Can we make the play offs? | Page 3 | Vital Football

Can we make the play offs?

CWaddle said:
Doubt it, but I don't see "we'd get battered and come back down" as a reason to not hope. We'd almost certainly get battered and come down the first time we go up anyway regardless of how strong we are; far bigger clubs than us have done so and we're a long way off being stronger than Rotherham who have dropped out the championship surely about 500 times now. The result of our mythical first season in the championship doesn't matter, we'd make enough money from one season in that division to sustain us as a growing club for a long time.
Click to expand...
On the plus side, apart from the money and kudos of playing at our highest level and finishing in our highest position for nearly 60 years (even if we finish bottom), there are all the full SW away ends at home games and stadium visits that we haven't been to in decades.

I'd be quite happy to go up and enjoy whatever the season brings.
 
I would love to see us in the playoffs but can't see it happening. But it is great to see more positivity around the club after the doom and gloom of not so many weeks ago. First target for me is the 50 point safety mark then we can really go for it after that.
 
cherryexile said:
On the plus side, apart from the money and kudos of playing at our highest level and finishing in our highest position for nearly 60 years (even if we finish bottom), there are all the full SW away ends at home games and stadium visits that we haven't been to in decades.

I'd be quite happy to go up and enjoy whatever the season brings.
Click to expand...

Hope I made it clear that this is indeed my view as well!
 
berksimps said:
It is likely to be the new Everton Stadium by then. A good away trip for the 2025/6 Season. 🤔
Click to expand...
Everton are due to keep their side of the bargain sometime soon, they seem to dabble around the relegation zone but just escape and with their current points penalty this might be their year. On the same note of points penalties Man City might be a decent away day in the not too distant future as they climb back up the leagues after their demotion to the National League North. It might be 2035 though if the lawyers continue their ongoing stalling tactics.
 
cherryexile said:
I had the same reaction to boredom, although my analysis was based on a slightly different premise, and posted this elsewhere before Saturday, but the win doesn't change my opinion,

I really can't see us reaching the play-off places, or ever looking likely to this season.

If Stevenage win their game in hand we are 14 points adrift off 6th place, with five other teams to overtake. Our current form is OK, 9 points from 5 games, but not good enough to overhaul the gap. In the last 5 games we have made up 5 points on Peterborough, 4 points on Blackpool, 3 points on Oxford, 2 points on Stevenage, nothing on Bristol Rovers and lost a point to Leyton Orient.

With 14 games left, if we keep that up it looks like 14 points on Peterborough, 12 points on Blackpool, 9 points on Oxford, 6 points on Stevenage, nothing on Bristol Rovers and lost 3 points to Leyton Orient. That would leave us 9 points less than Leyton Orient, 8 points short of Stevenage, 4 points adrift of Oxford, a point off Peterborough and Bristol Rovers and 7 points clear of Blackpool. In other words a single place improvement, to 10th, in a pack of 3 never looking close to 6th and 7th.

To make up the gap we would need an extra 3 points every 5 games, or 12 points, that is 4 wins out of five for the rest of the season. Only Portsmouth have that sort of record over the last 5 games. Do we really look like we have turned that sort of corner, to become the best team in the League? It also presumes that the other clubs don't improve on what they are currently doing and Stevenage and Peterborough don't have to improve much to be out of reach (only 3 of the bottom 5 have a worse record than Posh over the last 5 games).

It is simply too late and we are too far away to mount a play-off challenge. No team lower than 9th has a chance of making the top six and if Blackpool's form continues, no lower than 8th.

I would love to be proved wrong, but the Maths is hard to argue against.
Click to expand...
OK. The above is still valid. The difference is that for the last two games we have been performing at the 12 points from 15 or better level that we need to. So where are we?

Up to 10th and 8 points off 6th, but Stevenage and Peterborough have 1 and 2 games in hand on us respectively.

Our games in March include Stevenage (h), Barnsley (a), Bristol Rovers (h), Oxford (a), Leyton Orient (a). After that, April is easy.

So, yes if we win 4 of 5 in March, we can make it. If we can't, then it looks a step too far.

The only caveat to my original judgement, is that we are playing better and better, and we were nothing other than excellent today.
 
cherryexile said:
OK. The above is still valid. The difference is that for the last two games we have been performing at the 12 points from 15 or better level that we need to. So where are we?

Up to 10th and 8 points off 6th, but Stevenage and Peterborough have 1 and 2 games in hand on us respectively.

Our games in March include Stevenage (h), Barnsley (a), Bristol Rovers (h), Oxford (a), Leyton Orient (a). After that, April is easy.

So, yes if we win 4 of 5 in March, we can make it. If we can't, then it looks a step too far.

The only caveat to my original judgement, is that we are playing better and better, and we were nothing other than excellent today.
Click to expand...
Orient is home game
 
I think it's those 3 games against Stevenage, Oxford and Orient that'll be key. We probably need to win all 3 of them as they are, with Blackpool, our main challengers for 6th.
 
The fact we are over the deadly 50 point mark we can play with freedom, nothing to lose, those above us have. Need to keep serious injury free though and hopefully enjoy the 'fun' !! You never know.
 
impsimps said:
The fact we are over the deadly 50 point mark we can play with freedom, nothing to lose, those above us have. Need to keep serious injury free though and hopefully enjoy the 'fun' !! You never know.
Click to expand...
Channel the spirit of 81-82, you never know indeed.

And with this ownership, if it doesn't quite come off this time they will give it a go and crucially look to sustain it next season.
 
impsimps said:
That 3 points we nicked in the away game could become a talking point !! towards the end of the season.
Click to expand...

I hope they get nowhere near the playoffs.
They got exactly what they deserved in us beating them in that replayed match after how their manager acted in the first match. Trying to clear the pitch of fans who had come on to get the game stopped because they knew the seriousness of the situation and all he was interested in was getting the 3 points when one of his supporters lay dying in the stands...absolute disgrace.
 
clanfordimp said:
I hope they get nowhere near the playoffs.
They got exactly what they deserved in us beating them in that replayed match after how their manager acted in the first match. Trying to clear the pitch of fans who had come on to get the game stopped because they knew the seriousness of the situation and all he was interested in was getting the 3 points when one of his supporters lay dying in the stands...absolute disgrace.
Click to expand...
I think that is a bit unfair.. there was clearly a communication and procedure breakdown - who is to say what he knew and what his motivations were...i really doubt his actions were so avaricious.
 
imp73 said:
I think that is a bit unfair.. there was clearly a communication and procedure breakdown - who is to say what he knew and what his motivations were...i really doubt his actions were so avaricious.
Click to expand...

Whatever the situation he knew that there was an emergency situation in the crowd.
His own fans came on the pitch to get the game stopped. Why would he be coming on the pitch trying to clear the fans from the pitch to try and get the game finished...because his priority was the 3 points first then deal with the emergency second.

He may not have known how serious the situation was but he should of been taking his lead from the stadium officials not going on the pitch to clear it to get the game finished.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.