After 46 games I think the cliche goes something like 'the table never lies' and if we go down then we shall only have ourselves to blame and if we stay up then it will be well deserved. As the captain says the next four games are going to be intense and I think all defining with regards to our destiny for this season.
I always thought that DC was the manager to take us forward but since GC has taken over the team seems to have more belief and is playing better football. I firmly believe that we will be in league 1 next season and if the right players are brought in we can make a push for the playoffs, it won't be easy but if it was it wouldn't be the Rovers
Wombles, Accrington, Bradford, Gillingham, Walsall, Oxford drawing Southend, Rochdale, Scunthorpe Winning Wycombe, Plymouth, losing Gillingham now losing Southend Rochdale now drawing Bradford now losing Oxford now winning against Walsall Southend now winning Rochdale now losing Southend and Scunthorpe now drawing
Bradford Plymouth Rochdale Gillingham Wycombe all lost Shrewsbury v Scunthorpe a draw Oxford beat Walsall 3 - 1 Rovers Still in 16th place
Always sad to see someone lose their job but alas that is the name of the game in football and the saddlers have been on a terrible run.
Problem for us is that very often a change of head honcho is usually followed be an improvement in results. Sounds familiar to our lot doesn't it! We are in a patch of tricky fixtures. Anything against Coventry will be more than welcome. We desperately need to scrap for a couple of wins or we will leave ourselves in the hand of the gods! Bear in mind the 'easy' fixtures coming up are going to be physical dog fights. Nothing is certain about the results. IMO we need the little bit of class in the squad to give their all for the last few games. Where the hell are Rodman and Leads when we desperately need them??
Rodman and Leadbitter may well come in at some point to give us a bit of width, but our strongest side is doing pretty well at the moment and with JCH in the side you always feel we can get something.
Re Coventry. I don't think they will be too optomistic of a play off place. Three of their last games are away to Sunderland, Portsmouth and Doncaster??!!?
I started watching Rovers in the days of Geoff Bradford. l don't recall any table like this year's Div Three. Other than a couple of clubs, the top half of the table is promotion country and the bottom half in danger of relegation. Usually, at this time of year, results go haywire because the safe, middle of the table clubs field experimental sides.
Well we are 3 points ahead of the relegation zone. 4 points really because of our superior goal difference compared to the teams around us. 15 points left available. I think 2 more wins will be enough as that will put us 9 points clear (10 points due to our goal difference) and I can't see all the teams below us getting 11 points out of 15 which will be enough to overtake us. Seeing we have our next 3 games against 3 of the bottom 4 clubs, really, 6 points should be on paper, easily comfortable for us to do.
Remaining fixtures for all clubs still in trouble.... (teams in red are fellow rivals) 13th: Gillingham on 48 points... (5 games left) Shrewsbury H, Plymouth H, Bradford A, Charlton H, Blackpool A 14th: Shrewsbury on 47 points... (5 games left) Gillingham A, Barnsley A, Oxford H, Coventry A, Walsall H 15th: Plymouth on 47 points... (5 games left) Doncaster A, Gillingham A, Barnsley H, Accrington A, Scunthorpe H 16th: Rovers on 46 points... (5 games left) Bradford H, Wimbledon A, Rochdale H, Fleetwood A, Barnsley H 17th: Accrington on 45 points... (6 games left) Rochdale H, Walsall H, Luton H, Doncaster A, Plymouth H, Portsmouth A 18th: Scunthorpe on 45 points... (5 games left) Burton H, Blackpool H, Charlton A, Bradford H, Plymouth A 19th: Wycombe on 44 points... (6 games left) Charlton H, Southend A, Rochdale A, Walsall H, Wimbledon A, Fleetwood H 20th: Southend on 43 points... (5 games left) Wycombe H, Walsall A, Burton H, Rochdale A, Sunderland H 21st: Wimbledon on 43 points... (5 games left) Oxford A, Rovers H, Luton A, Wycombe H, Bradford A 22nd: Walsall on 42 points... (5 games left) Accrington A, Southend H, Wycombe A, Peterborough H, Shrewsbury A 23rd: Rochdale on 42 points... (6 games left) Accrington A, Portsmouth A, Wycombe H, Rovers A, Southend H, Charlton A 24th: Bradford on 36 points... (5 games left) Rovers A, Coventry A, Gillingham H, Scunthorpe A, Wimbledon H Based on how I think the results will go in these remaining fixtures, I still cannot be confident on who I think will be the bottom 4. I will say though it will be out of 7 clubs. Bradford, Scunthorpe, Rochdale, Walsall, Shrewsbury, Wimbledon and Southend. If I had to put money on it I would gamble on Bradford, Walsall, Rochdale and Scunthorpe.
Tell you what troops, I'll be bleddy glad when this season is over and done with. For most of the league it has been nothing but a pain and a slog. I cannot remember enjoying a period less in all of my years of Saturday torture.
The unusually flat bottom of the table will continue to the end it seems. So many of the crap sides playing each other that too many games will reward at least two points. No doubt, some teams will have a good or bad run and our future could be decided over the next couple of games. It's a form of torture to observe. Does anyone actually know if Rodman is still on Rovers books????
Thats the issue, so many below us has to face each other numerous times in the remaining games so they will be all picking up points, even if they draw. We are facing 3 teams who are in a worse situation than us that will be fighting for their lives. Facing 1 team trying to get a play off place and 1 team fighting for a top 2 place. So we will not be facing anyone who has nothing to play for. That's a worry in itself. As for Rodman, He was in good form before his injury. No idea if still injured as he hasnt eve been involved in development games either.
Our games are pretty tough. Bradford are going to feel that our game is a last throw of the dice - a must win for them. Wimbledon have Luton after us, so they'll treat the game as a must win too. Rochdale also know that this is one they must win. Barnsley will probably have to win to secure automatic promotion. Five cup finals. I reckon Wycombe, Walsall, Rochdale and Bradford will go down, but it's going to be very tight and down to the final few minutes on the last day for quite a few teams.
I think we must aim for two wins and a draw from our next three fixtures otherwise things could get decidedly sticky for us at the end, it shouldn't be beyond us and I hope that for the Bradford and Rochdale games that we really go after them from the first whistle , try to kill the game off by half time otherwise these type of sides will grow in confidence and then anything could happen !
