Matches The League 1 Promotion Run In
- Thread starter Jolteon
- Start date
So a reflective Argyle fan.
Not the result we wanted but probably the one we deserved and perhaps not unusual given the run up to the game.
Frustrating to pick up two injuries.....our bench had two walking wounded on it but hopefully Scarr will be back if Bolton is ruled out next week. A fit Dan Scarr is a major boost for the run in.
Have to wait and see on Hardie but the silence doesn't bode well. We do at least jhave Jephcott back from international duty and Camara also so the midfield for next week is improved and up front we will still have three forwards to rotate...
Our squad depth is an issue given that the bench was lightweight v Ipswich. Hopefully Grant will also be back as he gives us composure and goals as well.
I am sure all our opponents are encouraged but if Ipswich had played like that under Cook they would be in the mix for top 2. I still think they have a Biot to do but how costly were their dropped points v you and Pompous?
So this week as disappointing as last week was awesome....but March was 18/21 points....so we will take that and move on.
I look forward to the build up and denouement of a very important game next week
Not the result we wanted but probably the one we deserved and perhaps not unusual given the run up to the game.
Frustrating to pick up two injuries.....our bench had two walking wounded on it but hopefully Scarr will be back if Bolton is ruled out next week. A fit Dan Scarr is a major boost for the run in.
Have to wait and see on Hardie but the silence doesn't bode well. We do at least jhave Jephcott back from international duty and Camara also so the midfield for next week is improved and up front we will still have three forwards to rotate...
Our squad depth is an issue given that the bench was lightweight v Ipswich. Hopefully Grant will also be back as he gives us composure and goals as well.
I am sure all our opponents are encouraged but if Ipswich had played like that under Cook they would be in the mix for top 2. I still think they have a Biot to do but how costly were their dropped points v you and Pompous?
So this week as disappointing as last week was awesome....but March was 18/21 points....so we will take that and move on.
I look forward to the build up and denouement of a very important game next week
oufc1991
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Your squad depth is an issue you say
.... You've got countless CBs we've got 4 and one of them is 35 you've got 3 strikers who can replace Hardie we've got Taylor and Sam winsfuckall with baldock injured man if you squad depth is an issue god knows what ours is lol
chuckbert
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Our pluses at the moment are our courage, our strength, our indefatigability ...Your squad depth is an issue you say
RyanioBirdio
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We tried to sign him in 2019 but he chose Walsall instead. Interesting to hear that you rate him so highly. Presume you got him on a free last summer?
MJB
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He was very much a meh signing when he arrived. No-one knew him or rated him....we had already signed James Wilson from Ipswich as we had a complete revamp of the defensive element after a disastrous end of season run when young Premier loanees were just out of their depth.
Lowe bigged up his stats, wins loads of first contact headers and so it proved. He is tidy if limited in possession, and has scored a couple of set piece headers. Not sure if next week will be too soon for him ( and wouldn't tell you if it was or wasn't) but I think if Bolton recovers he doesn't play. If he was ready then he was the obvious replacement on Saturday....Critchlow to date has not looked the part despite coming from high flying Huddersfield.
Kept Lukaku in his pocket at the Bridge. Then again......who doesn't!
Lowe bigged up his stats, wins loads of first contact headers and so it proved. He is tidy if limited in possession, and has scored a couple of set piece headers. Not sure if next week will be too soon for him ( and wouldn't tell you if it was or wasn't) but I think if Bolton recovers he doesn't play. If he was ready then he was the obvious replacement on Saturday....Critchlow to date has not looked the part despite coming from high flying Huddersfield.
Kept Lukaku in his pocket at the Bridge. Then again......who doesn't!
Sorry it's late - been a bit manic at work today! Lot's of changes made to reflect the way this season is going. Firstly, I've amended the fixtures as there have been a bunch of games moved around thanks to international callups, Sky being numpties and Rotherham reaching the pizza trophy final. Secondly I've amended the 75 point target and the data related to the target to be based on 80 points. It may be too high, or even too low, but it feels much more accurate than 75 at this point.
Things to note after this weekends games and post update:
- Ipswich still desperately clinging on to hope, but still require a ppg of 2.67 to hit 80 points. I'm not going to call curtains just yet because their run in is one of the easiest and there is still a chance they pull off a miracle, but any defeats and it becomes impossible for them to hit 80 so 1 loss and they're out.
- Plymouth showed they're still human just in time for a visit from the mighty OUFC. I said in the matchday thread that it's not a must win game, but losing will likely mean dropping out the playoffs which ramps up the pressure for the trip to Morecambe so a point at least would be lovely.
- The new target of 80 points has had a pretty big impact on one stat for Wycombe and Sunderland - to hit it they need a higher PPG than they've managed thus far this season. However, the pinch of salt to take with that is that they have the easiest two run ins (of the key challengers) which means they've had the most difficult fixtures so far - which will be one of the reasons their PPG so far is lower than us and Wednesday. Would still rather be us than them with the couple extra points on the board.
- Surprisingly, despite constant talk of how bad our run in is, it's easier on paper than both Wednesday and Plymouth still, and only marginally more difficult than Sunderland. The key will be that we HAVE to take advantage of the fact we play 3 relegation battlers still. Win those three games and don't lose to Plymouth and Sunderland and that should see us well into the playoffs even if MK and Rotherham beat us.
- There are still 5 huge, probably playoff deciding games to come. Plymouth play in three of those games v OUFC, Wycombe and Sunderland, we host Sunderland and Wycombe host Wednesday. MK still play 3 of the 5 challengers and Rotherham still play 2, so they both still have a part to play.
- With so many games being played on different days due to the fixture changes one thing is for certain, the playoff places are going to rotate around several times over before the end of the season. If you've got any fingernails left, be prepared to lose them before the season is over.
Things to note after this weekends games and post update:
- Ipswich still desperately clinging on to hope, but still require a ppg of 2.67 to hit 80 points. I'm not going to call curtains just yet because their run in is one of the easiest and there is still a chance they pull off a miracle, but any defeats and it becomes impossible for them to hit 80 so 1 loss and they're out.
- Plymouth showed they're still human just in time for a visit from the mighty OUFC. I said in the matchday thread that it's not a must win game, but losing will likely mean dropping out the playoffs which ramps up the pressure for the trip to Morecambe so a point at least would be lovely.
- The new target of 80 points has had a pretty big impact on one stat for Wycombe and Sunderland - to hit it they need a higher PPG than they've managed thus far this season. However, the pinch of salt to take with that is that they have the easiest two run ins (of the key challengers) which means they've had the most difficult fixtures so far - which will be one of the reasons their PPG so far is lower than us and Wednesday. Would still rather be us than them with the couple extra points on the board.
- Surprisingly, despite constant talk of how bad our run in is, it's easier on paper than both Wednesday and Plymouth still, and only marginally more difficult than Sunderland. The key will be that we HAVE to take advantage of the fact we play 3 relegation battlers still. Win those three games and don't lose to Plymouth and Sunderland and that should see us well into the playoffs even if MK and Rotherham beat us.
- There are still 5 huge, probably playoff deciding games to come. Plymouth play in three of those games v OUFC, Wycombe and Sunderland, we host Sunderland and Wycombe host Wednesday. MK still play 3 of the 5 challengers and Rotherham still play 2, so they both still have a part to play.
- With so many games being played on different days due to the fixture changes one thing is for certain, the playoff places are going to rotate around several times over before the end of the season. If you've got any fingernails left, be prepared to lose them before the season is over.
PottersRightBoot
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I reckon we’ll do Plymouth. Then lose at Morecambe.
I'm repeating a point that I've made on here a few times before......
.......but although I do want to get promoted, because it will be fun (as well as financially lucrative) to test ourselves at Championship level......
......does anyone think that the Championship will actually be as fun as this?
Best case scenario is we go up and do a Blackpool, and have a boring midtable finish.
Worst case scenario is we go up and do a Peterborough, lose two thirds of our games and come straight back down.
But in League One, we're getting to enjoy a nine-way brawl for promotion with an array of teams ranging from the big & arrogant to the small & annoying. Goals galore. Big crowds at home, some massive grounds and crowds on our travels. And then the fact that there are also some really, really bad teams also adds to the enjoyment - who doesn't love sprinkling the odd 6-0 or 7-2 into the mix?
Obviously we all want the arrow to keep pointing up for OUFC.
But we should also take some time out to stop and smell the roses from time to time. League One is an awesome league, and this is arguably its greatest ever season, and we're slap bang in the middle of the drama!
.......but although I do want to get promoted, because it will be fun (as well as financially lucrative) to test ourselves at Championship level......
......does anyone think that the Championship will actually be as fun as this?
Best case scenario is we go up and do a Blackpool, and have a boring midtable finish.
Worst case scenario is we go up and do a Peterborough, lose two thirds of our games and come straight back down.
But in League One, we're getting to enjoy a nine-way brawl for promotion with an array of teams ranging from the big & arrogant to the small & annoying. Goals galore. Big crowds at home, some massive grounds and crowds on our travels. And then the fact that there are also some really, really bad teams also adds to the enjoyment - who doesn't love sprinkling the odd 6-0 or 7-2 into the mix?
Obviously we all want the arrow to keep pointing up for OUFC.
But we should also take some time out to stop and smell the roses from time to time. League One is an awesome league, and this is arguably its greatest ever season, and we're slap bang in the middle of the drama!
werthersoriginal
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Yeah it’s true, going up would be exciting and obviously really important financially and for the development of the club, but it might not be as much fun as the last three years. A draw with Barnsley would be a good result. We’d probably beat the odd really big team though which would be awesome. And look at Luton!!
I mean between 1988 and 1999, we were playing in the second tier for 9 out of 11 seasons.
Would anyone argue, though, that the most fun of the lot was 1995-96, when Denis Smith's awesome team was tearing the third tier to shreds?
Luton are the ones to emulate, no doubt. But they didn't get where they are now overnight - they just stayed up season 1, finished boring midtable season 2 and it's only in their third season at that level that they're competing at the top......
werthersoriginal
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League one has been brilliant fun but I’m getting a bit tired of Accrington …
The nineties were generally great, turning over a lot of big teams at home though being a bit feeble away.
We had the hex over Man City at Maine Road for a while which was lovely viewing. Remember a bloke trying to sell a new shirt he'd bought before the game in disgust at losing to little old us. Oh and the almost permanent protests after the game aimed at whoever the manager was for each game. Could always have a decent chat with the Man City fans before and after the game though.
MarkG
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B*****s to that.
Let’s have some ambition.
I want to see the Championship clubs and their grounds.
This is the first season in L1 we’ve been in the playoffs for weeks rather than just the last game or so of the season.
There will be lots of “big” clubs in league 1 next year and I imagine players with ambition to play at a higher level will move rather than stagnate for another year in L1.
I would settle for that "boredom'!!
werthersoriginal
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His point was that the championship would obviously be great in lots of ways, but would it be as much fun?
oufc1991
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I want promotion to the championship even if we lost every week would still be fun but in all seriousness I think we would hold our own and turn over quite a few big teams that would be epic bring it on I say from where we've been to saying we don't want championship football craziness
Yes it would.
Full houses every game, new grounds to visit, playing teams we haven't played for decades.
I would be amazed if many wouldn't want to play in the Championship.
Most, I suspect would love it.
IsleofWightYellow
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The thing is, if we suddenly jumped this team down to the Oxfordshire Pub league we’d win every game 15-0 but would it be fun visiting the Dog and Duck?
I don’t want to see us get smashed every week but seeing us play the likes of Reading, potentially Everton, Blackburn, Forest, Cardiff etc would be great. Also our objectives would change, certainly in the first season, so just avoiding relegation and getting to build and invest would be nice.
So yes, let’s do it!!
I don’t want to see us get smashed every week but seeing us play the likes of Reading, potentially Everton, Blackburn, Forest, Cardiff etc would be great. Also our objectives would change, certainly in the first season, so just avoiding relegation and getting to build and invest would be nice.
So yes, let’s do it!!
