Unlikely: Even if Leaburn, Jones and say Coventry stay fit and played every game until the end of the season I feel we will still finish outside the top 6. 10th probably but if the above do stay fit plus Ramsey plays from next month and Edwards, Mitchell and Small can be their best, we can finish 7th but will still be 4 or 5 points short; this is the best case scenario in my opinion but the caveat is I want to be wrong in being short of the top 6 as we all do.
Nathan Jones was very ambitious is thinking he could replace the goals of Alfie May; we can't. I will be kind in staying Gassan Ahadme has had a slow start to his CAFC career and Godden is decent but a yard of two short of the pace now.
We need to play like the last 4 matches just to be 7th to 10th.
We wasted 3 months of the season hoofing it to no-one. The fact that we are still "in the hunt" hi-lights how crap this league is.
IMO we have too much to do and have too much reliance on other teams slipping up.
Given what has gone on in previous seasons, it's inevitable that injuries will kick in again at some point and a couple in key areas will see us back to square one.
Ultimately the squad lacks quality in depth and without addressing that (goalkeeper, left sided CB, RB - if neither Ramsey or Watson are back anytime soon and quality attacking midfielder) we will be treading water in this poxy league for a while yet.
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.
A Lloyd Jones injury (or sale) and we’ll be battling relegation! It’s astonishing how dependent we are on him.
An outside chance obviously but as @Clem_Snide says above Jones wasted nearly half the season by getting the team to hoof it to no-one in particular, the result of which is whilst we are still in touch with the top 6, defeats to the teams in that top 6 will open up a larger gap that will be hard to close.
Also, as @Six-a-bag-of-nuts also said above, we are only an injury to Jones or Leaburn away from a return to mediocrity.
I reckon we'll finish up just outside the top 6. Another wasted season.
Whilst Reading was a good entertaining attacking performance, we failed to win, and rode our luck at the back. That to me is an example of why despite improving considerably we will fall short.
If we have a good window then I think we will. That means keeping Jones and Leaburn, plus adding 2 or 3 good players in areas we are short. In particular some more pace and trickery in the squad so we aren’t so reliant on TC and Small
I’m not massively confident we will add the right players, so will end up 7th-10th which would be a solid foundation to build on for a promotion charge next season
Not if our best players leave, as happened last year.
I am not saying we will definitely but am amazed to see people saying definitely not and even being precise on the number of points we will fall short by. For me there were three massive issues that saw us disapoint until recently. Firstly, too many changes to the team whether enforced or not, secondly, injury to Jones who seems to be the main cog in the defensive wheel that makes it all work and firstly with the width and pace we have up front, we are no longer solely playing in front of teams and can get behind them. Leaburn getting back to full fitness could be a fourth. Injuries to some key players will be the thing that scuppers us and who can predict those?
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.
Blah blah blah blah .......when all the question needed was a 1 word answer.
PWR ... we are on track at the moment maybe, with our improvement in playing style and results. But, an injury to Jones, Campbell, Small, Edwards and there are no adequate replacements. It's very fragile and feels unlikely. Maybe next year. Hope for the best though and I will always try to be positive. HAVE to keep Jones. COYR.
Of course we have a chance. Yes we're dependant on a good window, and avoiding injuries to key players, but that applies to the teams above us too.
Barnsley may be 8 points ahead of us, but have played 2 more games. Reading are 7 points ahead of us, but have played 1 more game and may lose players in the window. If we can keep our defence fit, then we will be hard to beat and able to grind out results at the better teams.
Indeed grinding out wins has been our failing, when you look at Wrexham they've scored an incredible number of late winners to get winners. Since the 26th November they've won 6 games, all by a single goal, and in 4 of them the winner was later than the 87th minute. That's an additional 8 points they've gained from late goals
PWR ... we are on track at the moment maybe, with our improvement in playing style and results. But, an injury to Jones, Campbell, Small, Edwards and there are no adequate replacements. It's very fragile and feels unlikely. Maybe next year. Hope for the best though and I will always try to be positive. HAVE to keep Jones. COYR.
Basically my thoughts too...
With Edun, Watson & possibly Taylor ( sadly) possibly moving on, a decent loan or two, the return of Ramsey and a couple incoming to cover/back up those players mentioned above and you never know.
Retaining all our improving, ever present players with decent contracts for Miles & Lloyd plus the above would give us the best chance of finishing in the Top 6 IMO, but should this fail to happen, there should be no need to recruit in the summer for once.
With the impetus /benefit of having a squad from the start of pre season training that have, on the whole, already played together, next season could be THE one.
Hopefully, this is the kind of planning currently being discussed by the powers that be whilst acknowledging that some money will need investing before the window closes.
A good time to speculate to accumulate ie sooner rather than later ?
Before we went on this run I thought our season was over, so the fact that there’s any talk at all of getting into the play-offs is a big bonus for me. I’ve gone from thinking (fleetingly) I might not even turn up, to actually looking forward to matches.
Sadly, however, I suspect we’re due some bad luck; an injury to Jones or Leaburn, a couple of matches that we deserve to win where the referee screws up, or a deflection cost us points. Another Reading type game, where we miss fairly simple chances, or hit a defender on the line.
One or two matches against play-off rivals going against us could mean the gap between us and sixth becomes almost insurmountable.
But I’m still keeping my fingers crossed. I feel we have a one in four chance now, whereas a few week ago it felt more like one in 15.
Not sure I still trust this group of players off the back of the last 4 games. We went a long time between Birmingham and beating Northampton playing very poor football, so we know it’s in them.
For me, it’s the consistency that’s going to be the problem. We have some players that are capable of putting in decent performances, but even the likes of Leaburn, aren’t capable of doing it consistently imo. And I would add, we still have some weak links in the starting XI (whoever that starting XI is).
as I understand it, this window is more about trimming the squad than additions, so I can’t see how we’re going to bring in the required quality to do it.
I'd like to see a few players go in the window, with Edun and Watson the top of the list and one or two of the right quality and positions brought in and who knows.
At the beginning of the season I thought 10th was a stretching but achievable target and still believe we need at least one more good summer window to build a squad that will get promoted and have half a decent chance of spending more than one season in the Championship.
I think it will be very tight either way. Only 7 off with Reading who are likely to lose a couple of key players. Stockport have also lost Louie Barry.
There's always one team every year who come from a much worse position we're currently in and make it. If we keep Jones and get Ramsay back in as soon as possible I think there's a decent chance for us there. Do have a little habit of drawing games we should win though (Stockport, Barnsley and Reading come straight to mind) which does need sorting.
Just looked at the table and amazed to see we have only lost to 1 team in top 10 and that was playing most of the game with 10 men , just shows how poor we’ve been v the lesser sides , think we’ve left ourselves with to much to do , but you never know
By no means a given that we will get in the playoffs this season, but can still give it a good crack. Deep down however, I know this team we have is not Championship quality, and im not convinced a summer spendig spree would give us success if we did go up.
The ideal situation for me would be that we keep hold of our assests (L.Jones, Small, Leaburn) and make some quality addtions and forge a dominant and impressive League 1 side that will then be well suited to a stable promotion...lots of ifs and buts with this im aware though!
Huddersfield have just won at Wycombe, this now puts us 13 points behind 4th place. So now looking extremely likely there is around 7 teams fighting for 5th and 6th, oh joy.
I would love to make it and if we can keep this current line up, style of play and form then we have a chance. To keep the current form is what concerns me, the current match day set up has nothing behind it, it’s one injury away, in multiple positions, from falling apart.
Comments
Reading and Bolton slipping.
Even if Leaburn, Jones and say Coventry stay fit and played every game until the end of the season I feel we will still finish outside the top 6.
10th probably but if the above do stay fit plus Ramsey plays from next month and Edwards, Mitchell and Small can be their best, we can finish 7th but will still be 4 or 5 points short; this is the best case scenario in my opinion but the caveat is I want to be wrong in being short of the top 6 as we all do.
Nathan Jones was very ambitious is thinking he could replace the goals of Alfie May; we can't.
I will be kind in staying Gassan Ahadme has had a slow start to his CAFC career and Godden is decent but a yard of two short of the pace now.
We need to play like the last 4 matches just to be 7th to 10th.
IMO we have too much to do and have too much reliance on other teams slipping up.
Given what has gone on in previous seasons, it's inevitable that injuries will kick in again at some point and a couple in key areas will see us back to square one.
Ultimately the squad lacks quality in depth and without addressing that (goalkeeper, left sided CB, RB - if neither Ramsey or Watson are back anytime soon and quality attacking midfielder) we will be treading water in this poxy league for a while yet.
An outside chance obviously but as @Clem_Snide says above Jones wasted nearly half the season by getting the team to hoof it to no-one in particular, the result of which is whilst we are still in touch with the top 6, defeats to the teams in that top 6 will open up a larger gap that will be hard to close.
Also, as @Six-a-bag-of-nuts also said above, we are only an injury to Jones or Leaburn away from a return to mediocrity.
I reckon we'll finish up just outside the top 6. Another wasted season.
.......when all the question needed was a 1 word answer.
Barnsley may be 8 points ahead of us, but have played 2 more games. Reading are 7 points ahead of us, but have played 1 more game and may lose players in the window. If we can keep our defence fit, then we will be hard to beat and able to grind out results at the better teams.
Indeed grinding out wins has been our failing, when you look at Wrexham they've scored an incredible number of late winners to get winners. Since the 26th November they've won 6 games, all by a single goal, and in 4 of them the winner was later than the 87th minute. That's an additional 8 points they've gained from late goals
With Edun, Watson & possibly Taylor ( sadly) possibly moving on, a decent loan or two, the return of Ramsey and a couple incoming to cover/back up those players mentioned above and you never know.
Retaining all our improving, ever present players with decent contracts for Miles & Lloyd plus the above would give us the best chance of finishing in the Top 6 IMO, but should this fail to happen, there should be no need to recruit in the summer for once.
With the impetus /benefit of having a squad from the start of pre season training that have, on the whole, already played together, next season could be THE one.
Hopefully, this is the kind of planning currently being discussed by the powers that be whilst acknowledging that some money will need investing before the window closes.
A good time to speculate to accumulate ie sooner rather than later ?
For me, it’s the consistency that’s going to be the problem. We have some players that are capable of putting in decent performances, but even the likes of Leaburn, aren’t capable of doing it consistently imo. And I would add, we still have some weak links in the starting XI (whoever that starting XI is).
as I understand it, this window is more about trimming the squad than additions, so I can’t see how we’re going to bring in the required quality to do it.
There's always one team every year who come from a much worse position we're currently in and make it. If we keep Jones and get Ramsay back in as soon as possible I think there's a decent chance for us there. Do have a little habit of drawing games we should win though (Stockport, Barnsley and Reading come straight to mind) which does need sorting.
Hope is my main fallback on the subject.
So now looking extremely likely there is around 7 teams fighting for 5th and 6th, oh joy.