Thetownend.com

Personally I am now resigned to being in the play-offs which in itself is a fantastic achievement. So who do we want to play?

Leeds - I think they will go up automatically but we've beaten them twice easily this season. If we played them again they would almost certainly be wanting revenge (12-0 on aggregate?)

Millwall - Saw them at Leeds and Huddersfield on the box and wasn't massively impressed. Solid and direct, would be happy playing them although the Harris/Amankwaah factor could mean the atmosphere being a bit nasty.

Charlton - Drawn twice with them (thanks to injury time equalisers) and they would be my choice in the play-offs. They don't score or concede many goals so 2 games against them could be tight (penalties? :()

Huddersfield - Hitting form towards the end of the season and they could finish above us. Seem to have pace up front and I wouldn't want to play them personally.

So, who would you rather play?

Charlton in the semis. Then if we win, really don't mind in the final.

 I like this game.....I think we'll get Leeds.

 I see us finishing 6th....losing to Millwall on teh final day to pave the way for their elevation after Leeds fail to win at Charlton.

I want Charlton....so 3 points v Bees Sat is a must

I really don't care who we get. Everyone can beat each other. Huddersfield are the form team but, to quote the cliche, the form book goes out the window.

I think I'd rather lose in the semis than the final. Of course we will win it so that is a pointless statement :)

I don't care as long as we play like we know we can.

I'm bricking it though.

I think we'll end up with Millwall but I want Charlton. I can see us finishing 6th at the moment.

I'm still of the opinion, that if you finish 4th 5th or 6th, you probably haven't earned the right to go up, of course you'll take it, but you're getting a bit of a bonus shot. Therefore it's a nothing to lose situation..

Maybe so Reg but I can't help feeling totally deflated at present.

After the easter monday win against Tranmere I was sure we would take 2nd. 3 points from 12 is not promotion form though and we don't deserve to go up automatic. :(

It's a kick in the bollocks. I also have to go to work and listen to all the fucking Leeds fans gloating on. :(

The Tranmere game was a bit strange because they were so poor, it never really put us under any kind of pressure....it is this which has got to the players, plus an over reliance of goals from Austin and Paynter.

I think Wilson realised this and did what he could like taking the players away for a couple of days, on reflection he might have wished he'd tried out a few different players here and there, like sticking with JFL at centre half....but it's easy to be wise after the event.

I've always said that Wilson has done a reasonable job in first keeping us up, and then restoring us to something about our natural territory...but the hard part is pushing it on.

I'm sure this is not helped by the poor crowds at the CG, which don't create the feeling that we're really on an upward curve....still come what may, it's been a memorable season.

I remain positive. Of course when we reached 2nd you would hoped we would have remained there. However, expectations rose and our players couldn't deal with the pressure/get enough luck/be good enough for automatic. Whatever it was from those, or a combination of all 3, we still have a good chance of going up. The play-offs was the aim, we made it with 3 games to go. Now we can all focus on them and hopefully make it.

The end of this season reminds me of 93 when we beat Brum to put everyone on a high, only to fail to win in our last 4 games. Everyone was banging on about being the out of form side and that we wouldn't get past the semis. That year we had a good record against the top sides, just as we do this year. In 2004, we never to seemed to beat those around us and just lacked any sort of luck. This season,we've beaten those around the top, grinded out 1 nils and clearly play much better against the better sides.

On the glass half full side.....

We have only had one defeat in the last 10 and only 3 in the last 22.

The playoffs are a bit of a lottery and we can beat any side on our day we can also get beaten by any side.

I have no preference over who we get in all honesty.

Charlton - because they're out of form AND we can wear the blue away kit!

However, I think we'll finish 5th and we'll get Huddersfield (4th). I don't see us beating them on current form.

Yeah speaking of kits, why the fuck did we wear the white kit yesterday?

I don't like it. We never play well in it. Apart from Wolves away maybe.

We done ok wearing the white kit against Brentford, infact it done wonders for Revell & Hutchinson too.

We were speaking about this on the way home from Wycombe yesterday and drew up the following conclusions...

Leeds - Cant see us beating Leeds again over 2 legs so would rather give them a miss.  I couldnt hack being dumped out of the playoffs at Elland Road a month after giving it the big one the last time we were there.

Millwall - Wouldnt mind playing them after what I have seen on TV this season although playing them 3 times in a row would be gay.

Charlton - Would be confident in beating them over 2 legs.  From when they played against Town at the County Ground I was not very impressed (forget the Boxing Day clash when they had 9 men) and think that Town have enough beat them.  They do have that sod Forster playing for them so he is bound to score.

Huddersfield - Saw them on TV against Millwall the other week and thought they looked "ok".  I would be confident of Town beating them too.

All in all lets go into Saturday's game against Brentford and give it a right go, we have got nothing to lose.  You just never know.

Firstly, what worries me more than the other teams is our own form currently. We've been crap recently and I bet right now all the other teams want us in the play offs.

Leeds, under no circumstances do I want them. We'll probably batter them all game and they'll get a 93rd minute in off the arse goals and then all our piss taking at Elland Rd will come back to bite us in the arse. 6-1 on aggregate.

Millwall, they seemed to have dipped a bit. I wouldn't fancy them as they played at Leeds but would the way they played at Huddersfield.

Charlton, both times haven't looked anything special, ok first time they had 9 men and did a decent job. Second time they kept our strikers quiet. Would be my perfered choice.

Huddersfield are hitting form at the right time, they score a lot of goals and will always set out to do so. What happens if we go behind early? Is that, after 5 minutes?

Although, right now our focus needs to be on us. When we do play well we can match any of those teams. On current form we wouldn't give any of them a game. Wilson needs to get the confidence and belief back in the players.

It was only an interview but Paynter sounded as deflated yesterday as I did after Walsall. We don't want to go into the play offs feeling deflated and like the play offs are second choice after we blew automatic.

Maybe it might help if fans didn't keep going on about how the players are a bunch of bottlers who've fucked up royally by missing out on auto? Just a thought.

I don't give much of a shit who we play. We've shown we're good enough to cope with any of the options. We're not at our best at the moment but we aren't losing and I still think the others will want to avoid us.
The play offs will certainly sort the men out from the boys and I'm maybe over confident but I think it will take a bloody good team to knock us out over 2 legs and we never lose at Wembley.
Bring it on.

Regardless, the players really shouldn't be that influenced by what the fans say.

I don't think they are, directly. But a negative atmosphere in the crowd will transmit to the players and vice-versa. One of the most noticeable things in recent weeks has been the very nervous, spilling into negative, atmosphere at home games recently. And people constantly harping on about how we've fucked up when we've massively overachieved helps create that atmosphere. Can't have it both ways - you're absolutely right, we shouldn't be going into the playoffs feeling deflated so maybe let's talk up the achievement rather than decrying what might have been?

Pauld - 'the voice of reason' - has this always been the case?

Err, yes.  Paul agree with you 100%.  Get behind the boys, we can still cheer them through to the Championship, nothing is lost all to gain.

The worst possible option would be Leeds. We really have done them this season, and I could see a massive backlash in a PO semi final. Plus Im a bit sick of Elland Road. Ive seen us win there 3-0, its not going to get any better is it?

Huddersfield would be difficult, on and off the pitch. But Id relish a trip up there mid week, because thats what big games are all about. Usually we take 400 up there, and they bring 600 down here, its different when both teams take massive followings. A different feeling all together.

Really fancy Charlton. I think we would beat them home and away. Away end is big enough, although any London away game will have a massive demand for tickets.

Which brings us to Millwall. With Millwall Id say its still too early to judge. Lets see what happens when we go there. One thing I would say is that a Millwall home PO semi final would be unpleasant to say the least. Especially if it was mid week. Mid week games are much more difficult to police and I could see lots of them in small groups in the pubs. I suppose Wilts police might insist they all come on supporters coaches. But theyve never done that before. It would be nasty, could see a stabbing or two.

Town fans at Wycombe were well up for a good sing song as the game kicked off, but we had our enthusiasm sucked out of us by an insipid first half display.

i agree with this.

currently i dont fancy us at all to go up.we got to second, and have since gone to pot.
charlton are the side i fear least currently.

I don't care who we play.At the end of the day it comes down to three cup games.

Saying that, it could be the tightest play-offs in history with around 6 points between 3rd and 6th. Normally, at least one of the sides are a long way behind the rest.

We can beat anyone from 2nd-6th right now. I'd rather get Charlton but would be confident playing any of them.

Most important factor is the team recapturing it's form, that said Charlton have been in indifferent form.  Millwall have picked up a few injuries lately.  Millwall or Charlton, without the long trip to Huddersfield.

Don't fear any of them.

I agree about the negative atmosphere and I have been very critical of the home fans both on here and on occasions in the ground itself.

However, whilst the atmosphere is crap - all the negativity that will come across is 'boo, boo' which in truth, could be anything. We could be booing because of the result, the performance, the referee, the atmosphere, the opposition, the burgers etc etc.

Where as reading/hearing people go on about bottling it - thats a bit more specific.

The point being that the discussions people have outside the ground, they take with them in the mindset they take into the ground, which influences the atmosphere, which influences the players. Surely that's not too subtle?

how can people be anything other than negative, based on the last 4 results when leaving the ground?
yes it's been a great season and all that,but we are in danger on falling apart right at crunch time.

it's not like the crowd have been overly negative anyway is it?
a few idiots yes,but the vast majority have been pretty supportive of the side.

I don't buy this whole form crap if i'm being honest. OK we haven't won in 4 but so what? It's hardly like the others have been flying is it? With the exception of Huddersfield all the other teams have been stuttering here and there. Under pressure it's anyones game.

If you look at our record against the 4 teams (i'm not including Norwich as they're already champs) it's bloody good. 2 wins over Leeds, a win and a draw against Udders. A draw against Millwall and still to play obviously. Then 2 draws against Charlton. So none of them have beaten us. We've lost the least amount of games in the league. I bet all 4 of the possible teams we could face won't want to play us simply for that reason. I don't care who we play. Fucking bring it on.

dont care who we get as long as we get our form back in time

Last few games in the Prem Promotion season were'nt the greatest results........i draw strength!!!


17 APR
 Leicester City (Home)
 1 - 1 Taylor
 
24 APR
 Notts County (Away)
 1 - 1 Bodin (pen)
 
2 MAY
 West Ham United (Home)
 1 - 3 Hazard
 
8 MAY
 Barnsley (Away)
 0 - 1 -
 

PLAYOFFS

 DATE
 STAGE OPPONENTS
 RESULT SCORERS
 ATT. 
 
 SEMI FINAL
16 MAY
 SF-1L Tranmere Rovers (Home)
 3 - 1 Vickers (og), Mitchell, Maskell
 14,230   
 
19 MAY
 SF-2L Tranmere Rovers (Away)
 2 - 3 Moncur, Maskell
 16,083   
 
      Swindon win 5-4 on aggregate.
 
 FINAL
31 MAY
 F Leicester City (Wembley)
 4 - 3 Hoddle, Maskell, Taylor, Bodin (pen)
 73,802   
 

Its a one-off cup competition,current form means nothing and teams that have character and determination,like we've shown in our last 3 games have as good a chance as anyone.

Don't care.

I will enjoy the matches whatever.

I'll enjoy them alot more if we win!

they will only be enjoyed if we win surely?
it's a cunt to lose out through them, but so god damn good to win

Two or three extra matches at the end of season. How can you moan about that?

I would love to get to the final and win the play offs obviously, but from where I am sat they are simply a bonus on a great season.

YOU REDS!

not moaning, and its great we are in there.but it means fuck all if you lose in them.

Footballing reasons I'd fancy Milwall or Charlton, but Huddersfield, away in the first leg, would be class. Into Leeds for a night out, half decent ground and what not. Can't beat taking shit loads to somewhere like Huddersfield, imagine if it was the Friday night game, it would be an incredible atmosphere.

Either way, we haven't lost to any of the teams 2nd-6th in the league if I'm not mistaken and have lost the fewest games in the whole of League One so I'm confident of drawing the away leg and nicking it at home, especially if we are away first!

This. I'm getting more and more nightmares from 03/04 creeping in now it looks like play-offs for us. Would be fantastic to win at Wembley though of course.

I fancy our chances against any of the sides in that band of play off places.

Our recent results might have been dissapointing, but pretty much every performance has been decent.

Stupid individual errors have cost us points, sure, but we still ooze fucking class and quality all over the park when we're firing on all cylinders.

Who's to say we're not going to piss the last 2 matches, just miss out on 2nd spot yet be hitting form as the playoffs get under way?

And why couldnt we return to playing our quality football game in the playoffs? It's still in the fucking locker! Just because the players have shrunk back into playing lesser quality football in the last few games, doesn't mean they cant still turn it on again.

All this supersticious bollocks about us never comming back from being a goal down is so fucking cuntish as well. Most of it comes from these new to football fucking smart-arsed cunts who form their oh-so-fucking-clever opinions about the game from radio phone ins, MOTD,  stupid fucking football manager games and papers like the fucking Mail on Sunday, and probably form the majority of the cunts who boo our players at home games.

How about starting a 'twat the moaning cunt' campaign, starting next Saturday?

I'm more than happy to start the ball rolling by chinning the big nosed cunt who sits in front of me as soon as he starts gobbing off at the Brentord game. If everyone else does the same to the nearest irritating twat, the whole ground should be sweating positivity by half time, everyone will feel better and the moaning, booing cunts will all know the fucking score.

If someone could take out the cunt who does that irritating jungle bird impression at the same time, then I'd be a very happy fucker;-)

Top top post Delta

Looking at the current four. I'm happy with it. I know we've stuffed Leeds twice but I wouldn't want to play them in a scenario like the play-offs. I'm also happy that Southampton are out of the running for the same reasons.

Charlton would be favourites because of their name alone. I think we'll be considered the "outsiders" which has suited us all season long.