Are we looking up or down this week?

I don't know about you, but I suspect that you will feel the same way when I say that I feel that the two most recent home games represented missed chances on a number of fronts.

For the optimists two positive results would have been viewed as a springboard to mount a late season challenge for that sixth place in the table and the very slim, outside chance of Europe that it may have brought. For the pessimists, two positive results would have left them with a bit more of a gap between ourselves and the relegation spaces. In fact four points from the two home games would have all but secured safety in my opinion.

Still, it wasn't to be and it's looks as though Newcastle are taking the traditionally tough route towards Premier League safety. We'll still do it I think, but it will be a lot closer than it should have been. There have been chances to get points on the board, but we have blown them time and time again. Hopefully come the end of the season it won't come back to haunt us.

So where do we go from here? Do we continue looking upwards towards the top six? After all, we're only six points away from Liverpool. Or do we start looking over our shoulders? I mean after all, we are only six points ahead of Birmingham in 18th, and they have two games in hand on us!

The form table would suggest that we should be cautiously looking over our shoulders right about now. Currently we sit in 15th place in that particular table, which is slightly worrying me if I'm being honest.

I'll reiterate that I don't think that we will get involved in the relegation scrap as I think we have just about enough quality to steer us clear of any trouble. All of these missed chances are worrying though as sooner or later they will run out, and they are starting to do that now. The longer we leave it before safety is assured, the more worrying it is going to get.

I'm starting to look at the fixture list and have started targeting games where we should be aiming to pick up points. Ironically it's the three home games - Wolverhampton, Birmingham, West Brom - that I have pinpointed as 'must win' games, although with our shoddy home form combined with the sheer unpredictability of the league season I certainly won't be putting any money on us for those home games.

It wasn't supposed to be this way. The way we have played at times the season has been exceptional and I would find it hard to say that we deserve to be in the relegation scrap. On the other hand, the league table doesn't lie, and whilst it says that we are ninth at the minute, it's the points difference that I am looking at.

I read some posters moaning last week about Birmingham winning the League Cup and how it left us with nothing to play for. Well I wish that was the case right now. I wish we had nothing to play for and I would take that all day long...

Because right now we have EVERYTHING to play for!