Championship play-off final

[PokerBlade]

I voted undecided but I know deep down I would've been there. I'm so glad I neither have to be there nor feel disappointed that we're not there.

I know Leeds had been on the decline for a while but they were third place by a distance, they were even two goals ahead and then 45 minutes of brilliance from a side that hasn't been that impressive all season left them for dead. I'm so happy we're not facing that.

 

[Liverpool blade]

I’ve been to every playoff game so would definitely have gone!!. It’s cost me a fortune over the years monetary and emotionally!!. It’s a lovely feeling not to have to go through the torture.
Hats off to wilder and the lads for sparing us the torment. UTB

 

[grafikhaus]

I know you did, I was just clarifying for ya. Nowt clever about it. I also wondered if losing in the final last year had had any effect on their ticket sales because it’s an interesting point - you know how losing feels but would you really want to stay away just in case *this* was finally the year?

Oh, the Villa fans would have been pissed off but they're a genuinely 'big' club with a big fanbase who will get there sooner rather than later. Also, when big allocations sell out quickly, it's a sense of 'You'd be mad not to go.'

When Villa were relegated from the PL in 2015-16, they'd been in the top flight for 25 years. Established? They finished the season with 17 points - 17 points adrift of the next-bottom team. It's a fanny 'ol game.



Mondays game is between two evenly-matched teams, may the best team win and I don't give a fuck 'cos we're there already!

 

[Fulwood Blade]

you know how losing feels but would you really want to stay away just in case *this* was finally the year?

Indeed - told my nipper that Huddersfield was my last - the clever bugger set me up by saying "would you want to miss us winning at Wembley?"

UTB

 

[grafikhaus]

I'm chilled, WERE NOT GOING TO WEMBLEY!!

Good title for a book, that.

 

[cahill]

I couldn’t take any more trauma, sill receiving treatment for PTSD following the Millenium debacle.
Willing to sacrifice the feelings of unbridled joy should we win

 

[BigBed]

Good title for a book, that.

Don't give Danny04 any ideas!

 

[Professor Yaffle]

Winning promotion at a Wembley play off final has got to be the best feeling possible, United have a wank record but it's not worth the risk to possibly miss out on that feeling

 

[stringer]

Don't give Danny04 any ideas!

Keep up pal

 

[Tunstall Fred]

Can’t believe that the subject of Frank going to Chelsea has cropped up today,days before such an important match for his present club.If I was a Derby supporter,I would be very concerned

 

[Harry's Game]

Burnley one was my swan song, I was convinced we were going to win that one, much more confident that time than either Wolves or Palace, we’d played really well in the month or three going into that game and Burnley had scrapped through their play off by scoring a couple of worldys which surely they could not keep doing....

.....bugger.



I gave the Huddersfield one a miss, we were never going up that year after surrendering such a big lead to Wednesday.

 

[diode_blade]

Here's how it would have gone....

Gidds (Rad Sheff).."United 3-0 up with 2 mins to go of normal time...here's Duffy on the ball advancing through the middle...splays a ball to middle of the park the for o'connell...o'connell nudges a ball down the byline for Basham....Basham cuts inside...takes on one defender goes on the outside, plays a ball to Norwood, back to Basham who lays it off to Sharp, Sharp to Mcgoldrick who turns inside the defender, lays it of to Coutts...slick inside pass to Egan...who then lays it back to Coutts out to Norwood...to Billy Sharp, Sharp cuts inside twists and turns and swivels.....and shooots..... GOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAL, Sheffield uniteds 4th and surely seals their promotion back to the top flight....Leeds look absolutely gutted....", Keef, "What a finnish Andy and what a move, now surely....surely the blades are back n the premier league, i don't want to curse it mind...."..."no keith don't think you can even curse this",



5 days later..


Prem league in conjunction with EFL HQ...due to ongoing court case SUFC relegated back to championship and deducted 25 pts....

 

[CornwallBlade]

A playoff final, if you won it would be a life enhancing experience but, I’m just chuffed that we’re up and glad that the nerve jangling moments were over weeks ago.
Much as I detest Grealish, only for his theatrics as he is a seriously talented player, I hope Villa win. The endless fucking references to Frank Lampards Derby and the fawning matey bollocks that would be a weekly feature on MOTD would do my head in. Apart from that, they’re a pretty average Championship side and simply not good enough for the PL

 

[CornwallBlade]

A playoff final, if you won it would be a life enhancing experience but, I’m just chuffed that we’re up and glad that the nerve jangling moments were over weeks ago.
Much as I detest Grealish, only for his theatrics as he is a seriously talented player, I hope Villa win. The endless fucking references to Frank Lampards Derby and the fawning matey bollocks that would be a weekly feature on MOTD would do my head in. Apart from that, they’re a pretty average Championship side and simply not good enough for the PL

Mind you it would mean we’d have to endure John Terry, what’s the odds that, if Villa are winning, he comes on for the last 5 minutes

 

[CaptainMorgans]

I’d have definitely gone. I’m a little desensitised to the feelings of losing at Wembley, I’ve emotionally written us off before we’ve even got there.

The Hull semi-final match was the game where I realised that this was the case - my excitement never grew - the impending sense of inevitable failure lingered at all times (and came came to pass).

So on that basis, when I apply a risk vs reward analysis to the decision it’s a no brainer to go. The risk is - we lose again and I deposit another failure at Wembley into the already congested bank of disappointments. The reward is an incredible new memory.

 

[HermitageBlade]

Burnley one was my swan song, I was convinced we were going to win that one, much more confident that time than either Wolves or Palace, we’d played really well in the month or three going into that game and Burnley had scrapped through their play off by scoring a couple of worldys which surely they could not keep doing....

.....bugger.



I gave the Huddersfield one a miss, we were never going up that year after surrendering such a big lead to Wednesday.

I was exactly the same, I always approached play offs with a sense of dread but against Burnley I was convinced we’d win. I just couldn’t see a team beating us 3 times in one season. That game destroyed me, Huddersfield I went through the motions and wasn’t surprised, convincing myself that supernatural forces (the football gods) were at work. Unfortunately I think Wilder is building up my confidence again and now I’m ready for the next big fall.

 

[BushBlade]

I was exactly the same, I always approached play offs with a sense of dread but against Burnley I was convinced we’d win. I just couldn’t see a team beating us 3 times in one season. That game destroyed me, Huddersfield I went through the motions and wasn’t surprised, convincing myself that supernatural forces (the football gods) were at work. Unfortunately I think Wilder is building up my confidence again and now I’m ready for the next big fall.

Cardiff. After the comeback against Notts* Forest I thought ‘no fucker can beat us’. Drove from London to Sheffield so I could go on a coach with me pals and celebrate with them. FFS.



*yes I know.

 

[davidblade]

Winning promotion at a Wembley play off final has got to be the best feeling possible, United have a wank record but it's not worth the risk to possibly miss out on that feeling

The best feeling possible is we’ve got autos and we don’t have to go through that pain

 

[Keen Blade]

I have attended every big game failure , old Wembley. , new Wembley , Cardiff , Old Trafford , Anfield & the Lane.
The Blades deserve a chance to win one without my jinx fucking it up for them.

 

[FATTYFOULKE]

I was exactly the same, I always approached play offs with a sense of dread but against Burnley I was convinced we’d win. I just couldn’t see a team beating us 3 times in one season. That game destroyed me, Huddersfield I went through the motions and wasn’t surprised, convincing myself that supernatural forces (the football gods) were at work. Unfortunately I think Wilder is building up my confidence again and now I’m ready for the next big fall.

This article might interest you, it mentions that game and how Burnley we’re under a transfer embargo.
Another game where we were cheated to add to an ever growing list!

http://www.espn.com/soccer/english-...inal-get-ready-for-the-richest-game-in-sports

 

[DerbyDave]

As a Ram , I can tell you, the emotion / pain is incredible ..the playoffs are clearly the brainchild of some sort of masochistic lunatic ..can't work properly , can't sleep ...bastards !!!!!
The only sobering even comforting thought , is that having finished 6th , we simply don't deserve to be promoted anyway ..it is quite different from the painful Wembley loss to QPR a few years ago , when Derby were clearly the 3rd best team in the Championship , and didn't get the promotion we deserved

 

[FATTYFOULKE]

As a Ram , I can tell you, the emotion / pain is incredible ..the playoffs are clearly the brainchild of some sort of masochistic lunatic ..can't work properly , can't sleep ...bastards !!!!!
The only sobering even comforting thought , is that having finished 6th , we simply don't deserve to be promoted anyway ..it is quite different from the painful Wembley loss to QPR a few years ago , when Derby were clearly the 3rd best team in the Championship , and didn't get the promotion we deserved

Honestly, until you mentioned it I don’t think any of us Blades had considered what losing a play-off final must be like..

Ps - good luck tomorrow, genuinely would like to see you do it.

 

[BushBlade]

This article might interest you, it mentions that game and how Burnley we’re under a transfer embargo.
Another game where we were cheated to add to an ever growing list!

http://www.espn.com/soccer/english-...inal-get-ready-for-the-richest-game-in-sports

We didn’t lose because Burnley owed money to Scunny, we lost because our manager was a bottler and the team played shit.

 

[FATTYFOULKE]

We didn’t lose because Burnley owed money to Scunny, we lost because our manager was a bottler and the team played shit.

No argument from me, just thought it interesting considering the row between Boro and Derby/villa/pigs.

 

[Cassius Kray]

It depends. At the start of the season like many of us I expected that we'd hover around the edge of the playoffs, perhaps just sneaking into them at the end if we were lucky. I think I'd have been happy to go to Wembley knowing that we'd overachieved on a small budget and with the possibility of promotion as an unexpected bonus. If we'd lost to one of the big money sides like Villa or Stoke I would hopefully not have been too disappointed.

If however we'd just slipped into 3rd at the end of the season as Leeds overtook us to go up automatic, I'd have probably booked the month off work and gone to stay in a tent in the middle of the Gobi desert as far away from any mention of football as humanly possible.

 

[8lade]

We didn’t lose because Burnley owed money to Scunny, we lost because our manager was a bottler and the team played shit.

I'd say we lost (and I had to check this but I thought straight away when people were saying they thought we'd beat Burnley) because I honestly didn't know where the next goal was going to come from.

 

[tomtheblade]

I dont have conclusive proof of this, but at times in our past it has felt like we're the most skilled club in the world at coming as close as humanly possible to success without ever having any, and that's the real killer.

Under Wilder our margins have so far been fairly comfortable.
We obviously stormed league one.
This season, even though it was close towards the end we still ended up 6 points clear of 3rd, which is a healthy advantage.
Even last year, where we failed to make the play offs. You can be justifiably disappointed at that but, even though it might sound like a weird thing to be happy about, we didnt fail on the final day or via goal difference or anything, we simply came up short. And in a strange way I'm ok with that.

So here's hoping we can continue this trend and no more heartbreaks..

 

[grafikhaus]

It depends. At the start of the season like many of us I expected that we'd hover around the edge of the playoffs, perhaps just sneaking into them at the end if we were lucky. I think I'd have been happy to go to Wembley knowing that we'd overachieved on a small budget and with the possibility of promotion as an unexpected bonus. If we'd lost to one of the big money sides like Villa or Stoke I would hopefully not have been too disappointed.

If however we'd just slipped into 3rd at the end of the season as Leeds overtook us to go up automatic, I'd have probably booked the month off work and gone to stay in a tent in the middle of the Gobi desert as far away from any mention of football as humanly possible.

My thoughts entirely. It's been a fabulous season - losing two 'on the trot' just once, averaging almost two points per game, losing just 9 out of 46, nobody conceding fewer goals. fabulous wins at Leeds, West Brom etc., losing just 2 out of the last 24 matches, overhauling QLU (Quest's Leeds United) etc. etc. To have slipped out into 3rd place - with the near-certainty of not winning the play-offs - would have totally fucked up the memory of possibly the most enjoyable season in the 57 I've seen. It would have been 2011-12 (dipping at the end, pigs illegally overtaking us etc.) all over again, but even worse.

The fall-out - for both the fans and some of our, er, 'more elderly' players - would have been enormous. How would Billy or Goldie re-enthuse themselves for another season when the great prize was so near, only to be snatched away? Would the likes of JOC, Norwood etc. still be with us in August? Wilder? Promotion to the PL is the highest-possible achievement for the Blades, and the chance doesn't come around very often. Thank fuck our efforts over 9 months have paid off without worrying about Leeds' Roofe or WBA's Rodriguez handling the ball into the net in the play-offs? Gayle or Grealish falling over for a penalty?

 

[BushBlade]

My thoughts entirely. It's been a fabulous season - losing two 'on the trot' just once, averaging almost two points per game, losing just 9 out of 46, nobody conceding fewer goals. fabulous wins at Leeds, West Brom etc., losing just 2 out of the last 24 matches, overhauling QLU (Quest's Leeds United) etc. etc. To have slipped out into 3rd place - with the near-certainty of not winning the play-offs - would have totally fucked up the memory of possibly the most enjoyable season in the 57 I've seen. It would have been 2011-12 (dipping at the end, pigs illegally overtaking us etc.) all over again, but even worse.

The fall-out - for both the fans and some of our, er, 'more elderly' players - would have been enormous. How would Billy or Goldie re-enthuse themselves for another season when the great prize was so near, only to be snatched away? Would the likes of JOC, Norwood etc. still be with us in August? Wilder? Promotion to the PL is the highest-possible achievement for the Blades, and the chance doesn't come around very often. Thank fuck our efforts over 9 months have paid off without worrying about Leeds' Roofe or WBA's Rodriguez handling the ball into the net in the play-offs? Gayle or Grealish falling over for a penalty?

It’s a sliding doors moment. We’ll never know how fucked we’d have been if we hadn’t have won promotion but I suspect it would’ve been pretty fucked.

 

[HermitageBlade]

This article might interest you, it mentions that game and how Burnley we’re under a transfer embargo.
Another game where we were cheated to add to an ever growing list!

http://www.espn.com/soccer/english-...inal-get-ready-for-the-richest-game-in-sports

Cheers for that, interesting read, really puts into perspective how much money we’ve come into. Also keen to note the bit about Phillips and his loss in the playoffs with Sunderland in 98 as they beat us in the semi. I went up to that as I think we narrowly won at home but were well beaten up there. I seem to remember Michael Gray having a stormer? I can’t be bothered to google and the memory isn’t what it used to be so correct me if I’m wrong.