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plenty of stuff about pubs,trains,yobs,tickets,etc but we aint got into the game itself really.

i've thought quite alot about how we should go about trying to win on sat, and i cant decide if we line up and play as we have pretty much all season,or change our game a bit.
millwall are bang up for this game,and having lost last year we can guarantee they will take some beating.i think we can do it,but i'm not sure our current formation will be the way to go.

i've wondered if maybe playing ward in the hole behind the front 2 might be worth a go.i've wondered if we just go 4,4,2 and hope that's good enough to see us through.
millwall will have done their homework on us,and maybe playing a ward in the hole would cause them problems?they wouldn't have prepared for it,and will have to change things to counter it.

i still dont know what i think is the right way to go really.i just hope we are better than them and win.i'm sure danny will have them well prepared.

I'm hoping that Millwall being favourites and them losing last year will heap a lot more unwanted pressure on them, We are the underdogs so maybe it will work in our favour like it did with Blackpool yesterday?

If we play to our best I think we'll win. Personally I don't see what all the fuss about Millwall is. They were pretty average in both games against us and pretty poor in both legs of their semi. They're nothing special. Just a well organised team that are hard to break down. They do it the unfashionable way but it works for them. Now i'm far from saying they are not a threat. As Arriba says they will be well up for it. We need to be good in the centre of the park and in the final third. I think them being away from The Den will help us as well.

We should just go 4-4-2. Forget what has happened in the past games etc this is a one off. It's a 50/50 toss up between 2 teams and the one that handles the pressure and turns up on the day will win. I would personally start with Manks at RB over Darby. Other than that it's as you were with LJF at CB and Sheehan at LB. The team pretty much takes care of itself for me.

I think pace will be our best option against the Wall. Maybe start with the line up that started against Charlton at home in the first leg - keep Billy on the bench until their centre backs are knackered.

I would like to see Amankwaah start but got a feeling this will be the team:

Lucas, Darby, Sheehan, Cuthbert, Lescinel, McGovern, Ferry, Douglas (Capt), Ward, Austin Paynter, SUBS: Smith, Morrison, Easton, Timlin, Nouble, Pericard, Amankwaah.

After watching the semis against Hudders I don't think we have anything to worry about. They are really really shit hoofball merchants too.

Just keep it on the deck and pass it around - there is loads of room at Wembley.

Play our passing game and we will shit in their mouths.

To be completely honest I don't think we'll win. I think we'll give a good account of ourselves but we'll fall short IMO, Millwall are a very good side and unfortunately for us are due a win at Wembley in the playoffs.

Play how we've played all season, stick with the same formation and just give it a go - that's all we can ask for.

This but only if we play it well. Slack defending will cost us dear. Must be on our game in all departments really.

That's how i have been thinking  :( :( They are definitely due a win and will be very fired up, They are very good defensively and hard to break down, We could win it though, We have a chance so i'm not going to be too negative.

Agree with this completely.  Hopefully having played Millwall only a couple of weeks ago will be a benefit, as we will know the players they utilise the most.  They are a difficult team to break down, but we were far from our best that day and we still got 2 past them.  Do we know whether Sheehan is fit again?

First of all, the absolute worst thing we can do is change our style from what we've been doing all season.

The team largely picks itself. Assuming the players who have had injuries (Lucas, Sheehan) are fit, the only decision is whether to play Darby or Amankwaah at right back. Even that to me, is not a decision. It has to be Manks..far more positive and that's what you need. We have to take the game to them.

Millwall obviously have an excellent home record where they have come to use the hostile home crowd to their advantage but that will be taken away from them next Saturday...yes they will have 30,000 plus fans behind them but that will be cancelled out by 30,000 plus Town fans...get them out on the wide open spaces of Wembley and I think we will prove that we have the better players.

It will be as hard as fuck but I believe that we can and will beat them.

A very good point.

With Billy being injured we certainly found a different, more pacey,  way of attacking

But its the other way round for me, start with the 'normal' starting 11 and we have manks and O'Brien to come on and make the switch of Ward up front.

Its a tough call.

Can we beat Millwall. Yes.
Can Millwall beat us. Yes.
Who knows what will happen on the day, I reckon it'll come down to a bit of luck here or a bad decision there.

Not having Greer is a big loss, but if Lecs is on his game he'll be OK. Just hope Paynter, Sheehan and Lucas are fit, though Smith is no bad cover for Lucas.

That is bollocks man! No one is a due a win! That is supersticious bollocks ::)

Oh well, they're due a win. Let's not bother turning up!

What's the news on Sheehan? I've heard nothing about how bad his injury is/was (apart from a few lines about a hip injury) and have no idea when he's back. Will he play?

Millwall are an organised side and are tough to break down. We can absolutely out-football them and, state of the pitch excused, we should be more than capable of doing that regardless of the starting line-up.

He said on the radio on Monday that he would be out for 10 days so it's pushing it, He may not be fully fit.

Oh yeah, plus we have had a days extra rest :)

To be honest it is anyones game.

Do not see how everyone raves about Millwall- away from the den their away record is not great- won 7, drawn 8, lost 8- our away record by contrast is better.

Them being away from the den and the wembley pitch i think will be a good leveller. Also think we have the better players overall.

Arse, if this is fact then it could be the difference. Though we could start Derby and Manks which isn't a disaster, no Greer too is stretching it.

Yep. Agree with that Bartholomew 8)

That would actually be OK.

I would like to see us go with Austin & Ward upfront. Look at the semi-finals, we caused Charlton loads of problems with them 2 up top but were completely ineffective with Paynter on the pitch. Ok I know he wasn't fully fit, but the same was true at Millwall on the last day, their centre backs had Austin & Paynter in their pockets from what I understand.

Ward would give them something completely different to think about. If we use Paynter as a target man we will play into their hands completely. The way to beat them is to get the ball on the floor and move it quickly.

But you don't think Wilson will drop our top scorer do you (if fit)?

Nor should he IMHO.

Alternatively, perhaps we should start with our top scorer who is close to 30 goals for the season.  I'm radical, me.

Can see your point but i thought O'Brien was awful at Charlton and every final ball of his was terrible and ended up going to their players or going out of play.

If you believe City fans then yes. They're still moaning about how he left Leroy Lita out of their squad in the 2004 final.

It seemed to me that prior to the first leg, Charlton's defenders had been preparing to play Billy and when it was announced just before kick off that he wasn't playing they were like, "Oh fuck, what do we do now" and Charlie and Danny caused them all sorts of problems.

For the second leg of course, Billy came back in and their defenders were saying, "thank fuck, now we know what to do"...so maybe Danny will spring a surprise.

Billy on the bench?

It's a funny, fickle old game ::)

I think that's what I was trying to get at! Maybe leaving Paynter out is a bit radical, but I do think we should play Ward in a more advanced central role, so arriba's suggestion of putting him behind the front 2 would be a good compromise!

Danny eluded to this in his post-match comments. He said that he'd known Billy was injured for a long before the game, but the whole squad were sworn to secrecy as he wanted that element of surprise. I wouldn't be surprised at all. Perhaps even the unthinkable might happen: Charlie on the bench...

Paynter looked unfit at Charlton but that would be understandable, Hopefully he will be fully fit for the Final.

Lets really surprise them and drop Cuthbert, Douglas, Ward, McGovern, Austin and Paynter.  They'd never expect that, so we'd be bound to win.


My point being - in the big games, play your best players in their best positions, and let them do their jobs.

I agree they done their homework on us when we visited the den,but we had to win that game and although we have to win this one aswell we dont have to go like a bull at gate.I think wembley will suit our style if we can get the ball down and spread it about and get the ball out to the wide men,what we dont need is for them to stop us from doing that and then for us to start hoofing it up to the front pair,that would be playing into millwalls hands.

We can outplay them as we have the players to do that but they are a lot more physical which does worry me especially if the ref is lenient.

I wasn't impressed by them against huddersfield but saying that all they had to do was turn up.

Just one more leeds type of performance and we'll be in the championship next season.

It might not be completely unthinkable.  A couple of my mates saw young Mr Austin out and about in town last night and reckon he was limping slightly.  Of course, he may have just had one to many, but knowing our luck?  

And like i said earlier- away from the den they aint all  that

Like others have said we need to stick to our game plan and pass the ball around and try and get a hold of the game, Start hoofing the ball to Austin & Paynter and their defence which is fairly solid anyway will have a field day and we won't get anywhere.

 :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick: :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick: :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick: :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick: :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick:

The 4-4-2 formation with Austin and Paynter up top has done us well this season, so we should stick with it.

I expect if Millwall have done their homework they have probably prepared for both Paynter & Austin and Ward & Austin. For Charlton it was a pretty new scenario, Ward upfront but after the two play off games and Ward scoring in both, and getting man of the match - Millwall are going to be well aware of the fact we might start him upfront so will be sorted for that to.

If everyone is fit.

Lucas

Amankwaah
Cuthbert
LJF
Sheehan

JPM
Douglas
Ferry
Ward

Austin
Paynter

practically picks itself.

i definitely think Mancs should play over Darby. not taking anything away from the lad but feel Mancs offers us more of a presence and a decent attacking option.

I would say the weakest part of that team is JFL at CB but after his performance at Charlton i'd be happy for him to start

Where's Morrison these days? Would be a massive gamble but so is JFL!

Not at centre-half he's not. Oh, and according to this morning's Adver, sounds like both Billy and Sheehan are "maybes" but Wilson won't play anyone who isn't 100% fit, he'll see how they go in training this week. I know, astonishing isn't it?

i believe they will all start. 10 days to rest a tight hamstring and groin are long enough i'd say. Lucas is the only one pushing to get fully fit. he looked in a lot of pain at charlton.

He's either the best player on the pitch or a liability, this makes him a gamble. Hopefully he'll have the game of his life at Wembley.

Billy was a long way from 100% fit at Charlton!  I hope DW sticks to this.  If Billy's not back to full fitness in time for Saturday, he shouldn't start.

Morrison didnt exactly cover himself in glory the last time he played for us, away at MK.

Sorry, I should have clarified - that was what it said in the Adver in ref to Wembley game rather than me making wild statements about DW's overall philosophy :)

i have no worries at all about ljf playing centre back.he's bloody good there.
i'm more concerned about who is gonna be left back, and how we take the game to millwall.

I'd like to have seen Ward given a few games playing just behind the front two as when he played in that position against Norwich he had one of his best games of the season. But the playoff final isn't the time to start experimenting.

The team will pretty much pick itself dependent on injuries, the only questions being who plays at right back if Sheehan is fit (if he isn't it will be Darby on the left and Manks on the right) and who plays left midfield if Paynter isn't fit. I'd go with Darby and Marshall as O'Brien just hasn't been with it in the last couple of games, still can't figure out why Marshall is suddenly out of favour after the good performances he put in on the left.

by playing ward in the hole with a 3 man midfield,would cause millwall all kinds of problems.it is a nightmare to defend against.the more i think about it, the more i like it.if it doesn't work he can always shift back to the left and go 4,4,2 again.i like mcgovern tucking in(superb at charlton doing that)so changing things aint too much of a gamble.
as long as the right and left backs bomb on, then i think it could work