Biggest game of the season

Tomorrow sees the Championship play-off final between West Ham United and Blackpool.

There's also the Champions League final going on of course, but for me, as a neutral, the Championship play-off final is the biggest match of the season and usually one of the most exciting.

Here are the results of all the final since the prize was a place in the Premier League, where all the money is.

1992 Blackburn 1-0 Leicester
1993 Swindon 4-3 Leicester
1994 Leicester 2-1 Derby
1995 Bolton 4-3 Reading AET
1996 Leicester 2-1 Crystal Palace AET
1997 Crystal Palace 1-0 Sheffield United
1998 Charlton 4-4 Sunderland AET
Charlton won 7-6 on penalties
1999 Bolton 0-2 Watford
2000 Barnsley 2-4 Ipswich
2001 Bolton 3-0 Preston
2002 Birmingham 1-1 Norwich AET
Birmingham won 4-2 on penalties
2003 Sheffield United 0-3 Wolves
2004 Crystal Palace 1-0 West Ham
2005 West Ham 1-0 Preston
2006 Leeds 0-3 Watford
2007 Derby 1-0 West Brom
2008 Bristol City 0-1 Hull City
2009 Burnley 1-0 Sheffield United
2010 Blackpool 3-2 Cardiff
2011 Reading 2-4 Swansea

Some real goal fests down the years, some wonderful stories of teams losing in heartbreaking fashion and then coming back and winning it the following year, and of course some special memories for us Wanderers fans.

In the 1990s it tended to be the case that the play-off final winners were dead certs for relegation the following season but Wanderers helped change all that.

I was at Wembley for the 4-3 over Reading and at the Millenium Stadium for the 3-0 versus Preston, but couldn't afford to go the year we got stuffed by Watford.

Over the last few years we've seen some great stories with legend Dean Windass sending Hull to the Premier League with a wondergoal, similarly Burnley upsetting the odds.

It's a game I look forward to at this time of year, far more than the Champions League final.

Will you be watching tomorrow?

What's your prediction?

I'd love to see Blackpool do it, it is a clash of two managers with experience of the situation before, but I suspect West Ham have a bit too much firepower for the Seasiders.

Any other play-off finals that stick in your head as special?

"Will you be watching tomorrow?"

No because it's on Sky.

"What's your prediction?"

I think West Ham will win quite comfortably but I'm hoping for a Tangerine win.


I can never tire of watching this......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEASYyQq1dg&feature=related

I will definitely be watching, and I agree with LH, as I see this as a bigger game than Champions League - well it does have the biggest prize in the world - approximately 20million pounds!!!



For me I think West Ham Wanderers will win 2-0.

I look forward to this game who ever is in it every season, something about it I just love and it sounds daft but if Bolton were to ever get promoted again I would love us do it via the play off final.

I am like you LH on this game today I would love a blackpool win but I also think West ham have enough to over come them, not just up front but in each department of the pitch.

As much as i don't actually want them to win, West Ham going up would be good for us.

we don't need a club that can outspend most of the premier league knocking around the championship.

there's also the big sam factor. I've had enough of the circus coming to town.

hope West Ham win and good luck to them.

It would be nice to see Blackpool making another good go at it in the Prem next season. It's also nice to see the 'tin-pot' clubs upsetting the 'big clubs'.

Having said that, we don't wanna be in the Championship with West Ham next season. I also fancy a trip to Bloomfield, next season.

We are West Ham's bogey team. I have no qualms about playing then next season whatsoever. It would also be pretty damn funny if they didn't go up having spent all that money. How any Boltonian can want then to win today is beyond me.

I'd love to get west ham down the reebok next seaon, just to see the reaction again he gave when he was rovers manager when Holden got that 2nd goal a season back....priceless.

Having said that if they don't win today i'd think sams days are numbered.

largehat wrote:We are West Ham's bogey team. I have no qualms about playing then next season whatsoever.

That's only because they've had a soft team for years that could never handle our renowned physicality. The shoe's now on the other foot. We're now the lightweights, and they're rough and aerially-competitive.

Whichever way you look at it, you can't seriously be banking on this good record. They're only going to keep throwing money about until they get promoted. We could do the double over them, and they'd still be a huge favourite for an automatic place.

I'm not banking on anything next season. The Championship throws up far more 'shocks' than the PL and we are in for a real topsy turvy ride.

Our best eleven on paper is far better than their best eleven on paper, however. I don't need to rely on our record against them to believe we'd have nothing to fear from them.

I don't think Sam would be sacked if they fail today but I am certain he won't have any more money to spend.

I'm just saying, Blackpool would give us a tough game too, but I do enjoy playing West Ham, I would like the local team to go up today, would like to have a go against Allardyce next season, think it would be funny if West Ham blow it having spunked away loads of money, so I don't see why we should want them to win.

They were also 'huge favourites for an automatic place' this season.

Vaz Te was so poor in that game, popped up with the winning goal which almost contrived to miss.

he really is all feet no brains, I'm stunned he's got so far on so little talent tbh.

It would have been funny if they'd blown it, but I did feel pleased for Big Sam and Kevin Nolan at the end.

Cracking bit of commentary as Sam lifted the trophy just now, "Big Sam...he called the West Ham fans deluded at one stage this season". He's right, they are deluded.

I can't believe its 11 years since we were last in the play off final. The two wins against Reading 4-3 and Preston 3-0 were fantastic days, it is a great way to win promotion. But how depressing was that defeat to Watford? To think you have to do another whole year for the chance to get back to that position of gaining promotion. I think the play off final loss was worse than getting relegated.

I am really glad for Vaz Te, I always wanted him to come good at Bolton as he seemed a good man. But I had hoped West Ham would lose so that Big Sam would get the axe and then we could have got him. I know a lot of people have mixed feelings about Big Sam because he walked away from the club but you have to say he is 100 times the manager Owen Coyle is.

Michael, you're out of touch with reality.

Sam isn't coming back to Bolton while Gartside is chairman.

Coyle isn't going anywhere soon either.

Not the greatest of games in terms of chances created but I always felt that west ham were going to nick it at 1-1, though the chances they had in the first half they should have probably been 2/3-0 up but Vaz te need about 6 chances to score which he won't get next season.

There are a couple of players we could try and go for at Blackpool with them not going up, Dobbie, not sure how much swansea would want for him and Matt Phillips.

aaron_bwfc wrote:


There are a couple of players we could try and go for at Blackpool with them not going up, Dobbie, not sure how much swansea would want for him and Matt Phillips.

Blackpool are a bigger club than us now, why would they come to Bolton?

I'll wager you a little bet right now LH. Blackpool finish above us next season and have a higher average attendance.

Looks like Nat is prediciting blackpool to win the league then.

How does a club measure it's "bigness."