[Archived] Rovers special on Ribble FM

[Togit]

A sobering listen on what could lay ahead for Rovers and their promotion push as Broadcast on Ribble FM on 18/01/18 >> Rovers chat from 9m30 onwards 

 

[islander200]

1 hour ago, Togit said:

A sobering listen on what could lay ahead for Rovers and their promotion push as Broadcast on Ribble FM on 18/01/18 >> Rovers chat from 9m30 onwards 

 

Are ye forgetting that we had a total buffoon as a manager last season?Yes the squad wasn't great last season but would have stayed up if that idiot hadn't  been in charge till january

[blueboy3333]

2 hours ago, Togit said:

A sobering listen on what could lay ahead for Rovers and their promotion push as Broadcast on Ribble FM on 18/01/18 >> Rovers chat from 9m30 onwards 

 

Who was the other guest with Battersby?

I think they are underestimating the quality of our squad. The spine of Raya, Lenihan, Mulgrew, Smallwood, Dack and Graham is good enough for the Championship and is no worse than the team Mowbray picked up points with at the end of last season. Coyle did for us, not the players. 

[islander200]

We would obviously need money spent in the summer but relegation a foregone conclusion with our current squad?

Huddersfield went up last season on a small budget after struggling the year before. Cardiff haven't spent fortunes but are in the promotion mix this season.

Sheffield United haven't spent millions but are looking comfortable in the Championship. 

It was just 3 people who know as much as the next fan about players

[islander200]

Just now, blueboy3333 said:

Who was the other guest with Battersby?

I think they are underestimating the quality of our squad. The spine of Raya, Lenihan, Mulgrew, Smallwood, Dack and Graham is good enough for the Championship and is no worse than the team Mowbray picked up points with at the end of last season. Coyle did for us, not the players. 

Agreed

[islander200]

1 minute ago, blueboy3333 said:

Who was the other guest with Battersby?

I think they are underestimating the quality of our squad. The spine of Raya, Lenihan, Mulgrew, Smallwood, Dack and Graham is good enough for the Championship and is no worse than the team Mowbray picked up points with at the end of last season. Coyle did for us, not the players. 

They also said our squad now was just as bad or worse than the squad that got relegated?

The players who departed:Steele, Lowe, Feeney, Stokes, Akpan, Guthrie, Stokes, Mahoney. The only player I was sorry to see leave out of that lot was Mahoney 

[blueboy3333]

2 minutes ago, islander200 said:

They also said our squad now was just as bad or worse than the squad that got relegated?

The players who departed:Steele, Lowe, Feeney, Stokes, Akpan, Guthrie, Stokes, Mahoney. The only player I was sorry to see leave out of that lot was Mahoney 

And that we'd go straight back down by Christmas with the current squad.  I'm not sure which one of them is worse when it comes to assessing the squad. It would need improving obviously but it's not that far away.

 

 

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Can only agree with their assessment....enjoy the present upturn in matters while we all can.We just don't know what's round the corner with our owners!

[old darwen blue]

What a negative broadcast.  A successful team is one where everyone knows there job and does it, you don’t necessarily need star players to be successful. Super Atko had an integral part in the team that King Kenny put together for example and I wonder whether the panel on this show if around then would have been criticising him as not good enough for a higher division. The other speaker was Ian Ferris for whoever asked earlier. 

[JacknOry]

I dont think those guys know shit. Our squad now is stronger than it was last season - fact.

[McClarky]

Who are these people? I’ve never heard anyone bemoaning the gulf between us and the Championship before, what a load of tosh.

[Stuart]

It’s a positive sign that the critique of League One Rovers is about how we will do in the Championship.

However, we have to keep our focus on promotion and not worry about how we deal with the Summer 2018 window until we know what League we are in.

Off the pitch, yes, we still have no clue about why Venkys are here. But even that, let’s get promoted first then worry about staying up and whether Venkys will spend to keep us up. On the basis that they could have last time and instead accepted relegation, you’d have to say they won’t. Unless they did so to get rid of some old contracts but the point is: who knows?!

[Bigdoggsteel]

Those guys are clueless. A good team spirit and being organised goes a long way in any league. The most baffling comment was to say we have a worse squad than last year. You couldn't say that and have any credibility 

[DE.]

I wouldn't say Burton's squad last season was better than our current team, and they stayed up, so to suggest we would definitely go down with our current team is overestimating the bottom half of the Championship significantly imo. It really isn't that good. I expect the quality of our loan signings would increase going into the Championship, too, which would help. Unfortunately I would say lower end of the Championship and challenging in League One is about the limit to which Venky's are willing to take us nowadays, so unless we do a Blackpool and punch well above our weight I don't see us going any further than that. 

[Bigdoggsteel]

If you have an organised team with a good team spirit and take it game by game,you can make the play offs. Look at PNE. How many of their current squad would make our starting 11 and vice versa 

[JacknOry]

Just now, Bigdoggsteel said:

If you have an organised team with a good team spirit and take it game by game,you can make the play offs. Look at PNE. How many of their current squad would make our starting 11 and vice versa 

Sheffield United too - they are performing due to the bounce from being promoted. They like winning and have got used to it. There is a gap in quality of course from the Championship to League 1 but there is no doubt in my mind that our squad is stronger than it was last season. If we can make some of these loans permanent too, id say we have a very good chance of at least consolodating ourslves in that league.

[blueboy3333]

I think there is a gulf between L1 and the Championship. There have been some very poor teams at Ewood this season, and there is a lot of money in the Championship these days with some quality players. But, as DE says,  it isn't every team. PNE aren't full of expensive superstars but they are doing well. Sheff Utd the same and they didn't spend a lot in the summer, contrary to what Battersby tried to imply. We were fairly resilient at the end of last season under Mogga and would have stayed up if he'd got the same points per match all through the season.

I think Battersby was a bit disparaging about Smallwood too. He's more effective than any central midfielder we had in the Championship.

It's almost like Battersby had an agenda

[blueboy3333]

8 hours ago, old darwen blue said:

The other speaker was Ian Ferris for whoever asked earlier. 

I may be showing my ignorance but who is Ian Ferris?

He needs to cheer up whoever he is.

[Cherry Blue]

12 minutes ago, blueboy3333 said:

I may be showing my ignorance but who is Ian Ferris?

He needs to cheer up whoever he is.

Local freelance football writer.

[islander200]

29 minutes ago, blueboy3333 said:

I think there is a gulf between L1 and the Championship. There have been some very poor teams at Ewood this season, and there is a lot of money in the Championship these days with some quality players. But, as DE says,  it isn't every team. PNE aren't full of expensive superstars but they are doing well. Sheff Utd the same and they didn't spend a lot in the summer, contrary to what Battersby tried to imply. We were fairly resilient at the end of last season under Mogga and would have stayed up if he'd got the same points per match all through the season.

I think Battersby was a bit disparaging about Smallwood too. He's more effective than any central midfielder we had in the Championship.

It's almost like Battersby had an agenda

Exactly and spending millions doesn't guarantee promotion.Look at Aston Villa,Norwich etc.

Promotion can be achieved on a small budget Huddersfield being a prime example and Burnley.Even Brighton didn't spend an absolute fortune to get up. Reading in the play off final last season again didn't spend an absolute fortune. 

Cardiff where in a relegation battle last season until they appointed Warnock and now again despite not having a huge budget are in the promotion mix this season.

Like another poster said we need to concentrate on getting out of this division first and foremost.If we go up I honestly think the squad we have now if we where to keep the loan signings and add 1 or 2 is easily good enough to stay up and consonlidate in the Championship which would be good enough in our first season back.

[Rogerb]

1 hour ago, blueboy3333 said:

I may be showing my ignorance but who is Ian Ferris?

He needs to cheer up whoever he is.

Ian Ferris is a lifelong Rovers fan who is in his mid 60's now. Used to go to a lot of away games with Ian in the late seventies early eighties including an interesting trip to Millwall the Saturday before the Panorama program

[blueboy3333]

Just now, Rogerb said:

Ian Ferris is a lifelong Rovers fan who is in his mid 60's now. Used to go to a lot of away games with Ian in the late seventies early eighties including an interesting trip to Millwall the Saturday before the Panorama program

This game...

That wasn't him was it? Funny line...'I picked my scarf up and there were 3 on the other end' Anyone know him?

[JacknOry]

1 hour ago, Cherry Blue said:

Local freelance football writer.

And now we know why he is freelance.

[SBlue]

2 hours ago, blueboy3333 said:

I think there is a gulf between L1 and the Championship. There have been some very poor teams at Ewood this season, and there is a lot of money in the Championship these days with some quality players. But, as DE says,  it isn't every team. PNE aren't full of expensive superstars but they are doing well. Sheff Utd the same and they didn't spend a lot in the summer, contrary to what Battersby tried to imply. We were fairly resilient at the end of last season under Mogga and would have stayed up if he'd got the same points per match all through the season.

I think Battersby was a bit disparaging about Smallwood too. He's more effective than any central midfielder we had in the Championship.

It's almost like Battersby had an agenda

Devils advocate might say that positivity is not really part of his plans...

[Rogerb]

With no ticket for Fleetwood and the debate as to whether the present side would struggle in the Championship thought I would look back 12 months to the Birmingham game of 21 Jan 2017

Steele

Lenihan Greer Mulgrew Williams

Feeney Lowe Akpan Bennett

Gallagher Graham

Subs Raya Brown Nyambe Guthrie Conway Mahoney Stokes

Can't say we miss Steele, Raya is better in my view

Consider Downing is an improvement on Greer

Feeney, Lowe Akpan not missed similarly Gallagher

Of the subs Brown Guthrie Stokes are not missed

The only one is Mahoney who could make a difference.

In my view we are considerably stronger than 12 months ago. The relegated by Christmas comment is ridiculous.