play-offs?

[brendywendy]

with hindsight thats easy, but at teh time no one thought anyone except perhaps sidwell was premiere league quality,
dont see whats different now.

Speak for yourself. I thought most our regulars had the potential to be good enough. I didn't expect so many to actually achieve it, but they definitely had the potential. Sidwell was not in any way a standout player in that side.

LOL- at the start of "That" season even the most fervent royals were syaing wed not be good enough to go up, especially when we were bringing in players like makin and gunnarsson and a load of unknown strikers from ireland, and an unproven and overpriced league 1 striker.then during the run we were on people started to believe, but they still gnashed their teeth at the thought of any of our players being good enough for the prem.
fair play if you were the one who bucked the trend, but i just dont believe you!

[wolsey]

with hindsight thats easy, but at teh time no one thought anyone except perhaps sidwell was premiere league quality,
dont see whats different now.

Speak for yourself. I thought most our regulars had the potential to be good enough. I didn't expect so many to actually achieve it, but they definitely had the potential. Sidwell was not in any way a standout player in that side.

LOL- at the start of "That" season even the most fervent royals were syaing wed not be good enough to go up, especially when we were bringing in players like makin and gunnarsson and a load of unknown strikers from ireland, and an unproven and overpriced league 1 striker.then during the run we were on people started to believe, but they still gnashed their teeth at the thought of any of our players being good enough for the prem.
fair play if you were the one who bucked the trend, but i just dont believe you!

After the Plymouth game I texted wifey saying "The only thing wrong with the game was the result"

Not sure that that wouldn't have been the conclusion of most right-minded RFC fans (Although obviously anyone brave enough to predict the season to come would have been branded "a bit of a TerryFcukwit")

But then again what we saw from that game surely was enough to convince us that we would have been contenders.

[Snowball]

Our postponed games are Home to Newcastle
and away to Scunthorpe. Neither are easy

But if we can manage a draw at home (we could of course BEAT Newcastle)
and an away win we would be seventh with seven to play (including at Cardiff)

From the last six, five wins, a draw in Cardiff, would leave us on 71... bloody tough!!
our GD would be about 10 so Cardiff would need 10 points from 6 games, one of which is Swansea, say WWWDLL



01 38 15 4 0 46 9 8 7 4 26 19 +44 80 Newcastle
02 39 14 2 4 42 20 9 7 3 35 22 +35 78 WBA
03 39 16 1 3 39 13 4 9 6 16 19 +23 70 Nottm Forest

04 38 10 6 4 30 17 6 7 5 17 20 +10 61 Leicester City
05 39 08 8 3 15 11 7 8 5 18 20 +02 61 Swansea City
06 38 09 5 5 30 16 8 3 8 33 31 +16 59 Cardiff City
07 39 07 7 5 25 18 8 3 9 27 34 -01 55 Reading if we WD the two GiH 1-0 1-1

07 39 11 5 4 40 20 3 7 9 20 30 +10 54 Blackpool
08 39 10 7 2 34 19 4 5 11 20 32 +03 54 Sheffield Utd
09 39 08 6 6 22 19 6 5 8 30 24 +09 53 Middlesbrough
10 39 08 7 5 25 21 5 6 8 25 26 +03 52 Doncaster
11 39 07 7 5 25 18 8 3 9 27 34 -01 55 Reading
12 39 0 7 4 25 22 5 5 10 19 30 -8 51 Coventry City

But win in Cardiff

01 38 15 4 0 46 9 8 7 4 26 19 +44 80 Newcastle
02 39 14 2 4 42 20 9 7 3 35 22 +35 78 WBA
03 39 16 1 3 39 13 4 9 6 16 19 +23 70 Nottm Forest

04 38 10 6 4 30 17 6 7 5 17 20 +10 61 Leicester City
05 39 08 8 3 15 11 7 8 5 18 20 +02 61 Swansea City
06 39 09 5 5 30 16 8 3 8 33 31 +15 59 Cardiff City
07 40 07 7 5 25 18 8 3 9 27 34 -00 58 Reading

[facaldaqui]

with hindsight thats easy, but at teh time no one thought anyone except perhaps sidwell was premiere league quality,
dont see whats different now.

Speak for yourself. I thought most our regulars had the potential to be good enough. I didn't expect so many to actually achieve it, but they definitely had the potential. Sidwell was not in any way a standout player in that side.

You may have been prescient, but the general feeling among the fans was that we'd have to strengthen the playing staff (more than we did), and that it would be difficult. None of us predicted the emergence of Hunt, who had been a bit-part player in the Championship season, as a bona fide Premiership-quality player, for example.

Which is why I wouldn't be afraid of us going up this year, unlikely though that is. Because, as you imply, we have a number of developing players who might continue to improve. After all, we've seen the likes of Sigurdsson, Mills, and Karacan take premiership opposition in their stride in the cups. McDermott himself must also be considered an asset in development. To pluck two such useful players as Griffin and Khizanishvili out of thin air, shows that he has an eye for who to bring in.

[Arch]

11 points off......just a thought.....

Since this, the OP, we have got 19 points from 8 games, and we're now 8 points off. Probably best not to get too excited.

[brendywendy]

Speak for yourself. I thought most our regulars had the potential to be good enough. I didn't expect so many to actually achieve it, but they definitely had the potential. Sidwell was not in any way a standout player in that side.

LOL- at the start of "That" season even the most fervent royals were syaing wed not be good enough to go up, especially when we were bringing in players like makin and gunnarsson and a load of unknown strikers from ireland, and an unproven and overpriced league 1 striker.then during the run we were on people started to believe, but they still gnashed their teeth at the thought of any of our players being good enough for the prem.
fair play if you were the one who bucked the trend, but i just dont believe you!

After the Plymouth game I texted wifey saying "The only thing wrong with the game was the result"

Not sure that that wouldn't have been the conclusion of most right-minded RFC fans (Although obviously anyone brave enough to predict the season to come would have been branded "a bit of a TerryFcukwit")

But then again what we saw from that game surely was enough to convince us that we would have been contenders.

it was a good start, i also thought it was hugely promising, but after the previous years draw fest after xmas and missing out there was rightly a huge ammount of scepticism.

[facaldaqui]

it was a good start, i also thought it was hugely promising, but after the previous years draw fest after xmas and missing out there was rightly a huge ammount of scepticism.

Yes, after the Plymouth defeat I wasn't at all discouraged. Particularly excited by the prospect of Lita.

[Stranded]

Our postponed games are Home to Newcastle
and away to Scunthorpe. Neither are easy

But if we can manage a draw at home (we could of course BEAT Newcastle)
and an away win we would be seventh with seven to play (including at Cardiff)

From the last six, five wins, a draw in Cardiff, would leave us on 71... bloody tough!!
our GD would be about 10 so Cardiff would need 10 points from 6 games, one of which is Swansea, say WWWDLL



01 38 15 4 0 46 9 8 7 4 26 19 +44 80 Newcastle
02 39 14 2 4 42 20 9 7 3 35 22 +35 78 WBA
03 39 16 1 3 39 13 4 9 6 16 19 +23 70 Nottm Forest

04 38 10 6 4 30 17 6 7 5 17 20 +10 61 Leicester City
05 39 08 8 3 15 11 7 8 5 18 20 +02 61 Swansea City
06 38 09 5 5 30 16 8 3 8 33 31 +16 59 Cardiff City
07 39 07 7 5 25 18 8 3 9 27 34 -01 55 Reading if we WD the two GiH 1-0 1-1

07 39 11 5 4 40 20 3 7 9 20 30 +10 54 Blackpool
08 39 10 7 2 34 19 4 5 11 20 32 +03 54 Sheffield Utd
09 39 08 6 6 22 19 6 5 8 30 24 +09 53 Middlesbrough
10 39 08 7 5 25 21 5 6 8 25 26 +03 52 Doncaster
11 39 07 7 5 25 18 8 3 9 27 34 -01 55 Reading
12 39 0 7 4 25 22 5 5 10 19 30 -8 51 Coventry City

But win in Cardiff

01 38 15 4 0 46 9 8 7 4 26 19 +44 80 Newcastle
02 39 14 2 4 42 20 9 7 3 35 22 +35 78 WBA
03 39 16 1 3 39 13 4 9 6 16 19 +23 70 Nottm Forest

04 38 10 6 4 30 17 6 7 5 17 20 +10 61 Leicester City
05 39 08 8 3 15 11 7 8 5 18 20 +02 61 Swansea City
06 39 09 5 5 30 16 8 3 8 33 31 +15 59 Cardiff City
07 40 07 7 5 25 18 8 3 9 27 34 -00 58 Reading

The problem with that arguement is that we are not playing the games in hand until we have played Cardiff and after both we will only have 4 and 2 games remaining respectively.

Whilst these games are handy, the course of our season will most likely be set before we have either of them.

[Halifax 4-1]

I think our best hope is for Cardiff to go into administration, then we will only be competeing with Blackpool, Sheffield Utd, Middlesborough and Doncaster and that means 3 points behind and 2 games in hand and that would be an achievable target.

This quote from the evening Post sums it up (fans are now even daring to dream of gate-crashing the play-offs, especially as sixth-placed Cardiff City have financial problems and run the risk of being docked 10 points. The Welsh club have until May 5 to comply with a High Court order to pay a £1.9m tax bill and avoid a winding-up order).

Looking at Cardiff fan sites this looks a real possibility as they may even struggle to pay this months wages as the new investment planned is not expected until late April.

Even some Cardiff fans seem to think administration will be a good thing if it gets rid of Peter Ridsdale.

So a well as cheering for Reading I shall be rooting for the Tax Man (never thought I would say that) on May 5th.

[SpaghettiHoop]

The season ends on the 2nd.

[Royal1983]

The season ends on the 2nd.

Doesn't matter, if Cardiff get wound up due to not playing then the rules will apply that all teams who have won or drawn against them will have those points docked, will make the final table a bit more interesting as some of the teams above Reading have won both so would be set to lose 6. Play offs could be a possibility but would be a nice dream as well.

[Harpers So Solid Crew]

They wont be wound up though, they will lose 10 points for being in Administration

[Silver Fox]

Massive 'greed to the usual wise words from Mr A a page or so back. We're currently playing with house money, from now to the end of the season is all gravy, whatever the final outcome.

[JC]

They wont be wound up though, they will lose 10 points for being in Administration

So i f they did go into administration 3 days after the end of the season would the points deduction apply to this season or would it carry over? If they were in the pay-offs I imagine it would apply this season otherwise we could get the farcical situation of them getting to the remiership in administration

[Ian Royal]

with hindsight thats easy, but at teh time no one thought anyone except perhaps sidwell was premiere league quality,
dont see whats different now.

Speak for yourself. I thought most our regulars had the potential to be good enough. I didn't expect so many to actually achieve it, but they definitely had the potential. Sidwell was not in any way a standout player in that side.

LOL- at the start of "That" season even the most fervent royals were syaing wed not be good enough to go up, especially when we were bringing in players like makin and gunnarsson and a load of unknown strikers from ireland, and an unproven and overpriced league 1 striker.then during the run we were on people started to believe, but they still gnashed their teeth at the thought of any of our players being good enough for the prem.
fair play if you were the one who bucked the trend, but i just dont believe you!

Don't believe me if you wish. It makes no nevermind to me.

I saw our odds for promotion at the start of the season at something like 20-1, roughly the same as Hull's iirc and I laughed, saying we had a good shot of automatics, certainly we should be in or around the play offs. I didn't expect it, I knew we were plenty capable.

I watched Plymouth and said that we were unlucky and that I was positive about our chances of having a good season. Afterall, Harper made some decent tackles in that match!

When we got promoted I expected us to do well the next season and plenty of our players to make it at that level. I didn't expect as many as did tho, but there we go. I think I had us down for mid-table at least. Before we were promoted I thought the likes of Shorey, Sidwell, Harper & Kitson could make a go of being in the Premier League at least.

[PEARCEY]

11 points off......just a thought.....

Since this, the OP, we have got 19 points from 8 games, and we're now 8 points off. Probably best not to get too excited.

We have played fewer games though because of the Cup run. If we have cut the gap by three points despite playing fewer games I'd say thats not bad.

[Sarah Star]

C'mon Palace!

[Great Knolly]

They just said on Radio5 that if Cardiff get points deducted between now and the end the season, the penalty will apply to next season.

[TFF]

They're wrong

[Great Knolly]

ok