So who's favorite!

THE big guns have backed Swansea City to fire in the play-offs after Neil Warnock and Sven-Goran Eriksson threw their weight behind Brendan Rodgers’ bid for the Premier League. Former England boss Eriksson has hailed the Swans’ style as the best in the Championship, tipping it to triumph as the end-of-season shoot-out for the top-flight kicks off tomorrow night.

And he has been joined by title-winner Warnock who has claimed Swansea will be joining champions Queens Park Rangers in the big time next year. But having tipped Rodgers’ men for glory over the next month, Warnock has also cast doubts over Cardiff City’s hopes of making it after insisting Bluebirds boss Dave Jones faces a real struggle to lift his side from their top-two disappointment. And although he admitted the unpredictability of the play-offs could see success swing any way, he claimed his gut feeling is that it will be the white half of South Wales that comes out on top. “So I have got a sneaky feeling for Swansea, if I’m honest.

Nottingham Forest boss Billy Davies has refuted suggestions Swansea City are favourites to earn a place in the Premier League. Several bookmakers have installed the Swans as favourites for play-off glory after Brendan Rodgers' side's storming run of late season form.

But Davies said his side have nothing to fear from any of their play-off rivals - and insisted there are no favourites among the four sides involved in this season's promotion battle. Davies said: "I don't believe there are favourites. "What you have are four teams who can all beat each other. We expect a difficult game, but the other teams will be expecting the same. "We are all capable of beating each other. And, no matter what happens in the first game, it is not over.

Swansea City manager Brendan Rodgers reckons his side will be the underdogs going in to the play-offs, despite finishing the Championship campaign in third place. "But let's make no mistake about it, we'll be going into the play-offs as underdogs. "This is only our third season in the Championship, so it's still all relatively new to us at this level. "All the other teams in there have got the experience. They are big clubs with big status and big players "Forest experienced the play-offs last season and have been in and around there for the last few seasons. "It's going to be an extremely difficult task.''

Mind games aye, oh well, may the best team win, come on you Swans!

 

It is nearly impossible to label any of the 4 teams as favourites I would have thought. All 4 of them are there on merit over the previous 46 games and there really is very little between them.

Swansea - Great passing side and score lots of goals at home but the defence can occassionally go missing.
Cardiff - Excellent strike force and can score goals for fun on their day but again the defence is shaky at times. Prone to playing the occassion, not the team.
Reading - Decent all round team but not world beaters. Keep Shane Long & Noel Hunt quiet and they are there for the taking.
Forest - Same as Cardiff, capable of scoring plenty of goals but shaky back line and prone to playing the occassion, not the team.

I do not go with all this 'paper talk' nonesense. They are, after all, just opinions. Yes, Swansea have probably been the best and most entertaining footballing team (certainly against us) in the Championship but that does not make them the best as the league table shows, although they were close.

I am going with the Swans to make it but that is only my opinion and it counts for nothing really . They have to do the business on the pitch for 3 more games and I wish them luck.

 

That's a pretty good, and fair analysis if you ask me, well said Tai!..............

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Just going on how they performed at Loftus Road, Swansea didn't turn up and were easily brushed aside,Reading were outplayed even with us down to ten men, Forest came for a point and got one only Cardiff had a go and it could have gone either way, so on that basis Cardiff to win the playoff final.

 

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That defies logic, but then so does the game! The Jacks are going

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i admire your optimism

 

I have money on reading! only because they had the best odds

 

great result for you tonight phill to be honest mate never fancied forest in the play offs
but you showed your passion tonight !!!!cant fault it and may i add great thread and quality replys

 

phill nobody's favourites thats how tight it is mr rodgers coming out with under dogs is a touch of class by him mate
while were going with the experience personaly id rather be the under dog two welsh teams in the finals wat a day that would be !!!!

 

BLUEBIRDS cheers mate, was gutted when we lost Taylor after 50 seconds, and never thought we'd hold out with ten men for 90 minutes, but we dug deep, and played with passion, I'm so proud of our boys, words fail me. They will get one hell of a welcome back at the Liberty Monday night, I'm sure the Jacks will be the twelvth man too, because they deserve it!....................

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All the best for your game tomorrow night too, will be getting my ringside seat at the Holiday park big screen again, so get in there Bluebirds................

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You guys could of won last night, the extra man started showing in the last 30 mins but you dug deep and deserved your point, if not more. That little 'Dyer' kid is also a brilliant little player! Good luck Monday.

Im tipping you guys to go up!!

 

thought you dominated the first hour then Forest with the extra man had a good last 30mins i thought you got away with one on the penalty shout but you deserved that bit of luck can't see Forest turning you over at the Liberty so one foot in the final then.

 

Starting to like this guy, most def a closet bluebird.

 

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No one's perfect, but your boys came through Ace, bit of a flat game if you don't mind me saying, hope you start firing on all cylinders at home on Tuesday!.............

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With no scoring in the first two games & both final legs walking back to Wales , chances of a " Welsh Wembley " is more likely than not as far as I'm concerned . Batten down the hatches & prepare for rough seas , things about to get complicated for the English Lol !

 

What the feck Phil - Why is your writing like that all the time? And where the heck did you find some of those smileys???

 

I think all four teams will fancy it this year. Possibly the most evenly matched play-offs for some time and the first leg results reflected it!
Hopefully we'll have some goal-fests in the 2nd legs!! With at least one Welsh team in the final.

 

Swans it is then lol

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Like the smileys do you!!..........................

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We are one big happy family

 

Found it lol - Didn't know you could use any smiley you wanted.

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