[Archived] Season Expectations

[Kamy100]

Now that the transfer window has closed.  What are your expectations for the season?

For me not going up would be considered a failure given the squad we have.  We should challenge for automatic promotion but if we end up going up via the play offs that would be fine.  Anything less than that then there will be serious questions to be asked of Tony Mowbray.

[FGS5635]

1 minute ago, Kamy100 said:

Now that the transfer window has closed.  What are your expectations for the season?

For me not going up would be considered a failure given the squad we have.  We should challenge for automatic promotion but if we end up going up via the play offs that would be fine.  Anything less than that then there will be serious questions to be asked of Tony Mowbray.

I think that's pretty much nailed it.

The aim is promotion and it doesn't matter how really. Anything less than that is most definitely a failure

 

[tomphil]

You have to really go for it to get in the top 2 because anything can happen in the play off lottery you don't go through in that just because you might be the biggest name who ends up in them so I think settling for them is a cop out.

Go for it and if you don't get there then you've at least a shot in the play offs.

Saying that I haven't yet seen enough in this squad or manager that says top two and I really think we could end up anywhere between 4th and 8th.  Time to get that settled 11 out there and go for teams.

[Dreams of 1995]

90 goals..........

[DE.]

8th-10th. Venky's will do something to derail us over the course of the season. 

[K-Hod]

Anything other than ultimately gaining promotion is unacceptable.

Mowbray has had everything his own way and now can't use the excuse of it not being his own team.

[RV Blue]

I think we'll go up even with the (imo) tactically inept Mowbray as it seems that he's learnt to pick 11 players in their right positions and pick a formation that they all understand, that should be enough to go up with the squad we have.

[Garage Flower]

We have to get promoted. Anything less is a failure. 

[bob fleming]

I think we'll be in the top four at Christmas, then when Balaji has a chance meeting, and subsequent arguement, with Trump in a Moscow knocking shop a nuclear war will ensue scuppering our promotion hopes for at least 20 more years. It'll be right up there with some of Venky's worst decisions, just behind the Kean contract extension.

[jim mk2]

 

 

The probable starting first XI still looks short on the doggedness and fighting spirit to battle its way out of this division. There's one of two decent players in there but the team overall looks fragile - particularly at the back.

I expect us to just miss out on the playoffs. 

[Glosrover]

25 minutes ago, jim mk2 said:

 

 

The probable starting first XI still looks short on the doggedness and fighting spirit to battle its way out of this division. There's one of two decent players in there but the team overall looks fragile - particularly at the back.

I expect us to just miss out on the playoffs. 

First sentence agreed, second sentence not- IMO the team/squad should be good enough to make the play-offs, I think it probably will.

I would worry about the quality of the current squad to compete at Championship level, and that the additional revenue wouldn't be enough to update the squad by acquisition.  Past performance suggests that Venkys won't directly finance purchases other than from increased revenues or player trading, it looks likely to be a bit of a punt that the youngsters either purchased or loaned to buy come good, and that the more experienced, supposedly higher level players,[Graham, Evans, Bennett, Williams, Ward, Conway] are more motivated to play for Mowbray.  

A failure to get out of league 1 this season may leave a very bleak future indeed.

[chaddyrovers]

Promotion

[philipl]

The survival of the club may well hang on going up at the first attempt.

Fortunately, it does look like we have most of what we need to get automatic promotion. Going up as Champions would be nice but my tip is play-offs and a really anxious May 2018...

[booth]

We will flirt with the play off places then something will come along to cock it right up.

They'll probably sack Mowbray when we're top of the league and spend £££'s on replacing him with Brian Laws and Andy Payton.

When I say they will spend £££'s I mean they'll saddle us with more debt.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

1 hour ago, jim mk2 said:

 

 

The probable starting first XI still looks short on the doggedness and fighting spirit to battle its way out of this division. There's one of two decent players in there but the team overall looks fragile - particularly at the back.

I expect us to just miss out on the playoffs. 

I agree with that. The mentality of the club as a whole is very weak. If we go in front in games we do ok. Go behind and we usually struggle. Until we can start coming from behind to win, start scoring goals in the last 5 minutes instead of conceding goals etc we'll always come up short.

[ChickenBolty]

1 hour ago, jim mk2 said:

 

 

The probable starting first XI still looks short on the doggedness and fighting spirit to battle its way out of this division. There's one of two decent players in there but the team overall looks fragile - particularly at the back.

I expect us to just miss out on the playoffs. 

Am I actually reading this correctly? Our back 4 is arguable, not not arguably, it is, the best back 4 in the league hands down. 

[booth]

1 hour ago, jim mk2 said:

 

 

The probable starting first XI still looks short on the doggedness and fighting spirit to battle its way out of this division. There's one of two decent players in there but the team overall looks fragile - particularly at the back.

I expect us to just miss out on the playoffs. 

It really depends on how Mowbray plays them, and also if he persists with players that clearly aren't cut out for this division or how he wants to play. If he allows players like Nutall and Tomlinson into the first team who are hungry and want to play, alongside players like Samuel, Mulgrew Smallwood and Chapman who look the part, we may have a chance. The defence looks shaky and the only way to offset that is to score a lot of goals.

[jim mk2]

2 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

I agree with that. The mentality of the club as a whole is very weak. If we go in front in games we do ok. Go behind and we usually struggle. Until we can start coming from behind to win, start scoring goals in the last 5 minutes instead of conceding goals we'll always come up short.

 

You win trophies by winning games 1-0 - keeping it tight at the back and then nicking a goal towards the end. Howard Kendall's team did it many times, the 1995 team too, Mourniho's Chelsea were masters at it. Our problem, as always, is we concede too easily. 

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Just now, jim mk2 said:

 

You win trophies by winning games 1-0 - keeping it tight at the back and then nicking a goal towards the end. Howard Kendall's team did it many times, the 1995 team too, Mourniho's Chelsea were masters at it. Our problem, as always, is we concede too easily. 

To put it in a sentence Jim, we don't work hard enough on and off the ball. 

[DavidMailsTightPerm]

38 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

To put it in a sentence Jim, we don't work hard enough on and off the ball. 

This is absolutely the key. The match against MK Don's showed the blueprint for getting out of this division - match the work rate of the opposition, then every now and then our extra quality will kick in and we will create chances. Hopefully as the team gains confidence we will actually start to control matches better (with superior passing) - but at the moment the confidence on the ball doesn't seem up to it and we fall back into hoof ball (IMO this is why TM has had to abandon the 3-2-3-1 formation)

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Just now, DavidMailsTightPerm said:

This is absolutely the key. The match against MK Don's showed the blueprint for getting out of this division - match the work rate of the opposition, then every now and then our extra quality will kick in and we will create chances. Hopefully as the team gains confidence we will actually start to control matches better (with superior passing) - but at the moment the confidence on the ball doesn't seem up to it and we fall back into hoof ball (IMO this is why TM has had to abandon the 3-2-3-1 formation)

Yeah, you've got to be prepared to fight for the right to play your football in this league.

[harryhealless1928]

Lets just hope Mulgrew,Lenihan,Evans,Graham,Conway and Samuels dont all get injured(all a bit injury-prone) ....especially not at the same time......if they all do,at the same time then 17th might be an optimistic shout. Otherwise with only an odd injury,if Chapman,Harper and Samuels can kick in(a big IF)3rd,at the very least!

[bob fleming]

55 minutes ago, DavidMailsTightPerm said:

 (IMO this is why TM has had to abandon the 3-2-3-1 formation)

With hindsight, playing 10 was a stupid idea on Mowbrays part. 

[JBiz]

43 minutes ago, harryhealless1928 said:

Lets just hope Mulgrew,Lenihan,Evans,Graham,Conway and Samuels dont all get injured(all a bit injury-prone) ....especially not at the same time......if they all do,at the same time then 17th might be an optimistic shout. Otherwise with only an odd injury,if Chapman,Harper and Samuels can kick in(a big IF)3rd,at the very least!

You hit on the only reason why I'd stop before saying "anything but promotion" will do - you never know what can happen. I've watched great rovers sides play poorly and the reverse of that, if we lost (funnily enough, known to be quite injury prone) a few players like Mulgrew, Evans, Graham, or Lenihan for long periods - or worse still Raya/Smallwood/Chapman/Samuel - it would be obviously much more difficult to expect promotion.

As of now though, I think the squad is good enough, none of us can deny that the facilities/wage bill is enough for this level, it's all down to Tony and the players to do it.

Hopefully, the character returns somewhat, you can already see Smallwood is the type our fans will latch on to because of his tackling, Mulgrew  is a cut above, Samuel looks a signing and many of the others are *above the perceived level of this league. 

If I had to set a defining expectation, it would be promotion on the current scenario, things can change rapidly though as we all know well.

[OJRovers]

We need to learn how to be winners again, quickly.

Difficult after 6 years of dross.

Otherwise it will be another expensive season of underperformance.