Let's talk about the Burton Albion game

[selby]

  The last game of the season at home, a chance to end with a win, and show that we have at least some pride and fight in the club.
  Yesterday at half time like many I suppose I was in despair at another contrasting disastrous display of football with seemingly no recognition of our plight and no team spirit on show that promised anything like a comeback of sorts. What was in the drinks at half time god knows, but we need to bottle it, and some team spirit came to the fore with the reaction of the players especially when the equaliser went in, it's too late the die is cast but for quite a time we have been looking for signs of improvement, leadership, and team spirit and a show of actually caring.
  This weekend, the display on Friday and the come back second half yesterday showed green shoots of improvement at last, it will not pacify the detractors who want a revolution, but the revolution could have started, let's hope so and with a bloodless coup. The defence proved they can still be pulled all over the place, our passing can be awful, and Olowu wants to watch players fall on their face at the slightest touch in the back and grab the ball like I have seen many do this season, it might have stopped the first goal.
   Can we finish the season at home with a win?
   Would you play the team that finished the game yesterday?
   Have we too late improved some of the young players enough to want them back next season ?
   Are you seeing any improvement in young players?
   Do you want to see any of the loan players back with us next season?
   Lot's to discuss about this last home game, Please have your say.

[edlored]

Loan players no, not strong enough for league one never mind two lad from Nowrich possibly if he stopped posing and doing stepovers and took on the defence especially in the last third.

[drfchound]

His stepovers are excellent and give defenders something else to think about.
I like his direct approach and he is one of the few players we have right now who looks likely to make something happen.
The pass he slipped through for Griffiths to score the second goal yesterday was superb.

[Sammy Chung was King]

If we win it’s possible we can stay up. Gillingham have Portsmouth away and Rotherham at home. It isn’t inconceivable that they lose both those games. I see no point’s from these two games
We have Burton to play who have nothing to play for. Oxford could be out of the promotion running by the time we play them.

If the manager plays Griffiths and Odubeko up front and goes for it, there is enough to win both games.

Fleetwood have  Wimbledon at home, Sheff Wednesday at home chasing promotion, and Bolton away in between those. I see 1 point against Wimbledon.

Wimbledon face Fleetwood away and Accrington at home . I see four points from these two games.

I still think we can stay up.

[drfchound]

Sammy, have you not noticed how big a goal difference there needs to be irrespective of how the points situations ends up.
Given that there is unlikely to be an 18 goal difference swing between us and Gillingham then Fleetwood only need one point from their last three games to confirm our relegation.
Even if Fleetwood lose all three we aren’t going to go past Gillingham.

[Sammy Chung was King]

Yes I have but I could very easily be wrong that Fleetwood get any points. We have a very small chance, but still a chance.
Unlikely but Gillingham lose their games, Fleetwood too, Wimbledon beat Fleetwood but lose to Accrington. We on the other hand win both games, thus keeping us up.
I know a lot needs to happen in our favour but maybe we are due some good luck.

[steve@dcfd]

Fleetwood are in the relegation spot so if they don’t get a point and we win both we will still be fourth from bottom. Therefore we need to get past Gillingham who have to lose both their games by four or five without scoring and we have to win both ours by four or five to get pasted them. Ridiculous

Is there enough in the forward /midfield attacking to score 9/10 goals I don’t think so.
Will Gillingham at Portsmouth and Rotherham concede 9/10 goals.

[Sammy Chung was King]

It is ridiculous but possible. Rotherham could need goal difference if Wigan slip, Portsmouth are the ones likely to let us down as they have nothing to play for.
Very, very unlikely, but who knows?.

[drfchound]

But you said you think we can stay up.
Do you really believe that?

[Upton Rover]

Why?

[Colemans Left Hook]

A shewd move would be to get that young centre half Faulkner on the bench if he's not injured and give him the last ten minutes or even more at least he would get a feel of the build up .

[Alan Southstand]

We have Burton to play who have nothing to play for.

The same Burton that are currently beating Rotherham 2-0? Certainly nothing to play for!

This is what happens when you have league one standard players!

[TheFunk]

Faulkner currently has his foot in one of those protective boot things so won't be playing anytime soon.

[KC_DRFC]

Yes I have but I could very easily be wrong that Fleetwood get any points. We have a very small chance, but still a chance.
Unlikely but Gillingham lose their games, Fleetwood too, Wimbledon beat Fleetwood but lose to Accrington. We on the other hand win both games, thus keeping us up.
I know a lot needs to happen in our favour but maybe we are due some good luck.

That would be great if only 3 teams get relegated. Sadly 4 teams go down.

[normal rules]

If we win it’s possible we can stay up. Gillingham have Portsmouth away and Rotherham at home. It isn’t inconceivable that they lose both those games. I see no point’s from these two games
We have Burton to play who have nothing to play for. Oxford could be out of the promotion running by the time we play them.

If the manager plays Griffiths and Odubeko up front and goes for it, there is enough to win both games.

Fleetwood have  Wimbledon at home, Sheff Wednesday at home chasing promotion, and Bolton away in between those. I see 1 point against Wimbledon.

Wimbledon face Fleetwood away and Accrington at home . I see four points from these two games.

I still think we can stay up.

It’s the hope that kills Sammy. Let it go.
Look closely at the league.
To start with Rovers have to win both games. Big big ask on its own.
AND gills have to lose both theirs. They have drawn their last 3.
AND, and this is the biggie, there has to be a 17/18 goal swing in rovers favour. So we are looking at 4 or five nil wins and gills being beat by the same margins. In all four collective games. This will never, ever happen.
AND Fleetwood have to lose their last three games. If they get a single point then they go level with gills and they have a 30 goal advantage on rovers.
AND Wimbledon cannot get more than three points out of their last two games.
It is over. Just not confirmed.
We can’t even secure relegation properly.
But we will come Saturday.
It’s Crewe Rovers and Dons down for me. Then any one of Fleetwood, Gills and Morcambe. And it will go to the wire for them.last day drama.

[normal rules]

This has got me going again. Just cannot help myself I suppose.
Let’s look at this saturdays games and possible outcomes.

Gills get beat at Pompey.
Crewe lose to Ipswich
Morcambe lose at MK
Fleetwood and Wimbledon draw.
Oh, and rovers pull off a win against Burton.
All of which are possible
The table would look like this .

Morcambe 42
Gills.        40
Fleetwood 40
Dons.       37
ROVERS   37
Crewe      28

But the GD margin effectively puts every team above rovers on +1pt. This is what will kill us. And that’s if all results go our way.
Fleetwoods game in hand is next tues night against promotion chasing wendies.
If Fleetwood win this sat, relegation is confirmed.

[Colemans Left Hook]

that late Oxford winner  over MK   really put the cat among the pigeons

why ?

because their next match is at out of form Rotherham - ( and it could hand second place to MK eventually ?) i expect them to win that then they have us and they might need to improve their goal difference

with many of the top eight "inter-playing" ( I just invented that word)  they have a real chance and as I have said before Plymouth could miss out

[Daniel_Smith]

Come on, let's be realistic here please.

The Burton game is when this dying dog of a season finally gets taken behind the woodshed and put out of it's misery!

[Sammy Chung was King]

Come on, let's be realistic here please.

The Burton game is when this dying dog of a season finally gets taken behind the woodshed and put out of it's misery!

But just like Den Watts on eastenders, it might make a comeback “Alright Princess!

[Filo]

Well I’ll not be there today, feel like death warmed up

[drfchound]

Well I’ll not be there today, feel like death warmed up

Covid Filo?

[Filo]

Well I’ll not be there today, feel like death warmed up

Covid Filo?

Negative test

[scawsby steve]

I've got the sh*ts.

[Colemans Left Hook]

His stepovers are excellent and give defenders something else to think about.
I like his direct approach and he is one of the few players we have right now who looks likely to make something happen.
The pass he slipped through for Griffiths to score the second goal yesterday was superb.

 and he did the same thing at Sunderland for Griffiths to score - lest we forget

when Ronaldo first came to Manu he did 3 stepovers per second - surprised he didn't get a speeding ticket - he was that fast   

[Colemans Left Hook]

I've got the sh*ts.

after continully correctly predicting Rovers would lose for 15 months in the P & O - are you so excited that we might actually win one in row 

[Filo]

I've got the sh*ts.

Both ends for me, feel shocking

[scawsby steve]

I've got the sh*ts.

Both ends for me, feel shocking

That sounds like a touch of Norovirus, Filo.

[Campsall rover]

Good result. A win of course is always a good result.

Plenty if endeavour and purpose to our game today and we kept at it for the full 90 mins.
The players are obviously much fitter than they were 3 months ago and it is showing.
Question is why were we so unfit in the first 30 + games of the season.

Clayton m.o.m. He is starting to look a high quality signing in League 1 so next season he should be one of the best midfielders in League 2

[Sammy Chung was King]

It’s great to win but this game shows me some of our players can perform, when there is no pressure. If we had a proper possibility of staying up, I’ve a feeling some wouldn’t have dealt with it.

[drfchound]

Bostock and Clayton were excellent today and it was good that they both played the whole game.