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Targeting the Play Off’s


Jeez

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Ok, so I like Johnson as a coach, he’s established us a credible championship side who are regularly considered play off contenders. I don’t expect him and his team to be faultless at this level given their experience.  However, we have a very talented squad but appear unsure how to get the best out of it.

Now the narrative has turned to focusing on the league and targeting the play offs, which is rightly the minimum expectation given the progression of the club and investment in all aspects. 

The objective on reaching the playoffs is surely to win what is essentially 3 cup ties.

With this in mind and given the nature of the FA Cup defeat to lower league opposition can we trust the current coaching team to succeed at this when we’re up against what will be far superior sides compared to League 1 opponents?

What can they learn from the cup exit?

I’m not fussed about us missing a 4th round glamour tie, but more concerned about our ability to compete if we are to reach our playoff objective.  

Our league position is a real positive given the recent performances but tactically it feels stale and inconsistent at the moment - where will the inspiration come from? 

 

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3 hours ago, Red Alert said:

we have a very talented squad

This gets said A LOT, and I wouldn't deny that we have talent within the squad.

However, are we more talented that at least 5 other squads in this league? (I.e. 'Should' we at least make the playoffs?)

I personally don't think so.

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The mere fact that we are only one point off the play-offs, after our recent appalling run, says it all. This is the poorest quality championship for years and if we cannot squeeze into the top six this year we never will.

I have every confidence that the Johnson luck will carry us through and we will be competing in the play-offs come May.

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12 minutes ago, Coxy27 said:

This gets said A LOT, and I wouldn't deny that we have talent within the squad.

However, are we more talented that at least 5 other squads in this league? (I.e. 'Should' we at least make the playoffs?)

I personally don't think so.

Interesting question. I think the more salient point is; do we have a more talented squad than we’ve ever had? The answer is clearly yes. 
 

Yet we’ve seen lesser squads play much better football. We need a coach to get the best out of our players and even the most fervent LJ backers can’t say that he’s doing that - we have some really proven players within the team who’re playing like school kids - And neither can they say there are any obvious signs that he has the ability to change it. 

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1 minute ago, jayjay said:

The mere fact that we are only one point off the play-offs, after our recent appalling run, says it all. This is the poorest quality championship for years and if we cannot squeeze into the top six this year we never will.

I have every confidence that the Johnson luck will carry us through and we will be competing in the play-offs come May.

You have every confidence. I bet you £50 we don’t make the play offs. Winner’s choice of charity. 
 

Put your money where your mouth is. I’ll even commit to this before Nketiah is announced. 

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2 hours ago, Red Exile said:

If Johnson stays I'd say lower, no chance of relegation but bottom half.

And that is what so many fans and the owner are contented with.  Win some, lose some, we wont go up but also we wont go down so everything is ok, so no need to change anything.

My aspirations for the club are set a bit higher which is why I feel we do need a change.

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5 minutes ago, jayjay said:

The mere fact that we are only one point off the play-offs, after our recent appalling run, says it all. This is the poorest quality championship for years and if we cannot squeeze into the top six this year we never will.

I have every confidence that the Johnson luck will carry us through and we will be competing and losing in the play-offs come May.

Just a slight addition to your post .

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2 hours ago, handballbygordonparr said:

“We have to focus very quickly on the league now and being one point from the play-offs we need to give it a right go in these last 19 games.”

Our cup run was obviously a huge distraction - I wish we had been doing this anyway.

What cup run? We didn't get past the first tie

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11 minutes ago, Coxy27 said:

This gets said A LOT, and I wouldn't deny that we have talent within the squad.

However, are we more talented that at least 5 other squads in this league? (I.e. 'Should' we at least make the playoffs?)

I personally don't think so.

Fair.

My view is that when we were top 5 with few defeats we weren’t as good as that suggested, but equally we’re not as bad as recent form suggests (should add that I’m not referring to how good we are to watch, just ‘effectiveness’). Most teams at this level have good and bad periods and yes, LJ’s history here suggests we’re more prone to that then most, but we’re not unique. We are quite capable of returning to form, and perhaps the break after Saturday will help.

However, I do think we need an upgrade up front if we’re to really push on and if you know who arrives he may be the answer. A player with movement and who is more clinical than FD and AW (not knocking them, decent at this level without being great), I suspect will bring more out of a number of individuals (KP, AN etc).

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3 hours ago, Red Alert said:

Ok, so I like Johnson as a coach, he’s established us a credible championship side who are regularly considered play off contenders. I don’t expect him and his team to be faultless at this level given their experience.  However, we have a very talented squad but appear unsure how to get the best out of it.

Now the narrative has turned to focusing on the league and targeting the play offs, which is rightly the minimum expectation given the progression of the club and investment in all aspects. 

The objective on reaching the playoffs is surely to win what is essentially 3 cup ties.

With this in mind and given the nature of the FA Cup defeat to lower league opposition can we trust the current coaching team to succeed at this when we’re up against what will be far superior sides compared to League 1 opponents?

What can they learn from the cup exit?

I’m not fussed about us missing a 4th round glamour tie, but more concerned about our ability to compete if we are to reach our playoff objective.  

Our league position is a real positive given the recent performances but tactically it feels stale and inconsistent at the moment - where will the inspiration come from? 

 

No excuses now. We have no other distractions following that “performance” last night. No play offs, no excuses, no job here next season........

LJ has had an easy couple of seasons in terms of job security and done well overall tbh. However he’s lost one Centre Half and a Left Back who was not a regular anyway in the off season and was given more than enough to spend. Should he finish mid-table to lower mid-table on that budget AND playing football that would put an Insomniac into a coma then he’s failed miserably and somebody else needs to have a go.

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13 minutes ago, Fordy62 said:

You have every confidence. I bet you £50 we don’t make the play offs. Winner’s choice of charity. 
 

Put your money where your mouth is. I’ll even commit to this before Nketiah is announced. 

Fordy, this is the first time I have ever disagreed with any of your comments. You appear to have misinterpreted my comment which was simply meant sarcastically. For "I have every confidence", read "I fear".

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39 minutes ago, Coxy27 said:

This gets said A LOT, and I wouldn't deny that we have talent within the squad.

However, are we more talented that at least 5 other squads in this league? (I.e. 'Should' we at least make the playoffs?)

I personally don't think so.

I would say as talented but mis-matched. 

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2 minutes ago, jayjay said:

Fordy, this is the first time I have ever disagreed with any of your comments. You appear to have misinterpreted my comment which was simply meant sarcastically. For "I have every confidence", read "I fear".

Hahaha. Sorry mate. Still got the red mist of last night (and the last several weeks) and how so many people are content with being on this sinking ship. 

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3 hours ago, Sturny said:

Sounds familiar 

 

3 hours ago, Red white and red said:

We’ll finish 14th about 12 points off the play-offs. Johnson will get another pre-Season and sign 10 players, we will start well and everyone will be saying ‘This is our year’ we will then go on another of streaky Lee’s runs and lose 7 or 8 on the bounce and finish outside the play offs. 
 

lather, rinse, repeat.

Will need to buck up if we are to match this seasons ST sales; something that will not go un-noticed; wont make any difference though, the main man is not for turning and will stand by his puppet and his sustainability plan, which looking at recent losses aint going that well.

 

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Post match Radio Bristol last night, and he said something along the lines of ... We still have the play-offs to go for (or words to that effect)

But there was just something about the way he said it that had me thinking even you don't actually believe this, Lee.

I could tell in the voice that he knows the play-offs are highly unlikely.

The P/Os aren't happening this season folks, and even your gaffer knows this. Honestly , he does.

 

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10 hours ago, Red Alert said:

 

What can they learn from the cup exit?

I’m not fussed about us missing a 4th round glamour tie, but more concerned about our ability to compete if we are to reach our playoff objective.  

Our league position is a real positive given the recent performances but tactically it feels stale and inconsistent at the moment - where will the inspiration come from? 

 

Of course I was hoping we would win last night, was gutted (listening to the radio) when they scored late on, but I would have been more gutted if we had lost to Wigan on Saturday.  Ian (formerly Bristol Boy of this forum) hit the nail on the head when he said in the phone-in, that no-one would have given a toss if we had lost last night to gain an away tie at Mansfield, it was the prize of playing Liverpool that made last night's game interesting (and sent this forum into meltdown!)

If, and it's a bloody great big if, we end up getting promoted through the play-offs, then we will be playing the "real" Liverpool team home and away, as well as all the other big boys (and some not so big) in the top league in the world.  That is a real prize, not a one-off game, where City would be seen on Match of the Day as a tin pot club who can only fill their stadium by playing the best club in the world, who would probably play a bunch of academy kids that no one has ever heard of. The great thing about playing the Manchesters a couple of years ago was seeing world class players in the late stages of a cup competition (and obviously doing better than expected).  

So good luck to Shrewsbury with that particular gig, they deserve their day in the sun.  We can now concentrate on giving a push for promotion a bloody good go.  And how we get on over the next few months, should decide how we go forward with the management team.  If the 2nd half of our season drops off as usual, and we end up floundering around mid-table then the clamour for a change at the top will probably force SL's hand.  I am not currently in the LJ out or LJ in camp.  Probably like most, I Iike him when we are going well, and I want him gone when he goes on his typical losing streaks.  Unlike many, I do not really care how we win enough points to get where we want, results are everything.

So, we can now "concentrate on the league" and "go again!"  Just maybe (without the baggage of the club and most fans focussed on a glamour cup tie), we might get 3 points against Barnsley on Saturday, and our current form would then be 9 points out of a possible 12, which isn't bad. If we don't beat them we might be looking at a few tough months! Quite looking forward to this one actually!

 

 

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