EP310: Flickering Shadows of Love

We're in the playoffs! Nick and Stu discuss how we got there, and what we might expect from Notts County, Warsaw, and Chesterfield. There's also a lot of ranting about kick-off times, TV, ticketing, and just modern football in general. A combination of tiredness and excitement made us a bit hyper and where this podcast goes, nobody knows - but it's all good fun.

Do you need a long description of what we talk about this week? It's one game left, and it's playoffs or not playoffs. Nick and Stu weigh-up our chances following on from no wins or goals in three, including a quite eventful defeat to Port Vale on Saturday. MFWAJJOTM gets us thinking about some great AFCW memories also.

We'll keep this brief: why does everything feel so negative? We're 5th in the league! Nick and Stu pick the bones out of the current zeitgeist. Are football fans ever happy? We discuss individuals and formations, and the fourth tier promotion picture. There's also MFWAJJOTM and a look ahead to Saturday's game with Port Vale

Are we going up automatically after all? Or could we end up missing out on the play-offs entirely? We're not ruling anything out, as making predictions in this division this season has been an entirely moot exercise. Nevertheless, Nick and Stu attempt to prognosticate on whom will find themselves in the top three after 46 games. Some have, on paper, easier run-ins than others. Alongside that, we review Harrogate, discuss the 91 Football League grounds, play MFWAJJOTM, and look ahead to the trip to Doncaster on Saturday.

Nick and Stu return to pick the bones out of a mad week. Why has the team lost the ability to hold onto a lead? There are a few key reasons to investigate. The knock-on effect, with automatic promotion now looking trickier and holding on to a play-off place looking less assured, is also food for thought. Alongside that - how are so many lower league clubs losing so much money? And can Stu get the cryptic clue on MFWAJJOTM? And have you seen Adolescence yet?!

A little disquiet has accompanied the release of season and matchday ticket prices for next season. Nick and Stu consider the issues, and whether the costs are justified, and if some of the criticism has been a little unfair. Alongside that, we revisit the latest 2-2 draw from 2-0 up, and wonder whether the point with Barrow was actually better than it felt on Saturday night, and if it will serve us in the long run. We also have MFWAJJOTM and a look ahead to the trip to Warsaw on Saturday.

Nick and Stu return to discuss our return to the automatic promotion positions following a win at Carlisle and some favourable results elsewhere. How important were the changes we made, and is this an end to our dodgy run en route to a procession to promotion? Alongside this, we ostensibly discuss the realities of a football regulator, but it's safe to say we get sidetracked into many other topics, including terraces, TV, and dodgy owners. We finish with a tricky MFWAJJOTM and a look ahead to this weekend's action.

Our dodgy spell continued this week with defeat at home to Cheltenham, but should we have seen the light of the Notts County win was a false dawn at the time? Nick seems to think so, and the problems we've been having, arguably since the turn of the year, continue to raise more questions than answers. However, Stu has one key reason as to why our form has dropped off, but can the issue he highlights be resolved in time to keep us in the play-off places come May? Alongside discussion of our trials comes a look ahead to the game at Carlisle on Saturday, MFWAJJOTM, and a chat about our finances, and how we offset losses without player sales ...

Nick and Stu return to discuss how and why the team have gone from 12 unbeaten to winless in four, and why have the goals dried up? Alongside that we nose around Division Four, with a focus on who might still gate crash the play-offs, and which club (spoiler: we hate them) looks to be in crisis and potentially heading for the drop. We also have a fun go of MFWAJJOTM, and Stu offers a startling revelation ...

Few different topics this week! Obviously an excellent win over Bradford to kick things off, with assorted selection and tactical considerations, but then we delve into more BREAKING NEWS AUDIO as we discover another game has been moved to a 12.30 kick-off for broadcasting reasons. Dons Trust board positions and Bond repayments follow, before Nick and Stu give their thoughts on the proposal to change promotion and relegation between League Two and the National League to three up, three down. A fun MFWAJJOTM and a quick Accrington Stanley (who are they etc) round-off another fun show!