We've been here before

[Old Popsider]

I've just ploughed through a week's worth of posts on here, being at work keeps me away from here , and oh dear. It's a long time since I've seen such divided opinions on any subject such as the club's present plight.

I've supported the Rovers since the early 1950's and seen many many crises during that time regarding the way the team has played and what sort of mess they've landed in. We've been here before and come back from whatever position we've been in. Alonso will bear me out on that I'm sure.

Many a time on the run up to Christmas we've been at the bottom of the heap in whatever division and usually made a recovery of sorts in the New Year. Yes, there were times when we were unable to escape the trap door & fell through. I cannot say why either scenario arose but it has to be faced that such times are a footballing fact of life.

To call for a new manager's head after only a few games is not helpful. It only serves to drive down the man's morale and eventually the team's morale which affects their on field performances.

Dean Saunders has been presented with an extremely difficult task, that has not been helped by the injury plague. Neither has he been helped by the current influx of new pplayers. Before the sacking of SOD there was a squad of players with mixed abilities, and in some cases limited abilities. DS has to assess each player in the squad, find out his strengths and weaknesses. From that he has to decide if that player can improve his skills and fitness levels, also judge how well he thinks that the player will be able to perform the style of football he requires and if he can perform well as a team player. The last thing needed is a player that cannot gel with others to provide a cohesive unit that can both attack and defend as required.

Perhaps one of the reasons the team hasn't performed well since DS arrived is that players are having difficulty adjusting to his particular regime. Having enforced international breaks helps no-one. Just how many players at Championship level are called up for international duty? Not many I'd wager. The break is not necessary for Championship clubs in my  opinion, just for Premiership clubs. After the win at Ipswich I'm sure that the players would have been on a high,and to have that break would have the effect of leaving a bottle of bubbly open for too long, the effervescence would subside and when the players finally kicked off at Oakwell, the team spirit and morale would have been that much less than if the games had been played last week. The feeling of being on a high after a much needed win would have disappeared.

Personally I think that next season will see us still in the Championship having survived yet again by the skin of the teeth.

[DRFCBRADFORD]

BUT NOT WITH STOCK AND GILLET IN MIDFIELD