Are the play offs the worst thing that can happen for next season?

[bluesfansince1952]

Making the play offs not a good thing? Are you kidding me?
Making the play offs (should we seal the deal next Monday) is second best thing that could happen to us this season. The best would have been securing automatic promotion.
Going back to the Football League has to be a priority and as everyone knows this is not an easy league to escape from. As long we have a chance for promotion we have to give it all we have to give. Even if we were to lose at Wembley we would still be light years better off than we were just twelve months ago and I doubt if the (welcome!) extension of the season would have any adverse effects on our preparations for the 25/26 season.
You have to be in it to win it and long as we are in the the play offs (or in the first seven) the dream lives.
Perhaps I have skin in the game; early on in the season (when the gloom merchants were out in force) I predicted we would finish the second half of the season better than we started it and probably would sneak a play off place.
I would guess if you were to ask the managers and players of the other clubs involved most would prefer to face Gateshead in post season play but then I (and most on here) would say that. Promotion via the play offs for us will be difficult but by no means impossible.
Fingers crossed for the right result on the 5th and then the EFL beckons. UTB!

 

[Holy Joe]

Making the play offs not a good thing? Are you kidding me?
Making the play offs (should we seal the deal next Monday) is second best thing that could happen to us this season. The best would have been securing automatic promotion.
Going back to the Football League has to be a priority and as everyone knows this is not an easy league to escape from. As long we have a chance for promotion we have to give it all we have to give. Even if we were to lose at Wembley we would still be light years better off than we were just twelve months ago and I doubt if the (welcome!) extension of the season would have any adverse effects on our preparations for the 25/26 season.
You have to be in it to win it and long as we are in the the play offs (or in the first seven) the dream lives.
Perhaps I have skin in the game; early on in the season (when the gloom merchants were out in force) I predicted we would finish the second half of the season better than we started it and probably would sneak a play off place.
I would guess if you were to ask the managers and players of the other clubs involved most would prefer to face Gateshead in post season play but then I (and most on here) would say that. Promotion via the play offs for us will be difficult but by no means impossible.
Fingers crossed for the right result on the 5th and then the EFL beckons. UTB!

I agree that we absolutely have to go for it and wasnt suggesting that we don't. but the question was impact for next season preparations - interesting you think no impact,

 

[Thundersley Blue]

I agree that we absolutely have to go for it and wasnt suggesting that we don't. but the question was impact for next season preparations - interesting you think no impact,

I almost agree with both. However, not knowing which League we will be playing in possibly until 1st June, just may have an impact on recruitment. Is the player to help us back to the EFL, the same as the player needed to establish us in the EFL. Coming through the play offs is going to be far from easy but not impossible.

 

[Avl1983]

I see the point you’re making but if a player is interested, asking them to wait a couple more weeks isn’t the end of the world. There’s a set date, it’s not the same as in previous seasons when we’ve had an embargo in place with no sign of when that may or may not be sorted. With this one, the players will be aware of the final, watch the game and see what happens.

As our plan is to target players from down the pyramid I just hope we beat York in the playoffs, go up and poach Ollie Pearce!

 

[Supershrimper]

We should be aiming for players who are aiming to get us promoted from the national league and are therefore good enough for League 2. We shouldn't be filling our squad with players only good enough for the national league as then wholesale changes would be required come a promotion.

EFL mostly expire 30th June. We'll know what league we are in at the beginning of June. Granted it leaves us behind with regards to National League players whos contracts mostly finish in May(??) but its only a day. I'd say if we are in contact with players they will look to wait until the 1st June before making the decision.

 

[TheSouthendUnitedRunner]

Being in the playoffs, if we make it, 100% has an effect on recruitment and plans for next season.

We have identified the positions we need to strengthen, we have begun to speak to some players/agents etc, but we now have two pools of players we are going for. Pool A is if we make it to the EFL and Pool B, if we don’t make it.

Yes, there are some names that appear on both lists. Only name I’ll give is Golding. We are confident that he can make the step up if we got promoted, and we have a better chance of him being here next season if we are in League Two than the National League, but it’s not impossible that he is here in the National League if we don’t get promotion.

There will be some we have a tiny percentage of securing as a National League Club, and at the other end of the scale, there will be some rough diamonds that we aren’t 100% sure would make the jump up an extra level.

Budgets will be different depending on which division we are in. Our own retaining of players could be different in the National League to League Two. When we won promotion at the Millennium Stadium from League Two to League One under Tilson, Michael Kighlty was going to be given an extra year if we didn’t go up, but we did and didn’t feel he could make the step up. I had a mate, think it was called scholars back then, who was a third year and a decision had to be made about offering a pro deal or releasing. Jupp’s goal secured his fate.

Ultimately, being in the playoffs and missing out in the final is the worst, as your rivals will be stealing a march on you. But, winning the play offs, especially at Wembley is a better feeling than winning the league in my opinion. I’d always rather be in the playoffs, than miss out, but if you think it doesn’t impact things, you are wrong.

It’s not exactly something people can use to defend Maher next season if we don’t begin well, but it does impact things.

Let’s just hope, come Monday evening, we do have this little problem to worry about and we are looking forward to another game…

 

[Rattus Norvegicus]

I did joke a few weeks ago that the potential to be in the play-offs would greatly affect the club's finances given that a 2nd whiteboard would need to be purchased .............