What's happened?

[Dare to dream!]

From seemingly heading for a steady mid table season finish our eyes have swiftly moved behind us and now many of us are fearing the worst. So what's happened to us?

Could it be an inexperienced manager? Possibly. Dickov has shown flashes of it by starting with the wrong formation, going for the win instead of settling for the draw and not shutting up to prevent a rout.

Injuries? We've had our fair share Jones, Keegan and Forrester all long term injuries that strengthen the starting line up significantly. 

Board trouble? Has the off field commotion starting to distract the players, could be because there's been plenty going on.

Are we overestimating our players? Many of them haven't even played in the championship and others have been established championship side's bit part players or cast offs Jones & Robinson for example.

I think it's our expectations have changed that is what's happened. We got off to a good start and many of us thought we'd be in for an easy ride. We need to remember our aim is avoid relegation and that's what we're doing currently. If this season has taught me one thing in football and life is don't get too giddy over a win and don't get too low after a loss because it all changes too quickly.

[Sprotyrover]

I think you have missed a few off of the injury list

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

We've had three tough games that's all. It happens. We just have to win one room.

[dickos1]

Keegan, husband, brown, jones, wabara, forrester,
We've had more than our fair share

[Sammy Chung was King]

We have a smaller squad than most in the league,we already started the season with injuries,this has in turn lead to players not being able to be rotated as much,and has led to more injuries,a vicious circle,and something that is bound to effect us more than a bigger club with more depth in the squad.
I Think he's done a good job up to now,we've competed in most games,without some of our strongest players on the park,we've bloodied a few of the ''Ex-Premier League Toffs noses'',but you can see with some of the loans by teams around us,they are serious about staying in this league too,i wouldn't want to see the club spend silly money,but we need to be ambitious without putting club in too deep,we need a minimum of three players in january,a centre-half,defensive midfield ball winner,and a striker,maybe some going out could go towards funding wages,i wouldn't like Dave Syers to be one of them though,i think he could do a good job for us just behind the forwards.

I Think we will stay up,but the squad has to be maintained to keep competing,it's not good business to have two left backs on loan,Enda Stevens could be an option for a permanent contract,i don't see him breaking into the Villa side.

[BobG]

I can't recall a single club who have had significant boardroom problems who have had anything other than a disastrous season. Disaster is relative of course, but disaster invariably attends boardroom discontent.

Febrile attempts to destabilise the club and its board only make matters worse. Has anyone wondered about the timing of this latest so called announcement? It's the latest in a series of attempts to time things to cause the maximum harm possible to the club.

BobG

[GazLaz]

I'd say Cardiff and Hull are having boardroom issues and are punching above their weight. Also Coventry are doing well even with their problems. It can't help though.

[River Don]

At the moment I'd say Hulls problems are still fairly minor.

Cardiff on the other hand look to have descended into turmoil, unless something is sorted out quick, I can see them rapidly losing their Premier League status. Then the problems will really start mounting up.

[GazLaz]

If Mackay stays till the end of the season Cardiff will stay up. I've seen them a few times this year, they are a good side. In fact I'd go as far as saying if Mackay stays they will finish above 15th.

[River Don]

The news is the chairman has managed to pacify the owner, Mackay is still in his job and the pair are set for talks.

The opportunity is there and I reckon Mr Tan would be silly not to take it but then it often turns out people with a lot of money can't be reasoned with.

[Sprotyrover]

Keegan, husband, brown, jones, wabara, forrester,
We've had more than our fair share

And that big unit of a Centre half MCOmbe who was carrying an injury when we signed him and has only ever been firing on one cylinder.
Hopefully he will be an asset when fully fit.

[Tokyos Boot]

I always start to lose my confidence in a manager when they begin the "We were good, but we lost, pleased with the game" spiel in interviews a la the last few post matches from Dickov. I never know if they are genuinely happy to accept the loss or if they are trying to convince the board that things aren't as bad as they look...

We suffered a year of that kind of talk under SOD, and it is absolutely not the kind of thing i like to hear. Do you think when Fergie lost but played well he'd be pleased with it? I want to hear more of the Jonesy-esque "Not good enough" interviews instead of managers massaging confidences and patting everyone on the back... i think we have been good performance wise, but what use is telling everyone that its alright?

Get b*ll*cking the defence, get b*ll*cking the strikers, feel down and out after a loss. Thats where fight comes from!!

I'd much rather us grind together and mucky (possibly lucky) out dour 1-0s than be proud of our possession and concede 3.

[graingrover]

Tokyos ... we once had a manager who ALWAYS talked about performnces before results . The difference is that PD is a positive thinker and no bullshiter either.

[Tokyos Boot]

I know, and that approach works fantastically while the results are going your way, and the performances are high flying but once you're against the cosh it becomes water off a ducks back and seems to inject no belief or fight in the players.... as that manager (I'm assuming your referring to SOD) has proven since, and proved in his final 8 months at Rovers.

I actually love the way PD interviews usually, he comes across as genuine, tenacious and confident in his own abilities... but i hope he's a lot less reasonable in the dressing room than he is on camera - because we need shaking up at the minute, we're facing a relegation battle, and i think we are certainly good enough to deserve to stay in this league. What is this depleted (and young) side missing at the minute? Discipline!

Unleash the Corporal at these kids!

[RedJ]

Thing is though, we WERE good. If Theo had scored - when in all honesty probably even Paynter would have put that away - at 1-0 then it's a very different game.

[Tokyos Boot]

Then give Theo a bollocking and 5 hours shooting practice in training then!
Less 'could've been' and more SHOULD've been.

Just because we're a small, cheap side doesn't mean we allow them the luxury of thinking they are alright to make mistakes.

If you look to continually successful managers you find men who would b*llock their team for winning 6-2 because they conceded 2 sloppy goals, or winning 3-0 when it should've been 5-0. If we were good enough to draw or beat Leeds and to get something at Derby then get the big harsh finger of blame out and give em a seeing to, don't console them i say!

[RedJ]

To be fair though, we don't know that he didn't bollock them behind closed doors.

In fact, I'd rather he did that than kick off in the media, particularly when we did actually do well. Plus Derby are on fire.

[Standanista]

I'd say we have a League One squad that has been punching above its weight but is now starting to struggle as injuries bite.  On a business basis, that is how the club is now set up, and that's what we're seeing reflected in the league table.

The boardroom tussles were as a result of two opposing visions for the future of the club: JR's higher risk strategy, gambling the family silver for a shot at the Premier League, and TB's more modest but sustainable model which is part of his broader strategy for the town in general.

I fully expect us to get relegated, if not this season then the next, but then to have the resources and balance sheet to compete comfortably at League One with the odd flirt in the future at the Championship.  TB himself has alluded to this.

In the post-JR era, this is as good as it gets, so get used to it.  Such a situation may or may not be a bad thing, depending on whether you most value having an ongoing, sustainable local club hovering around League One level or would rather take a chance with a hedge fund in the hope that it'll push Rovers on to top flight glory at the risk of ending up back in the Conference or worse.  But you pays your money and you takes your choice, and we just did.