The Much Awaited Return of Promotion Maths

[IFWaters]

Half minded to close the thread now.

[GarTomas]

Time for the lock

[PeterWithesShin]

If we lose at Millwall we'll finish 4th on 83 points. Same as Hull did under Bruce in 2016. They won the play-offs, beating Derby in the SF.

[Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air]

As we have a semi rest day on Sunday now, we could always rename this thread "The much awaited  return of Relegation Maths".

[Steve67]

So it's official now.  No automatic promotion.  Bruce out!

[frank black]

So both ourselves and Millwall can take it easy next weekend. No need to get an injury and please rest the main players (whoops I know where not allowed to do that) I meant protect the injured/sick.

[brian green]

Huddersfield did it last season and helped the noses beat the drop.

[Matt Collins]

They’ve toughened the rules now. But there still seems scope for rotation

Under no circumstances should grealish be in the team next Sunday

[IFWaters]

Well if there was ever a better example of "I told you so" I can't remember it.
If Cardiff win their final match and finish on 92 points (average 2 points a game) they will be promoted. Fulham could finish on 91 and fall short. In 25 years of 24 team Championship this rule has never been broken. Even if we win against Millwall we ended up 6 points short.

I would argue that the most criminal dip in form was the 1 point in 3 games against QPR, Hull and Bolton in March was the difference. We choked it. Can't repeat that now.

[eamonn]

Add in the Norwich game and that was one point from three consecutive away games. A couple of slip-ups too many.

[ez]

Finishing 4th is a big disappointment for me. It's the fact that we're not one of the best 3 clubs in the championship. Luckily the 4th best club can still get promoted. That would cheer me up no end.

[Brassneck]

Finishing 4th is a big disappointment for me. It's the fact that we're not one of the best 3 clubs in the championship. Luckily the 4th best club can still get promoted. That would cheer me up no end.

Although we are where we are on merit and don't deserve to be any higher, in hindsight, losing Jack and Kodjia at the start of the season left us playing catch up. 1 win out of the first 7 has ultimately killed us and the December run can also be attributed in part to those 2 players being missing. Yes, we have a strong squad but to lose your playmaker and top striker is not something that you can resolve on a like for like basis.

I'd hate to finish 3rd. Both Fulham & Cardiff have been fantastic and both deserve 2nd spot. Whoever finishes 3rd will be unbelievably disappointed and also be quite a distance ahead of us in 4th spot. I'm happy we have a bite at the play offs (as I'm sure 5th & 6th will be)

[Richard E]

Keep this thread open. If Fulham and Cardiff both turn out to have fielded ineligible players or to have breached FFP and get docked points, or one of them goes out of business before next weekend, then we can still catch them. Keep the faith!!

[paul_e]

Finishing 4th is a big disappointment for me. It's the fact that we're not one of the best 3 clubs in the championship. Luckily the 4th best club can still get promoted. That would cheer me up no end.

Although we are where we are on merit and don't deserve to be any higher, in hindsight, losing Jack and Kodjia at the start of the season left us playing catch up. 1 win out of the first 7 has ultimately killed us and the December run can also be attributed in part to those 2 players being missing. Yes, we have a strong squad but to lose your playmaker and top striker is not something that you can resolve on a like for like basis.

I'd hate to finish 3rd. Both Fulham & Cardiff have been fantastic and both deserve 2nd spot. Whoever finishes 3rd will be unbelievably disappointed and also be quite a distance ahead of us in 4th spot. I'm happy we have a bite at the play offs (as I'm sure 5th & 6th will be)

I think Jack and Kodjia being out might have had some impact but the bigger problem is that we didn't seem to have a plan for how we wanted to play and that spilled over into us having no plan of the players we needed so all our signings were about having the right experience and attitude.  The issue was that it left with lots of players with no obvious way to use and we spent a few months stumbling onto things that worked by chance rather than through any design.  That's why a player like Jack, who lifts the players around him, came in and had a huge impact (once he was fully fit) because he started to dictate the style of play.

[London Villan]

Having no back up striker (other than Samba) wasn't great either, particularly when you see the impact of Grabban from January.