The Carlisle United f**ked it up Official Promotion Thread

[shoddycollins]

Started a few weeks early, mainly to shut Carver up and keep him from gloating on the relegation thread and match threads. It's a reasonable time to start though as a clear gap has formed between what are increasingly looking like five genuine promotion contenders and everyone else who are yet to organise themselves into anything.

With a handful of matches left till the window opens there is still time for someone in the top five to fuck it up completely before then, and/or someone in the rabble to break away but I don't expect there'll be much real discussion to have until January, where the top five will be keen to get the signings they need to compete with each other and everyone else will be looking to make the additions that will propel them to the next level / hang onto John Akinde (delete as appropriate)

In the meantime we do have a big weekend at the top next Saturday with Carlisle travelling to the other end of the A6 in Luton and Doncaster having the opportunity to remain top while continuing Plymouth's poor form. Pompey face Stevenage.

The questions people seem to have about the top 5 are:

Are Plymouth doing another bottle-job or will they recover in time to remain in the fight?
Carlisle are the only promotion-chaser that weren't expected to be up there, are they genuine contenders or in a false position?
Can Luton and Pompey fix their inconsistencies and challenge the top three or will they instead be looking over their shoulders this month?
Will Doncaster remain top despite being managed by the most incompetent man in the history of football?

 

[Habbinalan]

.............Will Doncaster remain top despite being managed by the most incompetent man in the history of football?

I think Dean Saunders has that title sewn up.

The wife-beater is not a man, he's a c*nt and I'm sure he'll prove it again before the season's out.

 

[shoddycollins]

I think Dean Saunders has that title sewn up.

The wife-beater is not a man, he's a c*nt and I'm sure he'll prove it again before the season's out.

looking at Donny's forum it seems to be a straight contest between Ferguson and Dickov.

 

[Carver]

Ah a promotion thread.

Carlisle are the only promotion-chaser that weren't expected to be up there, are they genuine contenders or in a false position?

Are you trying to play us down? We were expected to be up there and in the top 7 at least, so no it's not a false position. I'll let you off Shoddy because you're a fellow fan and you obviously don't want us to look stupid if we mess it up, but if you was a fan of anyone else telling me this then I'd feel fairly angry. Just know that we're not someone like Northampton who defied the odds last season by being lucky throughout, we are an ACTUAL good team who deserve respect and get other fans pissing their pants at the thought of playing us.

 

[Boletus Edulis]

The pessimist in me thinks we should be in the thread started by Hooped Wizard. The optimist in me has just drunk a very nice beer watching the sun set. We can't cock it up again? Can we?

 

[shoddycollins]

Ah a promotion thread.



Are you trying to play us down? We were expected to be up there and in the top 7 at least, so no it's not a false position. I'll let you off Shoddy because you're a fellow fan and you obviously don't want us to look stupid if we mess it up, but if you was a fan of anyone else telling me this then I'd feel fairly angry. Just know that we're not someone like Northampton who defied the odds last season by being lucky throughout, we are an ACTUAL good team who deserve respect and get other fans pissing their pants at the thought of playing us.

I think most bookies had us as tenth favourites and I've certainly read a few comments on opposing forums of the 'weren't expecting them to do so well' sort.

 

[shoddycollins]

The pessimist in me thinks we should be in the thread started by Hooped Wizard. The optimist in me has just drunk a very nice beer watching the sun set. We can't cock it up again? Can we?

Is the pessimist in you actually an Exeter fan? Because that would make sense.

 

[Carver]

I think most bookies had us as tenth favourites and I've certainly read a few comments on opposing forums of the 'weren't expecting them to do so well' sort.

Give me the names.

 

[shoddycollins]

Give me the names.

Graham Westley, John Coleman and Steve Evans.

 

[TommoCUFC]

I had Carlisle down as one of the top sides in the league during summer. Definitely not surprised to see them up there and wouldn't be surprised if they stayed there.

Portsmouth and Luton the obvious other candidates for the other two spots, Plymouth could pose a threat if they don't do a Plymouth, and Doncaster will challenge too I'd have thought. Other than that, I think there are a big group of teams that will think they can challenge for the playoffs, and I wouldn't at all be surprised to see that go down to the wire again

 

[DearneValleyRover]

I think Dean Saunders has that title sewn up.

The wife-beater is not a man, he's a c*nt and I'm sure he'll prove it again before the season's out.

Dickov by a country mile, the jury is still out on Fergie but compared to Dicksplash the football is a massive improvement even if it isn't good for the ticker

 

[hellogregory]

I don't think many had Carlisle as title contenders or even automatic promotion contenders. Most probably expected a top 7 push.

 

[RampantRover]

I did put money on Carlisle being promoted this season...

 

[GTFCfish]

Pompey face Stevenage.

Pompey's players will be knackered then becauae they are playing Grimsby that day as well!

 

[BelizeHatter]

I have my doubts about us due to the young age of the squad and Manager. Not sure if that applies to any of the other five or not but we're a tad raw and the jury is out with many fans it seems on the system versus both the better footballing sides and hard working teams. This weekend could be telling as a bad defeat a la Pompey could suck the life out of them - or bouy them considerably. The plus is they just might pull it off and we do have a deep squad if one or two start to feel the pace and pressure. I'd realistically expect it more likely for us to stay fairly patchy with inconsistency as they build experience for a full on crack at it next year.

 

[shoddycollins]

I did put money on Carlisle being promoted this season...

How much, and will it cause you cardiovascular trouble should we end up in a situation where on the final day either Doncaster or Carlisle will make the last automatic place?

 

[Richard Cranium]

We'll check in at the end of May

 

[K-Win]

Difficult to know what the second half of the season has in store for us. There's a lot of pressure building on the coaching staff and the senior players which is starting to show (angry post-match interviews, half-time punch-ups etc).

Expectation levels were higher than ever before the season began. Cook had done OK to finally get us near the business end last season and needed to kick on given the free hand and generally supportive board he has.

The thing is - I'm not sure this year's first 11 are better than last year's. Squad-wise, we definitely have more depth with reasonable quality players like Lalkovic and Hunt struggling to break into the team. Our best hope is that we 'out-resource' our promotion rivals as the season wears on and injury lists begin to grow.

 

[shoddycollins]

You all know what... in spite of all the internal critiques about our defence and whatnot.... I look at the table and I'm so happy to see us up there. We're doing well and I really hope we can end this season with promotion. Keith Curle's been doing a brilliant job since coming in and has changed the whole ethos around the club. I'm so used to feeling like a fan of a club on the decline that this a new feeling, we play attractive football, have good players and have a really great shot at promotion. Long may it last. We've exceeded every expectation I had of us as the start of the season.

 

[cufc17]

I agree with all of that. We've been pretty terrible the past few seasons, but Curle has gradually turned us into a very good team. Whilst I was confident of a good season, I certainly didn't think we'd only have 1 league defeat by mid-December.

 

[shoddycollins]

I agree with all of that. We've been pretty terrible the past few seasons, but Curle has gradually turned us into a very good team. Whilst I was confident of a good season, I certainly didn't think we'd only have 1 league defeat by mid-December.

Oh I remember the days we'd have about five by the end of August.

Really gripes me though that the one time we got beat was the one time we really fucking shouldn't have (no offence to Newport).

 

[RampantRover]

How much, and will it cause you cardiovascular trouble should we end up in a situation where on the final day either Doncaster or Carlisle will make the last automatic place?

Carlisle, Millwall and Newcastle all to get promoted £20 gets £408

 

[GTFCfish]

Carlisle, Millwall and Newcastle all to get promoted £20 gets £408

Did you put that on at the start of the season? If so then they are really shit odds for a treble on 3 teams getting promoted, that averages out at around 7/4 per team which is wank.

 

[Chief Rocka]

I'd say the Mags have pulled it down a bit, they were hovering around 4/5 when Benitez was (re)appointed.

 

[Carver]

ONLY 3 TEAMS IN THIS.

Come on rest of league, stop being so tinpot! Especially Hartlepool.

 

[shoddycollins]

I think it's safe to say that Wycombe have kicked open a door that has been shut tight for a few months now. It's been the top five and then everyone else for as long as I've been doing the real league table thread and just not looked as though anyone can be good enough consistently enough to stop being 'maybe promotion chasers' and become just 'promotion chasers'. Wycombe now have a four point cushion in the play-offs though and the gap between 5th and 6th has gone, and they have won six in a row, only conceding one in the process.

 

[huddsmoose]

Wycombe have done brilliantly and Cambridge have followed on their coat tails.

We've gone from bottom after 9 games to 7th - winning 9 of 13 games in the process.

I don't think either side will have enough for a top 3 place mind.

 

[K-Win]

Well done Wycombe and Cambridge. On the kind of run that we can only dream of. When does the play-off thread open?

 

[mowgli]

Wycombe have done brilliantly and Cambridge have followed on their coat tails.

We've gone from bottom after 9 games to 7th - winning 9 of 13 games in the process.

I don't think either side will have enough for a top 3 place mind.

I agree mate it's the play offs at best, i think our poor starts will come back to bite us on the arse especially if it comes to goal difference. I'm just enjoying the ride at the moment with 6 League wins on the bounce and in the 3rd round of The FA Cup.

 

[shoddycollins]

I agree mate it's the play offs at best, i think our poor starts will come back to bite us on the arse especially if it comes to goal difference. I'm just enjoying the ride at the moment with 6 League wins on the bounce and in the 3rd round of The FA Cup.

Best of luck on Boxing Day make it seven on the bounce.