Luton are losing more than one more game this season. They have 5 games against play off chasers, of which you have them down to lose 1. Plus two teams in the relegation scrap, which you have them to win both. That's 7 tough games out of their 10 Plus Edwards only won 4 of his last 10 chasing the league 2 title last season, let's see if he can handle the pressure. I know we are rightly pessimistic but Luton are not guaranteed play offs.
I would say we have been unlucky with the number of points we have got in certain games, eg Burnley and Reading away cost us 4 points, if the teams clicks we have the quality to win games, we now also have a plain speaking no nonsense coach in Chris Wilder which could be well worth some points. Remember Chris Wilder is playing for his future as well as the players! A win on Saturday is a must then we have two weeks to prepare for Luton where we will need another Burnley type performance, we all know it’s do-able, whether it happens remains to be seen!
If we can produce half decent performance's for the rest of the season I think that would be enough to reach the playoffs with the run in we have.
A run to the play-offs from where we are now, would have to look something like this: After three successive defeats, I bet the play-offs seemed a long way off at 3.00 pm on 13th March when kicked off at the Manor Ground.
I can’t see a transformational game like Tranmere happening with this group of players or with the current general malaise of the fans. What a day that was.
It was the Tommy Mooney show back then. Couldn't stop scoring. Problem is these days, he cannot stop talking rubbish on Hive Live. Still, a legend of the club and I will always respect the guy.
It seemed even further away after that 0-0 draw at home against Bury ! Yes it's not impossible, has happened before (wow was that 24 years ago ....) but it's not very likely.
It would. Yet on the morning of the Oxford game we were 7th and only outside the play-offs on goal difference, so better set than we are today:
The thing about a run like that is that the momentum builds, every game is more important than the last. I just have a little feeling that if we can get a win against Wigan and avoid defeat at LTFC, then something similar might happen...... I had forgotten that 6 of those 7 wins were by a single goal Looking at those 10 teams we played in that run in - one is in a league above (CPFC), one is at the same level (BCFC), one has disappeared (Bury), the rest are League One/Two.
True but note the 8 point gap between 5th and 6th and the fact that Wolves were only one point behind us with 2 games in hand and a better GD, and Grimsby 4 points below with 4 games in hand. I'd suggest that we might actually be better set today than we were back then.....
I think the Tranmere must have really galvanised the squad, they must have felt like they could get through anything after that
But the gap got much bigger following the 0-0s against relegation-bound Oxford and Bury (and pedantically speaking, that season teams on the same number of points were separated by goals scored not GD, not that it mattered in the end for us). We didn’t play Tranmere for two weeks because England were playing Poland, but in the meantime Wolves played and won their game in hand. Here’s the same table I posted on the play-offs thread - definitely a taller order back then than it is now: https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-1/30-march-1999/
8,000! A glimpse into our future if we get stuck in the Championship or even fall into League 1? Don't know how they measure these things, but 15k seems a little lower than most 'official' attendances this season, probably higher than the true amount of spectators for some games!
That Tranmere game was at Easter which probably affected things but certainly 10k was a good crowd in those days .
We have certainly increased our attendances since the Pozzo’s have taken over due to operating in a higher league the majority of the time and probably better spectator facilities!
The Vic is certainly in a better state now than it was, though it will be interesting to see how much of an effect that will have if we get stuck in the EFL!
Credit goes to Uorns! for the image. Duxbury has been spotted at last! Chatting with Mr. Deeney about a possible role are they? Interesting.
I'm not sure about that. I reckon not getting us up from here is hardly a black mark on his CV. But getting us up would look good for him. He's on a free hit here. Won't even get sacked as only a short contract.
The game away to Oxford in March 1999 holds special memories for me: without warning I threw up spectacularly in the pub where I was having my pre-match refreshment. Food poisoning - I hadn't been hitting the horse tranquilliser too hard. Thankfully - and surprisingly - the two strangers in the immediate line of fire took it very well. Different times
What did you think of the Manor Ground? I lived in Oxford for a few years and I didn't think much of the Kassam Stadium - another new stadium far from the centre with not much in the way of amenities and in one of the rougher parts of Oxford. From what I heard of the old ground, I thought it was a shame they moved.
I went to the Manor Ground a few times. From memory the open terrace behind the goal was quite shallow so not a great view when the ball was at the other end of the pitch. I sat in the main stand once or twice and seem to remember not being able to see the goal at the home end because it was hidden by the side of the stand. The highlight of the trip to Oxford back then was seeing the large plastic shark that one resident had attached to the roof of his house as part of a dispute with the local council over planning, I think!
The Manor Ground was a small, quirky football ground with several odd stands all close to the pitch. On the away terrace you had to be right at the back for a decent view. Of course it was totally unfit for purpose at the level Oxford rose to, but the atmosphere was always good with just the few thousand fans it could hold. I think I went to every Watford game there from the 78/9 promotion season onwards and I remember it fondly, not least because we never lost there.
I'd started actively watching his game after about half an hour because I thought exactly the same thing, and up until the goal he did barely anything other than vaguely closing down players and occasionally receiving the ball and laying it off. Pleased he managed to get in to the game and looked a bit more proactive after the excellent assist.
