Promotion candidates hitting form at the right time.

[Kenilworth]

yes they will, but that's why it's a forum. We beg to differ.

UTB

No they won't

 

[LoughboroBlade]

Hitting form going into the playoffs is a bit misleading . At the end of the season its start again with the 4 teams all being level. Whether you have been good , bad or indifferent , it will not count or matter . It will be what any of the teams do over 2 legs and the final .

Physiologically no team will want to play the blades .

UTB

Form yes, but overall league position does seem to be a factor - and obviously being in good form allows you to finish as high as possible.

If you take the last 20 playoffs at this level:

- 3rd reached the final 13/20 occasions, winning 6
- 4th reached the final 12/20 occasions, winning 6
- 5th reached the final 8/20, winning 3
- 6th reached the final 7/20, winning 5

Winning the final is a bit of a lottery, but getting to the final in the first place is clearly more weighted to the higher-placed teams. That could be down to home advantage in the 2nd leg, or simply the extra game helping to give a fairer result based on the respective strength of the teams. Provided we get to the final though, it's anyone's guess who ends up on top.

Incidentally, all of the last four finals have been between 3rd and 4th, with 4th winning. And the above also doesn't take into account that as a club in the playoffs we are, given clear history, dooooooomed.

 

[Silent Blade]

Having sat down with a decent piggy fan last week we ended up discussing the play Offs and the game they played against Hartlepool at Cardiff.

They were shit all that season and were shit in the play off game and although I think they won 4-2 on the day were extremely fortunate.

Teams going in on form do not always succeed - we know to our cost.

With all due respect to all the others teams, we are the biggest team in the PO, and as such we will be given that respect. No team will want us in the semi or final and they will shit their pants at the prospect.

UTB

I remember speaking to a casual worker who is a Bolton fan and telling him that I thought the Bolton team of the 1999/2000 season (they lost in the play-offs) was much better than the team of the 2000/01 season (won the play-offs). He fully agreed with me

 

[Revolution]

Form yes, but overall league position does seem to be a factor - and obviously being in good form allows you to finish as high as possible.

If you take the last 20 playoffs at this level:

- 3rd reached the final 13/20 occasions, winning 6
- 4th reached the final 12/20 occasions, winning 6
- 5th reached the final 8/20, winning 3
- 6th reached the final 7/20, winning 5

Winning the final is a bit of a lottery, but getting to the final in the first place is clearly more weighted to the higher-placed teams. That could be down to home advantage in the 2nd leg, or simply the extra game helping to give a fairer result based on the respective strength of the teams. Provided we get to the final though, it's anyone's guess who ends up on top.

I feared that this was the case, which is why a few weeks ago I said I hoped we chased down fourth spot and got a home game second, but I was told that it doesn't matter and our away form is ace....

 

[Sirius]

I respect your right to have a point of view and do not regard it as "cringeworthy" in the least. Our club has about 17000 hard core fans and the numbers of different opinions amongst them will be around 17000 I guess.

I suppose it's about expectations and the Board have set the bar very high indeed. I would not say Clough is amongst the worst of our past few managers, in fact he's one of the better ones. "Safe pair of hands", "cultural fit", "honest and open" are all terms which spring to mind. As regards a leader to take us up two levels within the next 3 years or so and to keep us there. well that's a different kettle of fish.

Talking of fish, I dare say the new S6 owners will be looking around for a new manager to realise their dreams for them. I worry that they might well make a much better choice than we did and there is a chance they might.

You talk about choices, well that is always subjective as McCabe has found to his cost so many times. We need an Eddie Howe type achiever. How about Mike Warburton with David Weir as his assistant? They are available and have all the optimism and energy of blokes intent on going places. Paul Cook, Gary Rowett (though we're probably too late unless Brum unravel again), someone from the same stable as the Middlesbrough manager, and so on. Blokes who are hungry for success and expect to achieve it. I hope the other lot don't choose any of those, or Paul Lambert for that matter.

I never thought I would hear the name David Weir mentiond in the same breath as Sheffield United ever again. PMSL.

 

[Sirius]

And the exact point of my post was to highlight that Warnock took a lot of time to show he was a decent manager given that before he got us promoted there were a fair few years of crap.

And Clough has demonstrated he is/could be a decent manager. For fuck sake he's only a center half and James Wallace away from having a very good team. He knows that and he'll fix that in the summer.

And people will say - well he should have sorted that out already - well sometimes that happens in football, your targets don't work out/players get injured there are fall outs. Remember Barry hayles, Danny Cullip and Horesfield?? Yet Warnock still got success. And I would bet those other managers you listed had similar slip ups in recruitment during their times. And in terms of tinkering with the team, then Dave Bassett loved a chop and change and squad rotation.

Bassett knew what he was doing, there's the difference.