We are so lucky to have Roy at the helm. This league is very unforgiving and apart from the top 6 (maybe 5 now depending on what arsenal are going to do) it is wide open. Anyone who finished 7th or below could easily have gone down.
Man City
Man Utd
Tottenham
Liverpool
Chelsea
Arsenal?

Are the only teams who will not have to look over their shoulders.
You used to be able to include Everton, West Ham, stoke etc in this middle pack and you knew they were going to be ok, however, the middle pack no longer exists.
A team like Everton need to be careful what they wish for in wanting Allardyce out. I know he’s a money grabber and not loyal but with him they will be ok.

Next season it will be another blood fuelled battle at the bottom for most.
Wolves, Cardiff and one other will come up.
I believe wolves will be ok, cardiff and the play off winners will obviously struggle.
Now, there are a lot of teams who I think we struggle that stayed up this year.
Watford, Bournemouth, Brighton, Huddersfield, Everton (if they get rid of Allardyce, Burnley will come back to reality when they realise they have to go the other side of Russia on a Thursday evening.

I believe ( and I normally am very scepticle and always stay on a level with our chances) that we could finish as high as 7th:6th next season with Roy in charge. This isnt me with red and blue glasses on. We have proved in the last couple of months what a good side we have and can compete at the highest level. I have no doubt we will kick on from this and we will surprise a lot of people next season.

“This is a crisis, a large crisis.... in fact if you have a moment, it’s a 12 storey crisis, magnificent entrance hall, carpeting throughout, 24 hour portage , and an enormous sign on the roof saying “This , is a large crisis” - Edmund Blackadder

We should aim for the top half, but top 7, let alone top 6, is very tricky. Burnley have hit 7th this year with 54 points, but it's not been so easy in previous years.

Points for 6th/7th in recent years are:
63, 54
69, 61
63, 62
62, 60
69, 64

Getting the 60+ points we'd need is a big ask.

Yep, but I think we are very nicely placed to ‘do a Burnley’ next year- there are a few caveats to that- the key ones for me being keeping hold of Luka, Wilf, Sakho and of course the manager. With a striker getting 15 this season (not unrealistic with the money we spent on Benteke) we probably would have been in the early to mid-fifties anyway- even with that awful start.
If we retain what we ideally want to AND add two of three first team standard players, it’s certainly not beyond the realms of possibility
I’m just trying to work out how we will manage to f*** it up royally and get relegated- it is Palace after all

'Impulse' advert- Advertising campaign whose slogan is expected to change in the light of Rajiv Gandhi's assassination: 'If someone you don't know suddenly offers you flowers- run like f***!'

We achieved 44 points from the last 31 games at an average of 1.42 per game. Had we achieved that ratio in our first 7 games we would have accrued a total of 54 points. Burnley finished 7th with 54 points and secured a Europa league place.

Hodgson has said himself that he will have moderate expectations and that another 11th place finish will be acceptable.
But he would rather finish 11th having being comfortable nearly all season then fighting another relegation battle and making strides towards the end !

I for one will be delighted if this scenario becomes reality.

Edited by Willo (14 May 2018 6.54pm)

"Finally, I’ll welcome you all back here again next season. We’re going to be determined to build on what we’ve done over these last few months where we’ve really played the football which would not only have got us into the top half, but maybe into the very top of that top half of the table!“

Roy Hodgson. On the pitch yesterday.