever side finished 4th and lost in the FA Cup final in 1962. We just don't do this.

If we got into Europe I'd be so happy. I watched us lose at home to Red Star Belgrade in 2000 and to be honest I'd given up on us ever playing that sort of game again. If we somehow managed to get into the European Cup I genuinely don't think I'd give a shit if we went down that season. It will happen at some poopimt anyway.

Such a great typo. :D

[Lee]

:D

Can't even blame my iPad's cunt of an autocorrect for that one.

[Reg]

1 Man City
2 Arsenal
3 Man Utd
4 Spurs
5 Leicester

[Andy]

They will finish top four if Mahrez stays fit. I wouldn't risk upsetting the team dynamic by bringing anyone in at this point. There's plenty of depth there.

No doubt they will hit a hard spell but they've got a pretty big cushion over fifth, they'd have to really regress in the second half to finish outside the top four.

[Browning]

Yep I think they'll make the top 4. I can't see it happening but I would love then to win it.

[simon]

I really hope they make the top four. Not sure they will though.

[Davgooner]

They're going to win it. :nodd:

[Lee]

Arsenal's year, for me.

[Spoonsky]

I read the other day that only once in the Premier League has a team with this many points at this stage of the season finished outside of the top four (it was Newcastle in the 90s). I can honestly see them winning it and top four seems nailed on at this point.

[Yevrah]

Top 4 maybe, but winning it? Come now.

I'd love to be wrong obviously.

[mugbull]

How can people possibly say they're "nailed on" at this point? They're 9 points up on 5th with like 20 games left to play

[Yevrah]

How can people possibly say they're "nailed on" at this point? They're 9 points up on 5th with like 20 games left to play

Because people generally have a really hard time seeing beyond what's happening now.

[Byron]

Probably 5th/6th and a good run in the Europa next season. I'd spunk my load everywhere should they win it, but they won't.

[GS]

No chance Leicester keep this going all season. They'll have a winless run of a few games at some point and fall down the table, but probably have a sufficient buffer that a top six finish will happen.

[Charlie]

I would really hate for them to win it.

[igor_balis]

Top 4 maybe, but winning it? Come now.

I'd love to be wrong obviously.

This, basically.

[Mellberg]

If they get the fuck out of the FA Cup at the earliest opportunity and avoid injuries to important players, then there's a small chance that it might happen, but legs that have been playing all season tend to get tired by about March. Leicester don't look to have the squad to compensate for that.

[Yevrah]

The biggest issue they have is that they have vastly inferior players to both Man City and Arsenal and there simply has to come a time over a 38 game season when that starts to show.

[Mellberg]

You should think so, but then I thought this run of games would prove their undoing, yet two games in and they have six points.

Unfortunately the bottom line is they have to carry this on for another half a season. The bookies still have it @ 12/1 for a reason (and even that's short).

[niko_cee]

Have they had any significant injuries?

Vardy is bound to break his foot in March. If Mahrez goes at some point as well they'll be borked.

[SvN]

Fucking hell :D

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03cl1cc


Lee, who is a lifelong fan of the club, is overwhelmed when describing the feeling of his son looking him in the eye and saying, "Dad,this is amazing."

[Lee]

It fucking well isn't me. Just a pissed bloke. He'll feel a right prat tomorrow. I saw the video version earlier and Savage definitely wanted to laugh.

[Davgooner]

Arsenal's year, for me.

I see how it is.

I don't know what your run of games is like, but we're going to get fisted for the next 4-5 weeks.

[Mellberg]

If no one's going to take responsibility for the TITLE CHARGE then we'll take it.

[Manc]

Destined for fifth spot.

[Lewis]

I hope they tank so I won't have to read people congratulating Fox like he's had a kid.

[Jimmy Floyd]

The biggest issue they have is that they have vastly inferior players to both Man City and Arsenal and there simply has to come a time over a 38 game season when that starts to show.

City and Arsenal I'll give you, but if we're talking about a top four race, as we see most weeks the teams that are currently 9-15 points behind Leicester are constantly binning points themselves. And even when Leicester dip, are they going to dip so badly that they go ten games without a win and just get swamped back into mid-table? I don't think so. They're legitimately a better side than everything below 8th.

I think you'd do well not to underestimate Ranieri as well, this man may not have trophies in the bank but he sure as hell knows how to manage a team over the course of a season, something that Nigel Pearson for example clearly had fuck all idea about.

[mugbull]

All that needs to happen is Leicester losing the equivalent of 3 games more than the other top 4 challengers over the course of the next 21. They don't need to go on a 10-game winless streak for it to go down like that

[Kikó]

Bump.

[Lee]

6th would be amazing. :cool:

[Magic]

Dav. What a guy.

[Davgooner]

I don't know what your run of games is like, but we're going to get fisted for the next 4-5 weeks.

months*

[GS]

What fantastic scenes these are. Ranieri. :cool:

[Pepe]

Clunge, Davgooner, Pepe, Pleb, P_3

What a select group of connoisseurs. :cool:

[Magic]

We won't finish top four. 6th would be amazing. Top ten would still feel good after the fact.

:sick:

[Lee]

I'm gutted mate. Wish we were 10th instead.

[Pleb]

They'll probably win the Champions League now for next season...

:baz:

[Spoonsky]

I read the other day that only once in the Premier League has a team with this many points at this stage of the season finished outside of the top four (it was Newcastle in the 90s). I can honestly see them winning it and top four seems nailed on at this point.

I'll take half-credit for that.

[Davgooner]

Didn't follow through with your vote mate. Weak.

[Baz]

I didn't even vote.

[ScousePig]

Let's see how they cope next season when people are expecting them to do well.

:baz:

[Giggles]

Let's see how they cope next season when people are expecting them to do well.

:baz:

They've coped with facing almost certain relegation and coped with everyone expecting them to slip up at the top pretty admirably. I think they could surprise.

[Pleb]

Donned it :cool: