7 points to scrape safety

[phil old leake]

I think that 46 points will be enough to stay up. Surely we can get 2 wins and a draw from somewhere.  Hopefully AK will give us enough up top

[Copps is Magic]

46 points has only been good enough to stay up once in this league in the last 10 years.

[GazLaz]

I think to stay up you will need more than 46 points.

[RedJ]

Weren't we relegated on 46 points last time or was it 48?

[BigKeif]

Sure it was 46 Redj. I think 4/5 wins will scrape us through.

[Cantley Rover]

At the risk of being accused as negative I cannot see where 4 wins are going to come com.

[BigKeif]

At the risk of being accused as negative I cannot see where 4 wins are going to come com.

I totally agree mate. It’s just what I think we need to survive but like you, I can’t see it coming from anywhere.

[Not Now Kato]

At the risk of being accused as negative I cannot see where 4 wins are going to come com.

Fleetwood, Bury, Blackpool, Wimbledon, MK Dons and Oldham.  I make that 6.  Oh and draws with Bradford and Oxford.
 
Well, if Fergie finally realises that the answer is 4 4 2 with round pegs in round holes.  Failing that, I'm with you.

[legendslounger]

51 points shud be the target

[idler]

I think that we just have to take it one game at a time. Look at the table after every block of games to judge the gap. A couple of wins and we would be almost there but the last two performances make that a tough ask at the minute.
Hopefully big players coming back might sort it. We also need to be beating teams below us rather than losing to them and beating top teams.

[drfchound]

We can’t beat any teams right now.

[dickos1]

🙄

[grayx]

Well i  for one was hoping we’d be looking at challenging for play offs rather than worrying about another relegation scrap.
I dont think its a particularly strong league tbh, no outstanding teams as such.

[dickos1]

Apart from Wigan,
But the last time we got relegated people were saying it was the worst standard they'd seen in years and then when we won promotion people were saying it was cause it was the worst standard in years

[grayx]

Not sure wigan are outstanding but probs the strongest of a mediocre bunch.

[dickos1]

I think they're as good as I've seen at this level,

[Campsall rover]

46 points has only been good enough to stay up once in this league in the last 10 years.

My prediction is the team finishing 4th from bottom this season will get 48 points.
So we need 10 points based on a totally unscientific guess. That’s 2 wins and 4 draws or 3 wins and 1 draw from 13 games. On paper that should not be a problem, but this wonderful game called football is not played on paper, it’s played on grass.
On 29th Dec if someone had said I would be discussing this topic 6 weeks later on 15th Feb I would have said they were barmy. At that time after what I thought was a defining month of results I was looking upwards thinking we might just have an outside opportunity of gate crashing the play offs.
Positive thinking, if you don’t believe you don’t achieve.
Well 2016 is now haunting us after a winless 8 league game sequence. If DF sticks to what got us those results in December ( flat back 4 ) Rowe and Blair in midfield then I don’t see a problem.
Yes we are going to miss Butler and his leadership at the back but the two new lads are competent.
We just need a solid midfield with McCullough in there also and we will have enough amunition to get the reguired goals to win and draw enough games.
If DF continues with the formation at Walsall, playing Rowe and Blair as wing backs in 5-3-2 then I fear the worst. That system relegated us in 2016 and it will again this year.
If he plays 4-1-3-2 or as a diamond 4-1-2-1-2 then we can get 6 points from Fleetwood and Bury at home and anything at Rotherham will be a bonus. Our posts after 5-00pm on 3rd March will be so much different. If we get only 2 points or less from those 3 games then the clamour for DF’s head will be very vigorous indeed. I think the Board will say enough is enough. We must give a caretaker manager & coach Wilcox/Redfearn Io games to save our season. It’s no good waiting until April as it could be almost terminal by then. WE HAVE TO STAY UP THIS SEASON or the 5 year plan is dead.
The board I believe won’t take that risk. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that decision being needed.
Onwards and upwards. 

[i_ateallthepies]

Spot on Campsall rover.

[Donnywolf]

 

[IDM]

Well i  for one was hoping we’d be looking at challenging for play offs rather than worrying about another relegation scrap.
I dont think its a particularly strong league tbh, no outstanding teams as such.

I never understand this "not a strong league" argument.

It's the 3rd division, populated with teams regularly playing at this level, those not good enough for the Championship but better than League 2.  It is what it is, regardless of the individual teams in it, and their histories and perceived "size"

[GazLaz]

League 1 this season is so much stronger than league 2 was last season. Massive difference.

[IDM]

League 1 this season is so much stronger than league 2 was last season. Massive difference.

Yes, the 3rd division is traditionally stronger than the 4th..

[grayx]

League 1 this season is so much stronger than league 2 was last season. Massive difference.

I disagree..
I dont think theres a massive difference between leagues 1 & 2.
I’d say theres a massive difference between league 1 & championship, and championship/premiership.

[Campsall rover]

League 1 this season is so much stronger than league 2 was last season. Massive difference.

I disagree..
I dont think theres a massive difference between leagues 1 & 2.
I’d say theres a massive difference between league 1 & championship, and championship/premiership.

League 1 is considerably stronger than League 2 The Championship is considerably stronger than League 1 and the Premier League is considerably stronger than the Championship IMO.
Where I think only a small difference exists is between League 1 and the top half of the National League as most of those clubs are Full time professional.
Last season I thought over the whole season only Rovers, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Luton & Exeter were good sides. Obviously there were individual matches where teams excelled but those five were well ahead in ability to the rest, if not in points but in performance.
This season only Gillingham, Northampton, and Bury looked very poor sides. Gillingham are now flying and even Northampton have picked up of late. There is no rubbish in this league. Having said that we have made some teams look better than they are ie Walsall twice, & Rochdale away.
On the other side of the fence we made Blackburn and Shrewsbury look ordinary.
With the ability in the side we should be doing better. We are short of a proper mister in the middle of the park and the round pegs in round holes situation which our manager seems unable to grasp.
After Walsall on Tuesday the penny must have dropped surely. Nobody can be that stupid can they.
His career is on the line. No way back for anyone that gets sacked or ( leaves ie Saunders ) at DRFC.
Penney, O’Driscoll, Saunders, & Dickov all not in management. 

[BigH]

3 wins 3 draws. Definitely doable with the fixtures we've got. Even Wigan have started getting beat!

[Campsall rover]

3 wins 3 draws. Definitely doable with the fixtures we've got. Even Wigan have started getting beat!

If we can’t stay up then this would be 10 X worse than 2016. It would be an unmitigating disaster.
It can’t happen can it? Tomorrow is going to give us a pretty good idea one way or another.
3 points are vital but imo not as vital as the performance. I want to see the body language of the players. Are they with DF? Are they up for the fight? Because Tues at Walsall got me really concerned about both those two statements.
Come on boys you are better than that. Go out and prove it.
Let’s really get behind the team right from the off tomorrow and make some serios noise.
 

[Campsall rover]

Serious ( spelt correctly )

[Lesonthewest]

3 wins 3 draws. Definitely doable with the fixtures we've got. Even Wigan have started getting beat!

If we can’t stay up then this would be 10 X worse than 2016. It would be an unmitigating disaster.
It can’t happen can it? Tomorrow is going to give us a pretty good idea one way or another.
3 points are vital but imo not as vital as the performance. I want to see the body language of the players. Are they with DF? Are they up for the fight? Because Tues at Walsall got me really concerned about both those two statements.
Come on boys you are better than that. Go out and prove it.
Let’s really get behind the team right from the off tomorrow and make some serios noise.
 

Agree totally, tomorrow is a massive test for the players & manager, the very least they owe the fans is a performance. I think the fans at home have been really patient & supportive at home this season with some of the dross we have seen, it's now time for the team & management to stand up & be counted.

[drfchound]

3 wins 3 draws. Definitely doable with the fixtures we've got. Even Wigan have started getting beat!

If we can’t stay up then this would be 10 X worse than 2016. It would be an unmitigating disaster.
It can’t happen can it? Tomorrow is going to give us a pretty good idea one way or another.
3 points are vital but imo not as vital as the performance. I want to see the body language of the players. Are they with DF? Are they up for the fight? Because Tues at Walsall got me really concerned about both those two statements.
Come on boys you are better than that. Go out and prove it.
Let’s really get behind the team right from the off tomorrow and make some serios noise.
 

Agree totally, tomorrow is a massive test for the players & manager, the very least they owe the fans is a performance. I think the fans at home have been really patient & supportive at home this season with some of the dross we have seen, it's now time for the team & management to stand up & be counted.

 

100% agree.

[Not Now Kato]

If we play like we CAN play then I can see 20 more points to the end of the season.  If we play like we HAVE played over the last few games then 7 will be a big ask.
 
Let's hope today sees the first 3 of them.  Come on you hoops.