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The race hots up to stay out of the relegation spots

Discussion in 'Bristol Rovers' started by carry- on- rovers, Feb 27, 2013.

  1. carry- on- rovers

    carry- on- rovers Active Member

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    With the recent two defeats and a draw there have been some familiar groans around, as we now find ourselves back in a dogfight rather than widening the gap between the teams in the relegation spots who keep winning!

    Part of the concern centre on the clubs lack of investment during the transfer window which has been in the spotlight following a catalogue of recent injuries.
    No one can doubt the player’s commitment to the cause and the improvements made in results and Wards breath of fresh air, tactics to achieve recent results, however our squad is so thin we struggle to field a competent striker and know face a change in formation or personnel to accommodate the injury sustained by Clucas which has ended his season.

    One big issue is that both Richards and Hitchcock are not able to hold the ball up or lead the attack, which results in the ball returning to our half with interest and applies pressure on the defence; better teams are now exploiting this weakness and taking the spoils.

    We have seven tough games in March starting on Saturday with a visit from Burton Albion. How many points do you think we will pick up during this crucial period?

    Better still how many points do we need to pick up to ensure we are not in a position where we have to win or face the drop.

    Just to help your educated guesses gasheads here are a few stats on the runners and riders

    Sat 2nd Mar - Bristol Rovers v Burton Albion 15:00
    Form Burton are flying high scoring around 3 goals a match of late, the bright spot is that they have only won 1 match away out of 9.
    Wed 6 Mar - Bristol Rovers v Exeter 19:45
    Exeter’s form is equally stellar having only lost 2 of last 9 matches .There away form is worrying they have won 7 out of 9.
    Sat 9 Mar - Chesterfield v Bristol Rovers 15:00
    Chesterfields form is poor over the last 9 they have lost 5 and only won 2.At home they fair better as they have won 5 and only lost 2.
    Tue 12 Mar - Bristol Rovers v Port Vale 19:45
    Port Vales form is awesome away not lost in last 9 won 5 of those.
    Sat 16 Mar - Bristol Rovers V Rochdale
    Rochdale’s form away is poor losing 5 and winning only 2
    Sat 23 Mar- Bradford V Bristol Rovers
    Bradford who have been concentrating on the league cup have won 4 at home and lost 4 out of 9.
    Sat 30 Mar- Bristol Rovers V York
    Yorks form away shows that they are serial drawers 4 out of 9 losing 3 of those.

    Oh yes and Rovers form over the last 9 matches
    Away Rovers have won 3 drawn 3 and lost 3 scoring 13 conceding 12
    Home Rovers have Won 4 drawn 1 and lost 4 scoring 14 conceding 15

    COR
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  2. Sapphire

    Sapphire Well-Known Member

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    As it turns out the fixture list is not in the best interest of the Rovers. At present we are playing a disproportionate number of high flyers, all desperate to keep in touch with the race for the promotion. At the same time others around us are playing each other and at least two points per game are up for grabs. So they are narrowing the gap at the bottom of the table.
    Later in the season we will be playing more of the bottom clubs when they are even more desperate to take the points.
    It is good to see that some of the lower middle table clubs are dropping into the mix towards the relegation squad.

    I still think we will be OK, but it's the injury list which is most worrying.

    Anyone know what is the situation with Matty's return?

    By the way good post COR.:emoticon-0148-yes:
     
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  3. carry- on- rovers

    carry- on- rovers Active Member

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    Thanks Saph,agree that the mid table clubs are being dragged into the potential dogfight with the lower teams winning and the lower teams are picking up points playing teams around them which does make it difficult for us over the next month if we do not pick up a reasonable amount of points to keep us afloat.
    COR
     
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  4. Captain Jack Sparrow

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    morecambe in 10th. they are only 10 points clear of 23rd in relegation.

    basically if a team loses 3/4 on the bounce they are in deep trouble. just look at torquay who are in freefall.

    we have tough games but under MM i think our players would be dreading it. but under JW they are all buzzing to get out on the pitch and determined to get the points and you can see that they are falling in love with the club/fans. its been a long time since our players has shown any type of passion towards the fans and club. even if we lose 2 more on the bounce, JW wont let it stay in the players heads.

    great thing is where all the teams at the bottom have been picking up points, teams above been dropping points and now so many teams have been dragged into it. all teams from 17th (york) to 24th (plymouth) are in the running for relegation but teams from 10th (morecambe) to 16th (dag & red) are also looking over their shoulders with a bit of anxiety.
     
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  5. carry- on- rovers

    carry- on- rovers Active Member

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    On one level I agree with your observations CJ however I would suggest 10pts away from 23rd position is a decent cushion whereas 3pts is making me slightly nervous especially as the players are dropping like flys with serious injuries that will keep them out of contention all season which leaves us with a very thin squad as for the french striker (odd calling him a striker as he has not scored many goals) surely we could invest in a better player that knows where the back of the net is,we already have Tom H on the books and he works hard but fails to score.

    Looking at the team left now are midfield is short of another two players this week we need another experianced player to work alongside O Toole and Norburn especially after losing Clarkson and Clucas until next season also with Brog injured and out for at least a few more weeks with a dodgy hamstring.Its starting to look as if JW will have to play players out of position similar to MM.

    charlie brown sigh.jpg

    Perhaps you are not worried ,can you see us picking up needed points or scoring enough goals with our current crop of strikers

    Richards has scored 5, has not risen to meet the challenge of leading the line when given the opportunity.
    Hitchcock big fat zero,works hard but where are the goals similar to Micheal Owen
    Oumare Tounkar at Oldham he scored eight goals in 54 games then released by them!,hardly a succesfull return perhaps he offers more in other areas,however Oldham lie 20th in L1 with a minus 11 goal difference .

    oh yeh and do not forget a hugely depleted midfield?

    We are in the proverbial CITY,the weekend and next Wednesday matches are going to be painful to watch

    COR
    COR.png
     
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  6. Captain Jack Sparrow

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    dont get me wrong COR, im not happy about only being 3 points off relegation and of course im nervous but if we carry on playing as we are, giving 100% and showing thet fighting spirit and supporting each other then im relaxed that we will pick up more points that at least 2 of the teams below us. we wont win every game so we will lose games but as long as we keep performing how we are (and under JW i fully expect that to be the case) then im sure we will be more than safe <ok>

    to answer your questions..... <ok>
    can i see us getting enough points?
    see above <ok> as long as they keep playing as they are we will get enough points.

    can i see the current crop of strikers scoring enough goals?
    its a team game, our good run existed from scoring 10 goals from 10 different scorers sharing the goals. i would be very worried if we were not creating chances. but taken from bbc - at northampton we had 9 shots on target and at morecambe we had 11 on target and thats away at 2 inform sides. so we are creating. goal will come. we are defending very well as well. if we dont concede then we wont lose. we have 12 games to go and lets say we draw every game 0-0 then that gives us 51 points and everyone says 50 will be enough to stay up. as long as we defend well and keep creating the amount of chances then goals will come then we will be fine and safe well over the 50 points needed. its not been a fluke that we have only lost 3 games in 12 under JW and kept 3 clean sheets under him and only 3 times that we conceded more than 1 goal in a game, 1 of which was against aldershot in his 1st game so still learning about the team. there are so many positives in our favour which allows me to be confident of our chances of staying up. again i am nervous of course as not ideal position 3 points above relegation but i would rather have our team and current fighting team spirit that we have not giving up giving 100% than some of the teams below us and around us <ok>
     
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  7. Captain Jack Sparrow

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    8 in 52 is not good but (not trying to compare him to heskey) but the type of players like this are not known for goal scoring but doing the hard work keeping the ball up front and getting others involved. heskey got a lot of stick for not hardly scoring but if you really analyse his game, he works hard and is involved in everything from defending set plays and attacking. all of heskeys colleagues have always supported the hard work and what he offers the team. maybe oumare is this type?? without seeing him i cant really say but while he is with us im sure he will be doing his best to try and earn a contract which i hope brings the best out of him.
    oldham by the way didnt release him. prem side sunderland released him before the season started. he had 2 loan spells with oldham while under contract with sunderland. he must have impressed the 1st time for them to want him the 2nd time. he only scored 7 in 44 games in his 1st spell. oldhams league form and position this season has nothing to do with him as he hasnt been involved at all with them this season. maybe oldham are struggling this season as they havent been able to get him back or replace him?? <ok>

    only thing about oumare that worries me is that he has been without a club since being released in the summer. is he fit? surely not match fit!
     
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