[Archived] NOVEMBER FIXTURES

[blueboy3333]

No easy league games there. We've only won 1 of the last 5 so Mowbray needs a couple of wins from those league games minimum or the pressure will start to build. 3 wins from 9 still doesn't look good. A Round 1 cup defeat, exit from the Checkatrade and only a 4 or 5 point haul would see us out of all the cups and probably mid-table in the league.

It's a big month for Mowbray.

[Skiptonrover]

Is there any news on the Walsall Fixture? I bought a ticket for a friend thinking it was next Saturday but I will probably have to get a refund more & likely another midweek game & he won't be able to make it.

[only2garners]

Yes - it’s off. Not because of Rovers who onl6 have two on international duty, but Walsall h@ve 4.

[Skiptonrover]

I know it's pain, I wanted to introduce my friend get him going on a regular basis. Some can't make it to the midweek games shift patterns ect. Can't be helped I guess just 1 of them things.

[speeeeeeedie]

Bury, Rochdale, and Blackpool coming up. How the Rovers have fallen. Tragic.

Fans should be expecting nothing less than 6 wins in November.

I've not seen them play, nor am I likely to but my reading on here leads me to believe that 2 wins 2 draws and 2 defeats will be the likely scenario. 

[Mercer]

No excuses Mowbray.

Expect 12 points from next 4 league games.  10 points as an absolute minimum.

Either get a grip or get out.

[Sparks Rover]

4 hours ago, Skiptonrover said:

I know it's pain, I wanted to introduce my friend get him going on a regular basis. Some can't make it to the midweek games shift patterns ect. Can't be helped I guess just 1 of them things.

Football friend.

[G Somerset Rover]

10 hours ago, Mercer said:

No excuses Mowbray.

Expect 12 points from next 4 league games.  10 points as an absolute minimum.

Either get a grip or get out.

Not a snowball in hell’s chance of 12 points from the next 4. And btw is this what you’re demanding or predicting? I hope it’s the former as we know how you’re predictions go down. I reckon more 5 or 7 with Tony Tombola in charge.

[Waggy76]

Without Chapman , I cannot see us getting more than 7 points....

Keep in the game , keep it tight , bring Chapman on with 25 minutes left , to run at tiring defenders , was Mowbrays only plan....

[Bigdoggsteel]

13 hours ago, speeeeeeedie said:

Bury, Rochdale, and Blackpool coming up. How the Rovers have fallen. Tragic.

Fans should be expecting nothing less than 6 wins in November.

I've not seen them play, nor am I likely to but my reading on here leads me to believe that 2 wins 2 draws and 2 defeats will be the likely scenario. 

We played Blackpool in the Premiership, no? Look I get your point and I used to say the same things, but at this stage we are in no position to look down on any club. We are battling to get out of this league, a battle that looks 50/50 at best currently. 

As for the fixtures results wise, with this team, you just don't know. We could win all the games, or we could get 3-5 points. My actual guess would be 8 points, but who knows. 

Couldn't give a shit about the cup games really, other than as momentum builders, but we all know it doesn't work like that. 

[MarkBRFC]

I reckon...

FA Cup - Barnet (h) - W

Checkatrade - Rochdale (a) - D (Lose on penalties)

Bury (a) - Lose

Oxford (a) - Draw

Bristol Rovers h) - Win

Blackpool (a) - Draw

1 Cup progression, 1 cup knock out, and 5 league points.

[blueboy3333]

FA Cup - Barnet (h) - Draw (lose replay)

Checkatrade - Rochdale (a) - L

Bury (a) - Draw

Oxford (a) - lose

Bristol Rovers h) - Win

Blackpool (a) - Draw

2 cup knock outs, 5 league points, and a Mowbray sacking.

[Blue blood]

What should happen: 

At least 9 points and at least progression in the FA Cup

What will happen: 

We'll probably get 7 or 8 points which isn't what we need, but is close enough to continue to give TM a reprieve and an exit from both clubs. 

Bit annoyed taking the cup games so lightly. We allegedly have a bigger squad then most teams in the division, so why not take advantage of that to be field strong sides in the cups. Also a good cup run would do wonders for fan moral, a final and a trip to Wembley even more so. 

[philipl]

Four straight league wins,

Anything else unacceptable.

Seems Mowbray is going to do a random number selection and not look at the opposition for Barnet like he did for Bury (both begin with a B.) so the only question is how many Barnet win by..

 

 

[Waggy76]

11 hours ago, blueboy3333 said:

FA Cup - Barnet (h) - Draw (lose replay)

Checkatrade - Rochdale (a) - L

Bury (a) - Draw

Oxford (a) - lose

Bristol Rovers h) - Win

Blackpool (a) - Draw

2 cup knock outs, 5 league points, and a Mowbray sacking.

Think we might beat Bury , B pool draw nil nil both managers frightened to death of the opposition ! 

[Tom]

I can see us going through in the FA cup, out in that other cup, 1 win and 3 league draws.

Not enough to match up the table but enough to keep the manager in the job and people saying 'we are only x points off 6th get a grip'

[Skiptonrover]

It's a weird 1, from what I've read the expectancy levels & leniency levels seem to be all over the place Tony's on a tightrope for sure.

[MarkBRFC]

10 hours ago, Tom said:

Not enough to match up the table but enough to keep the manager in the job and people saying 'we are only x points off 6th get a grip'

That's exactly how this season will pan out, and we'll end up finishing 10th.

Mirror image of 13/14 and 14/15 under uncle Gaz.

[Tom]

On 03/11/2017 at 22:46, Tom said:

I can see us going through in the FA cup, out in that other cup, 1 win and 3 league draws.

Not enough to match up the table but enough to keep the manager in the job and people saying 'we are only x points off 6th get a grip'

Predicted the easy ones - hope I am pleasantly surprised by the league form when we resume in 7 months or whenever our next game is.

[OJRovers]

15 hours ago, Suhail Slayer said:

Tony's appraisal end of this month.

3rd is no good this season = massive failure !

The points defecit needs reducing quick or Mowbray needs to leave.

 

He has until end of Jan to have us within 3 points automatic promotion.

The problem is that end of Jan might be too late. We could be 20 points behind by that stage - probably will be.

A change needs to be made sooner if we continue to slip back from the top 2.

 

[Bigdoggsteel]

15 hours ago, Suhail Slayer said:

Tony's appraisal end of this month.

3rd is no good this season = massive failure !

The points defecit needs reducing quick or Mowbray needs to leave.

 

He has until end of Jan to have us within 3 points automatic promotion.

Would the start of January not make more sense? 

[Mercer]

This is an easy one for me - he has to be bulleted now.

A new man needs to come in and have established a very clear idea of where we need strengthening by 1st Jan..

We are over a third of the way through the season and are 12 points  (with our inferior goal difference) off 2nd spot.  We have played 20+ games in all competitions this season and I can see no pattern of play emerging and very little evidence that we are, or turning into, a credible, competitive, cohesive, consistent unit.

The longer you out off what I think is an almost inevitable decision, as with sacking Coyle, the significantly less chance you have of achieving your season's objective.

To achieve auto promo, I think we will need a minimum of 92 points, more likely something in the 95 to 100 points' range.  That means going forward we now need to average at least 2.2 points per game. most likely 2.4 points per game.

On that premise, and even recognising 3 of our next 4 games are away, I believe we need a minimum of 8 points in November from Bury, Oxford and Blackpool away and Bristol Rovers at home. 

Someone needs to be bold, brave and imaginative.  However, I am not holding my breath.

[tomphil]

I'd expect nowt more than 7 points from the next 4 at best although it's likely we'll lose one 1 win 1 and draw 2. Always crap after an international break Rovers are we've seen it so many times recently.

Must be over training with all that hard work they do day in day out on Brockhall

[AllRoverAsia]

52 minutes ago, tomphil said:

I'd expect nowt more than 7 points from the next 4 at best although it's likely we'll lose one 1 win 1 and draw 2. Always crap after an international break Rovers are we've seen it so many times recently.

Must be over training with all that hard work they do day in day out on Brockhall

The players have been given the weekend off. No training or whatever for them. They should at least have gone on a team bonding weekend exercise. Not with the WAG around the shops. Holiday Camp rules.

[Blue blood]

Bit of  context needed when assessing this. 

We're only the cup games in and most people said they'd be happy with progress in the FA Cup and less bothered about the League Trophy. 

All well and fine if we comfortably beat lower division in the FA Cup and the kids went out with a creditable draw in the League Trophy. Problem was that it wasn't really that. We struggled past Barnet, and saw one of the most stupid formations ever in the first half, showing TM is cluelessly tinkering. And whilst we got away with it, against other teams such foolish experimenting will be badly punished. Likewise the League Trophy game saw us put out a relatively strong team. Certainly some of those players like Bennett and Graham are meant to be leading lights in the team, whilst a fair number were squad players who're meant to come in and do a job for us. It seems from that match that many of the squad players aren't going to be forcing their way into first team contention anytime soon. This is a tad worrying as our superior squad is meant to be one of our assets. 

Point is I don't think TM comes out with credit from either result. Ok on the face of it they look ok/as expected, but again, below the surface - like our league position - things are worrying wrong and not clicking into place. We're making things far harder then they should be and underwhelming even when winning. 

I fear a full November of this - if not season. Just about "acceptable" (if have little ambition) result wise yet papering over huge cracks which show TM is badly struggling. The only consolation I have at the moment is at least we're putting some paper over the cracks. if and when that goes, we'll be in serious trouble.