12 Cup Finals / The Playoff Push

[ExiledAjax]

Currently we are running at 1.64 points per game over the entire season.  If we stick to that over the next 13 games we will add 22 points (rounded up from 21.32 as you can't have a fraction of a point). That gives us a final total of 76.

I think that's possible.  6 wins, 4 draws, 3 losses. 

I doubt the team in 7th will be on 72 though so I'd say it's fairly likely the game v Sheff Utd will have a play-off place riding on it.  On current form it could well be a straight shoot-out for 6th place.

Would Sky pick it? Can they pick it?

[ZiderEyed]

4 minutes ago, BRISTOL86 said:

Shows what it did to me in that I'd totally wiped it from my memory until now!

[BRISTOL86]

8 minutes ago, ExiledAjax said:

Currently we are running at 1.64 points per game over the entire season.  If we stick to that over the next 13 games we will add 22 points (rounded up from 21.32 as you can't have a fraction of a point). That gives us a final total of 76.

I think that's possible.  6 wins, 4 draws, 3 losses. 

I doubt the team in 7th will be on 72 though so I'd say it's fairly likely the game v Sheff Utd will have a play-off place riding on it.  On current form it could well be a straight shoot-out for 6th place.

Would Sky pick it? Can they pick it?

Yea they can (expect they’ll show at least 2 games on final day) but whether they will will depend on other possible outcomes. 

2nd might not be decided and there will likely be relegations on the line too. 

[ExiledAjax]

8 minutes ago, BRISTOL86 said:

Yea they can (expect they’ll show at least 2 games on final day) but whether they will will depend on other possible outcomes. 

2nd might not be decided and there will likely be relegations on the line too. 

Agreed. Certainly if Sunderland are in a position where they need to get something at Wolves to survive then you could see that being selected.  Two big clubs, Champions elect, Sunderland could be relegated, potential cricket score, it has all the trappings of a TV game.

There's a few others that could involve both a team scrapping for 2nd or 6th and one fighting to survive.  Brum v Fulham, Brentford v Hull, Derby v Barnsley.  Quite a few for the TV people to pick from.

[Bar BS3]

Probably 8 wins needed for the play offs. 

Looking at the remaining fixtures, that looks possible. Not easy, but possible. 

To finish top 6, you need to be good. To be good, you need to hope that you can win home games Vs Shef Wed, Ipswich, Brum & Hull. Away wins at Burton, Barnsley, Millwall & Forest. 

That leaves games Vs Brentford, Sheff Utd, PNE & ‘Boro to make up points dropped in any of those other games or to add for any hope of finishing higher than top 5. 

I don’t think there is a single game there that we can’t hope to win. There will be unpredictable slip ups along the way and we’ll probably lose some we might expect to win and win a couple of the “harder” looking fixtures. 

Last season we were working out how many (unlikely) victories we needed to avoid relegation, so this is some progress, to be working out how to maintain our play off position. 

Last night, hopefully, allayed some concerns that we had taken our eye off the ball or had burned ourselves out. 

Yes, we’ve dropped some points since Christmas, which have probably put paid to any challenge for 2nd place, but in this fascinating division, things could all look very different with each passing week. 

One day we might have a boring season, with nothing really riding on the last 6-10 games of a season. I can’t remember very many of those during my 30 years of watching! 

COYR! 

[Bar BS3]

45 minutes ago, Wanderingred said:

Fulhams fixtures:

Wolves H

Derby A

Sheff Utd H

Preston A

QPR H

Norwich A

Leeds H

Sheff Wed A

Brentford H

Millwall A

Sunderland H

Birmingham A

 

Sheff Utd's fixtures

Hull A

Reading A

Burton H

Fulham A

Ipswich A

Nottm Forest H

Brentford A

Cardiff H

Barnsley A

Middlesbro A

Millwall H

Birmingham A

Preston H

Bristol City A

 

Middlesbrough's fixtures:

Sunderland A

Leeds H

Birmingham A

Barnsley H

Brentford A

Wolves H

Burton A

Nottm Forest H

Sheff Utd A

Bristol City H

Derby A

Millwall H

Ipswich A

 

Preston's fixtures 

Ipswich H

Bolton A

Bristol City H

Fulham H

Sunderland A

Sheff Wed A

Derby H

Reading A

Leeds H

QPR A

Norwich H

Sheff Utd A

Burton H

 

Brentford's fixtures

Leeds A

Cardiff H

Burton A

Millwall A

Middlesbro H

Sheff Utd H

Bristol City A

Ipswich H

Nottm Forest A

Fulham A

QPR H

Barnsley A

Hull H

 

Fulham have the toughest run in imho (their next four... Ouch!) and Brentford probably have the most straightforward although obviously it rarely turns out that way. A good thing is that after Saturday we have no more games against the teams pushing for auto.

Apart from Sunday!

[Show Me The Money!]

50 minutes ago, Major Isewater said:

Am I the only one who thinks none of those games are going to be easy ? 

What price would you get on a scenario of both City and Sheffield United needing a win on the last day to bag a play off place ? 

 

That's why I'd hope the club isn't looking at the remaining fixtures like this. 

You can only take it a game at a time but also continue to improve as a team in general terms so that even if we don't make the play offs or even make the play offs and don't go up that next season we come back stronger

[BRISTOL86]

2 minutes ago, Show Me The Money! said:

That's why I'd hope the club isn't looking at the remaining fixtures like this. 

You can only take it a game at a time but also continue to improve as a team in general terms so that even if we don't make the play offs or even make the play offs and don't go up that next season we come back stronger

Absolutely. For the record I don’t think for a second any of those games are ‘easy’. What I do think is that we have a seriously good opportunity ahead of us and that we should be going into it with the mindset that we can deliver. 

[Matt Parsons]

1 hour ago, BRISTOL86 said:

@Matt Parsons BCFCSLO we are entering what is the biggest couple of months in a decade. 

Anything the club can do to get home and away games packed out could be the difference. 

Away travel is something I have been looking at since I got in. We haven't been helped recently with the timings of the last 3 away games, this Sunday and then the Tuesday night trip to Preston. With big away games still to come, especially against Boro (potential 6 pointer), I'm going to raise the question to see if there is anything to help get more fans on the road in the run in, and in turn help crank up the atmosphere.

[BRISTOL86]

16 minutes ago, Matt Parsons BCFCSLO said:

Away travel is something I have been looking at since I got in. We haven't been helped recently with the timings of the last 3 away games, this Sunday and then the Tuesday night trip to Preston. With big away games still to come, especially against Boro (potential 6 pointer), I'm going to raise the question to see if there is anything to help get more fans on the road in the run in, and in turn help crank up the atmosphere.

Great stuff. Thanks Matt.