Which game

[champs95]

....is it when we seal automatic promotion? I always had it as being away at Charlton, but I think it could happen a game or two earlier now? I think it's now away at Donny where we can wrap it up, obviously after we find out how many points Shrewsbury keep dropping. 2 wins and draw will do it now from our remaining games, if that.

[Saxo1man41]

Oxford home.

[champs95]

We will get 7 points from the next 3 games. In that time Shrewsbury will have dropped more points so I actually think it will be when we beat Peterborough at home on Sky on the Thursday night. Then onto who wins the title which is irrelevant after automatic is achieved, but would be fun to have as a bonus.
Another red card for Shrews best player (Beccles) adding to an already depleted squad due to their poor discipline. They will miss him for 3 games, like the others from previous games. That's why they keep losing & drawing every few games. We've already done all the hard work.

[Saxo1man41]

If I'm negative, its a pleasant surprise if it turns out different.

[AucklandRover]

If I'm negative, its a pleasant surprise if it turns out different.

I think you're still missing the point, Saxo.
Shrewsbury are held to a nil-nil by Bradford, who lost 0-3 to Blackpool in their previous match.
Little sign of a pattern there.
And that's my point: this is football! Trying to turn it into a predictable science where B automatically follows from A JUST doesn't work.
Do we blame Paul Hurst for being "negative" last night? Do we blame him for his team having received so many red cards recently? Do we blame him for their growing injury-list?
Surely, these are simply the fortunes and twists of competitive sport.
Somewhere in recent posts, you have described Gillingham as "relegation-fodder". That is just plain arrogant. As we have seen all season, the vast majority of teams in this Division are competitive. Some might be a little short of skill, but they often make up for that with power and a defensive game-plan.
Your notion that if we picked Payne instead of Conway, we would be romping home flies in the face of the facts.
The best teams tend come out on top over 46 games, but almost every individual match is a battle where victory has to be fought for. Arguing that our "superior quality" should see us comfortable winners in every game fails to take into account all the other contributory factors.
As for Mowbray, he said missing promotion would represent failure, and I would have no major problem with you calling for his head in those circumstances.
The problem is, you have fallen into the trap that plagues fans, time and time again: this blind faith that if Manager A hasn't delivered the goods, Manager B will automatically be better. Wow - that's worked out well for us in recent years, hasn't it?
As for your idea that he should be sacked if we DO get promoted - frankly - it beggars belief. What you are saying is we should take a massive gamble on someone young, just because he IS young, and therefore might be more adventurous!
Really???

[Saxo1man41]

I think you're still missing the point, Saxo.
Shrewsbury are held to a nil-nil by Bradford, who lost 0-3 to Blackpool in their previous match.
Little sign of a pattern there.
And that's my point: this is football! Trying to turn it into a predictable science where B automatically follows from A JUST doesn't work.
Do we blame Paul Hurst for being "negative" last night? Do we blame him for his team having received so many red cards recently? Do we blame him for their growing injury-list?
Surely, these are simply the fortunes and twists of competitive sport.
Somewhere in recent posts, you have described Gillingham as "relegation-fodder". That is just plain arrogant. As we have seen all season, the vast majority of teams in this Division are competitive. Some might be a little short of skill, but they often make up for that with power and a defensive game-plan.
Your notion that if we picked Payne instead of Conway, we would be romping home flies in the face of the facts.
The best teams tend come out on top over 46 games, but almost every individual match is a battle where victory has to be fought for. Arguing that our "superior quality" should see us comfortable winners in every game fails to take into account all the other contributory factors.
As for Mowbray, he said missing promotion would represent failure, and I would have no major problem with you calling for his head in those circumstances.
The problem is, you have fallen into the trap that plagues fans, time and time again: this blind faith that if Manager A hasn't delivered the goods, Manager B will automatically be better. Wow - that's worked out well for us in recent years, hasn't it?
As for your idea that he should be sacked if we DO get promoted - frankly - it beggars belief. What you are saying is we should take a massive gamble on someone young, just because he IS young, and therefore might be more adventurous!
Really???

IF we get promoted, we'll have to see how he does. But let's just say I have my concerns about his attitude to gaining results. I fear in the championship, he'd be a perennial midtable manager, much like Ipswich fans have run out of patience with in Mick McCarthy.

[AucklandRover]

IF we get promoted, we'll have to see how he does. But let's just say I have my concerns about his attitude to gaining results. I fear in the championship, he'd be a perennial midtable manager, much like Ipswich fans have run out of patience with in Mick McCarthy.

Actually, not all of them. I have loads of friends in Ipswich as I lived nearby for 27 years. They are split about 50/50 on McCarthy.
You're right, though - he is probably a similar type to TM.
I'm not sure I view getting back to the PL as such a priority as you do. Perennial mid-table in the Championship would not be disastrous in my mind. Of course, if we looked like challenging I'd be excited, but for a club/town our size, the only really good thing about being in the PL is the money. If you're below about eighth place, it's just a relegation battle every year.
Now if there was a European Super-League, with our top six playing in that, the PL would be a much more level playing field, and all the better for it.

[Saxo1man41]

I think we could miss a trick by not taking advantage of the 'bounce' of a successful promotion campaign from league one. If mowbray had it in his mind that midtable would be acceptable, that's not good enough IMO.

[AucklandRover]

I think we could miss a trick by not taking advantage of the 'bounce' of a successful promotion campaign from league one. If mowbray had it in his mind that midtable would be acceptable, that's not good enough IMO.

I don't believe any manager would PLAY for mid-table. It's just that we have to be realistic. I don't think our current squad is Championship top-six quality, and we might lose the loan-players anyway. Then it comes down to investment by Venky's, which might be restricted by the FFP rules in any case. (Does anyone know what the deal is there?)
It is going to be a particularly tough Championship next year by the look of it. That's why I (not necessarily TM) would settle for 13th place! A lot would then depend on just how good our Under-23s turn out to be. Excellence at Development level doesn't always translate to senior football. Look at Connor Mahoney. In career-terms, I bet, now, he wishes he'd stayed.
Acido might be able to tell us how he's doing on loan at Barnsley.

[Despair]

Great postings Aucks and smack bang on the money.