[Archived] The Championship 2013/14

[Husky]

"We took it to the last game of the season" - said the spin. Although it is technically true I think the season will look better on paper than it actually was.

Wigan is a bit of a dead rubber now considering they don't have anything to play for.

[Proudtobeblue&white]

Why are we even bothering? Prepare for season three in't championship....going Sat, hope we win & cheer on a team that wins.....god only knows what happens after that.......we're in the hands of fools!

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Oh well, season over.

Anyone going anywhere nice on holiday?

Thank God for that. No more Saturdays ruined. I can also forget all about football until the middle of next August. No, I couldn't care less about England's chance's in the World Cup. Rovers have more chance of getting promoted this season than we have of winning the World Cup.

[West Yorks Rover]

I think I'm right in saying that only Leicester and Burnley have had a longer unbeaten run than 12(albeit more wins) GB will have realised

this and will want to milk it in Pune.

My mistake Forest did 14 mid-season.

[Stuart]

So if we want to be the masters of our own destiny, we need to win by a 7 GD.

Being masters of our own destiny died a death at the full time whistle against Yeovil.

[Proudtobeblue&white]

I'm looking forward to our 7-0 win Sat, don't care about other results!

[Roverthechimp]

Awesome - soon the season is over and i won't be forced into supporting the team i choose to support actually turn things around after a 3 year nosedive down the toilet... That Bowyer - he's a right @#/? i mean imagine bringing in a bunch of unknowns to replace proper premier league players and being so bloody useless that all we have managed is 11 games unbeaten because if anyone else was manager we would have won the league - i mean just think what someone like redknapp could do in in this league...

Oh wait...

TLDR: get a @#/? grip you moaning ham shankers.

[Husky]

I'm looking forward to our 7-0 win Sat, don't care about other results!

I think if they don't roll over we should at least give them a good kicking in readiness for their play-off campaign.

[Stuart]

Awesome - soon the season is over and i won't be forced into supporting the team i choose to support actually turn things around after a 3 year nosedive down the toilet... That Bowyer - he's a right @#/? i mean imagine bringing in a bunch of unknowns to replace proper premier league players and being so bloody useless that all we have managed is 11 games unbeaten because if anyone else was manager we would have won the league - i mean just think what someone like redknapp could do in in this league...

Oh wait...

TLDR: get a @#/? grip you moaning ham shankers.

Let it out mate. We're all hurting in different ways.

[Husky]

Oh well, season over.

Anyone going anywhere nice on holiday?

No.

By the way, I'm pretty sure I asked the same after Bournemouth at home.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Awesome - soon the season is over and i won't be forced into supporting the team i choose to support actually turn things around after a 3 year nosedive down the toilet... That Bowyer - he's a right @#/? i mean imagine bringing in a bunch of unknowns to replace proper premier league players and being so bloody useless that all we have managed is 11 games unbeaten because if anyone else was manager we would have won the league - i mean just think what someone like redknapp could do in in this league...

Oh wait...

TLDR: get a @#/? grip you moaning ham shankers.

Ok, Redknap's team has under achieved so far this season massively. Having said that they ARE in the play offs and who would bet against them going up ? I wouldn't.

[Mercer]

For all Rovers changes this season, Championship has been very average and a play-off place was ours for the taking.

Bottom line is a lack of managerial nous cost us big time on several occasions and must have cost us at least 10 points.

No coincidence that those clubs with managers (Pearson, Dyche, McClaren, a partly interested Redknapp, Rosler & Adkins) who have a modicum of nous occupy the top six places.

Very much doubt that Bowyer will go any better next season - you either have nous or you don't and I don't think he has.

[Husky]

Ok, Redknap's team has under achieved so far this season massively. Having said that they ARE in the play offs and who would bet against them going up ? I wouldn't.

I'm pretty sure Redknap said recently (or words to this affect) that he was pleased with a play-off place as they were so bad pre-season that he wouldn't have been surprised if they were in the relegation places

[Roverthechimp]

Seeing as my previous post was erased by the mods i will try to paraphrase what i said in way that is acceptable:

"don't worry - be happy"

[Roverthechimp]

For all Rovers changes this season, Championship has been very average and a play-off place was ours for the taking.

Bottom line is a lack of managerial nous cost us big time on several occasions and must have cost us at least 10 points.

No coincidence that those clubs with managers (Pearson, Dyche, McClaren, a partly interested Redknapp, Rosler & Adkins) who have a modicum of nous occupy the top six places.

Very much doubt that Bowyer will go any better next season - you either have nous or you don't and I don't think he has.

Adkins and McClaren - no questions. Rosler - prior to Wigan was at Brentford and as such very much unproven (at this level) but with hindsight looks like being a good manager. Redknapp i think is a total spiv so my judgement is impaired. Prior to this season i would not have been overjoyed with either Dyche or Pearson but again hindsight. I'm actually very optimistic that we will be saying the same thing about Bowyer after next season but i agree that he needs to find a way of shutting down games once we have the lead.

[Exiled in Toronto]

For all Rovers changes this season, Championship has been very average and a play-off place was ours for the taking.

Bottom line is a lack of managerial nous cost us big time on several occasions and must have cost us at least 10 points.

No coincidence that those clubs with managers (Pearson, Dyche, McClaren, a partly interested Redknapp, Rosler & Adkins) who have a modicum of nous occupy the top six places.

Very much doubt that Bowyer will go any better next season - you either have nous or you don't and I don't think he has.

Interesting your list of proper managers omits Wee Dougie and Big Mick, who I was led to believe were the real deal, whereas I don't recall much trumpeting of Rosler and Dyche. Perhaps next year's list of proper managers will become clear once we see who ends up in the top 6.

I don't believe Bowyer will be sacked; I think he has earned another year to see how much he and his young team can improve.

[Stuart]

Interesting your list of proper managers omits Wee Dougie and Big Mick, who I was led to believe were the real deal, whereas I don't recall much trumpeting of Rosler and Dyche. Perhaps next year's list of proper managers will become clear once we see who ends up in the top 6.

I don't believe Bowyer will be sacked; I think he has earned another year to see how much he and his young team can improve.

People keep having a dig about Mick McCarthy for some reason. With a small budget he could still yet finish above us as well.

[Mike Graham]

Oh well, season over.

Anyone going anywhere nice on holiday?

Just come back. Hotel Illa D'or, Puerta Pollensa. No football shirts to be seen. The only football insignia I saw was a bloke from Standish with Rovers shorts on who was an Everton fan (true), hia lad used to be in Rovers reserves or summat.

[Blue blood]

I'm pretty sure Redknap said recently (or words to this affect) that he was pleased with a play-off place as they were so bad pre-season that he wouldn't have been surprised if they were in the relegation places

What a clown. They said they were aiming for promotion, and automatic, especially when they were there or near there for most of the season. As soon as he starts struggling he changes the goalposts so it's not his fault. It's never his fault! Squad so bad in pre-season - it was his squad! Also there was no mention of that at all, all the while they were in the top 2. To me the most overrated manager ever.

Incidentally I still think the experienced manager argument stands, but would not include this over-hyped chump amongst them. A manager with a larger wage budget than Athletico Madrid and Dortmund can only finish play-offs. (I realize it's not a direct indication of success, how much money you spend on wages, but still, that's a huge budget.) But of course, it's not his fault.

People keep having a dig about Mick McCarthy for some reason. With a small budget he could still yet finish above us as well.

Agree. McCarthy hasn't had anywhere near the financial backing Ipswich had, and on-field inherited a pretty sorry mess. Not the off field shenanigans we've had but on field they were all over the place. He's not had the financial backing Bowyer has, he's not been able to ship as many players out either, but on a much smaller budget with less room to make changes, he's got his team fighting for, and almost got playoffs. Added to which he got 2 clubs promoted from this division, I don't get what the disrespect is about.

[rovers11]

For all Rovers changes this season, Championship has been very average and a play-off place was ours for the taking.

Bottom line is a lack of managerial nous cost us big time on several occasions and must have cost us at least 10 points.

No coincidence that those clubs with managers (Pearson, Dyche, McClaren, a partly interested Redknapp, Rosler & Adkins) who have a modicum of nous occupy the top six places.

Very much doubt that Bowyer will go any better next season - you either have nous or you don't and I don't think he has.

That's a very simplistic post, mercerman. You've just picked all the managers in the top 6 without looking at the bigger picture.

What has Pearson done previously in his career? Nothing. What he was given was time to build a promotion winning team at Leicester and they've seen the rewards this season.

Again, what has Dyche done previously? He did a decent job at Burnley last season abd did ok at Watford but hardly pulled up any trees.

Redknapp spends an absolute fortune at his clubs and is a bit hit and miss. Done a poor job at qpr.

Rosler has done well so far but jury is still out on him.

McClaren flopped at Forest but done well at derby.

Adkins is someone I do like as is McCarthy.

How is what Bowyer has done this season any different to what Pearson and Dyche did last season?

The championship was very average this season but was even more average last season with teams from the bottom constantly beating the top teams. It will be average again next season and the season after that and so on.

Dont see how you can say bowyer doesn't have managerial nous. We are on our best unbeaten run for TWENTY YEARS, are one of the highest goalscorers in the lge away from home and have kept one of the most amount of clean sheets at home. He's also brought in Conway, Cairney and Gestede for less than ONE MILLION pounds. That's not bad for a manager with no nous

[ABBEY]

Unbeaten this unbeaten that ... 20 years blah blah ..

Means naff all we start again in august on 0 points in division 2 .

If he had a pair of balls we would be in play offs easy if not higher.

[Jimmy612]

Unbeaten this unbeaten that ... 20 years blah blah ..

Means naff all we start again in august on 0 points in division 2 .

If he had a pair of balls we would be in play offs easy if not higher.

Now that really does mean 'naff all'.

IF Hanley hadn't got sent off against Wigan we would be in the play-offs

IF Keane had twatted the ball into the corner with 20 seconds left on the clock at Hillsborough we would have been in the play-offs

IF the referee hadn't given that ludicrous penalty at Barnsley away we would have been in the play-offs

IF Rhodes had scored the second against Burnley we would have been in the play-offs

IF the players hadn't severely underperformed in the first half of Brum at home we would have been in the play-offs

IF Taylor hadn't of missed an absolute sitter at QPR we would have been in the play-offs

IF the two keepers hadn't been an absolute disaster up until Christmas we would have been in the play-offs.

Add as appropriate.

This season has felt like a series of near misses, misfortune, shocking decisions and some outright abysmal individual mistakes.

The progress we have made has been steady; decent even. The squad is now strong and has performed well for over 10 games. They appear to enjoy playing together and there is a brilliant atmosphere in the camp.

The problem we have (and I fully acknowledge that it is the elephant in the room), is the financial sword hanging over our head. Can we tread water financially for another season, and if so then has this season of improvement been enough to allow Bowyer to continue? I believe it has. In Gestede, Cairney, Evans, Spurr, Hanley, Kilgallon, Rhodes (?), Marshall, Conway, Robbo, Right back (Keane) etc etc etc I think we have a damn good chance of being in and around the top 4 or 5 next season.

As I've said plenty of times on here; I can see both sides of the argument and an experienced manager might push us on another level. Alternatively it might also send us backwards and could spell disaster. Has Bowyer not done enough to have another crack or do people genuinely believe that he will only turn out to be a nearly man and we might as well twist now?

For me; the positive signings, the decent last couple of months, the great spirit in the squad and the fact that we will enjoy a far more settled pre-season has me leaning towards keeping Bowyer and having a damn good go as of mid-August! Looking forward to it.

[CapeTownRover]

As a wise man once said, all ifs and buts. But alot of of games we lost, was due to poor tactics from Bowyer. Alot of people dont want to admit that maybe Bowyer is not the right man to lead us forward. Imo ill give him another go next season, but if he persists with strange tactics and ridiculous line ups and substitutions, then im afraid we will struggle again. Where we were a few years ago under 3 different managers, to where we are now, I would say its much better, but at the end of the day, we have to get into at least the playoffs next season

[Bucksrover]

Done with 2013/2014 now. Can't wait for the new season.

I think the strong finish we have had will give us a better chance of keeping the team together so fingers crossed the summer will just see a bit more dead wood cleared and one or two additions like Keane.

[IbizaRover]

As a wise man once said, all ifs and buts. But alot of of games we lost, was due to poor tactics from Bowyer. Alot of people dont want to admit that maybe Bowyer is not the right man to lead us forward. Imo ill give him another go next season, but if he persists with strange tactics and ridiculous line ups and substitutions, then im afraid we will struggle again. Where we were a few years ago under 3 different managers, to where we are now, I would say its much better, but at the end of the day, we have to get into at least the playoffs next season

sorry but youre wrong. GB is the man to take us forward. he has come from the youth setup into a championship managers role and has worked wonders. I will be very dissapointed if the got rid of him to the point Id consider renewing my ST next season. Steady away is the right way to go not chopping and changing. I honestly think we will gain automatic promotion next season witha few additions to the squad, send most loanees back and get Keane back especially. Look what Leicester and Burnley have done. Kept their manager for more than 1 season and they have been allowed to galvanise their squad and look where they are now. That will be us next season and I will be sticking 50 on us going up automatically.