The Championship 2020-21

Reading fans must've watched this & wondered how the hell they managed to miss out on the playoffs.

 

Barnsley must wonder what they have to do to even draw against Swansea, in three games this season they've been largely the better side but lost all three!

Hope they can put that right at the fourth time of asking but I fear Swansea will just defend in the whole second leg the way they've defended in most of this game and Barnsley will have no answer.

 

Could be the **** housers derby in the final

 

I love the playoffs, everything to play for and a single mistake can be a complete disaster, (Richard Lee anyone)? Both ties are really nicely poised but from what I saw tonight either Bournemouth or Brentford will be going up. Swansea and Barnsley were bl**dy awful. [/smug post]

 

You mean his mistake that led to Hull's equaliser in the second leg of the play-offs in 2007/08?

I think they'd have won that comfortably anyway, we were 2-1 down and away from home with little more than 45 minutes to go when that happened, and after King's departure and Hendo's goals drying up we didn't have enough firepower to turn the first leg deficit around.

 

Yep. Incompetence.

 

I hope not, in that case I can’t see past Muff heading up with us.

Bournemouth have recent Prem experience and as a result a lot more technical nous and creativity in their diving and play acting, and I can see that being the difference between the two sides I’m afraid.

 

Just watched the highlights of both matches, and the atmosphere seems a lot better at the Barnsley game. The noise from the fans at the Bournemouth match is quieter than fake crowd noise! Still would rather have real fans on the quiet side in a partially full stadium than the latter though.

 

Bournemouth Vs Swansea final would be grim viewing

Both ties still in the balance after tonight however

 

Every game finishing 8-7 with that team.

 

Didn't watch either game tonight.

Quite glad as the games didn't sound thrilling, and Bournemouth won.

Really, anyone but them. Please.

 

Barnsley v Swansea...and it's live (well sort of)! 90+ minutes of these 2 battling it out for a place in the Premier League eh?

V

I couldn't quite belief our top pundit's verdict at the full time whistle. "Well what a fantastic football match that was!"


I know what you're thinking but no, not a hint of sarcasm from the ex-Forest midfielder on this occasion.

 

You don't think Olise as a one-man midfield is solid enough then?

 

Gutted by the results last night. Need some big games from Brentford and Barnsley at the weekend.

 

I did not think much of Ivan Toney tonight. Did not live up to anywhere near all the recent hype. Not worth 20 million plus on that showing.

 

All the teams last night looked poor imo. Perhaps it was nerves. Or, in the case of Swansea, may be they are just ****.

Unless they strengthen greatly, I will be very disappointed if we don't finish ahead of who ever wins the playoffs in next year's EPL.

 

I thought all 4 were really poor.

God knows why Frank feels he has to make 3 changes on 50 minutes.. the blokes head had gone.

Can see muff **** housing their way to winning it.

 

Yep, although it looked like he might have picked up an injury early in the game. I don't think Dike had any excuse for looking crap though.

 

Interestingly, on their forum those changes were widely welcomed by their fans and credited with the upward trend in their performance for a decent part of the second half.

 

I didn't watch the Muff/Brentford game, I did catch most of the second half of Barnsley/Swansea. Neither team were that great but at least Barnsley were trying to go for it, they were unlucky not to have got something from the game.

Also it goes to show the little football I've watched this season, I genuinely only found out last night that Barnsley's Dike was pronounced Dee-kay.

 

Whoever the least rich is in the final is when it comes to signing players, I will be cheering them on as it gives Watford the best chance of surviving next season. I don't think Barnsley will make it.

I am assuming that means it's either Brentford or Swansea and not Bournemouth....?

 

It seems contrary to opinion, I thought Bournemouth played pretty well, reminded me of them in the PL with effective counter attacks.

That miss aside Brentford were rubbish, totally toothless. Some of their fans are totally deluded in thinking they played well. They got a bit better as Bournemouth retreated more, but that was the only reason. They created absolutely nothing other than the miss. Some of their fans are genuinely saying they’re better off being 1-0 down which highlights just how deluded some of them are. Bournemouth will relish **** housing the life out of them and hitting them on the break.

The other game was absolute toilet in terms of quality, the goal aside. Barnsley play like an under 10s team.

 

I noticed a small child was asleep towards the end of the Barnsley game.
Wait for months for a game and then fall asleep,no stamina children these days!

 

I did actually text my brother during the game to say that it looked to me like Swansea were essentially 'out-adulting' Barnsley.

 

They literally play kick and rush, kick the ball as high in the air as they possibly can then swarm up the pitch to press and try to win the ball as high up the pitch as they can. It's effective for them but makes for ******* awful viewing. According to whoscored there were 85 aerial duels in yesterdays game, they average 65.3 aerial duels a game, the highest in the league (we rank 21st with an average of 38.9 per game)

 

I’d not really seen them properly until yesterday the way people rave about them I thought they had some incredible new style, but no, it is literally just kick and rush.

That’s ok for a bit but it’s not sustainable, teams eventually work out how to deal with it, a bit like they worked us and Aidy out.

Also that aerial duals stat is grim, basically one a minute!

 

Yup. Last night was junk. And in fairness Aidy's version of it was far more sophisticated than what Barnsley produced last night.

 

If either Barnsley or Swansea go up that will be one relegation place we don't have to worry about. Both sides looked awful. I presume the big lump up front from America is normally better than that otherwise we should not be looking at him

 

I've liked what I've seen of Dike, and of course, he's an upgrade on what we have, but that was his biggest test so far, and he failed it

 

I think what the comms said about Swansea being the best team in the playoffs to deal with them is true, they did the double over them in the regular season and have a great defence at this level, Cabango is a unit, Guehi not so much but he's one of the very best in the division

 

In the promotion season yes, sadly not so much in later seasons under Aidy.

 

They didn't produce a shot on target until I think the 65th minute and that was from a set piece (and it was their only one). That could have well been us if we'd slipped up badly after Luton and no doubt many of us would have been fuming.

 

Not a good start for Oxford, 2-0 down already in their home leg against Blackpool. Enough time to turn it around though and their team has a lot of spirit and goals.