The bells and whistles promotion thread

[shoddycollins]

For me I would rather have points in the bank, than have games in hand.

Yeah, I don't like that we're going to be playing catch-up on grounds that aren't our own. Our only hope of benefiting from the postponement is that Accrington tail off after January, they don't have the funds to cover injuries, other teams buy better players, Windass leaves and we end up actually getting them at a better time, but it's perhaps cliche to assume that as Accrington are a smaller club they're bound to find the second half of the season a struggle... they might keep Windass and monster it.

 

[EricSabin]

Looking forward to today, hopefully we can win and Pompey drop points. We're on for a second consecutive home end sell out, and the away end may be split for the first time in ages to get more Cobblers fans in.

 

[shoddycollins]

Here's the 'race' table... Since postponements have left a big range in terms of games played I've chosen to represent this by showing for each club with fewer than 23 games played where they would be if they were to win their games in hand (shown in grey)

46 - Plymouth, Northampton
45 - Accrington Stanley
44 - Oxford
43 - Northampton
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
42
41
40 - Portsmouth, Wycombe Wanderers, Carlisle United
39
38
37 - Bristol Rovers, Wycombe Wanderers, Carlisle United, Mansfield Town
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
36 - Accrington Stanley, Leyton Orient
35
34 - Mansfield Town
33 - Cambridge United, Exeter City

 

[AtaturkOzgutson]

Yay! We're allowed in now (until Barnet beat us in a few hours time...)

 

[EricSabin]

Oooh we're selling our usual away end now

 

[shoddycollins]

Yay! We're allowed in now (until Barnet beat us in a few hours time...)

It's controversial

Last time there was a neat gap between 10th and 11th, of four points I think, it was all so tidy, a promotion race featuring 10 teams, and then a gap to everyone else... but now you're only a point behind 10th, and on decent form it would seem silly to exclude you.

 

[thewwfc]

It's a fair thing to do for the purposes of the table (assuming teams win their games in hand) but to me that's a major long shot.

Fixture pileup is crap because often it means you'll end up playing your weekend games vs teams that haven't just had a midweek game.

I don't know whether the stats would back this up but I would guess that players are at higher risk of injury playing 2 games a week also. And gate money tends to be lower for evening games so it's a bit shit all round really.

 

[EricSabin]

Can see a few of the challengers dropping points today, everyone has a potential banana skin.

 

[shoddycollins]

It's a fair thing to do for the purposes of the table (assuming teams win their games in hand) but to me that's a major long shot.

Fixture pileup is crap because often it means you'll end up playing your weekend games vs teams that haven't just had a midweek game.

I don't know whether the stats would back this up but I would guess that players are at higher risk of injury playing 2 games a week also. And gate money tends to be lower for evening games so it's a bit shit all round really.

Well it's more for the range of points totals that those teams could get.

The other problem is that midweek games might be played on a day that would otherwise be spent in training, so you're losing out on training time.

 

[eric read]

I think we are going to bottle it again.

We won't bottle it this year. In fact we will strengthen in January from what I'm hearing.

I think someone will come through from the pack and grab third place, but not sure who? I think Accrington are the best side I've seen, but they may be caught out by a lack of resources and a fixture backlog in the second half of the season.

 

[cufc17]

Wycombe have taken an early lead against Crawley whilst Mansfield are 1-0 down against York.

 

[hellogregory]

We're down to 8th as things stand. We're dropping like a stone.

Curle out!

 

[shoddycollins]

We're down to 8th as things stand. We're dropping like a stone.

Curle out!

9th now, we could drop as low as 10th

zero points from the Christmas games is unacceptable!

 

[hellogregory]

9th now, we could drop as low as 10th

zero points from the Christmas games is unacceptable!

Back up into the playoffs as things stand. If we're still 7th in half an hour we're so lucky. It's more than our performances over this Christmas period have deserved.

 

[EricSabin]

Undeserved win against a dirty, cynical Accrington side. The officials were awful and fell for their antics hook line and sinker, and John Coleman is a stroppy little wanker. Smith made some good saves to protect our lead, and with Pompey drawing we are 5 points clear of 4th with a game in hand.

Good day.

 

[LordJord]

Undeserved win against a dirty, cynical Accrington side. The officials were awful and fell for their antics hook line and sinker, and John Coleman is a stroppy little wanker. Smith made some good saves to protect our lead, and with Pompey drawing we are 5 points clear of 4th with a game in hand.

Good day.

Stanley looked a real threat. Had 13 more shots than us. Fortunately that dosnt matter as we scored. Agree with the above post that they were very cynical, went down so easy.

Interesting that pompeys home form could cost them an automatic spot. Didn't think that would happen, thought they would have enough to break teams down.

 

[shoddycollins]

Back up into the playoffs as things stand. If we're still 7th in half an hour we're so lucky. It's more than our performances over this Christmas period have deserved.

Very lucky indeed, we didn't even turn up to the Accrington and Hartlepool games and deserved no more than the zero points we got.

 

[shoddycollins]

49 - Plymouth Argyle
48
47
46 - Northampton Town
45 - Oxford United
-----------------------------------------
44
43
42
41 - Portsmouth
40 - Wycombe Wanderers, Bristol Rovers
39
38
37 - Carlisle United
-------------------------------------------
36 - Accrington Stanley, Leyton Orient, Cambridge United
35 - Mansfield Town

Promotion-chasing sides are falling into three groups, with a gap is developing at the top, and Porstmouth looking less like part of the automatic-chasing pack, though that could easily change in a game or two. The onus is now on Portsmouth, Wycombe and Brovers to cement their places in the play-offs and on the rest to get into a position where they have something to protect.

Carlisle and Accrington have been discovering over the Christmas period that you don't actually need to play football to chase a play-off place, though we'll have to play a game at some point.

 

[EricSabin]

Good stuff Shoddy. Hopefully us three can really start to stretch away, but we've got some big matches next month.

 

[Bristols_finest]

Our next away game at Oxford will be tasty!!!

 

[shoddycollins]

Our next away game at Oxford will be tasty!!!

Hopefully it will be exceptionally dull.

 

[Sergei from IT]

I think your premise of every team with games in hand winning them is a bit optimistic. Indeed often play each other.
1 pt per game in hand is far more realistic.

 

[shoddycollins]

I think your premise of every team with games in hand winning them is a bit optimistic. Indeed often play each other.
1 pt per game in hand is far more realistic.

You're the second person to assume I meant they would definitely win them. I've removed them from the table as they're not serving the purpose they were meant to serve (showing the range of uncertainty games in hand gives the table)

 

[Carver]

John Coleman is a stroppy little wanker.

Aye he's a right miserable bugger isn't he.

 

[Carver]

I'm not worried about Wycombe going more points further above us as we've played two games less and it was only Crawley they beat at home so they should enjoy being higher while it lasts. We're likely to make further signings next month to strengthen our already solid squad even more, yet Wycombe will have no decent back up at all so once the injuries and suspensions come they'll drop like a rock and won't be able to compete with us and the other teams with good squads at the top end.

 

[E10rifle]

Can you please get us the fook out of this thread? We have Jay Simpson to sell and a mid-table party to attend.

 

[thewwfc]

We're likely to make further signings next month to strengthen our already solid squad even more, yet Wycombe will have no decent back up at all so once the injuries and suspensions come they'll drop like a rock and won't be able to compete with us and the other teams with good squads at the top end.

You may well be right, but we do have a couple of hundred grand of unbudgeted cup cash, some of which may even be made available to spend in January (although I won't cry if it isn't as that will mean we're being sensible and paying off debt, dull as that is).

I don't think we're as good as the table would imply but I don't see us dropping like a stone either, however much you might want that to happen.

 

[Aber gas]

We are right in this now. Tight at the back with some real quality going forward. Couple of shrewd signings in January and I can see us challenging for automatic. When we hit form we are very difficult to stop.

 

[Glasshalffullpools]

Nobody will be promoted without having to play Hartlepool , some may need to play us twice , so I think we will be technically in the mix ,without actually being in the mix .....not something everyone can say I think you'll agree

 

[Aber gas]

Nobody will be promoted without having to play Hartlepool , some may need to play us twice , so I think we will be technically in the mix ,without actually being in the mix .....not something everyone can say I think you'll agree

Can we play you twice? C'mon pretty please.