| Good preview of Championship Play-offs 10:14 - May 7 with 2009 views | Steve_M |
Ignore the line about Millwall looking like getting automatic promotion as they never really did but the two graphs in there show us performing well in both passing movements but slightly underachieving against expected points.
A really telling stat on Boro dropping 11 points from winning positions late in the season, given they stopped scoring for a while too that's very much why they missed out.
https://www.theguardian.com/fo
Southampton against Millwall in the final seems most likely, and the Championship play-offs have gone much more with league strength in recent years than they used to but there is still that element of jeopardy. |  |
| |  |
| Good preview of Championship Play-offs on 10:15 - May 7 with 1959 views | TRUE_BLUE123 |
I really fancy Boro. |  |
| |
| Good preview of Championship Play-offs on 10:25 - May 7 with 1871 views | _CliveBaker_ |
They're 2 really interesting match ups 'stylistically'. Hull and Millwall perhaps both a bit more attritional, for the most part have been solid and consistent (Hull's late season form aside). Boro and Saints have looked among the best in the division on their day, wild to think when Boro beat Sheff United in that thoroughly enjoyable game in mid Feb they went top, only to finish 5th.
Saints and Wall going through probably does feel more likely, but no outcome would surprise me in these ones. Very different to last time we were here when Leeds and Saints in 3rd / 4th were about 15-20 points clear of 5th and 6th and far better sides than their respective opponents. |  | | |
| Good preview of Championship Play-offs on 10:35 - May 7 with 1806 views | Guthrum |
I didn't realise that Millwall had spent so little time in the top tier of English football, just two seasons in their history. |  |
| |
| Good preview of Championship Play-offs on 10:39 - May 7 with 1774 views | BiGDonnie |
Millwall v Boro in the final I think. |  |
| |
| Good preview of Championship Play-offs on 10:52 - May 7 with 1691 views | Radlett_blue |
Boro had a wobble around the turn of the year, with 3 defeats & a draw in 4 games without scoring a goal, but they then won 6 on the bounce & I thought they were gone. However, they then couldn't win a home game, losing 3 & drawing 3 & their draw at PR was their last chance gone. If Hackney is fully fit, they will be a match for Saints & these 2 are definitely the best of the rest. Millwall are direct & obdurate but have been great at grinding out results. How they must still be kicking themselves for failing to win at relegated Leicester! |  |
| |
| Good preview of Championship Play-offs on 10:55 - May 7 with 1652 views | Herbivore |
Interesting that we ended up top of the xP table. We were hovering in first or second most of the season, despite the perception from our fans that we were playing crap and winning games without really deserving to. |  |
| |
| Good preview of Championship Play-offs on 10:58 - May 7 with 1619 views | SaleAway |
The interesting thing is the utter overachievement of Hull to make the playoffs. by Expected points they should have been relegated, and I still shudder at the first half of the away game against them, which was one of the worst halves of football I have ever seen.
If by some quirk they win the playoffs, I genuinely think they will be the worst team ever to make the premier league. |  |
| |
| Good preview of Championship Play-offs on 11:03 - May 7 with 1588 views | Radlett_blue |
| Good preview of Championship Play-offs on 10:58 - May 7 by SaleAway |
The interesting thing is the utter overachievement of Hull to make the playoffs. by Expected points they should have been relegated, and I still shudder at the first half of the away game against them, which was one of the worst halves of football I have ever seen.
If by some quirk they win the playoffs, I genuinely think they will be the worst team ever to make the premier league. |
Agreed, but I was anticipating Sunderland creating a new record low PL points total this season, but look at them. It's all about recruiting well. Hopefully we have learned from 2024. | |
| |
Login to get fewer ads
| Good preview of Championship Play-offs on 11:13 - May 7 with 1526 views | squiz |
The line about Millwall looking like getting automatic promotion isn't wrong. They were really close to us. I know there are lots of sliding doors moments in a seasons, but Ivanovic hitting the bar against us, them having a player wrongly sent off against Blackburn and the draw against Leicester were all moments where things could have gone the other way. Just because they were unfancied doesn't mean it wasn't close to happening. |  | | |
| Good preview of Championship Play-offs on 11:18 - May 7 with 1497 views | Radlett_blue |
| Good preview of Championship Play-offs on 11:13 - May 7 by squiz |
The line about Millwall looking like getting automatic promotion isn't wrong. They were really close to us. I know there are lots of sliding doors moments in a seasons, but Ivanovic hitting the bar against us, them having a player wrongly sent off against Blackburn and the draw against Leicester were all moments where things could have gone the other way. Just because they were unfancied doesn't mean it wasn't close to happening. |
Plus their narrowly disallowed offside "goal" against us at the Den on Boxing Day.
Their failure to win at Leicester will hurt, though. | |
| |
| Good preview of Championship Play-offs on 11:22 - May 7 with 1484 views | squiz |
| Good preview of Championship Play-offs on 11:18 - May 7 by Radlett_blue |
Plus their narrowly disallowed offside "goal" against us at the Den on Boxing Day.
Their failure to win at Leicester will hurt, though. |
Yeah that was a real let off for us. Similar to Leeds at QPR last time we went up.
Though we would have approached the WBA game differently if they had won so we'll never know for sure. [Post edited 7 May 11:46]
| | | |
| Good preview of Championship Play-offs on 11:30 - May 7 with 1442 views | Steve_M |
| Good preview of Championship Play-offs on 10:25 - May 7 by _CliveBaker_ |
They're 2 really interesting match ups 'stylistically'. Hull and Millwall perhaps both a bit more attritional, for the most part have been solid and consistent (Hull's late season form aside). Boro and Saints have looked among the best in the division on their day, wild to think when Boro beat Sheff United in that thoroughly enjoyable game in mid Feb they went top, only to finish 5th.
Saints and Wall going through probably does feel more likely, but no outcome would surprise me in these ones. Very different to last time we were here when Leeds and Saints in 3rd / 4th were about 15-20 points clear of 5th and 6th and far better sides than their respective opponents. |
Yes, those two semi-finals two years ago really were uncompetitive. Although watching Norwich get stuffed was clearly enjoyable. | |
| |
| Good preview of Championship Play-offs on 11:32 - May 7 with 1435 views | Basuco |
Boro lost Hayden Hackney and Morgan Whittaker and that cost them in the poor run, to be without arguably the best midfielder in the Championship and their top goal scorer it was always going to be a tough ask to continue their great run. Millwall looked very good for most of the season, Alex Neil did a fantastic job and was my Championship Manager of the season. |  | | |
| Good preview of Championship Play-offs on 11:55 - May 7 with 1316 views | Steve_M |
| Good preview of Championship Play-offs on 11:13 - May 7 by squiz |
The line about Millwall looking like getting automatic promotion isn't wrong. They were really close to us. I know there are lots of sliding doors moments in a seasons, but Ivanovic hitting the bar against us, them having a player wrongly sent off against Blackburn and the draw against Leicester were all moments where things could have gone the other way. Just because they were unfancied doesn't mean it wasn't close to happening. |
Of course they were close, and there are a handful of critical moments that went against them, but they never looked the most likely team to finish second IMO.
That switched from Boro to us over the Easter weekend, although had Millwall followed up their win at Boro by beating Norwich. | |
| |
| Good preview of Championship Play-offs on 11:58 - May 7 with 1304 views | dirtyboy |
| Good preview of Championship Play-offs on 11:32 - May 7 by Basuco |
Boro lost Hayden Hackney and Morgan Whittaker and that cost them in the poor run, to be without arguably the best midfielder in the Championship and their top goal scorer it was always going to be a tough ask to continue their great run. Millwall looked very good for most of the season, Alex Neil did a fantastic job and was my Championship Manager of the season. |
Them losing Hackney was key, but then our success could be argued to be on the back of having a squad that's not so reliant on one player. Obviously we have the money to do that. |  | | |
| Good preview of Championship Play-offs on 12:11 - May 7 with 1222 views | Illinoisblue |
| Good preview of Championship Play-offs on 11:58 - May 7 by dirtyboy |
Them losing Hackney was key, but then our success could be argued to be on the back of having a squad that's not so reliant on one player. Obviously we have the money to do that. |
We lost Philogene from Jan to March but definitely we have the squad to be able to cope with that.
But as the Portsmouth manager said early in the season - re money and squad strength - we earned that. |  |
| |
| Good preview of Championship Play-offs on 12:14 - May 7 with 1195 views | burnbudgiesburn |
| Good preview of Championship Play-offs on 10:35 - May 7 by Guthrum |
I didn't realise that Millwall had spent so little time in the top tier of English football, just two seasons in their history. |
Basically their Teddy Sheringham/Tony Cascarino/Terry Hurlock era and that's it. | | | |
| Good preview of Championship Play-offs on 12:23 - May 7 with 1149 views | dryas |
The table in that piece showing the number of points gained by clubs following Southampton's change of manager and subsequent charge up the table from 5 November is interesting in what it shows about us and our quite poor start. Southampton gained 68 points in that run and in the same time period we gained 64 (same as Coventry). Shows McKenna has done a good job in rebuilding a team and gaining promotion from a pretty tough league in one season and the importance (luxury) of squad depth. [Post edited 7 May 12:24]
|  | | |
| Good preview of Championship Play-offs on 12:47 - May 7 with 1022 views | Garv |
| Good preview of Championship Play-offs on 11:13 - May 7 by squiz |
The line about Millwall looking like getting automatic promotion isn't wrong. They were really close to us. I know there are lots of sliding doors moments in a seasons, but Ivanovic hitting the bar against us, them having a player wrongly sent off against Blackburn and the draw against Leicester were all moments where things could have gone the other way. Just because they were unfancied doesn't mean it wasn't close to happening. |
That red card was completely justifiable. I cannot believe how controversial that seemed to be. |  |
| |
| Good preview of Championship Play-offs on 12:56 - May 7 with 970 views | Wallingford_Boy |
Impossible to see anything other than a Southampton win. |  |
| |
| Good preview of Championship Play-offs on 12:56 - May 7 with 976 views | HighgateBlue |
Just a couple of observations:
(1) Interesting looking at the graph showing speed up the pitch, there are only a handful of teams that have moved it up the pitch quicker than us this season, which surprises me a little. I think there has been a general perception that perhaps we could have attacked more quickly. Maybe we could have done, but the stats are not bad, and do not show us having a markedly skewed style in terms of speed or intricacy compared with the league as a whole.
(2) Interesting also that those voting are more bullish on Millwall's chances, having them as clear 2nd favourites for promotion now, compared with the bookies, who have Boro 2nd and Millwall 3rd. Maybe the fans are rooting for the 3rd place team emotionally in terms of 'fairness'. It may yet work out like that, but of course everyone starts at 0-0 and there is a bit of a lottery element to it. I'd also point out that Hull and Millwall both beat each other away from home 3-1 this season. Hull are clearly the outsiders, and I'd expect them to get beaten, but you never know. |  | | |
| Good preview of Championship Play-offs on 13:26 - May 7 with 842 views | ElderGrizzly |
I hadn't appreciated this for Southampton. You'd have thought they were PSG given the way the press talked about them:
"One thing that might work against them is their form in the biggest league games. They (Southampton) only won one of their 10 matches against the other teams that finished in the top six – the worst record in that mini-league." |  | | |
| Good preview of Championship Play-offs on 13:29 - May 7 with 820 views | Ftnfwest |
| Good preview of Championship Play-offs on 12:56 - May 7 by HighgateBlue |
Just a couple of observations:
(1) Interesting looking at the graph showing speed up the pitch, there are only a handful of teams that have moved it up the pitch quicker than us this season, which surprises me a little. I think there has been a general perception that perhaps we could have attacked more quickly. Maybe we could have done, but the stats are not bad, and do not show us having a markedly skewed style in terms of speed or intricacy compared with the league as a whole.
(2) Interesting also that those voting are more bullish on Millwall's chances, having them as clear 2nd favourites for promotion now, compared with the bookies, who have Boro 2nd and Millwall 3rd. Maybe the fans are rooting for the 3rd place team emotionally in terms of 'fairness'. It may yet work out like that, but of course everyone starts at 0-0 and there is a bit of a lottery element to it. I'd also point out that Hull and Millwall both beat each other away from home 3-1 this season. Hull are clearly the outsiders, and I'd expect them to get beaten, but you never know. |
its potentially quite even tbh, but for some reason fancy Hull to get to final but then lose, most likely to southampton |  | | |
| Good preview of Championship Play-offs on 13:29 - May 7 with 826 views | football |
Fancy Saints want Hull as they would be the weakest to come up and leave the strongest behind to really scupper the scum, especially with the teams coming down | | | |
| Good preview of Championship Play-offs on 13:30 - May 7 with 817 views | football |
| Good preview of Championship Play-offs on 11:18 - May 7 by Radlett_blue |
Plus their narrowly disallowed offside "goal" against us at the Den on Boxing Day.
Their failure to win at Leicester will hurt, though. |
Our failure to win at Leicester hurt given how bad they really were this season | | | |
| |
By continuing to use the site, you agree to our use of cookies and to abide by our Terms and Conditions.
