[Archived] THE BATTLE FOR PROMOTION....WON.

[JAL]

Read some garbage in the Lancashire Telegraph today under a Alex james name claiming other teams where raising their game against Rovers. 

What absolute bunkum they should be ashamed of printing such comments for public consumption.

[Preben]

1 hour ago, JHRover said:

Bit early for that. We're probably going to be playing catch up but not by much compared to what it was. 

As above, we need to win our games and if we do we'll get up. 

For what its worth I don't think Wigan have a better squad than us, but think they are arguably more streetwise and ruthless than we are, but it doesn't really matter. By virtually every measure available we have a better side and squad than Shrewsbury but it doesn't change the reality that they are right in there with us.

I believe that Wigan are the best "team" in the division but we have more match winners. Both teams better than Shrewsbury but that's on paper, time will tell who has the actual ability to acquire the points.

[LDRover]

I still firmly believe that 90 points will be enough for a top 2 place so 5 wins, job done for me.

[AllRoverAsia]

6 hours ago, JAL said:

Read some garbage in the Lancashire Telegraph today under a Alex james name claiming other teams where raising their game against Rovers. 

What absolute bunkum they should be ashamed of printing such comments for public consumption.

Surely it is quite normal for the LT to publish comments made by Mowbray.

James and the LT just doing their job.

TM merely repeating lines he has been using all season.

[Craigyboy]

This is going to go right to the final kick of the ball,I'm really hoping the rovers do it this season as I'm afraid if they don't then next season could possibly be even tougher. With the likes of Sunderland coming down they will be challenging for promotion and also we could lose some of our top players so please rovers do us all a favour and win it all ???

[AdamRochina]

7 minutes ago, Craigyboy said:

This is going to go right to the final kick of the ball,I'm really hoping the rovers do it this season as I'm afraid if they don't then next season could possibly be even tougher. With the likes of Sunderland coming down they will be challenging for promotion and also we could lose some of our top players so please rovers do us all a favour and win it all ???

Said all season we won't go up.. and I stick by it. All because of the last 7 years..nothing will go right for us and we shall linger in this division for years after we lose mulgrew dack Graham ect 

[AJW]

well at least we're not all downbeat about it ? ..... Wigan won a game we'd all expect them to win , Shrewsbury pickedup a point at Northampton but lost their captain to suspension and all of a sudden it's doom and gloom ... I would still take our remaining fixture list  over  both theirs Wigan will be playing twice a week from now until the end of season that will catch up with them and Shrewsbury have a cup final to look forward to at Wembley I still believe 90 points is the target fixture , that's 5 more wins , easily achievable for a team that has lost just since October 

[Dreams of 1995]

I wouldn't say it's doom and gloom. Having recently witnessed Walsall's side I was never in doubt Wigan would beat them. 

Both Wigan and Shrewsbury play this weekend at Bury and Wimbledon respectively. We could very well be 3rd by Saturday night but it won't be the end of the world. 

One thing I do fear is Bradford at home. After their tanning recently I think Grayson will have them more than up for that game and it is one we can very easily slip up too whereas Wigan and Shrewsbury's midweek game is Oldham and Rochdale. You maybe fancy Rochdale getting a result vs Shrewsbury but you'd have to assume Wigan have enough to see off a fairly weak Oldham side.

As most have said though all we can do is win our games. The bad start to the season we had could eventually be what punishes us. There was no excuse for that start in my opinion.

[philipl]

The Shrewsbury dropped points are this week's bonus. We only need to do one point worse than them over the respective remaining 9 fixtures and we go up on goal difference assuming they don't chuck in three 7-0 wins.

And Wigan are not out of sight if we we get more than 6 wins in the run-in either.

[blueboy3333]

10 hours ago, JAL said:

Read some garbage in the Lancashire Telegraph today under a Alex james name claiming other teams where raising their game against Rovers. 

What absolute bunkum they should be ashamed of printing such comments for public consumption.

What does that mean little fella?

[DE.]

Walsall's results against the top three:

Wigan 2-0 Walsall
Walsall 0-3 Wigan

Shrewsbury 2-0 Walsall
Walsall 1-1 Shrewsbury

Rovers 3-1 Walsall
Walsall 1-2 Rovers 

So, yeah... 1 point out of a possible 18, 3 goals scored and 13 against. Obviously the only one of the three who didn't record at least one clean sheet against them is Rovers, but you wouldn't expect any less, and we still took all six points from them whereas Shrewsbury only took four.

Terrible they may be (or really just your average L1 team) but will the two points they took from Shrewsbury help us in the final run in...?

[Bigdoggsteel]

2 hours ago, Dreams of 1995 said:

I wouldn't say it's doom and gloom. Having recently witnessed Walsall's side I was never in doubt Wigan would beat them. 

Both Wigan and Shrewsbury play this weekend at Bury and Wimbledon respectively. We could very well be 3rd by Saturday night but it won't be the end of the world. 

One thing I do fear is Bradford at home. After their tanning recently I think Grayson will have them more than up for that game and it is one we can very easily slip up too whereas Wigan and Shrewsbury's midweek game is Oldham and Rochdale. You maybe fancy Rochdale getting a result vs Shrewsbury but you'd have to assume Wigan have enough to see off a fairly weak Oldham side.

As most have said though all we can do is win our games. The bad start to the season we had could eventually be what punishes us. There was no excuse for that start in my opinion.

It took a few games to realise what the league is like. I wouldn't be too hard on the players for it. It takes some "big" teams a number of seasons. It's a credit that we are where we are. Hopefully we get it over the line. I won't be able for a summer on here if we don't! 

[JAL]

5 hours ago, AllRoverAsia said:

Surely it is quite normal for the LT to publish comments made by Mowbray.

James and the LT just doing their job.

TM merely repeating lines he has been using all season.

Do you not find those comments very shallow when afterall Rovers are playing against fellow professional players who train just as hard to win football games for their teams.

[JAL]

56 minutes ago, DE. said:

Walsall's results against the top three:

Wigan 2-0 Walsall
Walsall 0-3 Wigan

Shrewsbury 2-0 Walsall
Walsall 1-1 Shrewsbury

Rovers 3-1 Walsall
Walsall 1-2 Rovers 

So, yeah... 1 point out of a possible 18, 3 goals scored and 13 against. Obviously the only one of the three who didn't record at least one clean sheet against them is Rovers, but you wouldn't expect any less, and we still took all six points from them whereas Shrewsbury only took four.

Terrible they may be (or really just your average L1 team) but will the two points they took from Shrewsbury help us in the final run in...?

Conceding in each game against a poor Wallsall team just goes to highlights the vulnerability of a Mowbray Venus Lowe coached football team.

[OJRovers]

Said it before, forget about Wigan, they are going to finish top. 

Shrewsbury now need to get 2 more points than us over the final 9 games. That's the task in hand.

Either way, a day at Wembley would be nice wouldn't it?

[JAL]

Just now, OJRovers said:

Said it before, forget about Wigan, they are going to finish top. 

Shrewsbury now need to get 2 more points than us over the final 9 games. That's the task in hand.

Either way, a day at Wembley would be nice wouldn't it?

No !

[Paul]

I can’t remember how long we have been top but despite all the worry and concern in recent weeks we are:

Still top

One defeat in 26 league games

Promotion is back in our hands 

Level on games with Shrewsbury

One point clear of Shrewsbury 

Only two games ahead of Wigan instead of four

Two points clear of Wigan

It’s only a few weeks since the majority were convinced we’d be overtaken by our rivals by now. 

[AllRoverAsia]

10 minutes ago, JAL said:

Do you not find those comments very shallow when afterall Rovers are playing against fellow professional players who train just as hard to win football games for their teams.

Just Mowbray bigging up the opposition, as usual.

Teams do tend to raise their game against those perceived as being better. We seemed to raise our home game in the FA Cup v Man U last season. 

[G Somerset Rover]

8 minutes ago, Paul said:

I can’t remember how long we have been top but despite all the worry and concern in recent weeks we are:

Unbeaten in 26 league games

Hate to be the one to break the news Paul, but we lost 2-0 away to Plymouth.

[Dreams of 1995]

1 hour ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

It took a few games to realise what the league is like. I wouldn't be too hard on the players for it. It takes some "big" teams a number of seasons. It's a credit that we are where we are. Hopefully we get it over the line. I won't be able for a summer on here if we don't! 

All due respect to the other 'big teams' I couldn't care less about their failures.

I don't buy the excuse that they didn't realise what the league is like. Our starting line up against Southend featured regular starters for clubs in either the Championship or League 1. The only players not yet played in League 1 were Nyambe, Lenihan, Mulgrew and Raya. One of them was a full international and shone even in that game. The rest all knew the rigours of this league.

The truth is we started nonchalantly, half expecting to walk it. It may now prove to cost us in the long run.

[Bigdoggsteel]

5 minutes ago, Dreams of 1995 said:

All due respect to the other 'big teams' I couldn't care less about their failures.

I don't buy the excuse that they didn't realise what the league is like. Our starting line up against Southend featured regular starters for clubs in either the Championship or League 1. The only players not yet played in League 1 were Nyambe, Lenihan, Mulgrew and Raya. One of them was a full international and shone even in that game. The rest all knew the rigours of this league.

The truth is we started nonchalantly, half expecting to walk it. It may now prove to cost us in the long run.

With all due respect I disagree. Overall our season has been a success so far. Hence why we are top of the league. 

[arbitro]

Just now, JAL said:

Do you not find those comments very shallow when afterall Rovers are playing against fellow professional players who train just as hard to win football games for their teams.

It's not as black and white as that John but I suspect you know that. How do you explain Rochdale and Newport drawing with Tottenham when they are both near the bottom of their respective leagues. And in their next league matches they lose badly. Sometimes they can't really be bothered and go through the motions but give them a bigger stage to perform on and they put a shift in. For a lot of players coming to Ewood is a big game for them, it's as simple as that.

[Bigdoggsteel]

Just now, arbitro said:

It's not as black and white as that John but I suspect you know that. How do you explain Rochdale and Newport drawing with Tottenham when they are both near the bottom of their respective leagues. And in their next league matches they lose badly. Sometimes they can't really be bothered and go through the motions but give them a bigger stage to perform on and they put a shift in. For a lot of players coming to Ewood is a big game for them, it's as simple as that.

Agreed. Amazing that some rovers fans can't or won't acknowledge this 

[Dreams of 1995]

2 minutes ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

With all due respect I disagree. Overall our season has been a success so far. Hence why we are top of the league. 

I never said our season hadn't been a success so far.

[Rover_Shaun]

Success? Did I miss something? Is it May 6th already?