2 minutes ago, AllRoverAsia said:

Like this season the plan will be just to stay in the Championship.

It "suits" the project......

Stay in the Championship, sell a few more “ paintings off the wall “ . One day there won’t be any “ paintings “ left.

2 hours ago, 47er said:

4 points will do it? The Huddersfield--Birmingham clash works in our favour there.

We might not need them but I don't think we could be even mathematically relegated with 53 points?

I’d be amazed if we weren’t safe with 4 more points.

23 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

I would be tempted to start with the same 11 if possible but play more attacking wise. 

Mm, it’s a hard one to call. I’m just glad I don’t have to make that decision.

26 minutes ago, Wheelton Blue said:

As with any player, we'd only regret Dolan leaving if we don't replace him with better.

Therein lies our problem, though. We wouldn't.

Signing players is always a gamble. You’d have thought Sigurdsson would have been a better bet than Dolan going off his reputation but it hasn’t turned out that way. Better the players you know can actually perform.

7 minutes ago, NeilInBristol said:

The coach has the luxury of a full week to prepare. We've done better when playing with time to prepare under his stewardship so hopefully we get the3 on Saturday. 

That’s a good plan - turn up on Saturday and beat them like Chile did v USSR back in the day. 

25,738 at Bolton v Portsmouth. Just shows what can be done when you get everybody pulling in the same direction.

7 minutes ago, arbitro said:

I would say that speed off the mark is one of the most important assets of a striker. I agree about his decision making and that is a frustrating aspect of his game. In a high press he is our most important player.

I agree. If you’re playing in an around the box being rapid over 10 yards is vital. I would argue Dolan is quick over short distances and I’m happy with that. I’d be doing my utmost to sign him. If he goes elsewhere we’ll regret it.

5 minutes ago, tomphil said:

They need to put some beds in it for midweek away games.

What it really needs is some wings and a couple of engines.

Team selection will be interesting. Although a draw would probably be enough for us, playing for one is fatal more often than not. 

2 hours ago, philipl said:

The first current form extrapolation I did with 12 games left had Rovers finishing on 45 points in 23rd then extrapolating current form with 8 left took us to 49 points in 20th. We are now on 49 points with 3 to play.

Current form over the last 5 games:

Swansea, Millwall, Rovers, Plymouth and QPR 1st= with 7 points

Birmingham, Stoke and Sheffield Wednesday 6 points

Huddersfield 5 points

Watford 4 points has left them just about safe at 52 points

Games involving teams at the bottom still to come are next weekend:

Rovers v Wednesday - anything better than a defeat seals Rovers finishing above Wednesday

Stoke v Plymouth  

Swansea v Huddersfield

Penultimate weekend:

Millwall v Plymouth

Huddersfield v Birmingham - relegation decider (Brum play Norwich and Huddersfield go to Ipswich on the last day)?

Last day:

Swansea v Millwall

At this stage, the games of struggler v struggler mean one if not both will drop points in trying to get to 50 points which with only 3 games left is the realistic target to move ahead of Rovers. 

 

So how many points will be enough Phil ? I think anything other than a loss againt Sheff Wed  would be enough. Even if we lose we have a good home game v Coventry and away at Leicester isn’t what it was a month ago. I we can win at Leeds we can win there too.

1 minute ago, Hasta said:

Thanks. I was trying to remember which player it was that walked away that was always "just going to sign". Lucas Neil gets a lot of shit but at least we knew 18 months in advance what the crack was there.

Alan Shearer ?

8 minutes ago, Exiled_Rover said:

He actually got hawked down by #44, Gruev (a DM) on that break - he literally caught up to Dolan and overtook him.

Dolan is many things, but he's not fast. He's quick over a few yards and has a low centre of gravity, but he very, very rarely wins an extended sprint. 

He over took Dolan because he dragged him back off the ball.

1 hour ago, arbitro said:

How when he kept up with the Leeds defenders and Szmodics.

Their guy was dragging him back in that break. The linesman’s eyes were obviously just painted on.

1 hour ago, arbitro said:

I have read several times about his lack of pace but I don't see that. His decision making at times is questionable but yesterday he was a real team player and disciplined in pretty much everything he did.

He’s quick over 10 yards but over say 40 yards he’s average pace wise. We haven’t got any real flyers in the team. The sort of players who can just run away from defenders with the ball at their feet.

Regarding decision making - he has a tendency to over elaborate, usually when he’s trying to buy time in possession so the other strikers can get forward in attack. He just needs to keep it simple and go for it.

I like the lad, he plays with a smile on his face. I’d be disappointed if he leaves. We’d miss his enthusiasm.

2 hours ago, rigger said:

Your last statement answers your own question, of why cover was not originally brought in. Probably it was the same with Adam Wharton, except that one worked out.

I saw him in that friendly at Accy pre-season and from what I’d heard about him I was expecting to see a younger version of Graham LeSaux. I know it was only a friendly but I thought he looked pretty ordinary. Mind you, I thought Tronstad looked ordinary as well and I was wrong about that.

28 minutes ago, arbitro said:

Just watching MOTD and just as the dingles could be heard singing 'we won the league at Ewood' Muric does a step over and costs them two points 😂😂. And Bellamy says it not his mistake but their mistake for asking his to play like that.

Hilarious 😂😂

Yeah, work that one out ?

4 minutes ago, DavidMailsTightPerm said:

Given his age and ongoing commitment,  I wouldn't begrudge him a Premiership move if it materialises. Not certain where it would leave Rovers - as we would have been relegated without him.

He’s earned the right to better himself. He’s been faultless this season in terms of skill and effort. He never “ downed tools “ at any time. Some of the first time finishes he’s put away have been terrific.

I’m not as pessimistic as some on here regarding replacing his goals if he goes. We can bring in other players in that role and maybe play in a way that doesn’t rely on one player staying fit for 50 games a season

40 minutes ago, Upside Down said:

In all fairness we only started playing the kamikaze style this season. That was after JDT had already handed in his notice and it wasn't accepted.

Last year he was pretty pragmatic and we were only a few good signings away from being real contenders.

Then venkys did their thing and tried to relegate the club again and the rest is history.

I would agree with most of that. Only the Chicken Chokers would hold a manager to his contract when he plainly had had enough of their nonsense. Just one in a long line of crazy decisions made by them.

5 hours ago, Exiled_Rover said:

He didn't though - he was insistent that his players progressed the ball up the pitch as quickly as possible. They just weren't talented enough to do it.

The Dutch Disease (I've never heard it referred to as that before JDT) is when you just keep possession for the sake of keeping possession - usually amongst the back 4.

Therein lies his mistake. He was asking his players to play in a way they weren’t capable of doing. In the end it looks like some of the downed tools.

I think JDT’s main problem was he wanted to play “ Rolls-Royce “ football with a team of “ Ford Mondeo’s “ . What he could achieve with a team of “ Rolls-Royce’s “ remains to be seen. I’ll be surprised if that happens at Sweden for obvious reasons.

The thought crossed my mind after yesterdays game  that if we had played in a similar committed fashion with a similar formation last season at the Dingledome we might have got a similar result.

I’ve got more faith in Eustace being able to get a tune out of the motley crew that will likely be Rovers squad next season than I would JDT to be honest.

3 minutes ago, Uddersfelt Blue said:

These kinds of results don’t come around very often. I’m glad I and so many Rovers fans were there to witness it. 
 

We need to replicate that next Sunday and in the remaining games. 

Make the most of days like this because Summer will most likely be the usual Chicken Chokers flying circus.

57 minutes ago, M_B said:

We've lost 4 in 14,that's far from shocking during a relegation battle, given the hand he was dealt. 

Barring the Bristol debacle, since he came we've conceded an average of less than one per game. To turn Rovers defence into such a tight unit, in such a short time, whilst fighting  relegation I reckon shows a fair bit of coaching acumen. 

Before these last 6 games, many were asking where our next point was coming from, we're now looking like we're going to stay up. 

He definitely deserves to start next season with a clean slate, he's earned it. 

Anybody who can rally the troops to put in a performance like today’s after the shit show on Wednesday night must have something about him. Morale, tactics and team selection - we were at it from the start so he got it spot on.

You couldn’t help but like JDT as a person. It was some of the football I didn’t like. He had me scratching my head when he referred to the modern style of possession of the ball at all costs as “ the Dutch disease “ and then promptly started to play in that style.