v Birmingham (h) - 18/12/21

[Irish_Rover]

 

I was reading through the thread prior to the start of the game and was noticing how confident everyone was and how pretty much all the media were tipping us for a win. Pretty much every year gone by, such a scenario would always have ended in a loss and I was feeling a tad uncertain around the 2:30 mark. Never thought we would slaughter them in the fashion we have.

But everything about this just feels different. That glass ceiling of the top 6, which always seemed to be a world away has been well and truly smashed.
Even things like team selection. Gallagher was back in the squad for this one, other years that would have meant shoe-horning him into the wide right position to hit pointless diagonals to him so he can head them out of play. Unnecessary change in system and personnel followed.
This time Gallagher was rightly left on the bench in favour of the lads that were doing so good recently. The only change was one where Pears could rightfully feel hard done by after some really good performances but again Mowbray did the 100% correct thing of bringing back in our undisputed No1.

Seeing out games, be it at 1-0, 2-0 or 4-0 seems to be such a non-event these days. Contrast that with earlier in the season where if any goal was conceded you were pretty much assuming more would follow.

It really is just crazy at the moment, considering we all would have took survival generally at the start of the season this is just a stunning turnaround.

Well done Tony Mowbray, the staff and the players!

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

3 minutes ago, 47er said:

This is a worry, always has to be one I'm afraid!

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/59713763

Tony “ Foot In Mouth “ Mowbray.

[Ulrich]

I'm just going to take each match as it comes. Hope we keep up the good form but won't be raising my expectations.

[simongarnerisgod]

2 minutes ago, 47er said:

This is a worry, always has to be one I'm afraid!

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/59713763

there will never be a better chance to get promoted,the league is choc full of mediocrity and the play offs are certainly there for the taking,surely mowbray can see this and is telling swag to get on the phone to india for some money,if you don`t make a push for it this season then whats the point of owning a football club,venkys are supposed billionaires it aint the 1980`s when bill fox used to fix the attendance figures to avoid paying the tax bill

[booth]

7 minutes ago, simongarnerisgod said:

fulham are nailed for automatic promotion,bournemouth are hampered by their manager,qpr ar`nt anything to worry about,west brom worry me,class squad who play at high speed,providing we get some luck with injuries and some money for reinforcements in january i think it will be a battle for the second spot between us and west brom,happy days to be a rovers fans though at the moment😊

They are a bit rattled.

https://www.friendsoffulham.com/forum/index.php?PHPSESSID=0cd4958c8d50a32e67023249206f5a60&topic=84325.0
 

Seem a decent bunch though. Be good for both clubs to go up together again.

[slowmo]

4 minutes ago, 47er said:

This is a worry, always has to be one I'm afraid!

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/59713763

It's the only thing that I can see stopping us this season, get through January. 

Top 2 game on .

 

[47er]

2 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

Tony “ Foot In Mouth “ Mowbray.

Is he warning us we won't get reinforcements in January or that, if we do, they will be replacements for the "stars" we have to sell? If they have 18 months left on their contracts, why not wait till summer?

It seems simple to me but possibly not to Venkys. All they have to do is to keep this going for a few more months and they could get all their losses back in one go , or most of them.

Sensible owners would back the manager in January to maximise our chances but that is apparently beyond them.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

2 minutes ago, 47er said:

Is he warning us we won't get reinforcements in January or that, if we do, they will be replacements for the "stars" we have to sell? If they have 18 months left on their contracts, why not wait till summer?

It seems simple to me but possibly not to Venkys. All they have to do is to keep this going for a few more months and they could get all their losses back in one go , or most of them.

Sensible owners would back the manager in January to maximise our chances but that is apparently beyond them.

I don’t think we need much in the way of “ reinforcements “ , we just need to keep this squad together. When I think of all the money this lot have squandered over the years on no hopers I’d be livid if they don’t back us when we have a realistic chance of actually doing something.

[booth]

I can't see another team as good as Rovers at the moment. Even when the passes are sloppy, the defence is that good it doesn't matter and we're hitting teams on the counter. We're good at the back and the front and some of the work and vision from Rothwell is a class above. The workrate of the team has also gone up several notches.

It's just keeping that bunch together with Jan potentially bringing doom and covid to our door.

If they can, with other teams around us out of form we could potentially witness the impossible.

We've had a decade of pain so perhaps good times are returning in very unlikely circumstances.

[magicalmortensleftpeg]

1 minute ago, 47er said:

Is he warning us we won't get reinforcements in January or that, if we do, they will be replacements for the "stars" we have to sell? If they have 18 months left on their contracts, why not wait till summer?

It seems simple to me but possibly not to Venkys. All they have to do is to keep this going for a few more months and they could get all their losses back in one go , or most of them.

Sensible owners would back the manager in January to maximise our chances but that is apparently beyond them.

Our wage to turnover rate is 200%. Sadly, something has to give. Breaking our wage structure for several players is a massive risk. Let’s hope we can keep the run going and the players choose to stick around on terms we can afford.

[simongarnerisgod]

2 minutes ago, magicalmortensleftpeg said:

Our wage to turnover rate is 200%. Sadly, something has to give. Breaking our wage structure for several players is a massive risk. Let’s hope we can keep the run going and the players choose to stick around on terms we can afford.

you don`t need to break the bank,just bring in some  reinforcements,there will be injuries,tiredness and suspensions along the way and we already have a thin squad,worse thing would be to run out of steam from march onwards

[rigger]

5 hours ago, TimmyJimmy said:

Sky opinion just now is that it will be really difficult for us to hang on to Diaz this window. Brighton want him. Maybe a swap for their two loan players?

I'd settle for that

[Upside Down]

13 minutes ago, simongarnerisgod said:

there will never be a better chance to get promoted,the league is choc full of mediocrity and the play offs are certainly there for the taking,surely mowbray can see this and is telling swag to get on the phone to india for some money,if you don`t make a push for it this season then whats the point of owning a football club,venkys are supposed billionaires it aint the 1980`s when bill fox used to fix the attendance figures to avoid paying the tax bill

January will definitely show the intentions and ambitions the club and it's owners. Selling any of the players we have now is absolute insanity when we have a decent chance of promotion.

If promotion isn't the goal then really what is the point? We may as well shut the doors right now.

We are only in this division because of the owners, be it by design or by neglect. January will show what they are really about.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

4 minutes ago, rigger said:

I'd settle for that

Brererton must be in the £20 million zone at the moment. How much are the two lads from Brighton worth ?

[Gav]

1 minute ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

Brererton must be in the £20 million zone at the moment. How much are the two lads from Brighton worth ?

We sell Brereton in January and that’s the season gone.

I doubt the squad can compete until May as it is, but you don’t sell your top goal scorer and go up. 

[BigBar]

11 minutes ago, rigger said:

I'd settle for that

No way...he would be getting shafted big time!

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

3 minutes ago, Gav said:

We sell Brereton in January and that’s the season gone.

I doubt the squad can compete until May as it is, but you don’t sell your top goal scorer and go up. 

Well at least we’ve got nearly enough points to avoid relegation this season.  Maybe that’s the limit of their ambition ?

[Miller11]

29 minutes ago, magicalmortensleftpeg said:

Our wage to turnover rate is 200%. Sadly, something has to give. Breaking our wage structure for several players is a massive risk. Let’s hope we can keep the run going and the players choose to stick around on terms we can afford.

It WAS at 200%. The recent trimming of the squad and the increase in revenue means that figure will be an anomaly.

Still way off anything approaching sustainable though. The irony of course is that the only chance we have of becoming solvent any time soon is promotion.

[47er]

We've waited 10 years to get back to this position, fans in love with the team again, pride in bucketfuls at what we are achieving.

If the owners don't back us all the way this time, we have to conclude promotion isn't important to them.

The reaction will be savage. Simply no point anymore.

[Upside Down]

Exactly, if you thought there were people boycotting before.....

[booth]

5 minutes ago, 47er said:

We've waited 10 years to get back to this position, fans in love with the team again, pride in bucketfuls at what we are achieving.

If the owners don't back us all the way this time, we have to conclude promotion isn't important to them.

The reaction will be savage. Simply no point anymore.

We have to conclude the club isn't important to them and throwing massive amounts of money at it yearly is some kind of psychosis.

[Ulrich]

3 minutes ago, FortressEwood said:

No mate. I will not.

You won't persuade a single soul to return by berating them.

[Gav]

14 minutes ago, booth said:

We have to conclude the club isn't important to them and throwing massive amounts of money at it yearly is some kind of psychosis.

I wouldn't rule that diagnosis out booth.

[SuperBrfc]

I just love how worried opposition teams/fans are getting about us right now. I've seen a few bitter comments recently such as "how are Blackburn beating us", "we're making Blackburn look like Barcelona" and "Blackburn aren't even that good". Now the Fulham fans are looking over their shoulders and wondering how we have closed in on them. Brilliant! It's about time.

Opponents not looking forward to playing us, Rovers defending stoutly and being tough to beat. That's the Rovers of old, which hasn't been seen for 11 years. Half of the season to go yet, but I'm happy to see hope has been restored and games are being eagerly anticipated again. Credit to Mowbray for getting a response post Fulham and for sticking with the winning formula. 

Just don't mess this up in January with player sales, Venky's. If they, apparently, wanted a double promotion back in 2018, after coming up from L1, then surely they will back Mowbray next month?

[bazza]

1 hour ago, DaveyB said:

On this kind of Rovers-trivia theme - the guys behind me today were wondering when the last time we had a striker hit 19 goals before Christmas?

Without looking at the stats I’d have guessed maybe Shearer back in 1992/93 - but I suspect someone on here might know better
 

Tommy Briggs, 1954?   🤫