Can we sneak a top 6 spot?

[SeaSideDoughnut]

A drop in the ocean.

Oh I know but still, it might steady the ship just a little bit, it's better than burying our heads in the sand, and other nautical puns...

That's the first I've read of that offer, I Googled it a second ago. But it's closer to the £1.25m QPR offer than I thought. If that's the 'out of court settlement' it could be encouraging for us.

 

[shrimperjon]

Can we ? Yes of course
will we ? Million dollar qurstion
the league is so tight, a win or loss sees you move up or down three or four places
key to a small squad is fitness and especially the main players
The cox and ranger partnership defo jey
ferdinand at the back also key
oxley in goal looking more and more confident
timlin back fit and strong offers some stability and strength im midfield
mclaughlin a real goal threat
main problem we have as proved away at stevenage is that the bench maybe isnt as strong as it could be, so reliant in maybe on 13 ir 14 players

 

[Norwichshrimper]

It's possible of course.....now 3 months into the season we have an idea of who we are up against.

I think there are enough teams worse than us to ensure we shouldn't go down unless we implode or lose 2 or 3 key players to long term injury.....but equally there should be enough teams better than us to keep us out of the play off mix.

For me we'll end be somewhere in the middle, and that will be a decent performance considering where we were at the start of the season.

That's not to say we CANNOT overachieve and make the top 6 (or better), but I am hopeful rather than optimistic

 

[Ayrshire Blue]

Only two points off.

Ranger stays fit, yes. If not, then not even close. It's as simple as that.

It really is this simple. No defence at this level can even begin to handle Ranger. He makes us tick

 

[united we stand]

i hope we do but,- reality check
yes we are two points of 6th but with a worse goal advantage. if the teams that have a game win we fall further away. Come Saturday afternoon we could be closer to the relegation teams than the play off teams. we are soooooooooo dependant on Ranger, he has had no pre season and therefore he is very likely to get injured.
our form is great over the last 10 games, but six of the teams above us have even more points from the last 10 games, 7 if Walsall win their game in hand.


However anything is posible as we have all seen over the years, so enjoy it while we can and live the dream

 

[onceknownasrab]

I am not even sure a top 6 finish is in our best interest unless it ends in play-off defeat. From the turmoil we have experienced this season it would be great to consolidate.

A lot, of course, depends on the January transfer window. If it were to be a big broom month then who knows what the side would look like? Currently though we are a considerable number of players short of a team that needs anything more than consolidation.

Building a team that can scrap it out for promotion is hard enough but one eye has to be kept on the following season. We have a number of players, in my opinion, that are very capable at this level but maybe only for this season:- Fortune, Ferdinand, Barrett, Mooney and probably White. We also have players that have contributed zilch at this level:- Williams (sorry mrsblue), King, McGlashan.
As for the keepers the jury is out on Oxley but I get the feeling people are warming to him and Ted is a prospect but maybe a couple of years in the making.

So I have reservations about eight of the outfield players that either have no more than this season in them or would be defunct at a higher level. Promotion is always a dream of the fans but I prefer to see the team moulded, improved and with longevity in mind. Planning for today means trouble for tomorrow.

 

[Jai]

There has indeed been a short-termism in our recruitment that could bite us hard down the line. Can't see many if any players in there with resale value and quite a few coming to the twilight of their careers.

 

[C'mon you Shrimpers]

the answer is of course yes if we get away with injuries which is unlikely. However if Ranger, Wordsworth, Timlin and Ferdinand remain fit I'd be disappointed if we don't do better than playoffs. I've actually thought this for weeks as Ranger and Ferdinand in particular are too good for this division.

 

[Kevin Hogg]

The majority of League 1 can sneak a top 6 spot. All about being consistent.

 

[AndyT]

Kind of on topic, but I didn't realize until today that 6 of our next 8 games (all comps) are at home, with the only 2 away games being against sides that are below us.

By New Year's Day, we will know a lot more about our potential here, I think.

 

[Gt Yarmouth Shrimper]

No reason we can't go up as champions, in my opinion.

 

[undercovershrimper]

Kind of on topic, but I didn't realize until today that 6 of our next 8 games (all comps) are at home, with the only 2 away games being against sides that are below us.

By New Year's Day, we will know a lot more about our potential here, I think.

That is true but have to bear in mind that Walsall are only a point behind with a game in hand so thats not a gimme.

The top 4 you would kind of expect to be up there, but i think 5th and 6th are definately up for grabs however there are about 9/10 other sides who will be thinking the same as us

 

[AndyT]

Yep, I'd say the top four are as you would have expected before the season started.

We've played the entire current top six and only lost to one of them.

 

[fatgrandad]

Yep, I'd say the top four are as you would have expected before the season started.

We've played the entire current top six and only lost to one of them.

Your optimism is so contagious that I am currently plotting to come across from Ireland for my first visit of the season next Tuesday. There's an outside chance that I can convince the wife that in order to guarantee getting a ticket for the Tuesday game, I have to arrive before 3pm on Saturday, but I'm not sure that I can get that one past her as she now looks out for football-related deception from me (I once convinced her that Ipswich was just a few miles north of Chelmsford, and was great for shopping on a Saturday afternoon).

 

[Little Blue Rooster]

With a couple of injuries we will again be struggling to score goals. Lets not get ahead of ourselves. A bobbing in mid table sort of season I reckon and after that mad start to the season I'm more than happy with that!

 

[leeblue]

There has indeed been a short-termism in our recruitment that could bite us hard down the line. Can't see many if any players in there with resale value and quite a few coming to the twilight of their careers.

I.would say ranger will go for a decent fee
Wordsworth, lenny, Thompson and Coker we would definitely get fees for...possibly mcgaughlin too

 

[tottenham541]

I.would say ranger will go for a decent fee
Wordsworth, lenny, Thompson and Coker we would definitely get fees for...possibly mcgaughlin too

think ranger has a bit more to do yet for us to get any sort of a fee, only still on a short term contract and could just walk away for nothing if he stays fit and we don't offer him a longer deal:'(

 

[leeblue]

think ranger has a bit more to do yet for us to get any sort of a fee, only still on a short term contract and could just walk away for nothing if he stays fit and we don't offer him a longer deal:'(

We have the extra year option....the club may well offer ranger a longer contract tomorrow but the player and agent could just say no... it's not only about if we offer a contract.....we can not force players to sign, especially for less money than they will earn elsewhere.

 

[fbm]

We have the extra year option....the club may well offer ranger a longer contract tomorrow but the player and agent could just say no... it's not only about if we offer a contract.....we can not force players to sign, especially for less money than they will earn elsewhere.

I think - may be wrong here so can happily stand corrected - that if WE have the option, then that is entirely down to us and the player/agent cannot say no.

 

[Feathers]

There has indeed been a short-termism in our recruitment that could bite us hard down the line. Can't see many if any players in there with resale value and quite a few coming to the twilight of their careers.

The only player we have signed coming to the end of his career is Ferdinand. Simon Cox has dropped back to League One is still only 29 so if he performs well...

As mentioned elsewhere Coker, Lenny, Wordsworth, Ranger, and McGlauglin could all command fees.

I see nothing wrong anyway in bringing in a few experienced players. I don't recall Tilson being called short termist when he brought in Goater, Prior, and Sodje.