Reasons to be optimistic

[TigerTedd]

Firstly, if you're not going to be optimistic, what's the point? We might as well just play the under 21s till the end of the season. Give them a bit of game time, because our season is clearly as over as Forest's.

Wrong. Season's not over. And as long as it's still mathematically possible to get autos, that should still be our aim. Whether it happens or not is in the hands of the gods, but all the team can do is go out and try as hard as they can to win every game. There are still 24 points to play for. 

And there are reason to be optimistic. 

All the teams in the top four are all playing each other. It will make for a very exciting finale to the season. There will be dropped points all over the place. The gap between us and the top two will be less than 7 by the end of the season, as long as we hold up,our end of the bargain, and win, win, win.

For example, Middlesbrough are playing Norwich and Watford. 2 drawers there = 4 dropped points. Loose one more game (and anyone is capable of it when the pressure gets to them, they also have Wolves, who are not crap) and that's 7, and were right back in it. 

Bournemouth have an easy run in on paper, probably easier than ours. They really should win the league from here. But a draw with Ipswich yesterday is just what the doctor ordered. Only 6pts (effectively 7 with goal difference) to overhaul. It would be a miracle if they dropped all that though, so Middlesbrough is more realistic.

Norwich have it Boro (2 dropped points), and besides that, I'm not sure where they are dropping another 3. But it is only 3 they have to drop, so one dodgy loss, and we're back in on them.

And Watford could also drop 2 against Boro, and maybe Forest will do us a favour and beat them. That's 5 pts dropped, and agin, we're back in it.

Stranger things have happened in football.

In Wigan, we couldn't ask for a better (poorer) team to try to get some confidence back from. Once we've got that confidence, we can go on a run. And I can see there being just a point or two in it between 2nd and 5th by the end of the season.

And if all that fails, then we at least have our tails up in time for the play offs. Then it's anyone's guess. 25% chance of promotion.

[Chris Mills]

Firstly, if you're not going to be optimistic, what's the point? We might as well just play the under 21s till the end of the season. Give them a bit of game time, because our season is clearly as over as Forest's.

Wrong. Season's not over. And as long as it's still mathematically possible to get autos, that should still be our aim. Whether it happens or not is in the hands of the gods, but all the team can do is go out and try as hard as they can to win every game. There are still 24 points to play for. 

And there are reason to be optimistic. 

All the teams in the top four are all playing each other. It will make for a very exciting finale to the season. There will be dropped points all over the place. The gap between us and the top two will be less than 7 by the end of the season, as long as we hold up,our end of the bargain, and win, win, win.

For example, Middlesbrough are playing Norwich and Watford. 2 drawers there = 4 dropped points. Loose one more game (and anyone is capable of it when the pressure gets to them, they also have Wolves, who are not crap) and that's 7, and were right back in it. 

Bournemouth have an easy run in on paper, probably easier than ours. They really should win the league from here. But a draw with Ipswich yesterday is just what the doctor ordered. Only 6pts (effectively 7 with goal difference) to overhaul. It would be a miracle if they dropped all that though, so Middlesbrough is more realistic.

Norwich have it Boro (2 dropped points), and besides that, I'm not sure where they are dropping another 3. But it is only 3 they have to drop, so one dodgy loss, and we're back in on them.

And Watford could also drop 2 against Boro, and maybe Forest will do us a favour and beat them. That's 5 pts dropped, and agin, we're back in it.

Stranger things have happened in football.

In Wigan, we couldn't ask for a better (poorer) team to try to get some confidence back from. Once we've got that confidence, we can go on a run. And I can see there being just a point or two in it between 2nd and 5th by the end of the season.

And if all that fails, then we at least have our tails up in time for the play offs. Then it's anyone's guess. 25% chance of promotion.

[North_Stand_Ram]

Another reason - we are the only team in the top 8 with any recent play off expericne. Hopefully that enables our players to deal with it better, and give us the confidence to win the bloody thing!

[TigerTedd]

There are only 18 points to play for, not 24 but I understand your point. It is possible and I have no doubt the team will go out and try win every game from now onwards, but realistically all of those teams above us aren't going to drop the required points for us to get autos. The best thing for us to do is try win out next 6 games, get some good form going into the playoffs and should we get an auto spot (we won't) that's a bonus. 

[The Scarlet Pimpernel]

Realistically, the current top four are playing for top two. Fifth to eighth are playing for fifth & sixth positions

[Curtains]

No chance of Automatics lets just get in playoffs and win them first though drop Christie and Forsyth as they are liabilities 

[Abu Derby]

Does anyone know when the final is?

Saturday or bank holiday Monday?

Might have to move my holiday. 

[rammieib]

Bank hol Monday 

[Chris Mills]

Does anyone know when the final is?

Saturday or bank holiday Monday?

Might have to move my holiday. 

[Curtains]

​Monday - I wouldn't bother, unless you want to see Norwich vs Watford!

[Chris Mills]

Now that is pessimistic 

 

I think Derby will be at Wembley and win the playoffs. 

[Curtains]

​Now that is optimistic!

Lets agree to meet in the middle and say we will get to Wembley and lose.

[Chris Mills]

No no nooooooooooo 

This time now Martins back we will WIN THE PLAYOFFS 

[Curtains]

​You drive a hard bargain... Loss on penalties?

[Chris Mills]

No. Nooooooooo

We will beat Middlesborough 2-1 at Wembley 

Bamford will be crying after Martin scores the winner. 

[Curtains]

Fine. One last offer. 

We win the match, but the result gets overturned due to fielding an illegible player in Zamora, who incidentally scored the winner for us, assisted by Keogh? 

[Tamworthram]

Firstly, if you're not going to be optimistic, what's the point? We might as well just play the under 21s till the end of the season. Give them a bit of game time, because our season is clearly as over as Forest's.

Wrong. Season's not over. And as long as it's still mathematically possible to get autos, that should still be our aim. Whether it happens or not is in the hands of the gods, but all the team can do is go out and try as hard as they can to win every game. There are still 24 points to play for. 

And there are reason to be optimistic. 

All the teams in the top four are all playing each other. It will make for a very exciting finale to the season. There will be dropped points all over the place. The gap between us and the top two will be less than 7 by the end of the season, as long as we hold up,our end of the bargain, and win, win, win.

For example, Middlesbrough are playing Norwich and Watford. 2 drawers there = 4 dropped points. Loose one more game (and anyone is capable of it when the pressure gets to them, they also have Wolves, who are not crap) and that's 7, and were right back in it. 

Bournemouth have an easy run in on paper, probably easier than ours. They really should win the league from here. But a draw with Ipswich yesterday is just what the doctor ordered. Only 6pts (effectively 7 with goal difference) to overhaul. It would be a miracle if they dropped all that though, so Middlesbrough is more realistic.

Norwich have it Boro (2 dropped points), and besides that, I'm not sure where they are dropping another 3. But it is only 3 they have to drop, so one dodgy loss, and we're back in on them.

And Watford could also drop 2 against Boro, and maybe Forest will do us a favour and beat them. That's 5 pts dropped, and agin, we're back in it.

Stranger things have happened in football.

In Wigan, we couldn't ask for a better (poorer) team to try to get some confidence back from. Once we've got that confidence, we can go on a run. And I can see there being just a point or two in it between 2nd and 5th by the end of the season.

And if all that fails, then we at least have our tails up in time for the play offs. Then it's anyone's guess. 25% chance of promotion.

[Leicester Ram]

We're all rightly angry about last night. It was a poor performance under the circumstances and we've done a lot of bitching and moaning. But it's time to move on with it.

Last night wasn't the end of our season, we're very lucky that game wasn't the last day, because we'd be feeling ***** going into the play-off's and inevitably lose. But it isn't, we've got time to get our heads right and pick up some form, and God forbid, some ******* wins.

Our automatic promotion campaign's ended. The play-off campaign's begun. 

We we need to forget about automatics, what this season could have been, and focus on what it still can be. It's still very much within our capability to go up, out of the teams that seem destined for the play-off's (for me, that's Watford, Bournemouth and Brentford) on our day, we're the best team.

I know that ideally we'd have gone up automatically, but, for me, winning at Wembley would be the best possible outcome. That would be the perfect end to this period, putting all the demons behind us.

It's time to stop being negative about automatics and be positive about the play-off's.