Why we need it to be Sunderland

[Blademan89]

He was a very young manager in his first job finding his way.

I'll give him and you that one, but there's no doubting that the squad he had was very strong and should have been promoted with the players at his disposal.

 

[McGrath]

Sunderland were the best team we played after Leeds and Burnley.

They surprised us at Bramall Lane and should have won. But I thought we should have beaten them at theirs, mistakes cost us and Moore being sick and carrying a hernia didn't help either

 

[RAP51]

That's a bit harsh on Lampard. It's not his fault that the media are obsessed with him. He's actually turning out to be a decent manager. He did a good job at Derby. He did a good job at Chelsea when they were banned from signing players and he got the best out of players like Tammy Abraham. As for Everton, around then who didn't fail at that sinking ship? Now he's done an excellent job at Coventry. Compared to Rooney and Gerrard and he's my pick of the three.

Gerrard has had it easy the whole way, Rooney thought it would be as easy as picking up single pensioners and Lampard has done it the hard way. Speaking of ex Premier League players in management, fair play to Robbie Savage for taking a job outside the EFL where he's just got Macclesfield promoted.

I don't have a dislike for Lampard who has performed reasonably well as a manager but has certainly not been outstanding.
However if Coventry do go through, the media will make the final all about him and whilst this irritates me I think it allows us to go under the radar a bit and puts more pressure on them.
The media have always had their favourites often with London club connections.
At the end of the day we need to win our next match and I think our chances are better if that is against Frank Lampard's Coventry City than that other bloke's Sunderland.

 

[Berkshire Blade]

Sunderland were better then Coventry against us but at the same time their form has been very poor in recent months

 

[bakeblade]

Sunderland are good at sitting in.
We are bad at breaking team down that are sat in.
Sunderland need just 1-2 chances to get Isidor/Mayenda in behind.
We have struggled to win by score of 1 goal

Just saying. But play like we did last two games and it’s gonna be close

Robbo and Anel will really struggle against their front 2, Holding would be better but that ship has sailed.

 

[Selly]

I’d love for Ai or someone statty to show me that momentum and belief from comeback results doesn’t help you win playoff finals because my gut feel is that it does.

ok - in the history of the 2nd tier playoffs the following teams have LOST the first leg and made the final:

1989 Crystal Palace
1995 Bolton Wanderers
1998 Sunderland
1998 Charlton Athletic
2001 Preston North End
2004 West Ham United
2013 Watford
2018 Fulham
2019 Derby
2020 Brentford
2021 Brentford
2023 Luton Town

Only one of these occasions did the team lose the 1st leg AT HOME and make the final (Derby in bold)

Teams in green (6) were promoted, teams in red (6) were not promoted - so teams making a comeback in the second leg won 50% of the time.

Now given that 11 of 12 were teams that finished in 3rd/4th (or the equivalent positions for the "odd" years) lets take a look at those stats - that gives a promoted percentage of 54.5% versus an overall percentage for 3rd/4th placed teams making the final of 22 promotions and 21 failures (51.2%).

So there might be a small advantage - but it isn`t massive

On a more concerning level, on 8 occasions a team has won the away 1st leg, and the home 2nd leg - on 3 occasions that team ended up promoted (37.5%) and on 5 occasions they failed

 

[FTPE]

I do agree, I don't want a team full on confidence bouncing into the final, but I don't want the other team to be red n white and take 40,000 fans either.
I think we'll beat them both, I just think we have Covs number.

 

[Crafty Blade]

Whoever we play we have to play the team that has won a very tricky semi final tie and will be up for it

 

[ChipButtyBlade]

Mmmm thinking who do you wanna face....Isidor and Mayenda...........or Rudoni and Co

Isidor/Mayenda great and speedy on the counter

Rudoni and Co have a serious aerial threat from corners set pieces

 

[Flumps]

Whoever we play we have to play the team that has won a very tricky semi final tie and will be up for it

That team has also sent a pretty clear message. Not only are we the favourites, we've also beaten both these sides this season. For all the criticism Wilder has received (I'm not excluding myself from that and I think it's justified) he still continues to make history with last night's win. I think he had his eye on that 3rd goal with those subs at the end.

As far as I'm concerned we have just shown Coventry and Sunderland the difference between us and a team on their level. Either of them will be going in to the final concerned about us and I really think we need to twist the knife on that fear.

Let's be honest, if we were going in to a final against a side that had just won two games comfortably, scored 6 and kept 2 clean sheets, we would be worried. I mean we are a pessimistic bunch but that would be justified.

I mean it may count for fuck all in the long run, I think a final is alot more about mentality than capability, we'll be facing a side who's mentality should be they have nothing to lose so let's run our bollocks off.

 

[Selly]

As far as I'm concerned we have just shown Coventry and Sunderland the difference between us and a team on their level.

I think thats unfair on Sunderland - we finished 22 points ahead of Bristol city but only 14 ahead of them (and they took their foot off the gas significantly)

I would suggest that (based on league record) Sunderland are as much better than Bristol C or Coventry as we are over Sunderland - I wouldn`t be putting them in the same category.

 

[Blade56]

ok - in the history of the 2nd tier playoffs the following teams have LOST the first leg and made the final:

1989 Crystal Palace
1995 Bolton Wanderers
1998 Sunderland
1998 Charlton Athletic
2001 Preston North End
2004 West Ham United
2013 Watford
2018 Fulham
2019 Derby
2020 Brentford
2021 Brentford
2023 Luton Town

Only one of these occasions did the team lose the 1st leg AT HOME and make the final (Derby in bold)

Teams in green (6) were promoted, teams in red (6) were not promoted - so teams making a comeback in the second leg won 50% of the time.

Now given that 11 of 12 were teams that finished in 3rd/4th (or the equivalent positions for the "odd" years) lets take a look at those stats - that gives a promoted percentage of 54.5% versus an overall percentage for 3rd/4th placed teams making the final of 22 promotions and 21 failures (51.2%).

So there might be a small advantage - but it isn`t massive

On a more concerning level, on 8 occasions a team has won the away 1st leg, and the home 2nd leg - on 3 occasions that team ended up promoted (37.5%) and on 5 occasions they failed

Weeeeeerzzzzz graph, I like a graph!

 

[Blade56]

I think thats unfair on Sunderland - we finished 22 points ahead of Bristol city but only 14 ahead of them (and they took their foot off the gas significantly)

I would suggest that (based on league record) Sunderland are as much better than Bristol C or Coventry as we are over Sunderland - I wouldn`t be putting them in the same category.

Sunderland knew for around 2 months they were in play offs but not in with a shot of autos. Why bother going all out risking injury or suspensions. Ever league game was a training match for them. Showed in 1st leg, sat in and Coventry couldn’t break them down (our weakness). Then Isador and Mayenda only needed 1 chance to get behind defence and boom. Big difference is Cooper.

 

[Lord Eddard Muir]

Sunderland generally look more dangerous than Cov to me, but to be honest neither is a side I particularly relish the idea of facing in the final - though neither of them will be looking forward to playing us either.

 

[knowsnowt]

If either of them beat us I think we'll lose.

 

[LBA_Blade]

We will find out tonight who the lucky "other half" is for either of us one will be celebrating going up into a league full of corruption, VAR, mass shortage of finances vs the rest of the league, negative press and inflated prices. The other will have the joys of Wrexham away hopefully not midweek!

 

[Rochdaleblade]

Sunderland worried about Coventry ongoing throws. They have pushed the advertising boards in by 2m.

https://talksport.com/football/3200280/sunderland-coventry-championship-play-offs-frank-lampard-efl/

Could all be a plan to maje us play JLT in the final.

 

[Darnall Siam Blade]

Not if we equalise before they score, Knowsnowt.

 

[Rusty view]

Sunderland are good at sitting in.
We are bad at breaking team down that are sat in.
Sunderland need just 1-2 chances to get Isidor/Mayenda in behind.
We have struggled to win by score of 1 goal

Just saying. But play like we did last two games and it’s gonna be close

I think Isidor would cause us issues. That said I can do without the wankfest over Lampard.

 

[Sportbilly /Detroit Blade]

I see us winning by three clear goals in the final.

 

[Grizzly blade]

Coventry all day long.
Sunderland have far more threats to us than Coventry do, we are very susceptible to pace in our back line and Sunderland have plenty of that up top.
Coventry have a couple of tidy midfielders but also don’t defend so well. They get players down the flanks and early
Crosses in which we also struggle with at times but feel this is less of a risk to our back line than Pace.

Both sets of fans would out do us as well sadly in terms of numbers and vocally…but Sunderland would dwarf us! And that may be a big difference when our nervousness around play offs in general is also factored in.

 

[Blade56]

I think Isidor would cause us issues. That said I can do without the wankfest over Lampard.

Have you noticed they’ve dropped the Michael Carrick’s Middlesborough? They just call em Middlesbrough now. Ditto Wayne Rooney’s Plymouth soon became just Plymouth

 

[SRBlade]

Aside from Sunderland players running at our defence, nothing else the have concerns me.

Look at the side that we put out at their place and the subs that came on, then compare it to our options now.

Aside from Isidor and to a lesser extent Mayenda each match up is massively in our favour.

Coventry aren't as good either.

 

[robbiez666]

Sunderland have dangerous wide players. We have a right back who doesn't know where he should be and a slow LCB.

 

[Lord Eddard Muir]

For a supposedly massive club, this may be the most tinpot thing I've ever heard

 

[Foody]

I personally think Sunderland's peak performances are ahead of Coventry. I know they've gone off boil, but at times this season Sunderland have looked second only to Leeds in terms of attacking output.

Coventry have put a decent run together to make the playoffs, but there form in the early part of the year is somewhat misleading, they had a run of really soft fixtures. They pose a massive threat from crosses though, which is always a worry for us

 

[Foody]

For a supposedly massive club, this may be the most tinpot thing I've ever heard

Not uncommon at all, loads of teams did it against Pulis' Stoke in an attempt to deal with Delap

 

[CarlMcBlade]

Purely because if it’s Coventry they’ll have overcome 2-1 first leg loss and all momentum and belief will be with them despite our 6-0 agg scoreline.

Our two legs were routine and not really a test, if Coventry go to a sold out SOL and win the tie they’ll be revved right up. I fear that more than Sunderland.

All that adrenaline will be a distant memory a week on Saturday.

 

[CarlMcBlade]

…but if you think what happens tonight is gonna carry over to the 24th…I want to see a blood and thunder battle with loads of injuries and multiple red cards, with 30 minutes extra time and a penalty shoot out.

 

[ShockingBadBuy]

My contact in Thailand says its going to be 0-2.

Mr Singh, the backstreet bookie from Bangalore, agrees.*

*call the cops!