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Will we make the playoffs


John B

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I personally DON'T want to get into the Prem until it is given back to the Fans. It's an obscene entity populated by a considerable number of avaricious morons who are overpaid, overrated and controlled entirely by SKY for the benefit of SKY. Examples were seen yesterday of two PREM players who, in any other sport would be dismissed from the game for the violence inflicted on 'fellow' professionals. The responses of both Managers clearly illustrates their disregard for 'sportsmanship' in their words "It was accidental" and "He lost his head" I don't think I need to say anymore.

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Because Leeds and Norwich are doing well it doesn't follow that we will do the same. Yes, you build up a head of steam but you still have to go out and win football matches and to do that you need a very strong squad. I don't think ours is that strong yet.

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Because Leeds and Norwich are doing well it doesn't follow that we will do the same. Yes, you build up a head of steam but you still have to go out and win football matches and to do that you need a very strong squad. I don't think ours is that strong yet.

 

I think it may show that the standard of Championship is not that strong and the teams that have done well in League 1 and have been in the PL have every chance of getting there.

 

So the 5 Year Plans looks to be on Schedule

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I think we're forgetting that both Leeds & Norwich were better than us last season, and from what we've seen of them this year they've continued to improve further. It's a big assumption to expect us to immediately get promoted from the Championship as soon as we arrive there. More realistically I expect us once we get there to finish just above mid-table, possibly playoffs if we're fortunate.

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Think it'll be hard at the first time of asking, although we do have a number of things in our favour :-

 

1) Adkins knows the division

2) We already have a number of players who have done well at that level

3) Resources, plus access to players who don't see L1 as an option

4) In the first half of the season, being an unknown quantity.

 

However, it'll be tough enough to get out of L1 this year.

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An interesting question indeed. Leeds and Norwich are right up there, and even Millwall who went up via the playoffs are holding their own in the top half of the table as well. Does that indicate that the overall quality of the football in the NPC is quite poor? Perhaps.

 

I have seen one or two comments on here recently along the lines that our style of passing football is much more suited to the Championship and that we would probably win more games because there would be less 'hoof' teams who we seem to struggle against in L1. These people obviously have very short memories because this is exactly what most people were saying about the PL when we were in the Championship, and our passing football under Burley, pretty though it was at times, wasn't enough to get us back to the prem because we couldn't seem to break down the more defensive teams.

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We need to go into that league expecting little - an anything above mid table is a bonus attitude.

 

We shouldn't ''expect'' promotion next season at all. Leeds and Norwich have lost alot of the pressure and expectation they had in L1 and they are relaxing and playing football as a result - obviously the expectation will rise as the season draws to a close, but I don't want to see us demanding a playoff place next season - It will be a bonus.

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I think we're forgetting that both Leeds & Norwich were better than us last season, and from what we've seen of them this year they've continued to improve further. It's a big assumption to expect us to immediately get promoted from the Championship as soon as we arrive there. More realistically I expect us once we get there to finish just above mid-table, possibly playoffs if we're fortunate.

 

We beat Leeds and Norwich last season.

 

However, if you look at Bompey and Brighton they probably have more of that winning mentality which would help them up the table in the Championship.

 

I think it is a very tough league compared to League 1 and we would have to strengthen in key areas as RL will be getting on a bit.

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The clubs being up there are due to it being wide open because the 3 teams that came down are very poor. Usually the 3 teams that come down are favourites to go straight back up.

 

I dont see Saints finishing above WHU/Wolves/Birmingham/WBA etc. Even so, getting out of league 1 is less than a 50% chance IMO as theres 5/6 teams going for 2 spots.

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I think we're forgetting that both Leeds & Norwich were better than us last season, and from what we've seen of them this year they've continued to improve further. It's a big assumption to expect us to immediately get promoted from the Championship as soon as we arrive there. More realistically I expect us once we get there to finish just above mid-table, possibly playoffs if we're fortunate.

 

Last season we lost to Leeds away, but beat them at home. Against the league champions Norwich, we drew twice, in the league at home and in the JPT, but beat them away 2-0. So patently those teams were not better than us.

 

I think that you're forgetting that we had a 10 point deduction and took some time to get our minds in gear and get past it. Our form in the second half of the season was better than Norwich's and Leeds.

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I think it may show that the standard of Championship is not that strong and the teams that have done well in League 1 and have been in the PL have every chance of getting there.

 

So the 5 Year Plans looks to be on Schedule

 

Am I right to assume that the Liebherr-Cortese five year plan was two seasons to get out of League One and then three seasons to get promoted from the Championship?

 

Are we merely supposed to be in the PL at the end of the five years? Or is the plan that we're "established" in the PL by then?

 

If the former, we're on schedule. If the latter, we're probably behind.

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I went to watch Palace v Sheff Utd last weekend.. I haven't seen such a poor game of football in a while. A lot of long balls. We would comfortably have beaten either side on that showing. The game was won by a moment of magic from Ambrose, otherwise it was ****e. We would not go back down that's for certain, and we could challenge the play-offs with a couple of big signings.

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Should we make it to the Championship I think it will be quite disruptive to the team, and Nigel will have to get a shiny new bus with a few extra seats. Of the current squad I would say only the following are good enough:

 

Davis

Fonte

Harding

Schneiderlin

Lallana

Oxlade-Chamberlain

RLSGM

Barnard

 

Plus possibly Guly & Hammond

 

Not enough depth there, and bringing in Jonny Big Potatoes from the Prem will upset the applecart a little

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The football in the Championship, by and large, is not much different from League One. I saw plenty of abject, unsophisticated, football-by-numbers, limited dross when we were in the Championship. The fact that Grant Holt is doing well tells you all you need to know really. The most significant difference is that there are more players lurking who have the ability to produce a top-flight piece of quality. The good news is that we will probably be one of the most competitive teams in the transfer market when we get there.

 

Much does depend on who gets relegated each year with regards to auto promotion. If it's the likes of West Brom or Wolves then they will probably not be too adversely affected and are well used to yo-yo-ing. If it's a bigger club like Newcastle and they keep their team together they will go back up (Ashley has done a great job there IMO). If it's a basket case like Hull or the Skates then it helps.

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How did The Dell have an advantage compared to St Mary's?

 

The crowd at St Mary's are marginally further away, but the stadium can hold over twice as many fans.

 

A full St Mary's >>> A full Dell

 

Fans are at least 10m further away, did you ever go to the dell? It was one of the most intimidating grounds in the country and was always very loud.

 

Saints used to regularly beat the top sides there.

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Away fans were much closer to the pitch at the Dell than at the Withdean.

 

But the home fans are also miles away at the Withdean and there is really very little home or away atmosphere, it's hard for them to get any going. Having been there a few times in the home end whilst at uni there, I really don't think playing there is an advantage.

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Some people in this thread are overestimating the Championship. It really isn't that great...

 

- Saints 3rd choice left back Joseph Mills is playing on loan for a mid table Championship side.

- Saints "rejects" Wayne Thomas and Simon Gillet are playing for a mid table Championship side.

- Saints 3rd choice winger Jason Puncheon is on loan in the Premier League.

- Leeds and Norwich have very similar squads to those of their League One promotion campaigns and are both in the Championship playoff places. Millwall not too far behind.

 

Forte - has played 120 games at Championship level!

Hammond - has played 88 games at Championship level!

Harding - Has played 91 games at Championship level!

Butterfield - Has played 356 games at Championship level! 7 in the Premier League.

Richardson - Has played 96 games at Championship level! 4 in the Premier League.

Chaplow - Has played 177 games at Championship level! 11 in the Premier League.

Holmes - Has played 58 games at Championship level!

Lallana - Has played 46 games at Championship level!

Schneiderlin - Has played 30 games at Championship level!

Fonte - Has played 88 games at Championship level! Plus 37 in the Portuguese top flight!

Bialkowski - Has played 17 games at Championship level!

Davis - Has played 350 games at Championship level! Plus 33 in the Premier League.

Jaidi - Has played 68 games at Championship level! Plus 61 in the Premier League.

Connolly - Has played 232 games at Championship level! Plus 22 in the Premier League.

Mills - Has played 20 games at Championship level.

Puncheon - Has played 21 games at Championship level! Plus 2 in the Premier League.

Barnard - Has played 3 games at Premier League level!

Dickson - has played 5 games at Championship level!

 

...all have good experience of the Championship or higher. Admittedly Connolly, Holmes and Jaidi may well be released at the end of season.

 

Chamberlain is clearly capable of Championship level, as would Lambert and a number of others. Guly was a key player for a Serie B promotion winning side.

Edited by Matthew Le God
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Some people in this thread are overestimating the Championship. It really isn't that great...

 

- Saints 3rd choice left back Joseph Mills is playing on loan for a mid table Championship side.

- Saints "rejects" Wayne Thomas and Simon Gillet are playing for a mid table Championship side.

- Saints 3rd choice winger Jason Puncheon is on loan in the Premier League.

- Leeds and Norwich have very similar squads to those of their League One promotion campaigns and are both in the Championship playoff places. Millwall not too far behind.

 

 

Interesting fact from the Swansea v Leeds radio commentary at the weekend. Leeds signed 7 players in the summer so they obviously strengthened massively for their Championship campaign and it is paying off for them. Don't know what Norwich did in that regard, but I think you could expect us to do similar if we get promoted in May. I think more of the squad will be released than you have listed.

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I'm not really sure that it's an advantage. It's not like when we moved from the Dell.

 

Yes it was. We were gash at SMS when we first moved there. Took till November to clock our first win if I remember rightly, after losing at home to Chelsea, Arsenal, Villa. Blackbum etc.

 

Anyway, back to the point of the thread, no wonder other teams are calling us arogant. I just want us out of this league. That cancellation at that sh*thole of a place Rochdale underlines that. Just to be not relegation fodder in the NPC would suit me.

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I think we're forgetting that both Leeds & Norwich were better than us last season, and from what we've seen of them this year they've continued to improve further. It's a big assumption to expect us to immediately get promoted from the Championship as soon as we arrive there. More realistically I expect us once we get there to finish just above mid-table, possibly playoffs if we're fortunate.

 

:? Saints v. Leeds: One win each against each other last season, with Leeds only finishing 3 points above Saints (if you exclude the 10 points deducted).

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Last season we lost to Leeds away, but beat them at home. Against the league champions Norwich, we drew twice, in the league at home and in the JPT, but beat them away 2-0. So patently those teams were not better than us.

 

I think that you're forgetting that we had a 10 point deduction and took some time to get our minds in gear and get past it. Our form in the second half of the season was better than Norwich's and Leeds.

 

I think the final league placings are the basis on which people judge teams performance not individual games or parts of the season. So, patently those teams were better than Saints.

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I think the final league placings are the basis on which people judge teams performance not individual games or parts of the season. So, patently those teams were better than Saints.

 

Nonsense. The Saints team in August 2009 is unrecognisable to the team that beat Norwich and Leeds after the January 2010 transfer window had closed. The Leeds and Norwich teams didn't evolve any where near as much as Saints did from the beginning to the end of last season. The Saints squad at the end of the 2009/10 was stronger than both Leeds and Norwich as shown in the two games after all three sides had finished player purchases for 2009/10.

 

In any case...

 

Saints in 2009/10 earnt 83 points

Millwall in 2009/10 earnt 85 points

Leeds in 2009/10 earnt 86 points

 

...hardly huge gaps!

Edited by Matthew Le God
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Nonsense. The Saints team in August 2009 is unrecognisable to the team that beat Norwich and Leeds after the January 2010 transfer window had closed. The Leeds and Norwich teams didn't evolve any where near as much as Saints did from the beginning to the end of last season. The Saints squad at the end of the 2009/10 was stronger than both Leeds and Norwich as shown in the two games after all three sides had finished player purchases for 2009/10.

 

In any case...

 

Saints in 2009/10 earnt 83 points

Millwall in 2009/10 earnt 85 points

Leeds in 2009/10 earnt 86 points

...hardly huge gaps!

 

So better than you then.

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So better than you then.

 

Read the opening paragraph....

 

The Saints team in August 2009 is unrecognisable to the team that beat Norwich and Leeds after the January 2010 transfer window had closed. The Leeds and Norwich teams didn't evolve any where near as much as Saints did from the beginning to the end of last season. The Saints squad at the end of the 2009/10 was stronger than both Leeds and Norwich as shown in the two games after all three sides had finished player purchases for 2009/10.

 

Also a gap of 2 and 3 points is nothing. Especially as Saints had nothing to play for at the end of the season like Millwall and Leeds did. Nor did they have the entire squad rebuilt from August 2009 to January 2010, like Saints did. Nor did they have a 10 point deduction hanging round their necks decreasing prospects for the season.

Edited by Matthew Le God
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Should we make it to the Championship I think it will be quite disruptive to the team, and Nigel will have to get a shiny new bus with a few extra seats. Of the current squad I would say only the following are good enough:

 

Davis

Fonte

Harding

Schneiderlin

Lallana

Oxlade-Chamberlain

RLSGM

Barnard

 

Plus possibly Guly & Hammond

 

Not enough depth there, and bringing in Jonny Big Potatoes from the Prem will upset the applecart a little

 

Really not sure what to make of this comment. To suggest that getting promoted will have a negative effect on the team...I can't even think where to begin.

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Again, the whole 'let's cross that bridge when we come to it' response is one I'd probably go with. On the other hand, it's nice to dream about a time when we're not playing the likes of Rochdale and Dagenham & Redbridge...

 

Personally I can't wait to be shot of League One. I'm not for one second suggesting we deserve to be higher up, I'm very much a believer in the whole 'no team has a right to be anywhere' way of thinking, but this division is starting to wear a bit thin. The amount of postponements because clubs have poor facilities or antiquated means of staging fixtures really is bordering on unacceptable.

 

It's a good division this year in as much as there's one or two teams with financial clout, ourselves, Huddersfield, Brighton and Peterborough, which means there's a few (relatively) decent players on show and some fairly exciting football (our recent game with Peterborough whilst not being the result we wanted was a bit better than games like we had in the Championship, 1 - 1 with Crewe for example) isn't always far away. But beyond that there's not a lot to be enthusiastic about.

 

I would quite like to be going to places like Elland Road or the Riverside again, and the sooner the better. If it means we go up and spend next season simply consolidating, I don't think I'll have too many complaints. Anything but dropping back down here again.

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Without wishing to put a damper on procedings this thread could be construed as a little arrogant and somewhat premature.

 

I am sorry that you feel that this thread is arrogant and premature but if you look at the Championship Table you will notice that both Leeds and Norwich are in the playoffs.

 

So I was thinking whether it would be possible for SFC to be in the play offs next season not it is going to be easy to get to the PL

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I personally DON'T want to get into the Prem until it is given back to the Fans. It's an obscene entity populated by a considerable number of avaricious morons who are overpaid, overrated and controlled entirely by SKY for the benefit of SKY. Examples were seen yesterday of two PREM players who, in any other sport would be dismissed from the game for the violence inflicted on 'fellow' professionals. The responses of both Managers clearly illustrates their disregard for 'sportsmanship' in their words "It was accidental" and "He lost his head" I don't think I need to say anymore.

 

I agree 100%

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