Reasons to be optimistic...

All the teams above us went up, we were much better than those below us, and the three that are coming down aren't up to much, with two of them with real financial troubles/starting on -8 points. I fancy us for automatic promotion.

 

If we keep Duff - 100%

 

When did we last have the same manager in December as we had in May?

 

Very good question. He will have championship teams in for him. However, there is something about this guy that makes me think he will stay. Maybe.

 

Bloody hell where's rousing Jay gone?

 

Must buy a proven striker tho, an absolute must

 

I honestly believe that of the two teams Barnsley will come out best of this result, for 120 minutes we footballed them to death, they're on journey to a week in week out footballing death of a thousand cuts, as for us the neutral fan will have seen that football is not necessarily an exact science and sometimes the wheel of fortune favours the weak.

 

Bolton, Derby. Charlton, Blackpool, Portsmouth, Peterboro and us. The league is not without its challenges next season and you can throw in a couple of surprise packages too. We'll be one of the favourites next year. Keep Duff, I'd fancy us for the automatics, without and we're just back in the mix again.

 

Also factor in our slow start due to a lack of solid time for Duff to get us playing how he wanted.

• 21 points from the first 15 games (1.4 points per game)
• 65 points from the next 35 (1.8 points per game)
• The slow start effectively cost us another 8 points.

 

We'd have still been fourth even with extra 8 points. But I get your point.

 

We'd possibly have been another 8 points in front of those behind us though.

 

We can hope for but really way too early for next season predictions I'd say. We've no idea who's saying and who going yet. Lots of loans and contracts to sort first but in Duff and Khalid we trust.

 

With the extra 8 points, would we have taken the foot off the gas for the last 2-3 games with one eye on the play-offs?

 

I'm trying to get my head round 65 pts from 35 games. We only got points from 46 games: so, unleess I'm missing something, it was 65 pts from 31 games, 2.1 pts per game. If we'd achieved 2.1 pts per game all season we would have ended up with 97 pts - which I recall woulcd have been a record number of points not ti have got automatic

 

Was thinking something similar. The two teams we beat in playoff finals, Swansea and Millwall, both came back stronger the following season and were then able to consolidate and stabilise in the Championship where they both remain still.
That extra year in the third tier proved beneficial to them, maybe the same will apply to us.

 

We only played 46 games? You've got 50 played.

I think we would have taken more points over the last few games had we not dropped out of the race for the top two.

Hopefully we won't have as sluggish a start next season and the points totals for promotion might not be as unusually high.

 

While gutted by yesterday's result part of me thinks it may be a blessing in disguise.
Not sure that we were ready for the Championship just yet. I think we could have survived but it would have been another season of struggle.
Barring key people leaving over the summer (Duff) I think we can build a solid platform. If we get that I see no reason why we can't compete just as well as the vast majority of the championship.
There are some teams we will always struggle to compete with over the long run (Leeds, Sunderland WBA Leicester etc.) but most of the rest are traditionally no better than us.

 

Good spot!

21 points from the first 15 games (1.4 points per game)
65 points from the next 31 (2.1 points per game)

The slow start effectively cost us another 10 or 11 points.