Agreed, but it does show how a good cup run can impact on your league form and then there is the added injury risk and our current league form is not that great even compared to last year at this time as Willo said earlier!

Roy isn’t in the generations seeing Brighton as rivals. In fact as he’s a professional for so long I doubt he sees anyone as a rival, especially as he plays the same football vs whoever it is.

COYP

We have taken 11 points out of the last 39 available.
But for the Gallagher inspired early season form, we may well have been in trouble.
Our performances are by no mean terrible, but we are not getting results.
We need a catalyst to turn some of the performances into more wins.
This could be the return of Mcarthur and Kouyate which hopefully will allow Gallagher to return to his early season form.
Furthermore, by his standards Zaha has had a poor season.
Occasional flashes of brilliance have become rarer and he seems to have lost the ability to go past people. It is evident that even when in good positions he has become wasteful in possession.
If we can get Zaha firing again and our midfield functioning I’m sure that results will follow.

Good points. Personally I doubt he can reinvent his game to become the player he could be. Lots of fancy dan stepovers and losing possession just spoils it for the players who are waiting for delivery. Wilf has to learn it's a team game.

With the squad we have, we should have 36 points, not 26.
The bottom line is that we have won five matches in twenty four. We don't play like a team that expects to win and, the stats don't lie: we win one game in five. We have become harder to beat and we enjoy more possession. We've become easier on the eye but we don't score more goals.
This is in no sense a 'Vieira out' post. That would be absurd. But 'Emperor's Clothes' and all that. The manager says that we have talent but that isn't enough. We need a plan. Well: it's his job as a manager to give us one.
We haven't had a creative midfield player since Cabaye. For all their excellence and potential, neither Eze nor Olise supplies the necessary guile.
In every position except Right Back, we were better man to man than Norwich. So we should beat them.
Why must it always be 4-3-3? No way is Ayew a Premiership striker. And Gallagher-Hughes-Schlupp isn't producing the goods.

I for one have never entertained the possibility of finishing the season in a European qualification place.

I do believe that both Newcastle and Everton will improve but whether we do is open to debate.
We are in a bit of a trough at present, with early season promise dissipating game on game.