SaintBobby

I think it's normal to think that playing teams who are "on the beach" is supposed to be easier. But Watford played the last hour yesterday like their lives depended on it...

To my mind, even if we miss out on automatic promotion (which is likely), it’s greatly to our advantage in the play offs that the possibility of a top two slot remains. I was rather worried that we’d have the equivalent of 5 or 6 irrelevant pre-season friendlies because it was 99.9% certain we’d end in 4th place. We would therefore take our foot off the gas and enter the play offs with zero momentum. That worry no longer pertains.

Yep. Worth saying Watford were pretty damned good. Nothing to play for and 2-0 down…they were unlucky not to get something…

Well, that was boring…😂

It’s one hell of a long shot. I think if we win the last 6 games, we probably just make it. The useful thing - even if we end up 4th - is we aren’t out of it yet. I was worried we’d go into the playoffs having been on the beach for 6/7 matches. But, for now at least, it’s not half a dozen utterly pointless matches followed by the playoff semi. They are only slightly pointless.

Well, yeah, fine. If you think we always underperform, get rich and bet against Saints!

I voted to keep him. Our points per game is higher than I’d have settled for at the start of the season - it’s just unfortunate that 3 other teams have been brilliant whilst we have just been very, very good. I don’t buy that we will be “mid table at best” next season if we don’t get promoted. We’d likely start as favourites or 2nd favourites, I’d think…depending on the finances and number of key players we lose.

I don't see the point of Smallbone. He's okayish but nowhere near being in our best starting XI.

Surely that will be corrected?

It's definitely a Che goal, surely?

Job done. Nearly did our usual thing of gazing into the mouth of any gift horse we can find, but deserved to win. I guess there’s still the thinnest of chances of automatic promotion given results elsewhere. But damn it’s very thin, for sure.

Disappointing. Wtf we were doing with Jan B injured and us controlling the match...at 68 mins....they had made 4 subs, we had made zero.... Fair play to Ipswich. We are in the weird position of nhaving nothing to play for in the next eight games! Then a lot to play for in the 2 or 3 that follow...

Well, that was grim. Should have been out of sight by 65 mins. Also, Smallbone. Can anyone explain Smallbone to me? I don't hate him, but he is nowehere near out starting XI, surely? Props to Captain Jack - he was bloddy excellent.

From a partisan point of view, sadly this won't help us. We aren't going to end up 3 points behind Leicester and suddenly hear they have a 4 point deduction and we are promoted/champions....tbh, even if we did, what a thoroughly crap way to get back up. More generally, the financial fair play stuff is simply insane. It will get far worse when the football regulator gets brought in. The easy solution is to simply demand clubs (or new buyers of clubs) keep money in an escrow account at a sufficient level to keep that club afloat. That should be a requirement for getting the "golden ticket". Then pretty much let clubs do whatever they want.

There’s no way I’m settling for 4th. That’s the lowest position we could credibly finish. We will have to do very well in the run in and especially in those key 3 away games to get auto promotion. But I think you can almost price in Sheff W losing to Ipswich. Would be a big surprise and a welcome bonus if they don’t.