I don't think it's going to happen

JonnyHistory said:
It would be a hell of a result given the context,

Lost probably the best striker in the league in January.
One of the worst injury records in the league, in fact one of the worse seasons I can remember for injuries.
Having to come from behind at seasons end to make the playoffs.
Likely to face one of the best squads in the league in the playoffs if we make it.

If we got promoted Carrick and the players would deserve major credit.
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I feel like some of the injuries must be through something we are doing in training though. It can't just be bad luck.
 
Block21 said:
I feel like some of the injuries must be through something we are doing in training though. It can't just be bad luck.
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Agreed, it seems to be constant over the last two seasons, feels like something not right in recovery or training .. I feel like a lot of the time we don't seem as fit as other teams, especially in the last 10 minutes of games (last night being an exception).
 
I'd expect the usual "not bother turning up in the first round of the play offs". Unlikely, given where the teams are but I fear the scenario where we have to play Coventry three times in a row again. 6th seems the best, so it'd be the loser of Leeds, Burnley and Sheffield United, and they'd probably thump us.
 
Nano said:
Not really. We just have to win 1 match more then Coventry or WBA. Its looking like a sub-70 point 5th place finish this season which is super low. 6th is probably going to be even lower. We only need 5 wins from 9 to get 70 points. We can probably get there with 68 which means it can be done with 4 wins from 9, even more likely if one of those 4 is against Coventry.

Our form over the last 5 games would be enough but it's likely we'll be playing a team like Burnley who will have been in eve better form.
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I don't think the end points total is relevant at this stage. We have to better the performance of likely 3 other teams including Blackburn and then stay ahead of Sheff Wed, Millwall and Watford. That's going to take a good run of form.
 
The fact we are still in touch after a horrible run of form highlights to me our inability to scrap for points, turn a few of our narrow defeats into draws and we would be in the box seat. In the five game losing streak we could and should have had at least three points and that's without dissecting games earlier in the season where we threw away winning positions, three up at home to Wednesday and the horror show after Conway's penalty miss at Norwich. Such is the life of a Boro fan, but tbf I assume most other fans would say similar!
 
Block21 said:
But, imagine if we did get promoted.

Most of us ( not all) have really struggled with the team and manager this season. It would be a bit of a mad one to reflect on but hey , we take promotion if we can get it!

Reason I'm starting the thread because no matter how i try spin it the truth is we are only 3 points of a play off place and we have to play the team currently in 6th on the last day to play so it is there for us for a play off finish.

I have no trust in this team at all but I would absolutely be delighted if we manage to find some consistency and end up finding a winning forumla a bit by default with Howson and Borges at the back and Iling Jr at left back.

Let's see how it goes. If we don't reach our targets then of course a change is going to happen but it's probably best now if we put all negativity behind us and get behind the team for a final push. Footballs a funny old game.
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I think if we got promoted it would be probably the strangest season in all my years attending. I suppose there would be a decent run-in for that to happen, which would somewhat mask the memory of the inconsistency that came before. I think the same would apply to a couple of other teams if they managed it, notably WBA or Blackburn. Not so much Coventry as they were on a proper charge up the table prior to last night.
 
Fattyfoggon said:
According to this table we have the easiest run of the the teams challenging for the play offs

https://www.reddit.com/r/Championship/comments/1j8o3r5/clubs_remaining_fixture_difficulty_based_on
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If I'm honest, I think Norwich are borderline out of it already, there's only their GD to be used as a tie-breaker that gives them the very slimmest margin in my mind. A point less and they'd be gone conpletely.

If Watford get beat tonight or Millwall fail to win (against Leeds) I'd put them out of the equation as well.

Not that they couldn't do it on paper, but with regards to us we have to accept that if any of those 3 jumps us we've hugely underachieved in the run in and rightfully won't be in the playoffs as they're not going to beat the form of all 6 other teams and to the large degree needed, they'd be scraping 6th by a miracle.

The key part is bettering the form of 4 of the other 5 teams in the mix (or 3 and on a par with the Owls should they fare better than some) which is tricky but not impossible as all of them can blow hot and cold.
 
Block21 said:
But, imagine if we did get promoted.

Most of us ( not all) have really struggled with the team and manager this season. It would be a bit of a mad one to reflect on but hey , we take promotion if we can get it!

Reason I'm starting the thread because no matter how i try spin it the truth is we are only 3 points of a play off place and we have to play the team currently in 6th on the last day to play so it is there for us for a play off finish.

I have no trust in this team at all but I would absolutely be delighted if we manage to find some consistency and end up finding a winning forumla a bit by default with Howson and Borges at the back and Iling Jr at left back.

Let's see how it goes. If we don't reach our targets then of course a change is going to happen but it's probably best now if we put all negativity behind us and get behind the team for a final push. Footballs a funny old game.
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As fans, we expected so much more this season and be one of the teams that are pushing for automatic promotion. The injuries and poor defeats put paid to any hope we had of that, but somehow, we are still able to make a playoff place. Similar to @Otto42, I can't help but look at the points we have thrown away and think a playoff place should be cemented by now.

For once, the international break is coming at a good time for us and should help to get our injured players back on the pitch. If we can go into the games with more or less a full squad and show the team commitment we showed last night, with us working as a team instead of individuals, then why can't we be the team that comes with a late charge? Many other teams have done it in the past.

It is the hope that kills us all.
 
PensionerCorner said:
Beat Wilder in the semis, face Mogga in the final? That would be quite the end to the season!
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Wilder in the Semis Sunderland in the final?

I’ve mentioned previously similarity’s in seasons gone.. most specifically Tony Mowbray and genuinely rating him as a manager and feeling that our fans didn’t give him as much credit as he deserved.. I was asking for his ‘Josef Varga moment’ - when Karanka took over it seemed to me that it was that one change that made the difference and we started picking up points again with a core of the team Mowbray remaining through promotion and into the premier league.

Maybe Illing Junior was Michael Carrick’s ‘Josef Varga Moment’?

Fine margins. I also applauded one posters observation that bringing in Iheanaccho felt very similar to Neil Warnock bringing in Yannick Bolasie. But what if? Yannick Bolasie broke down through injury and was unable to contribute as much as we had have hoped. Iheannacho is getting sharper and sharper with every game.. what if this time it works.

Both Tony Pulis and Jonathan Woodgate’s best moments as managers for us came when their hands were forced through injury.. with Pulis it was a change in formation that allowed the players to break free of the anti football he was forcing down our necks. With Jonathan Woodgate it was a similar situation that allowed him to get away from himself and perhaps his insecurities as a new manager.. he put his faith in some young academy talent and our fortunes changed as a result.. we had that extra bit of energy and uncertainty that allowed his system to flourish.

Mowbray, Warnock, Pulis, Woodgate.. why not complete the pentavirate with Steve McClaren a very well respected coach who had fans frustrated to the point of throwing their season ticket at him!

One of the most successful periods in our clubs history! Carrick reminds me of McClaren in some ways and the situations we have all seen before.. but what if.. what if it’s different this time? The Varga moment comes early, the Bolasie signing works out, our hand is forced through injury and the manager that seems to have frustrated our fan base of late just happens to pull off one of the greatest seasons in our clubs history.

Winning is hard, success is always unlikely.. but unlikely things happen.

Make the play offs by the skin of our teeth on the last day of the season against perennial party poopers Coventry would be a success indeed. Walloping that Whopper Wilder would be a sight to behold hold.

and some thing that has been teasing the imagination for a while now.. the prospect of facing Sunderland at Wembley in the biggest non Derby clash the country has ever seen.. well. THAT would be something.. and I’d be hard pressed to find any fan Sunderland or Boro that wouldn’t consider a win in those circumstances to be the stuff of legend.
 
Humpty said:
I don't think the end points total is relevant at this stage. We have to better the performance of likely 3 other teams including Blackburn and then stay ahead of Sheff Wed, Millwall and Watford. That's going to take a good run of form.
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You are correct that end points don't matter, I was just using them as an indication that we are up against other teams that are as inconsistent as we are. I.e we don't need a great run of form because we only have to be marginally better than other teams like us. We could lose a third of our remaining games and make the playoffs.
 
newyddion said:
Wilder in the Semis Sunderland in the final?

I’ve mentioned previously similarity’s in seasons gone.. most specifically Tony Mowbray and genuinely rating him as a manager and feeling that our fans didn’t give him as much credit as he deserved.. I was asking for his ‘Josef Varga moment’ - when Karanka took over it seemed to me that it was that one change that made the difference and we started picking up points again with a core of the team Mowbray remaining through promotion and into the premier league.

Maybe Illing Junior was Michael Carrick’s ‘Josef Varga Moment’?

Fine margins. I also applauded one posters observation that bringing in Iheanaccho felt very similar to Neil Warnock bringing in Yannick Bolasie. But what if? Yannick Bolasie broke down through injury and was unable to contribute as much as we had have hoped. Iheannacho is getting sharper and sharper with every game.. what if this time it works.

Both Tony Pulis and Jonathan Woodgate’s best moments as managers for us came when their hands were forced through injury.. with Pulis it was a change in formation that allowed the players to break free of the anti football he was forcing down our necks. With Jonathan Woodgate it was a similar situation that allowed him to get away from himself and perhaps his insecurities as a new manager.. he put his faith in some young academy talent and our fortunes changed as a result.. we had that extra bit of energy and uncertainty that allowed his system to flourish.

Mowbray, Warnock, Pulis, Woodgate.. why not complete the pentavirate with Steve McClaren a very well respected coach who had fans frustrated to the point of throwing their season ticket at him!

One of the most successful periods in our clubs history! Carrick reminds me of McClaren in some ways and the situations we have all seen before.. but what if.. what if it’s different this time? The Varga moment comes early, the Bolasie signing works out, our hand is forced through injury and the manager that seems to have frustrated our fan base of late just happens to pull off one of the greatest seasons in our clubs history.

Winning is hard, success is always unlikely.. but unlikely things happen.

Make the play offs by the skin of our teeth on the last day of the season against perennial party poopers Coventry would be a success indeed. Walloping that Whopper Wilder would be a sight to behold hold.

and some thing that has been teasing the imagination for a while now.. the prospect of facing Sunderland at Wembley in the biggest non Derby clash the country has ever seen.. well. THAT would be something.. and I’d be hard pressed to find any fan Sunderland or Boro that wouldn’t consider a win in those circumstances to be the stuff of legend.
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Perhaps Borges playing left centre back is the Varga moment? Illing Jr is showing in his true position why he’s rated by big clubs, his position is wing back rather than full back and against tougher sides than QPR we still need to sacrifice one of our forward players for either right wing back or another holding midfielder. Would love to see how either McCabe or Dede match up. Quite telling last night when McCabe seemed the natural option for Azaz he put on Giles. Btw your man Burgzorg looks like he could nail that right forward role.
 
I was looking at Bristol City's remaining fixtures last night and thinking what a hard run in they had. We've got to play both Blackburn and Coventry so it's still largely in our hands if we can do well against them. My worry though is that there will be more no show/gutless performances a la Swansea, Bristol, Sheffield, Preston, Portsmouth etc. Already worried about Luton. They will make it a scrap and we are about silky football. If a side can stop our football then we don't scrap well, we roll over.
 
Humpty said:
I don't get that mindset at all. Firstly we wouldn't start the season with the set of players. The squad would be completely different. Secondly at least we'd have the Premier League money to come back down and seriously start to build. It's better than the alternative which is hovering in perpetual mediocrity in the Championship.
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Eh? I never said we would start the season with those players. But I would certainly fear the worst looking at the squad we have now.

The jump from Championship to Premier League is the biggest it's ever been and is only getting bigger, so the task of staying up is harder than ever.

Secondly, I even said I'd much rather go up and have virtually no chance of survival, than not go up at all - purely for financial reasons.
 
Our form would have to change completely to keep in touch with the top six.

I’m not sure now ( and I’d been so certain all season !) oh well…
 
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