League 2 Promotion Thread 14/15

[Shrimpurh]

Have to say I think Shrewsbury and Burton look very good for spots 1 & 2 and I expect those 2 to stay there. The last spot is up for grabs and we have Wycombe and Luton to play at home but I think Luton will get the last spot.
Play-Offs: Us, Wycombe, Plymouth the other spot I don't know but I don't think it will be Newport.

 

[T.A]

We have Plymouth, Luton, Shrewsbury, Southend and Newport all still to play so I would say our destiny is firmly in our hands at the moment. We're very inconsistent - you never know which team is going to turn up. P/O should be the very minimum with the squad we have.

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

I don't think we are quite good enough myself but then again I don't think I've seen anyone who is so we might get it by default I guess.

Whoever goes up this year will need massive work to stay up in League one in my opinion.

Both league one teams I've seen this season where far and away better than anythig I have seen in league 2 this year and one of those was Crawley who aren't exactly going great guns. Seems a very sizeable gap between the 2 leagues.

If we went up I think the squad would need a very sizeable overhaul.

 

[Judge Dredd]

I don't think we are quite good enough myself but then again I don't think I've seen anyone who is so we might get it by default I guess.

Whoever goes up this year will need massive work to stay up in League one in my opinion.

Both league one teams I've seen this season where far and away better than anythig I have seen in league 2 this year and one of those was Crawley who aren't exactly going great guns. Seems a very sizeable gap between the 2 leagues.

If we went up I think the squad would need a very sizeable overhaul.

Agreed with all of that. Bar Shrewsbury maybe there are no stand-out teams in the league. Then again, there weren't really any last year either and the ones who went up have done/are doing very well by and large.

 

[vanner]

Someone on our forum made a list of games remaining. It's an interesting read:

"Interesting look is positions of the teams we have left to play vs Burton and Wycombe – I split the league into 4 groups of 6 teams.

Shrewsbury

15 games left
1 vs Top 6
5 vs 6 to12
5 vs 13 to 18
4 vs 19 to 24

Interestingly 10 of our last 15 games are vs teams we already beat, and only 2 vs team we lost to (Plymouth and Exeter and they are at home)

Burton

15 games left
4 vs Top 6
4 vs 6 to12
4 vs 13 to 18
3 vs 19 to 24

10 of their games are vs clubs positioned 14th to 3rd in the table. Easter is the crunch time for Burton with Plymouth (a), Wycombe (h), Luton (a) in 9 days.

Wycombe
15 games left
4 vs Top 6
4 vs 6 to12
4 vs 13 to 18
3 vs 19 to 24

Interestingly of the 4 games vs top 6 only the one vs us is at home for Wycombe. They still have to go to Southend, Burton and Luton.

All three of us have 8 away games left, 7 at home.

You could throw southend in the mix. Like Burton and Wycombe they have 4 gams vs the top 6, but they are mainly at home, so there Chances rely on winning most of them. They have to play Burton, Wycombe, Newport and Luton, so could actually be the king makers come then end.

Read more: http://blueandamber.proboards.com/thread/89763/statistics#ixzz3S6JMKEPt"

I think looking at that we'll have to play seriously badly not to go up. I Think wycombe will drop away and Southend and Luton will battle for 3rd. The title should go to the end too. I think we'll win it but burton are impressing me more and more as the season goes on.

 

[Shrimpurh]

Not enough home wins for us is going to cost us.

If it is between us and Luton the second from last fixture against the Hatters will be a huge one at Roots Hall hopefully full house in the sunshine, can't wait for it.

 

[Judge Dredd]

Shrewsbury are certainly the best team I've seen this season, and I didn't even go to the defeat there last week. We've beaten Burton, Luton, Southend, Newport and Wycombe (in the Cup) - none of them have particularly impressed. I expect Luton to have dramatically improved this weekend though (but then we have too, even with the loss of Tubbs)

We are basically a different team entirely to the one that played you on the second game of the season... or at least we were. Unfortunately, one of the key players to our upturn in form (Nathan Doyle, a defensive midfielder) is now out injured for the foreseeable, and our two first choice centre backs are both out suspended on Saturday. With the three key defensive absences, the team that lines up on Saturday is actually in all likelihood as weak or weaker than when we first played you... so I'd take a point if offered right now to be honest.

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

Yeah Lacey and Franks up against Akinfenwa. Can't see us getting anything better than a point in that I'm afraid, one of the reasons why I thought it was important to win against Mansfield.

 

[THE TERRACEMAN]

I had a good look at the last 15 games and I think you have to favour Shrewsbury for the title, I fancy ourselves to be runners up and Luton, Southend and Wycombe to fight it out over the final automatic promotion place.
I definitely don't think Albion will implode and in fact I would say we are getting stronger. Macdonald being sold to Oxford has had no effect( he is a good player but definitely was not our best as Oxford fans seem to think), we play as a team and we have plenty of other options, perhaps cruelly the loss of Blyth and signing of Curier will make us more of a threat in the final third.)

 

[djs]

Theoretically we are strong enough to get third place. BUT, we won't get it unless;
a) the manager picks his stongest available side for every game, instead of trying to be clever with tactical selection and being too concerned about what the opposition are going to do, or what the pitch may be like, and
b) he lets the players play, instead of giving them instructions to hoof the ball and hope for knock-downs - which is just ugly, against everything that Luton have ever stood for, and anyway just isn't working.
I really cannot believe for a second that, one or two players apart, the players are happy hoofing the ball - most of them are much better players than our current tactics are making them look.

 

[dannylad01]

As a Shrewsbury fan I'd be disappointed not to be in the top 3 at the end of the season given our run in.

I thought Burton were good against us both home and away, and with their record under Hasselbaink fancy them to go up. Easter will be make or break for them.

Can't really see much further than Wycombe, Luton or Southend for the other place. It's difficult to judge on seeing a team once or twice a season, but Southend were probably the best team I've seen in the league this year, so I'd go for them. A long way to go of course!

 

[Arbury]

Shrewsbury and burton to go straight up then it all gets a bit tight for me, I'd swaying towards Southend but I know there just a turn away from losing a game they really shouldn't, Luton are like being being German(Volkswagen rather than a merc) just get the job done without looking flash, with Wycombe fairly similar, after that we're all just as shit as each other and with a bit of consistency you'll soon find yourself in the playoffs, that's my take on it anyway.


KTF

 

[Shrimpurh]

Noticed how the top 5 all play at home/away at the same time at the moment, think that continues till we play Wycombe at home. Makes away wins really vital as you would expect 2/5 not to get maximum points. A win at Stevenage would really get us back on track after last weeks missed chance to go in the top 3. This week is possibly another chance with Wycombe really out of form and Luton missing centre halves against Akinfenwa. Big chance for us

 

[joethegill]

From the outside, I'd ve very surprised if Shrewsbury and Burton didn't make it up. In addition to them, Any two of Wycombe, Southend and Luton are welcome to join in, just to give us some local games next season!! We currently have 3 games within 100 miles, and it's very possible we may lose all three back to League Two this summer - Crawley, Orient and Colchester.

 

[mowgli]

I said before christmas when we were top that we wouldn't finish in the top 3 and play-offs at best. Having a small squad due to finances and selling Paris Cowan-Hall and Josh Scowen also with Gary Doherty retiring through injury have hurt us.We don't scoreernough goals to challenge for promotion.

 

[Kenneth E End]

Playing pretty poorly and decimated by injuries and suspensions. Yet still only 1 point off 3rd place. Happy days.

 

[3Loggerheads]

Well we have 3 very good first team players out with long term knee injuries
Knight-Percival CB (inj v Southend)
Weslowski CM (inj v Wycombe)
Mangan CF (inj v Stevenage)
Hopefully we have enough quality in the squad to see us to the finishing line!

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

Well we have had a pretty poor week as far as automatic promotion goes, losing 2 games and our top scorer apparently wanting out.

Haven't had a huge amount of luck in the past few games but, and I feel like a broken record here, we should start getting players back from injury and suspension now. Only real positive today for me was Guttridge returning and sounding highly influential once again.

 

[thewwfc]

I think we've still got a chance provided Paul Hayes doesn't get injured again. That said I totally agree with the poster who said the L2 promoted teams are really going to struggle in L1 unless they strengthen big time.

And we allegedly have a bottom 6 budget even for this division, let alone L1. So I very much doubt we could afford to get in the quality that would keep us in a higher league.

I know that L1 clubs get a little more Prem hand-me-down cash and you can budget a little more as there are a few more travelling fans in L1, but it isn't exactly the land of milk and honey.

 

[joethegill]

I was quite surprised with how difficult we found it following promotion to League One. What worked well in League Two (solid foundation, organisation) was nowhere near enough to compete a tier up. You need pace, and plenty of it, and three or four players you can count on for a goal (near enough 10+ a season), as defences are that much better at dealing with a single threat. Looking at those potentially coming up, I wonder if they have enough goalscorers between them?

 

[Chippy]

We don't have any!!

 

[vanner]

Think we'll need some wingers if we go up. We currently only have 1 in the squad and he's not played since the first few weeks of the season. Strikers we've got plenty but none are out an out goal scorers although I wouldn't be worried going into League 1 with a forward line of Collins, Mangan, Akpro, Barnett and Vernon

 

[Kenneth E End]

Gap closed, with all the top 3 dropping points, it brings everyone else back into it.

2 points behind 3rd place with 13 games to go. Never going to be a better opportunity for us. And with an embarrassment of riches on the treatment table, I'm sure we're going to be strong to finish the season.

 

[T.A]

Big game on Tuesday. Bury v Luton.

 

[Chippy]

We simply can't afford to lose Tuesday. Would take a point right now. McNulty is back for us which is a major boost as Franks/Lacey just not good enough.

 

[Kenneth E End]

27 points from 13 games required looking at the Real League Table thread. Very gettable, but time to going for broke rather than settling for draws.

 

[WH_Stag]

Shrews should win it, then release Liam Lawrence and let him come home to the stags! haha

We would of signed him if it wasn't for Paul Cox

 

[LordJord]

Huge win today away breaking Shrewsbury undefeated home record. Playoffs still on for us.

 

[Sire Speirite VIII]

Going to be interesting to see how this turns out. Obvs shrewsbury been f@cked by injuries worse than anyone which has stopped them leading by miles (do'nt liseen to the usual luton bleatings they have it worse than anyone, when they only have the second west injury list)

Burton; shrewsbury; southend for me with Burton titling due to Shrewsbury's horrir injury list

 

[THE TERRACEMAN]

Wouldn't mind a bit of titling !