Battle Of 4th, 5th, 6th Position

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Uefa cup football is ours to lose now

[DavidMailsTightPerm]

Such an important result - if Bolton had won this match - I think they would have actually been favourites for the sixth spot (with two easy home matches to come).

We have had some wonderful results this year - it would be a dream to secure 6th spot by beating the newly crowned champions.

[cn_barlow]

What a good weekend it has been for us Rovers fans....couldn't really have asked for better results really! For once everything went in our favour!

Roll on Tuesday.....and roll on Europe!

Edited April 30, 2006 by cn_barlow

[ihtd]

As long as we take at least 2 points from our last two games there is nothing Newcastle and notloB can do about it lol.

If we somehow beat Chelski on Tuesday night, theres going to be one hell of a party in the stadium which i cannot wait for.

[joey_big_nose]

For those still fretting about the bearing fo Boro on our quest for a UEFA place, it is set out pretty definitively here:

Article

Basically, no worries as long as we finish sixth! Hurrah! I actually quite want to cheer on Boro in the final so thats good as well, everyones a winner!

City are terrible at the moment so even if we can't do the business with Chelsea we have to make it against them. But then we will be more tired than them...

[philipl]

Thanks for findding the link joey- I wasn't fretting but UEFA have been known to make rules up as they go along....

As for Rovers being more tired than Citeh, you are forgetting:

Thursday, 04 May 2006

Barclays Premiership

Man City v Arsenal, 19:45

Sunderland v Fulham, 19:45

Incidentally, Spuds will create a real ballyhoo if Arsenal win the CL and push them out of the CL. It will be interesting to see what happens.

[joey_big_nose]

While I hate Spurs with a passion I do have a bit of sympathy for them here. I mean 4th is like wiining the f-ing league if your not Liverpool, Arsenal, United or Chelsea. To have the opportunity to genuinely compete taken away from you like that, essentially devaluing the efforts of an entire season, is not fair.

On one hand Spurs getting in will make things harder for Rovers in the long run as suddenly (provided they don't do an Everton in the qulifying round) the amount of clubs with masses of cash will swell to six ('big four' plus Spurs and Newcastle).

But still, we need more competition at the top of the table and it would be a shame if Spurs were denied. I would hope that Tottenham fans would be for us if the roles were reversed.

Despite them all being @#/?s, obviously.

[FourLaneBlue]

The rules were known to all at the start of the season. If they did miss out it wouldn't be as bad as if Everton had missed out last season when the rules were not so clearly defined.

Much good it did Everton in the long run though!

[thenodrog]

While I hate Spurs with a passion I do have a bit of sympathy for them here.

403713[/snapback]

Why? Arsenal are not being linked with half our team.

[DavidMailsTightPerm]

The rules were known to all at the start of the season. If they did miss out it wouldn't be as bad as if Everton had missed out last season when the rules were not so clearly defined.

Much good it did Everton in the long run though! 

403745[/snapback]

I have some sympathy for Spurs - but as FLB has pointed out, this possibility was known at the start of the season. I can't see how they can complain.

[joey_big_nose]

Why?  Arsenal are not being linked with half our team.

403747[/snapback]

from a purely self preservasionist point of view here you are completely right 'drog.

But we would all be devestated if the roles were reversed, and in the interest of the league generally I think it would be good if Spurs could make a dent in the top sides.

[S15]

I'd hate Spurs to put a dent in the big teams.

I hate any other team over achieving apart from ourselves. It makes things harder for us to reach our full potential.

A mediocre Spurs team finishing 9th benefits Rovers, not a Spurs team getting it right; That means we can't finish as high.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Did you see all the Spuds fans wearing Barca shirts yesterday!

[Jordan]

I hate Spurs and I hate their fans.....I hope they finish fourth and I will be cheering on Arsenal to win the Champions League. Big club my arse!

[gumboots]

There's a large part of me that says that Spurs and their moaning fans deserve all they get and it will serve them right if Arsenal win the champions league and nick their place but it doesn't make it right that the champions can't defend their title except at the expense of a team who have worked hard all season and would in most seasons have qualified. What real hardship did it cause anyone when Liverpool were given an extra place last year? I do feel sorry for Spurs if they don't get Champions league because it could have been us and we'd have been really gutted then. Then I think again about those whingeing fans .......

[cn_barlow]

There's a large part of me that says that Spurs and their moaning fans deserve all they get and it will serve them right if Arsenal win the champions league and nick their place but it doesn't make it right that the champions can't defend their title except at the expense of a team who have worked hard all season and would in most seasons have qualified.  What real hardship did it cause anyone when Liverpool were given an extra place last year?  I do feel sorry for Spurs if they don't get Champions league because it could have been us and we'd have been really gutted then.  Then I think again about those whingeing fans .......

403895[/snapback]

But its not us...which means i'm an Arsenal fan for the night!

[ihtd]

Come on the Barcelona!!!

Let the Spuds have their 15 seconds of fame-they'll end up drawing Real Madrid or Inter Milan in the qualifiers and get knocked out anyway.

[cletus]

I hate Spurs and I hate their fans.....I hope they finish fourth and I will be cheering on Arsenal to win the Champions League. Big club my arse!

403829[/snapback]

My thoughts exactly.

I`d love it LOVE IT if Arsenal won the european cup. Spuds fans would be gutted....which in turn would make me happy

[Rover4ever]

I hate Spurs too. Stems mainly from the 2001 Final, and the fact that even though its the first time in 15 years they are playing well, some of their fans are already touting Spurs as title challengers. When Spurs come 4th, they are "realising their potential", when we come 6th, we are over achievers.

And oh, if i ever hear that phrase "Spurs have shown success can be achieved with young English players" again, I will flip out!

[blinddevotion]

Well there goes 5th. Gunners 3 - 0 against Sunderland

[Bobby G]

Well did you really expect Arsenal to slip up at Sunderland?

I dont think 5th is over yet. You never know but 6th should be the goal right now, and one more win hopefully tomorrow night then we can all party on Sunday.

[joey_big_nose]

I'd hate Spurs to put a dent in the big teams.

I hate any other team over achieving apart from ourselves. It makes things harder for us to reach our full potential.

A mediocre Spurs team finishing 9th benefits Rovers, not a Spurs team getting it right; That means we can't finish as high.

403761[/snapback]

That is true.

But daft as it sounds I am bored stiff of the same few clubs annihilating everybody else every blimming year.

And, if we want to be Machivallian about it, Spurs could disrupt the hegemony and give us a chance to benefit from the infighting.

Basically I just don't think Spurs being shafted would be fair, even if it couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of fans.

[92er]

According to the LET, Hughes is hoping that Nelsen will be back tomorrow.

[Fife Rover]

That is great for us, but I do feel somewhat sorry about the dodgy decisions.

403588[/snapback]

Dont be. Just think about the El Haj Diouff "penalty" that gave notloB the 3 points in extra time at Ewood. After that they never deserve to get another penalty in the next 100 years!

[herbergeehh]

Seems like the positions are settling now, we only have to worry about taking another point (preferably two!) to hold off Newcastle - with Spurs clinching the fourth spot and Arsenal the fifth.