nPower Football League Thread 2011/12

[Lineker]

West Ham: Green, Demel, Tomkins, Reid, Taylor, O'Neil, Noble, Nolan, Collison, Cole, Vaz Te.

Subs: Henderson, McCartney, Maynard, Faubert, Lansbury.

Cardiff: Marshall, McNaughton, Hudson, Turner, Taylor, Lawrence, Gunnarsson, Whittingham, McPhail, Mason, Miller.

Subs: Heaton, Kiss, Cowie, Earnshaw, Blake.

Referee: Mike Dean (Wirral)

West Ham are unchanged from their first-leg win, while Cardiff bring in fit-again defender Kevin McNaughton, who missed that game with a calf strain, and Stephen McPhail in for Don Cowie and Darcy Blake.

[Szumi]

Clearly should achieve the overall victory against Cardiff, although I wouldn't be shocked for a draw in this leg as Big Sam will probably just play it safe. I expected to get to the Finals... only to lose in dramatic fashion and suffer years in the Championship. Just our luck.

Really hoping it's us versus Blackpool in the Finals though. We crushed them both times this season; we'd do much better against them than Birmingham.

[Lineker]

Didn't you manage to still beat Blackpool even though Henri Lansbury had to play over half of the match in goal?

[Lineker]

1-0 West Ham; Kevin Nolan header.

[Szumi]

He only played like a half hour I think, but we won both matches huge. I want to say that one was 4-1. Yeah. We were up 2-0, then Blackpool grabbed one right at the end of the half before Green got sent off. We still put two in on Blackpool after Green got sent off. The other time we faced them was 3 or 4 to zero. Both times we played Birmingham was a draw, so much rather have the Tangerines at Wembley.

[Matt]

Haha, fuck you Cardiff... now, sell all your best players and go rot in the bottom division.

[Adam]

In a one off game like a play-off final, I'm really not sure it'll matter.

[METALMAN]

urgh, the thought of West Ham playing in the premier league again is sickening.

[Berober]

Haha, fuck you Cardiff... now, sell all your best players and go rot in the bottom division.

Surely that is said of them every season though :/

[Szumi]

In a one-off, it doesn't matter that much, but I think overall, West Ham will have a better chance of beating Blackpool than Birmingham. The Blues team is one that would just keep West Ham frustrated with nothing happening, and then they nick a late goal.

No matter who West Ham meet in the Finals, I will be very anxious over it, as I still feel the side lacks that big match mentality you need to win a Playoff Final at Wembley. I really am hoping that it all falls into place and we can get back to the Prem because otherwise, you're going to see a big summer exodus at the club and have some major problems for several years to come.

With that early Nolan goal though, we're definitely Wembley bound though. No way do we blow a 3-goal lead at home. Maybe under Avram Grant, but not Big Sam

[Matt]

Never seen a crowd on the verge of going to Wembley look so bored.

[Lineker]

2-0. Ricardo Vaz Te blasting it home.

[Matt]

Has there ever been such a one-sided playoff?

[Adam]

Has there ever been such a one-sided playoff?

Does it have to be over two legs? We beat Southend 5-1 in the return game after a goalless first leg. Pretty sure in recent seasons somebody got absolutely dominated in both legs but I can't even remember which league it was in.

I suppose a West Ham - Birmingham final would be great for the added thing of "the loser really is totally fucked" but I really want Blackpool to get back up.

[Matt]

Has there ever been such a one-sided playoff?

Does it have to be over two legs? We beat Southend 5-1 in the return game after a goalless first leg. Pretty sure in recent seasons somebody got absolutely dominated in both legs but I can't even remember which league it was in.

I suppose a West Ham - Birmingham final would be great for the added thing of "the loser really is totally fucked" but I really want Blackpool to get back up.

Yeah I meant over two legs, I don't ever really remember seeing it. Over one game, us vs Watford in 05(?) was ridiculously one-sided, I don't remember us even having a shot... Then again I don't remember us having a shot against you, though you only won because you weren't as bad as us.

[Adam]

Has there ever been such a one-sided playoff?

Does it have to be over two legs? We beat Southend 5-1 in the return game after a goalless first leg. Pretty sure in recent seasons somebody got absolutely dominated in both legs but I can't even remember which league it was in.

I suppose a West Ham - Birmingham final would be great for the added thing of "the loser really is totally fucked" but I really want Blackpool to get back up.

Yeah I meant over two legs, I don't ever really remember seeing it. Over one game, us vs Watford in 05(?) was ridiculously one-sided, I don't remember us even having a shot... Then again I don't remember us having a shot against you, though you only won because you weren't as bad as us.

We played fine that day! If it wasn't for Ankergren's lightning short bursts and reflexes we would have been 3-0 up at half time. Likewise, you guys came close on a couple of occasions. I thought it was a decent if cagey game and wouldn't say either side was bad.

Anyway I've had a look through the history of the play-offs and Derby nearly matches West Ham with a 5-1 agg. win over Millwall, same goals scored in both games as we've seen from the Hammers this week. The best one has to be Crewe beating Walsall 9-3 over two legs in 1993 though. 5-1 at home then 4-2 away. The one I think I was thinking of earlier though was Hull beating Watford 6-1 on aggregate with a 4-1 win in the second leg in 2008.

[Matt]

Has there ever been such a one-sided playoff?

Does it have to be over two legs? We beat Southend 5-1 in the return game after a goalless first leg. Pretty sure in recent seasons somebody got absolutely dominated in both legs but I can't even remember which league it was in.

I suppose a West Ham - Birmingham final would be great for the added thing of "the loser really is totally fucked" but I really want Blackpool to get back up.

Yeah I meant over two legs, I don't ever really remember seeing it. Over one game, us vs Watford in 05(?) was ridiculously one-sided, I don't remember us even having a shot... Then again I don't remember us having a shot against you, though you only won because you weren't as bad as us.

We played fine that day! If it wasn't for Ankergren's lightning short bursts and reflexes we would have been 3-0 up at half time. Likewise, you guys came close on a couple of occasions. I thought it was a decent if cagey game and wouldn't say either side was bad.

Anyway I've had a look through the history of the play-offs and Derby nearly matches West Ham with a 5-1 agg. win over Millwall, same goals scored in both games as we've seen from the Hammers this week. The best one has to be Crewe beating Walsall 9-3 over two legs in 1993 though. 5-1 at home then 4-2 away. The one I think I was thinking of earlier though was Hull beating Watford 6-1 on aggregate with a 4-1 win in the second leg in 2008.

I think I may have just blocked the day out of my mind. All I remember is it was a really shit day and Wembley is one of the dullest stadia I've been to.

[Liam]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_3/8673168.stm

When Dagenham beat Morecambe 6-0, 7-2 on agg a few years back.

[Adam]

Rumour is rife on Cardiff City message boards that a 'rebranding' of the club is to be undergone this summer due to Vincent Tan becoming 100% owner. Here are some of the plans for this rebranding:

- Team renamed to Cardiff Dragons

- Home kit will be red, with a dragon on it

- New badge will be designed

- Stadium seats will be made red

Surprisingly it doesnt seem to be being met with much opposition from the fans on the message boards either. Bizarre.

[Lineker]

I'll be amazed if any of those but the first one actually happens.