Battle Of 4th, 5th, 6th Position

[philipl]

I suspect that one out of W Ham, Bolton, Wigan and Newcastle will have a good end of season run so we've got to keep going to protect that 6th place.

Spuds not falling over against Everton and the Mancs suddenly looking vulnerable for their visit to WHL looks very bad news for any hopes of 4th. Very soon we will be able to cheer on the Arse unashamedly in the CL in anticipation of them usurping Spuds in next year's competition!

[grizfoot]

We need to win tommorrow if we have any hope of finishing 4th, simple as

[1864roverite]

did anyone else not agree with Simon Garners column in the LET ?

Rovers dont need C L football at this stage of the rebuild, a simple foray into the eufa cup will do for this year.

we need to stabilise rather than jump 5 steps ahead.

Rovers will not finish 4th nor 5th.

6th Place is an excellent starting point for next year, an excellent finish to this season and that is what we should aim for.

[greggyk]

did anyone else not agree with Simon Garners column in the LET ?

Rovers dont need C L football at this stage of the rebuild, a simple foray into the eufa cup will do for this year.

399420[/snapback]

Some people really need to realise something. We are NEVER (unless we get a Russian Billionaire take over the club) going to have a better oportunity than this season to ever get into the Champions League. Think about it, Chelsea, Man Yoo and Liverpool will be in the top 3 for years and years to come with the money available to them. Also, Arsenal are not going to be as bad as they were in the league this season, especially with their players still very young. While Spurs have somehow found a pot of money which will see them continue to build a better squad.(Martin Jol saying today that in 3 years Spurs will have a team good enough to win the title)

We have not got time to rebuild!!! Uefa Cup football is nothing if you want to rebuild. We've already shown that! Twice after finishing 6th! We simply do not have the ambition(or are not able to show due to the size of the club, which is fair enough) to do so. Examples of this include Bolton and Boro, who have both gone backwards after finishing 6th in the league.

If we dont get Champions league football this season, we will not be able to rebuild into a top club. We are a selling club, always have been, always will be

Edited April 15, 2006 by greggyk

[Eddie]

I agree with you greggyk, but at the same time, if we can actually build on this and consolidate this position then more chances will come. I don't think it is a conincidence that in the past two years one of the big four has struggled. I think it will continue to happen and the opportunity will present itself again. I also disagree with people saying that we don't need or aren't ready for the Champions League. I can't see us ever really being ready for the Champions League without qualifying for it. If you don't get what I mean it is this: without the extra income and exposure how would we ever put together a squad that we can actually say is one of the best four in our league?

Get ahead while you can, anyone who says otherwise is either foolish or just trying to rationalize for us not making it, probably both. I am not saying that it won't be a great step to make the top 6 and that I won't be upset if we don't make it. I think it is impossible to consolidate a top 6 place, to really secure your spot at the top we need the top 4, if we make it it could change the entire future of our club. Personally I don't think we will, though I could see us making 5th and the extra 500k will be most welcome, but I can only hope that we do.

[1864roverite]

greggy

we are half way through rebuilding NOW.

What we dont want to see is Rovers embarrassed again. CL football right at this point is far far and away too soon for BRFC 2006.

Lets walk before we can run. That is simply my view. You dont have to agree with it, you dont have to like it.

I believe BRFC are going places with the present company. We can offer players a solid club, great facilities and the perfect playing arena. I would hate Rovers simply to be an embarrassed club ala everton.

Consolidation is the priority along with further development and progression.

As for your view that this is the only year it will be on offer, well pal, I simply dismiss your suggestion. Of course if Rovers progress then yes, it will be on offer again.

The squad for next season has a solid base, it needs additional tinkering and we will have a bloody good squad, more than capable of top 5 finishes, more than capable of achieving european football.

Yes, I would love to be in the CL, but it can wait for the time being.

[grizfoot]

I'd rather we get in the Champions League and get embrassed. But have the potential of more money and signing better quaility players.

Whats all this step-by-step business. We've been in the UEFA Cup twice in recent years but then we drifted back down to mid-table misery.

I still beleive we can get that 4th spot, come on Rovers

Edited April 15, 2006 by grizfoot

[stuwilky]

I'd rather we get in the Champions League and get embrassed. But have the potential of more money and signing better quaility players.

399436[/snapback]

the problem is that 4th place isnt into the Champions League is it.

Is into a qualifier.

UEFA will do just fine, if any one of you had said at the start of the season we'd have been debating whether UEFA or CL Qualifiers was better for the club Id have laughed at you all!!!

We need to steady he ship and slowly build. We simply cannot cope with the CL at this stage, we have no more than 17 players who are equipped for the level of competition, we need more just to cope with the league.

[S15]

I can see the point of view from both perspectives, but I'm of the hope that we get in the Champions League.

The old phrase if your good enough, your old enough relates here in, albeit in a slightly different way. If we finish as the fourth best team in this country, then we are good enough to represent it at the highest level.

I don't think we'll have to worry about it, but I sure as hell hope we do.

[grizfoot]

the problem is that 4th place isnt into the Champions League is it.

Is into a qualifier.

399437[/snapback]

Yeah but if you lose the Champions League qualifier you go staright in to the UEFA Cup anyway, so its a win-win situation really.

[Flopsy]

yeah like Everton

[grizfoot]

yeah like Everton

399441[/snapback]

But hopefully we'll do better than Everton did

[adopted scouser]

Can't believe there are posters on here who think we can get into the Champions League, we have no chance at all.

Our best result this season will be 6th and UEFA, and that in itself will be a terrific result for our little club.

[den]

Ah - we're not going to get into the champions league, but if were to have done - bloody hell, GO FOR IT. We might never get another chance.

What's all this talk about build for it? We're not Man Utd or Liverpool, we're Blackburn Rovers.

[waggy]

:rover:imo we only need to lose mark hughes and the club will be back in the relagation dogfight.take away 5 clubs in this season's premiership, chelski/arsenal/liverpoo/manure and sunderland,the remaining clubs have the potential to have a decent season,last season everton this us.

[philipl]

Exactly den. Sure we would have to beat a giant over two legs to get into the Group stages but we'd love to have the chance. Our record against clubs in the CL so far this season has been W3 D1 L4 with two home legs to come.

1) Next season, Arse, Mancs, Liverpool and Chelski will not be any weaker. Spuds will spend with a good manager, Newcastle might not appoint another Souness whilst Boro will be strengthened by McLaren going to England, Wigan will kick on as will West Ham. We could improve significantly and still go backwards (and I haven't mentioned Everton or Man City)

2) The Bellamy clause must be focussing managerial minds at Ewood if it exists

3) Surely better to get the money from CL now rather than wait til we are ready whenever that might be.

I still think 4th is a chimera as I believe Arsenal's name is on the CL trophy this season. Rovers need 15 out of 15 to get 4th- 13 out of 15 if we are lucky.

[Blueboy Downunder]

it is certainly gonna be a mad scramble in the next few weeks, for that 4th spot. if we can get a good result today, then considering that arsenal play spurs next week at highbury, and hopefully they take points off eachother by making a draw...then we will be right on their heels for the champs league qulaifying spot.

[The1mattjansen]

Well it was nice while it lasted.

[tcj_jones]

Looking at our and Bolton's fixtures, 6th place is totally unpredictable. I'd say we still look slight favourites, but I wouldn't be surprised if slip out of the top 6.

[John]

After seeing a couple of Bolton games recently I am more worried about West Ham catching us.

I know they have a semi final coming up but they are the real threat to us.

[tcj_jones]

I'm not so sure, 5 points to catch up over 4 games against some very tricky opposition. If Bolton win tomorrow, which they most likely will, they will be only 3 points behind with better goal difference.

[pick32]

we need to get 9 of our remaining 12 points

[roverich]

Oh how quickly the daydreamers are silenced... come on lads this is still a good season! Just because we're not going to finish 4th doesn't mean it is not a massive achievement for us to finish 6th!

[Flopsy]

Good news for Rovers - Ledley King might well have broken his ankle

Bad news for Ledley and definately

Bad news for England in the world cup

[ihtd]

Well i did say that 4th place was only a dream and it looks like it is going to be that way now. We could and it was a big could hae got 4th place from under Spuds nose but its not going to count anyway cause Arsenal will win the CL and finish 5th.

If we hang onto 6th place it would have been a glorious season for us considering we have been fighting relegation over the past few years, i remember when i first started posting on this board and we were all doom and gloom because we were fighting for our lives with the likes of Leicester City down the foot of the table. But now we are in the top half of the season and for the majority of the playing time we've seen this season, we have played some excelent football and if it weren't for some dodgy decisions this season we could be higher up in the league e.g. Cisse offside/Keane handball/Keane-Rovers throw in not spuds. But then again we have had the rub of the green as well, Pedersen's handball at the barcodes to ruin the man who signed him Sourpuss, Lucas Neills GBH on John Filian.

6th place for any team in the league thats not one of the big four is an excellent achievement in league that barring the top four is quite competitive simply because there isn't much in terms of quality between the teams.