Playoffs 2020 Thread

[Robie]

So Wycombe face Fleetwood and Pompey Oxford.

Karl Robinson has suggested the playoff's will be in early July.
Marcus Browne and Matty Taylor are two loanees confirmed as available with Nathan Holland returning to West Ham.

Does anyone else have other news?

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FRIDAY 3RD JULY

• Portsmouth 17:30 Oxford United
• Fleetwood Town 19:30 Wycombe Wanderers

MONDAY 6TH JULY

• Oxford United 17:00 Portsmouth
• Wycombe Wanderers 19:30 Fleetwood Town

MONDAY 13TH JULY

• Final 1930hrs

 

[thewwfc]

We had our first full training session yesterday, all loanees trained also (even though their loan deals technically expire on 30 June).

Craig Mackail-Smith has returned from his loan spell at Stevenage, and also trained yesterday, allowing for the potentially amusing scenario that a former Posh hero could be the one to score the goal that takes us up, depending on how the play-offs pan out.

 

[Don Tonberry]

Our players are in training and we've got everyone available. The only small question mark is Christian Burgess stalling on a new deal but I think whether he stays or goes depends on whether we get promoted or not.

I think the tie is impossible to call. Form goes out the window, I'd argue we have the better players on paper but they're limited to our dinosaur of a manager. The league game ended 1-1 after we conceded a stoppage time equaliser at Fratton Park and I reckon we would have lost the return fixture if the season was allowed to play out had COVID not happened.

We need to win at Fratton to stand a realistic chance of getting to Wembley.

 

[codaplenty]

Andy Pilley has put out a statement today on our website. All the loan players we had have had extensions to their contracts which is terrific news, the lads from Everton really did the business for us. We have relaid the pitch and it looks absolutely superb
I think every play off team will fancy their chances, 2 wins and a draw ( Exc final ) and Championship football awaits, its surreal and quite mind boggling. The thing is we all all in the same boat, shortness of time to get 100% match fit and the inevitable niggling injuries which all teams will pick up. Christ Joey Barton might be called up ( Sure Yorkshire police will be accommodating )
Good luck to everyone but mostly to to the Cod Army !!

 

[thewwfc]

I wouldn't say I fancy our chances - I don't get to many games these days, but the only game I saw vs a playoff contender this season was Pompey away, and we were proper dogshite. But that was only one game (we beat them at home).

But whatever happens, no excuses, we've got a full strength squad, so we just have to go for it.

They say form goes out of the window in the playoffs...probably even more so given the fact that no team can have any real sense of momentum or proper match fitness given the circumstances, yeah sure the players will have been training in the background but it's not the same.

 

[Boz]

Only seen Wycombe of the four contenders and it would provide
some variety if they win out. Don’t dislike any of the four clubs but Joey Barton is a thug, so would prefer the Cods to fail because of him.

 

[Don Tonberry]

Two of our players have just tested positive for Coronavirus.

 

[PuB]

Two of our players have just tested positive for Coronavirus.

Well that’s going to fuck things up

 

[Crewelad87]

I fancy the winner of the Pompey or Oxford to win these. Hoping Fleetwood stay down as another north western team, seems to be a lot more southerners up here.

 

[Luke Imp]

You're all miles away, so there's no preference for us!

 

[THE LAST WALTZ]

Never been so disinterested in the play offs.

Genuinely couldn’t give a toss

 

[Bucket_]

Never been so disinterested in the play offs.

Genuinely couldn’t give a toss

Fairs. I'll watch them for you.

 

[thewwfc]

to be fair, once Burton took the mid-table crown, all the serious glamour’s gone.

We can delude ourselves that anything else matters, but it’s all just a hollow sham.

 

[Gassy]

Fully supporting Wycombe here, just to piss everyone off.

 

[DearneValleyRover]

My take is that Wycombe seem to start off the start of the season like a train where the other 3 are slower starters, it might be the play/offs but it’s like starting a new season given the break. I fancy Wycombe to do it just because I expect them to be fitter than the rest.

 

[Reremnart]

Not interested. They shouldn`t be happening. If I read this correctly two of the clubs involved voted to end the season because they couldn`t afford to play any games yet here they are playing. If I had to choose one to win it I`d said Wycombe just because it would put the cat amongst the pigeons

 

[codaplenty]

Fully supporting Wycombe here, just to piss everyone off.

Does'nt bother mate, Wycombe looked good when they came down to Highbury earlier in the season.Just before Covid struck we had an excellent win at their place, its all to play for and wide open

 

[Gassy]

Does'nt bother mate, Wycombe looked good when they came down to Highbury earlier in the season.Just before Covid struck we had an excellent win at their place, its all to play for and wide open

I'm only teasing

I'd actually prefer Wycombe to stay here, seeming as it's a local(ish) game for us and it's close for me in London. Tbh from a geographical point of view, I'd want you to go up

 

[Millerbri]

Haven't seen Portsmouth as they hadn't been to NYS when the season was ended.

Of the other 3, Fleetwood looked strong up front at our place but not great defensively.

Wycombe played at NYS early in the season when we a bit slow starting and they won, but it wasn't pretty.

Oxford are the only team we played twice.
They were brilliant at NYS but we battered them at their place.

Oxford are the best footballing side but like DVR I just have a sneaky feeling that Wycombe will do it.

If they played either Oxford or particularly Portsmouth at Wembley in a normal season they would be at a massive disadvantage, probably out supported by 4 or 5 : 1 but not so this time.
They are also a pig to play against if they go in front, and are very good at stopping the other sides momentum by slowing everything down.

I wouldn't put money on any one of them.
Oxford's excellent form is now a dim and dist memory and as DVR says it's like starting a new season.

Playing in front of a few hundred people will be very strange and whoever adapts best may well be the ones who finish up in the Championship.

 

[gary]

Hope Oxford go up,simply because I'd rather not have to play them next season.There supporters think that they play football like Barcelona.There's a bit of an arrogance about them.Maybe they think that they are a big club.In reality they aren't.

 

[Don Tonberry]

Two of Oxford's players have also tested positive for Coronavirus.

The play-offs will take place on 3rd and 6th of July so hopefully everyone is fit and ready to go by then.

 

[Robie]

Hope Oxford go up,simply because I'd rather not have to play them next season.There supporters think that they play football like Barcelona.There's a bit of an arrogance about them.Maybe they think that they are a big club.In reality they aren't.

 

[thewwfc]

Well another Wycombe fan outlined our key training advantage on Twitter:

“The thought of Oxford, Fleetwood and Portsmouth going back into training and trying to remember how to kick a ball and play their Tiki-taka again and us just setting up a training pitch and spending hours a day watching JJ punt it in the air to Bayo is truly beautiful”

 

[Don Tonberry]

If any fan thinks we're practicing tika-taka football they are greatly mistaken. We're Jacketball players and can shithouse with the best of them if need be.

 

[codaplenty]

The most tantalising thought for all 4 teams is that they will all fancy their chances, equally all of them will never ever have a better opportunity of getting into the Championship, so near and yet so far eh

 

[Don Tonberry]

We lost 3-1 to Reading in a friendly bu given that Oli Hawkins scored and Bryn Morris played, I doubt we played anything close to our first XI.

None of our players tested positive for Coronavirus in the latest test.

 

[Indian Dan]

But what’s the point of a friendly - for match fitness - if your expected 1st XI doesn’t play?

 

[BRFC_Gas]

I'd like Portsmouth to win promotion. Will be funny to see Matty Taylor in tears and we would miss our usual 6 points if Oxford went up.
The other two speak for themselves...

 

[BRFC_Gas]

Fully supporting Wycombe here, just to piss everyone off.

Oh don't, can you imagine, Wycombe in the Championship?

Wouldn't be so bad if the knock on effect was similar to Yeovil's sharp fall from grace

 

[DearneValleyRover]

I would love to hear Champ fans whining over Wycombe’s time wasting from minute one antics