Promotion thread

[BRFC_Gas]

Of the teams near the top, and although some we have only played once, for me the only ones who have looked like top league one sides have been FGR, Exeter and to a lesser extent Newport (although we had enough chances to at least draw that one);

Mansfield seemingly had the ref working with them in both games to get them their 4 points.
Port Vale.. we lost but came away gutted we didn't win. even Darrell said the ref gave them a lot of decisions.
Tranmere we let come back to draw after being 2-0 up.
Sutton.. cant see the fuss we played them 3 times and beat them twice and drew the other.
Northampton - Beat 2-1 with 10 men with their goal coming from the spot.
Swindon actually looked very decent at the Mem but average on their own patch

Hard to judge teams on one or two games but that's how I see it. we have improved in all areas over time this season and cut out the stupid sendings off.
Refs do seem to have it in for us though, maybe that's the Barton effect but cant remember many (if any) occasions where we have gained points from fortunate decisions.

 

[BRFC_Gas]

When we’re Mansfield in the relegation zone this season?

Your winning run started in November which is 4 ago now, let’s not make out that you’re minnows with a small budget upsetting the entire league creating upsets week after week.

For the majority of the season you’ve been in better form than you have had and you’ve won double the games you’ve lost - so I’d hardly say it’s remarkable. The table doesn’t lie.

They were in the bottom 2 after 14 games which was just before they started winning. Their lowest point was coincidentally after losing away to Exeter.

 

[northstandexile]

They were in the bottom 2 after 14 games which was just before they started winning. Their lowest point was coincidentally after losing away to Exeter.

After 14 games we had 11 points W2,D5,L7. We won our first two games of the season and we’re leading until the 97th minute at Colchester in game3 but gave a penalty away and drew. That started a winless run of 12 games.
However since a home win vs Tranmere in late October our league record is W13, D3 L1. The defeat was at Sutton in late November and since then we have W10 and D3.

It is difficult seeing us losing another game this season.
A further 10 wins and five draws will get us to nearly ninety points and the title.

 

[AdamStag]

They were in the bottom 2 after 14 games which was just before they started winning. Their lowest point was coincidentally after losing away to Exeter.

which is what i said.

We had an opening day with over BR with a last minute winner when in reality we should have won by 2 or 3, then we best newport the week after - we were supposed to be away but their sandpit was being sorted - we didn’t win again until november.

 

[Back in the DHSS]

Fancy Sutton as dark horses for the auto’s myself. Their style of play maybe not everybody’s cup of tea, but they’ve been consistently getting results all season.
Ever improving Bristol Rovers are sneaking up on the blind side and have got the momentum to take the other auto spot.
Mansfield, Northampton,Swindon and Exeter for the play offs.

Maybe I’ve gone down with a bout of HelloGregoryitus but I just don’t fancy my team without a fully fit Jay Spearing to help grind out results.

 

[leedsvaliant]

Fancy Sutton as dark horses for the auto’s myself. Their style of play maybe not everybody’s cup of tea, but they’ve been consistently getting results all season.
Ever improving Bristol Rovers are sneaking up on the blind side and have got the momentum to take the other auto spot.
Mansfield, Northampton,Swindon and Exeter for the play offs.

Maybe I’ve gone down with a bout of HelloGregoryitus but I just don’t fancy my team without a fully fit Jay Spearing to help grind out results.

When we played Sutton, we were miles ahead of them technically, I'm still not sure how we contrived to lose that game. They could end up in the mix, but based on our game they didn't look great. I can see them just falling short.

Bristol Rovers caused us problems, even with 10 men. I can see them sneaking in. Mansfield I think will go up automatically....we played them when they were second bottom and even then I said they were in a false position. We somehow managed to scrape a draw.

Swindon we beat easily at their place but they wiped the floor with us at vale park, albeit with 10 men for a half. If they become consistent I can see them easily in the playoffs.

Thought both Tranmere and Northampton were poor on the both times we played them. Both very short up front and there's only so many times you can play for a 1-0. I can see one of them slipping down to be honest.

Exeter always look strong. I expect them to fill one of the automatic spots to be honest. We've still got to play them twice.

Newport always seem pretty strong, especially at home and they always have a chance with Telford. I can see them in the playoffs.

There's probably 1 or 2 spots completely up for grabs. Vale? We've just gone 9 games unbeaten, although 3 wins and 6 draws. A couple of those draws really should have been wins, which would see us right in the mix for the automatic spots. We are playing a little within ourselves at the moment and playing some players like Gibbons and Proctor back into fitness. We also desperately miss Conlon who is the creative spark and he should be back soon. Our games left against teams above us are mainly at home, win 2 or 3 of them and we're right in the mix. We're just a bit 'functional' at the moment.

It'll go down to the last game I reckon for 2 or 3 of the playoff spots.

 

[AnotherStagsFan]

Looks like we’re living in Gassy’s head rent free, it’s cute.

 

[shoddycollins]

hello everybody!


Well with HG's level of pessimism, someone has to try and counteract it.

 

[Moomin]

He is out for a few weeks with a hamstring problem

Where’ve you seen that he’s out for a few weeks? Taylor said yesterday that he’d miss tomorrow’s game, but didn’t get the impression he’s out long term.

 

[denzel ecfc]

Getting ridiculous up top now. We're back down to 8th after todays results but will be up to 3rd if we win on Tuesday

 

[EricSabin]

Getting ridiculous up top now. We're back down to 8th after todays results but will be up to 3rd if we win on Tuesday

Nuts isn’t it

 

[JaredSUFC]

After a shaky run of results, we’ve now won 2 in a row scoring 7 and conceding 1, all of which puts us back in the automatic spots.

However we’re as close points wise to 8th as to 2nd (3 points either side), which is indicative of the tightrope every team in the promotion hunt is walking.

12 games left for Sutton and we have the following games against teams in the top 10 left to play;

Swindon (a) 15/3
Tranmere (h) 19/3
Port Vale (a) 26/3
Mansfield (a) 15/4
Newport (h) 18/4

I still think there’s too much Football left to play to have can’t firm idea on the final makeup of the promotion/playoff spots

 

[Moomin]

3 home games in a row now (Swindon, Salford and Crawley), which is a massive opportunity for us. 7 points bare minimum I’d be happy with.

Swindon game should be really highly charged and hopefully we can get 3 points to shoot us up about 5 places. Nuts division.

 

[kieran_vale]

For all intents and purposes we are pretty much done for now. This isn’t because we lost to an abysmal Colchester team but more the fact we now know we’ve lost Conlon for the season and Gibbons for the vast majority. Conlon was the one ace up our sleeve that I thought was going to separate us from everyone else but now we don’t have that I just don’t see how we can overcome it.

 

[valefan16]

For all intents and purposes we are pretty much done for now. This isn’t because we lost to an abysmal Colchester team but more the fact we now know we’ve lost Conlon for the season and Gibbons for the vast majority. Conlon was the one ace up our sleeve that I thought was going to separate us from everyone else but now we don’t have that I just don’t see how we can overcome it.

No it’s the fact with Conlon also we don’t have a replacement as such, Jake Taylor is also out and seems to not be recovering.

The closest option is the equally capable James Wilson but he’s shoved either out wide or as a target man when he’s all about the touch into feet with his quality.

As for Gibbons that’s massive, ironically his injuries may be the thing that keeps him a Vale player next season but he’s unbelievably good and to lose him after managing his come back so carefully how we did Tuesday is a big loss. My worry is though he just doesn’t seem to stay fit for long periods since doing the injury initially 2 years back and the type of player he is as an attacking full back and full bloodied in the tackle doesn’t really help.

Crawley is must win and you never know we could close it up again with a game in hand but that run of games Mansfield, Exeter, Bradford, Sutton with those two out becomes a far bigger task.

I think with everything thats gone against us this season it just wasn’t meant to be for us sadly.

 

[Indian Dan]

Going by today, Bradford will be no pushover for anyone playing them.

There’s no consistency in this league. Does that point to an overall lack of quality in most sides?

 

[FGR Stroud]

There’s no consistency in this league. Does that point to an overall lack of quality in most sides?

Quite the reverse.
Remember the old adage: "Any team can beat any other team."
This season the 'other' teams are doing exactly that.

 

[Indian Dan]

I’m generalising here, but I reckon the top 12 are much of a muchness and all capable of beating the other 11. I think there is a divide in quality between the top 12 and bottom 12. With so many ‘6 pointers’ every week because of the closeness of the top teams its the reason why clubs are yo-yoing up and down the table every week. Exeter we’re looking at the top 3 last week, this week they’re not even in the POs. We’ve been dipping in and out the POs for ages.

This won’t be settled until the last round of games.

 

[EricSabin]

I’m generalising here, but I reckon the top 12 are much of a muchness and all capable of beating the other 11. I think there is a divide in quality between the top 12 and bottom 12. With so many ‘6 pointers’ every week because of the closeness of the top teams its the reason why clubs are yo-yoing up and down the table every week. Exeter we’re looking at the top 3 last week, this week they’re not even in the POs. We’ve been dipping in and out the POs for ages.

This won’t be settled until the last round of games.

It certainly seems that way. I’d also add that teams down the bottom have rolled the dice so games that previously you’d have said teams at the top would win suddenly look a lot trickier. Carlisle, Oldham, Walsall etc

 

[AdamStag]

With us playing tranmere friday away it’s almost like a free hit for us, tranmere HAVE to win, if we can emerge from tranmere and port vale with anything north of 3 points or more i’d be delighted - to have got 8 from bristol rovers away, newport away bradford away and exeter at home is a bloody good effort

 

[Dirk Diggler]

3 home games in a row now (Swindon, Salford and Crawley), which is a massive opportunity for us. 7 points bare minimum I’d be happy with.

Swindon game should be really highly charged and hopefully we can get 3 points to shoot us up about 5 places. Nuts division.

Lets hope that the trend continues as for every game that we have lost at home we have beaten the same opposition away

 

[EricSabin]

With us playing tranmere friday away it’s almost like a free hit for us, tranmere HAVE to win, if we can emerge from tranmere and port vale with anything north of 3 points or more i’d be delighted - to have got 8 from bristol rovers away, newport away bradford away and exeter at home is a bloody good effort

Do you think you’ll have a blip soon? On a great run but do you think you’ll maintain it for another 14 games?

Yours sincerely,
A cobbler clutching at straws

 

[northstandexile]

Do you think you’ll have a blip soon? On a great run but do you think you’ll maintain it for another 14 games?

Yours sincerely,
A cobbler clutching at straws

Can’t see us losing again this season. Think we need to get the open top bus ready.

 

[EricSabin]

Can’t see us losing again this season. Think we need to get the open top bus ready.

Damn

 

[AdamStag]

Do you think you’ll have a blip soon? On a great run but do you think you’ll maintain it for another 14 games?

Yours sincerely,
A cobbler clutching at straws

Of course there will be, like with you they’ll be lots of variables, how long will the blip be, who will we be playing during this blip, what results will the others get etc.

 

[EricSabin]

Of course there will be, like with you they’ll be lots of variables, how long will the blip be, who will we be playing during this blip, what results will the others get etc.

All agreed you’ll lose your next 5 then, class x

 

[Conker]

Mansfield are due a stinker soon surely.

 

[Spanishstag]

Do you think you’ll have a blip soon? On a great run but do you think you’ll maintain it for another 14 games?

Yours sincerely,
A cobbler clutching at straws

I honestly can't see us losing ,but we inevitably will ,can't see us having a poor run though and that's going to be vital in the run in we have such a strong squad

 

[AdamStag]

Mansfield are due a stinker soon surely.

So you’d think, though if we do i’d prefer it to be against someone like stevenage ar home as opposed to tranmere or port vale away

 

[Conker]

So you’d think, though if we do i’d prefer it to be against someone like stevenage ar home as opposed to tranmere or port vale away

Definitely not Port Vale because I’m going to that.