[baggie82]

If you have already decided the Albion will go down with a wimper, you can pull the duvet cover up over your head, as you tremble with the thought of who to blame & you mutter the various different reasons why we are where we are under your breath, just meekly accept our perceived fate.

However! I offer you an alternative, the run in has the potential of being the most exciting we've been involved in for years, we've actually got something to play for, so how about we all stick together, back the manager & the players through the remaining games, our support for them could be the main ingredient to the teams performances, if the players were to give up as easily as a lot of fans have, there would be uproar on here & if we desert them now what right do we have to question

Good post. You forget to mention the epic FA cup run though 

[royhan]

The stark reality of our position hit home tonight when a Shrewsbury friend suggested a pub we could meet next season when the two clubs could meet in the League. I’ll go to bed tonight praying for the Great Escape Mark2.

[Vassassin]

Safe with 33 in 16th position, only goal difference between 16th and 19th. 

[wba_1996]

Tried to do a realistic one where teams at the bottom are all beating each other, rather than all the 6-pointers ending in draws, means there are more points in the table and the points required to stay up should be more realistic. I succumbed to the old flaw of assuming nobody gets shock wins against the top 6 though, which is where these predictors fail - as every team bar us have proved in recent weeks.

Got us going down on 32 points, 35 points required to stay up.

Realistically, fail to beat Huddersfield and we may as well not bother turning up for the rest of our fixtures.

[tuamigos]

Lads, Lads, Lads, now this is what I'm talking about, a lot more positivity  .

I genuinely believe that if the majority of the fans can stay behind the team for the remaining games & we get a bit of luck, it really can be the 'Great Escape 2'.

If you have already decided the Albion will go down with a wimper, you can pull the duvet cover up over your head, as you tremble with the thought of who to blame & you mutter the various different reasons why we are where we are under your breath, just meekly accept our perceived fate.

However! I offer you an alternative, the run in has the potential of being the most exciting we've been involved in for years, we've actually got something to play for, so how about we all stick together, back the manager & the players through the remaining games, our support for them could be the main ingredient to the teams performances, if the players were to give up as easily as a lot of fans have, there would be uproar on here & if we desert them now what right do we have to question them.

In my humble opinion, this group of players is far better then the 04/05 team & I've seen enough evidence in games since APs arrival to justify that opinion.

COYB & KTF

Sounds like one of those speaches the generals used to give the privates just before they were sent out of the trenches in WW1 to be shot to smithereens.

[Norfolk Baggie]

I like this post, and I will keep singing and hoping right until the last. Agree absolutely all is still to play for and we need to get behind the team. However my head knows:

1. The maths of overturning what is now a 7 point margin from safety are against us.  Especially given the logic of current form.
2. Are there three teams worse than us?  Objectively I am not sure of this.
3. Does the team have the heart for a really hard fight?  Sorry I see no evidence of this.

Hope for the best, but my head can see reality.

[kc56wba]

Sounds like one of those speaches the generals used to give the privates just before they were sent out of the trenches in WW1 to be shot to smithereens.

There are always casualties in war but the speaches led us to victory.

[seteefeet]

Morrison not gone to Spain but Chadli has, which suggests he may be closer to returning. Would love him to be available for Huddersfield.

[tuamigos]

There are always casualties in war but the speaches led us to victory.

No they didn't.
Heart and desire did.

[tuamigos]

Morrison not gone to Spain but Chadli has, which suggests he may be closer to returning. Would love him to be available for Huddersfield.

Probably just gone to top his tan up.

[BAGGIE5]

100% we shouldn’t give up yet. Honestly I think its pathetic this deafeatest attitude.

Yes things are bad. But if we don’t support our club they’ll go down badly. Lets get behind them.

If after these run of games we’re still 7 points adrift and bottom, I understand.

As bad as things are, I don’t think we’re the worst team.

[Albionic]

It such a tough life being a modern premier league player,
Perform (cough) for less than 90minutes in 6months then get whisked away for a warm weather break in Espana!
Pick up a salary which is mind boggling to most folks and when that gets threatened due to non-performance you can walk away and ply your "trade" elsewhere with no sanction.

No wonder the man in the stands gets disillusioned !

[tuamigos]

100% we shouldn’t give up yet. Honestly I think its pathetic this deafeatest attitude.

Yes things are bad. But if we don’t support our club they’ll go down badly. Lets get behind them.

If after these run of games we’re still 7 points adrift and bottom, I understand.

As bad as things are, I don’t think we’re the worst team.

The league table tends to blow your theory out of the water old chap.

[alex1]

It such a tough life being a modern premier league player,
Perform (cough) for less than 90minutes in 6months then get whisked away for a warm weather break in Espana!
Pick up a salary which is mind boggling to most folks and when that gets threatened due to non-performance you can walk away and ply your "trade" elsewhere with no sanction.

No wonder the man in the stands gets disillusioned !

Training camps are a well used means of team bonding and working intensively ahead of important match(es). You will find that most of the top European clubs make use of them. It's a change in routine, and given where we are now, management need to try everything to get results.

As for time to get a sun tan, I reckon they will only be out there for 2 full days before coming back for Saturday, and I'm sure Pardew will have them working hard during that time.

[BigFrank20]

Probably just gone to top his tan up.

Won't be much tanning done at an average of 15 degrees c and cloud in Barca for the next couple of days

[dont ask me to choose luv]

Sounds like one of those speaches the generals used to give the privates just before they were sent out of the trenches in WW1 to be shot to smithereens.

Some were shot as deserters 

[tuamigos]

Some were shot as deserters 

and a lot have been exonerated since as suffering from PTSD

[dont ask me to choose luv]

and a lot have been exonerated since as suffering from PTSD

Yes I am fully aware of that but my point was more to do with the deserters who have given up on our survival hopes........... but then I think you knew that.

[Albionic]

Training camps are a well used means of team bonding and working intensively ahead of important match(es). You will find that most of the top European clubs make use of them. It's a change in routine, and given where we are now, management need to try everything to get results.

As for time to get a sun tan, I reckon they will only be out there for 2 full days before coming back for Saturday, and I'm sure Pardew will have them working hard during that time.

Alex, Alex, Alex, (patronising tone successfully adopted),
I really did understand what a training camp is, I can assure you i am not as stupid as you seem to think I am)
Anyway, it doesn't make it any the less galling though when Mr Chadli gets VIP treatment (they will not be flying Ryanair and staying in Club Hotel sol de mar- all inclusive) after contributing precisely NAFF ALL this season ! does it?

[SmethDan]

Yes I am fully aware of that but my point was more to do with the deserters who have given up on our survival hopes........... but then I think you knew that.

Funny you should mention that. There was a chap standing in front of me on the Smeth' shouting 'cowards, deserters, cowards' at those who upped and trotted out following Southampton's third goal. Not one to judge their reasons for leaving early but it was VERY funny.......

[alex1]

Alex, Alex, Alex, (patronising tone successfully adopted),
I really did understand what a training camp is, I can assure you i am not as stupid as you seem to think I am)
Anyway, it doesn't make it any the less galling though when Mr Chadli gets VIP treatment (they will not be flying Ryanair and staying in Club Hotel sol de mar- all inclusive) after contributing precisely NAFF ALL this season ! does it?

Maybe you're not one of them, but there's a helluva alot of people who think that modern footballers are just out for a luxury lifestyle. You can't turn the clock back to the 1960's when you had the maximum wage and players turned up for training on their pushbike. I'm sure Man City wouldn't be where they are,  if they did. 
As I said, with just a couple of full days in Spain, I don't think there's going to be much opportunity for living it up in the nightclubs or beachbars.
I think it's very important to keep Chadli on board. He is one of the genuinely talented players we have. Even 16 minutes at Stoke I thought he was making a difference. I hope we get him back to top form. I know there are any number of journeymen midfielders down the leagues who can play in his No.10 position, but how many can actually open up Premier League defences? 

[dont ask me to choose luv]

Funny you should mention that. There was a chap standing in front of me on the Smeth' shouting 'cowards, deserters, cowards' at those who upped and trotted out following Southampton's third goal. Not one to judge their reasons for leaving early but it was VERY funny.......

As Shaggy said 'it wasn't me" 

[Backofthenet]

It's not really about giving up because most of us won't. It's just about having the will to carry on - yet we still do.
The hope gets dragged out of you, most games now I leave and feel drained. I wonder if the players feel the same.
On other threads there is talk of points to be won etc but lets be fair all others near to us (I nearly put alongside but that's a joke!) will be working out their prospective points. I bet not many think they'll lose to us so are we being over optimistic?
AS I said I'm not giving up but am questioning my logic.

[dont ask me to choose luv]

It's not really about giving up because most of us won't. It's just about having the will to carry on - yet we still do.
The hope gets dragged out of you, most games now I leave and feel drained. I wonder if the players feel the same.
On other threads there is talk of points to be won etc but lets be fair all others near to us (I nearly put alongside but that's a joke!) will be working out their prospective points. I bet not many think they'll lose to us so are we being over optimistic?
AS I said I'm not giving up but am questioning my logic.

I know exactly how you feel, I felt completely drained after the Southampton game/performance but after a day or so its out of my system & I'm back looking forward to the next game, built myself up for the Chelsea game & walked away from the Bridge frustrated but satisfied that the players had given it a go against superior opposition, now I'm buzzing again about the FA cup game on Saturday.

There is nothing we can do to change previous results but we may be able to help future ones by showing the players we're right with them in making the Hawthorns a very noisy cauldron for the remaining 6 league games.

I really don't give a sh'ite what division we are in next season but for the rest of this one I'm going to play my part in supporting the team & AP to the hilt, in the hope we can pull off Great Escape 2.

COYB LGBTB 

[baggie82]

The league table tends to blow your theory out of the water old chap.

Perhaps but the league table after 27 games isn't the be all and end all and can be deceptive. By way of example Utd have been 2nd all season with Chelsea, Spurs and Liverpool on their coattails. However Utd have 4/11 games against big six whereas Liverpool and Spurs play only 2/11 games against big six. Suggests that the Utd advantage over Liverpool of 3 points is artificial as they had had an easier run of fixtures. Down at the bottom we have had an horrific injury list and difficult games. Our next fixtures are now much kinder whereas Palace and Stoke and others have some very difficult games coming up. We're certainly vying for the worst team in the league mantle but could still turn it all around.