Gästebuch » Barney said. Usually you want to get out of there as fast

Ian Holloways managerial career has been defined by his success in the play-offs. Hes been through five play-off campaigns as a manager, achieving promotions to the Premier League with Blackpool (2010) and Crystal Palace (2013) while also suffering final defeats with Blackpool (2012) and Queens Park Rangers (2003).He has been there, done it, experienced highs and suffered great heartbreak - so, whats the key component for reigning supreme in this dramatic format? Ahead of a weekend of Football League play-off final action, all of which you can watch live on Sky Sports, we asked him for a his five-step guide to winning at Wembley.... Holloway secured promotion via Wembley again in 2013, when his Crystal Palace side beat Watford in 2013 This is the pinnacle of the whole season. Every mile every supporter has travelled will be worth it when their team steps out onto the Wembley pitch.The play-off final embodies what football is all about and why its such a monumental part of my life. Ive lived through the ups and downs of probably about 1,000 lives. We all have to be able to dream. Go with what your heart wants. You have to go through dissapointment, to appreciate the ups, says Ollie As a football supporter you shouldnt do it just because you want the good times - you should be there through thick and thin for your team. Trust me, there is no better place to be than Wembley when your team has just won. It will stay with you for the rest of your life. How do you go about winning it? Well, here are five important things to consider. 1) Manage your emotionsThe play-offs have given me the best and worst feelings in the world - dealing with those emotions is the absolute key to achieving success in this format.To quote Muhammad Ali, its about the will, not the skill. That makes people champions.You have to feel both sides of the coin to understand the play-offs.I think Ive got it sussed now. Its all about ascendancy and gaining it. Its like a tug of war, but an emotional one. Ollies Wembley predictions Which clubs does Ollie fancy? I prepared my lads at Blackpool by explaining to them the feeling you get when you lose and the emotion you feel when you win.Your players need to be like robots and not get too emotional on the play-off roller-coaster. That comes through extensive work on the training ground to programme their minds to deal with different situations.When Blackpool fell behind against Cardiff in the 2010 final, it was all about putting the ball back down calmly and regaining the ascendancy. My message was: Were 1-0 down, so what? How can we get at them? We can deal with the emotion of going behind, but they cant. Thats our advantage.In that play-off final against Cardiff where we kept coming back, Cardiff didnt get back into the game because they couldnt get over the negative feeling of falling behind. Its about being mentally ready for every single thing that can happen on a football field so you dont become too drained - that can then affect you psychically.2) Dont tense upWhoever plays how they normally do will come out on top. Rather than getting caught up in the occasion, its key to stay on task, realise what got you here in the first place and do all the basics right.The build-up and walk onto the pitch at Wembley is a test of nerve. Highlights of the 2010 play-off final between Blackpool and Cardiff as Ian Holloway led the Seasiders to the Premier League. Everything is relatively quiet in the tunnel and then bang, you hit this wall of noise. When you walk out, theyve got those torches that go off that almost take your face off!Everything is tingling then and although you dont want to show it, youre almost in a different state - like youre dreaming.I wish I could get that feeling every day. Its like being at the top of a rollercoaster and then shooting down at 100mph - your stomach feels like its somewhere else. If only you could bottle the feeling, youd sell it for millions of pounds. Play Fantasy Six-a-Side Pick your Championship play-off final team to win ￡10,000. 3) Mind gamesYou can get this wrong, massively. As a manager, youve got to be really careful what you say and do in the build-up and on the day.No one will want to come across as nervous because thats something the opposition can feed off. Its all part of it. It does help to put a bit of pressure on the opposition when you can say youve been there and done it as a manager. 4) A little bit of magicYou must have someone who can do something a bit special, like Charlie Adam did for me at Blackpool with a stunning free-kick against Cardiff. Highlights of the Sky Bet Championship play-off semi-final second leg between Brighton and Sheffield Wednesday. You need your big-game players to show up and do something magical. Someone who has been influential throughout the season has to deliver on the big stage otherwise your job becomes much harder. Ive seen so many good players freeze on the day and not get into the game. Some players have a knack of perfecting their mental focus at this time of season and pushing them to the forefront is a real skill as a manager. Curtis Davies is hoping Hulls previous Wembley experience will help with their Championship play-off final with Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday. Some players can get mentally on it and their performance levels rocket. Its like this for all athletes, you need to get your mind in the right place to play the right game. If you do that then instinct takes over for you to perfect your skill.DJ Campbell was brilliant at it, so was Adam. They both had that little bit extra to produce at the right moment. Kevin Phillips was the same. Was I worried when he stepped up for that penalty for Palace? No chance. He would have scored it 20 out of 20 times.Theres more than enough players on show to excite us this weekend, whether were in the stadium or watching at home. 5) PreparationThe build-up to a play-off game is wonderful. Everyone around the place is smiling in the sunshine and wishing you luck.If you get past the semi-final, youve got 10 or 11 days to plan everything. However, its crucial to get everything planned down to a tee immediately after the semi-final.You can go and get your suits sorted, book hotels for the players and their families and make sure everyone that wants a ticket gets a ticket, knowing that your family are there is a massive thing for all concerned. With just five days to go before their League 2 play-off final with AFC Wimbledon, the Plymouth team have been getting suits fitted for the big day. You can lose your focus as a manager or a player if you get caught up too much in the razzmatazz of the build-up and leave a couple of stones unturned. Suits, hotels and tickets can be a massive distraction if not sorted early. Preparation is everything. Just look at Middlesbrough last season. Im in no doubt the fact their coach turned up late to Wembley affected the players when they lost to Norwich. They didnt look relaxed, they were anxious. Aitor Karanka would have been affected too, as hes so meticulous.When we got the final at Blackpool, the club had done it before, so they knew how to organise everything, which took a huge amount of pressure of me and the playing staff.It was magnificent and simplified everything. I took the same philosophy and plan to Crystal Palace and it worked a treat. We benefited hugely from such a simple formula, although I had to convince owner Steve Parish to wear suits rather than tracksuits. Preparation is everything. Just look at Middlesbrough last season. Im in no doubt the fact their coach turned up late to Wembley affected the players when they lost to Norwich. Ollie on preparation I wanted my lads to look and feel crisp when walking into Wembley. I thought it was important. It worked too as Watford showed up in tracksuits and looked scruffy. We were 1-0 up from that moment on - little psychological edges like that can make a huge difference. Watch every Football League play-off final game live from Wembley on Sky Sports. Find the full schedule here. Also See: FL72 Podcast Ollies Wembley predictions WATCH: Best of Football League Quiz: Old football grounds Glen Rice Jersey .R. Smith realized how easily basketball can be taken from him, and he wasnt going to take his place in the NBA for granted anymore. Kyle Alexander Heat Jersey . Once again, DeLaet finished tied for second at a PGA Tour stop on the weekend, this time at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. 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The Blue Jays have replaced pitcher Francisco Liriano?on their postseason roster for at least one week -- a day after the lefty suffered a concussion in Torontos 5-3 victory over the Texas Rangers in Game 2 of the American League Division Series.Major League Baseball approved the roster substitution Saturday, allowing the team to replace Liriano with right-handed pitcher Danny Barnes.Liriano was hit in the neck by Rangers outfielder?Carlos Gomezs line-drive single in the eight inning of Fridays game. The ball ricocheted from just below Lirianos head into center field, allowing for a run to score.Liriano, 32, stayed on his feet and walked around the infield briefly before his teammates, a trainer and manager John Gibbons came out to check on him. He stayed briefly in the dugout, where he got a drink of water, before going to the trainers room.According to league rules, a team can request a roster substitution if a player is unable to play due to an injury. ?Liriano will be eligible to return during any postseason series, provided that he has been ineligible to play for a minimum of seven days (beginning Saturday) and gets medical approval from MLB.Team trainer George Poulis said Liriano felt good after tests Saturday.Were going to examine him each day and just go from there, Poulis said.Game 3 is Sunday at Toronto.Wearing a neck brace and lying on a stretcher, he was taken to the hospital for an examination after the game. Liriano flew back with the team to Toronto later Friday evening.The batted ball was measured at a speed of 102 mph, and Gomez winced as he headed to first.Liriano and Gomez were teammates in Minnesota and remain good friends. Gomez said he spoke to Liriano on the phone Friday night and was relieved to hear his friend was not seriously hurt.I slept better kknowing he didnt have any problems, Gomez said, adding that he and Liriano had discussed going for dinner together on Saturday night.ddddddddddddo, did Gomez plan on picking up the check after nailing his pal in the head?Were both rich, so it doesnt matter, he joked.The team plane stayed on the tarmac for one hour so that Liriano could fly with his teammates.It was one of the few times everybody was happy to wait before taking off, Blue Jays infielder Darwin Barney said. Usually you want to get out of there as fast as you can. When we found out he was coming, we were all happy to wait. Hes a competitor. He took that ball of the head and didnt even flinch. Obviously it might have rattled him a little bit but, man, he kind of showed what were all about out there.That was scary, said starter J.A. Happ, who in 2013 was hit by a line drive that fractured his skull behind his left ear but did not cause a concussion. It healed on its own.I dont know exactly whats going on but Im thinking about him a lot. Hes gone from here now so Im hoping for the best for the results, but yeah, that was scary, Happ said.Rangers manager Jeff Banister was bench coach in Pittsburgh when Liriano pitched for the Pirates. Banister called Fridays incident extremely scary.At any point in time, but even now, razor-thin situation of being tragic in my opinion, Banister said.Roberto Osuna replaced Liriano and helped seal the victory for the Blue Jays.That could happen to any one of us, Osuna said. I feel bad for him but I know hes going to be all right.?Toronto has a 2-0 series lead over Texas.ESPNs Jim Caple and Marly Rivera, and The Associated Press contributed to this report. ' ' '