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Table topping Chelsea U18s were looking to wrap up the title on Saturday with a victory over Norwich City 18s. Here's how it went.

Always excited for a promotion push. And/or a possible Wembley visit. The same people who aren't happy now would be the same people who wouldn't be happy if we now spent 5-10 years milling about in the chumps or worse. Yes the premier League is a $hítshow and I absolutely hate the league, but I'm not for a million years going to turn my nose up at a promotion push. This is only our 3rd go at the play offs, the past two times were electric, we were sucking the ball into the net from the stands, I've never known anything like both of those finals, and to see the absolute drivel being spouted by people who think this is a bad situation really baffles my Swede. If people can't get themselves up for a battle in the stands for the playoffs then maybe they really need to question if going to football is for them anymore, move aside, let someone who can get up for it have a spot. I understand there's been a disconnect between club and fans for a few years, I've been apart of that disconnect, as many others have, I also very much understand football has changed dramatically in recent years which also adds to the disconnect in general, however, it's still a choice, you can choose to go, be miserable, not back the side ( however you feel about the squad and/or management ) and then feel defeated while others are celebrating, or you can decide to grow a pair, put your personal footballing angst aside and add to what should be one of the best atmospheres the carra has seen in many years and pull those player over the line! We CAN do this if we're all pulling the same way, and it'd be one of the most remarkable promotions we've ever managed. So excited? Absolutely. Bring it on.

We have a couple of players who can win a match all on their own. Even if we're not playing well Sara who shouldn't be anywhere near this level can just decide to bang one in from 30 yards and when Rowe is on form he's unstoppable and has top class movement and finishing to get on the end of things. It's fair to say that two of the other teams have more quality than us but for them the thought of facing Rowe and Sara at the top of their game will be really daunting because they do things that you just can't defend against and they'll have to change their game plan to compensate for them. Then we have Sainz who might go on a run and curl one into the top corner, Nunez can score from nothing, a fully fit and fired up Sargent is almost unplayable at this level with his strength and movement. We have weaknesses obviously but like you said there are some very compelling reasons why we might get through and win these games. I don't see us as the massive underdogs that some are making us out to be. We're a horrible side to face on our day.

This is the main reason for my bafflement. People talk as if this has been a 'meh' season, which of course it has in some ways, but our goal of the season competition will be about 45 minutes long. We've scored so many bangers and have a decent amount of players who can do something special. This is an infuriating team to watch at times, but also a very exciting one.

Excited and nervous in equal measure. It’s a lottery but we have a ticket, it’s only three games and anything can happen. To be honest the nervousness only comes from the thought that if we don’t go up what’s going to happen to this squad. I don’t understand the lack of excitement, I went to Cardiff and saw us lose, but it was still amazing (right up to the penalties). Winning at Wembley last time is one of my favourite Norwich memories. Days like those unfortunately don’t come too often for our Club. I’m going to try and take my son if we get there and I can this year, he’s 6 but he may likely be an adult before I get another opportunity.

I always find myself thinking 'wtf are you actually on about' every time I read your posts

If I was this miserable about getting in the playoffs I wouldn’t buy a ticket. Not for £36 or £3.60. Let the deluded happy clappers enjoy one game in peace…

Because penalties are more mental than they are physical. The technique is not particularly difficult and — all things being equal - the goalkeeper shouldn’t save many at all. The favourite example of psychologists is the gymnastics ‘balance beam example’. Lay it on the floor and we all walk smoothly and confidently over it. Now mount it 40 feet in the air with no safety net and how do you walk? The action has not changed. Though the perception, the fear of failure, the feeling has changed in most people dramatically. The very best just walk along the beam. Could you do it? Parma

I guess they didn't quite understand the question; the Republic of Ireland's border with Northern Ireland definitely isn't in the sea and the Tweet is quite clear in talking about the border with Northern Ireland from the republic's perspective. Checkpoints are usually on land as well.

The bin whiff on this board is strong

Our?

Daryl Sutch to take all 5

Sydney to take the first, just to settle our nerves.

The party I supported all my voting life is in complete disarray. Told by Braverman he must go this way when he did Bravermans response is Sunak needs to take responsibility of his decisions and change course. Others are clambering for the return of Johnson, not quite grasping that he was the reason lots of us turned. Others argue, don’t worry we are on course and we will win the election as Labour have no plan. Astonishingly they even think they are going to woe the Muslim vote ? Do they not realise why the Muslim vote has gone to independent ?. The one person I think you can trust is Andy Street, but he says the party must come back to the centre right. Make him the leader, at least there would be a chance of sorting it out. Then we have the right wing telling us we support their view, news again only about 10% of the country think we should be doing things like leaving the court of human rights and beating up the RNLI. To cap it all they seem to think at the top of our list is the boats ???? Wrong again, try the NHS and The cost of living which have both suffered a hammer blow from Brexit. We need a General Election now, no ifs, buts or maybes now, before these idiots leave us ( if they haven’t already ) at a point of new return. Their only current policies seem to be to make it impossible for Labour to introduce their policies. Just for once put the country first we are not interested in getting involved in hate thy neighbour.

Here we go the glass half full brigade, we are in the play offs, give it a rest and get behind the boys

We also won 24 points from losing positions. Only Leeds and Ipswich managed more. Brilliant job, Mr Wagner.

Just want to see us absolutely attack the Leeds games, sit back and play defensive and we will go no further, really hope Wagner has finally understood this. Final at Wembley, that would be exciting, another Season in the top tier without clever investment would be like our last two, mostly horrible.

Sorry this is a really ignorant thread so far. Moyes clearly did things that were under appreciated by West Ham’s fans - and it remains to be seen whether anyone can do better - but Lopetegui has managed the Spanish national team, Real Madrid, won European competition with Sevilla. He kept Wolves up and got them mid table before resigning at a lack of backing. He’s got great pedigree and is the kind of manager we can only dream of. But carry on mocking his name.

I may be in the minority, but yes, I am excited about the play-offs. A chance to beat dirty Leeds and weekend in London for the Final. If you cannot enjoy the good times, why bother with City at all? OTBC 😁

That's what I don't get. We win together. We lose together. We celebrate together, we commiserate together. But so many of our 'fans' don't seem to get that. The whining, the shouts of 'your just ****ing useless' from the stands. Seriously? You get behind the team and cheer them on, not sabotage them from the comfort of your seat. After the match, on places like here, outside the ground, whatever, sure, protest all you want, but I'm the ground the team needs our support, not our disgust.

Maybe your good friend @Badger could sort out a lift for you.

We also lost 15 games from drawing positions (0-0!)

Bang on the money again, I wouldn’t be surprised if the team fly off to the sun tomorrow and we forfeit both legs.

Not helpful. No no not at all helpful. Those stats are not welcome on here. Have a little more respect for those grieving that we got in the playoffs.

This time from Saturdays opponents https://www.theguardian.com/football/article/2024/may/04/birmingham-norwich-championship-match-report "The first-team changing room needed updating with showers out of order and cracked tiles, there was no hot water in parts of the stadium, toilets were broken. It was unloved after years of underinvestment. When the grow lights on the pitch were plugged in earlier in the season it fused the stadium, with the internet and computers crashing, highlighting a previously unknown power fault" Plenty of ifs. Sacking the manager when 6th to bring in Rooney, had Mowbray been able continue as manager, one extra win. But that would have just papered iver the cracks - a club well worthy of it's surroundings. Relegation will allow a focus on a different direction, as "There is a drive for a younger profile of player, the under-18s and under-21s are top of their respective divisions and Brady’s influence in player welfare has also been felt at their Henley training base." Shades of what we've been doing for years. The lesson is Brum are not the exception. In fact almost the rule, as a dozen or so ex PL clubs flounder below us, or worse. L1. Stuck there with little hope of promotion, or even a promotion challenge. There would be something to wave your phone around, were that to be the case. City 17th, Brum 6th last Oct. One of us got it right.

Gone from Irish nationalists screaming about wanted a UNITED IRELAND NOW to "We need a hard border to keep brown people out of Ireland" in the space of a few weeks. You've got to laugh.

Fair play to closing it, could have just left it up and earned thousands more in donations but was honest so good for him.

Thanks @Greavsy and @TIL 1010 I was too late to the party! Terrific effort by the contributors.

Peace? Let's hope so 👍

This is what happens when you get owners who don't care about the club and it's fans. For all their faults - and all owners have faults - DS and MJW have managed our club in such a way that it still has it's soul, unlike many football clubs who have been bought by glory hunters, caring little for the infrastructure of the club they have bought and the well being of it's fans. There are still good clubs out there that have sold well, but it is a slippery slope, for when those owners sell on, there is no guarantee they will sell on to someone equally good. Oh for the German model of fan ownership and stop the nonsense that goes on in the UK where you can even sell to foreign countries governments. For that we would need an ethical government that ends the culture of selling British assets to foreigners who are only interested in making money at the expense of good practice. The UK is gradually being stripped of it's assets right across the board. Football would be a good place to start showing that people are more important than dividends for rich foreigners. Fan ownership is what is needed - 51% of a club is all that is required - and the sooner it happens, the sooner football will stand a chance of becoming a people sport again.

Looks like he has raised enough to cover his excess and the donations are now closed. Hi all - my friend Cillian has very kindly organised this for me to help me with the costs incurred after the game on Saturday. I can’t thank you all enough, we have now reached an unbelievable amount that will cover my excess for this and I do not need anything further. I just want to help raise awareness for fans parking near football grounds to be super careful. Thank you all so much again for your support, from fans all across the country and my beloved Norwich City

you left your bedsit ?

Ah, here's the other slavering hound, as if by magic. Are you actually one and the same? As both of you have no problem condoning the slaughter of children, ethnic cleansing and apartheid principles. Off you toddle as well, there's a Rubik's Cube in lane 3 and a tennis ball on the hard shoulder...

Somebody tell Starmer at all costs he must avoid bacon sandwiches.

https://www.thesaurus.com/e/grammar/ending-sentences-with-preposition/

As for the back up penalty, I had 3 penalties as follows: 1. I’m playing well (it’s about me!), the team is winning, I’m the number 9, I love scoring goals, I’m designated (and I wouldn’t let anyone else take it anyway), it’s a standard league game: I’m whipping it in the bottom left hand corner as I look at it, with a strike that is 60% top of the foot strike, 20% top spin whipper, 20% pass. Every time. No bother. 2. I’ve already scored a penalty in the match, or I’ve played against this keeper before, or I know that they have good info, someone I’ve played with before, or psychologically I feel as if I can really give the keeper ‘the eyes’. A quick furtive (‘unseen’) glance into the bottom left corner (keepers like going that way and choose it for most right footed players automatically). I set up technically that way, but in my mind all I’m thinking about is opening my body last second and lifting it, without huge pace, quite high into the right mid-to-top corner. It’s quite a simple open push pass technique. So just good contact enough - even if he guesses correctly he’ll go under it - or even be brave and delay (with your head up til the very last second! - to see the keeper go early. That last version is for hat trick penalties. 3. Massive game. Last minute. High pressure. Others around you are nervous. They look to you. You feel that they wouldn’t want to take it. They desperately want you to score. They expect it. Maybe keeper is pretty good, quite big, maybe had a good game, buzzing. Maybe some mind games, some chat in your ear. Maybe referee getting too involved. Others getting him involved so he’s blocking my the spot for a while , holding the ball (irritating). You can’t deny the frustration, so embrace it. Ok. Take this then! Think only of keeping your head down. Sense a knitted square in the goal - like the spot the ball comp idea - it’s 70% high, straight down the middle. You are going to strike this full laces. Same three paces back, two to the left - don’t run up too straight. It probably won’t be exactly on your spot, you’ll mis-connect a little. It will absolutely scream close to your target though, a foot or two either way and slightly higher or lower. You lowered your risk. You gave very little chance to the goalkeeper. The fans love it. Your team mates get a huge surge of primeval power. Even the panenka doesn’t feel as good to your teammates as that one. And you covered for your nerves - and their nerves - with a lower risk technique that would need lots of luck from the goalkeeper to save it. Good odds in the circumstances. Low risk, good compound reward. Parma

Why aren’t you busy swooning over your lot in Christchurch Park ? Novelty worn off already ?

Thing is, he has absolutely no reason to set up like that. It really is **** or bust, in the league it's a different bottle of haddock...

Really excited and we've not fluffed up a genuine promotion challenge since 2001 so I'm quietly confident too. I'm not relishing the prospect of another PL relegation if we do go up but I want another season of watching Rowe and Sara and the competitive advantage of parachute payment for a couple of years to keep us near the top of this league if we go down so I'm just as desperate to win these games as I was the last play off campaign.

If fans aren't excited for the playoffs then I'd really have to question why those same fans spent 7 months complaining and whining on here and trying to get everyone sacked for not being good enough...

I have the same feeling approaching a major England game. I’m hopeful. But I’ve seen on too many occasions that the manager’s tactics have cost us success. Others celebrate the fact that we simply reached the play offs or a major tournament final / semi in the example of England. But I’m more concerned with the win, there’s no prize for losing. And I feel it’s almost an inevitability that when it matters Wagner will tactically cost us the game. He still has not learnt that attack is our best form of defence. Nor has Southgate. As for the Premier League - I doubt highly that we’d be competitive. We certainly would not under his management. But I’ll take that year as the club needs it financially.

This is not a very positive thread

No - zero interest. Have remarked to friends recently the same thing. It's a sign of how broken football is these days. How can our fans look at this team, understand the amount of money that would have to be spent to even get it remotely competitive in the PL, and then be excited for the prospect of another PL season? Which teams have genuinely managed to establish themselves in the PL and start competing for European football? Once upon a time, people would've pointed towards Stoke or Portsmouth..

Here it comes, Pavlov's dog, foaming at the mouth. I do not give one iota of creedence to anything you say, I didn't read the twaddle past the second word, such is the level of utter nonsense you spew ad nauseum. Go and play on the motorway sonny.

I get that you’re a glass half-empty sort of person Pete, but this is really low even for you. “season tickets sheep guranteed to come back time and time again” are supporters who remain loyal and show up for their club no matter what. How on earth is that a negative?

If it shows us in a bad light, you can be sure several posters will make one if it doesn’t already exist.

We won’t be getting to Wembley as our players are not good enough to get to the final play off.

Don’t worry if it gets that far any city attackers will be long gone, so Duffy, Gibson, Batth Gunn & Hanley.

Congratulations to @Parma Ham's gone mouldy who won our PUPs league for the third successive year. Well done too to gallant runner up @TIL 1010 who took it all the way to the wire. Congratulations too to @First Wazzock who won the Wooster Profitability League to join the exclusive club of PUPs who have won both titles. Wazzy was pushed all the way by the ultra consistent @Feedthewolf And it's congratulations to @Feedthewolf who won our final PUP of the month competition, his second win this season. Here are those honours boards...

It's classless, petty and smacks of jealousy. I've never particularly understood the need to stir up hatred with our nearest rivals. It's not as if there's a magical wall on the river Waveney which divides us good North folk from the evil South folk; they're the people we have the most in common with, like it or not. Personally I enjoy it as more of a friendly rivalry without the nastiness. I prefer it when we're in the same league so that we actually play each other but, whatever you think of their past misdemeanors, they've gained promotion through playing decent, high-intensity football without relying on top quality players or paying outrageous wages. Ultimately this kind of success should be celebrated because they've done it without the privilege of recent Premier League money or parachute payments. Regardless of what some of their fans might claim, they are a minor club by modern standards. Hopefully we can have a few seasons of playing each other in the Premier League.