Promotion

[Its Only A Game]

I know everyones a bit down today after last nights defeat but there is no real reason to panic.

After 27 games last season Torquay were sitting in 8th Place, 10 points off the automatic promotion spots and two of the teams above them had games in hand and they still went on to finish 3rd.

We are 4th, 4 points of the automatics (even with the extra game in hand being won, only 7 off) and also Sc**thorpe have started going backwards.

A win on saturday will be good but it's by no means the end of the world if we drop points.

Relax.  

 

[Matt the Shrimp]

Oh, so I'm the only one thinking that our promotion this season is still a long-ish shot, then...

Matt

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

Quote[/b] (Matt the Shrimp @ Jan. 13 2005,12:48)]Oh, so I'm the only one thinking that our promotion this season is still a long-ish shot, then...

 

Matt

Absolutely. As Geri said, 'all you need is positivity'...

 

[Matt the Shrimp]

Quote[/b] (Spaceman Spiff @ Jan. 13 2005,13:11)]As Geri said, 'all you need is positivity'...

Only a true plank amongst planks would listen to a daft ginger bint like Halliwell...  To think I allow you in my car, FFS!

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

Quote[/b] (Matt the Shrimp @ Jan. 13 2005,13:34)]

Quote[/b] (Spaceman Spiff @ Jan. 13 2005,13:11)]As Geri said, 'all you need is positivity'...

Only a true plank amongst planks would listen to a daft ginger bint like Haliwell...  To think I allow you in my car, FFS!

And home, no less

 

[Shrimper in India]

Torquay should never have gone up on the final day against us last May.
We had a perfectly good equaliser by Lawrie D ruled out, which would have kept them down.
Not that I'm bitter...

 

[Proud Shrimper]

Quote[/b] (Matt the Shrimp @ Jan. 13 2005,12:48)]Oh, so I'm the only one thinking that our promotion this season is still a long-ish shot, then...

 

Matt

No you're not the only one mate but I'll be staggered if we don't finish top 7, its just a case of whether we can make the automatics. After last night I'd say its 30% top 3, 70% play-offs. Yes Sc**thorpe are dropping points at the moment but its Northampton I'm more worried about (particularly after their signing of Benjamin). I really can't see Yeovil or Swansea not gaining automatic promotion so theres only one place to play for - if we finish above Northampton I think we'll nab that final spot.

If we do have to settle for the play-offs so be it, I just hope Northampton are up by then if we do as they're the only side I would genuinely fear.

One more thing - yes we have a very tough run of games coming up with Darlo, Swansea, Scunny and Northampton but more importantly if we play well and pick up points we'll be taking them off our promotion rivals so it could be a good thing if you think about it. If we're still at least top 5 after these 4 games we have a chance of the automatics.

 

[sufcintheprem]

Very true with Benjamin.

Sure, he was pretty damn crap in the Prem but my mate who's a seaso at Leicester seems to really rate him and reckon he'll tear a new ...erm, you know... in most third division teams' defences.

 

[Guest]

I say Panic.

Who needs the stress of the playoffs when automatic promotion is there for the taking.

3 points this Saturday is a must.

 

[sufcintheprem]

If Tiger Woods has taught me one thing, it's don't panic when the odds are against you under pressure from the opposition.

After that, Justin Timberlake's alter ego didn't stand a chance.

 

[footymad13]

We look shakey, and we need to be going to places like Boston and winning games or at least getting a point. The real test is the Notts County game if we lose that then i cant see us getting an automatic.

 

[Richard Hearn]

Quote[/b] (footymad13 @ Jan. 13 2005,16:45)]We look shakey, and we need to be going to places like Boston and winning games or at least getting a point. The real test is the Notts County game if we lose that then i cant see us getting an automatic.

If we don't get an automatic place then I don't see us getting promoted this year. I have followed this team for forty years and they have always managed to blow crunch games. Even in the 90/91 promotion year we let Cambridge pip us to the title by losing and drawing games we should have won easily.
I predict we will blow thw play-offs, so let's finish top three.

 

[BoyWonder2]

C'mon fellas its not all doom and gloom. Yes we lost to a sh*te team, a team that we should be beating but its done and dusted and we still have 19 games left so there are plenty of points to play for. I think Northampton will win the league this year and Yeovil second. Sc**thorpe are a team to fear, although we have got them at home and our home form is good. Last season we beat this lot 4-2 at home so I'm expecting a home win against them. I'm expecting us to lose to Northampton although we have beaten them home and away so far so it is another winnable game.

Swansea, we beat with ease at home and last season we beat them away twice, once with 8 men so, again, a winnable game. The only teams that I have rated this season that I've seen are Northampton and Yeovil and, like I say, they will take the top two spots. So I feel third is up for grabs and its likely to be between us, Sc**thorpe and Swansea. Should be an intriging battle and for what its worth if we are forced to go up through the play offs I think we will fail at the last hurdle (Surely the worst game to lose in football) and whoever finishes 7th will probably go up after stringing their only decent run of the season in the last 5-7 games. It always happens.

 

[footymad13]

Quote[/b] (seenyeva kryevyetka @ Jan. 13 2005,15:55)]they have always managed to blow crunch games.

Exactly. Unfortunatly that is the truth and its whats worried me all season.

 

[Matt the Shrimp]

Quote[/b] (BoyWonder2 @ Jan. 13 2005,17:25)]whoever finishes 7th will probably go up after stringing their only decent run of the season in the last 5-7 games. It always happens.

No it doesn't.

============================
Year       Playoff winners     Final pos
============================

2003-4   Huddersfield          4th
2002-3   Bournemouth         4th
2001-2   Cheltenham           4th
2000-1   Blackpool              7th
1999-0   Peterborough         5th
1998-9   Scun.thorpe           4th
1997-8   Scum                    4th
1996-7   Northampton          4th
1995-6   Plymouth               4th
1994-5   Chesterfield            3rd(*)
1993-4   Wycombe               4th
1992-3   York                      4th
1991-2   Blackpool                4th
1990-1   Torquay                 7th(**)
1989-0   Cambridge              6th

(*Only two teams promoted automatically, so 3rd was "top of the playoffs")
(**Four teams promoted automatically, so 8th was "bottom of the playoffs")

So, in answer to your stat:

*The team sneaking into the playoffs in last place has been promoted only once in the last 15 seasons, or 6.6% of the time - namely Blackpool in 2000-01.

*The team just missing out on autopromtion by finishing 4th (3rd) in the league has been promoted 11 out of the last 15 seasons, or 73.3% of the time.

In other words, almost three-quarters of the teams just missing out on auto-promotion in the last 15 years have won the play-offs and been promoted.  I'd take those odds...

Matt

 

[Shrimper2thecore]

We are forgetting that Boston's pitch is terrible, and there is certainly a reason why they have not lost at home in 11 months, sinse Beno & Jenks done em in.

Shame not to get a point last night, but do not panic lads, i do agree with the comment that saturday is a must win, but that is the case anyway (sh*te team at home). The big four games are comming up, we all know that, win them all we go up in 2nd, lose them all we dont finish in the playoffs, couple of wins a draw and a loss, we consolidate a place in the top 5.

Final League:

1st - Yeovil
2nd - Northampton
3rd - Swansea

(the same 3 i said at the start of the season)

Playoff final SUFC Vs Sc**thorpe

 

[BoyWonder2]

I wasn't just talking about in this division though Matt.

 

[Matt the Shrimp]

Quote[/b] (BoyWonder2 @ Jan. 13 2005,18:35)]I wasn't just talking about in this division though Matt.

Oh sod that. Can't be arsed to work that out. So far as I'm concerned, only the play-off stats for this division are relevant to our current campaign.

So ner.

 

[BoyWonder2]

Okay, you win that. Thats a fair point. Although, normally the 7th place team is usually a side that hasn't really done anything all season, just trundled along until the last 5-7 games were they win them all apart from a tough away point somewhere and they make the play offs. Thats what annoys me about the play offs though, its hardly ever the best 7 teams over the course of the season that finishes in them but I'm all for them, especially if thats the way we go up

 

[sufcintheprem]

Quote[/b] (BoyWonder2 @ Jan. 13 2005,18:43)]Okay, you win that. Thats a fair point. Although, normally the 7th place team is usually a side that hasn't really done anything all season, just trundled along until the last 5-7 games were they win them all apart from a tough away point somewhere and they make the play offs. Thats what annoys me about the play offs though, its hardly ever the best 7 teams over the course of the season that finishes in them but I'm all for them, especially if thats the way we go up

If we didn't have the playoffs, some teams, usually involving us, would have nothing to play for from about March time.

If that happened, I could see attendances dwindling at a lot of clubs.