With all the euphoria surrounding tonight’s game, it’s a sobering thought that it’s Bayo’s last home game but it’s also could be the same for Vokes, Taff, Horgan, Wheeler, Thompson, Stewart, Jacobson, Gape, McCleary and Stockdale who are all out of contract and will be the bulk of the team tonight. Could also be Ainsworth’s . Interesting times for the club.
@davecz said:
With all the euphoria surrounding tonight’s game, it’s a sobering thought that it’s Bayo’s last home game but it’s also could be the same for Vokes, Taff, Horgan, Wheeler, Thompson, Stewart, Jacobson, Gape, McCleary and Stockdale who are all out of contract and will be the bulk of the team tonight. Could also be Ainsworth’s . Interesting times for the club.
How to deflate the mood in one post. Cheer up old chap.
Intrigued to see what approach Gaz and Dobbo take tonight. Press like men possessed as we did v Fleetwood? Unlikely, I'd say - very different circumstances this time. Or try to play on the counter? In which case I'd like to see Kaikai come back in (but that might mean shifting Obita to LB and dropping King Shithouse JJ). AAAGH!
Wycombe have fought tooth and nail to get into the League One playoffs and their competitive edge may give them the advantage over Buckinghamshire rivals MK Dons in their League One playoff semi-final first leg at Adams Park.
A fascinating tie is on the cards as Wycombe bid to reach the third-tier playoff final for the second time in three seasons and MK Dons hope to extend a season which came so close to ending with automatic promotion.
Six points separated the teams after 46 games and that margin can be accounted for by a pair of 1-0 successes for MK Dons in each of the league meetings between the two.
Scott Twine's goal separated the sides at Adams Park in January and the Dons' 20-goal top scorer approaches the playoffs on a high after netting four goals in Saturday's 5-0 triumph at Plymouth.
Twine has fantastic technical ability and will probably attract interest from rival clubs, irrespective of the outcome of the playoffs.
However, while Twine is probably the outstanding player on both sides, Wycombe can rely on their strong mentality which has shone through over the last two months.
Gareth Ainsworth's side are on a 12-game unbeaten run and passed a huge test in their last home game when Jordan Obita's goal sealed a crucial 1-0 victory over Sheffield Wednesday.
The Chairboys have not conceded a goal in any of their last six home matches and should have an idea of what is to come having successfully negotiated the League One playoffs in 2019-20.
It was all very different then with matches taking place in empty stadiums, but Wycombe have several players who are used to the unique tension of a playoff campaign and that should give them an advantage.
MK Dons had hoped to avoid an extended season but their thumping weekend win at Plymouth was not quite enough to overhaul second-placed Rotherham, who finished one point above them.
Liam Manning's side could not have done much more in Devon but they went on a three-game winless run in April and those missed opportunities could play on their minds against Wycombe, who look capable of establishing a first-leg lead.
@davecz you are nothing if not dependable. On the bright side if all of those players, at least one of whom you demanded 'never pull on the shirt again' a while ago, did decide to leave that Ainsworth some posters can start asking 'Why no new players?'
This was very good from RC, (apart from the ‘rivals,’ bit)
‘ We have also sold the allocation of tickets provided to us for Sunday’s second leg in Milton Keynes. While I am disappointed for the thousands of our fans who will not be able to attend due to the size of the away allocation, I think all Wycombe supporters can take pride in the fact that MK recognizes that our fan base is loud, joyous, and supportive under all conditions.
Even with our smaller numbers pushed to the farthest reaches of the ground, we expect to be heard and dominate the stadium.
We are opening up Adams Park on Sunday so that fans unable to get tickets for the second leg can watch the game together. Watch out for details.
Above all we are going to demonstrate how to host a contentious event between county rivals. We have provided twice the minimum number of tickets required for MK Dons supporters and at pitch level. We are opening up both the visitors' hospitality area and Chairboys Village early so that both sets of fans can enjoy a beer and a bite to eat before the match begins.
While we will maintain our standards of behavior and not tolerate any violations from home or visitors, our staff will be greeting all with the expectation of good behavior, good fun and in the right spirit.’
Franchise played a really slow, controlled possession game when they beat us at home. We rarely managed to disrupt their pattern of play and it felt like they managed to control the game completely. I'm hoping we're able to get at them a bit more tonight and force the tempo of the game
@MindlessDrugHoover said:
Finding it very hard to concentrate on work today. I live in Oxfordshire but might start walking to Wycombe now to burn off some nervous energy. COYB!
Yep, zero work is getting done today! Then a 2 hour drive from Bristol to contend with! COYB!
@Glenactico Yes, they did dictate the game very successfully at Adams Park. Pretty sure we didn't have Scowen that day though. He'll hopefully mean we're a bit more in their faces tonight.
I'm with you @MindlessDrugHoover and @wermhatt, sitting at my desk at home getting not a jot of work done. I'll be hitting the road at about 2:45pm all being well, hopefully arriving in time for a pre-match pint in the Village...
@Last_Quarter said:
Worth saying that when we lost to Franchise in January we were missing both Vokes and Scowen. We'll have a very different team tonight.
Also it's a one off (two off) game so I don't think League results have a bearing. It's not beyond the realms of imagination that a team that beat us home and away but just missed promotion cannot be undone in the play-offs and they know it!
Comments
With all the euphoria surrounding tonight’s game, it’s a sobering thought that it’s Bayo’s last home game but it’s also could be the same for Vokes, Taff, Horgan, Wheeler, Thompson, Stewart, Jacobson, Gape, McCleary and Stockdale who are all out of contract and will be the bulk of the team tonight. Could also be Ainsworth’s . Interesting times for the club.
None of Taf, Wheeler, Thompson or McCleary are out of contract
Preview for The Analyst
Only quoting what’s on the Transfer market website of all League 1 players out of contract. You may have better information.
@ReturnToSenda is correct.
Worth noting that Stewart signed a ‘long-term’ contract last season. Do we know definitively if that was just for two years?
Yeah, Transfermarkt can be hit and miss - although I seem to remember them having Mehmeti's extension on there before we'd announced it!
How to deflate the mood in one post. Cheer up old chap.
Intrigued to see what approach Gaz and Dobbo take tonight. Press like men possessed as we did v Fleetwood? Unlikely, I'd say - very different circumstances this time. Or try to play on the counter? In which case I'd like to see Kaikai come back in (but that might mean shifting Obita to LB and dropping King Shithouse JJ). AAAGH!
Taf signed a 2 year deal before our champ season didn't he?
https://www.wwfc.com/news/2020/september/sixth-summer-signing-secured/
Wheeler signed a 3 year contract in 2019 summer didn't he?
https://www.wwfc.com/news/2019/july/wheelers-a-wanderer/
Nice work @BSE
They all extended early last year https://www.wwfc.com/news/2021/february/rob-pleased-with-january-transfer-business/
Racing Post Betting Preview...
Wycombe have fought tooth and nail to get into the League One playoffs and their competitive edge may give them the advantage over Buckinghamshire rivals MK Dons in their League One playoff semi-final first leg at Adams Park.
A fascinating tie is on the cards as Wycombe bid to reach the third-tier playoff final for the second time in three seasons and MK Dons hope to extend a season which came so close to ending with automatic promotion.
Six points separated the teams after 46 games and that margin can be accounted for by a pair of 1-0 successes for MK Dons in each of the league meetings between the two.
Scott Twine's goal separated the sides at Adams Park in January and the Dons' 20-goal top scorer approaches the playoffs on a high after netting four goals in Saturday's 5-0 triumph at Plymouth.
Twine has fantastic technical ability and will probably attract interest from rival clubs, irrespective of the outcome of the playoffs.
However, while Twine is probably the outstanding player on both sides, Wycombe can rely on their strong mentality which has shone through over the last two months.
Gareth Ainsworth's side are on a 12-game unbeaten run and passed a huge test in their last home game when Jordan Obita's goal sealed a crucial 1-0 victory over Sheffield Wednesday.
The Chairboys have not conceded a goal in any of their last six home matches and should have an idea of what is to come having successfully negotiated the League One playoffs in 2019-20.
It was all very different then with matches taking place in empty stadiums, but Wycombe have several players who are used to the unique tension of a playoff campaign and that should give them an advantage.
MK Dons had hoped to avoid an extended season but their thumping weekend win at Plymouth was not quite enough to overhaul second-placed Rotherham, who finished one point above them.
Liam Manning's side could not have done much more in Devon but they went on a three-game winless run in April and those missed opportunities could play on their minds against Wycombe, who look capable of establishing a first-leg lead.
@davecz you are nothing if not dependable. On the bright side if all of those players, at least one of whom you demanded 'never pull on the shirt again' a while ago, did decide to leave that Ainsworth some posters can start asking 'Why no new players?'
Pace yourself @davecz, you’ve got a long day ahead.
This was very good from RC, (apart from the ‘rivals,’ bit)
‘ We have also sold the allocation of tickets provided to us for Sunday’s second leg in Milton Keynes. While I am disappointed for the thousands of our fans who will not be able to attend due to the size of the away allocation, I think all Wycombe supporters can take pride in the fact that MK recognizes that our fan base is loud, joyous, and supportive under all conditions.
Even with our smaller numbers pushed to the farthest reaches of the ground, we expect to be heard and dominate the stadium.
We are opening up Adams Park on Sunday so that fans unable to get tickets for the second leg can watch the game together. Watch out for details.
Above all we are going to demonstrate how to host a contentious event between county rivals. We have provided twice the minimum number of tickets required for MK Dons supporters and at pitch level. We are opening up both the visitors' hospitality area and Chairboys Village early so that both sets of fans can enjoy a beer and a bite to eat before the match begins.
While we will maintain our standards of behavior and not tolerate any violations from home or visitors, our staff will be greeting all with the expectation of good behavior, good fun and in the right spirit.’
Franchise played a really slow, controlled possession game when they beat us at home. We rarely managed to disrupt their pattern of play and it felt like they managed to control the game completely. I'm hoping we're able to get at them a bit more tonight and force the tempo of the game
Finding it very hard to concentrate on work today. I live in Oxfordshire but might start walking to Wycombe now to burn off some nervous energy. COYB!
Yep, zero work is getting done today! Then a 2 hour drive from Bristol to contend with! COYB!
@Glenactico Yes, they did dictate the game very successfully at Adams Park. Pretty sure we didn't have Scowen that day though. He'll hopefully mean we're a bit more in their faces tonight.
Worth saying that when we lost to Franchise in January we were missing both Vokes and Scowen. We'll have a very different team tonight.
... Horgan wasn't in the side either
I'm with you @MindlessDrugHoover and @wermhatt, sitting at my desk at home getting not a jot of work done. I'll be hitting the road at about 2:45pm all being well, hopefully arriving in time for a pre-match pint in the Village...
Also it's a one off (two off) game so I don't think League results have a bearing. It's not beyond the realms of imagination that a team that beat us home and away but just missed promotion cannot be undone in the play-offs and they know it!
Seems to be a stain bottom right
Ah interesting I missed that.
".. and Garath McCleary, Ryan Tafazolli, Curtis Thompson and David Wheeler’s contracts have been extended through next year and beyond"
Seems a heck of a deal to tie McCleary all the way to 2023 in Feb 2021 doesn't it?
However, at least it seems to take any risk away from losing some key players!
Where we all meeting up then?
Superb from Rob Couhig; superfluous from @thecatwwfc .