[Archived] Rovers v Wigan

[Stuart]

Just now, joey_big_nose said:

I can't really see how Whittingham gets back in the team to be honest. Chapman on the other hand seems a shoo in, but then you would have to drop one of Dack, Payne or Armstrong.

Pretty good squad for this level...

Our squad is an embarrassment of riches in terms of creativity and attacking prowess. When the manager let’s them off the leash we can dominate. Now Lenihan is back alongside Mulgrew we have a very decent back four as well.

[1864roverite]

It’s now a win at all costs. Shrewsbury will see a huge deficit in points meaning more pressure on the to win as they play catch up. Wigan if they lose may feel a bit demoralised especially with a 9 point difference, added to a fixture pile up added to their up coming fa cup tie at home. A loss might change some players mindset for them taking out the challenge factor for them.

its the right thing to push into Rovers players kill them off now and it is us that reaps the benefits.

coyb

[AllRoverAsia]

I recall TM saying that when Lenihan came back we could defend farther up the pitch.

We are top and at home to one of our main challengers to auto promotion and the league title....we must be set up to go for the win right from the start.

I am sure that our players would relish that approach.

[philipl]

3 hours ago, JHRover said:

The pressure is actually on us for this one. We're the home side and we're actually under more pressure to win this game. The reason for that is if we don't win then automatic promotion could be out of our hands again if Shrewsbury win, whereas whatever happens Wigan retain their destiny in their own hands.

A draw wouldn't be a bad result for Rovers IMO, but the onus really needs to be on us to go and win it.

Wigan meanwhile will see this as their biggest hurdle. Avoid defeat and they still have a cushion over us and Shrewsbury. Undoubtedly their toughest game remaining and I expect they'll be more than happy with a point from it.

 

Given respective league positions and fixture lists I would say the biggest pressure is on Wigan not to lose this one.

A draw would mean we are no longer in control of an automatic promotion place so we need to keep the run of wins going.

Wigan is just about the only fixture where we are not automatically the better of the two sides. That said, there is nothing pre-ordained that we must draw or lose nor that we are the worse of the two.

Lenihan is a huge addition to the available squad so we can realistically set ourselves up to be both defensively tight and carry a big threat going forward at the same time. The risk to the game as an entertainment spectacle is both managers approaching the game as though the opposition were Manchester City as opposed to thoroughly beatable fellow travellers in League One distress.  

We need to do a Shrewsbury on the Pie Eaters and give them an Ewood nightmare they are not going to forget until next season.

 

 

[Al]

17 hours ago, 47er said:

Close the wardrobe door!

All well and good but my house is on the wrong bleeding side!

[RevidgeBlue]

3 hours ago, Tom said:

Forget games in hand - win and go 7 points clear at the top of the league now the Shrews game has been called off!

Even more of a must win game now. There was a slight possibility a draw with Wigan might not have been s disaster had Shrewsbury played first and lost but now we won't know if a point will turn out to have any real value

However it The footballing gods certainly seem to be smiling on us at the moment with the fixtures. I'd go as far as to say win on Sunday and barring something completely unexpected we're up.

Fail to win and automatic promotion could be potentially out of our hands.

Not that there's any pressure on it or anything......

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Just now, RevidgeBlue said:

Even more of a must win game now. There was a slight possibility a draw with Wigan might not have been s disaster had Shrewsbury played first and lost but now we won't know if a point will turn out to have any real value

However it The footballing gods certainly seem to be smiling on us at the moment with the fixtures. I'd go as far as to say win on Sunday and barring something completely unexpected we're up.

Fail to win and automatic promotion could be potentially out of our hands.

Not that there's any pressure on it or anything......

Still plenty of twists and turns to come. A win doesn't equal automatic promotion any more than a loss means we can't do it.

[OJRovers]

Rochdale game off - when are they going to fit in all their fixtures?? Good job they are out of the cup.

I think we’re only fighting against Shrews in the run in. If Wigan slip up that is a bonus. Draw would be ok.

[RevidgeBlue]

Just now, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

Still plenty of twists and turns to come. A win doesn't equal automatic promotion any more than a loss means we can't do it.

There are no absolutes obviously, but I'm looking at it from an overall perspective and assiming an "all things being equal" viewpoint rather than assuming something pretty unusual will happen.

I still think a win on Sunday leaves both our rivals a monumental task unless we suddenly implode. On the other hand any other result could mean automatic promotion is taken out of our hands altogether.

[DavidMailsTightPerm]

36 minutes ago, RevidgeBlue said:

Even more of a must win game now. There was a slight possibility a draw with Wigan might not have been s disaster had Shrewsbury played first and lost but now we won't know if a point will turn out to have any real value

However it The footballing gods certainly seem to be smiling on us at the moment with the fixtures. I'd go as far as to say win on Sunday and barring something completely unexpected we're up.

Fail to win and automatic promotion could be potentially out of our hands.

Not that there's any pressure on it or anything......

Rev - sorry, though I get the importance of the match - we will still have 10 games to play after this one. 

At this moment in time a draw wouldn't be a bad result - Shewsbury would still have to win both games in hand to go above us - and then better our results for another 10 matches.

Its nice to be nervous about a match for all the right reasons - i.e. chance of promotion rather than relegation.

 

 

[RevidgeBlue]

Sorry everyone, a draw would be a shocking result which takes it from being in our own hands to not being in our own hands. How much clearet could it be?

Besides if we only draw its unlikely imo Wigan won't then overhaul us. That probably then leaves us looking at Shrewsbury and I wouldn't say a point is particularly relevant in determining whether we finish above them or not. If we don't win I wouldn't be that much more disappointed with a loss than a draw. It makes no odds really.

That's not to say if we give it everything to try and win on the day and it's not to be, that we can't do it. It just means that a draw shouldnt be considered acceptable at any point before or during the game.

[Claytons Left Boot]

2 minutes ago, RevidgeBlue said:

Sorry everyone, a draw would be a shocking result which takes it from being in our own hands....... It just means that a draw shouldnt be considered acceptable at any point before or during the game.

I agree that a draw shouldn’t be considered acceptable but it certainly wouldn’t be shocking. There’ll be plenty of twists, turns and nervy moments yet.

That said, If I were Tony Mowbray, I would be going full steam ahead for a win. Not only would that put a bit more daylight between us and the rest, it would do our confidence (not that it’s faltering in any way) no end of good.

[BRFCMAD]

PLEASE Mr Mowbray, DO NOT set up to contain Wigan. Play same 11 as against Wimbledon and let them worry about us from the off. Plenty of options on the bench to change things if we establish a healthy lead to contain.

[Tom]

A bit ago I was really confident about this game but the Rovers fan in me worries that things are just going a little bit too well!

Still think we'll win it but going to be a nervy Sunday unless we get an early goal or two!

[FGS5635]

With Wigans fixture pile up and them having to share with the rugby now, that pitch is going to get no rest at all. With this weather the pitch will get trashed. Could be a real issue for wigan, especially if this bad weather keeps up

Tonight's rugby game goes ahead, which will for sure chew the pitch up quite bad

[Tom]

Just seen Wigans next 3 league games are us, Scunthorpe at Home and Bradford away

They may come away from those with 9 points but you'll feel they deserve it if they do!

[GreenRover]

18 minutes ago, Tom said:

Just seen Wigans next 3 league games are us, Scunthorpe at Home and Bradford away

They may come away from those with 9 points but you'll feel they deserve it if they do!

Three tough games for them there.   Hopefully a slip up on Sunday for them and more to follow. ????

[FGS5635]

One of them games this. If we beat them Sunday, you fancy they will drop points in them next 2.

If they beat us, you can easily see them winning the next 2 also

[JacknOry]

1 hour ago, Tom said:

Just seen Wigans next 3 league games are us, Scunthorpe at Home and Bradford away

They may come away from those with 9 points but you'll feel they deserve it if they do!

5 of their next 7 are away from home.

 

[Hasta]

If we draw on Sunday then technically it is out of our hands.

However it is around 400/1 that Shrewsbury will win all of their remaining games so let's not wave the white flag too soon.

[JacknOry]

Just now, Hasta said:

If we draw on Sunday then technically it is out of our hands.

However it is around 400/1 that Shrewsbury will win all of their remaining games so let's not wave the white flag too soon.

Worth a quid

[Ricky]

8 league one games called off tomorrow. 

[BRFCMAD]

Shrewsbury off. Not sure if that's good or bad.

[JacknOry]

Just now, BRFCMAD said:

Shrewsbury off. Not sure if that's good or bad.

Can only be good. Means more games in a short space of time compared to us. Also means if we win tomorrow, they see a massive gap and have increased pressure to perform.

[BRFCMAD]

Just now, JacknOry said:

Can only be good. Means more games in a short space of time compared to us. Also means if we win tomorrow, they see a massive gap and have increased pressure to perform.

But Peterborough lose the 'new manager bounce' effect, as this would have been Steve Evans first game in charge.