Two points from six - hardly play off form?

[Waterhall Wizard]

Storer68 has highlighted something that I have been uncomfortable with ever since it was introduced. I wish The Football League had left the points system as it was. Two points for a win and one point for a drawer.

Surely two drawn games is as big an achievement as a win and a loss?

Looking at this season's results and the old way of points allocated, Forest would be fourth and Southend fifth. That is a reversal of the current position. It wouldn't actually make any difference to our league position, but Leeds (with their fifteen points deduction) would be seven points behind us. We would be a point behind Tranmere. Our nearest challenger would be Oldham a point behind, but having played a game more.

 

[Easy 10]

I wish The Football League had left the points system as it was. Two points for a win and one point for a drawer.

How many for a nest of tables ?

 

[Easy 10]

Anyway, the shift in points from 2 for a win to 3 was to encourage teams to attack for the win more, as the rewards are that much greater than just holding out for a draw. One solitary extra point for a win isn't much of an incentive is it.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

No Storer68 is quite correct and everyone else is wrong.

2 nil - nil draws MAY look good against Forest and Leeds but if Leeds get any of their deducted points back we are chasing them and out of play-off places.

Also in the general euphoria everyone seems to have forgotten that to get through the play-offs we will have to BEAT teams like Forest and Leeds (or whoever gets into them). The play-offs are effectively cup ties, and a draw against anyone would not be enough. It appears from the general relief on here after each game that we managed to hold the opposition more than actually looking like beating either of them at all, least of all beating either of them convincingly to give us the appearance of a real form team against other play-off contenders. Did we create lots of chances? Did we look like scoring? Were we creative? Did our defence and goalkeeper keep us in the games?

If we get to play-offs and then get through them, are we then good enough to survive and/or prosper in the Championship. Can we strengthen the squad? Can we afford to strengthen the squad - remember that the best mid feilder we currently have (according to many on NSC) will be returning to Charlton and not playing for us next season. Will we end up like Derby County in the Premiershit this year. All glory and celebrations at the end of one season, but then doom gloom and disaster right from the start of the next.

A dose of sharp reality is required here, and blind optimism is not the answer.

Having said that, I would prefer to be where we are now than where we were last year.

 

[Peter Grummit]

Rubbish CC! If we play Forest or Leeds in the play+offs we will be DELIGHTED to draw the away leg and win the home one. It might be a Cup tie but its a two-legged one if you hadn't noticed.
PG

 

[Seasider78]

F*cking hell at xmas everyone was writing us off and now we have completed a March with some of the toughest away games in this league and are still in the hunt. We have one of the most attractive run ins of all the clubs around us and we still moan.

Sometimes I worry about some of our fans and what exactly it would take to stop them moaning

 

[Skaville]

Att his stage of the season, would you have preferred a win and a defeat (mpre points but presumably one iffy perfoamnce for the defeat) or two draws - less points but with decent performances?

Am I alone in thinking that we hmay have missed a trick here.

Yes, you're alone in thiniking we "missed a trick" by not losing two of our hardest games of the season.

 

[Couldn't Be Hyypia]

i think that if we want to get into the playoffs and have a chance of winniing we need to beat these teams not only draw. We need goals and they just don't seem to be coming.

We're scoring plenty of goals. Two blank sheets away from home against promotion rivals (where the oppo failed to score too) at the end of a run of nine games in one month is nothing to worry about. Why try and build this up into a "goal drought" story??

2 nil - nil draws MAY look good against Forest and Leeds but if Leeds get any of their deducted points back we are chasing them and out of play-off places.

They are good results for a team who are at the end of an intensive run of games and where key players were missing. Bloody hell - how many times do we have to say this:

In March we played nine games, won four and drew three during which we played many of the top sides in the division. That's promotion form.

What happens next decides whether all that hard work pays off, but ffs stop twisting the facts to make it seem like two massive away draws and conceding one goal in three away trips is some kind of disaster.

 

[Easy 10]

If we get to play-offs and then get through them, are we then good enough to survive and/or prosper in the Championship. Can we strengthen the squad? Can we afford to strengthen the squad ?

Who cares ? Worry about all that in the summer.
Going up is FUN - specially via the Playoffs. Its even better than winning the division.

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

IF we sneak into the play offs - and I believe we will by beating Swansea 'we're on the beach already' in the last game - then we WILL beat Donny over two legs and Forest in the final.

Have faith!

 

[Storer68]

Table for March - I thik the missed opportuniy was a win at Forest (but I think the team are knackered.
Coca-Cola Football League One
2007-2008 Season Domestic Stats to 31-Mar-08 inclusive
Record for March

Team Pld W D L F A GD GFA GAA PpG Pts
1 Carlisle United (2) 7 5 2 0 12 3 9 1.71 0.42 2.42 17
2 Doncaster Rovers (3) 8 5 1 2 9 6 3 1.12 0.75 2.00 16
3 Brighton & Hove Albion (7) 9 4 3 2 11 9 2 1.22 1.00 1.66 15
4 Oldham Athletic (9) 8 4 2 2 14 8 6 1.75 1.00 1.75 14
5 Southend United (4) 6 4 2 0 8 3 5 1.33 0.50 2.33 14
6 Swansea City (1) 8 3 3 2 13 11 2 1.62 1.37 1.50 12
7 AFC Bournemouth (22) 7 4 0 3 9 7 2 1.28 1.00 1.71 12
8 Hartlepool United (13) 8 4 0 4 12 12 0 1.50 1.50 1.50 12
9 Leeds United (8) 6 3 2 1 9 5 4 1.50 0.83 1.83 11
10 Cheltenham Town (17) 6 3 2 1 7 5 2 1.16 0.83 1.83 11
11 Tranmere Rovers (6) 7 3 1 3 10 9 1 1.42 1.28 1.42 10
12 Port Vale (24) 7 3 1 3 10 12 -2 1.42 1.71 1.42 10
13 Crewe Alexandra (20) 7 2 3 2 8 6 2 1.14 0.85 1.28 9
14 Northampton Town (12) 7 2 3 2 9 8 1 1.28 1.14 1.28 9
15 Huddersfield Town (14) 8 3 0 5 11 15 -4 1.37 1.87 1.12 9
16 Luton Town (23) 7 2 2 3 7 7 0 1.00 1.00 1.14 8
17 Millwall (19) 7 2 2 3 4 6 -2 0.57 0.85 1.14 8
18 Yeovil Town (15) 7 2 2 3 4 7 -3 0.57 1.00 1.14 8
19 Nottingham Forest (5) 7 1 4 2 4 5 -1 0.57 0.71 1.00 7
20 Leyton Orient (11) 7 2 1 4 5 9 -4 0.71 1.28 1.00 7
21 Bristol Rovers (18) 8 1 3 4 6 10 -4 0.75 1.25 0.75 6
22 Walsall (10) 7 1 2 4 4 9 -5 0.57 1.28 0.71 5
23 Gillingham (21) 8 1 2 5 6 16 -10 0.75 2.00 0.62 5
24 Swindon Town (16) 7 1 1 5 8 12 -4 1.14 1.71 0.57 4



• GD: Goal Difference • GFA: Goals For Average per match
• GAA: Goals Against Average per match • PpG: Points per Game

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[Pavilionaire]

Let's get this right - a point at Forest and a point at Leeds is 2 points more than anyone would have thought we'd get from those fixtures at the start of the season.

Personally, I think that to get through those matches unscathed stands us in excellent stead. Arguably, 2 draws is better than a win followed by a loss because of the momentum factor.

Either way, we have to be happy and look forward.

 

[Storer68]

so everyone apart from me thinks two points is better than three??

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Coca-Cola Football League One : Table
01 Apr 21:45
| Home | Away
Team P W D L F A W D L F A GD PTS
1 Swansea 40 12 5 3 32 16 12 5 3 41 20 37 82
2 Carlisle 40 16 1 2 35 12 6 8 7 23 24 22 75
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3 Doncaster 41 12 4 5 30 18 9 5 6 27 18 21 72
4 Nottm Forest 40 10 7 2 29 9 7 8 6 24 19 25 66
5 Southend 40 11 4 5 31 18 8 4 8 30 32 11 65
6 Tranmere 41 12 4 5 31 16 5 7 8 18 24 9 62
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7 Leeds 40 13 4 4 36 15 9 6 4 26 19 28 61
8 Brighton 40 11 6 3 33 20 5 6 9 17 22 8 60
9 Oldham 41 8 7 6 28 20 7 6 7 22 19 11 58
10 Walsall 40 6 8 5 22 19 8 7 6 23 17 9 57
11 Leyton Orient 41 8 5 7 23 25 7 6 8 21 28 -9 56
12 Northampton 41 9 6 5 32 19 5 7 9 19 31 1 55
13 Hartlepool 41 11 5 5 40 24 4 2 14 20 36 0 52
14 Huddersfield 40 9 3 7 23 20 7 1 13 20 40 -17 52
15 Yeovil 41 9 4 8 19 23 4 6 10 14 26 -16 49
16 Swindon 40 9 5 6 30 23 3 7 10 20 29 -2 48
17 Cheltenham 41 9 8 4 20 18 3 4 13 16 35 -17 48
18 Bristol Rovers 38 5 8 6 24 26 6 6 7 16 17 -3 47
19 Millwall 41 8 3 9 26 23 4 6 11 13 32 -16 45
20 Crewe 41 7 6 7 22 25 3 8 10 17 31 -17 44
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21 Gillingham 41 9 8 4 24 19 2 2 16 15 47 -27 43
22 Bournemouth 41 8 4 9 28 34 5 2 13 25 34 -15 35
23 Luton 41 10 5 6 28 22 1 5 14 13 33 -14 33
24 Port Vale 41 5 6 10 24 33 3 2 15 17 37 -29 32

We are now 2 points (maybe 5 points if Leeds get 5 points back) off the play-offs with only one game in hand on Tranmere anda vastly inferior goal difference. Does anyone know the comparative run-ins because this doesn't look convincing for a play-off place at present unless at least one team above us starts loosing.