Burnley and Leeds are just better

[ormester]

The problem is, Coventry, Boro and Bristol City will all brush us aside over 2 legs and then we have no chance in a 1 off game against anyone at Wembley if we stumble through, we don’t have the mentality for it. Losing to 3 shit teams in a week proves that.

I disagree strongly

 

[MBH]

"Brush us aside" when we've beaten all 3 on aggregate this season?

Sunderland at Wembley though, different story. We'd set up too defensively and terrifiedly

Sunderland arent going to Wembley. We are garbage ATM and have been for weeks. We wont be beating anyone over 2 legs. Le Bris has been well and truly found out and probably wont be manager of SAFC a dozen or so games into next season when we are floundering mid table or lower.

 

[MBH]

Could do with Cov finishing 5th and knocking Sunderland out.

That would definitely happen. We haven't beaten coventry since 2007 and they are perhaps our biggest bogey side out there.

We also haven't beaten Bristol City on Wearside since 1994.

 

[Nicolaus_Copernicus]

We’re the third best team in the league, that can’t be disputed.

Promoted Play Off teams from the Championship:

2014/15: 3rd best team.
2015/16: 4th best team.
2016/17: 5th best team.
2017/18: 3rd best team.
2018/19: 5th best team.
2019/20: 4th best team.
2020/21: 3rd best team.
2021/22: 4th best team.
2022/23: 3rd best team.
2023/24: 4th best team.

3rd: 40%
4th: 40%
5th: 20%

 

[Tom Bott]

when we are floundering mid table or lower.

Which is where many saw us being in July with the few quality players we had left.

Astute management and acquisitions got us to where we are, like the polar opposite of Luton who finished 10 points above us last season in the PL.

Not good enough for many though.

It will be the same next season, no matter which league or manager.

 

[Rodley]

Promoted Play Off teams from the Championship:

2014/15: 3rd best team.
2015/16: 4th best team.
2016/17: 5th best team.
2017/18: 3rd best team.
2018/19: 5th best team.
2019/20: 4th best team.
2020/21: 3rd best team.
2021/22: 4th best team.
2022/23: 3rd best team.
2023/24: 4th best team.

3rd: 40%
4th: 40%
5th: 20%

We know how to win tight games of football. Bring on the playoffs.

 

[bladesmanluke]

Burnley and Leeds are better than us. Table says so. We're better than Sunderland, Bristol and Coventry. We'll prove it soon. Don't worry

 

[Houston_Blade]

I disagree strongly

I suppose we’ll see, I have no expectation of us getting to the play off final. I think Coventry will win it. The rest of the teams are stumbling into the play offs.

 

[ancientblade]

although im slightly pessimistic about our play off chances simply because were just not playing well enough ive had a feeling for a while it would be us and sunderland at wembley however it doesnt matter which 3 teams go up to the prem all 3 will be coming back down again imo and i cant see this trend changing anytime soon

 

[Frank the tank]

although im slightly pessimistic about our play off chances simply because were just not playing well enough ive had a feeling for a while it would be us and sunderland at wembley however it doesnt matter which 3 teams go up to the prem all 3 will be coming back down again imo and i cant see this trend changing anytime soon

I agree, I look through the three teams and don't see any real Premier league quality

Leeds had a far better team last time they were relegated as did Burnley and they both surrendered pretty meekly and I can't see their owners splashing the cash

 

[FriethBlade]

Promoted Play Off teams from the Championship:

2014/15: 3rd best team.
2015/16: 4th best team.
2016/17: 5th best team.
2017/18: 3rd best team.
2018/19: 5th best team.
2019/20: 4th best team.
2020/21: 3rd best team.
2021/22: 4th best team.
2022/23: 3rd best team.
2023/24: 4th best team.

3rd: 40%
4th: 40%
5th: 20%

6th incoming !

 

[Silent Blade]

Sunderland arent going to Wembley. We are garbage ATM and have been for weeks. We wont be beating anyone over 2 legs. Le Bris has been well and truly found out and probably wont be manager of SAFC a dozen or so games into next season when we are floundering mid table or lower.

Sunderland have one big advantage for the play offs. It is 99% certain that you finish in 4th place so you can rest some of your players for the next 3 games, the bench warmers will be given game time and one or two of them may make Le Bris realise that they are ready for the step up. It will be like a pre-season for you.

 

[Blademan89]

Squad depth from both Leeds & burnley, really allowed them to play the same squad without worries of injuries or suspensions (luckily for them they never really had any).

Both these teams had played the same players all season in same position, where as wilder was constantly chopping and changing and resting players (coupled with injuries to key players), those two never really had to deal with a paper thin squad and bad injuries. This is what got these teams promotion.

I'm sure burnley hasn't really changed their back 5 all season and similar to Leeds.

Both had better summers than us and burnley had a better January.

It has also helped them that both teams had played the same way against every other team this season and entered every game the same way. Where as we changed tactics and our style too many times and some game shit the bed tactics.

 

[Champagneblade]

We’ve fallen short to the two teams with the biggest wage bills and we had to do without a 20m midfielder and a 15m centre half for long periods.

We can rest and rotate and avoid suspensions and injuries and approach games with confidence against probably teams we have beaten at least once this season and in the case of Bristol and Coventry, not lose to either.

Probably better we get to set our minds than have last day heartbreak to overcome.

UTB

 

[Kozzy_is_my_Dad]

Burnley and Leeds ought to go up as top two. Simply, they have like-for-like replacements and squad depth, all across the pitch. Their squads have also been together for longer and they have seasoned, experienced pros.

We lost 31 players in the summer and we were still actively building and adding depth in January, and we still are. That's not excuses, it's the state of play. This was always a multiple window rebuild, and then you have to factor in new ownership and promotion or not (and player losses) as part of that. And so, we have done fantastically well to be in this position for most of the season, given the state we came down in and the amount of work we had to do. Think back to those early weeks, with only Moore fit up top, etc.

Sure enough, that recruitment workload has cost us, because players had to go again and again, week in, week out, without any real squad depth. Injuries built up. The bench was littered with youth team players and featured two keepers on more than one occasion.

You also have to factor in that Burnley and Leeds have been far more settled, consistent and injury free in two key positions: CB and CM. That quality showed in the end.

When you think to earlier in the season and we had a fit and in-form spine of: Cooper, Souttar/Ahmedhozic, Souza and Blaster or Peck, Campbell. We looked confident, and assured most weeks. I genuinely feared no one and trusted us to soak up pressure and to see out games. We weren't the finished article, but we were pleasingly solid. That has been lost and the drop off in quality of the minutes the rest of the squad have had to cover has cost us. A squad short on depth doesn't manage the lost of Blaster, Souttar and the limited availability of Souza. That just isn't possible.

 

[Bladered]

Set aside the injuries we’ve had to Blaster and Souttar, both Burnley and Leeds are better teams than us and that’s looked the case when we played them. Deep down we all know that and when we’ve played them they’ve had an extra gear and extra quality. There’s no shame in that and it’s just caught up with us.

The reality is when they went up they strengthened and moved their squads on again, and we had a year where didn’t strengthen at all. The result is we look a cycle behind them in the promotion / relegation circuit we now inhabit.

Time now for cool heads, time to rest the young players who look burnt out (Peck, Burrows, etc) and critically time for management to work out how we recapture our Coventry form and win the playoffs.

It’s done now and we’ve had enough self-flagellation to last us a lifetime this last week. A management change won’t happen obviously, any rational mind can see that, so on we go and UTB

Bang on.

 

[Bladered]

Burnley and Leeds ought to go up as top two. Simply, they have like-for-like replacements and squad depth, all across the pitch. Their squads have also been together for longer and they have seasoned, experienced pros.

We lost 31 players in the summer and we were still actively building and adding depth in January, and we still are. That's not excuses, it's the state of play. This was always a multiple window rebuild, and then you have to factor in new ownership and promotion or not (and player losses) as part of that. And so, we have done fantastically well to be in this position for most of the season, given the state we came down in and the amount of work we had to do. Think back to those early weeks, with only Moore fit up top, etc.

Sure enough, that recruitment workload has cost us, because players had to go again and again, week in, week out, without any real squad depth. Injuries built up. The bench was littered with youth team players and featured two keepers on more than one occasion.

You also have to factor in that Burnley and Leeds have been far more settled, consistent and injury free in two key positions: CB and CM. That quality showed in the end.

When you think to earlier in the season and we had a fit and in-form spine of: Cooper, Souttar/Ahmedhozic, Souza and Blaster or Peck, Campbell. We looked confident, and assured most weeks. I genuinely feared no one and trusted us to soak up pressure and to see out games. We weren't the finished article, but we were pleasingly solid. That has been lost and the drop off in quality of the minutes the rest of the squad have had to cover has cost us. A squad short on depth doesn't manage the lost of Blaster, Souttar and the limited availability of Souza. That just isn't possible.

Intelligent,accurate and probably lost to most on this site.