JHRover

I was actually quite pleased Leeds won at Wigan. Wigan have been propped up by very strong home form. If that starts to deteriorate then they'll end up looking over their shoulders as their away form is rubbish. They've now lost 4 in 5. From our point of view with us going to their place later this month I would prefer to be going to a side who had recently lost at home rather than to one protecting an 8 month unbeaten home record.

We've just come through a spell of fixtures in October that would have most people concerned and we got a decent points return and performed well in most of those games. WBA away, Swansea away, Leeds home, Sheffield Utd home, Forest home, Stoke away, Derby away, Villa at home. 8 games there that rightly or wrongly most people would say are very tough games in this league. All 3 relegated clubs away from home, Derby away who are very strong at their place, Forest at home who aren't easy to beat and Leeds and Sheffield United who are 2 of the top 3 at present. Throw in Bolton away which was a bogey ground and a derby day and again, not easy. We got through those 9 fixtures losing 2 and collecting 13 points, which is quite impressive. The disappointment I suppose is that we didn't accumulate more before then when playing the likes of Ipswich, Millwall and Reading, but then again we didn't lose any either. Having got through that tough run we now have a block of games that are kinder, yet in particular the home games are likely to be completely different kettles of fish against sides happy to come for a point. The thing that really impresses me is the work ethic and never say die attitude. Rarely are we out of a game. There seems to be a real consistency in our effort and application and determination to not lose games. To have only lost 3 games so far, and 2 of those we actually did ok in, is very impressive. I have one or two concerns about how long we can maintain our efforts. We've seen injuries begin to appear through the team and whilst we've so far coped ok with losses, it might not continue. The table makes for pleasant reading at the moment and a big plus is to be on 25 points after only a third of the season. Maintain this return and we'll be looking at 70 points, but even a significant decline would still afford us breathing space in terms of relegation.

Not wanting to be controversial here or upset anyone on the Forum but my understanding was that the trip to Pune was paid for in its entirety by the owners. To me an all expenses paid trip to India to meet the owners and watch Rovers in a friendly game is a once in a lifetime opportunity and anyone able to go would have done. I don't doubt that people on the Forum give up a great deal of their free time for the club and that's great. But accepting an invitation from the owners to be whisked away in relative luxury to India, well i think 99.9% of people would have grasped that opportunity with both hands if offered to them, providing of course their personal circumstances enabled it.

Other point is that of those 11 fixtures we have Preston and Swansea kicking off at noon, and Derby and Wigan kicking off during midweek when they will be available on the red button. So that's 7 at most, assuming none of the others get moved for tv or 'safety' reasons, that will be taking place at the traditional kick off time.

I try to think back over the last few years in the Championship how many coaches have taken over as a Caretaker manager and then have been successful. in a permanent capacity. The obvious one with us was Bowyer, but i think that was as much the stability and calming influence he brought to a club in chaos off the pitch and the circumstances here were far from normal. In terms of others - Ramsey got a crack at QPR but didn't last very long before being replaced by Hasselbaink. Think Neil Adams had a spell at Norwich before swiftly being replaced by Alex Neil who turned them around and got them promoted via the play-offs. Darren Wassall and Neil Redfearn were put in permanent charge at Derby and Leeds having previously been reserve coaches but neither really did much and were replaced shortly after. I suppose it could be said that Warburton at Brentford was the ultimate success story for a bloke who came from nowhere, but again Brentford have a unique way of doing things. For whatever reason it just doesn't ever seem to end with success or last long term.

West Brom should have gone and appointed McCarthy and offered him a huge bonus to deliver promotion this season. I'm sure with their squad and a bit of cash he would have had them in the top 2 or thereabouts as Pulis will do with Middlesbrough. No doubt McCarthy arriving at WBA with his history at Wolves and his 'reputation' for 'negative' football one or two would have moaned but there's no doubt in my mind he was the ideal candidate for a club in WBA's position needing tried and tested to bounce straight back up. WBA are not a big club, nor do they seem to have an owner prepared to fund them heavily, so it is imperative for them that they get up either this season or next whilst armed with parachute cash and keeping their best players. Gambling on Moore was a massive risk, and whilst they're not far off the top it seems the honeymoon is coming to an end. So rare that a caretaker coach becomes permanent and makes a success of it.

The bottom tier was still (partially) open to accommodate disabled QPR fans. There were maybe a dozen people down on the front row. Presumably that meant they had to open food kiosks, turnstiles and have stewards down there for that small number of people.

2 wins in 20 games for the Clarets

Read somewhere that there is a deal in place to appoint Joe Royle and his son to senior positions at Wigan once the takeover is done. Presumably some sort of Director of Football. Bit weird with his son being involved with him. Cook is a slippery character and has always put himself first in his decision making. Quite quick to dump Stanley, Chesterfield and Pompey as soon as better offers came along and he'll know things won't be the same once the new owners are in place.

https://www.wiganathletic.com/news/2018/november/a-letter-to-the-wigan-athletic-supporters-from-chairman-david-sharpe/ David Sharpe and the Whelan family won't be involved at Wigan post-takeover. Let's see how that one pans out but I'd be slightly apprehensive as to why a Hong Kong based hotel company are interested in 2nd tier Wigan.

Interesting figures on Bristol City on twitter. Losses this year up from £3.5 million to £23.5 million. Losses over the last 6 years - £94 million Wage bill up by £5 million. £65 million in debt to their owner Steve Lansdown. Not too dissimilar to what we've had really.

I suspect Moore is on thin ice and these appointments won't help. Clearly bolstering the operation above him with people who will have their own ideas and views. Won't be too difficult or disruptive to axe the head coach if they don't pick up.

I'm guessing they only did it with us because it was the Cup and at the time they were a 3rd tier side/poor 2nd tier side whilst we were in the Prem. Doubt they'd get away with it in the League. Don't recall them having done it on any other occasion, certainly not since they got to the Prem. Their 'ultras' now occupy that stand....

There was another occasion at Wigan in the League Cup a few years earlier when we had the side stand opposite the dugout so must have had way over 5000 there. I didn't realise that the away end at Wigan held 5000+ but according to the website it is 5500 but is usually capped at less than 5000 to prevent overcrowding on the concourses. Wigan's ground has serious problems with crowding on the concourses and in the toilets and I'm amazed they built the ground like that when it would have been so easy to make it larger and safer. Preston I think ticks a lot more boxes than the other derby games. Obviously it's closer than Wigan and much easier to do by train/taxi, also more of a historical rivalry/connection between the clubs and probably impacts more directly on a lot of Rovers fans who live in the Preston area. On top of that it is a day out with some decent pubs which you don't really get at Bolton. And they've succeeded in ruining the Burnley fixture with their OTT measures that a lot wouldn't go to that if tickets were free these days. Wigan and Bolton have had decent followings there this season albeit not sell-outs and we should be getting more than them on there.

I'd have expected Lenihan to be more likely to play than Mulgrew to be honest. Tony was saying last week before West Brom there was a chance Lenihan was going to be fit so I'd hope with a weekend off and a rest this week he'll be ready to go.

Are we not thinking of The Sumners which was on the left on the way down the ground? Quite a big pub that was popular as an away pub for a while, not sure if it is still open?

Where's that from? Need to save it for my dossier of evidence.

The Premier League and Championship are polar opposites. In the Premier League it is all about the money and those with it usually end up at the top end. The 'big 6' are miles ahead on revenues, crowds and expenditure and they're pulling away more and more from the rest. The result is a boring league where the other 14 are making up the numbers knowing they won't go any higher than 7th and desperate to avoid relegation. We've only to look at results and points returns this season to see how wide the gulf is. Not only that but the Premier League has been filled up with generally smaller, less well supported and less fashionable clubs. The reason being that historically the city clubs with bigger gates would rise to the top whereas now numbers through the turnstiles is almost an irrelevance compared to owner investment and financing. Meanwhile in the Championship the opposite. Excitement and unpredictability, where often the richest clubs don't get anywhere. The league is full of big name clubs that Sky would love to be in the Premier League but the penny hasn't dropped with most that historical successes and crowds are increasingly irrelevant in this day and age and being big and successful in the 70s or 80s whilst good to remember means nothing compared to Bournemouth or Watford who have their houses in order.

That win against Bournemouth sticks out like a sore thumb. Other than that results and performances going back to last season have been abysmal, and that includes the win over Cardiff. Typical of Bournemouth though who are putting better sides than Burnley to the sword but had a rare off day when they came up here. Other problem is that Huddersfield, Cardiff, Newcastle and Fulham have something like 2 wins in 40 games between them this season which is so bad it's almost funny, yet the beneficiaries of their woeful results are Burnley sat in 15th with only 8 points. I hope at the very least Newcastle and Fulham change managers shortly and get a shot in the arm and start to climb. Benitez gives me the impression he's going through the motions ahead of departure next summer.

Just refreshed my memory and it is now 2 wins in 19 games for this lot. You won't read that in the Telegraph.

Could do with a win here to continue the positive momentum. Whilst we've had a decent week in terms of performances and even results from 3 tough fixtures we need to follow that up by doing the business at home against the less fancied teams, QPR and Rotherham provide that opportunity although of course both have shown recently they are tough nuts to crack. Following up 4 points from 9 against Leeds, Swansea and WBA with disappointing results at home against these and we won't get very far. It will be the polar opposite of what we've had at Swansea and West Brom. We've seen it many times with Rovers where we perform admirably in tough away fixtures then when the 'easier' ones come round fail to deliver so if we have upward looking aspirations could do with getting a couple of home wins on the board. McClaren has turned QPR around and after the criticism he was getting after 3-4 games of the season has already proven a few people wrong. Defensively especially they seem to be a well organised unit.

Should really be a sell out for this. Tickets are reasonable enough, no tv to spoil it and for many Rovers fans it will be as easy or easier to get to Deepdale than it is to Ewood. Also need to put those northenders back in their place after a couple of bad experiences.

I've heard that starting Saturday v QPR that they will be allocating the upper tier first.

The simple answer is that they want to force people into buying tickets in advance. It suits them that way as they get all your details on the database and know exactly how many are coming and where they are sitting. They don't want large numbers turning up on the day because it introduces an element of uncertainty or unpredictability. From a business point of view it probably makes sense the way they are doing it as they can more accurately predict how many staff and supplies are needed the week beforehand. Unfortunately it hinges on the premise that all those who are interested in going are prepared to ring up or go online or go down to Ewood during the week before the game, commit to a ticket and stick to it. We all know that some people can't or won't make that sort of commitment, not at £25+ a head, and so will probably not bother with it. Some people decide depending on the weather, or if they get permission from their partner, or if their kid fancies going. The club need to realise that rather than forcibly changing people's buying habits they are actually making some people's minds up not to attend for them.

Watching them on MOTD last night as I do after a defeat and I don't recall a single occasion on the highlights when they had the ball in Chelsea's half of the pitch.