PLAY OFF OPTIONS

[djbaldken]

So how do you think we will do in the Play Offs.

You can vote with your head and then vote with your heart.


47 years of being a Blade. Head says fail to make Wembley. Heart says Lose at Wembley

So hope Im wrong.

 

[Blade58]

I only hope that if the Gods aren't smiling on us and we aint gonna win the play-offs, then I'd prefer to get knocked out in the semis

Don't think I could stand the indignity of yet another trip to Wembley, only to receive yet another kick in the bollox

I'm beginning to hate that fkin place

 

[Silent Blade]

Only chose heart choice. Thinking is a terrible disease!

 

[Punk Blade]

My heart says we'll lose at Wembley, because that's what we do. My head agrees.

 

[Bladesince59]

Automatic next year. No Wembley this. UTB

 

[William Henry Foulkes]

Automatic next year. No Wembley this. UTB

I think this is probably fair.

We're stumbling towards the finish line with patched up strangers.

A full pre-season with a squad that hopefully includes a CH or two will be pretty fair reflection of Clough's abilities.

We have shown we've got what it takes. If Clough lets them off the leash then we might do it. If we have to go out then I would like to see us go out in a blaze of glory.

UTB

 

[Pittsburg Blade]

If Clough lets them off the leash

Negative Nigel Alert

 

[William Henry Foulkes]

Negative Nigel Alert

Cautious Cloughie.

 

[finlaytheblade]

I think this is probably fair.

We're stumbling towards the finish line with patched up strangers.

A full pre-season with a squad that hopefully includes a CH or two will be pretty fair reflection of Clough's abilities.

We have shown we've got what it takes. If Clough lets them off the leash then we might do it. If we have to go out then I would like to see us go out in a blaze of glory.,

UTB

Its not a case of letting them off the leash mr Foukes we will have a game plan and in the big games we do usually play well (under clough),the last thing we need to do is go gung ho .Cant understand all this negativity we have a good a chance as anybody.i have been to all the failures going back even to the 3 game semi against leicester in 1961 but i am up for this as i always am cant understand anyone who accepts defeat at this stage we can do it if we play well come on blades fans be positive it will help the team if we are.

 

[Lord Bos of Eckington.]

So how do you think we will do in the Play Offs.

You can vote with your head and then vote with your heart.


47 years of being a Blade. Head says fail to make Wembley. Heart says Lose at Wembley

So hope Im wrong.

There is 3 who have voted up to press for - Win at Wembley head choice . i am one of them.

How we set up will assist us in the play offs and final . The devil is in the detail , and Clough , Garner , Crosby , Morgan , have got to be tactically astute and motivators , which in there own way they can be . Nobody will look forward to be playing us . We are a nightmare .

UTB

 

[William Henry Foulkes]

Its not a case of letting them off the leash mr Foukes we will have a game plan and in the big games we do usually play well (under clough),the last thing we need to do is go gung ho .Cant understand all this negativity we have a good a chance as anybody.i have been to all the failures going back even to the 3 game semi against leicester in 1961 but i am up for this as i always am cant understand anyone who accepts defeat at this stage we can do it if we play well come on blades fans be positive it will help the team if we are.

Agree about the gung go. I think Clough basically aims to control a game. Our best performance playing like this was Barnsley away: An in form team didn't even get one shot on target. I think we could recreate this against Swindon, say.

It looks like the biggest obstacle will be MK Dons. At home we nearly nullified them. I don't think we have the capability to do that again so we'd have to approach it like the Southampton game and just go at them fearlessly.

That's the way I see it. Don't leave yourself wondering: What if?

(Didn't see Bristol City away.)

 

[finlaytheblade]

Agree about the gung go. I think Clough basically aims to control a game. Our best performance playing like this was Barnsley away: An in form team didn't even get one shot on target. I think we could recreate this against Swindon, say.

It looks like the biggest obstacle will be MK Dons. At home we nearly nullified them. I don't think we have the capability to do that again so we'd have to approach it like the Southampton game and just go at them fearlessly.

That's the way I see it. Don't leave yourself wondering: What if?

(Didn't see Bristol City away.)

Fear is a real killer ,now we have reached play offs we should be free of that.you say MK but Preston are not over the line yet and there could be a late twist if Preston dont win at Colchester and MK win at home it could be preston and how would they react to blowing it at the final hurdle,colchester are no mugs and will need to at least get a point to stay up depending on how they go on against swindon tues very interesting finish to season.

 

[JohnDenver]

My biggest concern is the centre back pairing. The rest of the squad should be good enough to win two ties, but I don't think they've enough goals in them to compensate for our likely concessions.

 

[Fulwood Blade]

My biggest concern is the centre back pairing. The rest of the squad should be good enough to win two ties, but I don't think they've enough goals in them to compensate for our likely concessions.

Indeed it should be the biggest concern as it has most of the season.
Whilst my own preference is Basham in midfield, Clough appears to be trying to settle Basham and Brayford into an emergency partnership and would expect them to play on Saturday v Chesterfield. It was noticeable last season that Clough never seemed to rest the defence once it got settled.

I would expect same as Orient of Freeman, Basham, Brayford and Harris now fit.
Freeman seems much better at RB and Harris brings us balance.

We also have to put Doyle and Coutts in front of the back 4.

The concern AGAIN was we conceded from a simple ball into the box - the replay suggests Baxter was ball watching, but once again our Achilles heal let us down.

UTB

 

[Kenilworth]

Indeed it should be the biggest concern as it has most of the season.
Whilst my own preference is Basham in midfield, Clough appears to be trying to settle Basham and Brayford into an emergency partnership and would expect them to play on Saturday v Chesterfield. It was noticeable last season that Clough never seemed to rest the defence once it got settled.

I would expect same as Orient of Freeman, Basham, Brayford and Harris now fit.
Freeman seems much better at RB and Harris brings us balance.

We also have to put Doyle and Coutts in front of the back 4.

The concern AGAIN was we conceded from a simple ball into the box - the replay suggests Baxter was ball watching, but once again our Achilles heal let us down.

UTB

Agree with all of that Fullers but I thought it was Davies that left his man for the headed goal from the corner.

That is the main concern for me - conceding from set pieces.
Not sure Swindon pose as much of a threat in that area but if they get their passing game going then they can put in a devastating goal scoring spell. Having said that, they are definitely vulnerable at the back and prone to a series of errors, especially if harassed and pressed (like MKD did to them) which is why I believe that Done would be critical in that kind of scenario.

If MKD get the better of the results on Sunday, next and we slip up against Chesterfield at home then it's Preston that will concern us. They may be hugely deflated but they have beaten us in a cup match this season and are a strong team at set pieces, so if it's them then I suspect that is where we would falter.

MKD - again if we lose to Chessie - will probably deploy the same spoiling tactics in a two legged affair as they did in the league. Robinson knows that if his side lets us play then we can do some damage but if they contain us then the pressure will mount and the crowd will cease to have any positive effect. They are effective at stopping goals and they can have a spell where they can score 2 or 3 in the space of 10 mins.

Having said that I have a major concern about our defence keeping set pieces at bay my observation is that we are losing games in midfield as we are not tracking the runners nor imposing ourselves enough going forwards in the centre of the pitch. Coutts is improving but slowly yet I am not convinced he has the fitness to boss a midfield to the extent that we need (such as Baker, the ex Cov man, does for MKD). Baxter has his moments but is not a 90 minute player and his concentration - if not his work ethic - let's him and us down regularly - he can be a match winner but he can also be a liability.

Not one of our side got into the League 1 team of the season selection - That tells you all you need to know about the stability of the line up and the consistency of performances this season. We are still a team in the process of formation - i.e. not a team but a collection of reasonably talented individuals. It is probably that aspect that has created the symptoms highlighted above and that aspect that poses the greatest threat to failure.

If we get Swindon I think we can get to the final. If we get any of the other two, despite Preston having a downer at missing out on automatic if that's the way it pans out, I believe we will falter at the semi stage.

The final is a one off. It's probably the only aspect of this that our recent cup pedigree will assist us. Big game experience, the large pitch will suit our game (although I think if it's MKD it might suit their non-spoiling game as well). so who knows in that one? The trepidation I have is that we will freeze again since the prize is great and the cost of failure is immense. We weren't expected to beat Hull City last time out so the weight of expectation was off us - perhaps that is why we turned up that day - a play off final could be altogether different.

Just thinking about another play off final brings back all the feelings of previous disappointments. I can feel the gut wrenching emptiness welling up when I dwell on it a little.

Isn't it about time we were able to suppress that fucker once and for all?

 

[BornOnShorehamStreet]

If Clough lets them off the leash
UTB

Let them off the leash?

Comfort Zone Clough?

If the team put as much energy into their thinking and the way they play as Clough does does waving them forward they could fly.

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

I think this is probably fair.

We're stumbling towards the finish line with patched up strangers.

A full pre-season with a squad that hopefully includes a CH or two will be pretty fair reflection of Clough's abilities.

We have shown we've got what it takes. If Clough lets them off the leash then we might do it. If we have to go out then I would like to see us go out in a blaze of glory.

UTB

Blow the first game 2-0 then with nothing to play for in the second leg win it 4-0 in style only to play for penalties in the final failing miserably.

 

[Worksop_Blade]

You're living in cloud cuckoo land if you think we are anywhere near good enough to beat MK Dons, PNE or Swindon over 2 legs.

All you have to do to beat United is get one decent corner or free kick into the box, get a head on it, take a lead, then sit back and watch the crabmen try and get break you down.

Roll on next season with a more progressive, attacking approach and trips to Burton, Shrewsbury, Wigan, Blackpool and hopefully Bury, Stevenage and Rotherham.

 

[bramptonblade]

You're living in cloud cuckoo land if you think we are anywhere near good enough to beat MK Dons, PNE or Swindon over 2 legs.

All you have to do to beat United is get one decent corner or free kick into the box, get a head on it, take a lead, then sit back and watch the crabmen try and get break you down.

Roll on next season with a more progressive, attacking approach and trips to Burton, Shrewsbury, Wigan, Blackpool and hopefully Bury, Stevenage and Rotherham.

That's the problem, on our day we are good enough to beat any of those sides. I just can't remember the last time we had 3 good days on the trot!
UTB!

 

[Linz]

My heart and my head say that we don't deserve anything from this season and aren't creating enough to prevail over two big games, never mind a third.

No Wembley this year.

 

[metalblade]

Well I won't be booking a London Hotel room

 

[Bladepicker]

Heart Says: Blades are going up.

Head Says: Not sure when?

 

[Mustela Putorius Furo]

Maybe it's a masochistic aspect of being a blade, but if we reach the play-off final (something I doubt anyway), we will go there with:

1) the prospect of joy at winning - though tempered by the fact that it's only a league 1 play-off, of all things to win there, for pity's sake.

2) the prospect of coming away with unarguably and absolutely the worst-play-off record of all clubs, and an unsurpassed run of "failure" in such games, that makes us stand-out completely.

Rather than being an embarrassment (well, maybe it is)... it will be something that creates a deeper bond of defiance that will feel as if it can't be matched by the supporters of any other club. "We're not gonna win the football league, we're not gonna win the cup, but we'll still follow United... Aye-ho, Aye-ho We are the.......etc..." So, it feels to me like we'll still come away with something.

Something tells me that win or lose, I'll walk out of Wembley laughing my tits off this time.

 

[Bladesman]

Head says no Wembley this year and my heart says even if we got there we would lose.