Play Offs

[Bazzyfryer]

Ipswich, WBA, Norwich and Luton last year why do we have to forget the Play Offs next season when these teams are/were capable of getting to them and even promoted after spells of out or not even in the Premier League. Despite his shortcomings RM has given us our club back and has done as well this season as I and many others hoped for.

[Bad Wolf]

Top 6 was surely the aim and that's what we've got. The problem is, football fans are conditioned to only consider the negatives. Like when you bring up the 25 game unbeaten run and people like to point out that in a few of those games we NEARLY lost. But of course, they won't have that for Cardiff on Saturday where we NEARLY got a point.

[AlexLaw76]

2 minutes ago, Bad Wolf said:

Top 6 was surely the aim and that's what we've got. The problem is, football fans are conditioned to only consider the negatives. Like when you bring up the 25 game unbeaten run and people like to point out that in a few of those games we NEARLY lost. But of course, they won't have that for Cardiff on Saturday where we NEARLY got a point.

Martin has said many times the aim is promotion, hence why he is losing it a bit under the pressure now we can’t go up top 2

[S-Clarke]

I don't think it's just me, but I hoped that we wouldn't have conceded over 60 goals with 2 games to go.

I hoped and thought we'd be properly involved in the auto race, but if we're honest we've never been anything more than on the periphery of it for the entire season. Sure, the top teams have set the pace...but we just haven't been able to get near them consistently and that will always have me feeling pretty underwhelmed.

Edited April 24 by S-Clarke

[Bad Wolf]

19 minutes ago, AlexLaw76 said:

Martin has said many times the aim is promotion, hence why he is losing it a bit under the pressure now we can’t go up top 2

Course he's said that because if he'd said top 6, he'd be lynched. I don't believe any team goes into a season with an expectation to get into the top 2. I think the aim is top 6 with the top 2 being a bonus if it happens.

[Saint Matty 76]

If we don't go up, it's a fail. Same for Leeds and Leicester.

Too many repetitive patterns in not killing off games etc etc. I'm of the belief that this is obviously down to the lack of quality in the finishing department but the buck falls with the manager at the end of the day.

I don't think (to this point) this season has been a failure but there's way too many question marks and even if we do manage to go up, you'd be absolutely mad not to be terrified about a Martin team in the top flight.

I'm optimistic that we'll make it to the play-off final however, and I do believe that on our day we could beat Ipswich/Leeds. I'm not counting it out just yet, however I'm definitely less optimistic than I have been.

[trousers]

37 minutes ago, S-Clarke said:

I don't think it's just me, but I hoped that we wouldn't have conceded over 60 goals with 2 games to go.

I hoped and thought we'd be properly involved in the auto race, but if we're honest we've never been anything more than on the periphery of it for the entire season. Sure, the top teams have set the pace...but we just haven't been able to get near them consistently and that will always have me feeling pretty underwhelmed.

As per the screenshot below, one and a half games ago we were only 2 points off the auto places... but you're right, it's the lack of consistency that's killed our chances (amongst other things)

#sonearyetsofar

 

 

[West end Saints]

2 hours ago, AlexLaw76 said:

Martin has said many times the aim is promotion, hence why he is losing it a bit under the pressure now we can’t go up top 2

The aim has to be promotion for us, would have been at the start of the season and will still be.

If we don't go up I don't think he will be deemed, by the owners, a failure. 

Most teams won't reach their season aim, for example Man C, Arsenal, Liverpool all realistically aiming for the title. Villa, spurs, Chelsea, Man U, Newcastle all aiming for the champions league. This follows all they way down.

I put on another thread the stat that the three relegated teams have never gone straight back up. In fact, on average, of the three promoted teams, less than one is a team who were relegated. 

This means that it is a myth that our only hope is to go up this season. 

I'm not defending last night, or other fair criticisms, but think play offs will be the minimum accepted. 

I would have preferred to be a few points clear in the top two, but if we win the lottery of play offs that's a better end to the season.

[S-Clarke]

3 hours ago, trousers said:

As per the screenshot below, one and a half games ago we were only 2 points off the auto places... but you're right, it's the lack of consistency that's killed our chances (amongst other things)

#sonearyetsofar

That's the thing though trousers, we have flirted - never anymore than that, we get to within a point or even into 2nd for a game or two and then we're back to 10 points adrift before you can blink. Nothing but on the edges sadly, and that's not been good enough.

Edited April 24 by S-Clarke

[Galway saint]

3 hours ago, S-Clarke said:

I don't think it's just me, but I hoped that we wouldn't have conceded over 60 goals with 2 games to go.

I hoped and thought we'd be properly involved in the auto race, but if we're honest we've never been anything more than on the periphery of it for the entire season. Sure, the top teams have set the pace...but we just haven't been able to get near them consistently and that will always have me feeling pretty underwhelmed.

Here’s the thing last season Swansea conceded 64 goals.

The most in the top 10 and only four more clubs conceded more.

We will concede a similar amount.

For most of the season we have had a core group of defenders of KWP, JB, THB, Bree, Manning and JS. That’s three full internationals and the England U21 captain. 

That’s a pretty decent group for this level and we won’t have anything comparable next season if we miss out on promotion.

How on earth have we conceded the same goals as Swansea.

I really think there needs to be a serious conversation whether or not we go up about how and why we have conceded so many goals with that group of players. 

The way the team is set up and coached seems all wrong to me and teams have clearly worked us out. They press high and put us under pressure knowing we will eventually give the ball away. They can do that without fear of us going long or over the top because we will always play out from the back because that’s ‘our’ philosophy. 

The fact you can have 64% possession and still concede 5 goalsand have no shots on target in a game against your promotion rivals should be a massive red flag that your football philosophy isn’t working 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[S-Clarke]

45 minutes ago, Galway saint said:

Here’s the thing last season Swansea conceded 64 goals.

The most in the top 10 and only four more clubs conceded more.

We will concede a similar amount.

For most of the season we have had a core group of defenders of KWP, JB, THB, Bree, Manning and JS. That’s three full internationals and the England U21 captain. 

That’s a pretty decent group for this level and we won’t have anything comparable next season if we miss out on promotion.

How on earth have we conceded the same goals as Swansea.

I really think there needs to be a serious conversation whether or not we go up about how and why we have conceded so many goals with that group of players. 

The way the team is set up and coached seems all wrong to me and teams have clearly worked us out. They press high and put us under pressure knowing we will eventually give the ball away. They can do that without fear of us going long or over the top because we will always play out from the back because that’s ‘our’ philosophy. 

The fact you can have 64% possession and still concede 5 goalsand have no shots on target in a game against your promotion rivals should be a massive red flag that your football philosophy isn’t working 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Absolutley, that's the main thing - to come up with substantially more of the ball and to lose 5 goals is the clearest illustration of a fundamental flaw in everything about this 'philosophy'. It ain't working.

I know he came out yesterday and said it's not about tactics, or the way he setup the team, it's about players willing to run etc etc etc. No, it's about the way they're being told to play and how awfully open and exposed we leave ourselves.

[Osvaldorama]

1 hour ago, Galway saint said:

Here’s the thing last season Swansea conceded 64 goals.

The most in the top 10 and only four more clubs conceded more.

We will concede a similar amount.

For most of the season we have had a core group of defenders of KWP, JB, THB, Bree, Manning and JS. That’s three full internationals and the England U21 captain. 

That’s a pretty decent group for this level and we won’t have anything comparable next season if we miss out on promotion.

How on earth have we conceded the same goals as Swansea.

I really think there needs to be a serious conversation whether or not we go up about how and why we have conceded so many goals with that group of players. 

The way the team is set up and coached seems all wrong to me and teams have clearly worked us out. They press high and put us under pressure knowing we will eventually give the ball away. They can do that without fear of us going long or over the top because we will always play out from the back because that’s ‘our’ philosophy. 

The fact you can have 64% possession and still concede 5 goalsand have no shots on target in a game against your promotion rivals should be a massive red flag that your football philosophy isn’t working 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Funny part is we literally have two good DMs. 
 

We could easily shut up shop and bring Charles in a pivot with Downes when we go in front. We would have won so many more games. 
 

But we persist with fannying about with it in our own box and giving the opposition a load of chances to unsettle us and eventually win. 

People have been calling it propaganda football, but it’s actually worse than that. It’s suicide football.