When Gio got sent off? Think so.
Freddie went on a mad scoring run towards the end of the season and we ended up about 7 points clear, but it was tight going into April.

At the end of the day you need high 80s possibly 90 points to win the title these days

Arsenal and Spurs barely cracked 70 last season

That's too much ground to make up

posted 5 minutes ago
In 2002 (I think) it was a 3 horse race up til the last few games. Liverpool finished 2nd, Utd third

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2007/2008 it was a 3-way title race until about late match/early April when arsenal stumbled....

OP: when you say 5 teams in contention, what time of year do you class as contention? 1st April, last 10 games....?

Think that might have been the one, yes. Not sure wether that was the year we opened up a decent gap by Christmas and then started falling away but I do recall Ljunberg scoring in front of the Annie Rd in a big game.

As it happens it was a big result for you lot at the end of it all.

I reckon the last 10 games you could see as contention still

That's not a title challenge though.

If a team is still mathematically capable of winking the title with 10 games to go but realistically were not going to win it and then fall away, I don't see how that constitutes as a title challenge.

In my opinion a title challenge has to contain teams that are capable of winning the title. And there aren't give teams in the premier league capable of winning the title.

Chelsea havent put up a title challenge for the last 2 seasons but people still consider them a title challenger this season because of the manager and sqaud they have if arsenal and spurs buy the right players and dont sell there best players then they could push for the title rather then just a CL place

It's a bit different. Mourinho is a manager than has won the title in every country he has managed and they've already got one of the most talented squads in the league. Plus they'd only had to usurp two sides.

Now you cannot say that about Arsenal or Spurs, and they'd have to usurp three and four teams, respectively. That's isn't going to happen.

They might get closer to the top in terms of points, but they won't be challenging for the title. We always hear stuff like this each season, and it never materialises.

I agree with you that realistically this is not going to happen.

At the start of last season i didnt think 5 teams would be involved spurs had signed a manger who chelsea sacked not long into his role so no one knew what was happening there and arsenal once again failed to buy big and didnt look like a team who could challenge. This year though with arsenal apparently spending big and with spurs looking like a good team under AVB i thought the possibility was there however highly unlikely it would be

Fair play, Chicha. It's still a little early to judge, in my opinion, it'd be a three horse race at a push.

top 4 is sorted, Spurs and Liverpool to battle it out for 5th.


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Don't count out Everton.

It will more then likely be a 3 horse race us city and chelsea although with Pellegrini not having managed in the prem hopefully they will struggle

They've done it the last two seasons.

This year we could get 5 teams battling it out for the premier league
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People say this every year but it always ends up a two horse race.

Arsenal and Spurs won't be challenging for the title. They'll scrap for 4th place again. Title will be between Chelsea and City. Utd probably 3rd.

I'd also include Liverpool in the contest for 4th.

Realistically it will be between United, City & Chelsea with Arsenal and Spurs going for fourth again. Depending on whether they sort their centre backs out Liverpool could be in the mix for fourth as well.

Sky like to hype up the title race and try and convince people that there's 4-6 teams who can win it but it's never the case, there's usually two, three if we're lucky, i think the only time three clubs where in the race going into the final 10 games or so was 95/96 when United , Newcastle and Liverpool were separated by a few points but Newcastle and Liverpool fell away.

B&P, 2002 was the last time not 96

B&P, 2002 was the last time not 96
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Hmmm not really, we finished about 10 points behind Arsenal and never really looked like winning it. Gooners were very strong that year.

It was close right up until the last 3 games. It was only because we won 13 in a row, inc at OT, that the final pt difference was so big. We were immense in the run in, but United and Liverpool always were in with a sniff up until we beat Bolton then United.

Wasnt that the season Fergie said "they cannot keep winning" then we did?

Really? need to watch the old season review on YT i think because i don't remember it being particularly close with us ending fairly weakly and Liverpool knocking 2nd towards the end. If not then fair enough.

I always regard a title race has teams chopping and changing positions until the end of the season, like '95, '96, '99, '08 and '12 not one team winning the title comfortably with one or two putting them under slight pressure but falling away.