Lambert Says Villa Have Nine Cup Finals Left

More relegation talk I`m afraid, albeit this time with a bit more of a positive slant. Imagine the talk IF we`d lost to Reading.

That was the first of a two parter, 6 points per game! Next up QPR

Paul Lambert says there will be more ups and downs through this battle and says that there are a fair few teams still in the fight.

He said: 'What our win does is bring teams above us into it as well. If you look up to twelfth or thirteenth place, there's not much in it and there's still nine games to go. There's still big games to come. I think there will be a lot of toing and froing throughout the coming games."

He adds: 'We've pulled a lot of teams back into it and we're playing well at the minute so I'm extremely happy with that. We have momentum."

I`ll feel the momentum more after a win v QPR and at least a point v Liverpool!

And he`s no different to the rest of us, he`s poured over the results of the other teams...!

Just have to look at our thread (adult language, over 18): relegation watch .... 68 pages of agony!

'I've looked at everybody's fixtures and there's so many hard games coming up, including the ones we've got ourselves. But we've put ourselves in a position where we're in a fight with seven or eight other teams. I said a few weeks ago we'd got twelve cup finals and now it's nine cup finals. That's the way to view it and we will certainly go into the next game with a lot of confidence.'

Going to have to play smart v QPR but how nice would it be to get back to backs wins? I don`t care how, just make it so!!!!!!!!!!!! (Sorry, that was me Star Trek mode)

So who is still in this battle?

You would have to expect, surely, that most or all on 33 points are ok ish, however they can`t afford to be losing games. The pattern this season seems to be no matter how much teams try not to win, the bottom ones including us don`t take advantage. So who knows, maybe one of those can get dragged more fully into it? Newcastle looked likely a few times but they seem to be picking up the points just when all looks dire for them.

But any team from 15th down are certainly in the scrap (I`m a genius with all this I know!) Fingers crossed Wigan`s progress in the Cup might cost them in the league. Just fingers crossed for anything that gets us out and others into it really isn`t it?! I`d certainly shed no tears to see Martin O`Neill`s team plummet. Sorry, I`m just bitter that way! ;o) April 27th could be fascinating. We face Sunderland. Wouldn`t it be poetic to beat them and put them below?!

QPR seem to have woken up, but we could put them back in a slumber next week. Still in our hands, I don`t expect anything from the Man Utd away game, we don`t get anything from that fixture even when we are good. Chelsea aren`t going to be giving us much and Liverpool have found form, albeit they aren`t unbeatable. But the other fixtures we have we SHOULD be getting something from. But we`d have been saying that throughout the rest of this lousy season so nothing being taken for granted, that is for sure.

So in summary? Gulp and COME ON THE VILLA!

10. Fulham 28 8 9 11 39 44 33
11. Stoke 29 7 12 10 27 35 33
12. West Ham 28 9 6 13 32 41 33
13. Newcastle 29 9 6 14 40 50 33
14. Norwich 29 7 12 10 27 45 33
15. Sunderland 29 7 9 13 32 41 30
16. Southampton 29 6 10 13 39 51 28
17. Aston Villa 29 6 9 14 28 54 27
18. Wigan 28 6 6 16 33 55 24
19. Reading 29 5 8 16 35 56 23
20. Q.P.R. 29 4 11 14 24 45 23

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