Would you settle for the play offs now if offered ?

[Everest]

If it was a guaranteed play off place, then yes.

But ONLY if we were guaranteed a win in the final.

 

[Steve Foster]

As its only October I would have to say Yes.

If we are still top of the league or second by the end of January & Lua Lua loan has been extended then No.

 

[Da Man Clay]

Yes. You never know what's going to come along in January (i think we'll still be near the top if not there) but we could well lose an important player or two which could ruin us. KLL is going to go back to Newcastle - his contract is running out in the summer and there is no way they'll let it run out down here! I wouldn't be surprised if Bennett was being looked at, as well as Murray who is also out of contract in the summer.

Could Gus replace them? Probably - though i'm not sure about his choice of striker. Even if he does taking those players out certainly disrupts the balance and could really affect us.

 

[itszamora]

It's not so much the fact that we are top, but that we are absolutely DOMINATING teams (on the pitch, if not always the scoreboard yet) every week that gives me a lot of confidence at the moment that we will finish top 2 and very possibly win the league.

 

[mcshane in the 79th]

No way José. Start of the season I would have been over the moon with a play off spot but the way the season has started is promising so much more. And as someone else put, I can't see us dropping to 7th or below now. I wouldn't be surprised if we dropped to 3rd or 4th but there really can't be 6 teams better than us in this league.

Can't believe I'm saying that after predicting a very best placed finish of 7th pre-season.

Maybe that fight and abandoned match in Portugal really does mean we are destined to be Champions after all....

 

[strings]

It's much more fun going up with a final at Wembley.

Sadly I think I'm right in saying that this year's play-offs will be at Old Trafford as Wembley is being used for some mickey mouse european competition that rightly should only be of direct interest to a few Premiership clubs

The final is at Cardiff this season.

I heard that the Emirates were interested.




Am I the only person finding play-off final speculation more interesting than player speculation?

 

[Hunting 784561]

No !

This season we will be going ALL the way...

 

[Simster]

Erm, no. We're already 6 points clear (and a massive GD) of Exeter in 7th. I think the worst we will end up is to finish 6th, and that assumes we lose KLL and our form drops off massively.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Down to 11th are only 8 points behind us. There is so so much more football to be played before anyone starts talking about promotion. Gus would be giving you the lash if some of the comments on here were mentioned in front of his squad. Our current position could flip within a month and see us out of the playoff positions altogether. One game at a time, start talking about promotion in March, not in the middle of flippin October!!

 

[Simster]

One game at a time, start talking about promotion in March, not in the middle of flippin October!!

Sometimes this can seem a fair response. But anyone who has seen the football we're playing will know otherwise. Gus has assembled a squad with lots of competition, that he is able to tinker with depending on the opposition, and who seem to outclass its opponents time and time and time again.

Even the crap results have been against good sides and we've been bitterly unlucky. We could or should have had 7 points more than we've got. Sheff W and Tranmere away, Rochdale and Bournemouth at home are all "ones that got away". Yet how many times have we fluked a barely deserved win?

 

[Mellotron]

Definitely not. We will keep on improving week on week.

 

[AMEXican Wave]

No way !!

The playoffs are more of a lottery than the chance of getting in the top 2.

No point in getting to the playoffs if they are going to be reffed by someone on a par with the incompetants we had vs Bournemouth.

Our best chance of promotion is to aim for 1st or 2nd.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Sometimes this can seem a fair response. But anyone who has seen the football we're playing will know otherwise. Gus has assembled a squad with lots of competition, that he is able to tinker with depending on the opposition, and who seem to outclass its opponents time and time and time again.

Even the crap results have been against good sides and we've been bitterly unlucky. We could or should have had 7 points more than we've got. Sheff W and Tranmere away, Rochdale and Bournemouth at home are all "ones that got away". Yet how many times have we fluked a barely deserved win?

The same could be said of Leeds United, they had won the league at Xmas, only to make the play-offs by the skin of their teeth.

I've seen the football we're playing and it is brilliant, but is reliant on confidence brimming through the side. If this confidence is eroded through a bad result or 2, then it can be difficult to move to plan B.

This season could still go either way for Albion, it's a fantastic start but that's all it is, a start. Many a side has been top in October, mid table in April. Let's hope it's not the case, and it is certainly looking very promising, but to talk about not dropping out of the play off spots already is simply fools talk.

 

[Simster]

The same could be said of Leeds United, they had won the league at Xmas, only to make the play-offs by the skin of their teeth.

So Leeds made the playoffs then.

I fail to see why you'd take the play-offs right now. I can't remember the last time a team started like Albion have, and have failed to finish inside the top 6. Maybe it has happened, but it's not a regular enough occurrence to make me feel we'd take the playoffs now if offered.

 

[patchamalbion]

we are very confident then (not a bad thing) just hope we are not dissapointed. I wont be getting confident of automatic until iv seen the table come late Jan/Feb

 

[Bold Seagull]

So Leeds made the playoffs then.

I fail to see why you'd take the play-offs right now. I can't remember the last time a team started like Albion have, and have failed to finish inside the top 6. Maybe it has happened, but it's not a regular enough occurrence to make me feel we'd take the playoffs now if offered.

Ha, I meant scrapped into 2nd. I never said I'd take the play-off's either! We have a great chance, but there is such a long way to go. This time last season, Leeds had 27 pts, Charlton 25, Colchester 24, MK 23, Bristol Rovers 22. Norwich were 6th with 19. Colchester, MK, and Bristol Rovers finished 8th and below. So much can happen, that's all I'm saying, so early to be so confident about finishing even in the top 6, let alone the top 2. I wouldn't take the play-off's now though, too much to play for (without wanting to contradict myself!)

 

[Jim D]

No, I expect us to make the playoffs - but I would take 2nd place though.

Yesterday I put up a table showing that 8 out of the last 10 teams top after 12 games made the playoffs - and 5 were promoted. But only 2 of those got automatic.

 

[Couldn't Be Hyypia]

Brilliant question Marshy.

Before the first ball was kicked - definitely. Would have been thrilled.

Now? Probably. Some good teams can't keep being this bad and we're due a wobble.

If we're top after 20 games? Nope.

 

[Tricky Dicky]

Interesting to see how peoples' expectations have changed. How many people would have taken play-offs before the season started ?

 

[User removed 4]

Erm, no. We're already 6 points clear (and a massive GD) of Exeter in 7th. I think the worst we will end up is to finish 6th, and that assumes we lose KLL and our form drops off massively.

Talk about tempting f***ing fate