Blackpool ... Donkeys or Towering ?

[BWFC_Insane]

At the time of his release it was widely felt that Nolan didn't contribute anything. End product or otherwise.

he didn't!

Indeed - but look what he's gone on to do. This is my point. If CYL isn't delivering just now then it's because he's not having his best drawn out of him.

I agree. There's way too much talent there (and, as we've seen in the past, plenty of application too) for us just to easily let him go for buttons. Its worthwhile giving him a decent pre-season and seeing what he does.

Of course, if he gets at that stage injured then it will be entirely Dougie's fault.

Lee came back at the end of last season coming on in the last couple of games. He then had a full pre season. What difference do you think another pre-season is going to make to him?

He's had a disappointing season overall. Lad tries hard, but at this level he's a way off contributing what Eagles does. And that means we are sometimes short creatively.

Personally I think lee needs decent technical players around him to be at his best. He plays well when Mark Davies is in the side. However we won't have that luxury next season until Mark Davies is back and we will need players who can make things happen themselves.

[89bwfc89]

I don't suppose you were on the East Upper were you? About 2 mins to go, there was a bit of a kerfuffle as a few people started cheering as though other results had gone our way. Overall there was a distinct lack of people tuned into radios, everyone relying on 'tinernet I guess. Smart phones out.

Yeah East upper, I hardly saw anybody with phones or anything out, and those that did couldn't get signal.[/quote

Yeah, I was east upper too, people started jumping around, I ask the excited guy next to me why and he didn't know he was just joining in. We all really thought Forest had equalised

[Armchair Wanderer]

Not seen any highlights yet but...

Thought LCY did ok but I don't like him on the left when he's trying to cut inside every time and ended up losing the ball most times.

Was that Fab on for the parade? The announcer could have said something!

Is Hall a signing or loanee? I think he's a loanee in which case not sure why he was there. Good to see Eaves get on. Not the time for Kev to get on the pitch, for me, glad he got a good send off at the parade. Hopefully see him pull up trees at West Ham soon (as long as it's not against us).

Medo deserved the MOTM he got on the tannoy for me.

The management at BWFC seem to like almost forcing the fans to be noisier... like having drummers... noisy card things, speakers everywhere, chants over the tannoy!? The crowd gets noisy when they're playing well, putting the opposition under pressure and looking like they'll score... from my limited experience.

[Always hopeful]

Not seen any highlights yet but...

Thought LCY did ok but I don't like him on the left when he's trying to cut inside every time and ended up losing the ball most times.

Was that Fab on for the parade? The announcer could have said something!

Is Hall a signing or loanee? I think he's a loanee in which case not sure why he was there. Good to see Eaves get on. Not the time for Kev to get on the pitch, for me, glad he got a good send off at the parade. Hopefully see him pull up trees at West Ham soon (as long as it's not against us).

Medo deserved the MOTM he got on the tannoy for me.

The management at BWFC seem to like almost forcing the fans to be noisier... like having drummers... noisy card things, speakers everywhere, chants over the tannoy!? The crowd gets noisy when they're playing well, putting the opposition under pressure and looking like they'll score... from my limited experience.

Good point. That's what I thought too, but wasn't close enough to make him out properly. He wasn't in a kit, so made it more likely to be him. I guess (and understandably so), that most people were looking at SKD.

[AbrahM]

It was Muamba

[LeverEnd]

I thought Lee payed well 2nd half today, saw a lot of the ball and messed up a couple of times but posed a constant threat. If we need to sell to buy though I'd let him go for £3 mill. Eagles has been much better this season.

[keveh]

Although I was gutted yesterday on reflection thus was a blessing in disguise.

I don't think we would have done well in the playoffs and if we had managed to get promotion I'd dread to think how many we'd get turned over by in the Prem.

We're in a really good position to build on what we've started and with some good signings we've got a good chance next season.

[Vertigo]

What a roller-coaster of a season.

At the beginning we were being talked up as favourites for a quick return to the premiership. A couple of months in and we were sure we were in a relegation fight. And somehow, come the last day, we had a shot at the play-offs. I only really felt as though we had a serious chance until the middle of last month.

I was pretty devastated last night, but now I can only look at the positives. Dougie took us from nowhere to 6th and this makes me very optimistic for next season. A few good transfers from the Dougster and we should be looking at being strong contenders from the very beginning next season.

Things that have already been said no doubt, but just felt like getting them off my chest.

[tripod]

What a roller-coaster of a season.

At the beginning we were being talked up as favourites for a quick return to the premiership. A couple of months in and we were sure we were in a relegation fight. And somehow, come the last day, we had a shot at the play-offs. I only really felt as though we had a serious chance until the middle of last month.

I was pretty devastated last night, but now I can only look at the positives. Dougie took us from nowhere to 6th and this makes me very optimistic for next season. A few good transfers from the Dougster and we should be looking at being strong contenders from the very beginning next season.

Things that have already been said no doubt, but just felt like getting them off my chest.

This

[Harry Genshaw]

I don't suppose you were on the East Upper were you? About 2 mins to go, there was a bit of a kerfuffle as a few people started cheering as though other results had gone our way. Overall there was a distinct lack of people tuned into radios, everyone relying on 'tinernet I guess. Smart phones out.

Yeah East upper, I hardly saw anybody with phones or anything out, and those that did couldn't get signal.[/quote

Yeah, I was east upper too, people started jumping around, I ask the excited guy next to me why and he didn't know he was just joining in. We all really thought Forest had equalised

Aye. If only we had a big electronic scoreboard that could communicate such things!

Whats the deal with it these days? Before the game the tannoy has all this dramatic music on building up the tension - what was on the screen? Phil Taylor chucking some arrows then an advert for some betting company! At Watford yesterday their screen had "Hull 2-2 Cardiff - full time". Simple enough and told the players & fans what they still needed to do. Cant ours do something similar?

[TKIZ!]

What a roller-coaster of a season.

At the beginning we were being talked up as favourites for a quick return to the premiership. A couple of months in and we were sure we were in a relegation fight. And somehow, come the last day, we had a shot at the play-offs. I only really felt as though we had a serious chance until the middle of last month.

I was pretty devastated last night, but now I can only look at the positives. Dougie took us from nowhere to 6th and this makes me very optimistic for next season. A few good transfers from the Dougster and we should be looking at being strong contenders from the very beginning next season.

Things that have already been said no doubt, but just felt like getting them off my chest.

Nailed the landing, Vertigo. I feel just like this too.
But then it's the hope that's the killer

[Worthy4England]

I thought we looked short in all areas yesterday. Didn't really get a hold of midfield, looked nervous defensively and not too much direct threat up front.

Unfortunately, I could get signal in NSL.

I don't agree that there's a wrong time to go up. Even for one season, you get the dosh and parachute payments.

I didn't think Ream was very good in his fluorescent orange boots, but not particularly singling him out on yesterday's performance.

If Alonso goes we need a LB. Still need one and possibly two CB's (don't have the same faith in Wheater as some, from what I saw in the Prem, he's way too slow and doesn't turn as fast as Knight)

RB might be ok.

MF, think we need to change some personnel. Too many average cloggers and not enough class.

Upfront, same story. I'd swap any two of our forwards for one who knows where the net is.

[Enoch]

I thought we looked short in all areas yesterday.

I've thought that all season. If I were a Championship manager, there aren't many in our squad that I'd be looking at enviously. Barring Mark (made of glass) Davies we don't have anything very creative. I know plenty on here wax lyrical about Eagles, but he's not the answer for me, too inconsistent by far.

[BWFC_Insane]

I thought we looked short in all areas yesterday. Didn't really get a hold of midfield, looked nervous defensively and not too much direct threat up front.

Unfortunately, I could get signal in NSL.

I don't agree that there's a wrong time to go up. Even for one season, you get the dosh and parachute payments.

I didn't think Ream was very good in his fluorescent orange boots, but not particularly singling him out on yesterday's performance.

If Alonso goes we need a LB. Still need one and possibly two CB's (don't have the same faith in Wheater as some, from what I saw in the Prem, he's way too slow and doesn't turn as fast as Knight)

RB might be ok.

MF, think we need to change some personnel. Too many average cloggers and not enough class.

Upfront, same story. I'd swap any two of our forwards for one who knows where the net is.

This is a good summary. And it's not for me only about ability.

Plenty of our players would get in Cardiffs side on ability alone, well some at least. But none would when it comes to bravery, guts and sheer determination.

For me the end of season run in showed who is prepared to stand up and be counted.

Eagles for one, Medo and Pratley and Knight. Yes those players aren't perfect and in some cases we need better. But all four fecking fought for the cause towards the end of the season and left nowt on the pitch.

Knight gets loads of flack and deservedly so at times. Yesterday certainly far from fault free, but in injury time he ran back into our box to make a flying block to stop Blackpool scoring. Sure it's his job and all but the effort showed he was prepared to stand up and be counted.

Medo wasn't great yesterday but he wanted it, and worked damn hard. Perhaps too hard, but I saw the desire. Same for Pratley.

Eagles has combined quality with desire in the run in.

Those four for me, really showed the right attitude, if not always the right ability.

I'm afraid others at times went hiding not just yesterday but at period even during our good run. We need some more lionhearts in there. Dawson and Spearing were big misses in that regard.

[Enoch]

Interesting quote from Mr Ince after the game, “We’ve all managed to stick together and keep this club in The Championship. "As a manager I want to move on from here now," he added.

So easy to say something you didn't mean!

[Lost Leopard Spot]

I. Am. Still. Absolutely. Gutted.

(and I really don't give a fxck if you aren't. And I care even fxcking less if you feel that I shouldn't feel that way).

[thebish]

I thought we looked short in all areas yesterday. Didn't really get a hold of midfield, looked nervous defensively and not too much direct threat up front.

apart from the odd 20minute spell or the very odd game - isn't that basically how we've looked all season?

[Bruce Rioja]

I. Am. Still. Absolutely. Gutted.

(and I really don't give a fxck if you aren't. And I care even fxcking less if you feel that I shouldn't feel that way).

Why would anyone think you shouldn't feel that way?

I'm looking on the bright side though. If we're not going up then it's best that it happened yesterday. Potentially saved us a couple o' hundred Quid each to boot.

As I said elsewhere, a play-off final is anything but a day out. Ask anyone that was at Wembley on June 1st 1991.

[BWFC_Insane]

I. Am. Still. Absolutely. Gutted.

(and I really don't give a fxck if you aren't. And I care even fxcking less if you feel that I shouldn't feel that way).

Yeah. Same. But equally, we weren't good enough. Lets just hope next season we are.

Not an awful lot else we can do.

[Dr.Karl]

Although I was gutted yesterday on reflection thus was a blessing in disguise.

I don't think we would have done well in the playoffs and if we had managed to get promotion I'd dread to think how many we'd get turned over by in the Prem.

We're in a really good position to build on what we've started and with some good signings we've got a good chance next season.

I must admit I don't understand this reasoning. I've seen a lot more Villa games than I would have liked this year(flatmate supports them) and for the most part the bottom six or seven teams in the Premiership are not that much better than the top of the Championship. You can compete with a decent squad and management. We'd certainly have to strengthen but I don't think we'd be getting battered by the likes of Sunderland, Villa, Norwich etc.

I feel yesterday was a huge opportunity missed, over the last three months we must have been in the top three of the division in terms of points gained. So why would we all of a sudden be underdogs vs the other play off teams? The only team I feared was Brighton who looked a much better team than us when I saw them and the reports from the away game were similar but the rest of the teams we were competing with.

I have faith Dougie who apart from the Butterfield signing has been pretty solid in the transfer market to have a decent Summer and challenge for top six again. Need to keep hold of Cristanio Eagles who seems almost irreplaceable at this level. In any case its nice to have a manager that seems to know what he's doing. Really enjoyed the season as a whole, getting rid of Thicko and then this late season charge has really made me look forward to games. Shame we have none this week though!