Championship 2018-19

[Mattyblue]

London games are always pretty well attended too due to our decenf numbers of fans in the south east.

Places slightly on a limb with poor transport links like Swansea, Boro seem to be the most poorly attended.

Well, plus the likes of Leeds and Sheff Wed with their ridiculous pricing. Though Sheff Wed are very canny on how they rip off away fans. £23 for members, £33 for non members.

Edited March 14, 2019 by Mattyblue

[JHRover]

7 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

London games are always pretty well attended too due to our decenf numbers of fans in the south east.

Places slightly on a limb with poor transport links like Swansea, Boro seem to be the most poorly attended.

Well, plus the likes of Leeds and Sheff Wed with their ridiculous pricing. Though Sheff Wed are very canny on how they rip off away fans. £23 for members, £33 for non members.

Was just going to put something similar about Sheff Wed. Just noticed that members prices start from £23 and 'Gold' members get bigger discounts. Meanwhile nailing away fans for £33.

Is there anything stopping Rovers charging £20 for home members and £30+ for all away fans?

Would certainly provide a bigger incentive to join the 1875 club if you were saving £10+ on all home tickets.

[Mattyblue]

That’s exactly what 1875 should be used for. 

Now the bulk of those that initially joined - regular away attendees who wanted to guarantee tickets for the likes of Fleetwood, have drifted away, it needs to be properly re-launched and advertised as a match day ticket saving scheme.

[Angry_Pirate]

25-1 on Preston to get promoted. Worth throwing away £4 to jinx it, as unlikely as it is.

Out of the teams in the mix for relegation (Ipswich are gone), my preference in order of relegation would be:

1) Wigan 2) Reading 3) Millwall 4) Rotherham 5) Bolton*

9 years out of 10 I'd usually laugh and enjoy it were Bolton to go down, but I genuinely fear that a relegation for them could put them in serious danger of even existing. Can't wish that on any club. Of course it's almost certain they are down. 

Lambert going down is the highlight... 

For what it's worth I hope the promoted teams do not include Sky Sports FC (Leeds), Middlesboring, Derby or Nobbers. So I guess that leaves Norwich, WBA and Sheff Utd as my preferred picks.

[Blue blood]

12 hours ago, Gordon Gekko said:

What a mental league...both Rotherham and Milwall getting unlikely wins tonight. Gone from feeling 100% safe to thinking we probably might need another win or 2.

 

12 hours ago, Stuart said:

We are safe.

Millwall, Reading, Wigan and Rotherham ALL have to win 4 from 9 - and for us to pick up zero points.

 

Agree the odds of us going down we're miniscule before and they have only improved. 4 from 9 is a bigger ask than 4 from 11. Also we've seen Wigan and know how poor they are and proved we're going to scrape a few more points upon the way. No chance at all that all 4 teams will have excellent finishes to the season

[rigger]

2 hours ago, Mattyblue said:

Way things are going we could have zero local games next season...

Preston, Huddersfield 

[Mattyblue]

I’m talking worst case if Preston somehow scab it.

I suppose Hudds is only an hour of so away, but I was more thinking Lancs.

Edited March 14, 2019 by Mattyblue

[alcd]

16 hours ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

They weren't in it until 'Boro got a player red carded.

Contrast with December when Boro went a man and a goal down earlier in the match and still got a draw. That sort of outcome is why Rovers are where they are now.

[Bigdoggsteel]

It's annoying when you consider how close we would be to the play-offs if we even won even one game in the last 6 before Wigan 

[oldjamfan1]

Did anyone see that penalty that Swansea missed against West Brom? I hope Pete Devine was watching it!!

 

https://www.skysports.com/watch/video/sports/11664691/celinas-calamitous-penalty

[JHRover]

23 minutes ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

It's annoying when you consider how close we would be to the play-offs if we even won even one game in the last 6 before Wigan 

Ifs and buts. If we hadn't had such a poor start to last season we'd have won the league comfortably. If we'd have been able to defend a lead late on in games we'd have 10+ more points. Mowbray's job is to eradicate those maybes and near misses.

[Pedro]

8 hours ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

Wigan getting relegated would be a nice end to the season. Very hard to call. I still think we need 6 points just to be 100% comfortable. 

In the promotion chase 2 big clubs in villa and Wednesday peaking and we play both of them next. I would take 2 points right now. 3 be great. 

Makes you realise what a decent amount of points we got the year we went down.

[USABlue]

On 14/03/2019 at 09:49, Bigdoggsteel said:

It's annoying when you consider how close we would be to the play-offs if we even won even one game in the last 6 before Wigan 

Or if we had held on to only half the points we have thrown away from winning positions.

[SBlue]

If anyone really thinks this team - with an expensive wage structure breaking striker, or with defenders that we could get for 1/2 the price in summer, was genuinely in with a chance of a playoff place (never mind win it)  is a bit of a fantasist imo.

 

I wouldn’t want to run a business with those of you that thought “we should have gone for it”, “Mowbray has no ambition” etc...

 

Although I would very much like to play you at poker.

 

Our form in January was as unexpected as that in Feb. But I suppose to be expected with where we are as a club right now.

 

Im glad we didn’t bet the farm on the playoffs... and to be honest - I’d be properly delighted with mid-table mediocrity right now.

 

Commence shitstorm.

 

 

 

Edited March 15, 2019 by S8 & Blue

[Ossydave]

1 hour ago, S8 & Blue said:

If anyone really thinks this team - with an expensive wage structure breaking striker, or with defenders that we could get for 1/2 the price in summer, was genuinely in with a chance of a playoff place (never mind win it)  is a bit of a fantasist imo.

 

I wouldn’t want to run a business with those of you that thought “we should have gone for it”, “Mowbray has no ambition” etc...

 

Although I would very much like to play you at poker.

 

Our form in January was as unexpected as that in Feb. But I suppose to be expected with where we are as a club right now.

 

Im glad we didn’t bet the farm on the playoffs... and to be honest - I’d be properly delighted with mid-table mediocrity right now.

 

Commence shitstorm.

 

 

 

I think expectations just got a bit ridiculous because of the great run in January, beating WBA and Hull who at that time were the form team in the league. Then we went 2 up at Brentford and were starting to dream, that soon went tits up mind as we all know. I think that game really knocked the stuffing out of us looking back and started the downward spiral. 

Tuesdays win should give us a much needed lift, granted Wigan are dreadful but it's important to get that winning feeling back. 

[SBlue]

12 minutes ago, Ossydave said:

I think expectations just got a bit ridiculous because of the great run in January, beating WBA and Hull who at that time were the form team in the league. Then we went 2 up at Brentford and were starting to dream, that soon went tits up mind as we all know. I think that game really knocked the stuffing out of us looking back and started the downward spiral. 

Tuesdays win should give us a much needed lift, granted Wigan are dreadful but it's important to get that winning feeling back. 

I’m properly the worst for getting carried away... After twenty minutes at Brentford I was genuinely looking at Premier Inn Wembley! ?

But reality bites. 

If we’d managed to space out the results from Jan/Feb, we would have been ticking along decently and I think you’d be hard pressed to find anyone too disappointed with our current total.

You can only beat what’s in front of you though, and the Wigan game should give us that positive, competitive feeling again.

ANY result tomorrow against 40k a week Wednesday should be celebrated, really... and unfortunately, pessimisticly, pisstakingly (some might think) perhaps - 

I don’t think a loss should lead to a forum meltdown.

And a win will be to the team’s, and THE MANAGER’S credit, surely.

 

Edited March 15, 2019 by S8 & Blue

[Stuart]

1 hour ago, S8 & Blue said:

If anyone really thinks this team - with an expensive wage structure breaking striker, or with defenders that we could get for 1/2 the price in summer, was genuinely in with a chance of a playoff place (never mind win it)  is a bit of a fantasist imo.

Well we may as well hand back our league share now and draw up stumps because it’s going to be a heck of a lot more difficult next season with three more rich clubs in the mix.

Three points off.

January window open.

Venkys wanting to back the manager.

Mowbray in charge.

A guy who when we were crying out for a defender was talking about an attacker “that we couldn’t afford”. He’s capable of a Dack or a Brereton, depending on which way the wind blows.

But you’re right getting more square pegs for round holes at half the January price is what’s most important.

It’s not fans who need to change their expectations and targets, it’s the current manager.

[SBlue]

1 hour ago, Stuart said:

 

Venkys wanting to back the manager.

 

I must have missed that memo.

What was the budget @Stuart?

If it was enough to plug the glaring inadequacies in the squad then you must be more optimistic about the team than me!

Edited March 15, 2019 by S8 & Blue

[blueboy3333]

3 hours ago, S8 & Blue said:

If anyone really thinks this team - with an expensive wage structure breaking striker, or with defenders that we could get for 1/2 the price in summer, was genuinely in with a chance of a playoff place (never mind win it)  is a bit of a fantasist imo.

 

I wouldn’t want to run a business with those of you that thought “we should have gone for it”, “Mowbray has no ambition” etc...

 

Although I would very much like to play you at poker.

 

Our form in January was as unexpected as that in Feb. But I suppose to be expected with where we are as a club right now.

 

Im glad we didn’t bet the farm on the playoffs... and to be honest - I’d be properly delighted with mid-table mediocrity right now.

 

Commence shitstorm.

 

 

 

You're conviently forgetting as a club we've spent/committed £10m NET since last summer. Practically unheard of in the Championship. The farm has already been bet, which nobody was arguing for anyway. People, quite rightly, were instead wondering why Mowbray didn't strengthen when we were in a superb position. Its not like our porous defence was new to him. 

He was complacent and the club has spent the last 6 weeks paying for it. 

Bet the farm FFS! You mean like Preston did. Oh hang on, they just made a few good additions in January from the lower leagues relatively cheaply and are now reaping the rewards. 

[blueboy3333]

Just now, S8 & Blue said:

I must have missed that memo.

What was the budget @Stuart?

If it was enough to plug the glaring inadequacies in the squad then you must be more optimistic about the team than me!

One CB would have made a huge difference. 

[SBlue]

Just now, blueboy3333 said:

One CB would have made a huge difference. 

Yeah but it wouldn’t have meant playoffs imo

[blueboy3333]

Just now, S8 & Blue said:

Yeah but it wouldn’t have meant playoffs imo

We'll never know but we're only 9 points away after getting 1 point from 21. 

[SBlue]

4 minutes ago, blueboy3333 said:

You're conviently forgetting as a club we've spent/committed £10m NET since last summer. Practically unheard of in the Championship. The farm has already been bet, which nobody was arguing for anyway. People, quite rightly, were instead wondering why Mowbray didn't strengthen when we were in a superb position. Its not like our porous defence was new to him. 

He was complacent and the club has spent the last 6 weeks paying for it. 

Bet the farm FFS! You mean like Preston did. Oh hang on, they just made a few good additions in January from the lower leagues relatively cheaply and are now reaping the rewards. 

Good points, as usual well made.

I think what I’m post-publy getting at is that I really don’t think we can have expected or “demanded” a playoff push. 

We may have spent money , but throwing more on the fire in January wasn’t a sensible move for me.

We just aren’t good enough throughout yet.

Who’s “fault” or failing that is is almost a separate conversation, and for me it is too early to point fingers during what I think can still shape up to be a relatively successful season.

But I suppose you all know I think that already!

 

 

Edited March 15, 2019 by S8 & Blue

[blueboy3333]

Just now, S8 & Blue said:

Good points, as usual well made.

I think what I’m post-publy getting at is that I really don’t think we can have expected or “demanded” a playoff push. 

We may have spent money , but throwing more on the fire in January wasn’t a sensible move for me.

We just aren’t good enough throughout yet.

Who’s “fault” or failing that is is almost a separate conversation, and for me it is too early to point fingers during what I think can still shape up to be a relatively successful season.

But I suppose you all know I think that already!

 

 

The frustration is that we didn't try to improve In Jan when 1 average Championship CB capable of heading the ball and defending properly could have made a huge difference. All we got instead was the Mowbray Shrug. Very very annoying. 

Hope the pub was good?

[Owlsonlineadmin]

1 hour ago, blueboy3333 said:

You're conviently forgetting as a club we've spent/committed £10m NET since last summer. Practically unheard of in the Championship. The farm has already been bet, which nobody was arguing for anyway. People, quite rightly, were instead wondering why Mowbray didn't strengthen when we were in a superb position. Its not like our porous defence was new to him. 

He was complacent and the club has spent the last 6 weeks paying for it. 

Bet the farm FFS! You mean like Preston did. Oh hang on, they just made a few good additions in January from the lower leagues relatively cheaply and are now reaping the rewards. 

Sadly fella the Championship has become the league where £10m net spends are now the norm. When Villa and the Jawdees came down a couple of years ago they just decimated the transfer market cos they had parachute payments, average players moved for 8 figure fees and wages rose, other clubs had to compete and now we see the effects biting. 

Players previously 3-4m are going for 4 times that but then the EFL want FFP. Stoke have done it this year and no doubt the club's coming down will do the same.