Do Barnsley hold the key to our season | Vital Football

Do Barnsley hold the key to our season

Roger Ramjet

Vital Reserves Team
Not only do they play us, but also play Brentford.

Or do Villa hold the key - still potentially in the mix for automatic, they play us and Millwall.

With Middlesbro playing Millwall and Sheffield United playing Preston at the weekend a couple of teams (or more) could have their playoff credentials dented, perhaps fatally.

I think a final day victory over Barnsley would take us into the playoffs regardless of what happens at Villa. I cannot see Millwall winning their final 2 games and goal difference should see us finish above Brentford if we both end on 74. 74 points is beyond the reach of everyone else.

We may not make it, we almost certainly don't deserve to, and equally certainly we will get hammered by the team finishing 3rd: but consider this - if Cardiff slump into 3rd place and Fulham get auto, then we would be playing a team that are on a big downer, have just lost to us and we beat 3-1 on aggregate in regular season match ups.

And at Wembley, anything can happen as QPR found out.

But it will be back to "Rowett out" soon enough as we fumble it away again when in the opposition red zone
 
Euphoria alom after that performance but, as I wrote elsewhere, it all becomes nought if there isn't a follow up on Satdeh at Villa.
 
But we can afford to lose at Villa, IF Millwall do not beat Middlesbro and we then beat Barnsley. So long as goal difference remains favourable. 74 points will be enough unless Millwall win out, and barring Brentford swinging 8 on goal difference.
 
Not only do they play us, but also play Brentford.

Or do Villa hold the key - still potentially in the mix for automatic, they play us and Millwall.

With Middlesbro playing Millwall and Sheffield United playing Preston at the weekend a couple of teams (or more) could have their playoff credentials dented, perhaps fatally.

I think a final day victory over Barnsley would take us into the playoffs regardless of what happens at Villa. I cannot see Millwall winning their final 2 games and goal difference should see us finish above Brentford if we both end on 74. 74 points is beyond the reach of everyone else.

We may not make it, we almost certainly don't deserve to, and equally certainly we will get hammered by the team finishing 3rd: but consider this - if Cardiff slump into 3rd place and Fulham get auto, then we would be playing a team that are on a big downer, have just lost to us and we beat 3-1 on aggregate in regular season match ups.

And at Wembley, anything can happen as QPR found out.

But it will be back to "Rowett out" soon enough as we fumble it away again when in the opposition red zone

Wondered where you’d got to. Thought you’d been £@#&ing* in that ‘understairs cupboard’ of yours again.

Anyway...only we ‘hold the key’...and we do deserve it if we get there. We may have been garbage for most of the last three months, especially compared with Fulham and Millwall, but you don’t get more points for starting the season at Christmas, it just looks better that way.

Whether we seriously want to go up is another matter...are we ready...do we have enough knowledge/resources to get the right incomers before next season? I don’t know, but if Fulham make it automatically then there’s only Boro’ that would really worry me in the playoffs. Play like we did in the second half last night and we can beat any of Villa, ‘Boro and Cardiff...I’m just not sure if that should be a source of joy or concern.
* sulking!
 
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Arguably, whether we go up or not, we are f*****, but at least if we go up we will have someone else's money to spend on replacing most of the squad. if we don't go up we will still have to replace a lot of the squad before they qualify for free bus passes, but not have any cash to do that with.

So if we fluke our way up, undeservedly so I still maintain, then we can "do a WBA" and yo-yo a couple of seasons before hopefully sticking at the third time of asking for a few seasons - before inevitably returning from whence we came like they, Southampton and Stoke seem destined to do this year
 
Arguably, whether we go up or not, we are f*****, but at least if we go up we will have someone else's money to spend on replacing most of the squad. if we don't go up we will still have to replace a lot of the squad before they qualify for free bus passes, but not have any cash to do that with.

So if we fluke our way up, undeservedly so I still maintain, then we can "do a WBA" and yo-yo a couple of seasons before hopefully sticking at the third time of asking for a few seasons - before inevitably returning from whence we came like they, Southampton and Stoke seem destined to do this year

I know what you’re saying Rog but even if the three you suggest do come down there’s still the examples set by Burnley, Swansea, Watford, Palace, Bournemouth, Brighton, Huddersfield and of course, Leicester to show what’s possible.
I think it’s also true to say that, of the current Premiership, only Everton and Arsenal have remained in the top flight throughout our lifetimes so anything’s possible.
Let’s not get carried away though.
 
One of the best games that I ever went to - as a student - Birmingham City beating Manchester United 1-0 to add a big nail in the coffin of the red scum (pt 2) fight for survival (which they comfortably lost :wahey:). The atmosphere was immense and there must have been 40,000 of us crammed into the stadium, leading to fears that the ramshackle heap would collapse. Health & Safety my arse: not in the mid 70's.

As for the other teams that you named, they will all come back down in the next 5 or 6 years I imagine, Aside from the top 6 and the junior scousers (for some unknown reason), no-one has sticking power
 
We hold the key to our destiny, win and no one can catch us......................We need another game with the passion, energy and power that we had against Cardiff.
I actually thought Rowett had lost his marbles when I saw he had dropped Vydra. I then thought Vydra must be injured but you have to hand it to Rowett and the players, he picked exactly the right blend and tactics to beat Cardiff.
 
I, personałly, don't think Villa have a hope in hell to get second!! That may help Millwall if Brucie rests a few!!
Villa v Boro would be a tight affair in the play-offs!! If we steal 6th then our only hope is Cardiff, Fulham would be several bridges too far for our poor old things!! Let's face it if we can't beat Barnsley then shoot the lot!!
 
We hold the key to our destiny, win and no one can catch us......................We need another game with the passion, energy and power that we had against Cardiff.
I actually thought Rowett had lost his marbles when I saw he had dropped Vydra. I then thought Vydra must be injured but you have to hand it to Rowett and the players, he picked exactly the right blend and tactics to beat Cardiff.

Wise move. Vyds has been attracting some very physical attention of late from the opposition. Cardiff would have targeted him and kicked him out of the game. When he came on they couldn't catch him half the time and when they did he, quite expectedly, got clattered.
 
Just hope that Boro having more or less secured a play-offs, don't take things easy. But I cannot for the life of me see a Barnsley victory on final day. The Cardiff game was the key, thank God for postponement!
I see a draw with Villa and a win against Barnsley. Even a loss to Villa won't be fatal, as it'll take results akin to USA's last gasp collapse, to push the Lions over the top. At best I see them with 4 points, not enough to overhaul the 3 points gained against Barnsley on May 6th.
All the others are out I shall boldly predict. It's between Millwall and Derby for the final place.

And feck whoever has to be played in the play-offs. That's home and away, and am I correct to surmise that away goals don't count? As Liverpool and Real Madrid have showed, it only takes 1 good game, even just 1 good half, and you have the tie sewn up.
 
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