Top 10 Finish

HatfulofHollow

HatfulofHollow

Well-known member
I know a few Doom and Gloomiest were speculating on us finishing below mid-table but looking at the way things stand, I can't see us finishing outside the Top 10. With that in mind if we miss out on the Play Offs , is a Top 10 place acceptable and would it matter where 7th to 10th we finish?!
 
HatfulofHollow said:
I know a few Doom and Gloomiest were speculating on us finishing below mid-table but looking at the way things stand, I can't see us finishing outside the Top 10. With that in mind if we miss out on the Play Offs , is a Top 10 place acceptable and would it matter where 7th to 10th we finish?!
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Not acceptable considering our squad.
 
On the one hand, it's disappointing that we're outsiders in the dogfight for the last play off place.

But then again on the other hand, it's amazing to think we're still in that dogfight given we've had a squad containing League two make weights like Oakley-Boothe, Dale, Connolly, Casey, Carey and Weir
 
April13th1970 said:
On the one hand, it's disappointing that we're outsiders in the dogfight for the last play off place.

But then again on the other hand, it's amazing to think we're still in that dogfight given we've had a squad containing League two make weights like Oakley-Boothe, Dale, Connolly, Casey, Carey and Weir
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I think Casey has been a success story this season tbh. Dale not arsed about and the others fair enough. I really thought Carey would kick on this season so that's been disappointing.
 
BFC_BFC_BFC said:
We want to be aiming for promotion and ideally targeting an automatic spot rather than the Play Off Lottery. This season has been pretty frustrating and I'm not convinced we've got enough quality to have achieved much more.
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Disagree strongly.

The home form has been easily top 6 and yet near enough the same players go away and our form is the polar opposite. Logic tells me the players are good enough, but something is holding them back away from home. Far be it for me to speculate, BUT,.......
 
fcblackpool said:
Disagree strongly.

The home form has been easily top 6 and yet near enough the same players go away and our form is the polar opposite. Logic tells me the players are good enough, but something is holding them back away from home. Far be it from me to speculate, BUT,.......
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I just think better players are able to perform more consistently. I don’t think we have one player who has managed to turn in regular good performances this season.
 
BFC_BFC_BFC said:
I just think better players are able to perform more consistently. I don’t think we have one player who has managed to turn in regular good performances this season.
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I'd agree if the home form was a bit iffy and the away form the same, but they are chalk and cheese. That's nothing to do with 11 players (whoever they are) doing graet at home and suddenly having off days only away from home.

If you were a neutral observer looking back at the stats in 5 years time you couldn't fail but to highlight the home and away form and ask why wasn't the away form at least 60% as good as the home results. Then you'd dig......
 
fcblackpool said:
I'd agree if the home form was a bit iffy and the away form the same, but they are chalk and cheese. That's nothing to do with 11 players (whoever they are) doing graet at home and suddenly having off days only away from home.

If you were a neutral observer looking back at the stats in 5 years time you couldn't fail but to highlight the home and away form and ask why wasn't the away form at least 60% as good as the home results. Then you'd dig......
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Not really… You could argue it takes that bit more ‘ability’ to meet the challenges of winning away.
 
fcblackpool said:
So how come teams who have this 'ability' win less than us at home? Surly they can't save this ability just for away?
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I’m not sure we’ve really performed that much better at home in any case really. It’s been pointed out previously that we’re a bit soft. I think at home we probably get more protection from the ref.
 
Top ten this season is just about acceptable for me, considering Critch had to build a “new” squad.
I believe that, should we miss the top six, we will have a very good second season, even getting automatic… who knows

This is an interesting read…

League 1 Derby
 
A top 10 finish is acceptable considering the squad and manager we have. Critchley will be here next season so expect the same. Anything above that is really a bonus.
 
fcblackpool said:
Disagree strongly.

The home form has been easily top 6 and yet near enough the same players go away and our form is the polar opposite. Logic tells me the players are good enough, but something is holding them back away from home. Far be it from me to speculate, BUT,.......
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Bit of a mystery really … I have no idea what is happening 🤷
I don’t subscribe to the “setting up to lose” myth.

Could be that Critch isn’t able give the team a “fire and brimstone” pre match?
He needs a “shouty, aggressive” second who can fire the lads up.
 
NoFindsFriday said:
Bit of a mystery really … I have no idea what is happening 🤷
I don’t subscribe to the “setting up to lose” myth.

Could be that Critch isn’t able give the team a “fire and brimstone” pre match?
He needs a “shouty, aggressive” second who can fire the lads up.
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No one sets up to lose. Maybe to take a point?

I don't thinks it's down to the players alone. They play to plan or risk not playing.
 
Matesrates said:
If the players are good enough at home, they must be good enough away, therefore, it’s the tactics. Surprise.
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I don’t really see any difference in the tactics, well not much … cautious with a bit too much passing around the back, but what I do see is a malaise in their general play; poor passing, poor in defence, no bite in their attack.
Then second half we have seen them marauding the opponents half like their lives depend on it …
In the first half you can see Critch in his box, he is trying to get them up the field and attack, but they seem unable to do much…

We have no idea what is said in the dressing room.
 
I think it does matter where we finish, we need to end the season strongly. We’ll probably just miss out of the playoffs but there’s a difference between challenging at the sharp end and limping to a 10th place finish.

I’ll be disappointed if we don’t have an outside chance on the final day, we’ve got a few decent home games coming up.
 
We have a number of young players who are approaching another level of achievement, how many of them would be tested in the Championship. I dont think any, rather be sent out on loan possibly. I would love to see a couple in the first team but maybe in a matchday 18.
 
We were Top 6 in most pre-season predictions and that was before Dembele and Rhodes.
Complete failure by the Manager not to be challenging the Top Two.

Not The Top 20 Podcast - League One 1-24 Predictions

These EFL specialists (EFL on Quest, Sky, the Athletic) have just released their predictions for the season. They have us making the playoffs - and we know what happens then 😉 1 Bolton 2 Derby Co 3 Oxford 4 Blackpool 5 Charlton 6 Portsmouth 7 Peterborough 8 Bristol Rov 9 Lincoln 10...
avftt.co.uk
 
BFC_BFC_BFC said:
We want to be aiming for promotion and ideally targeting an automatic spot rather than the Play Off Lottery. This season has been pretty frustrating and I'm not convinced we've got enough quality to have achieved much more.
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Our wins against Bolton and Portsmouth suggest we could have done so much better
 
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Superbretty said:
Our wins against Bolton and Portsmouth suggest we could have done so much
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Yes, they do… As I’ve alluded to, we’ve had some great individual performances over the season, but nobody seems to have managed it consistently.

CJ has had flashes of brilliance, intertwined by complete dross, Lavery seemed to hit form, then injured again and out, Rhodes set off like a house on fire and faded, Kouassi looked like a star in the making for 45 minutes, Carey has been superb in one or two and abject In others, Marv has stuttered all season, the usually reliable Connolly has been jittery, Husband started ok then went down hill, Norburn with bits of injuries here and there has never really built a head of steam, Grimshaw had some seriously dodgy early performances, Lyons has not been with it for obvious reasons…

It’s just been one of those seasons really.
 
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I can't believe I'm reading a thread about BFC where some people think it would be acceptable for the club to finish 10th in the third tier! But then I suppose it is my age. I was brought up on the old Div 1 and top of Div 2. I suppose if I were younger I'd see the third and fourth tiers as where Blackpool normally live. I can see that. But acceptable, nah!
 
Challenging for top 2 was my expectation at the start of the season, with the back up of the play offs if auto didn’t materialise. That seemed a very realistic prospect given the players we kept, at the time (Dougall/Marvin/Husband, Grimshaw) the £ spend on decent looking signings (Joseph / Norburn) & the eye watering contracts given out (Morgan 3+1/CJ etc oh n the manager on a 4 year deal).
To finish (just) outside of the play offs would in my view but classed as a disappointment - old school grades a C minus.

Away form, structural / communication issues within the club staff, formation & tactics too rigid the main reasons for the (possible) disappointment…..
 
Still no one can tell me why this squad of players should be top 6, like Bifster alludes to this site is full of myths that become 'fact', this one obviously to have a pop at a manager they didn't want back.

How many of our squad would make it in to a top six team? Just because Sadler said it was a top six budget means fuck all in the real world.

I ** guarantee the mood would be different if Dobbie had managed these players to still being in with a play off chance.
 
April13th1970 said:
On the one hand, it's disappointing that we're outsiders in the dogfight for the last play off place.

But then again on the other hand, it's amazing to think we're still in that dogfight given we've had a squad containing League two make weights like Oakley-Boothe, Dale, Connolly, Casey, Carey and Weir
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Dale and Casey are definitely not League 2
Well in my humble opinion anyway
 
Lytham_fy8 said:
Still no one can tell me why this squad of players should be top 6, like Bifster alludes to this site is full of myths that become 'fact', this one obviously to have a pop at a manager they didn't want back.

How many of our squad would make it in to a top six team? Just because Sadler said it was a top six budget means fuck all in the real world.

I ** guarantee the mood would be different if Dobbie had managed these players to still being in with a play off chance.
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Well no one knows ever do they? You don't know until the end game of the season.

But I can tell you this, if you did a squad and player by player comparison of our squad and Stevenage/Oxford I'd suggest most L1 football fans would take our best 11 over theirs.

It's absolutely beyond argument that this side should have done better this season so not sure why you're trying to to be honest.
 
SeasideKurt said:
Well no one knows ever do they? You don't know until the end game of the season.

But I can tell you this, if you did a squad and player by player comparison of our squad and Stevenage/Oxford I'd suggest most L1 football fans would take our best 11 over theirs.

It's absolutely beyond argument that this side should have done better this season so not sure why you're trying to to be honest.
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No details in that though Kurt again?
 
Lytham_fy8 said:
No details in that though Kurt again?
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What details would you like Lytham?

The fact that quite a large portion of our squad has plied their trade at higher levels? What measurable statistic do you want?

If you ask Neil Critchley, Simon Sadler, the bloke in the chippy down the road whether this season is a success if we finish 7th or below, they'd say no.
 
SeasideKurt said:
What details would you like Lytham?

The fact that quite a large portion of our squad has plied their trade at higher levels? What measurable statistic do you want?

If you ask Neil Critchley, Simon Sadler, the bloke in the chippy down the road whether this season is a success if we finish 7th or below, they'd say no.
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Which players have consistently performed to a 'higher level' which have consistently performed as if their playing in a top six team?
 
Lytham_fy8 said:
Which players have consistently performed to a 'higher level' which have consistently performed as if their playing in a top six team?
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Husband. Marvs. Grimshaw. Rhodes. Gabriel. Norburn. Carey. Dougall. Connolly. Lyons. Byers. Lavery.

Have all performed in the top 6 or a division/level above last 2 seasons.

I almost 100% can guarantee that the majority of other teams can't say they have had almost 11 players who were playing Championship football or top 6 football last season.

So like I said, it isn't an argument that this squad shouldn't be doing better than it is.
 
HatfulofHollow said:
I know a few Doom and Gloomiest were speculating on us finishing below mid-table but looking at the way things stand, I can't see us finishing outside the Top 10. With that in mind if we miss out on the Play Offs , is a Top 10 place acceptable and would it matter where 7th to 10th we finish?!
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Not acceptable at all
 
SeasideKurt said:
Husband. Marvs. Grimshaw. Rhodes. Gabriel. Norburn. Carey. Dougall. Connolly. Lyons. Byers. Lavery.

Have all performed in the top 6 or a division/level above last 2 seasons.

I almost 100% can guarantee that the majority of other teams can't say they have had almost 11 players who were playing Championship football or top 6 football last season.

So like I said, it isn't an argument that this squad shouldn't be doing better than it is.
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Husband, Marv’s, Grimshaw, Carey, Dougall, Connolly, Lyons & Lavery were all very much involved in a pretty dismal season in the Championship last year and they’ve all been ropey this season.
 
Anything less than 6th is a failure in my view, because of the ability of the squad we have. I bet if you look back over the last few years, the % of relegated teams from the championship claiming a top six place the following year in league one is pretty high.

The major worry for me is that we are following a very familiar pattern this season as we did last time in league one under Critchley. Last time, we did the double over Peterborough (2nd) and Sunderland (4th), and took 4 points off Hull (1st). Yet we lost away to Shrewsbury (17th), Plymouth (18th), Wimbledon (19th), Rochdale (21st) - all by a 1-0 score line. Sounds familiar doesn't it. We also lost away to Bristol Rovers (24th) 2-1.
Yes, we got promoted which was great, but we did have a real problem beating bottom half teams away from home and it's worrying that Critchley hasn't found a solution to that despite having more experience this time around.
 
SeasideKurt said:
Husband. Marvs. Grimshaw. Rhodes. Gabriel. Norburn. Carey. Dougall. Connolly. Lyons. Byers. Lavery.

Have all performed in the top 6 or a division/level above last 2 seasons.

I almost 100% can guarantee that the majority of other teams can't say they have had almost 11 players who were playing Championship football or top 6 football last season.

So like I said, it isn't an argument that this squad shouldn't be doing better than it is.
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I think you missed my point, sorry, which have consistently performed this season?
 
BFC_53 said:
Anything less than 6th is a failure in my view, because of the ability of the squad we have. I bet if you look back over the last few years, the % of relegated teams from the championship claiming a top six place the following year in league one is pretty high.

The major worry for me is that we are following a very familiar pattern this season as we did last time in league one under Critchley. Last time, we did the double over Peterborough (2nd) and Sunderland (4th), and took 4 points off Hull (1st). Yet we lost away to Shrewsbury (17th), Plymouth (18th), Wimbledon (19th), Rochdale (21st) - all by a 1-0 score line. Sounds familiar doesn't it. We also lost away to Bristol Rovers (24th) 2-1.
Yes, we got promoted which was great, but we did have a real problem beating bottom half teams away from home and it's worrying that Critchley hasn't found a solution to that despite having more experience this time around.
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Last time I looked, the percentage of sides promoted immediately back to the Championship was around 15%.

So relegated teams don’t really seem to care too well.
 
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