Making the Play Offs only to lose


For most Sunderland supporters thought it is every bloody season. What's the rush? When we first started playing Championship football after 4 years in the third tier only, what 8-9 months ago, we could barely walk. Now we think we should be running. I bet some of us thought we were barely able to hang with long established clubs like QPR, Stoke City, Coventry City or Millwall back in August after barely being able to fend off challenges from the giants of football like Shrewsbury Town, Bristol Rovers, Fleetwood Town and Exeter City for four years previously. Just being able to compete on a level footing and look at these clubs in the Championship like Cardiff City and Preston North End in the eye was an overachievement. Now we think we are good enough to beat teams like Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton & Hove Albion. We have not even begun to lay the groundwork, the foundations, of a strong Championship club. We are still trying to break free from the ways set in as a result of four years in League One.

Just not going down was the very least we should have aimed for. We should be content with having done just that. Worry about challenging for promotion when we have a team and a club good enough to do just that.

Cracking inferiority complex you have there. Loser.
 
We've massively over achieved, this season has been very good. Nee f*cker expected automatic promotion.


i didn't expect it however I believed it was achievable and said so on here at season start. Unfortunately injuries put paid to that and the hierarchy didn't want it anyway....
 
After 4 seasons in league one it can.
NO.... It really can't.

and look at our WHOLE history nit just the section that fits your narrative of Poor little old Sunderland!
Are you for real? Setting yourself up for a life of misery.
Having expectations and disliking mediocrity and failure is not setting myself up for failure. If you think we'll never achieve maybe you need a new past time.
 
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Getting into the playoffs, even to lose, would be better for momentum going into next season than falling short.
Exactly. 1998 a perfect example.
Why can't you see us winning it over 2 legs?

We drew with Luton home and away
We beat Boro at home 2-0 lost 1-0 away
We beat Blackburn at home and they were dead jammy with poor decisions at their place
We drew with Coventry at home and should have at least earned a point away, we were the better side overall imo. Again, a poor refereeing decision favoured them in the lead up to their first goal.
West Brom we should have had the game won at half time, we'll see how we fare against them this weekend.

Nothing to be afraid of regardless of our long and heavy injury list. We've got recent experience playing in playoffs and winning them.
Great post. These other teams are nowt special. How I look at it when feeling optimistic. Tuesday’s game dented that optimism mind.
 
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I'll take competing in this league over hovering around the basement of the PL any day of the week. Yes it's great to play Man City, Arsenal etc... but getting beat off them soon wears off.

I want us in the PL, of course I do. But should we need 2 seasons down here, as long as we are at the right end... I'll take that.

Ffs we were playing Shrewsbury not that long ago
And we were playing Man United not long before that. We're a big enough club to be expecting more from than your clearly settling for. No reason to expect to be near bottom if we went up either. Look at the table. Lots of smaller clubs than ours doing well. Its down to our recruitment team and management.
 
I’ve changed my mind over this. If we manage to make the playoffs we’ll be bang in form at the right time and I’ll fancy us against any team over two legs and the final.

unbeaten in six aren we ?
 
Exactly. 1998 a perfect example.
I don’t think it’s as much about momentum, more about experience and giving you the desire to succeed where you’ve just failed. Quinny once talked about this, said Bally stood up on the journey home after Charlton and gave a passionate speech about using the experience of losing as a driving factor for next season, he said the experience they all gained from losing at Wembley was the major driving force to smashing the league the next season.
 
What you got to lose?...I mean be realistic
first scenario...stay outta the cesspit we are in
Second scenario....Comfortable mid table

now?

an actual tilt at getting where Sunderland should be?

Beyond expectation isn't it?

Trouble you have now is the ..(and bear me out)..the UNREALISTIC situation you are in.

a chance of the Prem, the money, maybe the failure, but the parachute payments, the chance of in a few years being back up there? and STAYING there

The situation I'm in...i'd give me eye teeth to be halfway to where you are

Sure it could all go t*ts up and you are still in the Championship

But honestly?

Sunderland have had a season and a half.....go back 3 seasons Mackems.....Its hardly shabby now is it?


Meanwhile ...back at Hillsboro'?....f.ook right off!

Theres ALWAYS someone worse off than yerselves....



most seasons..It us
 
NO.... It really can't.

and look at our WHOLE history nit just the section that fits your narrative of Poor little old Sunderland!

Having expectations and disliking mediocrity and failure is not setting myself up for failure. If you think we'll never achieve maybe you need a new past time.
That doesn't give any context to the current period. It's an absolutely ridiculous way to look at things. It's like pretending we haven't just come out of the worst period in our history.
i didn't expect it however I believed it was achievable and said so on here at season start. Unfortunately injuries put paid to that and the hierarchy didn't want it anyway....
The majority didn't think it was achievable. We've had a good season
 
That doesn't give any context to the current period. It's an absolutely ridiculous way to look at things. It's like pretending we haven't just come out of the worst period in our history.

The majority didn't think it was achievable. We've had a good season


agreed we have had a good season and one which could have taken us to automatic had we stayed injury free to our big players. We may still manage it...
 
This,
'its too soon, let's get promoted in 2025 instead'.
Too soon as well. we need 4 seasons, just like we spent in league one, before we’re “ready”.
Maybe if we do that we can finish mid table in the prem after promotion, while moaning about why we didn’t push on for Europe
 
This,
'its too soon, let's get promoted in 2025 instead'.
Works both ways though
- the people saying you can’t pick and choose are also saying we should choose to go up now 🤣🤣🤣
Then there’s people saying we’re shit but we should be promoted cos we have a chance. And at the same time Mowbray should be sacked! Some even saying he should get us up then we should sack him 🤣

It’s basically silly season and folk are coming out with all sorts of nonsense and paranoia
 
Works both ways though
- the people saying you can’t pick and choose are also saying we should choose to go up now 🤣🤣🤣
Then there’s people saying we’re shit but we should be promoted cos we have a chance. And at the same time Mowbray should be sacked! Some even saying he should get us up then we should sack him 🤣

It’s basically silly season and folk are coming out with all sorts of nonsense and paranoia
Silly season everyday on here TBF
 
NO.... It really can't.

and look at our WHOLE history nit just the section that fits your narrative of Poor little old Sunderland!

Having expectations and disliking mediocrity and failure is not setting myself up for failure. If you think we'll never achieve maybe you need a new past time.
Spot on
 
What you got to lose?...I mean be realistic
first scenario...stay outta the cesspit we are in
Second scenario....Comfortable mid table

now?

an actual tilt at getting where Sunderland should be?

Beyond expectation isn't it?

Trouble you have now is the ..(and bear me out)..the UNREALISTIC situation you are in.

a chance of the Prem, the money, maybe the failure, but the parachute payments, the chance of in a few years being back up there? and STAYING there

The situation I'm in...i'd give me eye teeth to be halfway to where you are

Sure it could all go t*ts up and you are still in the Championship

But honestly?

Sunderland have had a season and a half.....go back 3 seasons Mackems.....Its hardly shabby now is it?


Meanwhile ...back at Hillsboro'?....f.ook right off!

Theres ALWAYS someone worse off than yerselves....



most seasons..It us
Correct.
 
Best fold the club now. West Brom might beat us on Sunday.

OP will be celebrating, dressed in Blue and White surely? Along with a good chunk of this board?
Didn't want play offs this season . Hope we don't scrape in ( it's very unlikely now anyway ). Looking at our injury list and the way Boro destroyed Hull last night , I'd rather we we didn't.

Are you going to be sat in the away section when we play Watford? Hoying orange smoke bombs around?
 
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