Avoid The Play Offs

[glenroyal]

I would rather finish 7th this year than make the final and lose again........

I'd rather make the final and win 3rd time lucky ...
(Don't count the Cardiff fiasco - we won't have the Pardew / Caskey / Butler / Forster soap-opera to contend with.)
... but automatic is still a target. Many a slip.

[who are ya?]

A real Reading fan would not have even considered it a, good day.

What about a real reading fan who has their priorities right? I had a cracking day out with my mates, sadly there was a rough patch in the middle but generally I'd rate the day as a whole as a 9

Well said that man

If you got the supporters spakka bus there, didn't get drunk, then went str8 home to sulk I can see why it was a shit day.

I had a cracking day, we lost, it hurt, I got over it.

[melonhead]

im not over it- but i have buried it deep, and am in a pretty complete state of denial that it ever happened, so its cool

[Ian Royal]

Can't say I really enjoyed it. Shambles meeting my mum and nephew in london. Crap beer in the stadium. Terrible first half, superb fight back and demoralising defeat. Depressing journey home.


But I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

[who are ya?]

im not over it- but i have buried it deep, and am in a pretty complete state of denial that it ever happened, so its cool

Brendymelon, it happened! Bottling this kind of thing up is not good for your health.

And you definitely was there because I spotted you in the pub beforehand *no stalko*

[Vision]

Presumably those people that wouldn't bother going to a play-off final as we will lose wouldn't, or indeed didn't, go to most Premier League games as popular opinion was/is that we'll get whupped most weeks.

I just don't get it. Would people really not go to a game simply because they thought we'd lose it?

If so, how the oxf*rd have you ended up supporting Reading??

[Magnus]

*In* for another day trip to Wembley.

In sympathy with the post above, result completely irrelevant.

[melonhead]

im not over it- but i have buried it deep, and am in a pretty complete state of denial that it ever happened, so its cool

Brendymelon, it happened! Bottling this kind of thing up is not good for your health.

And you definitely was there because I spotted you in the pub beforehand *no stalko*

its all coming back

[Wizard]

Presumably those people that wouldn't bother going to a play-off final as we will lose wouldn't, or indeed didn't, go to most Premier League games as popular opinion was/is that we'll get whupped most weeks.

I just don't get it. Would people really not go to a game simply because they thought we'd lose it?

If so, how the oxf*rd have you ended up supporting Reading??

It's not that I think we will lose. It's coz I don't want to have to watch us lose again if we do.

Being underdogs and losing =/= losing the biggest match in the football league.

[Mr Angry]

I'd not be able to make either semi-final, but would be able to get back for the final itself, and despite our track record, I'd still go to a Championship Play-Off Final; as its meant to be the most valuable game in Club football, its an event. If your team is there, it makes it even more of an event.

Last season was a brilliant day spoilt by the result; remembering that 2nd half comeback and Jem's shot hitting the post a 3-2 still makes the hairs on the back of my neck tingle. Do I want to go through all of that again??

Hell yeah!

[The Goat was fed]

Knowing how epically depressed I get after bad results (see Premier League Years 2007-08 for confirmation) I've got a bit of sympathy with the above BUT...

Imagine if we did actually win a Play-off final - it would be immense. So as much as you will likely hear me say "I'm never going to Wembley again" in the immediate aftermath of a devastating defeat, reality is that I will be there again because I'm buggered if I'm going to miss the one we actually win!

[sandman]

No, I shoot at him with a rifle. Fortunately for him, I’m as bad a shot as he is.

So is ALF.

[grey_squirrel]

'Kin 'ell!

Can we not wait til the end of April before fantasizing about this?!?!?!?

[West Stand Man]

There was an interesting article on R5Live tonight about how West Ham fans are considerably happier being at the top of the Championship than they were at the bottom of the PL, yet they will fight to get back up to that nightmare again.

I think I can see that logic. There is something more satisfying about a top of the Champs season over a week in week out struggle in the PL. For that reason I wasn't too gutted about the P-O defeat last year. (and it was a great afternoon out in N London)

[Snowball]

No, I shoot at him with a rifle. Fortunately for him, I’m as bad a shot as he is.

So is ALF.

Alf, so far, in the Championship is a much worse shot than Church (on bare stats)

THIS SEASON he is a goal every 5.7 chances compared to Church's 6/25 = 4.2

He was ON FIRE in his first few games this season at League 2 Rotherham
needing only 9 shots for his four goals. Had he managed the same ratio with
RFC he would be on 16-17 goals!

That suggests that comparing League 2 ith the Championship is pretty silly

His overall Total-ON-OFF-HW-Goals record is

2011-12 034 20 13 1 06 5.67 Championship
2011-12 009 05 04 0 04 2.25 League 2
2010-11 116 55 59 2 23 5.00 League 2
2009-10 110 63 44 2 25 4.40 League 2

2009-12 269 143 120 5 58 4.64

Church is (Championshp Only)

2011-12 025 16 09 0 06 4.17
2010-11 043 25 16 2 04
2009-10 055 24 27 4 10 5.50

2009-12 123 65 52 6 20 6.15

He had aa stinker last season, but WITH it, he's not much worse than ALF in the Championship

Looking at Church's first season and this one he is 80 shots for 16 goals = 5 shots per goal. That's Shane Long country

[Ian Royal]

I think the PL is good for 3 or 4 seasons, if you can manage a decent finish or two in there. But the idea of a continual slog for survival every season, with no hope of every achieving anything remotely decent or being able to relax for the last month or so of the season, like Wolves seem to have had strikes me as dire.

I'd rather go up, have a good time and then crash back with a bang than limp on interminably with no prospect of joy other than the end of season gasp of relief as the trap door shuts before you fall through it. One or two relegation survivals would probably be satisfying and cathartic. But 3 or more in a row? Yeurgh.

[Snowball]

I think the PL is good for 3 or 4 seasons, if you can manage a decent finish or two in there. But the idea of a continual slog for survival every season, with no hope of every achieving anything remotely decent or being able to relax for the last month or so of the season, like Wolves seem to have had strikes me as dire.

I'd rather go up, have a good time and then crash back with a bang than limp on interminably with no prospect of joy other than the end of season gasp of relief as the trap door shuts before you fall through it. One or two relegation survivals would probably be satisfying and cathartic. But 3 or more in a row? Yeurgh.

I would rather see 1-1 with Man Utd than see us beat Scunthorpe 3-0.

I would rather see us punching above our weight and coming 4th bottom to mid-table,
but against GREAT players than toddling around 5th-9th in an ordinary league.

Survival means EXCITEMENT.

But you seem to be saying, "better to be relegated than come 4th-bottom 4 times on the trot

[Pete10]

Go up auto . It can be done.

[Friday's Legacy]

I think the PL is good for 3 or 4 seasons, if you can manage a decent finish or two in there. But the idea of a continual slog for survival every season, with no hope of every achieving anything remotely decent or being able to relax for the last month or so of the season, like Wolves seem to have had strikes me as dire.

I'd rather go up, have a good time and then crash back with a bang than limp on interminably with no prospect of joy other than the end of season gasp of relief as the trap door shuts before you fall through it. One or two relegation survivals would probably be satisfying and cathartic. But 3 or more in a row? Yeurgh.

i can see what you're saying ian but tsi seem to want to get there, stabilise and then press on for a consistent top 8 finish and try and achieve europa league football. if they are true to their word then we wont be a side that settles for struggling and nail biting finishes. personally i would take years of top flight football and survival. sure it's a struggle and the nerves are tested, but come on, that is far better than being a championship dreaming of getting back to the premiership and then choking in another play-off final.

[SydenhamRoyal]

Please let us all know if your friend is going. With his track record I am only going to the final if he doesnt

There's got to be something like 10,000 people that went to all three of those. It's only about 15 years between the lot of them.

Indeed so, but this was in reply to a post saying my mate has only not been to the one we one (Simod) - and it was that track record I was referring to