StHelensRover

This is the first game this season (and we're at the end of November) that I'm expecting we will win. QPR are very inconsistent, they won't bring many fans up to East Lancashire on a miserable cold November mid-week. It won't be a classic but I think we'll win this 1-0.

I still think he's shite. We're 18th in the league, we've won one home game and got knocked out the cup by a lower league team. If I was appointed instead of him last year I think I could have made a better fist of getting us into the playoffs than he did. Anyone being smarmy about him because we won a local derby can jog on for me. I never wanted him appointed and my jaw will go through the floor if he ever musters anything measurable as 'success', which would be qualifying for the playoffs, he won't. Edit - I don't want to see anyone using transfer policy as an excuse for him. When he interviewed for the job, that was his chance to interview the club about it's plans to progress. If he didn't ask, didn't listen, or simply waved through their shambolic, tinpot, unambitious plans then he doesn't get the excuse of "doing well with a poor squad".

9 points of breathing space now, hopefully that is a big mental boost for the squad. We just need to keep chipping away and maintaining that gap and we can do it with the big six pointers we have coming in December 🤞 I think we all acknowledge that at least one of Sheff Utd and Norwich, if not both, will eventually begin to climb out. Another 10 wins needed this season to stay up, hopefully we can get 3 or 4 of those before end of December.

I don't think he's that arsed about us, he has no connection beyond managing us for almost a year, I don't think it's that deep for him. Like many he probably saw us as a stepping stone, it's just that on this occasion he made a sideways (at the time a step down) away from us which was galling for us, I don't think it keeps him awake at night. Out moronic owners keep me awake though. It's probably the satisfaction that came from the performance. They completely mugged us off in that game, it was the perfect away performance. Any manager would want to hang their hat on it. They've barely won any matches, so not surprising it stood out.

Great performance that I didn't see coming. We do seem to be a completely different outfit away from home. Maybe playing with less pressure and not expected to take games by the scruff of the neck. Regardless, we were definitely the better team last night. Apart from the crazy 15 seconds which led to the Preston goal, that back 3/5 looked okay. Very pleased for Pratt to see him step up and deliver. I couldn't really fault the performance of any of the starting 11 who all worked their socks off. The subs all did well when they came on. One exception was Maktar Gueye, who honestly. I give up with. I know he has put the ball in the net on a couple of occasions, but he might be the least gifted striker we've ever signed and his attitude stinks to boot. The poor man's Grabbi

I'm down at the ground by the turnstiles and is a lot of younger Rovers fans (can't be older than 18/19) singing absolutely disgusting songs about Tom Finney. Tried to call them out on it and basically got told to F/O. Hope others will call it out when they hear it as well. Cannot believe anyone would sing about anyone dying at football matches, let alone someone like Finney. Disgraceful.

Massive for them because they still have something to play for this season besides trying to finish 21st like us

If we lose Cantwell, which I'm worried we will, we'll have lost our club captain in 3 of the last 4 transfer windows.

5000 away fans turning up on a cold Friday night, many paying more than thirty quid a pop. We deserve better than this. We all knew this would happen sooner or later and we pointed out in the summer. Why couldn't our manager and recruitment see how lightweight the squad was? I think they probably could see, and don't really give a toss. Who knows what the lineup is gonna be, might as well draw the remaining fit players out of a hat. Disaster waiting to happen. I said the other day I would take a point, that was when I expected at least Carter OR Cantwell to play, now we're without both, I don't know what to think.

I wouldn't say it's quite 'tinfoil hat' to worry that one of our best players is looking to leave the club, when several other senior players jumped ship as quickly as they could several months ago. I also think it's more likely than the idea of professional doctors and physios not knowing how to diagnose an injury.

I think he would look good in most teams that are in the top half of the Championship to be honest. He's one of those players which is going to be better with other players around him on his level/wavelength. Sometimes he tries things at Rovers then looks visibly frustrated that other players didn't see the run or the pass etc. A team like Boro or Coventry could come in for him, poach him off us for peanuts, easily pay him more than we would and even have him as a luxury squad player, like Ipswich did with the Travis loan and the Szmodics transfer. Our best players are squad players for the stronger Championship sides.

I'm worried about Cantwell as well, has his head been turned? Has his agent sorted him something for January, meaning he won't want to scupper a move by aggravating any injuries etc? It was a few days, then a few weeks, now we're into November. Probably 6 weeks before he can bolt, along with Toth and Tronstad. Fingers crossed that I'm deluded and he plays and scores on Friday...

Oxford, Pompey, QPR, Sheff Weds twice. All before the end of 2025. Those matches will define the season l think. We need to take minimum of 12 points from the 15 available in those or we're in gonna be stuffed.

I've never seen them as a big rival, despite the geographic proximity. B*rnley will always be #1 rival I want us to beat, by a wide margin. After that, it's probably Bolton for me. They're a bigger club than North End and in my life time at least, those matches have always had a good atmosphere and a lot more needle when we play each other. While other fixtures apart from those against B*rnley and BWFC might be local derbies by definition, I'm not that interested in bragging rights really, I'm only as keen for us to beat Preston as I am for us to beat Blackpool or Wigan or whoever. PNE fans seem to have loads of names for us and songs about us, I can't remember us ever having a song about them, don't really care. It feels one-sided the animosity. Maybe fans of an older generation than me (in my mid 30s) will have a different take, especially if they saw classic games with North End in 1950s and 60s, etc. Anyway, good to see a good following for the short trip to Deepdale, I will be there as usual. Given we're better away than at home, maybe we can nick something. I probably would take a draw if I'm honest, they've been very strong at home.

Sounds like Ismael's pressers when we lose 2-0, at least that's in alignment with the men's team.