Play offs - hypothetical scenario

[Paradoxlens]

You’re given the choice. 
 

You can be guaranteed the play offs now. But caveated with the fact that you can either 

 

A. face Burnley in the semis 

or 

 

B. face Burnley at Wembley. 
 

Would you take that right now? 

[Cherry Blue]

B Wembley. Teased a dingle yesterday about beating them at Wembley and reply was " I don't fancy it".

[AspRover]

Got to be Wembley, surely - make the final a final.

 

It's kind of odd, I genuinely expected relegation at the beginning of the season (not unusual, I generally do), so this playoff push feels like a bit of a free hit. Even if it was the dingles I think it would feel like we had nothing to lose - we weren't expected to be there and realistically when you look at the money and the parachute payments and everything we wouldn't really be expected to win. I well remember the spurs fans before the league cup final asking how many they were going to beat us by.

I think we'd have a better than 50/50 shot to do them over.

[Andy]

Final, without a doubt.

Can't imagine a much sweeter final win (at this level) than beating that lot at Wembley.

Conversely, the defeat would be that much more painful.

Would make for a cracking game either way.

[Tom]

Got to be the final, they’ve been lording it over us since they won ‘the league’ (not the big one - we’ve seen things they’ll Never see) so would be a good way to counter that with a more painful riposte and a perfect way to flip it all on its head. 
 

sure a loss would be horrible but would just be on the pile at the moment. 

[philipl]

Has to be a Lancy take-over of North London.

[Ricky]

9 hours ago, AspRover said:

Got to be Wembley, surely - make the final a final.

 

It's kind of odd, I genuinely expected relegation at the beginning of the season (not unusual, I generally do), so this playoff push feels like a bit of a free hit. Even if it was the dingles I think it would feel like we had nothing to lose - we weren't expected to be there and realistically when you look at the money and the parachute payments and everything we wouldn't really be expected to win. I well remember the spurs fans before the league cup final asking how many they were going to beat us by.

I think we'd have a better than 50/50 shot to do them over.

I was on the train down to Cardiff with the Spurs fans thanking me for coming to the start of Glen Hoddles revolution. Very quiet on the way back they were. 

[...]

Final all day long. Although beating them in semis and losing the final isn't anything to be ashamed of.

Gotta be wembley though

[rigger]

Travelling down to wembley would be an experience. Both sets of fans on the same trains.

[DeeCee]

Knowing our luck, if was Us v Dingles, the FA would probably play the final at OT 🙄 

I know, they're still paying for the "new" Wemberlee but it wouldn't surprise me.

[Plastics]

Purely for the fact that I could see them being harder to get past over two legs, have them in the final

[Bohinen1983]

I think we could do them now with Gueye, Dennis, Kargbo .. We're a proper wildcard..  Sunderland as well... I wouldn't want to play us in the Play-offs' if I was either of those...

[roverandout]

Never forget our last play off final In 92. Great day out

[Paradoxlens]

Can’t imagine the journey down. I imagine Burnley coaches would go down the a1 and Blackburn m6. How they’d police it on the way down and on the day god only knows. 
 

I don’t see how the final is a good scenario for rovers. Lose and that’s the league title and play offs. Win and it still doesn’t avenge the league title.  
 

personally I think rovers would be better hoping Burnley get top two. 

[LeftWinger]

1 hour ago, Paradoxlens said:

Win and it still doesn’t avenge the league title. 

 

It absolutely would do. Worth around £170m to the winners if you include parachute payments.

Presumably we would put them under some big final pressure if we won and kept them down. 

[booth]

1 hour ago, Paradoxlens said:

Can’t imagine the journey down. I imagine Burnley coaches would go down the a1 and Blackburn m6. How they’d police it on the way down and on the day god only knows. 

I don’t see how the final is a good scenario for rovers. Lose and that’s the league title and play offs. Win and it still doesn’t avenge the league title.  
 

personally I think rovers would be better hoping Burnley get top two. 

Ha ha! You’re still trying to avenge 34 years of hurt.

[DE.]

The final would obviously be a better scenario as it's a one off match, as opposed to two legs. With a statistically weaker team we'd have a better chance of winning a single match rather than having to come out on top over two games.

Based on the fact we don't score that many I'd rather face Burnley than Leeds or Sheff Utd, as we're more likely to nick a 1-0. Whilst it was obviously annoying that Burnley won the Championship title at Ewood a couple of seasons back, ultimately a final would just be about getting promoted. Doing it by beating Burnley would obviously make it even better, but I wouldn't see avenging Burnley's title victory as important or relevant. That's been and gone and was ultimately just another dark day under Venky's stewardship - we've had plenty at this point. Burnley had a miserable PL season and came back down, so whatever. It'd be all about the here and now.

[rigger]

6 hours ago, Paradoxlens said:

Can’t imagine the journey down. I imagine Burnley coaches would go down the a1 and Blackburn m6. How they’d police it on the way down and on the day god only knows. 
 

I don’t see how the final is a good scenario for rovers. Lose and that’s the league title and play offs. Win and it still doesn’t avenge the league title.  
 

personally I think rovers would be better hoping Burnley get top two. 

Personally, I hope Burnley finish seventh.

[M_B]

On 19/02/2025 at 22:27, Cherry Blue said:

B Wembley. Teased a dingle yesterday about beating them at Wembley and reply was " I don't fancy it".

Same here, had a couple already talking about travel, saying we'll have to use separate motorways🤣

They're definitely more worried about it than I am.

[Displaced Rover]

10 hours ago, Paradoxlens said:

 

I don’t see how the final is a good scenario for rovers. Lose and that’s the league title and play offs. Win and it still doesn’t avenge the league title.  
 

Have a word with yourself. “The league title”?!? They won division 2 ffs, utterly inconsequential 😂

It didn’t bother me on the night (beyond the fact I dislike watching us lose any game to them) and it doesn’t bother me now. In fact now, it shows how small time they are that they call it “the league”.

Edited February 22 by Displaced Rover

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

There would be 100,000 Dingles travelling with 50,000 locked outside.

Pendle Hill would be tarraced for the live Beamback!

[StHelensRover]

League title 😂😂😂

[Tom]

I think it’s become a lot more hypothetical 

[Paradoxlens]

On 22/02/2025 at 00:13, booth said:

Ha ha! You’re still trying to avenge 34 years of hurt.

I’m really not. The amount of games in that time wasn’t that many anyway. We have been unbeaten for the same amount of games in a much shorter timeframe. At a time where the league positions has been much more equal than any time in that 34 years. And we have never been owned and subsidised by billionaires. 
 

We have been dominant in that time from self generated wealth and hard work. 
 

I’m actually in a minority in that I don’t hate Blackburn. I love the rivalry. And on the week of the games love the intensity of it. And obviously hope we win and remain dominant. But I’d love for us to play each other at the highest level consistently- the rivalry and the top flight deserves it. 
 

football is cyclical. And our period of dominance will likely shift. But for now I’m enjoying it while it lasts. One more game and our run will overtake the 34 year run. Most wins overall despite years in the doldrums. Most wins in a row. Multiple wins in a row at ewood. And won the league there. 
 

34 years doesn’t come close to that. 

[Paradoxlens]

On 22/02/2025 at 08:21, M_B said:

Same here, had a couple already talking about travel, saying we'll have to use separate motorways🤣

They're definitely more worried about it than I am.

Without tempting fate I’d be very confident against anyone in play offs with our defence.