Tonight was a must win, and we blew it. Now we need to win on Saturday against Accy, and probably a win against either Hull or Lincoln and I just don't see it happening.
We have made the mountain bigger, but we haven't fallen off of it yet. The margin for error is low though. 74 points, so 2 wins and a draw. What is frustrating is a win tonight and we would be looking at 1 win and two draws.
People seem to mistake making the playoffs for promotion. It’s not the same thing. Even if we manage to scrape into the playoffs it’s very unlikely that we will win them.
You can’t play dreadfully for six months of the season and basically decide you don’t need to bother with the points available for home wins and hope to get promoted, it doesn’t work like that.
I don't think they mistake it but to win the play offs you have to get in them. If you get in them with some form behind you and the run of the ball, you can win them. But you shouldn't even think about them until you get in them. Our objective at this time is 100% getting in them.
But hull will be up already and lincoln look beatable
Do they? - Since getting COVID their stats have been: L1 | D1 | W4 (Goals: 10 | Conceded: 4), the draw was their first game back and came from 2-0 down against Blackpool, whilst their defeat was againt Hull
They've kept clean sheets in all four wins
I know I talk about it being a game that could seal our Play-Off spot (should Saturday results go our way) but its going to be very tough. If we do beat Lincoln then we'll bloody well deserve our spot in the Play-Offs but it could equally knock the stuffing out of us ahead of Hull, like what we've seen tonight post Peterborough
The stupid thing is if Lincoln better Blackpools result on Saturday the are guaranteed 3rd or 4th.
They are playing Peterborough though. But if they win there is an outside chance they could catch Peterborough but would almost certainly hand Hull the title.
We can still, with 3 games to go, catch Sunderland who were about 18 points a head of us 6 weeks ago.
4 wins, 2 draws and we will be promoted (probably) who would have thought that at the end of February?
No......because we are not good enough. The attack has been strengthen with the introduction of Millar but we still don't shoot enough or clinical enough in front of goal. Midfield can be slow & ponderous.....with too much backwards & sideways passing.
I refer the right honourable gentleman the answer I gave some 4 months ago.
Nope nopety nope.
Ok.
"we're not good enough" - sure but on the defensive side of the ball "we still don't shoot enough or clinical enough in front of goal" - clearly not the real problem
Only Burton, Rochdale and Wigan have conceded more goals than us at home this season. It's shocking, we've conceded 18 goals away from home and 36 at the Valley. Make that number 18 home and away and we're probably in the top two.
We could have let in 5 last week & still won.
If we had scored 3 tonight we would have won.
All you need to do to win a game of football is to score more goals than your opponents. If you know you are weak at the back I kindly suggest you try to get up the other end & score. Having a shot or two might help. How many times did we trouble their keeper ? How many times did the Peterborough keeper have to make a save ?
I think Blackpool have all but confirmed their top five position now and it’s a case of 1 from 3.
It’s easy to look at the remaining fixtures for Pompey & for Oxford and think there’s six points for both in them but we have to hope both manage to drop points at the weekend and make our lives a bit easier.
Being the optimist I’ve always felt we would make the playoffs. But not after today’s result. I just think there’s too much for us to do now. I’ve said elsewhere that if we have any chance at all we must win the next two games.
People seem to mistake making the playoffs for promotion. It’s not the same thing. Even if we manage to scrape into the playoffs it’s very unlikely that we will win them.
You can’t play dreadfully for six months of the season and basically decide you don’t need to bother with the points available for home wins and hope to get promoted, it doesn’t work like that.
If we stumbled into the play-offs and played Blunderland, it would ensure one team in the final who are not fantastic. They have not won in their last 8 games. Portsmouth are shocking as well. I fancy Bleakpool to go up. They have been on a fantastic run in the past 20 games.
No......because we are not good enough. The attack has been strengthen with the introduction of Millar but we still don't shoot enough or clinical enough in front of goal. Midfield can be slow & ponderous.....with too much backwards & sideways passing.
I refer the right honourable gentleman the answer I gave some 4 months ago.
Nope nopety nope.
But it’s our defence which is the problem not our attack
No......because we are not good enough. The attack has been strengthen with the introduction of Millar but we still don't shoot enough or clinical enough in front of goal. Midfield can be slow & ponderous.....with too much backwards & sideways passing.
I refer the right honourable gentleman the answer I gave some 4 months ago.
Nope nopety nope.
But it’s our defence which is the problem not our attack
Then get the ball up the other end. After we scored our 2nd last night we had no desire to get a third. All the play was to get Chuks & the ball to the corner flag & to do a Tony Watt. It's been shown countless times that we let in last minute goals, so why not go for the 3rd to kill the game off.
Ah, I hear you all cry, that's madness. The ball goes to their keeper, he kicks it long & they score. Dont give them the ball & they cant score. But we did give them the ball by doing nothing & they still scored.
No......because we are not good enough. The attack has been strengthen with the introduction of Millar but we still don't shoot enough or clinical enough in front of goal. Midfield can be slow & ponderous.....with too much backwards & sideways passing.
I refer the right honourable gentleman the answer I gave some 4 months ago.
Nope nopety nope.
But it’s our defence which is the problem not our attack
How often do we turn attacking situations with possesion into defensive ones without?
At home. Constantly. Our midfield has nowhere to go,so consistently turns the ball back to the defence where it is turfed upfield on a bit of a wing and a prayer and invariably ends up back down our throats. We invite pressure on ourselves because our front line is incapable of keeping the heat on in the final third. They don't run the right channels and their ball retention is awful.
The number of passes from attacking positions back to Amos was not good to see, especially for the Home team.
Our best player this season (JFC) just decided to hoof the ball into touch in the last minute, when Aneke and Washington were free and clear against 2 defenders.
Personally, I cannot see us getting promoted this year. We are just too erratic. Can easily see the teams around us losing points, but I cannot see us winning out and then winning against top sides in the play-offs. Shame because the division seems terrible this year and could be stronger next.
Still, it is not the fault of the current owner or manager (or previous manager for that matter), and we are certainly building and making progress as a club.
It would be nice but it would need another major overhaul of the squad and as someone said previously could see us getting a few hammerings.
Maybe plan for next season, get the business done early, and see how it turns out. If we then get promoted then maybe only a few changes needed to the squad.
I view that out forwards are actually quite poor as are the midfield (and defence we complain about so often it's not even a moot point). We've scored our fair share, but to put it in context, we've been playing pretty poor teams so the fact we haven't won enough to be top six, means we haven't been able to control games. Our forwards do not keep the opponents under pressure, thus they keep coming back at us. Our midfield very rarely boss a game and even when the do, our defence is an accident waiting to happen. The performances and results are equally as inconsistent under Adkins as they were under Bowyer. With the same team that is not unexpected. A clear out is needed.
I fully expect us to finish lower than our current league position.
I thought the midfield was pretty poor last night , couldn't keep possession , pretty shocking stat on Charlton TV last night that Bristol Rovers have got more home wins than us, and they've been relegated!!
A week may be a long time in Politics; In football it a quantum leap backwards in Cafc case. Heroes to Zeros. From 6-0 and despite only playing one striker who can only score with his head: Stockley who has the fine return of 7 headed goals in 19( keeping up his record of 1 in 3 on his career) and we had 6 different scorers. Stockley needs a partner who plays off him. He doesn't have the close control on the deck to be a lone Striker. It worked against some teams but it was never going to work against Peterborough. I said it in preview when some on here were getting ahead of their selves and working out who best to play in playoffs
Other than the Seven matches when we kept clean sheets when we parked a couple of buses each game there is no correlation between games in terms of performance.
Accurate passing in the Plymouth and Posh games but we were toothless against Peterborough because they defended well where Plymouth were poor and we were clinical against the Devon side.
Only Hull and Peterborough are consistent: Washington getting injured after 3 MOM performances and Aneke having to be wrapped in cotton wool because of his sponsorship deal with Swarovski, will cost us dear.
I dread to think how we will line up if we need to beat a relaxed and promoted side in Hull City. I would rather die on our feet, than to live on our knees by scraping a draw and missing out.
Accrington is must win. Lincoln is more must win for Cafc than the cathedral city.
Anyone's guess what the Tigers game will be ?
Normally we roll over and have out tummy's tickled when entering the likes of Burnley, Bournemouth and Leeds etc on the last day when Trophies are being handed out.
that penalty at oxford has cost us a shot at playoffs - but in all honesty i cannot see these players having the bottle for playoffs - another clear out needed in summer although will be hard next season salary cap gone and some big boys coming down in sheff weds, ipswich will be strong as will sunderland if they dont go up
We blew our 'last chance saloon' last night. Not a cat in hell's chance of beating Lincoln or Hull if we can make Crewe look like Barcelona. I fancy we will lose at least 2 of the last 3 and only pick up 1 more point. Massive, missed opportunity this season. Tommy seems relaxed about it though and Nads thinks the players did well last night so clearly I don't know what I am talking about??!!
I would love to see us do it but I think the momentum has definitely shifted and looking at the players as they left the pitch last night they looked as if they knew that was our chance gone. Hope I'm wrong and we get there but it just doesn't feel like we will.
All three teams we have got to play Accrington, Lincoln and Hull have all beaten us this season and we haven’t scored a goal against any of them. Anything but a win on Saturday and it’s game over.
It’s a lot to ask for a team whose won 6 home matches this season to go and win the final two against two teams who will finish in the top three in the division. Personally, I think we blew it last night and Oxford will finish 6th, unless either Pompey and Oxford do not win their final two games of the season.
All three teams we have got to play Accrington, Lincoln and Hull have all beaten us this season and we haven’t scored a goal against any of them. Anything but a win on Saturday and it’s game over.
It’s a lot to ask for a team whose won 6 home matches this season to go and win the final two against two teams who will finish in the top three in the division. Personally, I think we blew it last night and Oxford will finish 6th, unless either Pompey and Oxford do not win their final two games of the season.
Sadly I agree with this, well put and more shocking stats.
Comments
They've kept clean sheets in all four wins
I know I talk about it being a game that could seal our Play-Off spot (should Saturday results go our way) but its going to be very tough. If we do beat Lincoln then we'll bloody well deserve our spot in the Play-Offs but it could equally knock the stuffing out of us ahead of Hull, like what we've seen tonight post Peterborough
They are playing Peterborough though. But if they win there is an outside chance they could catch Peterborough but would almost certainly hand Hull the title.
We can still, with 3 games to go, catch Sunderland who were about 18 points a head of us 6 weeks ago.
4 wins, 2 draws and we will be promoted (probably) who would have thought that at the end of February?
If we had scored 3 tonight we would have won.
All you need to do to win a game of football is to score more goals than your opponents. If you know you are weak at the back I kindly suggest you try to get up the other end & score. Having a shot or two might help. How many times did we trouble their keeper ? How many times did the Peterborough keeper have to make a save ?
Blackpool 80
Northampton (A)
Doncaster (H)
Bristol Rovers (H)
Portsmouth 75
Wimbledon (A)
Accrington (H)
Oxford 74
Shrewsbury (A)
Burton (H)
Charlton 76
Accrington (A)
Lincoln (H)
Hull (H)
I think Blackpool have all but confirmed their top five position now and it’s a case of 1 from 3.
It’s easy to look at the remaining fixtures for Pompey & for Oxford and think there’s six points for both in them but we have to hope both manage to drop points at the weekend and make our lives a bit easier.
Bloody Charlton.
Portsmouth are shocking as well.
I fancy Bleakpool to go up. They have been on a fantastic run in the past 20 games.
Ah, I hear you all cry, that's madness. The ball goes to their keeper, he kicks it long & they score. Dont give them the ball & they cant score. But we did give them the ball by doing nothing & they still scored.
At home. Constantly.
Our midfield has nowhere to go,so consistently turns the ball back to the defence where it is turfed upfield on a bit of a wing and a prayer and invariably ends up back down our throats. We invite pressure on ourselves because our front line is incapable of keeping the heat on in the final third. They don't run the right channels and their ball retention is awful.
Our best player this season (JFC) just decided to hoof the ball into touch in the last minute, when Aneke and Washington were free and clear against 2 defenders.
Maybe plan for next season, get the business done early, and see how it turns out. If we then get promoted then maybe only a few changes needed to the squad.
I fully expect us to finish lower than our current league position.
In football it a quantum leap backwards in Cafc case.
Heroes to Zeros.
From 6-0 and despite only playing one striker who can only score with his head:
Stockley who has the fine return of 7 headed goals in 19( keeping up his record of 1 in 3 on his career) and we had 6 different scorers. Stockley needs a partner who plays off him. He doesn't have the close control on the deck to be a lone Striker. It worked against some teams but it was never going to work against Peterborough. I said it in preview when some on here were getting ahead of their selves and working out who best to play in playoffs
Other than the Seven matches when we kept clean sheets when we parked a couple of buses each game there is no correlation between games in terms of performance.
Accurate passing in the Plymouth and Posh games but we were toothless against Peterborough because they defended well where Plymouth were poor and we were clinical against the Devon side.
Only Hull and Peterborough are consistent:
Washington getting injured after 3 MOM performances and Aneke having to be wrapped in cotton wool because of his sponsorship deal with Swarovski, will cost us dear.
I dread to think how we will line up if we need to beat a relaxed and promoted side in Hull City.
I would rather die on our feet, than to live on our knees by scraping a draw and missing out.
Accrington is must win.
Lincoln is more must win for Cafc than the cathedral city.
Anyone's guess what the Tigers game will be ?
Normally we roll over and have out tummy's tickled when entering the likes of Burnley, Bournemouth and Leeds etc on the last day when Trophies are being handed out.
Hope I'm wrong and we get there but it just doesn't feel like we will.