Remaining games comparison

[Champagneblade]

As much as we'd like to be above Leeds we are not, but the league doesn't finish after 41 matches it's after you play all the teams, strong and weak.

I'd firmly argue we have the better fixtures.

Average league position. Of our opponents is 16th whilst for Leeds it is 14th.

Looking at it as a build up to the winner takes all last match which could have a one off Cup final nature to it, the average placing of our next 4 is 16 to 17th and Leeds is 12th to 13th.

In terms of form, we play the teams in 8th (Hull), 13th, 14th, 15h, 17th. 13th to 14th on form.

Leeds play teams in 1st, 5th, 17th, 20th, 21st. 12th to 13th on form last 6 matches.

Taking us as two comparable teams we took 1 more point vs the Leeds opposition than they did against ours.

We got wins vs Villa, Wigan home, Brentford away and draws Ipswich away and Wednesday at home. You'd have to say that both Villa and Wednesday are much improved from when we played them at home and this I feel is where our hope lies assuming we do our own business well.

Leeds beat Hull away, Millwall home, Ipswich at home but drew with Forest and lost to Stoke away.

So to progress, we have to eclipse what Leeds managed.

It's certainly going to be tight but I thought yesterday was a handy point and I see Leeds dropping more points than us.

I like the fact we get to go first each game. Let's see how they can cope with the pressure.

 

[Grappler]

Like I have said before, I can see this going to the final game, and then it is case of who is mentally toughest and who has the biggest balls to go for it.

 

[Nicolaus_Copernicus]

Like I have said before, I can see this going to the final game, and then it is case of who is mentally toughest and who has the biggest balls to go for it.

Four wins & superior goal difference should be enough, although that will probably mean that it will go down to the last game, with us in 2nd and having to avoid defeat at Stoke.

 

[PeterNdlovu081]

The Ipswich game at Bramall Lane is just the Footballing Gods taking the absolute piss.

Easiest game of the season on paper.

Enter, Sheffield United.

 

[Nicolaus_Copernicus]

This was prediction before the Wednesday game, what i thought we'd need to do, and we're currently 3 points off the running total:

Wednesday - 1 ✓
Rotherham - 3 ✓
Brentford - 3 ✓
Leeds - 3 ✓
Bristol - 1 X
PNE - 3 ✓
Birmingham - 3 X
Millwall - 3
Forest - 3
Hull - 3
Ipswich - 3
Stoke - 1

I think Leeds could do 90 points, and come very close to our goal difference: Wednesday (3 points), Wigan (3 points), Brentford (1 point), Villa (1 point) & Ipswich (3 points & 3 goals). A draw against Wednesday would be huge for us, forget the rivalry, forget it's the pigs, etc. It would huge be and swing it back in our favour massively, as long as we do the business against Millwall. Villa and Brentford are two difficult games for Leeds.

 

[Beans]

I'm not sure how much of a factor this will be, but I do like the fact that most of our opponents will have little to play for beyond pride / a desire to bugger up our season:

Millwall (H) - ok, battling hard to avoid the drop. To my mind this will be the toughest of our remaining 5 games.
Forest (H) - currently 8 points off the playoffs with loads of teams above them. No chance of making it.
Hull (A) - currently 5 points off the playoffs, next two games are away to Boro and WBA - they'll probably be mathematically done when we play them
Ipswich (H) - will have been relegated for weeks
Stoke (A) - their season finished weeks ago

I know, I know, teams with nothing to play for suddenly get a new lease of life etc. Allegedly. I'd much rather play those than super-motivated teams with everything on the line, though.

 

[Guesty]

We've failed to beat three of our five remaining teams earlier in the season.

 

[YorkBlade]

How I see it finishing (the top 3 places anyway)
You can do your own predictions here: https://www.worldfootball.net/table_calculator/eng-championship/

 

[Sheffsteel]

We've failed to beat three of our five remaining teams earlier in the season.

That’s a positive because you could argue we are more likely to win the return fixture. To be honest towards the end of the season you see plenty of examples where some of the mid table teams just go through the motions becoming easy opposition.

So when we play the last 4 then Forest, Hull, Ipswich and Stoke they’ll all be relaxed with nothing to play for.
Think i’d prefer it that way.

 

[YorkBlade]

This time with all the results filled in!

 

[Northyorksblade]

What happens if two teams finish with the exact same goals for and against on the same points joint second?

 

[sufcboy95]

We need to be above them before the stoke game, as there’s no chance there dropping points against Ipswich

 

[Carlton Blade]

We need probably 1, maybe 2 more points than Leeds over 5 games.

I think we'll do it

 

[MILLERtheBLADE]

What happens if two teams finish with the exact same goals for and against on the same points joint second?

If it is us and Leeds, given our results against each other are identical, we'd have a play off according to league rules:

https://www.efl.com/-more/governance/efl-rules--regulations/section-3---the-league/

 

[SHOREHAMST.com]

What happens if two teams finish with the exact same goals for and against on the same points joint second?

I’ve now decided that this, out of all possible outcomes, is what is going to happen. It’s the most Sheffield United thing ever.

 

[Basing Blade]

Goes on head to head. Both 1-0 away wins.

 

[LoughboroBlade]

I'm not sure how much of a factor this will be, but I do like the fact that most of our opponents will have little to play for beyond pride / a desire to bugger up our season:

Millwall (H) - ok, battling hard to avoid the drop. To my mind this will be the toughest of our remaining 5 games.
Forest (H) - currently 8 points off the playoffs with loads of teams above them. No chance of making it.
Hull (A) - currently 5 points off the playoffs, next two games are away to Boro and WBA - they'll probably be mathematically done when we play them
Ipswich (H) - will have been relegated for weeks
Stoke (A) - their season finished weeks ago

I know, I know, teams with nothing to play for suddenly get a new lease of life etc. Allegedly. I'd much rather play those than super-motivated teams with everything on the line, though.

I think the Stoke game will be much trickier than we think. They are gradually improving and still have a decent squad. I’m currently reading the Danny04 book and have just got to the chapter on the Northampton game – there’s a comment in it along the lines of ‘don’t underestimate the motivation of a team wanting to prevent their opponents from having a party at your ground’. Throw in the fact they’ll want to finish at home on a high and I think this is our toughest game left, and the pressure will be particularly intense.

 

[BushBlade]

If it is us and Leeds, given our results against each other are identical, we'd have a play off according to league rules:

https://www.efl.com/-more/governance/efl-rules--regulations/section-3---the-league/

Tell them we can’t be arsed with that. Just promote us because we’re not a bunch of spying cheats.

 

[BushBlade]

I think the Stoke game will be much trickier than we think. They are gradually improving and still have a decent squad. I’m currently reading the Danny04 book and have just got to the chapter on the Northampton game – there’s a comment in it along the lines of ‘don’t underestimate the motivation of a team wanting to prevent their opponents from having a party at your ground’. Throw in the fact they’ll want to finish at home on a high and I think this is our toughest game left, and the pressure will be particularly intense.

If ever I’ve seen a team that appears to lack professional pride, it’s Stoke. Have you seen their squad? They should be challenging at the top of the league. Give a couple of them a kick and see how motivated they are when they’ve got the choice of going through the motions or risking spending their holidays in a protective boot.

 

[Hazy Cosmic Jive]

I’ve now decided that this, out of all possible outcomes, is what is going to happen. It’s the most Sheffield United thing ever.

Leeds fan in peace! So the loser in such a situation could, in theory, be in the play off final a week or so later??? The human mind is not built to withstand such stress!!

 

[LoughboroBlade]

If ever I’ve seen a team that appears to lack professional pride, it’s Stoke. Have you seen their squad? They should be challenging at the top of the league. Give a couple of them a kick and see how motivated they are when they’ve got the choice of going through the motions or risking spending their holidays in a protective boot.

They’ve been poor no doubt, but at home they have been a bit tougher. Last 5:
– Wednesday, drew 0-0
– Reading, drew 0-0
– Forest, won 2-0
– Villa, drew 1-1
– WBA, lost 1-0

They aren’t conceding many at home. Seem to recall they beat Leeds 2-1 at home too.

 

[Northyorksblade]

I think the Stoke game will be much trickier than we think. They are gradually improving and still have a decent squad. I’m currently reading the Danny04 book and have just got to the chapter on the Northampton game – there’s a comment in it along the lines of ‘don’t underestimate the motivation of a team wanting to prevent their opponents from having a party at your ground’. Throw in the fact they’ll want to finish at home on a high and I think this is our toughest game left, and the pressure will be particularly intense.

It's not trickier than I think! I think we need to be 3 points ahead going into that game

 

[Beans]

They’ve been poor no doubt, but at home they have been a bit tougher. Last 5:
– Wednesday, drew 0-0
– Reading, drew 0-0
– Forest, won 2-0
– Villa, drew 1-1
– WBA, lost 1-0

They aren’t conceding many at home. Seem to recall they beat Leeds 2-1 at home too.

They've definitely tightened up defensively but at the cost of scoring goals themselves. They're also actually getting less points than before Jones arrived:



Put it this way if we went into that final game needing 1-3 points to clinch it, I'd be confident.

 

[CaptainMorgans]

I really didn’t see Leeds winning away at Preston. I’ve a feeling we’ll struggle to catch them now.

Blades v Millwall - (WIN)
Leeds v Wednesday - (WIN)
Leeds 82
Blades 81

Blades v Forest - (DRAW)
Leeds v Wigan (WIN)
Leeds 85
Blades 82

Hull v Blades (WIN)
Brentford v Leeds (DRAW)
Leeds 86
Blades 85

Blades v Ipswich (WIN)
Leeds v Villa (DRAW)
Blades 88
Leeds 87

Stoke v Blades (DRAW)
Ipswich v Leeds (WIN)
Leeds 90
Blades 89

 

[SHOREHAMST.com]

I really didn’t see Leeds winning away at Preston. I’ve a feeling we’ll struggle to catch them now.

Blades v Millwall - (WIN)
Leeds v Wednesday - (WIN)
Leeds 82
Blades 81

Blades v Forest - (DRAW)
Leeds v Wigan (WIN)
Leeds 85
Blades 82

Hull v Blades (WIN)
Brentford v Leeds (DRAW)
Leeds 86
Blades 85

Blades v Ipswich (WIN)
Leeds v Villa (DRAW)
Blades 88
Leeds 87

Stoke v Blades (DRAW)
Ipswich v Leeds (WIN)
Leeds 90
Blades 89

If we don’t win the next two now, knowing what’s at stake, then I think it’ll be all but over. Change that Forest draw to a win and we’re up!

 

[Baaaaaaa Blades]

Think I like the way we are playing first for the next four games
We know we can heap the pressure on Leeds and even if we bugger up they could still do the same and we are 'as you were '

I may be wrong but the 'ched' season I'm sure the pigs played before us for about the last 6 games of the season (felt like that anyway) !
And we both kept winning until that Brentford home game
Weird how Leeds will play Brentford also in the run in !

With them facing Brentford. villa and the filth they do on appear to have the harder matches

 

[silver blade]

Like I have said before, I can see this going to the final game, and then it is case of who is mentally toughest and who has the biggest balls to go for it.

I thought footballs all had to be the same size lol

 

[Bladesman]

 

[CaptainMorgans]

If we don’t win the next two now, knowing what’s at stake, then I think it’ll be all but over. Change that Forest draw to a win and we’re up!

I really think if they beat Wednesday on Saturday then that will give them the confidence to go and finish the job. If we can manage to leapfrog them this weekend it’s really on for us.

 

[blade too long]

so rotherham and wednesday can beat forest but we cant ,,,,, get a grip captain