How successful are play off final winners?

[Tynemouth Blade]

The lottery of the play offs and how many failures we have endured in the finals (How many is it now?) and the scars it has left many of us, despite the great day's out we've had, got me thinking; Just how many winners of the play off finals (all divisions) have actually been successful in the higher league they won promotion to?
Reason I ask this, apart from the fact I don't know the answer, is that once you've won promotion automatically, the team and management can 'relax' and start planning for next season almost immediately, whereas the play off finalists have to wait until that final game at Wembley before they can put into place any plans relating to the coming season, in terms of new playing staff, who they will retain and who they will get rid off, until they know which division they'll be in next!
So, my assumption is that those extra few weeks during the play offs can lead to planning issues and the delay in getting the squad in place for the next season which could be make or break!.......or is it?

 

[vorpal blade]

.....and by definition, the team who wins the play-off isn't as good as the teams who came top and second in the league........

 

[Kenilworth]

A reasonable question Tybers but I think it's far more of an issue for the team that wins the Championship play off than the L1 affair as the gulf is that much wider.

On the issue of time for planning. Didn't Nige have plenty of time to plan for this season? We all knew the striker situation was a major problem. We knew that centre mid was an issue to resolve, also. He knew pretty early on that HM was offski so CB was a priority and RB was a gaping hole that we knew wasn't going to be filled with facial hair.

CM
Now you could quote Basham and that can be countered with Wallace as a major gamble.

CB
You could offer Butler but that was on the cheap and a disaster from day 1 and we played our new RB as a CB in the first few games. WTF!

CF
Higdon & McNuts?
Well it ain't Aygard and Wilbraham
It isn't Afobe
It's not Garner

RB
Alcock - pretty much says it all

I suspect some money might have been allocated to Mr Evans return and maybe there is a point there given the constraints on FFP and player salaries. It should have been ruled out anyway given it was 4 months into a season and the lad would t be game for for at least 2-3 months after that.

Targets?
So none of the first choice targets landed. I think that's what we are supposed to understand. That says much about how attractive a L1 side is and might also suggest that we were a) unrealistic in our targets b) not prepared to pay the going rate c) not an attractive prospect as a club to aspiring young players or experienced pro's.

Anyway, the gist is NC had more that enough time to plan and execute from the end of last season to the start of this. Our pre season was woeful and set the standard of what we saw in the first third of the season at least.

We still look like a collection of strangers - the constant changes, whether enforced through injury or on a tactical basis have seen to that - we don't look like a team where the overall is greater than the sum of its parts - except in the cup games vs higher oppo and the odd league game e.g. Barnsley. Our best performances have been when one or two key players have a blinder (& if Murphy doesn't we invariably don't).

 

[vorpal blade]

agree with much of the above Kenilworth - stability is of utmost importance. The churning of the squad must have been detrimental but constant improvement is vital too thats a difficult balancing act to pull off.

The lesson for us (me included) isn't quite 'be careful what you wish for'..... but I don't mind 'Who Dares Wins", its all a game to me.

 

[cal the blade]

7 of the last nine playoff winners from league one will be in this division next year. And out of the other 2 huddersfield have been the most succesful so speaks for itself

 

[Dnblade]

Not many success stories from previous winners..Man City and Stoke going back a bit...Hudds still there after 3 seasons,Wendy did 5 before relegation..Blackpool 9 including 1 in Prem,Millwall 5,Donny 4...Millers from last season just managed to stay up.

 

[Bladesway]

By definition the team that wins the play offs is more successful thano the one that doesn't. We should know.

 

[Tynemouth Blade]

A reasonable question Tybers but I think it's far more of an issue for the team that wins the Championship play off than the L1 affair as the gulf is that much wider.

On the issue of time for planning. Didn't Nige have plenty of time to plan for this season? We all knew the striker situation was a major problem. We knew that centre mid was an issue to resolve, also. He knew pretty early on that HM was offski so CB was a priority and RB was a gaping hole that we knew wasn't going to be filled with facial hair.

CM
Now you could quote Basham and that can be countered with Wallace as a major gamble.

CB
You could offer Butler but that was on the cheap and a disaster from day 1 and we played our new RB as a CB in the first few games. WTF!

CF
Higdon & McNuts?
Well it ain't Aygard and Wilbraham
It isn't Afobe
It's not Garner

RB
Alcock - pretty much says it all

I suspect some money might have been allocated to Mr Evans return and maybe there is a point there given the constraints on FFP and player salaries. It should have been ruled out anyway given it was 4 months into a season and the lad would t be game for for at least 2-3 months after that.

Targets?
So none of the first choice targets landed. I think that's what we are supposed to understand. That says much about how attractive a L1 side is and might also suggest that we were a) unrealistic in our targets b) not prepared to pay the going rate c) not an attractive prospect as a club to aspiring young players or experienced pro's.

Anyway, the gist is NC had more that enough time to plan and execute from the end of last season to the start of this. Our pre season was woeful and set the standard of what we saw in the first third of the season at least.

We still look like a collection of strangers - the constant changes, whether enforced through injury or on a tactical basis have seen to that - we don't look like a team where the overall is greater than the sum of its parts - except in the cup games vs higher oppo and the odd league game e.g. Barnsley. Our best performances have been when one or two key players have a blinder (& if Murphy doesn't we invariably don't).

Ken, you're spot on with those observations. With the success we had towards the end of last sesason we should have been able to push on and I guess like me, most Blades expected better and a good season, but not bringing in Coady and the time it took to get the Beard back, plus HM leaving and not being replaced and Chedgate......

 

[dublin 10 blade]

I'll let you know at the end of next season .