2025-26 Relegation thread

[G Somerset Rover]

High praise from the opposition:

 

[G Somerset Rover]

3 minutes ago, MarkBRFC said:

We'll stay up because Oxford, Portsmouth and Charlton are as bad if not worse than us.

 

Charlton absolutely spanked us off the park earlier this season. I also have a funny feeling they’ll be leaving Ewood with all 3 points on Sunday.

[K-Hod]

1 minute ago, G Somerset Rover said:

High praise from the opposition:

 

The most galling thing was they didn’t need to try that hard to win.

[DE.]

3 minutes ago, G Somerset Rover said:

Charlton absolutely spanked us off the park earlier this season. I also have a funny feeling they’ll be leaving Ewood with all 3 points on Sunday.

We also lost to Portsmouth and drew with Oxford so, yeah, wouldn't be confident we will finish the season above any of them at this point. As far as Oxford are concerned, much will depend on who they hire, although I expect they'll go down regardless. 

Edited yesterday at 16:27 by DE.

[sharpysharps86]

JRC equalises for Charlton against Coventry.

[Tom]

21 minutes ago, sharpysharps86 said:

JRC equalises for Charlton against Coventry.

Bloody hell; imagine he sent us down

[Tom]

Well Charlton now above us and with Norwich’s win we are 3 points off the drop zone 

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

That table does not look good folks tonight...everything going against us.

Edited yesterday at 17:06 by SIMON GARNERS 194

[Guy N. Cognito]

For what it's worth, I think Ismael is a busted flush, but I don't know if there's many managers who would be doing a lot better with this shower. We must be among the lowest spenders and lowest wagebills in the league. Transfer spending and particularly wage bills are strongly correlated with league finish. 

If this is our current trajectory, then yeah we're going down. Perhaps not this season, but you can't keep neglecting a football club and banking on there being three worse sides every year.

[Blue blood]

Mixed bag today. 

Portsmouth hammering is great. Reduces their GD significantly too which may be crucial. 

Oxford lost again which is also good. 

Unexpected point for Charlton which isn't ideal but the real kicker is Norwich winning. Puts them back in the mix to escape. 

Mind you would we have taken w good results, 1 meh and 1 poor one from our rivals before the game? Of course its a terrible strategy relying on others but that is what we are reduced to. 

[StHelensRover]

I know it's famous last words to say a club is "too big" or "too good" to go down, but I really can't see Norwich being down there at the end of the season, I expect them to finish at least ten points higher than us.

That run in from March to May which people keep posting is horrific. Inevitably we will pick up some points from those matches, but I think in general that run of games will be a disaster and might be what does for us. There is no firebreak fixtures during that run, they're all gonna be very difficult. 

[alcd]

Two relegation places up for grabs with Wednesday already down. It's two from Pompey, Oxford and us. Still got to visit Oxford so I except them to close the gap. Pompey are pretty good at home we're hopeless. Final 10 fixtures for us are killers. We've wasted the "easy" fixtures in December and that will come back to bite us. Sadly I predict a finish in 23rd place 

[KentExile]

5 minutes ago, StHelensRover said:

I know it's famous last words to say a club is "too big" or "too good" to go down, but I really can't see Norwich being down there at the end of the season, I expect them to finish at least ten points higher than us.

 

They will also spend a lot more money than Rovers in January

[Athlete]

This squad is nowhere near the one what went down last time if we do drop we wont come back for a long time

On another note I walked the long way back at the back of the riverside at the end of the game and OMG what a utter shambles and neglected mess it is ramshackle isnt the word

[London blue]

I've wavered but I think, given the paucity of quality in the squad, the injuries and the lack of both money and capability in our player acquisition team, we're nailed on.

Look at it this way, last season we were vying for play offs and in one window they cost us what, 15 places? They have neither the ability nor the desire to improve our playing squad.

Fucked, lads.

[Commondore]

14 hours ago, Athlete said:

This squad is nowhere near the one what went down last time if we do drop we wont come back for a long time

On another note I walked the long way back at the back of the riverside at the end of the game and OMG what a utter shambles and neglected mess it is ramshackle isnt the word

That side had Danny Graham and very little else, I honestly think the current lot is significantly better. Doesn't mean we'll stay up mind you. I can see us keeping Oxford and obviously Wednesday behind us, but avoiding 22 will be a scrap. 

[Hasta]

24 minutes ago, Commondore said:

That side had Danny Graham and very little else, I honestly think the current lot is significantly better. Doesn't mean we'll stay up mind you. I can see us keeping Oxford and obviously Wednesday behind us, but avoiding 22 will be a scrap. 

Leninan would be our best central defender at the moment. Mulgrew was as good a defender as any of our current defenders back then, that's even ignoring the value of his set piece delivery. Williams and Nyambe were both suited to a back 4, but still that was a strong defence.

Conway was far superior to any wide player we have. Bennett and Corry Evans were better than TGH, Tavares, Forshaw etc.. They would be nailed on starters on Sunday.  Marshall tailed off at Rovers but he was still a better footballer than most we can put on the pitch in the attacking third today.

We have one striker injured at the moment and are playing players out of position up top. Emnes and that younger Sam Gallagher were superior to anything we can field up top at the moment.

You then look at squad depth of people who didnt feature much. Elliot Ward, Guthrie, Mahoney, Lucas Joao would all potentially be starters on Sunday with the team as it is at the moment with injuries.

There's not much in this for me. I'm not sure how this squad is significantly better. 

 

 

Edited 7 hours ago by Hasta

[Commondore]

1 hour ago, Hasta said:

Leninan would be our best central defender at the moment. Mulgrew was as good a defender as any of our current defenders back then, that's even ignoring the value of his set piece delivery. Williams and Nyambe were both suited to a back 4, but still that was a strong defence.

Conway was far superior to any wide player we have. Bennett and Corry Evans were better than TGH, Tavares, Forshaw etc.. They would be nailed on starters on Sunday.  Marshall tailed off at Rovers but he was still a better footballer than most we can put on the pitch in the attacking third today.

We have one striker injured at the moment and are playing players out of position up top. Emnes and that younger Sam Gallagher were superior to anything we can field up top at the moment.

You then look at squad depth of people who didnt feature much. Elliot Ward, Guthrie, Mahoney, Lucas Joao would all potentially be starters on Sunday with the team as it is at the moment with injuries.

There's not much in this for me. I'm not sure how this squad is significantly better. 

 

 

Yeah significantly might be pushing it, I forgot Lenihan had already broken through at that point. Still, we had Jason Steele in goal. A midfield with, apart from the solid Conway, Jason Lowe, Hope Akpan, Liam Feeney... And I can't say I'm the slightest bit nostalgic for players like Emnes, Ward, Guthrie, Gallagher or Bennett. 

[Hasta]

6 minutes ago, Commondore said:

Yeah significantly might be pushing it, I forgot Lenihan had already broken through at that point. Still, we had Jason Steele in goal. A midfield with, apart from the solid Conway, Jason Lowe, Hope Akpan, Liam Feeney... And I can't say I'm the slightest bit nostalgic for players like Emnes, Ward, Guthrie, Gallagher or Bennett. 

I think that's the point. You're not nostalgic, but Bennett would comfortably start on Sunday as either CM or RWB. Lucas Joao would also walk into our starting lineup alongside Yuki.

In 10 years time I expect Forshaw, Taveres and Gardener-Hickman will read like Guthrie, Lowe and Akpan. Feeney is your De Neve. 

I really think they are on a par with each other.

[Waggy76]

4 hours ago, Hasta said:

Leninan would be our best central defender at the moment. Mulgrew was as good a defender as any of our current defenders back then, that's even ignoring the value of his set piece delivery. Williams and Nyambe were both suited to a back 4, but still that was a strong defence.

Conway was far superior to any wide player we have. Bennett and Corry Evans were better than TGH, Tavares, Forshaw etc.. They would be nailed on starters on Sunday.  Marshall tailed off at Rovers but he was still a better footballer than most we can put on the pitch in the attacking third today.

We have one striker injured at the moment and are playing players out of position up top. Emnes and that younger Sam Gallagher were superior to anything we can field up top at the moment.

You then look at squad depth of people who didnt feature much. Elliot Ward, Guthrie, Mahoney, Lucas Joao would all potentially be starters on Sunday with the team as it is at the moment with injuries.

There's not much in this for me. I'm not sure how this squad is significantly better. 

 

 

That squad went down with 51 points , I cannot see the present one getting that many points !

 

[Athlete]

5 hours ago, Commondore said:

That side had Danny Graham and very little else, I honestly think the current lot is significantly better. Doesn't mean we'll stay up mind you. I can see us keeping Oxford and obviously Wednesday behind us, but avoiding 22 will be a scrap. 

That side was miles better Charlie Mulgrew ?