Does anyone believe we actually can make the top 6?

The chances of us staying up at the back end of last season were far slimmer than us making the play-offs this time around given the position we are now in.

Similar number of games to play. A better side now and harder to beat.

We did that. We can do this.

 

Our current position, form, game in hand and the run-in makes it look more likely we’ll land in the top 6 than not.
However; any top half finish is better than any of us expected so we have to be grateful.

 

Looking at some of the comments by various players in the Grove Street programme,
I honestly think they believe we are on the verge of something special. When asked
if we could achieve promotion, Callum Styles simply answered " why not.?"

I prefer Valeriens attitude myself. It looks as though he's set milestones, the first one
being to achieve fifty points which we managed by hitting fifty one today. His next target
is to see where we are after the next six games, taking one game at a time. It doesn't
benefit anyone pressure wise, by claiming we will be promoted, we just need to keep
playing as well as we can every game and see where that takes us.

 

GOING UP

 

That's a pretty good response.

 

For what it's worth, I think we'll fall a couple of wins short. But what an improvement on last year. we've been very consistent under Val. Teams have to play well to beat us, sometimes even that's not enough.

 

Absolutely. Our form since Val has been here would have us challenging for automatic promotion. We can win playing well but these days we can win playing ugly. We have a brilliant chance to take advantage of the weakest championship in a lot of years and we are solid defensively with clean sheets.

 

It will be interesting to see what happens now we’re close, and if we do indeed get into the top 6. Not really had any pressure on us and expectations have been set low, all of a sudden we might start to feel the heat.

 

Far from a pipe dream, but it would be a some achievement if we did, even from here. I reckon we’ll need to win 4 out of the next 6, while keeping key players fit and maybe managing the minutes of one or two, to give ourselves a chance going into the run in.

 

This year is the chance. It’s like the 2008 FA Cup. The only time I’ve ever cried after a football match was the 2008 semi final, as I knew it was the only time in my life we would ever have a chance of lifting a major trophy and we blew it. None of this ‘progress’ ******, it doesn’t work like that. If we finish 7th we won’t be 5th next year. Literally everything has fallen in our favour this year. This is our chance. If not now, then never. Of course we have a realistic chance. We win nearly every week, and we have done now for three months solid.

 

Can? Yes definitely. It’s pretty much down to 5 teams for them last two spots as I can’t see anyone Stoke or below gaining so many points on more than 3 of the 5 teams above them.

I think we’ve got probably got a 25-30% chance. Fully fit squad, in form, favourable fixtures & a game in hand. The only thing I’d say that counts against us (which is of course a pretty big thing) is that we lack the top quality that a team like Bournemouth have.

Having said that Reading, Middlesbrough & Cardiff aren’t filled with proven championship stars either. For example an injury to Moore & I’d imagine Cardiff’s chances of the play offs are finished.

The Bournemouth & Reading games are massive.

 

I’ll go a step further & say that I genuinely believe we can win the play offs if we get in them as long as we don’t get Swansea. I’ve not seen anything in two games against them that suggests we can beat them so I hope they go up automatically.

Watford I make slight favourites against us but I’ve got a feeling we’d have Brentford’s number. I think they hate playing us & the last day of last season would be on their minds.

I’ll have to watch the upcoming Bournemouth & Reading games to make a judgement but I don’t think 4-0 against Bournemouth was anything close to a fair reflection of how that game went & we were very unlucky in that we weren’t clinical & they were on the day. If that game would’ve finished 2-2 I don’t think many would said it was an unfair reflection of the match.

 

Its all in our own hands. Another exciting end to the season. Never a dull moment been a barnsley fan - when was the last time we had a dull season like we always used to have, finishing 12th all the time when i were a lad back in the late 80s and early 90s.

also the table doesnt lie - we have top 6 form right now based on last 30 and had we played derby i think we’d have won that. Hope they are still crap as theyve picked up some results.

 

Does anyone believe we can't?

1 point away and a game in hand. I'm not saying it's nailed on, far from it, but you'd have to be massively pessimistic to believe it's beyond us considering the situation. We'll see, but clearly it's the target we should be aiming for and it's very realistic.

 

Actually, it's even better than that. 47 points in 25 games, which we have accumulated under Ismael, is equivalent to 86 points in 46 games (86.48, to be precise).

 

Well put. I agree, if it's not this year it'll be a few years at the very least until we're challenging again. If we don't go up this year, I think relegation is more likely than promotion next year (but I think mid-table is the most likely!), that's just the way football works these days.

 

I said after the Brentford performance we could be on the verge of something special and have had no reason to think otherwise since.

 

Playoffs are certainly a realistic target. Unless "let's get to 50 points and see what happens" means they'll trial bizarre formations and start playing the reserves to blood them!

We're some way off those weird months in 2016 in League One where we knew they were going to turn up and score three every match. That's a rare feeling for any supporter, never mind a Barnsley supporter. But at the moment I never really fear we'll lose. Even the goals conceded seem outliers. 9 times out of 10 Bennett's goal would have been blocked by Brittain, tipped by Collins or put wide by the striker. On this occasion Millwall did score, fair play to them, but even when it went in I was confident the lads would battle back for the win.

The only thing I could see upsetting the flow is if supporters were allowed back into the stadium and the change flustered the players. I know you all want to get back to Oakwell and share in their victories but part of me wants it to stay the same. I know... Sorry.

 

Spot on, Helen. We can be totally relaxed about it because we've already over-achieved against our expectations.

 

If we continue the ppg we have achieved under Ismael we almost certainly will make top six.
If we do I think we'll get picked off by one of Brentford, Swansea or Watford, especially if we play like we did yesterday.
That being said I thought we were the weakest of the four play off teams in 2007 but we still found a way to get up.
I've played the idea down in my head for the past few months but there's no argument now that we have a realistic shot at promotion.