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dunsteral

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We obviously have some fans who think we can make the playoffs this season, as well as some who think it is a step too far.

What took me a little by surprise last night was Nigel saying on the radio that tomorrow (today) we have to get back to the

task of trying to get in to the playoffs, which is reassuring that his frame of mind is that it is a possibility.

I think we can all look forward to a tremendous last 13 games and we are obviously going to give it all we have got.

Strap yourselves in.

 

 

 

 

 

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2 minutes ago, dunsteral said:

We obviously have some fans who think we can make the playoffs this season, as well as some who think it is a step too far.

What took me a little by surprise last night was Nigel saying on the radio that tomorrow (today) we have to get back to the

task of trying to get in to the playoffs, which is reassuring that his frame of mind is that it is a possibility.

I think we can all look forward to a tremendous last 13 games and we are obviously going to give it all we have got.

Strap yourselves in.

 

Why is it a surprise? The Championship has always been the primary aim.

City are 10 points away from the top six. That’s an ideal position to be in given our league form since Boxing Day with 13 games to go.

Three points at Cardiff on Saturday will see the undefeated league run continue.

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It’s an almost zero chance for me. We’ve been on an incredible run lasting over 2 months……and we’re still in the bottom half.

A top 10 finish would be great, I predicted around 12th-14th before the season started I think but even with an ok last couple months I think we’d still be 3 or 4 points from the playoffs.

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20 minutes ago, dunsteral said:

We obviously have some fans who think we can make the playoffs this season, as well as some who think it is a step too far.

What took me a little by surprise last night was Nigel saying on the radio that tomorrow (today) we have to get back to the

task of trying to get in to the playoffs, which is reassuring that his frame of mind is that it is a possibility.

I think we can all look forward to a tremendous last 13 games and we are obviously going to give it all we have got.

Strap yourselves in.

 

 

 

 

 

Sorry, not having a go but what would you expect him to say? ‘ Yeah, lets get these remaining games out of the way and we can then go on holiday’!

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2 minutes ago, ralphindevon said:

It’s an almost zero chance for me. We’ve been on an incredible run lasting over 2 months……and we’re still in the bottom half.

A top 10 finish would be great, I predicted around 12th-14th before the season started I think but even with an ok last couple months I think we’d still be 3 or 4 points from the playoffs.

I agree, too many teams above us and we'd have to average over 2 points a game and hope that others lose form.

Although a lot have played a game more - 4th, 5th, and 6th for example.

Top 10 would be really good and give a platform for next season, but I think around where we are now is where we'll end up imo.

 

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15 minutes ago, bcfc01 said:

I agree, too many teams above us and we'd have to average over 2 points a game and hope that others lose form.

Although a lot have played a game more - 4th, 5th, and 6th for example.

Top 10 would be really good and give a platform for next season, but I think around where we are now is where we'll end up imo.

 

I think that's maybe a little pessimistic, I think a top ten finish is likely unless we suddenly become inconsistent again, if we in any way carry on our recent form 8th or 9th is entirely possible and miracles can and do sometimes happen.

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Nige says we play to win each game

If we win every game for the rest of the season we will probably make the play offs

Kind of makes sense him saying that - plus this  was the objective given to him at the start of his tenure and a challenge would set us up nicely for next season

10-12th for me would be very credible 

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From Pearsons point of view he will want us to keep pushing and keep performing. If he says we can't go up and can't go down then there could be some worry of players being "on the beach' already.
Give them a target, set them a task and push them to try. Makes sense to me, hopefully means the season won't peter out and we could see some good games.

FWIT, I think it's a step too far. But why not try.

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Can’t help but think last night was perfect prep for Cardiff. For the benefit of Cardiff, that is.

I can’t help feel a bit ‘after the Lord Mayor’s show’, plus with the unbeaten run ending, and being run ragged for most of the 90 mins…

I’ll be very impressed with the team if we beat Cardiff. 

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I must be a very pessimistic supporter as after years of disappointment, the sooner we can get to 50 points then I’ll be happy.  Once safety is achieved then anything else is a bonus and squad will be massively stretched with suspensions and potential injuries. Now next season though?

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18 minutes ago, Robin101 said:

Can’t help but think last night was perfect prep for Cardiff. For the benefit of Cardiff, that is.

I can’t help feel a bit ‘after the Lord Mayor’s show’, plus with the unbeaten run ending, and being run ragged for most of the 90 mins…

I’ll be very impressed with the team if we beat Cardiff. 

The worry for me is not just the physical fatigue but also mental/emotional. With a short recovery time now, the players might just be a bit fooked.

I think this is part of why Nige was downplaying the occasion a little; to make it less emotionally stimulating, so to speak.

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If we win on Saturday against Cardiff, that will be 20 points from the last 10 games.

Now forget about how many teams are between 6th and us amd who has to play who, if we can do the same from the following 10 and then pick up a win from the remaining 2 games, that will see us on 70 points.

70 points will be enough to give us a chance of the play offs. It may end up being not enough but we just need to concentrate on ourselves and what we can do.

The rest is out of our control and, as Nige would say, there is no point wasting too much time or energy on those things.

Edited by citywest30
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5 hours ago, ScottishRed said:

Sorry, not having a go but what would you expect him to say? ‘ Yeah, lets get these remaining games out of the way and we can then go on holiday’!

I expect him to say that we go again and we've got the league to concentrate on. But I was surprised that he actually mentioned the playoffs without any prompting. Normally he is quite reticent on city's progress. 

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1 minute ago, E.G.Red said:

I expect him to say that we go again and we've got the league to concentrate on. But I was surprised that he actually mentioned the playoffs without any prompting. Normally he is quite reticent on city's progress. 

Yeah I think he's mentioned that the players talk about that but never himself.

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5 hours ago, 1960maaan said:

From Pearsons point of view he will want us to keep pushing and keep performing. If he says we can't go up and can't go down then there could be some worry of players being "on the beach' already.
Give them a target, set them a task and push them to try. Makes sense to me, hopefully means the season won't peter out and we could see some good games.

FWIT, I think it's a step too far. But why not try.

Good post.

NP wants to keep the playing and improving on current levels. Do you say we are going have a go at play offs keeps mentality right and no " we nearly on the beach" mind sets. Does make us a more attractive club to sign for too. I worry about injury's and fatigue in all this. But let's just enjoy the journey.

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57 minutes ago, pillred said:

Slightly off topic but could anyone tell me why the Blackpool game on the 11th is at 12:30? it must make getting here from Blackpool a bit of an ordeal for their fans being so early.

It’s live on Sky.

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10 hours ago, dunsteral said:

We obviously have some fans who think we can make the playoffs this season, as well as some who think it is a step too far.

What took me a little by surprise last night was Nigel saying on the radio that tomorrow (today) we have to get back to the

task of trying to get in to the playoffs, which is reassuring that his frame of mind is that it is a possibility.

I think we can all look forward to a tremendous last 13 games and we are obviously going to give it all we have got.

Strap yourselves in.

 

 

 

 

 

"He Who Dares Rodders, He Who Dares" :online2long: :whistle2:

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12 hours ago, Robbored said:

Why is it a surprise? The Championship has always been the primary aim.

City are 10 points away from the top six. That’s an ideal position to be in given our league form since Boxing Day with 13 games to go.

Three points at Cardiff on Saturday will see the undefeated league run continue.

I mean, we were 7 points off the play-offs on Boxing Day, now we're 10. By that logic it is anything but an ideal position :laugh:

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1 hour ago, StefanDimz said:

We were 8 points off the playoffs on Boxing day. Now we are 10 indeed - but with game in hand.

and that is after 9 games unbeaten in the league, which just goes to show that talk of reaching the play-offs is pie-in-the-sky. That said it's right to aim for as high a finish as possible and a top ten place is certainly on the cards IF we can maintain our recent good form. 

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Had we not played a game extra on boxing day as well? Win our game in hand and we're effectively the same points behind, but played the same rather than 1 more.

As a caveat to the above, I think it's very unlikely we'll get there.

Out of interest, how far behind were we after the two subsequent draws post WBA? Would be interesting to know how much we've caught up from there, rather than after WBA.

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I mean its not impossible but it won't happen. I'll honestly be buzzing with a top 10/12 finish and a positive goal difference. It will be interesting to see how we react to our first defeat, not including the Man City one as that was to be expected. Positive result at Cardiff is needed, don't want them gaining anything on us. 

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17 hours ago, Robbored said:

Why is it a surprise? The Championship has always been the primary aim.

City are 10 points away from the top six. That’s an ideal position to be in given our league form since Boxing Day with 13 games to go.

Three points at Cardiff on Saturday will see the undefeated league run continue.

It's "only" 10 points, but it's actually further away from the playoffs than it was at the start of our unbeaten run.

Xmas Day we were 7 points off the play offs.

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12 minutes ago, Red from afar said:

Had we not played a game extra on boxing day as well? Win our game in hand and we're effectively the same points behind, but played the same rather than 1 more.

As a caveat to the above, I think it's very unlikely we'll get there.

Out of interest, how far behind were we after the two subsequent draws post WBA? Would be interesting to know how much we've caught up from there, rather than after WBA.

https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-championship/01-january-2023/

 

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1 hour ago, old_eastender said:

and that is after 9 games unbeaten in the league, which just goes to show that talk of reaching the play-offs is pie-in-the-sky. That said it's right to aim for as high a finish as possible and a top ten place is certainly on the cards IF we can maintain our recent good form. 

THat's where unbeaten runs are a bit of a false economy

We've won 4 and drawn 5 so 17 points out of an available 27

If we'd turned even 2 of those draws into wins but lost 3 games we wouldn't have a "run" to speak of but we'd be better off points wise

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We need to go on a winning run, not just an unbeaten run.

Too many draws - many from winning positions - are our Achilles heel. I think I'm right in saying that Blackburn has lost more than us but are firmly in the play offs.

It's not impossible, but requires us to go on a long winning run and probably still hope that teams above us stumble badly.

Edit: just read @MarcusX and @TheReds posts which say the same.

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Are we likely to reach the play offs? , probably not! 
 

Should the players believe they can?, definitely 

Should the supporters get behind them in the attempt? of course!

Are some people stating the obvious about the chances? Every bloody day!

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14 minutes ago, bcfc01 said:

I don't think you can really compare points gaps from earlier parts of the season. There were a lot less points on offer for all teams so the gaps are always going to be closer as that table proves. Even Blackpool on the relegation zone we're only 12 points off Sunderland. 

Blackburns record at that point does look freaky though. 

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14 hours ago, Robin101 said:

Can’t help but think last night was perfect prep for Cardiff. For the benefit of Cardiff, that is.

I can’t help feel a bit ‘after the Lord Mayor’s show’, plus with the unbeaten run ending, and being run ragged for most of the 90 mins…

I’ll be very impressed with the team if we beat Cardiff. 

I think Mehmeti will be very important on Saturday for this reason - should be fresh and raring to go, and the sort of player who can then inspire the rest of the side if he gets going.

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4 minutes ago, Cyderman said:

I think Mehmeti will be very important on Saturday for this reason - should be fresh and raring to go, and the sort of player who can then inspire the rest of the side if he gets going.

Yes, in my mind I'm pinning a lot of hopes on Mehmeti over the next few weeks. I'm sure Cornick will show his worth as he settles in too.

The players will be mentally and physically shattered, but hopefully buzzing from the experience still. The lack of rotation options in the centre of defence and midfield is a concern for the remainder of this season.

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For context etc. Following our Boxing Day defeat and there were further games in the round on Tuesday and maybe even Wednesday.

7 points off having played a game more. As set against now where we are 10 points off but we now have a game in hand on 6th and on many above us.

The margin for error as far as we are concerned is so very thin, which brings a pressure in itself.

Screenshot_20230302-102210_Chrome.thumb.jpg.a582f676d32559b8de8d1cfe1073ec2c.jpg

Screenshot_20230302-101833_Chrome.thumb.jpg.cf5cb30ae7999592d02929dbd9edd94e.jpg

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Looking at it coldly. 10 points behind Luton, we could quite possibly catch them, we've picked up 5 points on them over the last 5/6 games. That's a very simple way to focus, but. There are another six teams we have to overtake too, and only 13 games to go.
Add a small squad, with injuries , very few options to rotate.
It would take a minor miracle for everything to fall into place , not impossible , but massively unlikely.

Great to dream, but I think that's all it is, this year at least. 

I just hope the team go out and act like we can make it, keep it interesting for the rest of the season.

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24 minutes ago, 1960maaan said:

Looking at it coldly. 10 points behind Luton, we could quite possibly catch them, we've picked up 5 points on them over the last 5/6 games. That's a very simple way to focus, but. There are another six teams we have to overtake too, and only 13 games to go.
Add a small squad, with injuries , very few options to rotate.
It would take a minor miracle for everything to fall into place , not impossible , but massively unlikely.

Great to dream, but I think that's all it is, this year at least. 

I just hope the team go out and act like we can make it, keep it interesting for the rest of the season.

I don’t see how SkyBet can have us at 33/1 to finish in the top six and have Luton 8/13. I get that’s where punters’ money is going, but we could be ahead of them if we win our next four. 

Talk of the play-offs is unlikely, but stranger things have happened and I’d rather Nige dangled that carrot to stop the players coasting into the summer. That’s all this is, for now. 

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1 minute ago, tin said:

I don’t see how SkyBet can have us at 33/1 to finish in the top six and have Luton 8/13. I get that’s where punters’ money is going, but we could be ahead of them if we win our next four. 

Talk of the play-offs is unlikely, but stranger things have happened and I’d rather Nige dangled that carrot to stop the players coasting into the summer. That’s all this is, for now. 

They are 10 points ahead, and points in the bag are key. They don't tend to speculate too much, though they try and tempt you to lump on that 33/1. Luton are in pole position , it counts for a lot. we "could" win our next 4 but we might not. Bookies don't take risks on maybes.

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1 hour ago, MarcusX said:

It's "only" 10 points, but it's actually further away from the playoffs than it was at the start of our unbeaten run.

Xmas Day we were 7 points off the play offs.

And?…………:dunno:

The Championship changes after every round of matches Marcus - City are currently handy placed for a top six push.

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I don't think it will happen, but the main thing this season was to avoid the drop and in 2 or 3 weeks time hopefully we'll be able to breathe easily knowing that we mathematically cannot be drawn into a relegation battle.

Lots of positives to build on for next season.

You can certainly feel that the mood has changed for the better. It's nice to look like we're enjoying the end of a season ride for a change.

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22 hours ago, dunsteral said:

We obviously have some fans who think we can make the playoffs this season, as well as some who think it is a step too far.

What took me a little by surprise last night was Nigel saying on the radio that tomorrow (today) we have to get back to the

task of trying to get in to the playoffs, which is reassuring that his frame of mind is that it is a possibility.

I think we can all look forward to a tremendous last 13 games and we are obviously going to give it all we have got.

Strap yourselves in.

*16

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4 hours ago, Cyderman said:

I think Mehmeti will be very important on Saturday for this reason - should be fresh and raring to go, and the sort of player who can then inspire the rest of the side if he gets going.

I think so too. It was a real shame they we didn't get to see him against ManC. I'm not saying we would have won necessarily but I think they would have been quite rattled by how he can link with others and we look more threatening.

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3 hours ago, Robbored said:

And?…………:dunno:

The Championship changes after every round of matches Marcus - City are currently handy placed for a top six push.

What do you mean "and?". Quite clear from my post - 9 unbeaten in the league but further away from the playoffs than we were at Xmas.

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9 minutes ago, MarcusX said:

What do you mean "and?". Quite clear from my post - 9 unbeaten in the league but further away from the playoffs than we were at Xmas.

‘and?’ means ‘so what if City are further away now than we were at Xmas?’

Its means nothing - as I said the table changes after every round of Championship fixtures.

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4 minutes ago, Super said:

13 games left we probably have to win 9 and we've won 11 all season..........!

Extrapolated, 6th place will be 74-75 pts.

54/34 games thusfar...9-4-2? We are in strong form but which side above us has collapsed yet? Can't think of any- QPR obviously bit they're below and have been in freefall.

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Since Boxing Day ie from Millwall away to present.

Us- 9 games, 17 points.

Preston- 10 games, 12 points.

West Brom- 9 games, 16 points.

Coventry- 11 games, 16 points.

Sunderland- 10 games, 15 points.

Watford- 10 games, 13 points.

Norwich- 10 games, 17 points.

Luton- 11 games, 21 points.

Millwall- 11 games, 19 points.

Blackburn- 10 games, 16 points.

Some teams have caught up on gsmes postponed- ie Luton v Millwall and Coventry v Huddersfield from August then away to Preston from an FA Cup rearrangement.

Our form in of itself is pretty good, the problem is we would need an insanely good run to close the gap, the points spread. It just isn't really feasible.

Edited by Mr Popodopolous
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27 minutes ago, Super said:

I doubt any team in the league will win 9 games between now and the end of the season.

It might not necessary to win 9 games. Other Championship results can make a lot of difference to the league standings and currently City are performing well. Other clubs will aware of our good form.

You never know…..………:cool2:

It great to be with a shout tho - just what we fans need to keep the season interesting.

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6 minutes ago, Robbored said:

It might not necessary to win 9 games. Other Championship results can make a lot of difference to the league standings and currently City are performing well. Other clubs will aware of our good form.

You never know…..………:cool2:

It great to be with a shout tho - just what we fans need to keep the season interesting.

Interested to know how you think we’ll make up at least 10 points on sides in the top six without us winning a lot of games…

Like so much you post, this makes absolutely no sense.

The form of those in 4th, 5th, 6th & 7th is actually broadly similar to ours, certainly not different enough to suggest any possibility of us closing a 10 point gap over 13 games.

You’ll probably reply by saying anyone can beat anyone, I already know that, but someone still gets 3 points as a result, don’t they?

We have virtually no chance of making the playoffs.

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