Do we have 5 games breathing space??

Rodney55

Well-Known Member
Would we need to lose 5 games for the title to be in jeopardy? After Sunday I've been trying to work it out.
 
Biggest lead ever lost in a title race in British football was 12 points by Newcastle United in the 1996 season to Manchester United.

We're currently 21 points ahead (12 if they win their games in hand). That's our breathing space. Don't think a 21 point lead has ever been squandered anywhere in the world before.
 
Would we need to lose 5 games for the title to be in jeopardy? After Sunday I've been trying to work it out.
Completely depends on how the Old Firms go.
As long as we don’t lose out points wise in them (say two draws or a win each) we would need to lose 4 additional games for it to come down to goal difference (if they also won every single game apart from that).

If they somehow beat us twice and win every other game we can only lose two other times or draw three more times for it to be goal difference. If they win one and we draw the other we can only lose 3 others.

If we get more points than them in the old firms (two wins or even a win and draw) then we have even more breathing space obvs.
 
Biggest lead ever lost in a title race in British football was 12 points by Newcastle United in the 1996 season to Manchester United.

We're currently 21 points ahead (12 if they win their games in hand). That's our breathing space. Don't think a 21 point lead has ever been squandered anywhere in the world before.

Our lead has only ever legitimately been 14 as it was on Saturday night there as they could've cut 6 points off it without us doing anything. If they win their two in hand, at that point, we wouldn't have squaderee those 6 points.

It's now 12 for us to "squander."
 
Biggest lead ever lost in a title race in British football was 12 points by Newcastle United in the 1996 season to Manchester United.

We're currently 21 points ahead (12 if they win their games in hand). That's our breathing space. Don't think a 21 point lead has ever been squandered anywhere in the world before.
It's not 21pts, don't let this be the narrative either. I've always looked at it as if they will win their games in hand, anything else is a bonus.
 
Would we need to lose 5 games for the title to be in jeopardy? After Sunday I've been trying to work it out.
4 and draw going on the highly dubious assumption they win all their remaining games including both against us, which they won't imo. If we win one lose one or even draw both OF games that knocks them back even further with less games to play and kills off any miniscule hope they may have. Their manager and all but the most delusional of their fans and the most nervous, pessimistic fans of ours have conceded the title is beyond them already and if you asked any non OF supporter who was winning the league it's us at a canter with a very wide points gap. We may well lose or draw an odd game before May but so will they and probably at a more frequent rate than we do.

Realistically they need us to lose 6 or 7 to stand a chance of catching us as no recent Celtic team, Rodgers one off season aside, has amassed final points tallies in the 90's, we are on course to be over 100 even with a couple of defeats thrown in. It would take a collapse by us on a much grander scale than the last 2 seasons, them on Helicopter Sunday etc for us to lose it now. I'm relaxed and going to enjoy it all the way to the finishing line. Let's go.
 
Just need to close it out ASAP.

Sunday was a chance to nail them to the floor.

We missed an opportunity to truly deflate them.

If they slip up on Wednesday, then we have to do the business at the weekend.
If they slip up tomorrow, then that's technically their game in hand, so we would increase our lead really without playing....strange way to look at I suppose.
 
There is still a tiny nagging doubt in my mind, mainly due to the fact that despite their failings, no other feckin team in the league can beat the mhanks, thankfully we can and their draws have also been crucial, after Wednesday they still have on paper an easy run which is ridiculous, it’s all the bottom sides they are playing.

I’ll feel a lot better if we emerge from our next 2 games with 6 points.
 
This is why people say 'take one game at a time', which is all we can do anyway, rather than mentally torture yourself...
The one’s who appear mentally tortured are the OGAAT fairies. Throwing salt over their shoulder, blessing themselves and Rangers, praying to every deity and generally shitting their pants anytime any fan online mentions a game 2 or 3 down the line.

Those who dont ascribe to the OGAAT doctrine and don’t self flagellate any time they even think of a game beyond the next one are the people who seem more chilled out, relaxed and enjoying life.
 
We don't rely on breathing space or any other teams faults...we focus our team/squad in taking it one game at a time,in a more ruthless fashion than we have been doing recently,put it to bed and soon enough,the prize will be ours.
 
I always assume they'll win their games in hand and deduct that from the points difference, expect the worst, hope for the best.
That’s fine to explain that in your terms. I get that.

Those who argue definitively that they will 100% win their games in hand cannot be taken seriously though. That does not make sense as a logical point of view based on the most current and relevant available evidence.
 
This is the first time in 20+ years we've had a comfortable lead.
Our last 5 leagues have been , 2 in last few minutes, 2 on last day and won before last day
Celtics last 15 Wins have had out a few games early. I think only 1 went to last day.
Were not used to being in this position so I can understand the nerves.
 
Just need to close it out ASAP.

Sunday was a chance to nail them to the floor.

We missed an opportunity to truly deflate them.

If they slip up on Wednesday, then we have to do the business at the weekend.
I agree to an extent however I'm not sure us dropping points after they did the same will be of any boost to them.

Hindsight will tell them it was a missed chance, however slim it may be.

On the other hand, if we come out of each round of fixtures with the same points gap then we are fine as the games will soon run out.
 
Would we need to lose 5 games for the title to be in jeopardy? After Sunday I've been trying to work it out.

Any assumption about what we can and cannot afford to drop is based entirely on what they do.

If the tims win all 17 remaining games then we have 6 points we can afford to drop.
(If they win all 17 then they will likely overcome the goal difference deficit also).

Things aren't really that simple though and there's no way to really guess exactly what's going to happen here.

Let's say we lose to Hibs and draw with Livingston and the tims win every match between now and the old firm on 20th March. Then we'd be going into that game seven points clear and we have 2 old firm games remaining. So it could still end up not going our way.

The truth is we can just say that we can't afford to drop anything and just have that attitude until the league is done.

Tomorrow night should be an interesting one.
Since Livingston were promoted the tims have travelled there 3 times.
2 draws and 1 defeat.

This is arguably their most difficult away game of the season outside Ibrox.
 
A strong finish to January makes it very difficult for them. Wins on Saturday and the away at Hibs and Livi should bury them. They also have no margin for error.
 
Win 10 games and the league is over, depending on the Celtic result tomorrow it could be 9 wins from 14.

8 home games and 6 away games left, 14 in total

Games at home:
Ross County x1
St Johnstone x1
Kilmarnock x1
St Mirren x1
Dundee United x1
Celtic x1 after split
Likely Hibs x1 after split
Likely Aberdeen x1 after split

Games Away:
Hibs Away x1
Hamilton Away x1
Livi Away x1
Celtic x1
Likely Dundee United x1 after split

Game after the split im unsure about is Livi, if we were to play them at home again it would make us have 20 home games and 18 away for the season, or the reverse could be true but that would mean we've played them 3 times away.

There is absolutely no excuse not to get 10+ wins from that, the only games that should be in any sort of contention are the old firm games and maybe hibs and livi away.

In comparison Celtic still have away trips to Us, Aberdeen, Hibs, Livi (twice), Dundee United, Kilmarnock, St Mirren and St Johnstone
 
We are a very difficult team to beat. Teams may get a draw where we struggle to break them down. We may lose one if we lose a silly goal and then can’t break a team down. Can’t see us losing 4 and can’t see Celtic getting the better of us in the last two games we have against them.
 
Draws rather than defeats are the potential danger to us.
If we lost both OF games and drew with the sheep, and both Hibs games we‘d be level on points. (If they hadn’t dropped any points themselves). If my auntie had balls..
 
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