Cup Final

[Teapot]

Next weeks game is now a cup final. At the start of the season I am sure we all would have been happy to know that victory in our final game of the season would see us promoted. Like everyone else I feel absolutely gutted after losing the last two games and also failing to perform in many games since the turn of the year, but we must try and stay positive next week.

This is the first time since the 2004 play off final that we are in a position to move up to the third tier of English football.

Reading social media tonight shows the regular squealers already throwing in the towel and arguing amongst themselves, in one case threatening to assault supporters who do not share their opinion of the situation.

May I appeal that we stand strong together to see our dreams come true.

[WeDeserveMore]

Unfortunately - we have been awful post Christmas. I'm not quite sure how we are still 3rd tbh.

[Waggy]

Great - good job these over paid bottling show ponies have turned up to big matches all season!

[arsene wengers coat]

It is a cup final/playoff final.

I'll be there. But I won't expect anything from it other than disappointment.

[Sneag]

I'll be travelling in hope not expectation.

[Beano]

MK’s current form is about as good/bad as ours

Owt cud appen

[jeevesthestag]

We haven't been awful post Christmas. We have been less good than the first half of the season. Before Christmas we were playing the best football I've seen in my 34 years supporting the Stags. I know how disappointing it is to be so close and play poorly today but you all need to give your heads a shake. The moaning on here tonight is pathetic. Think where we have come from. Think about losing 4-0 to Hayes and Yeading. We are in a position we haven't been in for a generation. We're going into the last game of the season with a massive game to look forward to. What do we watch football for? Surely it's the excitement of a big game. Win or lose next week we've had lots of highly anticipated this season. Games we have thought about all week and struggled to sleep the night before with excitement. Just like we've got next weekend. If we don't go up we'll have lots more next season too because we'll still be a top league 2 team and we'll be right up there again. Just be thankful that win, lose or draw its exciting being a stags fan because after years of midtable boredom, followed by depressing conference football, I will never resort to slagging this group of league 2 players off for not being perfect every week.

[Stags 2002]

We haven't been awful post Christmas. We have been less good than the first half of the season. Before Christmas we were playing the best football I've seen in my 34 years supporting the Stags. I know how disappointing it is to be so close and play poorly today but you all need to give your heads a shake. The moaning on here tonight is pathetic. Think where we have come from. Think about losing 4-0 to Hayes and Yeading. We are in a position we haven't been in for a generation. We're going into the last game of the season with a massive game to look forward to. What do we watch football for? Surely it's the excitement of a big game. Win or lose next week we've had lots of highly anticipated this season. Games we have thought about all week and struggled to sleep the night before with excitement. Just like we've got next weekend. If we don't go up we'll have lots more next season too because we'll still be a top league 2 team and we'll be right up there again. Just be thankful that win, lose or draw its exciting being a stags fan because after years of midtable boredom, followed by depressing conference football, I will never resort to slagging this group of league 2 players off for not being perfect every week.

Jeeves there have been plenty of games post Christmas where we haven't been awful - it's been dreadful infact more criminally against teams in the relegation fight.

Before Christmas it felt like we'd turn up and either Win or Draw we played with confidence and as you say some of the best football in years but since Christmas something changed. Sussed out and no plan B perhaps? Losing White at Colchester hasn't helped as the regular cross field Hollywood ball he plays to CJ has been lost - it simply opens up the opposition.

Performances that I've witnessed and can say we where dreadful are as follows:

Yeovil at Home. Team that has just been relegated.
Newport away. 1 shot on target?
Notts County away. No shots on target?
Port Vale away.
Crawley away (via ifollow)
Crewe home.
Northampton away. Limited shots on target.
Oldham away in patches.
Stevenage home.

Thats almost half the of the games post Christmas where the players didn't bother to turn up and there have been others - Carlise away?. It's the lack of attacking threat in so many of these games thats the huge concern.

Contrast that with the performances 2nd half at Colchester, Exeter away, first half forest green away again, Morecambe at home some fantastic football so its within them but far too infrequent when it was almost a weekly occurrence before the new year.

I'll still be there next week though in the hope that the players take advantage of the opportunity and do us proud.

[Hitchcocks size 10s]

If we loose next week at MK it is going to be heartbreaking watching there players and fans celebrating promotion, knowing dam well that it could of been us. I’m not overly confident of even getting a draw. Large away following only means one outcome doesn’t it, but here’s hoping we can produce one final decent performance and get us over that line, because if it does end up us in the play offs , we will be going into it on the back of 3 successive defeats and confidence at rock bottom and I don’t think DF will be able to lift them or motivate them for a play off challenge and it will be on a par with last seasons capitulation. Come on boys, one final effort please, that’s all we ask for.

[yorkshire stag]

need some time to recover from watching that rubbish yesterday first, so bloody close & yet so far !!!!!!!!

“Do they actually want it”, one guy said yesterday afternoon, thought about it all night my conclusion is, i really can’t see how they do, i’m so miffed still.

[Waggy]

why are people prepared to tolerate players taking huge money from the club and not performing? The Radfords are not going to continually pump finance into the club for no reward. It's right that fans are angry at players that don't turn up - they are damaging the club

[arsene wengers coat]

Woke up today with the same sinking feeling I had after the match yesterday. I think we've lost our chance now.

The cup final we've got we'll lose if the last 2 games are anything to go by.

I fully expect the worst to happen now; lose at MK, lose in the playoffs.

[london amber stag]

Woke up today with the same sinking feeling I had after the match yesterday. I think we've lost our chance now.

The cup final we've got we'll lose if the last 2 games are anything to go by.

I fully expect the worst to happen now; lose at MK, lose in the playoffs.

That’s the spirit! Come on this is football, it’s not over until next Saturday!

[MansfieldMick]

Bet you're all going though, I am. Can't wait. We're that inconsistent anything can happen, and MK are just as inconsistent. We're that inconsistent that we might just do it. Going to be a great day, let's just get on with it and....... You just never know.

[arsene wengers coat]

Bet you're all going though, I am. Can't wait. We're that inconsistent anything can happen, and MK are just as inconsistent. We're that inconsistent that we might just do it. Going to be a great day, let's just get on with it and....... You just never know.

Course I'm going. But by expecting the worst you avoid the heartache.

[Sneag]

Hope for the best expect the worst. It's the Bristh way.

If we fall at the final hurdle next week I hope our meathead element don't bring the club in disrepute.

[ST4GS]

Hope for the best expect the worst. It's the Bristh way.

If we fall at the final hurdle next week I hope our meathead element don't bring the club in disrepute.

We now have a winner takes all game to decide promotion. Draw might not be enough. Wouldn't it be better all round if this was game 49 at Wembley. We would take around 10k to Wembley.

[Sneag]

Hope for the best expect the worst. It's the Bristh way.

If we fall at the final hurdle next week I hope our meathead element don't bring the club in disrepute.

We now have a winner takes all game to decide promotion. Draw might not be enough. Wouldn't it be better all round if this was game 49 at Wembley. We would take around 10k to Wembley.

No, let's get it done Saturday & enjoy watching Newport follow us to promotion again.

[EdwinstoweStag]

Stop all yer hand-wringing! We will win at MK. Can’t wait.

[spanishstag]

Well said edders ,i think we will get automatic promotion as well ,though we might only need a draw to get it

[Staggyfox]

We’re good at draws