The Road to Wembley

[OohMartWright]

Play-off dates are 13 &14 May (first legs) and 16 & 17 May (second legs).

[RobboRam]

Is that confirmed? ****. 

[The_Sheriff]

Never understood why they are only a few days apart. High intensity games like that could do with players having a bit more a rest & preperation

[SaintRam]

2 minutes ago, Simsy said:

Never understood why they are only a few days apart. High intensity games like that could do with players having a bit more a rest & preperation

Probably deadlines of some form they have to hit, although they have rest until the... 28th for the final. Seems like you could have an extra day in between the legs and still be ok.

[MuespachRam]

If we want to go up and are worried about playing a team with Stewart Downing or Joey Barton in the midfield then there is something wrong.

i went for Boro, I think we would smash them all over the place. (I do think they will make the top 2 as it happens)

and anyone in the final.

[EnigmaRam]

14 hours ago, MackworthRamIsGod said:

Brighton over two legs, their style of play suits the way we play and I think it would end The Same as last time.

Hull for me on the final day, our players seem to know how to play against them, I'd trust us to get the win over 90 minutes.

 

I said this in another thread so agree totally

 

[EnigmaRam]

Are we voting for who we want in the play offs?

[JW37]

1 hour ago, SaintRam said:

Hypothetically, if our home form remains great and our away form remains mediocre-poor-awful (but we still get to Wembley) how does that form tend to translate to a Neutral ground game?

With the best fans in the league-country-world it'll be like a home game

[Van der MoodHoover]

Boro seemed to completely lose their bottle in last years final so they are by no means invincible. We owe them a defeat, but i suspect they will be in top 2 thus denying us a chance of redemption.

really don't mind who we get - none will be easy, none impossible. Just concentrate on our own game lads......

[OohMartWright]

1 hour ago, Simsy said:

Never understood why they are only a few days apart. High intensity games like that could do with players having a bit more a rest & preperation

Probably more to do with TV scheduling as all of the games are on TV.

[eddie]

15 minutes ago, OohMartWright said:

Probably more to do with TV scheduling as all of the games are on TV.

It's so that I can go to Belgium after the semi-final for a few days sampling the best beers in the world, and be back for the final in a somewhat worse-for-wear state.

[toddy]

17 minutes ago, eddie said:

It's so that I can go to Belgium after the semi-final for a few days sampling the best beers in the world, and be back for the final in a somewhat worse-for-wear state.

Is them beers or girlie lagers?

[MuespachRam]

all this fear about playing Burnley or Boro....it's a joke, we will beat them and when we win the play offs this season then next season Burnley and Boro will be the worst sides we play all year and we will be expecting to get 6 points off each of them.

[eddie]

1 hour ago, toddy said:

Is them beers or girlie lagers?

My current top 10 in no particular order (it changes every week)

Straffe Hendrik Quadrupel (a dark malty elixir of an ale with a gloriously figgy caramel flavour, weighing in at 11% abv)

Gulden Draak 9000 (another dark, full-bodied belter tipping the scales at 10.7% abv)

Chimay White (Brewed by the Trappists in Scourmont Abbey, for me this is the best beer for a summer's day. Light, sharp and citrussy with a delicate fruity flavour that belies its 8.0% abv. Quite common over here now - ASDA used to stock it and may still do)

Drie Fonteinen Oude Geuze (a Lambic beer which is fermented spantaneously - mouth-puckeringly sharp and dry. Not for beginners, geuzes are an 'acquired' taste. 7.5% abv)

St Bernardus Abt 12 (another dark, malty quadrupel tipping the scales at a brain-melting 10% abv)

Brugse Zot (a Belgian blond beer brewed by the same people who produce Straffe Hendrik Quadrupel - not strong - 6.0% abv - but deliciously light. Starts off with a smell not dissimilar to fresh bread but finishes delightfully dry. another summer favourite, ideal for sitting outside a beer cafe in Markt, Brugge, watching people go by)

Tripel Karmeleit (an absolute classic Belgian tripel which contains malted wheat, barley and oats - the latter gives it a beautifully creamy mouthfeel. 8.4% abv - quite readily available in the UK in some supermarkets)

Orval Trappist (cloudy, almost orange in colour, sharp to the point of being tart yet quite earthy as it warms, not strong - 6.4% - and unusual inasmuch that an ale yeast is used for primary fermentation before it is injected with bretannomyces bruxellensis which gives it the characteristic funky flavour.)

Duvel (Intense, aromatic and another one readily available in the UK, very pale in colour and tripel-strength - 8.5% - the first Belgian beer I ever knowingly tried, in Dublin, funnily enough.)

Westmalle Dubbel (another Trappist classic - 7.0% abv, fruity, plummy, gorgeous and full-bodied)

 

Not a lager amongst them. I love many German beers, but that's for another day. I'm going to open a Straffe Hendrik Quad now.

 

 

[B4ev6is]

I love to wipe the smile of burnley faces and seeing down and out knowing they ****** it up.

They really not that good

[Statham512]

9 minutes ago, B4ev6is said:

I love to wipe the smile of burnley faces and seeing down and out knowing they ****** it up.

They really not that good

What would Sean Dyches face be like after that

[North East Ram]

15 minutes ago, eddie said:

My current top 10 in no particular order (it changes every week)

Straffe Hendrik Quadrupel (a dark malty elixir of an ale with a gloriously figgy caramel flavour, weighing in at 11% abv)

Gulden Draak 9000 (another dark, full-bodied belter tipping the scales at 10.7% abv)

Chimay White (Brewed by the Trappists in Scourmont Abbey, for me this is the best beer for a summer's day. Light, sharp and citrussy with a delicate fruity flavour that belies its 8.0% abv. Quite common over here now - ASDA used to stock it and may still do)

Drie Fonteinen Oude Geuze (a Lambic beer which is fermented spantaneously - mouth-puckeringly sharp and dry. Not for beginners, geuzes are an 'acquired' taste. 7.5% abv)

St Bernardus Abt 12 (another dark, malty quadrupel tipping the scales at a brain-melting 10% abv)

Brugse Zot (a Belgian blond beer brewed by the same people who produce Straffe Hendrik Quadrupel - not strong - 6.0% abv - but deliciously light. Starts off with a smell not dissimilar to fresh bread but finishes delightfully dry. another summer favourite, ideal for sitting outside a beer cafe in Markt, Brugge, watching people go by)

Tripel Karmeleit (an absolute classic Belgian tripel which contains malted wheat, barley and oats - the latter gives it a beautifully creamy mouthfeel. 8.4% abv - quite readily available in the UK in some supermarkets)

Orval Trappist (cloudy, almost orange in colour, sharp to the point of being tart yet quite earthy as it warms, not strong - 6.4% - and unusual inasmuch that an ale yeast is used for primary fermentation before it is injected with bretannomyces bruxellensis which gives it the characteristic funky flavour.)

Duvel (Intense, aromatic and another one readily available in the UK, very pale in colour and tripel-strength - 8.5% - the first Belgian beer I ever knowingly tried, in Dublin, funnily enough.)

Westmalle Dubbel (another Trappist classic - 7.0% abv, fruity, plummy, gorgeous and full-bodied)

 

Not a lager amongst them. I love many German beers, but that's for another day. I'm going to open a Straffe Hendrik Quad now.

 

 

Pure quality. 

[Ilsonram12]

Hull seems the obvious choice but I don't think we'd roll them over 4 times like we did to Brighton the other year

[Thierry Ennui]

My thoughts on our potential opponents:

Burnley - NO. Please, no. Even when we outplay them they batter us. Give us Bayern before this lot.

Boro - Coming into form, now. A firing Gaston Ramirez is a scary proposition who shouldn't be playing in this league. Another team we seem to have a psychological disadvantage against.

Brighton - Well-drilled but still lacking the consistency they showed on their early season run. Our recent record against them is excellent.

Sheffield Wednesday - Something of a wildcard. Unpredictable. They can look top tier one week and then get battered by Bristol City the next.

Hull - Two fantastic results this season suggest we have the edge but in my opinion they have the most talented squad in the league and any kind of overconfidence could be fatal. First goal will be vital.

Cardiff - Looking unlikely they will reach the playoffs but an outside chance. Very unspectacular and should be cast aside should we have any form at all.

Order of preference:

Cardiff > Brighton > Sheffield Wednesday > Hull>>>>>>>>>>>>>Middlesbrough>>>>>>>>>>>Burnley

[toddy]

1 hour ago, eddie said:

My current top 10 in no particular order (it changes every week)

Straffe Hendrik Quadrupel (a dark malty elixir of an ale with a gloriously figgy caramel flavour, weighing in at 11% abv)

Gulden Draak 9000 (another dark, full-bodied belter tipping the scales at 10.7% abv)

Chimay White (Brewed by the Trappists in Scourmont Abbey, for me this is the best beer for a summer's day. Light, sharp and citrussy with a delicate fruity flavour that belies its 8.0% abv. Quite common over here now - ASDA used to stock it and may still do)

Drie Fonteinen Oude Geuze (a Lambic beer which is fermented spantaneously - mouth-puckeringly sharp and dry. Not for beginners, geuzes are an 'acquired' taste. 7.5% abv)

St Bernardus Abt 12 (another dark, malty quadrupel tipping the scales at a brain-melting 10% abv)

Brugse Zot (a Belgian blond beer brewed by the same people who produce Straffe Hendrik Quadrupel - not strong - 6.0% abv - but deliciously light. Starts off with a smell not dissimilar to fresh bread but finishes delightfully dry. another summer favourite, ideal for sitting outside a beer cafe in Markt, Brugge, watching people go by)

Tripel Karmeleit (an absolute classic Belgian tripel which contains malted wheat, barley and oats - the latter gives it a beautifully creamy mouthfeel. 8.4% abv - quite readily available in the UK in some supermarkets)

Orval Trappist (cloudy, almost orange in colour, sharp to the point of being tart yet quite earthy as it warms, not strong - 6.4% - and unusual inasmuch that an ale yeast is used for primary fermentation before it is injected with bretannomyces bruxellensis which gives it the characteristic funky flavour.)

Duvel (Intense, aromatic and another one readily available in the UK, very pale in colour and tripel-strength - 8.5% - the first Belgian beer I ever knowingly tried, in Dublin, funnily enough.)

Westmalle Dubbel (another Trappist classic - 7.0% abv, fruity, plummy, gorgeous and full-bodied)

 

Not a lager amongst them. I love many German beers, but that's for another day. I'm going to open a Straffe Hendrik Quad now.

 

 

Trappist stuff Ok by me....

Sat in the garden with a Chimay......