BFTG - Wembley

[Ian Royal]

The real highlights were being told to sit down every 10 seconds from daytrippers.. in the singing section.

I think it was Ian Royal and his mum.

Not bloody likely.

[genome]

Shout out to this guy.

[bobby1413]

oi you oxf*rd*er I took that picture

[genome]

I stole it from someone's twitter. He wasn't called bobby though.

[tidus_mi2]

He has to be a nobber surely? Can't think of many people getting the reference to us being tinpot outside of HNA

[The Informant]

Never once looked like we wanted to win it. No enterprise and no flair. Huddersfield deserved it even though they too had no clear sight of goal.

Stam has done a great job even though it's dull as oxf*rd to watch. We let our selves down today though. We should have had a go at them. We played not to lose in a play off final.

Well done on the season though lads. Spend a bit in the summer and I have us going up next season.

[Davezk]

Never once looked like we wanted to win it. No enterprise and no flair. Huddersfield deserved it even though they too had no clear sight of goal.

Stam has done a great job even though it's dull as oxf*rd to watch. We let our selves down today though. We should have had a go at them. We played not to lose in a play off final.

Well done on the season though lads. Spend a bit in the summer and I have us going up next season.

Except when they missed from 2 yards in the 9th min?

[The Informant]

Yeah just seen some highlights. Sitter.

[Bob1871]

We lacked width. We've played well all year with two wide wingers and today struggled to do anything with the ball untik G Mac came on and we pushed Obita in to more of a LW position.

The ref completely bottled sending their number 6 off (Hogg I think?). He had been booked in the first half, bought down Williams as he was breaking through on the centre circle and then G mac down in the corner. Either challenge would have normally been a yellow.

Swift had a shocker and needs to do some serious gym work over the summer to get stronger as he's pushed off the ball far to easily.

As always at Wembley a disappointing atmosphere. It's hard to get it going when the usual singers are split and all over the place and day trippers not knowing the words.

[RoyalBlue]

I don't think some of you lot understand this game of football. Both teams play a similar style with the only difference being that we play it around at the back and Huddersfield play it at the front, so it was always going to be tight and there was never going to be many, if any goals. The reason Huddersfield had a few chances is because they are a GOOD TEAM. They didn't happen to just stumble into the playoffs, they actually earned it.
If you guys want perfection then you had best fcuk off to Stamford Bridge where it is probably as good as it gets.
Now we have just had a season which surpassed all expectations and ended up at Wembley. Hopefully it can be carried into next season, and i for one think that it will.
Yes, it was disappointing, but please, please, please, all you whingers, get a grip.

Bore off mate, fully entitled to be find it frustrating watching the 3rd place team fail to have a proper shot at goal in 120 min of football.

I take it you were in the bog when Swift took his shot then?

[RoyalBlue]

If you don't create a single clear cut chance in 120 minutes, you don't deserve to be a Premier League club. Period

We were woeful, the setup was far too negative. Hopefully the new investors saw enough of Williams today to invest in keeping him here. One of the few players that gave 110%.

We'll win the league next season. RTID

So Swift's shot in the 48th minute wasn't a clear cut chance? (he should have done better). Gunter's header from McCleary's cross wasn't a clear cut chance? (he should have done better).

[Top Flight]

We lacked width. We've played well all year with two wide wingers and today struggled to do anything with the ball untik G Mac came on and we pushed Obita in to more of a LW position.

The ref completely bottled sending their number 6 off (Hogg I think?). He had been booked in the first half, bought down Williams as he was breaking through on the centre circle and then G mac down in the corner. Either challenge would have normally been a yellow.

Swift had a shocker and needs to do some serious gym work over the summer to get stronger as he's pushed off the ball far to easily.

As always at Wembley a disappointing atmosphere. It's hard to get it going when the usual singers are split and all over the place and day trippers not knowing the words.

It was the same for Huddersfield to be fair. They also had about 20,000 day trippers.
Their song was simple. Huddersfield Huddersfield.

[RoyalBlue]

Our vocal support was incredibly disappointing. Far too many of our supporters let nerves get to them (some admitted so afterwards) and did the equivalent of players freezing on the big occasion. Some claiming they don't need to be vocal or make a noise to support their team. Clearly the likes of AAH, McCleary and Stam felt differently as could be seen by their gestures during the game.

No the players aren't influenced by our Playoff history but our supporters very clearly are. Far too many failed to believe yesterday and their nerves and negativity can be transmitted to the players.

[NeilD]

I've said for 30 years plus that penalties is a stupid way to decide any game, largely falling down to complete luck and next to no skill.

Then you've been wrong for 30 years then.

There is luck involved, but a good penalty is one that'll go in even if the keeper goes the right way. That is entirely about skill.

Mind you, I do agree no play-off final should go to penalties. If it's level after 120 minutes, the highest placed team should win.

Would prefer that, if it is still level after 120 mins, that the team with the most shots on target win. Encourages attacking play throughout the whole 120 mins. Have a shot count shown on the scoreboard so everyone knows what the count is. Wouldn't reward the negative set up by both teams yesterday.

[Davezk]

Teams would be shooting from ridiculous positions to boost the shot count e.g. the halfway line

[Stranded]

Well watching on the TV over here, we just never really got going. Should have been a goal down when Brown put in a late entry for miss of the season - would probably have been better for the game had he scored.

Huddersfield made it impossible to get Kermogant into the game and we were blunted as a result. To many times a player would get the ball and simply hold on to for too long. Some credit must go to Hudds there for shutting down options, but there was often a ball on that in a league game I think they would have attempted but seemed to think twice about yesterday and the chance went. Also didn't help that players lost their footing at some key moments, Swift was a culprit there at least twice, beating a man and then slipping.

As for the penalties, the only thing that makes them a lottery is the way you take them. Both Kelly and Moore decided that blasting it as hard as they could was the best way to take it. Kelly got away with it, Moore got too under the ball and it bounced off the Hubble telescope. Compare that to the Huddersfield penalties, all were placed with a decent amount of power - one guy got it a bit off allowing AAH to save but otherwise they were well practised calm penalties. Those two of ours in particular were not. I honestly think if Kelly hadn't smashed his and scored that Moore wouldn't have smashed his.

Obita's was the right idea, just slightly off with the execution. No blame on anyone though, but perhaps something to work on next year to help players stay calmer in high pressure situations. Roll on the fixtures on 24th June and let's avoid the bloody things next year shall we.

[Stranded]

I've said for 30 years plus that penalties is a stupid way to decide any game, largely falling down to complete luck and next to no skill.

Then you've been wrong for 30 years then.

There is luck involved, but a good penalty is one that'll go in even if the keeper goes the right way. That is entirely about skill.

Mind you, I do agree no play-off final should go to penalties. If it's level after 120 minutes, the highest placed team should win.

Would prefer that, if it is still level after 120 mins, that the team with the most shots on target win. Encourages attacking play throughout the whole 120 mins. Have a shot count shown on the scoreboard so everyone knows what the count is. Wouldn't reward the negative set up by both teams yesterday.

Wouldn't work.

The system is probably as good as we're going to get. They aren't going to take away penalties as for all their faults, they make for great TV when you're team aren't in them.

I like the idea of the highest place teams getting the edge in the event of a draw would be an interesting tweak though - would give advantage to finishing as high as possible in the league without having to change the structure of the play-offs too much. Would certainly change the dynamic of extra-time in the final though.

Question for others - are Huddersfield the first team to win the play-offs without winning any of the 3 games and with none of their players scoring (their goal v Sheff W. was an OG)?

[Silver Fox]

04/05 last day disappointment
05/06 promoted as champions

10/11 last day disappointment
11/12 promoted as champions

16/17 last day disappointment
17/18 ???????????????

[Sanguine]

Gutted. Not that we deserved to win and had it cruelly ripped from our grasp, but that in my naivity I thought we'd done it - finally broken that play-off (and Wembley) jinx at 3-1 up in the shootout. I should have known.

We weren't at the races - tactically it didn't work as an attacking unit. So many times Gunter or Blackett or Williams had the ball with no outlet at all. It reminded me of the Adkin days, with Guthrie on the ball in the middle of the park and no midfielders running between the lines as an option. Gameplan relied too much on Kermorgant and Grabban making runs off their defender and often receiving the ball direct from the centre-backs.

Two stand-outs for us - Williams was everywhere, I hope he'll give us one more season at this level. And surprised he hasn't been otherwise mentioned - I thought Ilori was absolutely brilliant, after one dodgy moment early doors. Solid, composed, and it's wholly evident he's learned his football in Portugal, he doesn't so much pass the ball as caress it. If nothing else in Moore and Ilori we have as good a central defensive partnership as you'll find at this level.

To next season then. Let's just go up automatically please, I can't do all this play-off shit again.

[Schards#2]

04/05 last day disappointment
05/06 promoted as champions

10/11 last day disappointment
11/12 promoted as champions

16/17 last day disappointment
17/18 ???????????????

00/01 lost play off final
01/02 automatic promotion