Who's going to win the play-offs?

[Ian Royal]

I don't believe that it's possible to sum up a complex, multi-faceted game which has as much depth, as many players and so many variables as football by analysing a small number of statistics. I especially don't believe that it's possible to summarise an individual player's performances by looking at a team's results - so we're quits then.

and your football qualifications are?

LOL!
Professional football supporter, one of the top 3 supporters in the country.

What a self-important pompous cockend.

[Snowball]

As usual, you miss the point.

I was making the point that I have literary qualifications.

Great to see the Palm-Tree man sniffing blood and "piling in" yet again.

[sandman]

Think it will be the Swans, but I still would like to see us at Wembly.

It just frustrates me that they keep the ball well AND score goals. BR was so obsessed with the possession and passing stats when at the madstad but we never did anything with it. Guess Sinclair is much better than anything we had.

Also, was listening to the Royals podcast and while I agree that "anyone could win it" I can't help but thinking that of the 4, we're really the odd one. The other 3 I believe have all shared the 2nd or top spot for long spells of the season with us mostly spending, on average, in the mid-table positions...

Is Sinclair really better than Sig? Rodgers knew the style he wanted to play here but he didn't know how to set up the team. He knew Sig was special, I'll give him that, but he couldn't harness that specialness the way Brian did.

[MmmMonsterMunch]

Yes Swansea down to ten men. Come on Forest!

[Ian Royal]

Sig was equally as good as Sinclair at least. The difference was the majority of our team simply weren't used to or able to play the way Rodgers wanted.

We actually looked pretty tidy in our first game against Forest, I thought, we just didn't have enough cutting edge and seemed to me to have forgotten the object was to score and win. Unfortunately the team and Rodgers got more and more desperate to make things work, as our start continued to be poor, and made more and more poor decisions about how to fix the problems, that it ended up as near disastrous.

[Royals-lad14]

i hope its a great atmosphere tomorrow so we can outsing the welsh monkeys

[Svlad Cjelli]

I don't believe that it's possible to sum up a complex, multi-faceted game which has as much depth, as many players and so many variables as football by analysing a small number of statistics. I especially don't believe that it's possible to summarise an individual player's performances by looking at a team's results - so we're quits then.

and your football qualifications are?

I don't pretend to have any apart from a lifetime of watching and analysing football.

I have an opinion like anyone else - with exactly the same value as anyone else. Assuch I don't try to justify it as being more worthwhile than anyone else's by backing it with endless statistics of questionable validity.

[Man Friday]

That was for Maguire.

I'm repeating what I previously said, that I don't think it's (sensibly) predictable

And what is "(sensibly) predictable"? Mike Tyson beating Queen Elizabeth II in a boxing match? Tell you what, let's not bother discussing who we think will the F.A. Cup, World Cup, Rugby World Cup, Cricket World Cup or anything in fact except whether Lucy in Accounts is the best looking girl in the office and does it doggy-style, shall we?

Which part of,

"I think all four sides have virtually equal chances"

"There's nothing to pick between the four teams"

"I think all sides should be about 3-1 odds"

"I think it's a toss-up, any of the four could win.."

"The teams are very very close."

"This time round, it's a lottery."


do you not understand?

I understand all of those. Why do you ask?

[Snowball]

Based on this first 45 minutes, Forest look poor and it's hard to imagine them beating the Swans over two legs
or beating either RFC or Cardiff at Wembley.

I know things can change after a HT team-talk, but frankly, ATM Swansea look a league better than Forest

[MmmMonsterMunch]

Can't see past a Swans v Cardiff final. Hope I'm wrong though.

[PEARCEY]

Can't see past a Swans v Cardiff final. Hope I'm wrong though.

Swansea are by no means through yet. They will start as strong favourites but how will they handle it?
As for our tie we are very evenly matched with Cardiff. Lets wait and see.

[Ian Royal]

I'm sticking with Swansea, of course anything can happen because there is little to pick between the teams, but they're style of football and performance says to me they'll win through. It'll take one of the other sides to be on absolute top form, or a moment of extreme good or bad luck to stop them IMO.

They keep the ball better than anyone else. Use the ball the better, have the best performing defence in the division and can actually score goals this season. They've been consistently good all season, with no poor runs of form, or great short term runs of form that might distort their true value this season. They've not gone more than three league games without a win unless I'm mistaken ffs!

0-0 away with 10 men is a great result for a team who's only real flaw is a fragility on the road.

They deserve it more than any of the rest of us.

[MmmMonsterMunch]

Personally I think if Cardiff get past us they will go on to win it. They are the only team capable of beating Swansea & I think they might just do it.

[Snowball]

I'm sticking with Swansea, of course anything can happen because there is little to pick between the teams, but they're style of football and performance says to me they'll win through. It'll take one of the other sides to be on absolute top form, or a moment of extreme good or bad luck to stop them IMO.

They keep the ball better than anyone else. Use the ball the better, have the best performing defence in the division and can actually score goals this season. They've been consistently good all season, with no poor runs of form, or great short term runs of form that might distort their true value this season. They've not gone more than three league games without a win unless I'm mistaken ffs!

0-0 away with 10 men is a great result for a team who's only real flaw is a fragility on the road.

They deserve it more than any of the rest of us.

They DESERVE it?

No, they don't. If they fairly beat Forest, and then fairly win the final, then they will deserve it.

They "deserve" to be in the POs, and they are.

[MmmMonsterMunch]

I'm sticking with Swansea, of course anything can happen because there is little to pick between the teams, but they're style of football and performance says to me they'll win through. It'll take one of the other sides to be on absolute top form, or a moment of extreme good or bad luck to stop them IMO.

They keep the ball better than anyone else. Use the ball the better, have the best performing defence in the division and can actually score goals this season. They've been consistently good all season, with no poor runs of form, or great short term runs of form that might distort their true value this season. They've not gone more than three league games without a win unless I'm mistaken ffs!

0-0 away with 10 men is a great result for a team who's only real flaw is a fragility on the road.

They deserve it more than any of the rest of us.

Not so sure about that actually. Cardiff occupied 2nd / 3rd spot for longer than Swansea didn't they? There's literally a rizla paper between the 2 sides. Being completely neutral, a Swans v Cardiff final would probably produce the best match in footballing terms though. I have to concede that they are both much better than Reading.

But play-offs are funny.....We probably stand more chance of beating Swansea in a one off game than over the 2 legs especially at a neutral venue. Really starting to get nervous now!

[Ian Royal]

Cardiff have indeed been higher more, but they had a superb start to the season and have been more up and down in form. Sometimes there have been three or four teams doing better than Swansea, but the point I was making is they have been very steady, which is why it will take a team playing to their best to beat them IMO.

[Thames Valley Bluebird]

http://www.wsc.co.uk/content/view/7251/38/

Just picked this up off wsc - does this ring true?

We're a bit different in that we've been staking the farm on promotion every year for a while now and have obviously not been in the premiership before. (Last time in Div 1 was 1962!)

I've heard a lot of fans (some from Reading) say it's not what it's cracked up to be being in the premiership, but then you've got to experience it for yourself to make your own mind up I suppose.

[RobRoyal]

As usual, you miss the point.

I was making the point that I have literary qualifications.

Great to see the Palm-Tree man sniffing blood and "piling in" yet again.

Oh of course, having some books published makes you an authority on the use of language.

Well I've taught literature at degree-level and I reckon that your books are probably rubbish.

[T.R.O.L.I.]

I'm sticking with Swansea, of course anything can happen because there is little to pick between the teams, but they're style of football and performance says to me they'll win through. It'll take one of the other sides to be on absolute top form, or a moment of extreme good or bad luck to stop them IMO.

They keep the ball better than anyone else. Use the ball the better, have the best performing defence in the division and can actually score goals this season. They've been consistently good all season, with no poor runs of form, or great short term runs of form that might distort their true value this season. They've not gone more than three league games without a win unless I'm mistaken ffs!

0-0 away with 10 men is a great result for a team who's only real flaw is a fragility on the road.

They deserve it more than any of the rest of us.

They DESERVE it?

No, they don't. If they fairly beat Forest, and then fairly win the final, then they will deserve it.

They "deserve" to be in the POs, and they are.

And technically, having finished third, they deserve promotion more than the other three playoff contenders - promotion being the ultimate aim of the the playoff competition.

[super darren caskey]

I chose swansea as they are the favs and are a very good side but obviously i want us to go up and we have as good a chance as any.Just a shame kebe is crocked atm.If we dont go up then my personal choice would be forest to go up and thats purely based on that i dont like welsh people...bar windsor davies,simon church,hal and robbie savage