"Playing for pride"

[The_Green_Man]

I just wondered what significance people give this footballing figure of speech?

We are deep into the business end of the season now and (usually) by the end of this month it will be quite obvious who the movers and shakers are, likewise the dog fight at the other end of the table will be a bit more clear.

It is all way too close to call at the minute and you could argue that every single team in this league still has something to play for because it is still ridiculously close and mathematically possible to go either way.



For instance look at Walsall (12th) and Wimbledon (13th).....Having been in similar positions ourselves, with only a few wins and results needed to throw them into the mix, no doubt the gaffers down there will still be fancying themselves to do so (whilst ever mathematically possible.....However flip that coin and you could argue that a few bad results could drop them into a dog fight as well.

I heard them speaking of how we have to go to bottom of the league teams from now in and how this will work to our advantage? Do we really believe this to be an advantage at this stage of the season?....If anything these teams will be scrapping it out in hope of staying up and they will be difficult places to go surely?....

Will the next few results begin to show a pattern of who have something to play for and who are merely "playing for pride"??........

 

[dingledog]

It'll be rait

 

[wizadry]

Good OP.

Every game could turn out to be a slog and we will have to do more than turn up in every game to get the results required but I think we have the tools to achieve the points for automatic promotion.

On the flip side, every team will fear us and that will count for a lot from now until the end of the season. We proved on Saturday that we can still get results and goals when not playing so well against a very good home side.

 

[Stretch]

Basically, no easy games and the gaffer has been saying this all season. Complete focus and ruthlessness from now on and it's in our hands.

 

[BigBed]

You've overlooked something very important here.........................

WE ARE BLADES
WE ARE BLADES
O WE ARE WE ARE BLADES.

 

[BladesOnToast]

I remember a few seasons ago when Preston (who had been in the automatic promotion zone for most of the season) had to visit Colchester on the final day - Colchester who'd been in the relegation dogfight all season. Great, thought Preston, we're playing relegation fodder on the last day, what can possibly go wrong... the U's of course played out of their skins (spearheaded by a Mr Porter) to win and Preston ended up in the playoffs.

None of this matters however cos we'll be up by Easter anyway.

 

[blade too long]

of course playing bottom clubs will be an advantage

why are those clubs from milton keynes down down there
they arent very good

we have to play 8 of those teams

if we cant get 2 points a game from those 8 games ie 16 points I will never say anything positive again
these are teams who have little fight in them , thats why they are there

they might be by their standards fighting to stay up

but itll be like sunderland fighting to stay up v man city yesterday

 

[blade too long]

the teams from 8th to 13th , nothing to come
oxford have to win 2 games in hand to still be 5 points off a play off place
its like when we started bottom under weir
mathematically possible , but in reality a bridge too far

no one under 50 points now will get the 72 to 75 points to make the play off
already need 3 games to catch up with the teams above needing to collapse

most will start planning their summer holidays by the time we play them

be amazed if the top 6 clubs change at all

 

[Fanny magnet]

won't be any easy games if we defend like we did Saturday

 

[Lord Bos of Eckington.]

You've overlooked something very important here.........................

WE ARE BLADES
WE ARE BLADES
O WE ARE WE ARE BLADES.

It's because we are Blades , that other teams will raise there game and try to trip us up . Fuck them Blades will be the opposition managers rallying call

Still loads of twist and turns for us and surprise results on the way .

It will be the same for that other so called big club Bolton .

At least we have points in the bag . The team that IMO will get the easy ride is Fleetwood .

Teams will be willing them on . If they can do it why the fuck can't we senorio.

 

[blade too long]

why would teams be willing on Fleetwood , cant see Oxford say, oh its fleetwood ahhhh lets let them win,

we will try really hard against sheff utd but when fleetwood roll up in a few weeks we will roll over

 

[Leonardo Green]

we'll fuckin tonk everyone.

 

[seanbeenstattoo]

We play Oxford tomorrow.
Until that game is over no other game matters whatsoever.
There is more importance in regard to the fluff in your belly button than what may happen beyond tomorrows game.

 

[Lord Bos of Eckington.]

why would teams be willing on Fleetwood , cant see Oxford say, oh its fleetwood ahhhh lets let them win,

we will try really hard against sheff utd but when fleetwood roll up in a few weeks we will roll over

Only a thought . To me it's a mental thing .

If I was a player I would rather play against Sheffeld United than Fleetwood . I think physiologically I would put more in against Sheffield United than Fleetwood . Bigger crowd , so called big club , so called best players and all that .

Bet opposition players can name all our players but not Fleetwoods . Only a thought and may be totally wrong , which no doubt I am .

 

[blade too long]

professionals supposedly take each game as it comes
Im told endlessly in here theres no easy games left and your saying some players dont try in some games
oldham have to play us and fleetwood too , Id say theyd fancy their chances more of beating Fleetwood than beating us in their fight to stay up

 

[PokerBlade]

I think people read a lot into psychology of things like playing for pride, form, momentum, playing without pressure, fighting for their lives, at this stage of the season. It'd be easy to show statistically if teams lower in the league were more likely to beat higher placed teams now than then but I've never seen it broken down.

My guess is that at this stage of the season everyone is very keenly aware of other teams, doing all theirs maths on what needs to happen, who needs to drop points, and a lot of confirmation bias goes on when people notice the upsets. If a mid-table team that can't go up or down beats a top six side then people will notice and apply the above reasoning. They'll not pay attention to us having lost 4-0 to Walsall earlier in the season and question whether these aberrations are any more or less frequent.

 

[Harrisblade]

I think people read a lot into psychology of things like playing for pride, form, momentum, playing without pressure, fighting for their lives, at this stage of the season. It'd be easy to show statistically if teams lower in the league were more likely to beat higher placed teams now than then but I've never seen it broken down.

My guess is that at this stage of the season everyone is very keenly aware of other teams, doing all theirs maths on what needs to happen, who needs to drop points, and a lot of confirmation bias goes on when people notice the upsets. If a mid-table team that can't go up or down beats a top six side then people will notice and apply the above reasoning. They'll not pay attention to us having lost 4-0 to Walsall earlier in the season and question whether these aberrations are any more or less frequent.

The differences will only start to show when the goals go in.
Teams all over the country at every level will always start off with heart, enthusiasm and fight, even against better quality opponents.
The difference between winners and losers is apparent when the poorer team goes a goal or 2 behind.
The poor teams cave in whilst the better ones keep battling and playing with the same winning mentality.

 

[metalblade]

Actually it is close only two teams have a 5pt gap to the team below, one of them is Chesterfield the other team is .............................

 

[The_Green_Man]

I like below us and whilst I want Fleetwood to calm down a bit, I would love for them to take the 2nd spot over Bolton, Scunthorpe or them animals from the capital.

If only for the trip to the coast........If Brighton go up, who do we play at the seaside?

 

[TBW57]

I like below us and whilst I want Fleetwood to calm down a bit, I would love for them to take the 2nd spot over Bolton, Scunthorpe or them animals from the capital.

If only for the trip to the coast........If Brighton go up, who do we play at the seaside?

Sun. Sea. Sand. Sunderland!