[Archived] The Championship 2013/14

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

it's all at the whim of a bunch of ' cricket loving ' Indians.

Mighty dread,mighty dread indeed.

[West Yorks Rover]

8/9 teams too good for us or a few teams and a few managers too good for us?

I still think swap a few managers round and certain teams would be far better or worse

No way burnley would be where they are with any of the managers we've had since Allardyce!

Let's hope the owners back us again next season we may have one last shot! Hate them all you will and with good reason but if they pull the plug then it's game over.

That's why I say squad/rookie manager Tom.

Plenty of mistakes have been made, will he learn by them, if he's here next season ?

[Bucksrover]

I think there should be a one time per season limit on when people announce they are giving up on promotion - We didn't even play and it's coffins and nails.

QPR dropped points, we got rid of leon best for a bit. Got my Reading ticket.

Not saying we are premiership bound or that the future is bright but If I want to focus on negatives I have work tomorrow.

[Tom]

That's why I say squad/rookie manager Tom.

Plenty of mistakes have been made, will he learn by them, if he's here next season ?

I think and hope he will! I think he needs to be more brave at times but you can understand why he's so scared to lose with some trigger happy people behind him

I'd still love it if a real tactician came in to work with him

[Stuart]

Looks like 8/9 teams too good for us this season,

There are teams that have come to Ewood this season that we should have beaten.

That's if Bowyer had played the team in front of us, instead of the team on paper.

[West Yorks Rover]

I think and hope he will! I think he needs to be more brave at times but you can understand why he's so scared to lose with some trigger happy people behind him

I'd still love it if a real tactician came in to work with him.

Yes I agree with this, he seems to be doing a good job ' behind the scenes ' but has lacked a bit of tactical nous, which is perhaps understandable given his lack of experience at senior level.

[den]

I wouldn't have chosen him in the first place and see nothing to suggest I was wrong.

Is there any truth in the idea, that a team reflects the managers personality?

[rovers11]

With Reading winning it means we have to see a 3 game swing to overtake them. Even with a game in hand, just cannot see it. Even if we do, we have to better the results of Wigan, Brighton and Ipswich. Again, cannot see it.

We've improved massively this season and are on the right track. I'm pleased with the progress we've made this season and that was what I wanted to see this season as promotion was never really a realistic target with so much rebuilding to do.

[Duffy]

Think the reality is that Reading result makes taking 3 points from our trip there even more important. We've a lot of games still to play against those above and in and around us and we need to win a few of those to stand a chance of 6th place. Think we will fall just short but regardless, a huge improvement on last season.

[Proudtobeblue&white]

We should get used to the fact we will be in the Championship next season.

[thenodrog]

Playing for a draw in any match from now is pretty pointless.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Playing for a draw in any match from now is pretty pointless.

Yeah, but we will. There's no drive at any level of the club.

[chaddyrovers]

The summer should be very interesting, Rhodes gone ? new manager ? bust ?

I hope that The owners stick by Bowyer and allow him next season to challenge for Promotion. I look at Leicester City were the owners stood by Nigel Pearson after last season and keep most of the squad from last season and not selling any Key players. now are top of the league now. Hope the Rovers owners do the same.

Also will be interesting to see whether the FFP rules come in next season and will some of the championship clubs will challenge in in a court of law.

Having seen QPR three times in recent weeks I think you are absolutely correct when you say a team of individuals. I would add to that there is a distinct lack of discipline and the manager looks disinterested. Potentially they are a bigger wreckage than us if they don't go up this time.

I think QPR will not go up this season and Redknapp will be off. Always thought their squad was too slow pace wise. I think Teams have work out how to play against them and more teams are playing 2 strikers against them to expose the lack of pace of Dunne and Hill.

I'd still love it if a real tactician came in to work with him

A real tactician??? can you name me one of these real tactician??

We've improved massively this season and are on the right track. I'm pleased with the progress we've made this season and that was what I wanted to see this season as promotion was never really a realistic target with so much rebuilding to do.

I tend to agree with Rovers11 on this.

we have overhaul the squad this summer after 2 years of mismanagement of the club in the terms of player signed a lot of players have left permanent this season.

Bowyer has got rid of players with Ego's and players who should have never been signed like the Players from Portugal and Danny Murphy.

I think next season Rovers squad will be better cos they have played together for half to full season together and gel together, still think we will need around 3 or 4 signings this summer and use 2 or 3 players from academy/reserves that have been out on loan this season lke Jack O'Connell, Anton Forrester, maybe John O'Sullivan or Anthony O'Connor.

But fully expect most of the first team players who are out on loan this season to leave Rovers permanent in the summer. Players like best, DJ, Marrow, Judge to go.

Rovers are the right track to having a squad to make a serious push for promotion next season. we have 15 or 16 players that will be nuclear of next season squad.

I still hope that we can get that 6th place but will be tough but you never know in football.

[Waggy76]

Great news for Derby and especially Forest !

[thenodrog]

Having seen QPR three times in recent weeks I think you are absolutely correct when you say a team of individuals. I would add to that there is a distinct lack of discipline and the manager looks disinterested. Potentially they are a bigger wreckage than us if they don't go up this time. The only crumb of comfort for us is that Gorks will be suspended for our match at Reading next week.

There will be plenty of twists and turns yet and you would never say never in football but I really think that the play-offs are a bridge too far for us now

A very poor decision by a poor ref imo. I'd be inclined to challenge it.... but only if I was manager of a top 5/6 Prem club.

I thought Hoilett looked pretty good today. For all the value in QPR's squad he seemed to provide the most danger to Reading and looked to have Prem league quality.

[West Yorks Rover]

Love your optimism Chaddy ! but Leicester last season were far and away better than us this season, they had power,pace and goals

all over the pitch, we have none of those things at the moment, the owners at Leicester were obviously right to give the manager another

shot at promotion.

If GB is here next season I expect, maybe another respectable top ten finish, but hard to see any better than that, unfortunately.

I hope I'm wrong !

[arbitro]

A very poor decision by a poor ref imo. I'd be inclined to challenge it.... but only if I was manager of a top 5/6 Prem club.

I thought Hoilett looked pretty good today. For all the value in QPR's squad he seemed to provide the most danger to Reading and looked to have Prem league quality.

Reading successfully appealed the sending off of Alex Pearce last week and in the lottery that is the appeals process I can't see them having another one overturned.

[West Yorks Rover]

If we don't go up - and we aren't doing - I foresee 8,000 or 9,000 on in August with this season's season ticket numbers halved

How many ST did we sell this season, do you know ?

[thenodrog]

If we don't go up - and we aren't doing - I foresee 8,000 or 9,000 on in August with this season's season ticket numbers halved

Personally speaking I am more likely to buy a ST next season than at any time since the 2010/11 season.

[Steve Moss]

We are sitting 9th, have 43 points and have played 30 games. We are 7 points off a play-off spot. There are 16 games left to play.

I don't think its time to write off the Rovers' season. We can still make something of this.

And even if we don't get that 6th place position, so long as the squad gives it a real go, I'll be happy. Assuming the owners keep the faith, the supporters will, and we'll be in a great position for next season.

[ABBEY]

Was thinking the same thing ...

The same faith that sees us from 8th in top flight , umpteen managers (apart from turd head) , millions & millions hemeriging a month, star players sold etc

Aye keep the faith you old hag bint ... Your chuffing amazing*

*disclosure

Just in case venkys read this and think they are amazing .. Your not !!!!

[jim mk2]

We are sitting 9th, have 43 points and have played 30 games. We are 7 points off a play-off spot. There are 16 games left to play.

I don't think its time to write off the Rovers' season. We can still make something of this.

And even if we don't get that 6th place position, so long as the squad gives it a real go, I'll be happy. Assuming the owners keep the faith, the supporters will, and we'll be in a great position for next season.

I'm afraid this is just a load of platitudes written by someone who probably follows Rovers from a distance but hasn't a clue about the realities of the agonies of being a Rovers fan since Venkys took over the club. Supporters have no more faith in the owners than I have in of it ever stopping raining here. One bad decision after another for more than 3 long years is not easily forgotten and any "faith" Rovers had for the owners probably disappeared the moment they sacked Sam Allardyce and the club's previous management. Yes, Rovers could still go up this season but it will need more than "faith", it will need a miracle.

[Silas]

Was thinking the same thing ...

The same faith that sees us from 8th in top flight , umpteen managers (apart from turd head) , millions & millions hemeriging a month, star players sold etc

Aye keep the faith you old hag bint ... Your chuffing amazing*

*disclosure

Just in case venkys read this and think they are amazing .. Your not !!!!

I have seen this mythical tagline on this message board about 3 times in the last week from different people. It seems that the more time passes, and the more it is said over and over people actually get brainwashed into believing it's fact.

I am unaware of the exact date the loons took over but a bbc news report I've looked up is from 19th November 2010 where we were sat in 16th place in the table.

I am also no expert in club takeovers but assume, like with house sales, it takes a good few weeks from agreement for legal paperwork to be finalised.

On the 1st November 2010, probably around the time Venky's were finalising a deal, with over a quarter of the season gone, Rovers were sat in the relegation places in 18th place in the league.

So, really, Venky's bought a club that was in the relegation zone of the Premier League, not this invented top half of the table club that should be pushing for Europe.

Maybe I am being pedantic, it's only a matter of a few weeks etc etc, a couple of results here and there and figures can be distorted. Yes, fair enough, but by the same token using this magical "8th" position as some sort of benchmark, a position that was our peak of the entire season, and a "peak" that in reality lasted less than 24 hours (we were 13th a week later, 5 points off relegation spots) just seems a bit stupid to me.

Does this make me a Venky apologist, a venky lover???!!! Not one bit. I just like to look at things with a bit of perspective. We were a bottom half club when they came in, we were more likely to be looking at relegation than top half finishes whether owned by Walker Trust or Venky's.

The fact that these inbreds came in and made a catalogue of moronic decisions which simply compounded the already perilous situation we were in is the problem. They are definately to blame on that front IMO. We were gonna be fighting for our lives every season, but with the set-up we had going we always had a good chance of winning that fight. What they did is take all that away (manager, structure, playing staff, morale) which left us without the tools to do battle and led to the ultimate demise.

But I'm not having all this top half stuff, and tbh that tagline just makes me cringe. Pretty much every club that has gone downhill was 8th in the top league at some point including I believe - Sheff Wed, Wimbledon, Leicester, Leeds, Forest, Middlesbrough, Charlton, Coventry, Ipswich. But I don't hear their fans banging on about it.

Hate Venky's all you want, despise them for the damage they have done to the club - a lot of it probably irreparable - and rightly so, but please for the love of god ditch this stupid "8th" crap. Again, it didn't even last for a full day! It's embarrassing!

[thenodrog]

but please for the love of god ditch this stupid "8th" crap. Again, it didn't even last for a full day! It's embarrassing!

I think it pivots around the Bolton match in Dec and not the actual take over. I cant be bothered looking it up silas but if we had won (and we deserved to) we'd have gone 7th /8th. We lost and were 11th when they sacked Allardyce the a day or two after which imo was the real turning point in our demise as a Premier League team.

[Amo]

13th when Smallardyce was sacked, IIRC.