We can't be caught. CHAMPIONS.

[midds]

I think a lot of people knew the club was an absolute shambles in the summer and had heard all about the 'strength' of the Championship and how it's a notoriously tough league to get out of and, probably rightly, made predictions about how we'd struggle.

 

However, most people soon changed their minds after seeing a few games. The standard of the league is dross and the people who were writing us off began to revise their predictions and relised that, as shit as we are, we're still head and shoulders above anything else in the league. We've absolutely pissed it, 20 points clear of 3rd place man.     

[MKSC]

When the bookies made us favourites to go up I couldn't stop laughing. I had us down for mid-table at best. Delgihted to have been proven wrong. I hope to continue this shocking level of foresight by stating we will be relegated by February next year.

[gazza ladra]

TBH, I didn't know. I feared the worst. Things had gone so bad for so long I started to believe that the club was fated to pull a Leeds.

 

I read doomsday scenarios from columnists/forum posts and couldn't really argue with them. I was genuinely surprised by the draw against WBA.

[Guest neesy111]

i think most ppl didn't have a clue, had a doncaster fan say this division is competitive, bollock's is it! how teams get relegated and struggle in this division is beyond me

[Teasy]

20 points clear of 3rd, and to think what the likes of Kamara and Caulkin said about our promotion hopes.

 

Don't think anyone on here, including you, expected us to bounce back so emphatically just before the start of the season.

 

Nobody could have predicted we'd do quite as well as we have, I was pretty confident we'd be promoted though (2 on the promotion meter).  Mostly because I was 100% confident in the shitness of the Championship, despite some harping on about how tough it was and how we would lack the pace to compete

[Teasy]

TBH, I didn't know. I feared the worst. Things had gone so bad for so long I started to believe that the club was fated to pull a Leeds.

 

I read doomsday scenarios from columnists/forum posts and couldn't really argue with them. I was genuinely surprised by the draw against WBA.

 

Not having a go like but this is one of those things I could never understand at the time, people thinking we were certs to get beaten by West Brom.  We were missing two players (Lovenkrands and Bassong) from the side that beat them the previous year in the Premiership.  They were also missing two of their best players from the previous year.  I couldn't get to grips with the idea that people thought they'd be much better then us all of a sudden when we'd beaten them twice the year before.

[Guest neesy111]

TBH, I didn't know. I feared the worst. Things had gone so bad for so long I started to believe that the club was fated to pull a Leeds.

 

I read doomsday scenarios from columnists/forum posts and couldn't really argue with them. I was genuinely surprised by the draw against WBA.

 

Not having a go like but this is one of those things I could never understand at the time, people thinking we were certs to get beaten by West Brom.  We were missing two players (Lovenkrands and Bassong) from the side that beat them the previous year in the Premiership.  They were also missing two of their best players from the previous year.  I couldn't get to grips with the idea that people thought they'd be much better then us all of a sudden when we'd beaten them twice the year before.

 

i think ppl thought the mess off the field would provide the players again with more excuse's for bad performances

[Wallace]

TBH, I didn't know. I feared the worst. Things had gone so bad for so long I started to believe that the club was fated to pull a Leeds.

 

I read doomsday scenarios from columnists/forum posts and couldn't really argue with them. I was genuinely surprised by the draw against WBA.

 

Not having a go like but this is one of those things I could never understand at the time, people thinking we were certs to get beaten by West Brom.  We were missing two players (Lovenkrands and Bassong) from the side that beat them the previous year in the Premiership.  They were also missing two of their best players from the previous year.  I couldn't get to grips with the idea that people thought they'd be much better then us all of a sudden when we'd beaten them twice the year before.

 

i think ppl thought the mess off the field would provide the players again with more excuse's for bad performances

 

It was not the quality of players but the off field issues that made me worried. 

 

All we heard throughout the summer was the on / off sale of the club, that Ashley and Llambias had washed their hands of it and that there was no-one left to make any decisions within the club.  Everything was put into limbo because of the anticipated sale of the club - agents said they could not get hold of anyone to discuss selling players.  I remember some of the players saying there was no leadership from the top and that they would have to organise themselves.  They wouldn't appoint a manager because prospective new owners might not want him.  Eventually the club had to start selling some players - maybe they would have sold more if they had more time.  (I am not convinced by the view that it was a deliberate decision to keep the bulk of the squad together - I just think they ran out of time and potential buyers had opted for alternatives).

 

With all that going on, it seemed that the downward spiral of the previous season could continue as I just couldn't see how the players could be motivated to play for a club where no-one seemed to care.  On the back of the Orient defeat and the players losing theirs heads at Huddersfield, it seemed like it was affecting them on the pitch so in that game against West Brom it was a relief to see the players fighting for every ball and not letting their heads drop when they went a goal behind.  That performance made me optimistic that maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all but I still didn't think for one minute that we would do as well as we have. 

[2sheds]

Great post Wallace

[Sifu]

Now that we only need a point (or West Brom only getting a point on Saturday) to win the Championship, does that mean we'll be presented with the trophy during the Plymouth game (provided everything goes our way)?

[jdckelly]

Now that we only need a point (or West Brom only getting a point on Saturday) to win the Championship, does that mean we'll be presented with the trophy during the Plymouth game (provided everything goes our way)?

think so which will suit sky as their cameras will catch it

[Cronky]

TBH, I didn't know. I feared the worst. Things had gone so bad for so long I started to believe that the club was fated to pull a Leeds.

 

I read doomsday scenarios from columnists/forum posts and couldn't really argue with them. I was genuinely surprised by the draw against WBA.

 

Not having a go like but this is one of those things I could never understand at the time, people thinking we were certs to get beaten by West Brom.  We were missing two players (Lovenkrands and Bassong) from the side that beat them the previous year in the Premiership.  They were also missing two of their best players from the previous year.  I couldn't get to grips with the idea that people thought they'd be much better then us all of a sudden when we'd beaten them twice the year before.

 

i think ppl thought the mess off the field would provide the players again with more excuse's for bad performances

 

It was not the quality of players but the off field issues that made me worried. 

 

All we heard throughout the summer was the on / off sale of the club, that Ashley and Llambias had washed their hands of it and that there was no-one left to make any decisions within the club.  Everything was put into limbo because of the anticipated sale of the club - agents said they could not get hold of anyone to discuss selling players.  I remember some of the players saying there was no leadership from the top and that they would have to organise themselves.  They wouldn't appoint a manager because prospective new owners might not want him.  Eventually the club had to start selling some players - maybe they would have sold more if they had more time.  (I am not convinced by the view that it was a deliberate decision to keep the bulk of the squad together - I just think they ran out of time and potential buyers had opted for alternatives).

 

With all that going on, it seemed that the downward spiral of the previous season could continue as I just couldn't see how the players could be motivated to play for a club where no-one seemed to care.  On the back of the Orient defeat and the players losing theirs heads at Huddersfield, it seemed like it was affecting them on the pitch so in that game against West Brom it was a relief to see the players fighting for every ball and not letting their heads drop when they went a goal behind.  That performance made me optimistic that maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all but I still didn't think for one minute that we would do as well as we have. 

 

Yeah, that sums up my feeling at the time as well. It's very difficult for a manager or coach to show leadership or initiative if their own position is insecure because of turmoil behind the scenes, and players are leaving. I went to the Orient game, and I can remember posting here afterwards that I couldn't see why the players would take any notice of Hughton when Hughton's position looked so temporary and powerless.

 

The situation didn't get resolved particularly quickly either. Hughton was on a caretaker's contract for half the season before Ashley finally decided to take the club off the market and confirm his position.

 

You have to say that Hughton was absolutely the right man for the situation, and it's amazing how he's kept the team focused through it all. I've been waiting for things to go off the rails all season and it hasn't happened.

[oldtype]

The minute the title is confirmed somebody needs to post 'anyone!' and then close the thread.

[Mick]

I'm going to tempt fate, anybody.

[cp40]

I'm going to tempt fate, anybody.

 

 

 

nothing can go wrong now.

[Ketsbaia]

hold your horses.....just 45 minutes more  :celb:

[broonalegeordie]

i'd prefer "nee fucker" to be in the title of the thread..... then lock it, and make it as a sticky.

[Guest ObiChrisKenobi]

:celb: :celb: :celb: :celb: :celb: :celb: :celb: :celb: :celb: :celb: :celb: :celb: :celb:

[NoU]

anyone

[Ketsbaia]

......anybody. we've only went and won the bloody thing 

 

[High Five o]

Whooooooooooooooo!  Congrats!!!!

[Guest toonlass]

They've just bloody gone and won the whole fucking thing!!!!!!

[Mag_in_NZ]

Anybody because we are

 

CHAMPIONS

 

 

:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

[NoU]

I'm so proud of everyone, both  :colo: and 

 

as well as

 

and of course this guy 

 

And him 

 

and to all of you

 

A very merry promotion

 

:celb: :celb: :celb:

:celb: :celb: :celb:

 

[Rich]

EROTIC.