Home form going into play offs

[pass_and_move]

Best I've known it for years. We've won 13 out of our last 14 games at Oakwell. Out of those 14 games we've scored 37 and conceded 11.

The solitary loss out of those was to Bolton where Mads was red carded after 5 mins and gave Bolton a penalty.

Early season we were struggling at home and lost a few games. We looked inconsistent and shaky at times. However, we've been really convincing from November onwards.

After yesterday we can't finish below 4th place which means that the second leg of the play offs is at home. If we can bring anything back from the first leg away to whoever we face, then thaz got to fancy our chances of getting the job done back at Oakwell.

OK, our away form of late could be better and so too the performances which is a cause for concern. Its a case of getting the away leg out of the way with minimal damage and then getting them back to fortress Oakwell and finishing the job in my opinion.

Yesterday was our 9th consecutive home win. In my 35 years of supporting us, I can't recall a run of consecutive victories like that at Oakwell. Out of those 9 successive wins, we have been convincing with them and played some top teams during that run and blown them all away.

It certainly bodes well for the play offs doesn't it. I don't think any of our potential play off opponents will be relishing coming to Oakwell for the second leg without a substantial lead

[animallittle3]

Best I've known it for years. We've won 13 out of our last 14 games at Oakwell. Out of those 14 games we've scored 37 and conceded 11.

The solitary loss out of those was to Bolton where Mads was red carded after 5 mins and gave Bolton a penalty.

Early season we were struggling at home and lost a few games. We looked inconsistent and shaky at times. However, we've been really convincing from November onwards.

After yesterday we can't finish below 4th place which means that the second leg of the play offs is at home. If we can bring anything back from the first leg away to whoever we face, then thaz got to fancy our chances of getting the job done back at Oakwell.

OK, our away form of late could be better and so too the performances which is a cause for concern. Its a case of getting the away leg out of the way with minimal damage and then getting them back to fortress Oakwell and finishing the job in my opinion.

Yesterday was our 9th consecutive home win. In my 35 years of supporting us, I can't recall a run of consecutive victories like that at Oakwell. Out of those 9 successive wins, we have been convincing with them and played some top teams during that run and blown them all away.

It certainly bodes well for the play offs doesn't it. I don't think any of our potential play off opponents will be relishing coming to Oakwell for the second leg without a substantial lead

I can't knock the home form and 9 successive wins is very impressive given we've put four past Derby and Wednesday plus three past Plymouth .

Just my opinion Pass but when it comes to the Play Offs I'm not so sure it means a great deal .

Different gravy and that 2nd leg at home is huge pressure for the home side , remember our tie against Huddersfield in 2006 .

They had a 1-0 lead to take to the John Smith's stadium and couldn't get it done .

[animallittle3]

It goes without saying I want to see some Wembley glory in a Play Off Final even if I can't be there .

Beating that lot down the road would go down in legend .

It's the other side of this I find difficult and why I'm not super confident .

These games break my heart , Wembley 2000 , the FA cup semi final in 2008 , I still refuse to watch any tv footage of those two games , took me months to get rid of the disappointment .

Even with low expectations the Swansea play off semi final defeat two years ago battered me .

It wasn't so much the defeat but the sight of the players dropping on the floor when the final whistle went at The Liberty Stadium .

They'd given so much and fell short .

I guess I'm inadvertently preparing myself for the worst in the hope it won't hurt so much .

These players and the management team have given us an unexpected season , given everything and put some pride back in the club and town .

Seeing them on the floor and devastated should we fall short is something I really don't want to see again .

[pass_and_move]

I can't knock the home form and 9 successive wins is very impressive given we've put four past Derby and Wednesday plus three past Plymouth .

Just my opinion Pass but when it comes to the Play Offs I'm not so sure it means a great deal .

Different gravy and that 2nd leg at home is huge pressure for the home side , remember our tie against Huddersfield in 2006 .

They had a 1-0 lead to take to the John Smith's stadium and couldn't get it done .

Aye point taken. The form book goes out of the window and the pressure bites hard. It's suddenly knockout football. I suppose that's what makes play off games exciting and unpredictable. A team that looks almost unbeatable on their own turf can suddenly become like a rabbit in the headlights. Hope it doesn't happen to us

[pass_and_move]

It goes without saying I want to see some Wembley glory in a Play Off Final even if I can't be there .

Beating that lot down the road would go down in legend .

It's the other side of this I find difficult and why I'm not super confident .

These games break my heart , Wembley 2000 , the FA cup semi final in 2008 , I still refuse to watch any tv footage of those two games , took me months to get rid of the disappointment .

Even with low expectations the Swansea play off semi final defeat two years ago battered me .

It wasn't so much the defeat but the sight of the players dropping on the floor when the final whistle went at The Liberty Stadium .

They'd given so much and fell short .

I guess I'm inadvertently preparing myself for the worst in the hope it won't hurt so much .

These players and the management team have given us an unexpected season , given everything and put some pride back in the club and town .

Seeing them on the floor and devastated should we fall short is something I really don't want to see again .


That's surely why we watch football though mate. The highs and lows. Take the emotion out if it and what do you have left?

I understand your disappointment but surely it should ballance with the successful times. Ok, the defeats in finals etc are horrible and very hard to take. However, the successful things live in your memory forever. Thy ent watched any footage of the Ipswich or Cardiff defeats at Wembley but a bet thaz watched Adam Hammills wonder goal time and again, smiled and felt good inside or watched the shootout at the millennium stadium and felt great emotion.

What I'm saying is that despite those horrible defeats to Ipswich and Cardiff, the memories of winning far outweigh the emotions of losing in my opinion. It's like life. Tha has highs and lows. The emotions are what make memories both good and bad. Winning and losing is part of life and personally I wouldn't want it any other way. The day tha teks emotion away through fear is the day it becomes pointless.

[Young_Nudger]

I don’t think anyone can complain about the results at home.
But there is a real concern that the form has dipped over recent weeks.

My theory - which has been said - is that the strike force is getting sharper - but the service into the strikers has got weaker.
That service has got to improve if we are to beat other teams in the top 6.

[pass_and_move]

I don’t think anyone can complain about the results at home.
But there is a real concern that the form has dipped over recent weeks.

My theory - which has been said - is that the strike force is getting sharper - but the service into the strikers has got weaker.
That service has got to improve if we are to beat other teams in the top 6.

Phillips with two great assists yesterday.

[animallittle3]

That's surely why we watch football though mate. The highs and lows. Take the emotion out if it and what do you have left?

I understand your disappointment but surely it should ballance with the successful times. Ok, the defeats in finals etc are horrible and very hard to take. However, the successful things live in your memory forever. Thy ent watched any footage of the Ipswich or Cardiff defeats at Wembley but a bet thaz watched Adam Hammills wonder goal time and again, smiled and felt good inside or watched the shootout at the millennium stadium and felt great emotion.

What I'm saying is that despite those horrible defeats to Ipswich and Cardiff, the memories of winning far outweigh the emotions of losing in my opinion. It's like life. Tha has highs and lows. The emotions are what make memories both good and bad. Winning and losing is part of life and personally I wouldn't want it any other way. The day tha teks emotion away through fear is the day it becomes pointless.

It's not that simple though Pass for me personally with all due respect .

It's very difficult as we've seen for this club to come back better after losing these type of games .

When the final whistle went at Wembley in 2000 you knew the golden era was over , you knew Craig Hignett had played his last game for us and you knew John Curtis wasn't going to sign permanently .

You knew in 2008 we weren't going to get another opportunity at playing in the FA cup final , we'd blown it .

You knew Val's season was a one off and we'd never get this close again to a return to the PL .

If we don't make this season I think we all know what could potentially happen .

I could be wrong and we miss out this season but next season we end up winning the league under Duff and add the little bit of extra quality we need in the summer .

I wouldn't be putting too much brass on that outcome though given recent history .

[pass_and_move]

It's not that simple though Pass for me personally with all due respect .

It's very difficult as we've seen for this club to come back better after losing these type of games .

When the final whistle went at Wembley in 2000 you knew the golden era was over , you knew Craig Hignett had played his last game for us and you knew John Curtis wasn't going to sign permanently .

You knew in 2008 we weren't going to get another opportunity at playing in the FA cup final , we'd blown it .

You knew Val's season was a one off and we'd never get this close again to a return to the PL .

If we don't make this season I think we all know what could potentially happen .

I could be wrong and we miss out this season but next season we end up winning the league under Duff and add the little bit of extra quality we need in the summer .

I wouldn't be putting too much brass on that outcome though given recent history .


I can see thi point mate and no offence intended on how you deal with setbacks from a personal point of view.

[animallittle3]

It's a funny thing with myself personally , I can deal far better with a season such as last rather than losing a game of play off or FA cup semi finals magnitude .

It got to November last season and you knew the game was up and we were done for .

The only time it really got to me was when a little carrot was dangled and we won a game before inevitably losing the next three .

I thought when we beat Derby at home we showed some signs of turning a corner only to lose the following game at home to Hull and play abysmally , Hull weren't even that good and beat us comfortably .

[animallittle3]

I can see thi point mate and no offence intended on how you deal with setbacks from a personal point of view.

No offence taken mate , this club's given me some of the best moments in my life and I'm hoping for a few more .

The gut wrenches I can do without but unfortunately as tha sez you have to ride the rollercoaster .

[SBRed48]

We certainly have enjoyed recent seasons in the Third Division coming between the relentless grind and defeats in the Championship.

Stendel went all season undefeated at Oakwell. He had a better squad and just let them play.

Duff has arguably done better, if not better to watch, by coaching what is on paper a more limited squad into a squad programmed to win games in the Third Division.

Many teams coming here could have been beaten by Pen istone Church but Duff has also beaten the top six teams here recently so credit to him and the players.

Ipswich have also won nine home games on the trot and have only lost four all season so Tuesday should be a cracker. Fortunately they will probably go up automatically so we will not face them in the Play Offs.

[Shadrack the Red]

The play offs this season to me are a free hit & of course I want us to succeed but given that no one being honest expected us to do anything this season but for me personally it has been fantastic & really enjoyable but if we fail so what , I would personally enjoy another crack at the automatics next season under Duff , the only slight problem with that of course is that fans expectation levels will have gone up & tolerance which has been shown this season by the fans might be in short supply should we hit a dodgy patch , you have only got to look at the Wendies for what I mean, they have above 90 points yet they are screaming for a managerial change simply because of their expectation levels.

[EthelRed]

Theyre massive shads and shouldnt, in their eyes, be playing penniless Billy Caspers like us every week.
In their opinion they are too big for the league above as well.

Deluded!

[Acido]

This is where the home wins will end though, as we have a pathetic record against Ipswich. 😩
Its been an excellent run though and look at where its put us in the table. When we thought we'd be challenging for 6th at best, we're now assured of 4th at least, and could still make the top two.

But I agree though that form and results during the season shouldn't really count, when it comes to the Play offs.
I wish there could be some sort of seeding in them, so the 3rd and 4th teams have the extra advantage. I/we don't know who we're going to play yet, but all 4 teams do start them on an equal level.

[Young_Nudger]

It's not that simple though Pass for me personally with all due respect .

It's very difficult as we've seen for this club to come back better after losing these type of games .

When the final whistle went at Wembley in 2000 you knew the golden era was over , you knew Craig Hignett had played his last game for us and you knew John Curtis wasn't going to sign permanently .

You knew in 2008 we weren't going to get another opportunity at playing in the FA cup final , we'd blown it .

You knew Val's season was a one off and we'd never get this close again to a return to the PL .

If we don't make this season I think we all know what could potentially happen .

I could be wrong and we miss out this season but next season we end up winning the league under Duff and add the little bit of extra quality we need in the summer .

I wouldn't be putting too much brass on that outcome though given recent history .

Well personally none of those thoughts went through my head while walking away from Wembley in 2000.
My only thought was two good teams could only be separated by the quality of the Ipswich goalkeeper.

As for your other points - it’s going to be the latter suggestion.
Stronger next season.

No names mentioned - but can you remember some of the supporters negativity leading up to last Januarys window.
Every player plus the kitchen sink was going to be sold.
Did it happen …….. No.
As I said at the time - if a bid comes in that the club believes is a good price then players will be sold - but other than that, no one will be sold.
And we would be stronger after January than we were before it.

After the disaster of last season and resultant relegation the supporters need to remember what the objective of the directors was for this season 22/23.
TO CONSOLIDATE.
That is to say to steady the ship.

There was no mention of pushing for promotion.

[Acido]

And there you have it, Animal and Pass, you can see where this thread is heading now can't you. Like every other thread on here ends up.
Get ready then for another tedious lecture about our owners and our finances, and target strikers again etc. 🥱

[animallittle3]

Well personally none of those thoughts went through my head while walking away from Wembley in 2000.
My only thought was two good teams could only be separated by the quality of the Ipswich goalkeeper.

As for your other points - it’s going to be the latter suggestion.
Stronger next season.

No names mentioned - but can you remember some of the supporters negativity leading up to last Januarys window.
Every player plus the kitchen sink was going to be sold.
Did it happen …….. No.
As I said at the time - if a bid comes in that the club believes is a good price then players will be sold - but other than that, no one will be sold.
And we would be stronger after January than we were before it.

After the disaster of last season and resultant relegation the supporters need to remember what the objective of the directors was for this season 22/23.
TO CONSOLIDATE.
That is to say to steady the ship.

There was no mention of pushing for promotion.

When did they say the objective was to consolidate this season ?

I haven't seen that , can you provide a link to support that claim , or are you speculating again ? .

I can remember you believing Chien Lee when he said we'd be stronger after the championship play off season .

Took 6 months before you realised he'd had your trousers down .

[Young_Nudger]

When did they say the objective was to consolidate this season ?

I haven't seen that , can you provide a link to support that claim , or are you speculating again ? .

I can remember you believing Chien Lee when he said we'd be stronger after the championship play off season .

Took 6 months before you realised he'd had your trousers down .

Well I’d like to debate and answer your questions Animal.
But due to certain other comments I’m going to have to decline.
So dont get the impression I’m ignoring the post.

[SBRed48]

Well I’d like to debate and answer your questions Animal.
But due to certain other comments I’m going to have to decline.
So dont get the impression I’m ignoring the post.

Code for--

I won't be able to find the statement because it was never made.



Conway (Arseoyle) did say on the stage of the Fanzone prior to the Stendel second season home game to Luton Town (24th August 2019) that "We are here to consolidate our Championship status and then take our ambition further".

[pass_and_move]

Code for--

I won't be able to find the statement because it was never made.



Conway (Arseoyle) did say on the stage of the Fanzone prior to the Stendel second season home game to Luton Town (24th August 2019) that "We are here to consolidate our Championship status and then take our ambition further".

I don't recall a statement from the club of consolidation last summer either SB. From the clubs point of view, I expect that the remit for Duff was qualifying for the play offs with a 25% chance of promotion but I'm only guessing at that. From a financial point of view, the club needs an instant return to the championship, thus creating the necessary TV revenue to straighten the finances out wi art the consortium having to subsidise the wage bill for yet another season in league 1. In other words- promotion Shyte or Bust.

[SBRed48]

If Parekh has bought out Lee's shares it will have cost him a fair bit.

Added to his original share holding Lee has bought another almost £2 million worth of shares in the Emergency Share Issues used to keep the club afloat this season. He will want that back with extras.

Added to Parekh's bill are wages which will not be met with another year of Third Division income, no reserves in the bank, an EFL Covid loan of £1.8 million to pay back and the Crynes expecting repayments of the purchase price. Unless Parekh (wealth unknown) puts a lot of money in the only source of revenue left is player trading, which could sluffen Duffy.

I like that phrase "Promotion Sh1t or Bust" Pass. :P

[Arblasterfromthepast]

If Parekh has bought out Lee's shares it will have cost him a fair bit.

Added to his original share holding Lee has bought another almost £2 million worth of shares in the Emergency Share Issues used to keep the club afloat this season. He will want that back with extras.

Added to Parekh's bill are wages which will not be met with another year of Third Division income, no reserves in the bank, an EFL Covid loan of £1.8 million to pay back and the Crynes expecting repayments of the purchase price. Unless Parekh (wealth unknown) puts a lot of money in the only source of revenue left is player trading, which could sluffen Duffy.

I like that phrase "Promotion Sh1t or Bust" Pass. :P

Maybe you should change your name by deed-poll SB from Sowerby Bridge 😁

[Arblasterfromthepast]

I'm certain that Parekh said very early in the season (in an interview with the Yorkshire Post or Radio Sheffield) that the aim of this season was to consolidate then depending on how things were going by Christmas maybe invest to see how far we could push it. There was no big fanfare and I don't remember anything else being said.

[Arblasterfromthepast]

One last thought. I wouldn't like to be in Parekh's position unless he has financial backing. The Cryne's also appear to be in an awkward position. I suspect they may have to settle for a payment in shares if Parekh doesn't have the finance to pay them which would increase their share of the club but could be a share of nothing if the club is in a poor financial state. Time will tell.

[Arblasterfromthepast]

Best I've known it for years. We've won 13 out of our last 14 games at Oakwell. Out of those 14 games we've scored 37 and conceded 11.

The solitary loss out of those was to Bolton where Mads was red carded after 5 mins and gave Bolton a penalty.

Early season we were struggling at home and lost a few games. We looked inconsistent and shaky at times. However, we've been really convincing from November onwards.

After yesterday we can't finish below 4th place which means that the second leg of the play offs is at home. If we can bring anything back from the first leg away to whoever we face, then thaz got to fancy our chances of getting the job done back at Oakwell.

OK, our away form of late could be better and so too the performances which is a cause for concern. Its a case of getting the away leg out of the way with minimal damage and then getting them back to fortress Oakwell and finishing the job in my opinion.

Yesterday was our 9th consecutive home win. In my 35 years of supporting us, I can't recall a run of consecutive victories like that at Oakwell. Out of those 9 successive wins, we have been convincing with them and played some top teams during that run and blown them all away.

It certainly bodes well for the play offs doesn't it. I don't think any of our potential play off opponents will be relishing coming to Oakwell for the second leg without a substantial lead

We're certainly going to need our house form to continue for the rest of the season Pass. Trouble is, the further you get into a good run the more likely it is to end. Fingers crossed.

[SBRed48]

I'm certain that Parekh said very early in the season (in an interview with the Yorkshire Post or Radio Sheffield) that the aim of this season was to consolidate then depending on how things were going by Christmas maybe invest to see how far we could push it. There was no big fanfare and I don't remember anything else being said.

I don't read the Yorkshire Post or listen to Radio Sheffield Arbs. I believe what you say. As you say it surprisingly hasn't been widely quoted much, if at all, at the time or since so has been "lost" in the media. Everything is coming to fruition in line with Parekh's Cunning Plan

Nudge clearly remembered it and was right. Apologies for doubting him.

[Arblasterfromthepast]

I don't read the Yorkshire Post or listen to Radio Sheffield Arbs. I believe what you say. As you say it surprisingly hasn't been widely quoted much, if at all, at the time or since so has been "lost" in the media. Everything is coming to fruition in line with Parekh's Cunning Plan

Nudge clearly remembered it and was right. Apologies for doubting him.
I must admit that I haven't fully thought it through yet.SB, but what do you think Parekh's plan is ?

[SBRed48]

Parekh's Cunning Plan--

1. Consolidate until Christmas

2. "Invest" post Christmas to see how far we can push it

3. Wear scarf round neck at a jaunty angle

Do above without spending a penny from any owner's pockets that can't be got back and hoping to God the Head Coach can work miracles.

[Arblasterfromthepast]

Parekh's Cunning Plan--

1. Consolidate until Christmas

2. "Invest" post Christmas to see how far we can push it

3. Wear scarf round neck at a jaunty angle

Do above without spending a penny from any owner's pockets that can't be got back and hoping to God the Head Coach can work miracles.

😂