Play offs - the good news and bad news

[Darren]

In the third tier play offs in their current form, the team finishing 3rd out of the 4 competitors (i.e. 5th most seasons, but 6th in 90-91 and 4th in 94-95) has won least times. Thus:

3rd ( 4th in 90-91/ 2nd in 94/95): 8
4th (5th in 90-91/3rd in 94-95): 6
5th (6th in 90-91/4th in 94-95): 3
6th (7th in 90-91/5th in 94-95) 7.

Thats the bad news. The good news is that the 3 winners in 5th either played in red and white stripes (Stoke in 2002 ) or were from South Yorks (Wednesday in 2005 and Barnsley in 2006).

 

[Superblades]

I gave up looking for signs of good luck along time ago Darren

I'm starting to look forward to Friday! Forget what has happened over the past 46 games, it's the next 2/3 games that count, let's do our part as fans and if it goes wrong then we can grumble about it.

UTB

 

[Russ]

Agreed SB. The thing is, you make your own luck.

Hopeful shots that go in-off. They only work if you have a hopeful shot.
Hopeful own goals that we used to get a lot, lets hope O.G. plays.
Hopeful penalty appeals where the ref gives it - sometimes only work if 20,000 fans appeal. Not 19,999.

Thats why we are in this together, everyone needs to get behind them, make lots of noise, scare Yeovil to death and help us win.

I think if we win the first leg by any score we will get through.

 

[davidpinder]

Agreed SB. The thing is, you make your own luck.

Hopeful shots that go in-off. They only work if you have a hopeful shot.
Hopeful own goals that we used to get a lot, lets hope O.G. plays.
Hopeful penalty appeals where the ref gives it - sometimes only work if 20,000 fans appeal. Not 19,999.

Thats why we are in this together, everyone needs to get behind them, make lots of noise, scare Yeovil to death and help us win.

I think if we win the first leg by any score we will get through.

Your forgetting something........ We need to score to do that

 

[Russ]

Your forgetting something........ We need to score to do that

Yeah but what I am saying is will only suceed with everyone at least being positive on the match day, and not with all this negativity. Then you never know, we might actually score a goal, Yeovil go to pieces and then might even get another! Ok, I'm going a bit far now...

Yes its been shit but now we have one last chance to do it, if we had finished 7th that would be it already.

 

[davidpinder]

Yeah but what I am saying is will only suceed with everyone at least being positive on the match day, and not with all this negativity. Then you never know, we might actually score a goal, Yeovil go to pieces and then might even get another! Ok, I'm going a bit far now...

Yes its been shit but now we have one last chance to do it, if we had finished 7th that would be it already.

Some would say its got to click soon, I think it will depend massively on his team selection, it worries me when morgs is banging on about clean sheets and not goals.

 

[KenMcnaughtsNuts]

statistics are only worth taking any interest in, if theres some logic to them.

all known logic would dictate that the better the team, the more chance you have of winning.
beyond that, any other stats are irrelevant.

 

[Gavlar]

in many ways the previous 46 games mean nothing now, then again confidence dictates a lot at this stage. gotta hope the team that played against swindon turns up with the same passion and belief, cmon the blades!

 

[Worksop_Blade]

This seasons play offs is a line up of teams that have all bombed in the end of season nut busters.

Since 1990:

Brentford

1991 Semis & Lost
1995 Semis & Lost
1997 Final Lost 1-0
2002 Final Lost 2-0
2005 Semis & Lost
2006 Semis & Lost

Yeovil

2007 Final Lost 1-0

Sheffield United

1997 Final Lost 1-0
1998 Semis & Lost
2003 Final Lost 3-0
2009 Final Lost 1-0
2012 Final Lost 0-0*

Swindon

1990 Final Won 1-0 then Lost off the pitch due to rule breaking
1993 Final Won 4-3
2004 Semis & Lost
2010 Final Lost 1-0

Combined theres 6 Semi Final defeats, 9 Final defeats & 1 Final win.

 

[Superblades]

What rule did Swindon break?

 

[Worksop_Blade]

What rule did Swindon break?

From wikipedia:

"...Swindon were Second Division play-off winners,[10] but the club later admitted 36 charges of breaching league rules, 35 due to illegal payments made to players, and were relegated to the Third Division — giving Sunderland promotion to the First Division and Tranmere Rovers to the Second Division. The scandal saw then chairman Brian Hillier being given a six-month prison sentence and chief accountant Vince Farrar being put on probation. A later appeal saw Swindon Town being allowed to stay in the Second Division."

[edit]​

 

[Ashtonsmashton]

This seasons play offs is a line up of teams that have all bombed in the end of season nut busters.

Since 1990:

Brentford

1991 Semis & Lost
1995 Semis & Lost
1997 Final Lost 1-0
2002 Final Lost 2-0
2005 Semis & Lost
2006 Semis & Lost

Yeovil

2007 Final Lost 1-0

Sheffield United

1997 Final Lost 1-0
1998 Semis & Lost
2003 Final Lost 3-0
2009 Final Lost 1-0
2012 Final Lost 0-0*

Swindon

1990 Final Won 1-0 then Lost off the pitch due to rule breaking
1993 Final Won 4-3
2004 Semis & Lost
2010 Final Lost 1-0

Combined theres 6 Semi Final defeats, 9 Final defeats & 1 Final win.

been to two, and I already can't wait for use just to go up the normal route autos

 

[BladeFisher]

been to two, and I already can't wait for use just to go up the normal route autos

So the good news is if it's Brentford either someone will score for the first time in a final or its 0-0 again. Could be that Spielberg epic "Penalty nightmare returns" starring?

 

[BusheyBlade]

At least we have a decent record of getting to the final, 4 out of 5 attempts.

 

[WorkingtonBlade]

At least we have a decent record of getting to the final, 4 out of 5 attempts.

Four out of six attempts actually. Our first involvement in the play offs, when we lost in the semis and were relegated, is missing from the list.

 

[JohnDenver]

Four out of six attempts actually. Our first involvement in the play offs, when we lost in the semis and were relegated, is missing from the list.

Might be my memory (it was my second ever game that one), but I didn't think there was a final in those days. The team from Div2 played the team from Div3 in a 2-leg shoot-out didn't they? Might be wrong...

 

[Kenilworth]

Might be my memory (it was my second ever game that one), but I didn't think there was a final in those days. The team from Div2 played the team from Div3 in a 2-leg shoot-out didn't they? Might be wrong...

Yep - that's correct - so it was a final of sorts only the prize for us was not to go down and the the prize for Brizzle was to replace us - of course, we lost. 2-1 at their place and 1-1 at home - my one and only visit to Ashton Gate that first leg. I think Carl Shutt (ex Pig) scored for them at the Lane - Darren will come along with dates, times, scorers, corrections, inside leg measurements etc. It's what he does.

 

[WorkingtonBlade]

No, there was a final, but it was played over 2 legs. We lost in the semis to Bristol City. They went on to the final, and lost to Walsall (actually in a replay, after drawing over the 2 legs!)

The only slightly odd thing is that, having taken the trouble to play a two-leg final, with a leg at each team's home ground, they then played a single-leg replay at Walsall's ground. I assume that was just because Walsall finished higher, but the rule seems a little harsh on Bristol City!

Edit - actually, according to Wikipedia they took penalties at the end of the second leg of the final to decide who would host the replay, and Walsall won the penalties.

 

[Worksop_Blade]

Four out of six attempts actually. Our first involvement in the play offs, when we lost in the semis and were relegated, is missing from the list.

The list is from 1990 onwards.

The one you're on about was 1988.

 

[Aml-blade]

Yeovil

2007 Final Lost 1-0

I've noticed that the 'in thing' on this forum is to see who can be the biggest pedant. With that in mind, Yeovil lost 2-0

 

[BusheyBlade]

Edit - actually, according to Wikipedia they took penalties at the end of the second leg of the final to decide who would host the replay, and Walsall won the penalties.

Good grief that sounds horrific. I hate to imagine what would happen to United in such circumstances!

 

[WorkingtonBlade]

In this particular case it must have been a bit of an odd event, because Bristol City had won the leg played at Walsall, and Walsall had won the leg played at Bristol City - in both cases by 2 clear goals.

History does not record whether Bristol City were actually trying to lose the penalty shoot out...

If they were it didn't work - they lost the replay 4-0.

 

[Bladesway]

Yeah but what I am saying is will only suceed with everyone at least being positive on the match day, and not with all this negativity. Then you never know, we might actually score a goal, Yeovil go to pieces and then might even get another! Ok, I'm going a bit far now...

Yes its been shit but now we have one last chance to do it, if we had finished 7th that would be it already.

Fair play to you for optimism. I think you will find everyone will be positive on match day. They generally are. Its like groundhog day, you wake up, go to the match, clap like a seal, they let you down and you swear you will never do it again. You wake up.............

Oh and had we finished 7th there may have been more than just the season that was over.

 

[Revolution]

In this particular case it must have been a bit of an odd event, because Bristol City had won the leg played at Walsall, and Walsall had won the leg played at Bristol City - in both cases by 2 clear goals.

History does not record whether Bristol City were actually trying to lose the penalty shoot out...

If they were it didn't work - they lost the replay 4-0.

With none other than David Kelly scoring a hattrick for Walsall. He scored 7 times in the playoffs that year, which I assume is a record.

It is fair to say that Walsall's season in Division 2 the following season did not go well...

 

[raul]

I've noticed that the 'in thing' on this forum is to see who can be the biggest pedant. With that in mind, Yeovil lost 2-0

Ah but there is also a small grouping of anti- pedants who will sporadically drop in an erroneous fact just to see which pedant corrects it first.....

 

[Billyblade]

Ah but there is also a small grouping of anti- pedants who will sporadically drop in an erroneous fact just to see which pedant corrects it first.....

The Blades won the "best team in the world" play off final in 2002 against Barcelona.
Who's first?

 

[blade too long]

its funny how the only time a sheffield clubs won a play off they finished 5th in league 1 and had only won 1 of their last 9

and we have just finished 5th in league 1 and won 1 of our last nine

 

[Revolution]

its funny how the only time a sheffield clubs won a play off they finished 5th in league 1 and had only won 1 of their last 9

and we have just finished 5th in league 1 and won 1 of our last nine

It's funny how you predicted automatic promotion and then play off success last year, and you were wrong.

This year you have predicted automatic promotion and playoff success...

 

[Darren]

Yep - that's correct - so it was a final of sorts only the prize for us was not to go down and the the prize for Brizzle was to replace us - of course, we lost. 2-1 at their place and 1-1 at home - my one and only visit to Ashton Gate that first leg. I think Carl Shutt (ex Pig) scored for them at the Lane - Darren will come along with dates, times, scorers, corrections, inside leg measurements etc. It's what he does.

As if by magic...

We lost 1-0 at theirs on 15/5/88. The return was on 18/5/88. Shutt did indeed put BC ahead early on with Morris equalising just after HT with a rather great goal. We then laid the proverbial siege to the BC goal and our best chance came when Paul Williams missed an easy chance that has been described many times on here. It wasn't to be and it ended 1-1 and we were down...

 

[raul]

Brownie was mascot for the home leg