Your full guide to all the EFL Play off matches, and there are some beauties to look forward to (thank Christ we are not involved), and somewhere to talk about them A massive Midlands derby to kick things off in the Championship, followed by out of form Leeds visiting FLDC - this is going to be fun CHAMPIONSHIP Saturday 11th May 12:30 Aston Villa v West Brom 17:15 Derby Co v Leeds Utd Tuesday 14th May 20:00 West Brom v Aston Villa Wednesday 15th May 19:45 Leeds Utd v Derby Co ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The highlight of the League One play offs just has to be the meeting of the 2 biggest clubs in the division with the Black Cats facing Pompey - I am going to try and stay awake to see both legs of this one LEAGUE ONE Saturday 11th May 19:30 Sunderland v Portsmouth Sunday 12th May 19:30 Doncaster Rov v Charlton Ath Thursday 16th May 19:45 Portsmouth v Sunderland Friday 17th May 19:30 Charlton Ath v Doncaster Rov ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Does anyone really care about League Two? Maybe a vague passing interest in FGR maybe but I cant say it excites me though I will watch the Final LEAGUE TWO Thursday 9th May 19:30 Newport Co v Mansfield Friday 10th May 19:30 Tranmere Rov v Forest Green Rovers Sunday 12th May 19:45 Mansfield v Newport Co Monday 13th May 19:30 Forest Green Rovers v Tranmere Rov
It will be very nice to sit back and watch the action in the comfort and warmth of our PL status. Even though Leeds did the double over Champions League winning Frank Lampard's team, I think they'll fancy their chances against Leeds now. Hard to choose between WBA and Villa. Probablly Villa on their day and after the run in they've had. Nervous fans I'd imagine.
If I were a Leeds fan, based on recent results, I would be slightly more than nervous. I fancy Villa but all 4 teams have the ability to get it wrong on the day - that's why they are not top 2 - it really is a lottery. I can't even begin to imagine who is coming out of League 1 and 2
I think Villa will be favourites, they have the best team imo. I wouldn't mind seeing Leeds back in the Prem though. But it is nice not to have to worry about the play offs
I think it'll be villa, but like others I'll be basking in the knowledge that we can sit back and watch it relaxed with our ticket already booked. Bah!
I would like to see Leeds win it and go up. They have had a rotten time of it and it would be nice to see them back in the Premier League. They may go on about being a huge club but they are in terms of loyal fans and history to be fair. Frank Lampard's Derby and John Terry's Villa have had an unfair advantage with over spending and blatant loan ringers and I don't want to see John Terry on his full kit waving the trophy round, bet he was tempted to slip on a Norwich kit the other day and get in on the celebrations. West Brom are a pretty boring yo yo club that don't add much to any league . .Leeds v Man United would be as tasty as they come and we usually do well against them too.
"West Brom are a pretty boring yo yo club that don't add much to any league ." Most fans of other clubs would say the same about us, DD. I'd say being a yo-yo club is the very opposite of boring. I was chatting online with an Everton fan a few days ago, and asking how can she keep any interest when she knows that her club is going to come somewhere between 7th and 10th every season. We're just the opposite. Last season was the only one in recent memory where match days came and went without an attack of nerves.
And we are unashamedly a yoyo club too. Leeds haven't been in the Premier league for yonks and I think they would take more fans away from home than Baggies and it's nice to see different clubs go up and down. Even Derby have been in the Premier league more recently than Leeds . I'm not saying they have a divine right to be up there because they are a big club, I'm just saying it would be more interesting with them in it. Of course whoever gets promoted will be going up on merit rather than popularity .
Since early April, 'invincible' Leeds Utd have been beaten by Birmingham, Wigan, Brentford and, saving the very best until very last.....1p5wich Can't beat going into crucial play-off games having built up a head of steam!!
I would have favoured Baggies were it not for their mean minded sacking of Darren Moore while in the position (4th) that they hold now. Discount FLDC for obvious reasons. That leaves Leeds and Villa. That's a hard one.
I'm only looking at the Play-offs through NCFC-tinted specs, I want whoever goes up to be comfortably worse than us next season. So with that in mind, I'd like WBA to go up. Most of their impressive players have been on loan this season (Gayle, Murphy, Barnes, Holgate, Adarabioyo), and their squad has plenty of ageing players who weren't good enough when they were relegated. In addition, they only have 17 players contracted for next season, and Prem loan rules mean they could only have two loan players at any one time. To me, that looks like a difficult rebuild, and WBA don't have the financial backers the other candidates do. So I'd like them to win promotion!
Mean minded or not, I gave up passing judgement on other clubs sackings when we went through Hughtons extended death throws. A large proportion of city fans thought he should go, eventually so to the club, but how many outsiders were anything but critical of the decision? Might WBA have found themselves in 7-8th had they not made the change? Moore may have been battling unrealistic expectations or just not cutting the mustard. I said b4 I think it'll be Villa promoted, but I would like to see FLDC do it. In part because it would be a nice local away game for me, as well as good banter with half my darts team. In part for the reasons DHC highlights. I think they are a weak team with the bulk of their quality coming from loanees. I think the only players they have worth building around might be: Carson, Mount and Wilson (If they can keep them) and maybe Bogle. I think their money has also somewhat dried up and they might take a pragmatic approach to spending if they join us. Bah!
Don't know and don't care. I'd rather the play-offs were between "nice" teams - Brentford, Bristol City, Preston and Swansea would have been better but out of the 4 that are in it, I'd prefer FLDC to do it as I have a mate who is a season ticket holder there and we have good banter plus they don't have delusions of being a "big" club..