Play-off watch

[TVOR]

Isn't it about more than a league position though? What they (Lincoln) certainly have done is kept up the interest from their fans! I doubt very much whether they would have had a 10000 crowd against Leyton Orient on Friday had they been sitting safely in mid table like us. They also took a respectable 724 to Carlisle yesterday...again probably higher than if they had been in 11th/12th position. Commercial revenues will be up, who knows they may have sold a few more season tickets for next season to fans who live in the hope that they might actually be playing in the Championship.

They are involved in exactly what the playoffs were meant to do, in keeping the season alive for more clubs than if it was a straight 4 up 4 down.

Its all if buts, maybes, and personal choices. I would chose a boring end to this season to ensure a better next season everyday. I would love it if we could have done both, but we are not in that position.

[the grumpy old man]

Anyway, having just read two pages of theoretical football did anyone watch the real game last night, Portsmouth v Derby? I thought it was a cracker especially given the conditions and a draw was a fair result, if both sides don't go up automatically I will be very surprised.

The only downside to the game was Aaron McLean's commentary - why does he have to talk so LOUD, it was so annoying. Please Sky, let's have Don Goodman or Andy Hinchcliffe in future.

[TPFKA Marvo]

With the exception of Ragdoll above who I think was replying directly to you post. Can you please point out who said it couldn't be done.

There's 6 or 7 on the very first page of this thread!

[TPFKA Marvo]

Its all if buts, maybes, and personal choices. I would chose a boring end to this season to ensure a better next season everyday. I would love it if we could have done both, but we are not in that position.

and prey tell me how have we ensured that?

[west stand oap]

It is easy to point to a player who has moved to another club and been successful and say we should have signed him, no telling if Joe Taylor would have had as much success here.
At the start of the season people were bemoaning than Admiral Muskwe had gone to Exeter and we should have signed him but he has not scored a single goal for them.
Another was Daniel Agyei who went to Leyton Orient and has only scored 4 goals and like Muskwe has spent much of the season injured.
Jack Marriott, who did not impress me when we played Fleetwood, went to Wrexham and can't get into their team.
Danny Hylton, we were crying out for the club to sign him 12 months before they did, how has that worked out?
So 1 in 5 of the players our supporters wanted has had some success at their chosen club, I don't think a 20% success rate is very impressive.

If Taylor had come here and scored goals it is highly unlikely we would be in Lincolns position. This year they have played 16, won 11, drawn 5, lost 0, scored 33, conceded 5. This year we have conceded 28 and adding the goals Taylor may have scored would not have made any difference to our goals conceded, we have 1 of the worst defensive records in the division. This is down to our awful record of injuries to our defenders and JB not being able to select a settled back line, some games not having a fit full back and having to play 4 centre backs.

Most seasons there is a club that comes with a late run and this season it is Lincoln but it still remains to be seen if it will be successful. Stevenage were in a much better position than us in January but have been on a very poor run and look like missing out and Blackpool have a lot to do if they are going to finish in the top 6.

[TVOR]

There's 6 or 7 on the very first page of this thread!

Just read the very first page and I counted, none, that said it couldnt be done.

We haven't ensured it. But we (in theory) have more money in the summer pot as we didn't spend it at Christmas. My opinion is different from yours. Neither are right, neither are wrong. They are both opinions to which there will never be an answer.

[Dan]

Can we close this please. We're going to be nowhere near the playoffs

I just came on to say the same thing but you beat me to it.

There’s two straight away 👀

[TVOR]

There’s two straight away 👀

We must both be reading with biased glasses on. I don't see either saying we couldn't do it.
Suggesting its unlikely so not worth the thread, and by extension,  the gamble at January.

[Winslow Lee]

Just read the very first page and I counted, none, that said it couldnt be done.

We haven't ensured it. But we (in theory) have more money in the summer pot as we didn't spend it at Christmas. My opinion is different from yours. Neither are right, neither are wrong. They are both opinions to which there will never be an answer.

I guess it depends on what the question is,

Is it possible for any team in Northamptons position or lower to make the play offs?

If Brady had been backed heavily in the window and likely signed Marriott and the other Fleetwood lad that we decided were too expensive would we have made the play offs? despite a lot of injuries and Mouldens poor form.

If Brady had been backed heavily in the window, had a crystal ball and made only good signings and not bought in Moulden or try to sign Marriott and we didn’t have a load of injuries could we have made the play offs?.

Is it wise to back Brady heavily in the window to chase the playoffs knowing the money comes out of next years budget?.


They are all very different questions. I said to Marvo there is no way Orient will make the playoffs but said nothing about Lincoln as they are two very different situations.

[TVOR]

I guess it depends on what the question is,

Is it possible for any team in Northamptons position or lower to make the play offs?

If Brady had been backed heavily in the window and likely signed Marriott and the other Fleetwood lad that we decided were too expensive would we have made the play offs? despite a lot of injuries and Mouldens poor form.

If Brady had been backed heavily in the window, had a crystal ball and made only good signings and not bought in Moulden or try to sign Marriott and we didn’t have a load of injuries could we have made the play offs?.

Is it wise to back Brady heavily in the window to chase the playoffs knowing the money comes out of next years budget?.


They are all very different questions. I said to Marvo there is no way Orient will make the playoffs but said nothing about Lincoln as they are two very different situations.

Some great questions and going to stop trying to make my point after this as im starting to bore myself! But these two questions sum it up for me.

Is it possible for any team in Northamptons position or lower to make the play offs? - Yes
Is it wise to back Brady heavily in the window to chase the playoffs knowing the money comes out of next years budget?. - IMO... No

[TPFKA Marvo]

Some great questions and going to stop trying to make my point after this as im starting to bore myself! But these two questions sum it up for me.

Is it possible for any team in Northamptons position or lower to make the play offs? - Yes
Is it wise to back Brady heavily in the window to chase the playoffs knowing the money comes out of next years budget?. - IMO... No

How do you know that? Say the gamble had paid off and we'd made a load of money from a play-off final? What if there wasn't any money anyway? If that was the case, it can't be added to next years budget.

Anyway, your first answer agrees with what I have said all along, it is only certain Northampton so-called supporters who say it was not possible.

[TPFKA Marvo]

I guess it depends on what the question is,

Is it possible for any team in Northamptons position or lower to make the play offs?

If Brady had been backed heavily in the window and likely signed Marriott and the other Fleetwood lad that we decided were too expensive would we have made the play offs? despite a lot of injuries and Mouldens poor form.

If Brady had been backed heavily in the window, had a crystal ball and made only good signings and not bought in Moulden or try to sign Marriott and we didn’t have a load of injuries could we have made the play offs?.

Is it wise to back Brady heavily in the window to chase the playoffs knowing the money comes out of next years budget?.


They are all very different questions. I said to Marvo there is no way Orient will make the playoffs but said nothing about Lincoln as they are two very different situations.

Look if 5 teams had all made the gamble to make the one remaining play-off spot, its bloody obvious 4 of them will fail. So from that point, to say well its not worth the gamble then is as about as defeatist as you can get.

Portsmouth, Bolton, Derby and Peterborough have all spent heavily to gain promotion, at least one of them wont make it, does that mean none of them should have bothered in the first place?

My gripe about this thread is that some of our so-called supporters had us down as failing even before the decision not to strengthen in January had even been made. Not only that, they seem quite pleased with themselves that we have failed. I reckon we'll be fighting relegation next season but I'll be happy to be proven wrong. I guess that's the basic difference between some of us.

[DavCobb]

We've got a better chance of reaching the play offs next season than we have this season. FACT. 

I think already predicting a relegation fight next season (when we are a very comfortable 11th) is a similar attitude to thinking we didn't have a chance of making the play offs.
Certainly bizarre in conjunction of thinking that adding a couple of players in Jan would have meant our chances of reaching the play offs would have been dramatically increased, not forgetting the slim pickings and lack of finances we have.
Won't have a clue on next season until half a dozen games in and a raft of new faces to learn.

Based on stats, history and probability of our success rate at leaving this division, the money was probably wisely kept in the pocket. 

18th this season, relegation fight next. Still, a stopped clock is right twice a day and it's safer to place your predictions at that end of the table. 

[TPFKA Marvo]

We've got a better chance of reaching the play offs next season than we have this season. FACT. 

I think already predicting a relegation fight next season (when we are a very comfortable 11th) is a similar attitude to thinking we didn't have a chance of making the play offs.
Certainly bizarre in conjunction of thinking that adding a couple of players in Jan would have meant our chances of reaching the play offs would have been dramatically increased, not forgetting the slim pickings and lack of finances we have.
Won't have a clue on next season until half a dozen games in and a raft of new faces to learn.

Based on stats, history and probability of our success rate at leaving this division, the money was probably wisely kept in the pocket. 

18th this season, relegation fight next. Still, a stopped clock is right twice a day and it's safer to place your predictions at that end of the table. 

If you do the same thing over and over again and each time get the same result, it's a fair assessment to think it will happen again the next time. It might not but in all likelihood it will. Having said that the bigger the gap between us and the relegation door this time means we can fall but not necessarily fall to the bottom. Had we finished 18th then yes, I think we'd have been nailed on for next season but 11th? That's a big safety margin. We often make it to the third season. Carr went from 6th to 20th before being relegated  and Wilson went from 18th to 20th. Atkins 4th to 22nd was the biggest drop of all. Of course Stuart Gray actually improved our position the second season so its not unheard of.

As for my predictions, you should recall I was assuring people we wouldn't go down this season when many people were pissing their pants early doors. That was based on experience and history. Why wouldn't I stick to such a reliable and proven formula?

[Winslow Lee]

As for my predictions, you should recall I was assuring people we wouldn't go down this season when many people were pissing their pants early doors.

Indeed, many were saying our budget almost guaranteed a return to league 2 but like you I believed there was every chance we could stay up.

[DavCobb]

It gets confusing because I’m sure there were previous ‘arguments’ about no one saying we’d get relegated.
One things for sure, there is plenty of knee jerking, grumpiness and clouded memories around here. Not surprising with an average age probably north of 50.
Probably best to stick with everyone being right/wrong sometimes. It’s just seems that being ‘right’ can outweigh anything else on occasion.
Considering what has gone on previously it’s fair to suggest our long term L1 prospects probably aren’t that promising. Let’s hope 2024/25 can start with optimism.

[Bingers]

Considering what has gone on previously it’s fair to suggest our long term L1 prospects probably aren’t that promising. Let’s hope 2024/25 can start with optimism.

I am optimistic that when we get relegated next season, as history suggests we surely will be, we can win promotion back to League One the following season, hopefully as run away Champions and having much more fun in the process than merely being mid-table and considering ourselves on the beach by early April.

Such is our destiny as a historical yo-yo club.

[Manwork04]

I am optimistic that when we get relegated next season, as history suggests we surely will be, we can win promotion back to League One the following season, hopefully as run away Champions and having much more fun in the process than merely being mid-table and considering ourselves on the beach by early April.

Such is our destiny as a historical yo-yo club.

That’s the spirit comrade, your becoming as miserable as me.

[Bingers]

That’s the spirit comrade, your becoming as miserable as me.

No, not miserable, looking forward to the next promotion season, which is really unlikely to happen in League One. Sometimes you have to cope with the storms to enjoy the rainbows that follow them.

[DavCobb]

No, not miserable, looking forward to the next promotion season, which is really unlikely to happen in League One. Sometimes you have to cope with the storms to enjoy the rainbows that follow them.

Jeez Bingers, wishing your life away. Some poor sods will have seen their final promotion.
You’re right though, our grandkids have plenty of L2 promotions to look forward to. If they are really lucky they might get a non-league bounce back thrown in.