[Archived] Relegation+uefa Cup Won V Premiership Status

[LeChuck]

I originally thought that myself, but I figured he'd still be on his original contract, which will have relatively low wages (at least compared to Savage and Reid) . I think we'd be able to hold on to him for a season if we did go down. There's also the problem that I'd have no-one else to put there if Bentley was to leave.

[Paul]

What use is 30 million quid when every other PL team gets the same? We're still the poor relations because our non-TV revenue is the lowest in the division.

I'll take the drop with the UEFA Cup win thanks. A glorious pinnacle to 15 great years.

And a welcome return to proper league football, cheaper tickets, motivated crowds enjoying Saturday afternoons, local derbies which mean something, rebuild Nuttall Street, better pies - and we'd get another season in Europe to boot! We're not going to qualify any other way!!

Crikey Tris didn't expect that one from you. Anyway I agree, I'm bored to death by the PL. It's a crap league, give me some proper football please.

Two problems would be, one, if the dingles or PNE were to go up! Much more importantly what would the future hold for Rovers? It's a real dilema, the PL is a very poor, non-competitive league we have no chance of winning. The Championship? I'm not sure. Was the promotion season fantastic for its football or promotion, or a combination of both? It's very difficult to know how long we'd be satisfied with Championship football if we didn't challenge to get back to the PL.

You're quite right about the TV revenues, those who argue it's a level playing field because of TV money miss the point entirely.

[philipl]

I'm in a minority on this thread but I really do not see us as relegation candidates unless we lose Ooijer, Brad and Savage to long term injuries on 1st Feb.

People are saying we have a thin squad but we went into the Charlton game without five injured players and frankly played a line-up that was plain wrong. Emo should have been at right back and Tugay drafted back into the starting Xl. OK I understand the need to find out if Bentley really can hack it in central midfield against a relative mediocre opposition midfield but we lost 3 points on that experiment.

The Premiership is concertinaed after Chelsea and the Mancs. We are almost at Christmas and eleven points separate 3rd from a relegation place- 9 points between 3rd and 17th. There is no Sunderland-style whipping boy this season either as Watford and Charlton are picking points as we know.

So this means:

- middle of the table this season probably will have a balance of four defeats more than wins (Mancs and Chelsea will double most clubs the pace they are having to go at to win the Prem) . A moderate season will feel poor.

- PL goal scoring has collapsed 20% overall. A moderate season will feel bad.

- Everybody can beat everybody else outside the top two. A moderate season will be littered with frustrating defeats.

The risk is that when the music stops in May, somebody very unexpected will be sitting in 18th or 19th with 37 or more points.

- Fortunately Watford seem to have neither the money nor the squad depth to survive and the chances are Warnock will use a chunk of his £10m on Akinbaye type buys.

- I would nominate Newcastle, Boro, Wigan and Citeh as more likely candidates to be in the wrong place when the music stops than us.

Our crisis is at the front- Nonda is not hacking it, Roberts and Jeffers are injured and Gally showed why he is not an option. Benni despite his 8 goals has missed some sitters recently causing a new frissance of alarm to add to his non-EPL style of play.

So, my best guess is:

- money will be spent in January. The Walker Trust knows what Jack's will tells them and they will feel as obliged to ensure Prem survival now as they ever have done with the bonanza coming next year.

- we might well be disappointed in who we get. There will be masses of money chasing not many players this January.

- we won't miss Neill very much when he leaves

- we will get at least two out of Nelsen, Reid and Roberts playing very close to their best by end February and that will make all the difference be it a push for Europe or an escape from the bottom.

As for the UEFA, if we beat Nancy we have to hope we are not unlucky in the draw on 15 December. If we don't beat Nancy we have to hope we get lucky on 15 December.

I think a Boro-last season- type prospect is before us. Defeat in the late stages of the UEFA and a thoroughly dispiriting but not particularly life threatening Prem campaign.

[LeChuck]

What use is 30 million quid when every other PL team gets the same? We're still the poor relations because our non-TV revenue is the lowest in the division.

It's a great use because it makes the lower gate revenue less significant. In fact, it's only the TV money that allows us to compete at this level, if we were left to fend off gate reciepts alone, we'd have no chance.

[frosty]

I'd rather progress to the latter stages of Uefa and finish about 11th in the league.

But, hey, look on the bright side, we are only 1 place lower than we were at this stage last season.

[SAS]

relegation is not an option

id rather have been beaten by salzburg than be relegated...

[Mr. E]

100 % premiership survival.

[OhmiBRFC]

i'd happily go out in feb aslong as we stay up

[brightonrover]

My thinking at the beginning of the season was that we would struggle to compete both in the UEFA Cup (particularly with the group stage) and finish anywhere near as high as we did last season in the Premier League.

I think that it is quite possible for us to have a good run in the UEFA Cup AND to finish safely mid-table (which I'm convinced that we will) in the PL.

Without the money to put together a large squad of quality players it is alway going to be very difficult to compete both domestically and in in Europe.

[Presty On Tour]

the league has to be the priority, anyway this season if we can put a run together we are not far from the champs league spots!! could be a marathon rather than a sprint though.

i would take winning the uefa and fa cups and finish 17th avoiding relegation any day!!

going back to the championship would be a nightmare, imagine the dingles getting promotion too!!

If we went down it, we have seen what has happened to forest, leeds, wimbledon, ipswich, norwich.....the list goes on!!

[they_think_its_all_rover]

So, my best guess is:

- money will be spent in January. The Walker Trust knows what Jack's will tells them and they will feel as obliged to ensure Prem survival now as they ever have done with the bonanza coming next year.

- we might well be disappointed in who we get. There will be masses of money chasing not many players this January.

- we won't miss Neill very much when he leaves

- we will get at least two out of Nelsen, Reid and Roberts playing very close to their best by end February and that will make all the difference be it a push for Europe or an escape from the bottom.

As for the UEFA, if we beat Nancy we have to hope we are not unlucky in the draw on 15 December. If we don't beat Nancy we have to hope we get lucky on 15 December.

I think a Boro-last season- type prospect is before us. Defeat in the late stages of the UEFA and a thoroughly dispiriting but not particularly life threatening Prem campaign.

What bonanza?

As for players that would leave if we were relegated... I think you're wrong... Brad would take a pay cut to stay with us... as would Sav & Tugay...

Where-as I think even Mokoena would want to leave, because he goes on about how great it is to get the chance to play in the prem...

I even think Peter would leave... he's a bit big-headed to be honest, he'd believe he's too much of a star not to be playing in the prem...

[gazsimm]

staying up in the prem has to be the best for the club then winning the U.E.F.A cup.

The U.E.F.A cup is wrecking our season, we don't have a big and quality enough squad to compete in both competions

Edited December 7, 2006 by gazsimm

[Fife Rover]

It's a great use because it makes the lower gate revenue less significant. In fact, it's only the TV money that allows us to compete at this level, if we were left to fend off gate reciepts alone, we'd have no chance.

Have to point out though that next year is going to be the cause of hyper-inflation in the EPL. It will be the same as if, in the real world, every single worker gets the same massive pay rise. What happens then? The costs of everything (goods, services, interest rates etc) all go shooting up in a massive hike, and absolutely nobody is any better off than they were before. In the EPL it will be transfer costs, players wages, etc.

[Gav]

I'd take relegation and a UEFA Cup win.

Just imagine Blackburn Rovers actually winning a European trophy I'm still finding it hard to believe we're actually playing European football

[gazsimm]

I'd take relegation and a UEFA Cup win.

Just imagine Blackburn Rovers actually winning a European trophy I'm still finding it hard to believe we're actually playing European football

and loose out on the money the Prem offers sounds really good to me

Edited December 7, 2006 by gazsimm

[joey_big_nose]

We are not going down you numptys. We have decent players, money to spend in January, and two first rate players in Nelsen and Reid coming back from injury. Sparky is an excellent manager.

Pull yourelves together!

UEFA cup and 10th would do me. Or going out in thenext round and finishing 6-7th with an impression in the FA cup.

[chris]

don't see us close to going down this season, i think that return of a few players were will be very solid, and i would image nonda being dropped and another loan in Jan for up front and problems behind us.

PL is the place to be, i'd rather stay up, Div 1 was dark days, took a long time to rebuild our reputation as a PL club

problem is though the crowds make me feel like we don't deserve to be in the PL, i still think its is result of a multi-cultural Blackburn, but lets not go there

[gazsimm]

We are not going down you numptys. We have decent players, money to spend in January, and two first rate players in Nelsen and Reid coming back from injury. Sparky is an excellent manager.

Pull yourelves together!

UEFA cup and 10th would do me. Or going out in thenext round and finishing 6-7th with an impression in the FA cup.

i hope your right pal

[Jordan]

All you had to do was drop us a text or call into the Antigallican like you said you'd do last year - you could have partied the night away with luminaries such as Jordan, MarkBRFC, 14May1995, Preston Blue, John, LondonRover, nolan9 and many more.

Oh well, sure we'll see you at Reading or Arsenal.

Your not selling it very well Tris.

[Boz]

Our home form will keep us up. Lots of home derbies in the 1st half of the season have impacted with easier home matches in 2007.

Although our expanding injury list is a concern exposing our lightweight squad, 7 matches in 23 days starting on Saturday, 4 away matches with only Arse at home in January!! Oh my god, don't panic.

The worst thing home supporters could do is to start getting twitchy and get on the backs of the players.

Uefa cup success for little old Blackburn Rovers, imagine adding this to our role of honours, yes please!

[Ricky]

I can't belive that people are saying we ar too good to go down. That is not a reason, the West Ham team that got relegated was full of internationals and had iirc correctly finished 6 or 7th the season before.

We are certainly not too good to go down, we need to start picking up results soon. I was actually pleased Newcastle picked up points last night, hopefully they won't have quite the same motivation as they would if they had lost. I'm hoping for a good win on Saturday to lift everyone.

[G Somerset Rover]

and another loan in Jan for up front and problems behind us.

No way should we place our hopes on getting out of danger on another Nonda or Yord coming in on loan. Strikers available on loan are usually available because they're not good enough (Smith perhaps aside). We need players who are going to fight for the club.

Edited December 7, 2006 by Somerset Rover!

[14May1995]

Uefa Cup for me. Having followed the Rovers for 40 years there are still 2 things that I haven't experienced - the FA Cup (always thought it a possibility) or a European trophy (beyond my wildest dreams).

If we forget the Uefa in favour of the League then what's the point in qualifying? It sounds too much like Souness - "survival is the first piority - at any costs!!". What happened to ambition?

Obviously don't want to go down and actually can't believe it's a serious topic of conversation at this stage - altjough we were abysmal the other night ... and that's stretching things. Why should one competition adversely affect another anyway? Look what happened when we won the League Cup - our season started there.

If "sacrificing" the Uefa for the league was ever a consideration - and I can't believe it is - then that would be a massive insult to all those who have travelled around Europe so far...spending hard-earned cash in doing so.

However - choice between FA Cup and Uefa Cup? Now that's a question.

NB At least until early January!!!!!

[Eddie]

I can't believe anyone would want to see us relegated and I'm sure all of your tunes would change if we actually were. Winning the UEFA Cup would be great, but not if it came at the cost of a spot in the top league. Here's my main reason why I wouldn't: we only really benefit from winning the UEFA Cup if we stay in the Premiership. If we are relegated then the increased profile of the club will be negated and it will have got us nowhere. How many of you can name the team that won the UEFA Cup 5 seasons ago, or even 3 seasons ago for that matter (and no cheating on this)? It will be a nice memory and a great day out, but just like I wouldn't have wanted to sacrifice our league status for the league cup win, I wouldn't do it for the UEFA Cup. Midtable mediocrity can be boring at times, but it's a hell of a lot better than being midtable in the championship, there are plenty of teams who would change places with us.

Edited December 7, 2006 by Eddie

[nellybc]

Premiership for me