Championship - 2022/23

Fit

 

Not sure where you got the number 34 from but actually you're not that far out - 1996/97 was the last time they finished above us, they were 3rd but lost in the play-offs and we were midtable in the third tier (hopefully this season will have a similar outcome). That was the only time they finished above us since 1991/92, when they got relegated from the old first division and went into freefall.

The last two times we won at the Kennel were quite symbolic - the 4-0 emphatically indicated which directions the clubs were going, whereas the 2-1 was a case of putting them in their place after they'd just come up from League 1 and were having a good season and were above us for a while but we ended up having an even better one!

Those who thought we'd never play them again or at best we'd only play them fleetingly and the rivalry had all but vanished were being arrogant and/or misguided sadly - the four games between us (where thankfully we had the upper hand in half of them) have indicated that the rivalry is just as strong as ever.

 

How does that work? They went down with us to Division Two in 95/96 and ended below us as well.

 

They finished above us the season after we were both relegated as LO says....

 

Ah yeah, I get it now.

 

I think Boro have the best chance of beating them and wouldn't read too much in to that league result a few weeks ago. Middlesboro score lots of goals and have a bit more pace than Sunderland did. I don't think L***ns defenders look that quick. I'm basically trying to convince myself they are not going up because that for me is easily the worst case scenario. Going up puts them in a completely different financial picture than they are now and sets them up to build the Kohlerdome or whatever it's called now.
I hate them so I'm praying they don't go up

 

yes that was a fantastic evening - they had done all the hard work and then threw it all away. A little like they did against Blackpool (?) a few years ago where an own goal beat them...

 

Fantastic memories. Enjoyed them losing to York a while back as well and of course Huddersfield last season. Hopefully add Boro or Coventry to that list in a couple of weeks

 

I have a sneaky feeling for Coventry tonight....which would make life even easier for LTFC.

 

Luton are one of a small handful of teams who have participated multiple times in the play-offs and lost every time (Sheffield United are another one) - six times out of six they've lost in the play-offs, three of those occasions when they were the best team. Of course that can change...

 

The archetypal yo-yo club?

 

Do we need a new thread ?

 

There was a great adrenaline rush in the players, fans and coaching staff alike after that game but it's like drugs and everyday things in life in that lows can quite easily follow highs and things can soon become sour after a really good day or two. I think if the final had been a week earlier it might have turned out differently - not for the first time, I wonder why there has to be such a big gap between the play-off 2nd legs and the final in the Championship - Wrexham and Newport fans only had to wait a week that season for the Conference final, and even fans of the League 1 and 2 finalists didn't have to wait as long as us and Palace fans did (13 days as opposed to 14-15). Thankfully this season it's only 8-10 days between the semis and final, but I still maintain the whole thing should be done and dusted within a week and a half.

 

There was another game after THAT match?

 

On a serious note, in the moment, I never really thought about there being another game, it was only when I heard 'que sera sera' that I fully realised that there was a final to come!

 

It's written . It's gonna happen, I know it. The irony of all this is too much for it not to! The 4-0 win at the vic , whilst amazing at the time, just made their win and consequent play off finish/(promotion?) all the sweeter for them . My consolation is that they may well get battered week in week out and slip out of the premier league with a mere whimper. Then hopefully start to slide down the divisions again.

 

If, God forbid they go up they will seriously threaten the Derby record low points total. Kick and rush hoofball will not cut it in the premier league.

 

If I were Robins or Paul Carrick or whatever member of Squeeze is Boro boss I'd say this pre match;

" Do you want to play in the Premier League? If so you are going to have to work harder than you have ever worked,run further and faster, tackle and harass them better than before. You have to earn the right to show your superior skills. If you do not you will lose. Your choice, decide now and make sure you have no regrets at the end of the game. One final thing,all of humanity is behind you. Do not let them down."

 

Sale of tickets. Wembley is generally full for the play-off final.

 

Agreed. But they might do a Forest and buy a completely new team.

 

They need to buy a completely new stadium first

 

Do they have the money to ? Not sure their owners are as loaded as NF ?

 

I wouldn't describe the style of football they played against us recently as kick and rush, but yes, apart from their well-worked first goal there was nothing that impressed me about them aesthetically - they just showed more desire, work rate and unity. They remind me of the West Brom and Derby sides of old (probably Middlesbrough under Karanka), grinding out narrow wins with a solid defence but little finesse.

Burnley had a similar style which kept them up for six seasons in the Premier League, but last season and more progressive sides like Brighton and Brentford suggest that football has moved on from that, although they still managed to take it to the final day.

 

BTW I'm surprised how tight the tie is between Boro and Coventry. Of course I wouldn't expect Boro to cruise past them as Coventry went into the play-offs in great form (one defeat in 17) but with the firepower Boro have and Gyokeres I wouldn't have predicted there to be still no goals by half time in the second leg.

 

Oh no oh no oh no. The odds on our friends going up gets better and better.

 

Do you think Coventry have a better chance of beating them than Boro do then?

 

If Coventry go up, quite apart from the fact it will be their third promotion under their current manager (so a bit of a Graham Taylor-esque rise, albeit not quite as swift) it will be testimony to just how quickly clubs' fortunes can diverge, especially in the lower divisions.

Coventry were more than a whole division below Scunthorpe just five years ago, now the clubs could be five divisions apart next season!

https://www.fchd.info/lghist/efl2018.htm

 

Both Luton and Coventry are testament to the fact you can’t just falsify success in 10 game spells, it can take years and years and lots of patience to build towards something.

 

They won’t go up .