Will we make the play-offs

[ramsbottom]

I think we can run them close but I don't think we'll quite do it.  I think the aim for the rest of the season would be to right royally screw up Fo**st's play off ambitions and finish above them on goal difference.  The fact that we would've still finished higher despite having our worst season in years would be funkin hilarious...

[SaffyRam]

1 hour ago, RoyMac5 said:

But we'd win one more and they'd lose one, so quite do-able?

I think it's a tough ask, but why not. West Brom not looking great tonight so far. 

Yes, West Brom were dreadful.

[europia]

I hope to be proven wrong, but due to the tough run in, it looks like we will miss out. Only just though....

[Inverurie Ram]

Yes.

It will be down to the "Liverpool Statistical Strategy" of life. 30 years ago since they won the title, and we were sent spinning in reverse since reaching the mighty heights of 5th in the top flight the season before, when Liverpool fans took away our chance of European football. We dropped 11 places and ended up 16th the season Liverpool last won that title, and remained just in the division. A real kick in the teeth for Derby County Football Club and the decline started.

But this time MM has intervened and brought Phillip Cocu and his wonderful team of coaches, and the magic ingredient has been added with the arrival of Evertonian Wayne Rooney which has created the ying and the yang between the experienced and the youth and his winning mentality is bigger than Frank Lampard's or John Terry's or Jack Grealish's second time luck with Aston Villa.

It's business time of the season, a time when Wayne Rooney has delivered many times in a Manchester United shirt to win title after title, and all of his experience to knuckle down, fight, stay in games, see them through and to make some more history for himself and ourselves, will be the difference between positivity and negativity and now is the time for every Rams fan to choose going forward in their life's, our life's, where a positive belief could take us all where we want to go.

If we have to do it wearing blue, this time we will beat those red shirts from down the road, before we get to beat those red shirts, the champions of England, next season, in the Premiership whilst giving Aston Villa a big wave as we go up and they come back down.

If Norwich City can beat Man City. Derby County can beat Liverpool and Wayne Rooney can keep on smiling and all the rest.

Get behind your team, stand up and support your team and believe in your team. D.C.F.C Love, Life & Unity.

[LeedsCityRam]

3 hours ago, brady1993 said:

Maybe but one thing that hasn't been mentioned is that I think the lack of away crowds, playing in the middle of summer and players perhaps not being as fit as they would might favor how we play football. This is purely conjecture but as we are aiming to control the game on the ball and then not press too aggressively off the ball, it may allow us to conserve energy and hopefully pass around teams till they run out of gas. 

So maybe there is less need to grind out games in the traditional sense?

Yeah possibly. Hot weather will suit our style & the absence of away crowds can't hurt - I'm sure it helped us at Millwall last Saturday.

My thinking was really around consistency of performance. Whilst we've generally played well since the New Year, there will be games where our passing game isn't quite on it or we're lacking a creative spark. I do get the feeling that if this team play badly we lose...for 2 main reasons. Firstly, I'm not convinced we can scrap our way to results - we're set up to play good stuff & we either do that well or we don't - there's no plan B and the quality of our play is still evolving so its not realistic to expect us to dominate every team at this level (even if that's the ultimate ambition). Secondly, we're not great defensively & that weakness will cost us tight matches - we do seem particularly weak against the counter.

[Topram]

2 points short I reckon but nothing but positives from this season, plenty left to free up the wage bill (finally) Rooney been a fresh breath of air with us especially in the young lads, stick with Cocu he’s taking us up trust me 

[brady1993]

10 hours ago, LeedsCityRam said:

Yeah possibly. Hot weather will suit our style & the absence of away crowds can't hurt - I'm sure it helped us at Millwall last Saturday.

My thinking was really around consistency of performance. Whilst we've generally played well since the New Year, there will be games where our passing game isn't quite on it or we're lacking a creative spark. I do get the feeling that if this team play badly we lose...for 2 main reasons. Firstly, I'm not convinced we can scrap our way to results - we're set up to play good stuff & we either do that well or we don't - there's no plan B and the quality of our play is still evolving so its not realistic to expect us to dominate every team at this level (even if that's the ultimate ambition). Secondly, we're not great defensively & that weakness will cost us tight matches - we do seem particularly weak against the counter.

Your point around consistency is likely the reason we won't quite get over the line. Purely because we have to be consistently playing at a very high level for an extended number of games in a short space of time. Over the course of a season you can afford to have off games, whereas right now we really can't. 

Although I'm not entirely sure that we can't scrape through games. We have enough attacking talent to get a goal from nothing in order to get through a game where the game is flat. The true  test is likely to come when our backs against the wall in a game and I do agree i would worry about us in those situations. But on the flipside we have players are capable in those situations like Davies and Shinnie.

Who knows but it's exciting to see it play out.

[Tyler Durden]

Perversely I'd be almost glad if we didn't make the playoffs and/or didn't get promoted likewise. Surrounding the spectacle of playing in the Premiership I wouldn't get to see my team play and would have to rely on watching sterile match day experiences without any crowds on the TV.

I didn't even realise Liverpool had won the Premier League title until yesterday I have that much interest in what's being served up at the moment.

 

[Ellafella]

1 hour ago, Tyler Durden said:

Perversely I'd be almost glad if we didn't make the playoffs and/or didn't get promoted likewise. Surrounding the spectacle of playing in the Premiership I wouldn't get to see my team play and would have to rely on watching sterile match day experiences without any crowds on the TV.

I didn't even realise Liverpool had won the Premier League title until yesterday I have that much interest in what's being served up at the moment.

 

. . . and Cynthia has married John. 

[Ellafella]

Not surprising that it’s a 48:52 result. After beating Reading today, I don’t suspect confidence will grow at all, with Lawrence stupidly getting a red. 
 

But if we win at Preston. . . It will be interesting to re-run the poll before the Red dogs visit. ?

[RamNut]

Looking better after Blackburn lose at wigan

 

[Err ram io]

TBH having a rerun of the vote after the Preston game does seem like a bit of fun. My thoughts is that we can't play that bad again. Sibely and Rooney to improve. 

We just won two games 5-3 in total.

Predicted score ?

2.5 vs 1.5 Derby vs Preston

Wheres Jack when we need him ?

(Injured I know).

Warm weather in our favour ?

I voted yes.

Why ?

Cocu had that look in his eye on rams tv? He looks like a man who has read the guide to winning in UK football webpage...the one Mr Klop has read too.

[Rampage]

Euphoria just starting to swamp resson. In my case. Great experience after very average start to season. Amazing to speculate what Cocu could do it he had a lot of money to spend. So many players starting to look comfortable with the ball at their feet. Players generally looking disciplined but comfortable in their roles.

[Zag zig]

Reckon so long as we keep key players like Lawrence fit, we’ll go on a run now.....oh wait 

[Sheikh n Bake]

We are the best team in the league since Rooney arrived in January.

[Dimmu]

1 hour ago, Nick_Ram said:

We are the best team in the league since Rooney arrived in January.

When you look at the fixtures we have left, it really is not a surprise.

[MackworthRamIsGod]

Cardiff seem to be getting results at the right time too, plus they have Charlton in the week.

We need to hope Charlton build on their win today.

Just a shame the Forest game is next week, a game of that nature is needed at the minute (unless we win it of course).

[alexxxxx]

Bet365 really not eating us getting in the playoffs, we are at 10/1 whilst Millwall are at 4/1. Guess the pricing is based on the teams we have left to play. 

[froggg]

Yes.?????

[plymouthram]

Have'nt voted yes or no, I don't want to tempt fate/jinx our chances. Its amazing though to think the current top 12 teams that have a chance of promotion, still don't know where they will finish. In form teams are Derby, Brentford and Leeds. Sticking my neck out, I would say Leeds and Westbrom will hang on to the top 2 automatic promotion spots. Brentford Could prove me wrong by catching the top 2, they have 4 games against teams fighting to stay up and only Derby and Preston to play from the top half of the table. Fulham have lost their last 2 games but are 7 points clear of 7th spot so should hold on to a top 6 spot. Forest have only won once in the last 7 and still have Bristol, Derby, Fulham, Preston and Swansea to play. Cardiff who have won 3 on the bounce have Bristol, Blackburn, Fulham and Derby to play from th top half of the table and the 3 other fixtures against teams fighting to stay up. Preston last won a league game 2-1 against Hull back in February are the out of form team in the top half. Blackburn also struggling with only 2 wins in 7 still have Leeds, Cardiff, Westbrom and Millwall to play from the top half. Swansea have only 2 wins in their last 12, they Still have Millwall, Leeds, Forest and Bristol to play. Millwall also with only 2 wins in the last 12 having drawn the most games in the championsip have Swansea and Blackburn to play from the top half and 4 other games against teams fighting to stay up. Bristol currently in 12th have only won 2 in the last 8 have Forest, Cardiff, Swansea and Preston to play from the top half. The RAMS are the team who have collected the most points since January and have 7 fixtures all against top half teams barring their last match against Birmingham. They could make the top six, but would possibly drop points in some games, which would mean relying on the teams above and around them dropping points also. The way I see it at this stage, there is 2 play off places up for grabs and 8 teams fighting for 5th and 6th. Its who finds or continues good form and results. If we beat Preston that will put us very close to being 6th (a draw would not be a blow, but a defeat would) Then we have Forest at home, win that one could suck them into the mix and push us into a position where we could be in charge of our own destiny. Key games could be Brentford, Westbrom and Leeds for us.