Play-Offs Thread

[masi51]

None of us understands this either, trust me.

One of two major mistakes we’ve made this season - #1 pissing off Bloomfield and forcing him out and #2, not so much even just Morley, but we broke our record transfer fee not once but twice on a couple of Danes who between them have featured for a total of maybe 60-90 minutes.

Absolute insanity.

To think both Morley and Celeb Taylor could not a game and we also sent Conway out to Crewe who won three player of the season awards and then went on to concede 70 odd goals
Thankfully both Morley and Conway will be back next season.


Humpheries was excellent for you last season.....Any chance you can get him back for next season?

 

[thewwfc]

To think both Morley and Celeb Taylor could not a game and we also sent Conway out to Crewe who won three player of the season awards and then went on to concede 70 odd goals
Thankfully both Morley and Conway will be back next season.


Humpheries was excellent for you last season.....Any chance you can get him back for next season?

Well we haven't been helped by Ipswich coming straight back down to the Championship.

I think Humphries is possibly more a "good L1 level" than he is "gunning for promotion in the Championship" level player.

That said, Ipswich have put out a piece on how well he's done on loan for us, and I feel they wouldn't have done that (i.e. raising his profile on their site) if they were just going to bin him off at the end of the season and let him sign for us.

 

[The Terminator]

Today will take a huge effort from our squad, we've had a few injuries in the last month despite winning 6 games which has meant we've had to change shape to a 3-4-1-2. On Saturday a better side in Stockport managed to find the holes in that, if we're lucky we can get Jack Currie to start so we can go back to 4-3-3, Wellens has always lied and played games when it comes to injuries though.

Subs will be important if it goes to extra time and penalties, I'm hoping our encounter earlier in the season with Derby which went all the way to pens puts us in good experience for this.

Not much more to say, will be a loud Edgeley Park and the 1k or so of ourselves in the corner will likely have to give as much as the players.

Not the end of the world if we do lose though, its a minor miracle we got 6th to begin with given everything the squad has had to go through this season and the start we had.

 

[thewwfc]

Charlton-Orient final then. Commiserations Stockport.

 

[CTFC - Devils]

Great play off tie. Commiserations to Stockport. Both teams deserved it across the 2 legs but the 2 sitters at the end of normal time and extra time for Stockport will make it harder to swallow.

 

[Throbber_for_Dunk]

Oof. That's gotta sting for Stockport, even if the bigger picture is still positive.

Imagine there was more excitement in the last ten minutes of that than there'll be in 90 tomorrow!

 

[masi51]

Stockport will rue to regret last night, by far the best team we faced last season including Birmingham

 

[The Terminator]

We’ve done what we usually do and (somehow) reach the final.

Olafe had the game at his mercy on 90mins as Omar Beckles really struggled by the end, we ran out of steam and slumped over the line, having said that, Wellens has us well drilled for pens, we beat Derby on pens earlier in the season to face Man City and I was more nervous for that.

We’ll probably lose the final as we usually do, lost our last 4 finals.

Penalties, as fair as they are will always be a cruel way to end these games. Stocks only lost 3 times since Jan and did t even lose in normal play last night and miss out.

 

[AdamStag]

Well with stockport here that’s another 4/6 points mansfield get next season!

 

[Trapdoor]

Will there be vultures circling the stockport players now? Can imagine a few Championship and L1 clubs will be making good offers.

 

[Davidimp]

Stockport pay very good wages for league one, we were in talks with Moxon , but Stockport offered far more than we could.
But I agree some could well join championship sides

 

[Davidimp]

If Leyton Orient do go up I think they owe the officials from the first leg a drink or two

 

[denzel ecfc]

Sadly means the league will remain more Northern. Still, Charlton are a shoe in to go up aren't they?

 

[Davidimp]

They're my pick to go up

 

[kieran_vale]

I get it’s the playoffs and there’s tension etc but do either of these two sides fancy doing something at some point or are we just skipping ahead to pens?

 

[thewwfc]

Yep, shocking game so far, even worse than the first leg.

Charlton’s attacking play has been better when they get it in the final third though.

 

[Kauto Star]

I get it’s the playoffs and there’s tension etc but do either of these two sides fancy doing something at some point or are we just skipping ahead to pens?

Wycombe remind me of Wimbledon. They look very difficult to break down with some very good defenders.

In truth not particularly impressed with Charlton though.

I'm beginning to think we've nothing to be afraid of next season mate.

 

[kieran_vale]

Wycombe remind me of Wimbledon. They look very difficult to break down with some very good defenders.

In truth not particularly impressed with Charlton though.

I'm beginning to think we've nothing to be afraid of next season mate.

Aye definitely see the similarity with Wimbledon. One of those for any managers or coaches watching they’ll be loving the defensive discipline from Wycombe. Unfortunately speaking as a neutral who just wants a bit of goalmouth action they’ve largely cancelled each other out.

 

[Richard Cranium]

Jones really is a c***

 

[thewwfc]

Fine margins overall, Charlton took their chance, we didn’t, end of story.

Roll on next season.

 

[kieran_vale]

Congrats to Charlton and hard luck to Wycombe. Very tight contest but once the goal went in never seemed like an equaliser was likely.

Jones certainly wears his heart on his sleeve. Think some believe it’s performative but I think it’s just him. Know it’s been tolerated at some clubs more than it has others in his career mind.

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

Congrats to Charlton and hard luck to Wycombe. Very tight contest but once the goal went in never seemed like an equaliser was likely.

Jones certainly wears his heart on his sleeve. Think some believe it’s performative but I think it’s just him. Know it’s been tolerated at some clubs more than it has others in his career mind.

I think it’s undoubtedly who he is as a person and not performative. You have to realise it’s about HIM and his success though, not some deep seated passion for the club or whatever. We understood that the second time through with him and took it with a pinch of salt. Still if he is yours you love it.

Quite surprised Charlton gave such a well disciplined performance over the tie as it’s something his sides have always struggled with in big games - not letting his emotion get into the players and the performance and over hype them for it, it happened quite a few times for us as so much of what he is good at is getting his unique personality type into the playing style and the group of players to buy into it.

 

[thewwfc]

I will be backing Charlton to win in the final, if only because:

1) Orient’s my local team, it’s great to have a ground I can get to in under 30 mins

2) can’t fking stand Nathan Jones, he clearly hasn’t done anything to me personally but he’s one of those types like a Martin Allen where you probably love them if they’re in charge of your own club, but they just come across like a massive knob to anyone else. So it would be a treat to get rid.

Big, big summer for Mike Dodds - he’s made us horrible to watch and stopped us scoring.

He deserves a transfer window and until Christmas to prove he can manage - if not, he can do one, as we’ve played some awful crap under his watchful eye, and he’s taken us from ok autos contender to playoff choker - not a good look.

 

[denzel ecfc]

I didn't realise that Charlton had won the playoffs last night, thought they had another game to play.

 

[Master D]

I will be backing Charlton to win in the final, if only because:

1) Orient’s my local team, it’s great to have a ground I can get to in under 30 mins

2) can’t fking stand Nathan Jones, he clearly hasn’t done anything to me personally but he’s one of those types like a Martin Allen where you probably love them if they’re in charge of your own club, but they just come across like a massive knob to anyone else. So it would be a treat to get rid.

Big, big summer for Mike Dodds - he’s made us horrible to watch and stopped us scoring.

He deserves a transfer window and until Christmas to prove he can manage - if not, he can do one, as we’ve played some awful crap under his watchful eye, and he’s taken us from ok autos contender to playoff choker - not a good look.

Should have took the Kone money in January. After the second half of the season his value has gone from £7m to about 70k.

 

[thewwfc]

Should have took the Kone money in January. After the second half of the season his value has gone from £7m to about 70k.

Yeah, that’s on Dodds really, we’ve been playing him as a target man and expecting him to win aerial duels against monster centre backs - when that’s not really him.

In the first half of the season, our wingers were pushing forwards a lot more and he had other players to play off, and we could ping the ball around between the front 3 if the wingers cut in more centrally.

They don’t do that at all now, and Kone is just left as a permanently isolated figure up front.

He’ll do very well (again) for a manager who’ll play him in the right way.

 

[The Terminator]

I’ve watched us lose our last 4 finals, my attitude is very much wake up, probably shit 4 times before leaving the house, eat breakfast, board the tube get there and just think here we go again.

Whatever happens we will have a new team next season anyway.

 

[Stocky]

Good luck to Orient in the final, I think they can do it but Charlton look very solid.

We've had a great campaign, I thought we probably should have edged Orient over the two legs based on chances etc but you have to go out and do it.

I do think the Championship may have been a step too far for us at this stage, more off the pitch than on it. A couple of ours may get big sales to the Championship (Pye the biggest candidate, Bate possibly too) but can't see us getting gutted and by the sounds of things, we fully intend to be stronger next season (by that I mean we don't envisage a "transition" year)

We ran with a top 10 budget this season, I think with Birmingham and Wrexham gone, maybe Charlton, we could certainly look to break into the top 8 budget wise. A couple of sales would boost things too.

 

[Stocky]

I’ve watched us lose our last 4 finals, my attitude is very much wake up, probably shit 4 times before leaving the house, eat breakfast, board the tube get there and just think here we go again.

Whatever happens we will have a new team next season anyway.

At least it's a quick tube journey for you.

We have a similar Wembley record (barring one L2 PO win in 2008) but the difference is we'd have to have paid 100 odd quid for a train, 150 hotel etc. Add the ticket and all that comes with the weekend, it'd have been a costly weekend to have the exact same feeling you're going to have by the sounds of things.

I think Charlton are going to shithouse their way to it but I really wish Orient the best, a really sound set of fans. Not saying Charlton's aren't.

Jones is a pudding though isn't he?

 

[folletto]

Wycombe remind me of Wimbledon. They look very difficult to break down with some very good defenders.

In truth not particularly impressed with Charlton though.

I'm beginning to think we've nothing to be afraid of next season mate.

We panic a bit in big games and when temas sit back, we really struggle to break them down. We are defensively well organised and quite difficult to score against though. It wasn't a particularly strong league this season but that was helped by some really poor seasons from usually solid teams. Expect Bolton, Huddersfield, Wigan, Peterborough, Barnsley etc all to be better