[Archived] The Championship 2013/14

[Audax]

Championship League, probably similar to most years.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

I'm sorry but I also think this division has been poor this season. Only two teams have played with any sort of consistency over 46 games. When I think back to our last promotion and the quality of the teams that went up there's no comparison. Fulham had some really good players and Bolton were typically hard to beat and very consistent.

I reckon our team of Friedel, Curtis, Berg, Short, Flitty, Berkovic,Jansen, Duff, Bent etc would have walked this league.

[blueboy3333]

Didn't mean it to sound sensitive, just a gentle bit of rib tickling :-)

I was wrong on Dyche in the summer and if I'd looked more closely at his time last season maybe I'd have seen it. Dyche came into a team conceding an average of almost 3 per game and all but immediately turned the same players into one of the best defences in the league. He added a proper keeper in the summer and our defensive solidity has been amazing. It's an old saying but the best teams get results when playing badly, we did that by being hard to beat however badly we were playing. I'd guess your biggest summer challenge is to improve your defence whilst maintaining the attacking threat which you clearly have. An interesting point about the previous season, we actually picked up more points when Austin was out then we did when he played. As good as Rhodes is perhaps sacrificing him and bringing in new players might not be the disaster it appears on the surface?

Only the play offs to sort now and whilst the head says derby I really am struggling to call it, Wigan and QPR have genuine quality whilst Brighton are no push overs. Could be a great series of games coming up!

The signing of Heaton was inspired. Everytime i've seen highlights of Burnley he's been plucking thunderbolts from the top corner with consummate ease! I hope Bowyer makes a new goalkeeper his top priority this summer. We've lost quite a few points this season to awful goalkeeping.

[ABBEY]

Haha don't like him but Joey Barton ripping into burnley and their fans .twitter

[thenodrog]

What completely over the top reaction by the Birmingham players and manager today. I can understand the fans celebrating staying up but Lee Clark and his players had nothing to celebrate in fact they should have been embarrassed that they needed an injury time goal to stay up with the squad of players at that club.

As for that Leicester player his dive was an absolute disgrace when his side are already up as Champions and he cheats like that to send Doncaster down, a club that have had to work tremendously hard to get up last season and stay up this season. The Ref should be demoted to refereeing conference football and that Leicester player should be banned for the whole of next season.

I thought his foot was caught and he was tripped.

Feel very sorry for Paul Dickov. I like his attitude and bearing. Having said all that there is something rather poetic about it cos he did 'buy' a number of free kicks for us didn't he in Hughes first season didn't he?

[rhodie]

Attendance for Burnleys open top bus parade looks good.

[longsiders1882]

Oh no, not Joey Barton, how will we get over it.

A bit like the attendance comments it just sounds like more sulking and bitterness from a player who's failed miserably in the second tier, I think we'll survive his twitter attacks whilst preparing for next season.

[West Yorks Rover]

Oh no, not Joey Barton, how will we get over it.

A bit like the attendance comments it just sounds like more sulking and bitterness from a player who's failed miserably in the second tier, I think we'll survive his twitter attacks whilst preparing for next season.

Just imagine if Venky's signed him for next season.

[longsiders1882]

Haha, could be that marquee signing they've been promising you.

[West Yorks Rover]

Haha, could be that marquee signing they've been promising you.

Would make for a very tasty cup tie at the Turf, can you imagine ?

[longsiders1882]

Like it would need the extra spice.

I don't mind Barton as it goes.

Did any of you hear Savage on 606? Now that did get up my nose!

[USABlue]

Got a good kicking there in the early 90's so glad they have gone out the league

Also another Rovers relegated from League 1 Tranmere (bet there was a few bets on that )

8 of ushada good set to there (Bristol Rovers) getting jumped after leaving their club after the match in the late seventies. We did ok though.

[West Yorks Rover]

Like it would need the extra spice.

I don't mind Barton as it goes.

Did any of you hear Savage on 606? Now that did get up my nose!

Surely he wasn't saying your lot will come straight back down, was he ?

Didn't listen to 606 yesterday, the whole program has become a bit of an anticlimax since the ' Shebby Show .'

' You know what I mean Robbie '.

[yoda]

Haha, could be that marquee signing they've been promising you.

Shaun Dyche would be a better one

[longsiders1882]

He was, which in itself wasn't such an issue but it was how he said it. Also seemed to be suggesting Dyche would sacked after 10 games! On the plus side he seemed genuinely gutted you'd not made the play offs - always nice to hear an ex b***** d upset :-)

And Yoda, you can't afford him :-)

[USABlue]

Didn't mean it to sound sensitive, just a gentle bit of rib tickling :-)

I was wrong on Dyche in the summer and if I'd looked more closely at his time last season maybe I'd have seen it. Dyche came into a team conceding an average of almost 3 per game and all but immediately turned the same players into one of the best defences in the league. He added a proper keeper in the summer and our defensive solidity has been amazing. It's an old saying but the best teams get results when playing badly, we did that by being hard to beat however badly we were playing. I'd guess your biggest summer challenge is to improve your defence whilst maintaining the attacking threat which you clearly have. An interesting point about the previous season, we actually picked up more points when Austin was out then we did when he played. As good as Rhodes is perhaps sacrificing him and bringing in new players might not be the disaster it appears on the surface?

Only the play offs to sort now and whilst the head says derby I really am struggling to call it, Wigan and QPR have genuine quality whilst Brighton are no push overs. Could be a great series of games coming up!

Ive read many times on here about this being a poor league this season, next year it will be tougher blah blah blah. Not sure how folks arrive at.those conclusions to me it seems much of the same and will be next. I really dont mind the football I just miss that we arent on telly all the time and with the packages they have over here now that NBC won prem rights I could have watched EVERY Rovers game if we were top flight. I suppose being raised on third and second division footy has its plusses because I was actually watching non Rover championship games ahead of the premier league games and liking it. The footy in the championship seems more of a throw back to the older days minus the short shorts of course. Boy I do enjoy wayching those old games cruching tackles both players getting up and getting on with it no rolling around no badgering the ref. We really have lost something havent we.

[Stuart]

He was, which in itself wasn't such an issue but it was how he said it. Also seemed to be suggesting Dyche would sacked after 10 games! On the plus side he seemed genuinely gutted you'd not made the play offs - always nice to hear an ex b***** d upset :-)

And Yoda, you can't afford him :-)

Isn't it about time you @#/? ed off?

[Audax]

I see the playoffs start May 8th, Brighton and Hove vs. Derby, May 9th, Wigan vs. QPR.

Who are people for? It seems Brighton and Hove and especially Derby are in-form. Derby County I remember has been in the Premier League. Maybe all of these clubs have. Wigan and QPR obviously have been.

Derby may be able to handle all of these clubs.

http://int.soccerway.com/teams/england/derby-county-fc/699/

[davulsukur]

Id say a Derby v Wigan final but I am not sure who I would pick out of those 2.

[joey_big_nose]

Hate qpr but would like them to win so they get out of the division.

[ABBEY]

Don't care about them . Only care nobbers don't come up .

[Bucksrover]

Hate qpr but would like them to win so they get out of the division.

Agree - but I was thinking it might be good if they stay down because they will be more exposed than us in terms of getting hit by financial fair-play.

[ABBEY]

Agree - but I was thinking it might be good if they stay down because they will be more exposed than us in terms of getting hit by financial fair-play.

OMG agreement number 3 .!!

Post about 3am tommorow morning when I'm Stella'd watching the nfl draft and we can resume normalities ha

[Rover_Shaun]

You need stella to watch that rubbish lol

[thenodrog]

Hate qpr but would like them to win so they get out of the division.

Why? Surely thats illogical. We took 4 points off them, 3 off Wigan, and only 1 off Derby and Brighton.