Excited?

[PEARCEY]

I would be if I had half a chance of getting ticket for either leg or hopefully the final, but I bet they are snapped up by those jumping on the bandwagon without the real fans who go week on week, home and away, getting a look in.

You will probably get a ticket. The Burnley play-off was not sold out two years ago. If you are a "real fan" you will have enough points anyway.

[PEARCEY]

After reading the Coventry forum I now feel that we have been truly blessed to see some of the football we have this season!

http://www.skybluestalk.co.uk/threads/8 ... to=newpost

I thought they played well with a lot more fluidity than the stodgy stuff we played.
We were so predictable. I like Karacan for his dogged tenacity but he has no vision at all. He can only pass sideways with any accuracy. He wasn't helped by the lack of movement further up the field yesterday. It was only when Howard came on that there was any urgency shown.
Piss poor from us but not from Coventry who fully deserved a win.

[facaldaqui]

I'm very impressed we're in the playoffs, big hats off to McD and the team. But my hopes have been seriously dampened by the way we've played the last few games. I feel more pessimistic even than I did the last time, when, despite a long bad run after Christmas, we ended the season with two good wins and a close defeat against a top side, Birmingham. I felt we had a better chance of beating Burnley, who were below us, than we do now of beating Swansea, who are above us.

However, I'm not totally negative, because McD has surprised me many times before. The draw with Liverpool after losing 4-1 to Argyle, the recent good run after a performance against QPR that resembled the sluggish way we've been playing recently. What gives me most hope is our cup exploits. Brian seems to know how to win cup games, and the playoffs are like a mini cup. There's also hope in the fact that we haven't been beaten away for a long time and that Swansea are patchy away from home. I'm frightened of Norwich, but not so much of Cardiff. Forest, I think, will have improved since the game the other week.

[Royal Lady]

If Cardiff don't go up automatically, I can see them bottling it again in the final (assuming they get there) - so my wish would be to beat Swansea in the play-offs, meet Cardiff in the final and let them know what it's like to lose two play-off finals!

[facaldaqui]

But I find I can't get too excited about it - not sure what it is, but it might be the way our form has evaporated in the past week and out play is now so slow and turgid, or it might be the 4 times I've got excited about play-offs and been let down that I'm finding it hard to make an emotional investment in this one.

^^^^^^^^^
I got to this point two years ago and, despite being a ST holder, refused to attend the PO semi finals and was vindicated in my decision. So - no excitement at all. The Play Offs are crap and just a cynical way of making more cash out of us gullible fans. For the past 3 months its been Play Offs this, Play Offs that, but for two of the four teams that make it, the dream will be over in a little over a week, and for one of the remaining two, the biggest disappointment possible, on the biggest possible stage, looms.

The only proper way to get promoted is like we did 5 years ago - in style, fully deserving of a place in the Prem.

I don't understand how you can be "vindicated" in not going to a game because we lost. Being a supporter means going to a game even when you think we're going to lose or when we're in bad form.

I agree that the playoffs are an unreasonable enterprise: in principle, the team that comes third should go up, not the team that comes fourth, fifth, or sixth. But the fact that "For the past 3 months its been Play Offs this, Play Offs that" is brilliant for the vitality of the league, giving a lot of teams something to play for. In the old days, most teams saw out the latter part of the season in a series of meaningless rubbers, with dwindling gates.

[PEARCEY]

If Cardiff don't go up automatically, I can see them bottling it again in the final (assuming they get there) - so my wish would be to beat Swansea in the play-offs, meet Cardiff in the final and let them know what it's like to lose two play-off finals!

The way things are going we could be playing Cardiff/Norwich in the semi-final.
It would be a nice steal to win promotion having ended up 6th in the League.

[Rex]

I would be if I had half a chance of getting ticket for either leg or hopefully the final, but I bet they are snapped up by those jumping on the bandwagon without the real fans who go week on week, home and away, getting a look in.

You will probably get a ticket. The Burnley play-off was not sold out two years ago. If you are a "real fan" you will have enough points anyway.

Surely a wum.

[PEARCEY]

^ Are you saying I deserve a whoosh rex?

[Rex]

Nah. I'm being kind today. I put it down to your kindness and generosity.

[SLAMMED]

Whooooooooooooooosh

[PEARCEY]

Whooooooooooooooosh

Piss off donkey shagger

[rhroyal]

Do I think we'll win them? Probably not.

Am I excited? Yes. Excited because this team has made a phenomenal effort to get there; we shouldn't be that good with the players we have. Excited because this team under McD has risen to cup occasions in recent years. Excited because there will be two intense games with a cracking atmosphere. Excited because, despite it looking unlikely, we have a chance of promotion.

True we've faded in the last few games. We've been without Kebe which is significant. The result at home to Sheff Utd was poor, but hopefully we can learn from it. However these last 2 away games are not bad results; Leeds haven't lost at home since November. Coventry have had a revival under their new manager. If we get a 0-0 away in the play-offs, that's a good result.

I've seen a couple of comparison with the 08/09 play-off campaign. It doesn't fit for me. That team should have walked to auto promotion, and by the time the play-offs came round I was utterly sick of the under performing and choking I'd seen for months.

Instead, we've largely seen this team surge into the play-offs late against expectations. You say we're fading. A win and good performance at home to Derby (who are not good) and we're going in on the back off 1 defeat and 10/11 wins in 15 (I think?) A win against Derby, and maybe people will accept Leeds and Coventry for the decent away results they are (how many is it without defeat away from home now?) Of course a loss makes it look much worse, with 2 points from our final 4 going in.

Whatever happens, fair play to this team for getting us a play-off date. Expectations have been exceeded, we've seen some very good football at times. So can we now just enjoy the occasion and get behind the team? Win or lose, that's what I'll be doing.

[Mr Angry]

Less excitement, more anticipation; I thought we had totally run out of ideas/energy/heart as we entered the play-offs last time, but don't feel that this time, despite the last 3 results. Furthermore, these are cup games and our cup playing record the last 2 seasons has been pretty good.

As for who we play, or is it home or away first, frankly I'm not bothered; simply getting to the play-offs this season is a bonus so we genuinely have nothing to lose.

[floyd__streete]

We've got a good manager and a team of honest triers who - even when they perform poorly as they did yesterday - are usually hard to beat. We have a 1 in 4 chance, no pressure on us like there will be on Cardiff for instance. Forest are probably the team to watch now, hitting some good form at the right time. If we lose in the semis at least we have cheaper football and more wins to look forward to next season. Losing at Wembley will be f*cking irritating tbh.

[Schards#2]

Glad we got there? - Yes

Impressed we got there - Yes

Excited? - No

This is a pretty ordinary squad that went on an extraordinary run but has now reverted to type.

That said, there are only 6-7 sides still in with a chance of promotion and we are one of them. The likes of Leicester, Coventry, Ipswich and Derby would love to be in our position.

In all probability we will go out with a wimper in the semis but that should not detract from the remarkable achievement of making the play offs with this squad. Losing at this stage does not make that any less impressive and an overachieving squad doesn't deserve to be slated if it ultimately fails.

And who knows, maybe the return of Kebe can spark the team back into life, an early goal, a stupid red card for the oppo, anything can happen.

[super darren caskey]

Im not that excited at the moment.I was just before our blip when we had the chance of possibly getting second spot.Its hard to be that optimistic about the play offs when we have never done that well in the past attempts.If we get through the semis and book a place at wembley then im sure my excitment will be through the roof but...no matter what happens from here on in it has been a fantastic season once again under brian and its a shame that if we dont go up we will more than likely lose the likes of kebe and long.The former is unreplacable really and that shows in the last few games.

[retro royal]

Anyone else hope Forest overtake us and we get Norwich/Cardiff instead of Swansea

[super darren caskey]

Anyone else hope Forest overtake us and we get Norwich/Cardiff instead of Swansea

I dont think it really matters who we get tbh.They are all good teams and any of them could beat us on the day(s) just like we could beat any of them if the right reading turn up

[savage 4 england]

A good win against Derby and most peoples feelings will change.

[SouthDownsRoyal]

I would be if I had half a chance of getting ticket for either leg or hopefully the final, but I bet they are snapped up by those jumping on the bandwagon without the real fans who go week on week, home and away, getting a look in.

How do you figure that? they will go on sale in royalty points order so if you are bandwagon jumping you wont have many/any points.

And if you go week in week out you will.