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Chapter 1: What changes are being made to the EFL Championship Playoffs?
The EFL has confirmed the Sky Bet Championship Playoffs will be expanded from four to six teams from next season onwards. EFL chief executive Trevor Burch said, Since their introduction in 1986-87, the playoffs have become a highlight of the domestic football calendar, capturing the drama, suspense and jeopardy that make the EFL so special.
Following several months of discussion with clubs and other stakeholders, we are confident this change will further strengthen the championship as a competition, and give more clubs and their supporters a genuine opportunity of achieving promotion. While the format will not be confirmed until the summer, it is expected that the expansion would see the playoffs take this shape.
First and second are automatically promoted as normal, third and fourth qualify for the semi-finals. Fifth versus eighth, and sixth versus seventh, in one-off eliminator ties at the home of the side who finishes higher up the league. The winners of the eliminator ties progress to the semi-finals, to face third and fourth in the format that currently exists.
two-legged ties with the second leg at the home of the side that finishes higher up the league. As per usual, the winners of the two semi-finals meet at Wembley for a place in the Premier League. John Masseno is clear that he's happy with the status quo, saying earlier this season, I quite like the format as it is, I'd keep it like that.
There's always that argument between the sixth-place team and the third-place team. There's always a big points gap there. There's always a bit of needle around that that was last in the National League with York City, I think. Everybody will know what the situation is before the season, and everyone should accept that, but I think sixth is a good cut-off.
I haven't properly thought about it, but if you start having that disparity between third and eighth, it can be too big.
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Chapter 2: How will the new playoff format affect team promotions?
If that's the state of play, eighth doesn't finish in the playoffs, and that's the parameters before the season starts, then it's absolutely fine. You just go with it. I've been involved in the game now for more than 20 years, and I think the addition of the playoffs to the Football League are brilliant.
It creates a lot of excitement at the back end of the season, it creates a lot of excitement and jeopardy for the sides anywhere between 4th and 10th at the back end of the season. Everything is really tight, and there's now a distinct group say in the Championship who aren't going to make the playoffs.
But apart from that, probably from Sheffield United upwards, every side probably thinks they can nick a spot in there if they go on a decent run. So I think it works pretty well as it is. That's why I'd be loathe to change it. Well, you should hear what Steve Bone has to say about it. He's very loath. He does not sit on the fence and he does not mince his words.
You can catch up with Steve and his views on that in his podcast. If you go to your podcast provider or YouTube and click Pompey Sound and then you want the item that begins with his first name, Steve. That's the podcast. Also, of course, you can catch it being streamed here, there and just about everywhere on Pompey Sound Live.
Chapter 3: What are Pompey's chances against Blackburn?
So those are the changes that are going to be made. They haven't been ratified yet. That won't happen until the summer. But it seems that pretty much everybody has accepted that those changes are going to be what has been announced and that they are going to happen.
So now, next season, if Pompey, whether Pompey are in League One or the Championship, they only have to finish in the top eight, I say only, in order to be their... post-season, in the playoffs. Pompey's recent performances have been decent at the moment, however, the errors need to be cut out if they want to pull away from the drop zone.
With that said, I do not see much difference between these two sides. Rovers and Pompey are both decent sides on their day, but the pair just do not have the ability to run away with games. Prediction, Blackburn Rovers 1 Portsmouth 1. James Ray. Portsmouth have picked up some good results and put in some good performances of late.
They'll be happy to face a fellow relegation candidate after some tough games and will be targeting a return to form. Blackburn Rovers will feel this is a great chance to get a big win on the board though. Michael O'Neill's side will need the home crowd behind them though, as Pompey have picked up some big results on the road against the likes of Charlton Athletic and Millwall.
Chapter 4: How has Pompey's recent performance impacted their standings?
I still worry for Rovers a bit with the honeymoon period ending with consecutive losses. However, I think the spoils might be shared here in a result that doesn't do much for either side. Prediction. Blackburn Rovers 1, Portsmouth 1. Bobby Sound is lucky enough to have access to the fine footballing mind of Steve Bone once a week on a Thursday.
And we always ask him for his prediction for the next upcoming game. He's got two to predict here because we've got two games before we talk to him next. So Swansea, but first of all, Blackburn. Okay, I'm going to go nil-nil at Blackburn. A rare goal of straw for us, which, as I said, will be fine by me. I don't think that's a bad result up there.
But they've got Michael O'Neill now, haven't they, as manager? He's still Northern Ireland manager as well, I think, but he's at Blackburn to the end of the season. Oh, Devlin will be playing his socks off then. Oh, yes, that's true, yeah.
Chapter 5: What strategies is Pompey using to improve set plays?
Good motivation for him, isn't it? John Massino thinks that Michael O'Neill has improved Blackburn at both ends in the short time he's been there, so that's one thing to be aware of. They were quite ordinary when they came down here. We beat them in December, didn't we, down here? But, yeah, I'm going to go 0-0 Blackburn, and I'll be happy with that. And Swans? Swans?
a win home win nice gotta start getting the home wins back gotta look for sort of we can win four home games between now and the end of the season doesn't matter we've got six games by the way so four out of six doesn't matter what we do away because that'll be enough we'll stay up with that and Swansea would seem to be you know they're only 16th they're not that they're not too far ahead of us in the table good opportunity to get one of those home wins and
I think we will, and I'm going to go 2-0. John Massinio is telling the news' Neil Allen how Pompey are working to improve set plays. He's stating, Statistically, we have been more dangerous from set plays. We scored against Millwall, at Wrexham. I'm not sure we created anything clear-cut but definitely against Hull we had a very good chance in the first half with Regan's shot.
I think it should have been a penalty and a red card in the second half when Ebou was pulled back. Under those circumstances you come away from that and think actually in the last three games we have looked a lot more threatening from set plays.
Chapter 6: What factors contribute to successful set piece execution?
Even before we scored at Millwall we had that free header Ebu Adams, which the goalkeeper tipped over the bar and then led to us scoring from the next one. I do think we have looked a lot more dangerous it's just about now taking advantage of that. Because we do get a lot of set pieces and a lot of corners. It's about putting them into the back of the net.
There were some good deliveries against Hull they defended very well in general. We must make sure we deliver the ball with pace and attack the ball with a bit of belief. That has probably been the one thing missing. Seg's delivery has been pretty consistent and has been good.
We had John Swift taking them against Millwall and obviously he's come out since then with the injury he picked up against Wrexham. Seggs puts a lot of whip on his deliveries he really commits to it. And his delivery for the most part of the season has been good. Swanee is definitely an option too from the other side.
A bit of luck would help, just making sure we are a bit more ruthless in the box, it's a bit of an intangible thing. When you have players who want to go and attack the ball, and head those good deliveries into the back of the net and show that aggression it makes a big difference.
We saw that against Arsenal, time and time again, everyone knows what they are doing, but Arsenal just show that aggression and that intent to really want to score.
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Chapter 7: How does John Massino view the importance of aggression in set plays?
John Messina on what he hopes will be a better last quarter of the season for set-pieces, both defending them and scoring from them, than we've had in the first three quarters. And he's absolutely right, of course. Every single Pompey player has to want, who's in the area, part of it... And that's actually everybody. We bring everybody back for corners, don't we? Has to want the ball.
Has to say, I'm going to get to the ball first. Yes, you're marking a piece of grass. And yes, you may be shadowing or marking or pulling around an opposition player. But most of all, you've got to say to yourself, I'm going to get my forehead on this first. And that is what shot and see does. There's no two ways about that.
He is a little bit taller than almost everybody else in their penalty area. He's just about our tallest defender when Hayden Matthews isn't around. But he also is the most determined. And that's why he scores from set pieces and that's why he defends set pieces so well. Now, he's supposed to be available against Blackburn.