EFL Championship Playoffs — Semi-Finals

First Installment: 0 - 0 — a total non-event, and a harder watch than Sean Dyche's Deduction Dodging Demons, if I'm being honest.

Well, not really. At least I feel I have to pay attention while the Boyz in Bloo are playing. Not so with these two…

Next!

" Dyche's Deduction Dodging Demons" 😁. Nice one Michael.
Let's hope Leeds miss on promotion.

Michael (1),

Southampton and WBA drew the other first leg game 0-0… looks like a lot of teams are logging on to Dyche's Deduction Dodging Demons demonstrations.

From a pure recruitment point of view, I wish both Leeds & Southampton wouldn't get through so that:

1) We would have more leverage to keep Jack Harrison for one more season. He might not have been our version of De Bruyne in terms of playmaking, but his work rate has been critical to Dyche's defending-from-the-front setup

2) We can be a slightly more attractive proposition for impending Free Agent Che Adams, even though other interested Premier League clubs would also be benefited under the same situation.

Shane Duffy, not heard that name for a long time, and it looks like he won't be coming up with Norwich as Leeds have whacked them 4-0.

10 years ago he left us.

Dupont, I too appreciate Harrison's workrate but I desperately hope we can improve on him at RW / RM this summer. Adds almost nothing to our attack.

Che Adams even for free isn't exactly enticing either.

There's much better quality and better value out there than these two.

Harrison made 29 Premier League appearances this season. I can't remember a worse player to play that many times for us in one campaign.

Michael (5) - Leeds were fun to watch.

Hard to get excited about Southampton v West Brom, jeez I hatw Smethwick.

Paul #9,

Why do you hate Smethwick?

Hi George, because of the area around the ground and the times I've been there so, a very partial anti-West Brom perspective. There's a nice canal pathway. Seen that.

And I also remember some art deco type swimming baths and a memorable temple (that, fulll confession, I just looked up online Guru Nanak Gurdwara). It's the West Brom thing mainly George.

Saints 1-0 Uncle Festus but shocking by West Brom in the middle

Great finish by Smallbone.

Or a very lucky deflection off the defender's boot?

Methinks the latter.

How on earth was that not a penalty? Would have been if VAR was there.

With the in-laws coming from the West Midlands.

Smethwick. My sister-in-law taught there in a school. It is a tough area. But then so are many parts of Liverpool, London and most cities.

Totally separate, but you should try the area of Baltimore where the TV show "The Wire" was set.

We curiously had a drive around on a trip out to the area. Now that was interesting and intimidating. I didn't know if we we going to be set upon by the locals or lifted by the Police!!

West Baltimore should be avoided at all costs if life and limbs are prized. In fact, keep driving foot on "the gas" (why the feck do they call the accelerator "the gas" or a babies dummy "a pacifier" for that matter - sounds like a military exercise: "baby pacified, baby down") and head for Georgetown or Annapolis.

Jeez he took that well. How bad are West Brom? We need them to go up.

Paul #11
Thanks for that, I understand about around the ground being a rough area. I went there with my son a while back and as we were in the car about to leave a scuffle broke out and an Everton fan was slashed in the face. Needless to say we got out of there fast. I have been back on a couple of occasions on my own but having a Brummie accent I don't attract too much attention at my age. I lived in Smethwick for the first six years of my life but a lot has changed there in 73 years.

Having visited 30 of the 50 states Paul, Annapolis is my favourite place.

The harbour and the music bars. Fantastic city.

So it's looking like Leeds or Southampton next season. I have a few Leeds friends, so that could be interesting!

Sorry George, I didn't mean to insult your birthplace. Sad to say, but what you and your son had to endure there is what made me mouth off in the first place!

Annapolis is a pearl Danny and seafood down by the water - and I like to push on the the Delaware coast to Lewes.

Yep Saints v Leeds. Have a sneaky suspicion that Saints will win that and them maybe we can persuade Leeds to let us have Summerville rather than Harrison

Well that game was shite. Neither team deserved promotion after that. Leeds will walk it in the championship play off final.

Saints to beat Leeds for me,

Leeds United are serial bottlers, they had the league won in January, then realised the competition lasted until May,

shat themselves,

and then just about qualified for the playoffs

Fuck Leeds, they are rats.

and rats get bats.

I think Saints are well drilled with some good players Rob and they beat Leeds at Elland Rd a couple of weeks ago. I think it was down more to WBA being so shite and defensively set up and Saints not really having to raise their game. Fancy a 10p bet mate: I'm going for Saints?

Paul#20
No problem Paul I wasn't born there. I was born in Stratford on Avon and moved there when I was 3 months old.

Having watched Leeds last night, I can only see one team winning the play off final, but…….and there's always a big but, it's a final and anything can happen in a final, but I just think Leeds pose much more of a threat up front than the sinbads.

Anyway, fuck that game, there's a far more important game in the ToffeeWeb fantasy league cup final!

HAHAHAHA Rob, I think I got the TWEB title, what is it 35 points, but never say never. I'm losing 4 pts to get Gabriel back and either Saka who is injured for Brunto or Havertz. Problem is, though, that we will beat Arse on Sunday.

Agree about Leeds - would take three or four of their midfield/forwards in a heartbeat, but these games have a habit (Luton/Huddersfield) of upsets and Saints would not be an upset.

Stratford, what a lovely place, and you are not that far away now or, maybe, you much prefer Coventry!

Mind games…….love it!!

It must be pretty crap for you Rob when the final whistle blows for the final game of the season or are you ready for a couple of months off?

Are they going to invite the best of the best to Finch Farm again, or was that just a one-off mate?

Hope you have some nice holidays planned and there's always the cricket and Euros - and Olympics, I suppose, and by then we're doing pre-season friendlies?

Deffo ready for a break from the football, Paul. Will watch a bit of the Euros, as well as the cricket T20 World Cup, which is taking place in the Caribbean and also the USA. Starts early June, I think, with some games taking place where we were in Antigua and Barbados last December. Would loved to have gone back there again as was a great experience.

Come on, you Saints.

I don't want bloody Leeds Utd anywhere near the Premier League.

Worried that Leeds missed out on promotion. We might actually sign Jack Harrison!

Glad Leeds got beat, regardless if Everton, do or don't sign Jack Harrison.

UTFTs!

Wouldn't mind getting Harrison on same loan deal as last season. I'm less keen on buying him, certainly not for anything more than £10m and even that I'd rankle at.

We shouldn't be spending fees over £5-6m on anyone 27 or over in my book unless they are bringing something quite exceptional to the team.

Looks like I'm the only one who wanted Leeds to go up.

On the whole, I would support northern clubs, apart from Man Utd and Liverpool. I also had many a good night out in Leeds (back in the day). They had some good rock pubs and clubs.

So the Leeds curse strikes again!

I backed the draw,so a bit gutted but I'll bounce back!

As for new signings... Shankland of Hearts, Dolan of Blackburn and Brooks of Bournemouth... and hopefully keeping hold of Branthwaite!!

Billy,

I thought we may have tried for Shankland. £5 million would get him.

Lee Shankland might be the answer if we are relegated to the third tier.

I was hoping for Leeds to come back up, only because it's only about an hour along the M62, as opposed to a bloody 4½- or 5-hour drive down to Southampton.

Rob, same here. I was hoping West Brom would get promoted and if not then, Leeds.

Oh well, south coast it is!

I have friends on both the Southampton and Leeds sides so wasn't too concerned.

From where I live, there isn't much in it. Southampton is closer but Leeds is not that much of a trek.

A bit harsh there, Rob, we need goals, he could have the "Jelly" effect! He knows too how to take a penalty (unlike Onana) and would be a cheap option... and British too!

As we simply can't rely on Calvert-Lewin's fitness throughout the season... sigh.

Three times, Neil, three bloody times!

Plus seven times to London, as well as Ipswich and the Skunk Maggots. Some mileage going to be racked up next season.

Lee Shankland??????

Who does he play for?

Knowing our luck we will draw Plymouth or Exeter away in the Carabao Cup and Portsmouth away in the FA Cup or Carlisle!

Or Norwich! 😨😨😨

Forgot about them!

Leeds (dirty, dirty leeds) fail, what a shame - pity about the hike to Southampton though.

No hike, Derek.

I live in Pompey – always been a local fixture until this year – as for many South Coast Blues.