Promotion thread

[AdamStag]

After Luton we've got
Crewe home 17th
Stevenage away 16th
Chesterfield away 23rd
Port vale home 20th
Yeovil away 18th
Crawley home 14th

 

[Kenneth E End]

This was posted on our forum last night... we're still 7 points clear yet it still feels negative.

Worst case scenario, we only get 7 pts during our remaining 6 games.

With our goal diference, another team must finish above us on points which means they need to get to 82 points.

Notts County - Would need to win 5 out of last 6, they have Accrington away and Colchester away to come.

Exeter - Would need to win 5 wins and 1 draw from last 7 games, they play Accrington away aswell.

Coventry - Would need to get 17 points from last 7 games, so effectively go unbeaton with 5 wins and 2 draws required.

Lincoln - Would need to win 6 out last 7 games, they have away trips to Coventry and Accrington, and also play Wycombe at home.

 

[AdamStag]

This was posted on our forum last night... we're still 7 points clear yet it still feels negative.

Worst case scenario, we only get 7 pts during our remaining 6 games.

With our goal diference, another team must finish above us on points which means they need to get to 82 points.

Notts County - Would need to win 5 out of last 6, they have Accrington away and Colchester away to come.

Exeter - Would need to win 5 wins and 1 draw from last 7 games, they play Accrington away aswell.

Coventry - Would need to get 17 points from last 7 games, so effectively go unbeaton with 5 wins and 2 draws required.

Lincoln - Would need to win 6 out last 7 games, they have away trips to Coventry and Accrington, and also play Wycombe at home.

You're up, stop bloody panicking. Unlike us you bullt up enough of a lead for your bad run, we didn't, which is why you're going up and we aren't

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

No idea what the stats are, but has any other team had as many players missing with long(ish) term injuries this season?

Cuthbert - 3 months
McCormack - 6 months
Hylton - 2-3 months across 2 spells
...and now Berry for maybe 6 months+

That is the spine of our team. Who else could cope with that?

Given the investment and depth of the squad this season, I would suggest we should have.

 

[Kenneth E End]

You're up, stop bloody panicking. Unlike us you bullt up enough of a lead for your bad run, we didn't, which is why you're going up and we aren't

It was only 24 hours ago me saying that we could be virtually promoted this long weekend. Yes, it was a poorer performance than recent weeks, albeit with mitigating circumstances. But at the end of the day, we're only 1 point worse off than we were before the game.

We need to beat Mansfield which isn't straight forward at all.

 

[shoddycollins]

No idea what the stats are, but has any other team had as many players missing with long(ish) term injuries this season?

Cuthbert - 3 months
McCormack - 6 months
Hylton - 2-3 months across 2 spells
...and now Berry for maybe 6 months+

That is the spine of our team. Who else could cope with that?

Kennedy - 12 months pretty much (a couple of appearances earlier in the season just showed his injury was more serious than originally hoped)
Adams - 9 months or so
Etuhu - probably about 5 months across a couple of spells
O'Sullivan - 6 months
Tom Miller - about 4 months

 

[smileycov]

No idea what the stats are, but has any other team had as many players missing with long(ish) term injuries this season?

Cuthbert - 3 months
McCormack - 6 months
Hylton - 2-3 months across 2 spells
...and now Berry for maybe 6 months+

That is the spine of our team. Who else could cope with that?

We lost Andreu and Jones to season long injuries (both potentially best players in the league) Davies broke a collar bone and Willis also long term injured. We have been very very unlucky with injuries tbf

 

[The_Viking_Magpie]

Didn't realise Nolan was sent to the stands today.

Steve evans would be proud of him. He's like a mini him

Yep and deservedly so although it was always likely to happen with that official and that penalty shout. That’s the first time in his career his been sent to the stands. Still has a long, long way to go. Definitely mini lol


Top 3 gone and with a tough set of fixtures coming up Top 7 isn’t looking certain either.

 

[AdamStag]

It was only 24 hours ago me saying that we could be virtually promoted this long weekend. Yes, it was a poorer performance than recent weeks, albeit with mitigating circumstances. But at the end of the day, we're only 1 point worse off than we were before the game.

We need to beat Mansfield which isn't straight forward at all.

Believe me, it is. Just score 1 goal.

 

[denzel ecfc]

Looking below us again rather than up, the playoffs are the most realistic option for us now.
I'm not expecting our game to be on on Monday, so will be looking at the other results closely. Carlisle v Lincoln will be interesting, as Carlisle will feel they really need to win that to give themselves a chance.

 

[shoddycollins]

Looking below us again rather than up, the playoffs are the most realistic option for us now.
I'm not expecting our game to be on on Monday, so will be looking at the other results closely. Carlisle v Lincoln will be interesting, as Carlisle will feel they really need to win that to give themselves a chance.

We need to win them all really, we have Luton at home coming up too. We needed to and really should have beaten Crawley and Cambridge, which would have put us level with the playoffs but still with that extra game played. We seem to play better though when our chances of making the playoffs are slim to none and then we get a sniff and go to pieces.

 

[Luke Imp]

2014 was a low total!

As for us, we're a bit weird at the minute. I'm not sure 4-3-3 should really suit us, which sounds daft given our form since the switch but we're trying to fit Bostwick, Woodyard and Frecklington in the same team (still), Green is playing slightly wider, Rhead's slightly further forward and we can't fit Anderson and Rowe in together.

What it is doing though is giving us more bodies in the box, and the formation really suits Whitehouse whilst allowing Woodyard and Frecklington a little more safety knowing there's three of them in there now.

As I say, it shouldn't suit us, but it's kinda working for now.

 

[JJ1532]

2014 was a low total!

Well, for a bit of context, the team that finished 7th was York and they had 71 points. However, the team in 8th was Oxford and they only had 62. Hence why 63 would have made the play offs.

No idea what the stats are, but has any other team had as many players missing with long(ish) term injuries this season?

Yes. As already listed, clearly Coventry and Carlisle have had problems. But what about us?

George Ray, 7 months from August until late Feb.
James Jones(10 goals last season), 8 months from August until late March.
Ryan Wintle, 6 months from Mid-September with a stress fracture and ankle injury, playing 2 games inbetween each injury in January.
Chris Porter(top scorer), out 2 months from mid-January
Chris Dagnall(2nd top scorer at the time), out 7 weeks from mid-January to early March.

Every team has injuries, even to their key players. Luton are different in that they have no excuse for not ensuring they have adequate squad depth.

 

[shoddycollins]

Well, for a bit of context, the team that finished 7th was York and they had 71 points. However, the team in 8th was Oxford and they only had 62. Hence why 63 would have made the play offs
.

how does that work? Surely 63 and you'd still finish below York

 

[Plumbob]

how does that work? Surely 63 and you'd still finish below York

To finish 7th you needed to be above 8th. 8th was 62 points.

 

[Davidimp]

Yeah if 7th got 71 you would have needed 72?

 

[JJ1532]

The total in my table is what the team in 7th could have finished with and still made the play offs. Oxford finished on 62, therefore all York would have needed was 63. Same for all the other teams that finished in the play offs that season.

 

[Davidimp]

Point taken
We got in the playoffs with 66 one year.

 

[shoddycollins]

The total in my table is what the team in 7th could have finished with and still made the play offs. Oxford finished on 62, therefore all York would have needed was 63. Same for all the other teams that finished in the play offs that season.

OK, but it's not quite the same as any team could have gotten into the playoffs with 63, York and above would have, but for Oxford and below, it wouldn't have been enough.

 

[JJ1532]

OK, but it's not quite the same as any team could have gotten into the playoffs with 63, York and above would have, but for Oxford and below, it wouldn't have been enough.

No, I know. It's just the way I chose to represent what it would have taken. I do think it show that in the 13-14 season, the competition was weak, given the sides that finished 4th-7th could have managed much less than 70 and still made the top 7.

 

[gijsbert_bos]

Before the Berry transfer I seem to remember some Luton fans saying they didn't really need him. Now he's absolutely irreplaceable and they're hopeless without him.

On the subject of injuries, with the exception of Vickers and Wilson we have once again hardly had any. Surely two seasons can't just be coincidence? Eardley, who has struggled to play much the last few years, has been an ever-present. There must be something in the preparation and conditioning work we do that minimises certain types of injury. Obviously some impact injuries are unavoidable but we rarely seem to get strains/tears etc.

 

[BelizeHatter]

Nah I don't think so. We were generally surprised we got him rather than him going higher

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

Before the Berry transfer I seem to remember some Luton fans saying they didn't really need him. Now he's absolutely irreplaceable and they're hopeless without him.

On the subject of injuries, with the exception of Vickers and Wilson we have once again hardly had any. Surely two seasons can't just be coincidence? Eardley, who has struggled to play much the last few years, has been an ever-present. There must be something in the preparation and conditioning work we do that minimises certain types of injury. Obviously some impact injuries are unavoidable but we rarely seem to get strains/tears etc.

We thought he would play number 10, where he did for Cambridge all last season and scored a lot of goals. We had plenty of decent players to play that.

Turns out he plays as a box to box midfield player in our diamond and to be frank is superb at it. With his energy it’s like having 2 players almost and his quality on the ball is excellent to go with the lung busting effort and he still pops up with a goal at fairly regular intervals. There’s no one else like him in the squad to be honest, and we are likely to go back to playing converted wide players in his position.

But he’s playing a different role than I certainly anticipated and perhaps others did to.

Not sure if other Town fans agree but the balance he brought to our midfield is what took us to another level this season in my opinion and I’m not saying that just because we’ve lost him, I’ve been championinf him as one of our best players all season.

I’m still surprised we even have him to be honest.

 

[oakroader]

It’s all my fault.....
Bring back mpansy.....








April fool.....

 

[AdamStag]

The good news for Luton is that danny Rose is still out injured

In short, no danny rose = no goals = no Mansfield win.

Like against Accrington you'll see Kane hemmings and lee Angol run about a bit, not shoot and be totally ineffective, again

 

[Kenneth E End]

Angol will want to try and prove a point tomorrow.

 

[Davidimp]

Angol will want to try and prove a point tomorrow.

He was very disappointing on his return to us earlier in the season.
Scored fewer than Palmer and Rhead...

 

[The_Viking_Magpie]

Who’s Palmer? I’ve heard of Rhead and seen his antics but Palmer? Tell me more

I like Angol’s hair.

 

[northstandexile]

Ollie Palmer, Mansfield’s greatest ex-striker.

 

[Kenneth E End]

If we lose more ground on Accrington tomorrow, I'll happily concede the title to them.

And based on 2018 form, they deserve it.