Championship season 2019-20

[garnersfags]

Just now, Tom said:

Tonight has gone a bit too perfectly 

Win tomorrow and I’ll be worried I may need to cancel that holiday in May!

Crazy that we're able to even think about this. Wow, to think where we were after xmas, not that long ago.

Saturday is a big, big day.

Hope we can get a decent atmosphere. There'll be many more away fans tomorrow, not sure  how many Stoke have sold.

If Lenihan can avoid that booking, we actually have a chance of Wembley.

Oops, sorry. Good laugh, tho. Will be good to see everyone arriving with smiles on faces tomorriw night.... 

[oozy]

Just now, Atko's Engine said:

Not that simple. Luton & Huddersfield, both below Stoke, have just beaten Bristol & Brentford, both above us.

We can take nothing for granted, but we are at home and it is a great opportunity. 

As you mentioned, the difference should be that we are at home.

[Stuart]

Just now, garnersfags said:

Crazy that we're able to even think about this. Wow, to think where we were after xmas, not that long ago.

Saturday is a big, big day.

Hope we can get a decent atmosphere. There'll be many more away fans tomorrow, not sure  how many Stoke have sold.

If Lenihan can avoid that booking, we actually have a chance of Wembley.

Oops, sorry. Good laugh, tho. Will be good to see everyone arriving with smiles on faces tomorriw night.... 

Let’s get tomorrow out of the way before rubbing our hands about Saturday.

It’d be just like Rovers to lose to Stoke having been put in a great position by other teams.

[Atko's Engine]

And we've still to go to Luton, Barnsley, Wigan, who are all picking up points at the moment.

There is NO easy game in this next dozen fixtures, sadly.

[JHRover]

1 minute ago, garnersfags said:

 

Hope we can get a decent atmosphere. There'll be many more away fans tomorrow, not sure  how many Stoke have sold.

 

About 600 as of the weekend I was told.

[oozy]

3 minutes ago, OldEwoodBlue said:

Good results.

If Tony manages to fuck this up tomorrow he wants shooting.

I know his signings have been very hit and miss, and there have been times when I would have advocated the sack for him.

However, I would say that he has built a team that is greater that the sum of it's parts and a great spirit.

We shouldn't always jump on his back as standard over a poor result, especially in a league as unpredictable as the championship.*

 

 

*No doubt I'll be calling for him to go if we lose tomorrow.

[barry_]

Nothing but a win is acceptable, tomorrow. 

Two season defining games. 

What a ride, eh! 

Only thing we can do is get off our arses and go support the team! 

A few extra thousand would make such a difference. 

 

[jim mk2]

18 minutes ago, oozy said:

I say this with hesitation, but with the form and quality of the teams around us, I think it really is getting to the point where we are almost favourites for the sixth spot.

I would say Forest, Fulham and Brentford are probably significantly better than us individually and of a similar level collectively.

I do feel we have the measure of Bristol City, Preston, Cardiff and Milwall.

The only club I do fear slightly are Swansea. A victory against them on Saturday would go a long way to allaying that.

How long have you been supporting Rovers?

You don't know your club!

[Mattyblue]

Just now, barry_ said:

Nothing but a win is acceptable, tomorrow. 

Two season defining games. 

What a ride, eh! 

Only thing we can do is get off our arses and go support the team! 

A few extra thousand would make such a difference. 

 

Red button and freezing temperatures? It will be no different than any other midweek game.

Swansea may see a bit of a spike in interest if we win tomorrow...

[Fraserkirky]

If Carlsberg did Tuesday night Championship results...

What an opportunity we have this week.

Come on boys!

[oozy]

6 hours ago, Yoogo said:

Some games for us to watch out for tonight - in order of priority (in my opinion).

1. West Brom v Preston
2. Huddersfield v Bristol City
3. Cardiff v Forest
4. Luton v Brentford
5. QPR v Derby

Could do with those in bold winning.

Cardiff v Forest might be best ending up as a draw, but if I had to choose a winner - Cardiff - given that we could get back above them with our game in-hand. That almost makes a full-house for wanting each home team to win tonight, which is the simplest way to look at it.

Games for tomorrow....

1. Fulham - Swansea

2. Milwall - Birmingham

3. Middlesbrough - Leeds

We would obviously prefer Boro and Big Club to win.

Thoughts on Fulham - Swansea?

Best is probably a draw, but if not, leaning towards a Fulham win.

[JHRover]

1 minute ago, barry_ said:

Nothing but a win is acceptable, tomorrow. 

Two season defining games. 

What a ride, eh! 

Only thing we can do is get off our arses and go support the team! 

A few extra thousand would make such a difference. 

 

As with Hull a few weeks ago you simply won't get more than a couple of hundred turning up on the day in dreadful weather to pay £25+ to watch the game. That isnt just Rovers. Looking at games on tv tonight some terrible attendances. It was never great but Red button and expensive tickets are killing midweek games.

[JHRover]

Just now, oozy said:

 

Best is probably a draw, but if not, leaning towards a Fulham win.

Draw ideally, failing that a Swansea win then Fulham beat Nobbers on Saturday and we beat Swansea, gaining points on everyone.

[Blue blood]

What a great set of results to come home to. 

It puts more pressure on us as it's given us a fantastic opportunity to get into the playoffs with a couple of good results. 

That said a win for Luton and given the other bottom teams getting points at the weekend there's a lot of pressure on Stoke too. Forces them to try for a result which is a good thing for us and our style. 

[Inglorious basturk]

1 hour ago, Atko's Engine said:

No it doesn't. IMO.

Does a bit 

[Blue blood]

2 hours ago, superniko said:

Huddersfield strong favourites over Bristol City. City are rated poorly on all statistical fronts. 
(They were 9/1 vs Leeds away the other week which was the same as what Wigan and Reading were)

QPR also favourites against Derby.

Preston is the big one for me, as they have Fulham away on Saturday, a defeat tonight for them and it heaps a bit more pressure on that fixture

Didn't realise that Bristol were in such a slump. Thanks for pointing this out. Looking at their goal difference you can tell there's something not quite right for it being so poor for a team just out of playoff positions. 

Surprised QPR were favourites as Derby have done ok of late. Seems like the bookies were right which is no bad thing in the case of Dodgy County. 

Glad WBA beat Preston as can see them getting something from the Fulham game. 

[JHRover]

Bristol are a bit like us in that they seem to alternate between really good patches and then terrible patches. They're on a bad one now with 3 straight defeats but to be fair they've just had Leeds away and WBA at home, prior to a tricky away game at Huddersfield so probably not crisis stations just yet for them. 

What i like about the table most at this moment in time is our goal difference. I can't remember the last time we were in positive double figures at this level and we are comfortably better in that department than anyone outside the top 6. It looks like a top 6 goal difference. If we can find a way to make up the 5 point shortfall we currently have that GD could count for a lot. Ever since Bowyer's days at this level we've always hovered around the 0 GD mark or been in negatives. Lovely to see a +10 at this point. 

[Atko's Engine]

1 hour ago, Inglorious basturk said:

Does a bit 

I really don't think it does at all. To get a point on Saturday at the home of a top 6 side is a great result, regardless of how it happened & regardless of tonight's scores. Getting 2 wins in 4 days now would really make that point count.

But we can't take anything for granted.  We have a great chance to cut the gap and I really hope we go at them from the off, however failing to win tomorrow, whilst damaging, would not end our hopes as this league is completely unpredictable.  Luton beating Brentford & Huddersfield beating Bristol are arguably surprise results tonight, but that's just scratching the surface of recent upturns. Recently Wigan won at Leeds (again), Barnsley hammered Fulham at home & our next opponents Stoke won at West Brom. 

In short, it's crazy but damned exciting!

[skous18]

Does anyone have stats about the points we have won after going behind this season and the ones we have lost after being ahead?

[superniko]

Fulham’s next 5 games:

Swansea (H)

PNE (H)

Bristol City (A)

Brentford (H)

Leeds (A)

Makes me think how valuable a 0-0 would have been against them the other week at Home. I really think they’re the team that could drop like a stone. 

Hoping we don’t let this opportunity slip, and get an early lead to control the game against Stoke. These next two are ones which playoff hopefuls grind out. Win them both, and I’d imagine we go close to odds on for a Top 6 finish.  

[Stuart]

6 hours ago, skous18 said:

Does anyone have stats about the points we have won after going behind this season and the ones we have lost after being ahead?

According to Sky (who took great delight while we were winning) we had lost 21 points from winning positions (so 23 after Saturday).

No idea about point from losing positions, I’d suggest not many.

[JHRover]

Pretty sure Huddersfield (home - draw) and Sheffield Wednesday (home - win) are the only times we have come from behind to take points from a game. So 4 points.

[MarkBRFC]

Pretty poor that is, and confirms what I have always thought about a Mowbray side, go a goal down and you might as well go home.

[DE.]

Unfortunately yes that's pretty much the case and has been for a while. 

[Admiral Nelsen]

1 hour ago, MarkBRFC said:

Pretty poor that is, and confirms what I have always thought about a Mowbray side, go a goal down and you might as well go home.

To a point it's poor, but it also suggests how much time we've actually spent behind in games this season, certainly in recent months.Since losing to Forest on New Years Day, the only time we've spent behind were the 25 minutes against Fulham. You're much less likely to come from behind to win points if you spend less time losing!

Equally, if you play in such a way that you come out of the traps quickly and score the most early goals in the league, you're a team that is in more winning positions to begin with, so are much more likely to lose more points from these positions.

Not saying the stats are meaningless either, or that we should be satisfied with them, but they are stats which are heavily context dependent.