I think we've got a slight chance, if the following conditions are met: 1. We have no significant long term injuries in the second half of the season. 2. We don't lose any of the First XI in the January Sales. 3. We add one or two players to strengthen the subs bench (I'd be happy to sacrifice more or less any of our existing bench for this to happen).
This being Charlton though, I guess being successful in any one of the above will be a tall order, let alone all of them. It's the hope that kills.
I would've been gobsmacked if you'd said anything else! For someone, who I guess is of a similar generation to myself, I don't think I've known, on a forum, anyone as negative as you, or who keeps banging on about one subject, May! I'm not sure we will make it, BUT we have a chance and if we can maintain our current form over the last 4 games (10 pts from 12) then we have a very good chance, even without May! We also have a transfer window now open and the opportunity to add to the squad whilst moving on some deadwood.
Given ourselves too much to do imo. We’re now getting to where we want to be so next season could be good but we can’t afford to slip up this season now, and I can’t see us having the consistency to go on a ten game winning run to force ourselves into the top six.
Never say Never, Birmingham and Wycombe look nailed on, but all the others are capable of poor spells so keep winning and cross everything.
Wrexham have only lost 4 out of 25 games and have by far the best home record in all four divisions so i'd say they're pretty nailed on for top 6 as well.
I'd be more confident they'll make it than Wycombe who have this week lost a couple of their loan players back to their parent clubs.
It's possible of course but we are over reliant on Jones staying fit and not being sold in January plus Leaburn staying fit and currently also have a reliance on TC and Small too. Injuries/sales to any of those and we do not have adequate replacements.
It's frustrating as, whilst we are not an amazing squad, NJs dreadful tactics for most of this season, and a decidedly average summer transfer window have left us a fair few points short of where we should be at this stage in the season.
I would predict 7-10th and a wasted opportunity right now, but as others have said, a decent window (no key sales and 3 strong players in) and luck with injuries, we could still make it.
Many of you still refer to the poor run having ruined our chances but as I see it, even with that god awful run we amassed 34 pts in the first 23 games and with another 23 to go surely it’s not a stretch to think we can do much much better. If much better means 10pts more then that’s 78 which most seasons is plenty to finish 5th or 6th
See what you are saying but that means winning every home game and drawing every away game 79 points. That just won’t happen.
Even winning a few away games , we will still drop points at home.
As for the window Nathan and owners just unable to pull the deals off . Heard it before will hear it again.
Answer to Question No we won’t make play off this season.
Only way we'll make it is if we go pretty much perfect at home from here on and then nick a couple of away wins at some of the other play off contenders we have to face. Not impossible of course but still pretty unlikely i think.
However i still think if we can finish strongly and we ended up in say 7-8th, then that would still be viewed as progress compared to where we were last season and most of the first half of this season.
Highly unlikely I would think. We are a Leaburn or Jones injury away from a return to mediocrity and the club's idea of a statement of intent is to say we need to reduce the squad size. The football has improved so that's a plus.
Keep getting the clean sheets and it will be close. Even if it just ends up being close, it will end up being a watchable season and will give a bit hope for the future.
Keep our current form going, yes, 5th or 6th. Become inconsistent again or hit a poor run of form, no chance. As above, keep our best players and add a couple of decent players this window while releasing those in the wilderness and I fancy us to do it. To be where we are after such an inconsistent first half of a season just shows what a good run could lead to. Will be cheering them on all the way.
Feels very unlikely as we can't slip up again. We need to go on a run like we did in 18/19 where we only lost two games in the new year. I think we picked up 45 of our 88 points, which was just over half but it also left us 15 points above 6th place and carrying a lot of momentum. We won 9 of out last 11 games and if the season had gone on for another 2 weeks we would have gone up automatically I have no doubt. If we can match that then we'll end up with 79 points which gets you into the play-offs every year in the last 10 years but one where you'd end up 8th, because apparently 21/22 was insane.
That feels like something we're unlikely to achieve this time round. We did brilliantly over Christmas getting 10 points from 12 and if we'd played and beaten Crawley to take 13 from 15 heads might be even higher but it's asking a lot to maintain that level of form and it's too early to say if it's a temporary uptick or a sustainable improvement. In 18/19 we were a machine and we just needed a left back to balance us out and a player to provide a little creative drive. We got that in Purrington and Williams so a lot depends on our window. If we get a very attacking RWB and a player who can drive the ball forward in midfield it's not impossible but it'll have to be a hell of a run.
Of course Id love us to but I can't see it happening. We are on a good run now, but can that extend to a couple of months unbeaten with plenty of wins in that time to get us in the playoffs? I don' think so. Hopefully the good form will continue but I can certainly see us losing a bunch of games between now and the end of the season, and Id also expect injuries to happen which will make it harder to put a huge run together.
Unfortunately, even if we have a strong second half of the season we will most likely land on 8th or 9th place, it's that terrible spell between September and early Dec that torpedoed the season.
I was not impressed with our transfer window in the summer and I predicted 10th place. We may well finish a bit higher than 10th but I can't see us making top 6.
Comments
1. We have no significant long term injuries in the second half of the season.
2. We don't lose any of the First XI in the January Sales.
3. We add one or two players to strengthen the subs bench (I'd be happy to sacrifice more or less any of our existing bench for this to happen).
This being Charlton though, I guess being successful in any one of the above will be a tall order, let alone all of them. It's the hope that kills.
That's as it stands right now
For someone, who I guess is of a similar generation to myself, I don't think I've known, on a forum, anyone as negative as you, or who keeps banging on about one subject, May!
I'm not sure we will make it, BUT we have a chance and if we can maintain our current form over the last 4 games (10 pts from 12) then we have a very good chance, even without May!
We also have a transfer window now open and the opportunity to add to the squad whilst moving on some deadwood.
We’re now getting to where we want to be so next season could be good but we can’t afford to slip up this season now, and I can’t see us having the consistency to go on a ten game winning run to force ourselves into the top six.
I'd be more confident they'll make it than Wycombe who have this week lost a couple of their loan players back to their parent clubs.
It's frustrating as, whilst we are not an amazing squad, NJs dreadful tactics for most of this season, and a decidedly average summer transfer window have left us a fair few points short of where we should be at this stage in the season.
I would predict 7-10th and a wasted opportunity right now, but as others have said, a decent window (no key sales and 3 strong players in) and luck with injuries, we could still make it.
Even winning a few away games , we will still drop points at home.
As for the window Nathan and owners just unable to pull the deals off . Heard it before will hear it again.
Answer to Question No we won’t make play off this season.
However i still think if we can finish strongly and we ended up in say 7-8th, then that would still be viewed as progress compared to where we were last season and most of the first half of this season.
We are a Leaburn or Jones injury away from a return to mediocrity and the club's idea of a statement of intent is to say we need to reduce the squad size.
The football has improved so that's a plus.
That feels like something we're unlikely to achieve this time round. We did brilliantly over Christmas getting 10 points from 12 and if we'd played and beaten Crawley to take 13 from 15 heads might be even higher but it's asking a lot to maintain that level of form and it's too early to say if it's a temporary uptick or a sustainable improvement. In 18/19 we were a machine and we just needed a left back to balance us out and a player to provide a little creative drive. We got that in Purrington and Williams so a lot depends on our window. If we get a very attacking RWB and a player who can drive the ball forward in midfield it's not impossible but it'll have to be a hell of a run.
Unfortunately, even if we have a strong second half of the season we will most likely land on 8th or 9th place, it's that terrible spell between September and early Dec that torpedoed the season.
We may well finish a bit higher than 10th but I can't see us making top 6.