I take it Albion fans want us (Boro) to beat Burnley on Tuesday?

[dwayne]

Everyone is talking about Burnley .... Boro are good but they ain't that good.

Boro have two very tough games before they play us. A draw wasn't that bad last night.

 

[ClaretTintedSpecs]

Well it's good we are all confident - I'm convinced Burnley will blow it but even it they don't I'm quite relaxed because it's in our own hands. I wouldn't be surprised if we win all three games.

I'm not confident, I don't think any team can be, I feel Boro are a touch over confident. You say it's in your own hands, but you have the trickier run in of all 3 teams, in my opinion.

 

[Wrong-Direction]

 

[Infant Hercules]

If you don't win at Preston - which is a very tough place to go, especially when they hate you and would like nothing more than to spoil your promotion party - we could be promoted before we even play Brighton.

 

[ClaretTintedSpecs]

We can all play the if game, here's another one....IF we beat Preston the pressure is well and truly on you to beat Ipswich AND Birmingham. Two very tough games. Preston hate Blackpool, by the way. We hate Rovers. We're are quite ambivalent towards each other.

 

[Infant Hercules]

Yes but considering the next match is Preston vs Burnley that is really the only if that matters at this point in time. Can Burnley go there and win? Of course they can. Will they? Hmmm I'm not so sure.

 

[ClaretTintedSpecs]

Me neither. I, unlike other fellow fans think a draw there would still do.

 

[Prince Monolulu]

Odd odds

 

[ClaretTintedSpecs]

They're probably about right, they'll be based on the fact the other teams are definitely in there and there's a decent chance Brighton won't be. IF you were in the play offs, I think you would walk them.

 

[Surf's Up]

I gonna make a bold statement here, with the form we are in, not only are we going to clinch promotion, but we will do it as champions!
We've hit some amazing form at just the right time, and scoring goals for fun whilst doing it, keep the faith.

Gulp!!!

 

[Hotchilidog]

It is now all about who can hold their neerve. A three game shootout. All three teams can win the title, all three can miss out and end up in the playoffs. It really doesn't get any better than this. I think the Bolton/Boro, Burnley/Leeds and our game against the MK Dons have proven recently that even the most obvious looking wins can be tricky. No-one can bank the points beforethey have finally earned them.

FWIW I think it is that corny "togetherness" that exists within our squad that is giving me the belief that we can go on and get this done. Our players really are playing for each other. I'll be interested to hear from our Burnley and Boro contributors as to how they view that aspect of their respective teams, going into the last three games.

This is absolutely thrilling stuff at the moment and I for one am loving it.

 

[sparkie]

Brighton will be a Preston fanzone on Friday night.

 

[jimhigham]

Obviously three straight wins take us up however, we have won four straight matches already and our final two matches are also against teams that are bang in form. For us to guarantee promotion we will need seven straight wins, taking down two teams who are also winning matches. That remains one hell of an ask and I suspect that we won't be able to manage it and will be reliant on results elsewhere. My gut feeling is that we will fall just short of the automatic places. I know it's unfashionable to say so and with the form we are in its certainly not impossible but that's my sense of it right now. We need to start by really trying to put Charlton to the sword and applying as much pressure as possible to our competitors.

I feel ill just thinking about it.

 

[Triggaaar]

Bias put to one side.

Boro are absolutely nailed on for promotion.

Burnley are second favourites and extremely likely to be promoted.

ALBION ARE CURRENTLY ODDS ON (SOMETHING LIKE 8/15) FOR PROMOTION

We're 8/11.

Hundreds of odds on chances do lose every day but it means industry experts currently consider us far more likely than not to get promoted.

No, that's not what it means. It means the bookies don't want to offer better odds than that, nothing more. They will have already taken money on us when the odds were longer. as you say, 'brough and Burnley are most likely to fill the top two spots, we'd then become not much better than 1 in 4 to win the playoffs.

Realistically I'd think it's not far off of evans for promotion.

 

[scamander]

It is now all about who can hold their neerve. A three game shootout. All three teams can win the title, all three can miss out and end up in the playoffs. It really doesn't get any better than this. I think the Bolton/Boro, Burnley/Leeds and our game against the MK Dons have proven recently that even the most obvious looking wins can be tricky. No-one can bank the points beforethey have finally earned them.

FWIW I think it is that corny "togetherness" that exists within our squad that is giving me the belief that we can go on and get this done. Our players really are playing for each other. I'll be interested to hear from our Burnley and Boro contributors as to how they view that aspect of their respective teams, going into the last three games.

This is absolutely thrilling stuff at the moment and I for one am loving it.

From what I sense our team would run through brick walls for Dyche. I realise he's wildly unpopular with opposition fans but he's fostered a very good team spirit. Our run in is the opposite of yours with PNE, QPR and Charlton we have an easier last two games which we should win (if we don't we don't deserve to go up). So Friday night is the next big one.

 

[Triggaaar]

You say it's in your own hands, but you have the trickier run in of all 3 teams, in my opinion.

I'd think most agree with that.

IF you were in the play offs, I think you would walk them.

It's never that easy. We've been more consistent that Derby, but they're still a decent team, as are Hull. The playoffs really are cup finals with evenly matched teams, anyone can win them.

 

[Hotchilidog]

From what I sense our team would run through brick walls for Dyche. I realise he's wildly unpopular with opposition fans but he's fostered a very good team spirit. Our run in is the opposite of yours with PNE, QPR and Charlton we have an easier last two games which we should win (if we don't we don't deserve to go up). So Friday night is the next big one.

Thanks for that. Thought that might be the case, polarising managers can have that effect on teams. We may all hate him but I can see why your players work for him. Your constant digging out of results recently is testament to that.

 

[Triggaaar]

FWIW I think it is that corny "togetherness" that exists within our squad that is giving me the belief that we can go on and get this done. Our players really are playing for each other. I'll be interested to hear from our Burnley and Boro contributors as to how they view that aspect of their respective teams, going into the last three games.

I think the problem is that that togetherness is worth a lot over the course of the season when players are having to give everything week in, week out, but when there's just a couple of games to go to win promotion I think even a disjointed team will put in the effort required.

 

[scamander]

Thanks for that. Thought that might be the case, polarising managers can have that effect on teams. We may all hate him but I can see why your players work for him. Your constant digging out of results recently is testament to that.

cheers - when you got Hughton I thought it was a great signing as he is a class manager on and off the pitch (particularly after how he was treated at Newcastle). He's a great fit as now you have the academy he'll be brilliant for the younger players coming through. Dyche is similar with youngsters (he was an U21 coach) we've finally began to upgrade our facilities so I hope his effect on our youth sides will start to bear fruit (it hasn't been very good in recent years).

 

[Infant Hercules]

It is now all about who can hold their neerve. A three game shootout. All three teams can win the title, all three can miss out and end up in the playoffs. It really doesn't get any better than this. I think the Bolton/Boro, Burnley/Leeds and our game against the MK Dons have proven recently that even the most obvious looking wins can be tricky. No-one can bank the points beforethey have finally earned them.

FWIW I think it is that corny "togetherness" that exists within our squad that is giving me the belief that we can go on and get this done. Our players really are playing for each other. I'll be interested to hear from our Burnley and Boro contributors as to how they view that aspect of their respective teams, going into the last three games.

This is absolutely thrilling stuff at the moment and I for one am loving it.

I think you're right - this league is brutal and even teams at the bottom can beat anyone on their day.

As for squad togetherness - this will sound daft after the whole walk out incident and the fact that Aitor has had spats with Adomag and Downing but I really think it's the closest group of players we've had in a while. I think the number of late winners we've scored is testament to that.