The League One Promotion Thread 15/16

[Lambourn Red]

I don't think anyone is gliding up the table. Wigan and Burton keep grinding out results true, but Gills are struggling with key injuries, Millwall keep dropping points, Coventry are dropping like a stone and as for the chasing pack....

In any other year, Walsall would not make the play offs. But this year, they could easily stay in there and if the other 3 teams that make it go in with similarly poor form, you never know.

There are 2 teams gliding up the table Swindon and Barnsley we are both coming like a steam train probably too late for us but if everyone above keeps faltering who knows. With Coventry and Millwall to come in the next couple of weeks we could just sneak in which would be amazing considering we were bottom at the beginning of November.

 

[blademan89]

There are 2 teams gliding up the table Swindon and Barnsley we are both coming like a steam train probably too late for us but if everyone above keeps faltering who knows. With Coventry and Millwall to come in the next couple of weeks we could just sneak in which would be amazing considering we were bottom at the beginning of November.

You are actually 1 of the very few teams weve been better than infact in both games too. Id be amazed if you got top 6 but fair play your giving it a good go i think there may be too many other teams in your path though.

 

[Big Bird]

You are actually 1 of the very few teams weve been better than infact in both games too. Id be amazed if you got top 6 but fair play your giving it a good go i think there may be too many other teams in your path though.

Possibly too late for us but it's been the opposite of last year where we started well and stuttered into the play offs. This season we seem to have left all the crap behind us early doors and have gradually progressed and got better, it's the perfect time to have the momentum. We also have the most in form strike pairing in the league I'd imagine.

Still a lot of points to play for, if we avoid defeat at Oldham on Saturday the two home games against Millwall and Wigan, with a trip to Cov sandwiched inbetween look very interesting.

March is the month for us, the next 4 games will define our season.

 

[Freethinker]

I don't think anyone is gliding up the table. Wigan and Burton keep grinding out results true, but Gills are struggling with key injuries, Millwall keep dropping points, Coventry are dropping like a stone and as for the chasing pack....

last 10 league games...

WWWDWWLWDD

Smells like good form to me!

 

[Shrimpurh]

I don't think anyone is gliding up the table. Wigan and Burton keep grinding out results true, but Gills are struggling with key injuries, Millwall keep dropping points, Coventry are dropping like a stone and as for the chasing pack....

In any other year, Walsall would not make the play offs. But this year, they could easily stay in there and if the other 3 teams that make it go in with similarly poor form, you never know.

Barnsley are definitely flying up and have been for a while

 

[Indian Dan]

Possibly too late for us but it's been the opposite of last year where we started well and stuttered into the play offs. This season we seem to have left all the crap behind us early doors and have gradually progressed and got better, it's the perfect time to have the momentum. We also have the most in form strike pairing in the league I'd imagine.

Still a lot of points to play for, if we avoid defeat at Oldham on Saturday the two home games against Millwall and Wigan, with a trip to Cov sandwiched inbetween look very interesting.

March is the month for us, the next 4 games will define our season.

Beating Donny last night was the first time we've not looked like conceding - cut out all the 'madness moments' of games past. Going forward we were superb and, all in all, a terrific performance.

Just to rein things in a bit, the 4 teams we've beaten on the trot have all been dross - let's see how we do against the few decent teams in the godforsaken league.

 

[THE LAST WALTZ]

I used to like Burton but they are really getting on my nerves now.

 

[JJH]

- Sean O' Dismal- He came in and said he would not change anything in a winning formula. I cant listen to any his interviews now and he sounds like he just cant be bothered. No subs made during matches, dire tactics and baffling team selections/formations. The players have clearly picked up on his lack of motivation and the drop started as soon as he started. The 'football' is just a big chore to watch and has been for a few months.

Sounds like he can't be bothered? If you bump into him anytime soon, ask him if he still has the fight for this...

(Skip to 5:30)

 

[Krazy8]

By the way we have lost probably the best player in the league (Dack), our captain (Loft) and our vice captain and best centre half in the league (Egan). Not to mention Cody MacDonald.

Ain't given up though

Let me introduce you to Raphael Rossi Branco

 

[Bartonyellow]

I used to like Burton but they are really getting on my nerves now.

You are feeling right now how midge ure felt when ultravox's Vienna was kept off number one by joe dolce "shutupayerface"

 

[JJ1532]

last 10 league games...

WWWDWWLWDD

Smells like good form to me!

Didn't say you were in bad form, I said you keeping dropping points, which seems like a fair comment to me given you've only won 1 of your last 4 and have only won 3 of your last 7.

 

[Freethinker]

Didn't say you were in bad form, I said you keeping dropping points, which seems like a fair comment to me given you've only won 1 of your last 4 and have only won 3 of your last 7.

I'll take 21 points out of 30 all day long and next tuesday!
Would take us to 80 points by the end of the season with that points ratio.

 

[Freethinker]

Sounds like he can't be bothered? If you bump into him anytime soon, ask him if he still has the fight for this...

(Skip to 5:30)

Actually agree with the fella, very stupid question and to press it like that is unprofessional

 

[THE LAST WALTZ]

You are feeling right now how midge ure felt when ultravox's Vienna was kept off number one by joe dolce "shutupayerface"

You are feeling right now how midge ure felt when ultravox's Vienna was kept off number one by joe dolce "shutupayerface"

Unfortunatley pop pickers we are in danger of tumbling out of the hit parade.

Oh well, why looka so sad, itsa not so bad, itsa nicea place.

 

[Indian Dan]

Are your injuries long term? We know how difficult it is - when we had 10 first teamers out we took 3 points from 11 games.

Probably why Wigun will win the league with their squad.

Still can't get my head around Sheffield United - they should have been outta here this season surely.

 

[joethegill]

Dack is 6-8 weeks, so is Egan (although from a week earlier), no idea on Loft and the earliest we can expect McDonald back is April.

If you look at the side that demolished Millwall in December, you can see how much has changed in just a couple of months:

Nelson
Jackson - Egan - Oshilaja - Garmston
Wright
Hessenthaler - Morris
Dack
Samuel - McDonald​

Bench of McGlashan, Ehmer, Houghton, G.Morris, Osadebe, Donnelly and Norris.

Of that 18, Nelson seems to have lost all confidence after his howler at Wigan, Jackson has been injured and is only just coming back, Egan is of course now injured, Oshilaja has gone back to Cardiff (we were promised he'd be returning on loan for the rest of the season, only to discover that wasn't true and instead we'd be treated to Adam El-Abd) and Garmston seems to have been dropped in favour of Adam Chicksen (which is such a strange move). Wright, Hess and Morris are all available, but without Dack out midfield lacks....everything really. Millwall was the game that Cody Mac got injured in, but he was having a belter up until the injury. Samuel is still here but has gone right off the boil.

Of the bench that day, McGlashan is well out of favour, Ehmer is now a first team regular despite a string of loanees being favoured over him for the first half of the season, Houghton has gone back to Chelsea (which is a bit of a shame, I liked him) and Luke Norris has had a few ankle injuries. Osadebe has been in and out of the team and is a bit of an enigma, and Donnelly has played pretty much every game as we've run out of forwards (and he's in terrible form).

Looking at that team, and then the team that started at Fleetwood, and it's not hard to see why we've started struggling:

Nelson
Jackson - Ehmer - El-Abd - Chicksen
Wright
Morris - Dickenson
Williams
Norris - Donnelly
​

Garmston, Hessenthaler, McGlashan, G.Morris, Samuel, Osadebe, List

Chicksen is the poorest of 3 left backs we have, yet he starts over Garmston and Dickenson in that position. Williams just isn't anywhere near the level of Dack, and Ehmer and El-Abd aren't a patch on the partnership of Egan and Oshilaja, or indeed Egan and Harry Lennon, who was also fantastic earlier in the season. Like I said before, Donnelly is in shocking form, don't know why he seems to be ahead of Dominic Samuel in the pecking order.

It's all gone a bit tits up.

 

[SaddlerJonny]

Signing a familiar striker tomorrow, FINALLY!

If it is someone quality like Hiwula then it could kickstart our form again.

 

[JJ1532]

Seems big enough news for you to post it in 2 threads. Fair play.

 

[Saddlerrad]

A CENTRE FORWARD - NEWS TO EARTH - WE HAVE SIGNED A CENTRE FORWARD!!!!!!!!

Miracles do happen, there is a shared braincell at the football club.

Hallelujah!!

Can't wait for SOD to play him wide or bench him until the 88th minute now!!

In all fairness, Hiwula got 9 in 19 for us last season and 6 in 6 for Wigan this season. Competition for Bradshaw's place should see an improvement from him, Sawyers and Lalkovic - this could really be make of break for us. If this doesn't work, then nothing else will. If he gets 7 or 8 goals between now and May, then he will really be make a huge difference.

 

[THE LAST WALTZ]

Seems big enough news for you to post it in 2 threads. Fair play.

Three now!

 

[Saddlerrad]

Three now!

Just an example of how retarded the club have been, this should have happened in the summer; then when Bradshas was injured, then when SOD arrived, then urgently in January..as it is we have acted now, when we have won 2 in 10 and are completely out of confidence, form and goals (as well as the auto's race).

Let's hope it's better late than never.

 

[Jamo]

You realise that if you beat us tomorrow and Wigan lose you'll only be 1 point off the autos? All ifs and buts but you're not out of it yet.

 

[blademan89]

You realise that if you beat us tomorrow and Wigan lose you'll only be 1 point off the autos? All ifs and buts but you're not out of it yet.

With a game in hand too. I now hate walsall

 

[The Reverend Skyblue]

Two big games for us ,Rochdale then Shrewbury Tuesday, if we lose both we are out of any playoff position in my eyes
The confidence is shot and the whole team look lethargic and disinterested .

 

[Saddlerrad]

You realise that if you beat us tomorrow and Wigan lose you'll only be 1 point off the autos? All ifs and buts but you're not out of it yet.

Doing that and keeping it up is different. We are Walsall we only do negative things when it matters or is important. If we had filled the void anyone could see months ago, we wouldn't have had to destroy the side, ruin confidence and have relegation form of 2 wins in 10 to get a forward in - and we would probably be right near the top still.

With a game in hand too. I now hate walsall

Take it easy mate, nobody can hate us. I think our fans only so wound up and negative because we realise this will be our only likely shot at promotion for another decade, just like our last was. Too piss it away and waste a huge chance by not loaning or signing one player, is bloody annoying. Just for the record, our football since SOD took over has been worse than some of the stuff we had to witness when we were 24th in league one. Positions and points can be mis-leading. Plus, being good and blowing it is much worse, than being shit/average and staying it.

 

[Braindead]

I wish everyone around us would get their fingers out so at least we can say we failed to get promoted by being beaten by teams that deserve it more.
At the moment we are wobbling along winning one losing one,but the way things are that may well be enough for auto's as that will give us 85 points.
Then the howls of derision will begin,worst team in history to get promotion etc,will struggle to get 10 points next season bla bla bla, home crowds will be below 2000 after we are slaughtered in first half dozen home games.
I the realist know this will probably happen because we all know the chairman won't put the club in the shit financially knowing we haven't a hope in hell of competing to the known championship standard.
Suppose the silver lining to this is the potential money involved for one season of championship football being used in a way that doesn't involve doing a Yeovil, and set's us up to maybe hold our own at a level we may still be above what traditionalists believe we deserve.
So come on people get your fingers out so this conversation doesn't have to begin

 

[Jamo]

Burton going up and Derby once again bottling promotion to end up in the same division as each other would be hilarious.
The dilemma facing the Derby fans who watch Burton as their "second team" (i.e. my uncle) when that fixture comes around:

 

[Indian Dan]

People have second teams?

Fuck that

 

[THE TERRACEMAN]

Stuff the sheepshaggers !

 

[Agombar stool]

As it stands Barnsley jump above Coventry into the play-off positions.