Away Match Build Up 18/05/2024: L1 Play-Off Final - Bolton vs Oxford

Who Will Be Playing Championship Football Next Year?

  • Bolton

    Votes: 33 24.6%

  • Oxford

    Votes: 101 75.4%
  • Total voters
    134
  • Poll closed .
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Carpy

Carpy

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"Who Will Be Playing Championship Football Next Year?​

  • Bolton
  • Oxford
  • This poll will close: 19 May 2024 at 00:11"

Strange. By 19 May 2024 00:11 it will be easy to guess right!
 
FalmouthOx said:
What doesn't sit well for me is, regardless of who wins, there will likely be a major cull of the players who brought success. Seems to almost promote a conflict of interest (for players not likely to play CH or those coming towards of the end of their contracts) if they know they are likely to be released if the team wins, and surely that doesn't show much club to player loyalty??

Pompey players must have been gutted when they saw the retained list :-( Win or lose, I think there are several players we may have already seen wear an Oxford shirt for the last time. Of course the club > players but its risky to break up a winning squad and replace them with new expensive signings (who may not even gel) and who we simply cannot afford if we we go up and then down. Financial conundrum if we get there. COYY
Click to expand...

Honestly, I think it is likely the last game in yellow (if they indeed play) for James Henry, Billy Bodin, Marcus Browne and quite possibly Marcus McGuane regardless of whether we win or lose. My suspicion is that Des will think there's a better way to spend their wages whether we're in League One or the Championship. But I'm sure they'd rather leave with a promotion bonus in their pocket and a Wembley win on their CV than not.

There's probably then a second group of players, who might be squad players in League One but we would look to move on in the event we were playing in the Championship (Sam Long, McEachran, Thorniley, Oisin Smyth)......but they're all still under contract, so it's not like they won't have a say in it.

The truth is that while our first team at times this season has been good enough to go up, our squad depth has not been. Des has achieved this final winning run despite having to field almost the exact same XI for the past ten games, and despite having almost no pace on the bench whatsoever, and minimal attacking flair. So if our ultimate goal is to establish ourselves in the Championship - whether we're trying to stay up there next year, or compete for the autos in League One (which means finding at least another 15 points from somewhere), we need to improve the squad. That's football.

And it's not like it doesn't go both ways. If players were reliably loyal to their clubs, we wouldn't be singing songs at Josh Murphy every game in a desperate (but probably forlorn.....unless we win Saturday) hope of persuading him to stay!
 
Wembley Box Park is the food court open to all or do i need to buy a £10 ticket ? I see it says it is designated OUFC or is this charge for a fab zone thing or the whole venue. Never been to it before. Thanks
 
Witney yellows said:
Wembley Box Park is the food court open to all or do i need to buy a £10 ticket ? I see it says it is designated OUFC or is this charge for a fab zone thing or the whole venue. Never been to it before. Thanks
Click to expand...
There’s a charge for the Boxpark, but not the fanzone in Arena Square. That’s our dedicated fanzone area.
 
Does anyone know where the coach parking would be? I want to check how far away from our block we will be. And how far from the fanzone we will be.
 
tonyw said:
And it's not like it doesn't go both ways. If players were reliably loyal to their clubs, we wouldn't be singing songs at Josh Murphy every game in a desperate (but probably forlorn.....unless we win Saturday) hope of persuading him to stay!
Click to expand...
We’re in the same boat. Squad needs improving regardless and our loanees will go back. Our owner reckons she’ll have to find £20 million to have any chance of staying there if we go up. And that’s for a season of getting battered most weeks.
 
Just remembered for the Conference POF, the team travelled up the afternoon before by coach, and hundreds of supporters met at the Kassam to cheer them off. The ultras group at the time set off a load of smoke bombs as the coach went past the roundabout by the Priory.

Also didn't SAF call Chris Wilder up with a few tips for the final?
I wonder if any current EPL managers will do the same.
I hope CW will get in touch with Des Buckingham to wish him luck.

and the coach driver managed to hit some concrete pillar on the way to the hotel/ground.
 
It's like waiting for Christmas as a kid. The excitement is building by the hour. Mrs L and I keep bursting into song! We are going to Wembley.

Wembley, a play-off final. The Championship awaits. 32,000 plus supporters all going, it's bananas.
 
MarkG said:
Just remembered for the Conference POF, the team travelled up the afternoon before by coach, and hundreds of supporters met at the Kassam to cheer them off. The ultras group at the time set off a load of smoke bombs as the coach went past the roundabout by the Priory.

Also didn't SAF call Chris Wilder up with a few tips for the final?
I wonder if any current EPL managers will do the same.
I hope CW will get in touch with Des Buckingham to wish him luck.

and the coach driver managed to hit some concrete pillar on the way to the hotel/ground.
Click to expand...
In Des's media press conference today, he mentioned that Chris Wilder had been in touch 'a couple of times'.
 
MarkG said:
Just remembered for the Conference POF, the team travelled up the afternoon before by coach, and hundreds of supporters met at the Kassam to cheer them off. The ultras group at the time set off a load of smoke bombs as the coach went past the roundabout by the Priory.

Also didn't SAF call Chris Wilder up with a few tips for the final?
I wonder if any current EPL managers will do the same.
I hope CW will get in touch with Des Buckingham to wish him luck.

and the coach driver managed to hit some concrete pillar on the way to the hotel/ground.
Click to expand...
Yeah somehow don't think Sir Alex has been on the phone to Des given the rather sour grapes we saw from Darren following the semi!
 
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