A bit of perspective

[BillyStubbsTears]

Which I know is hard after that abomination, but here we go.

We still make the playoffs unless.

1) We lose to Oxford, Coventry beat Shrewsbury and us.

Or

2) Peterborough get 4 more points from Walsall, Portsmouth and Burton than we get from Oxford and Coventry.

I know it feels like we've f**ked it up tonight, but those scenarios are more likely NOT to happen than to happen.

The bookies certainly think so. Longest odds you can get on us to make the playoffs as of tonight is 1/8.

Saturday at Oxford is now the biggest match since Brentford. Win that, and, given that Peterborough have to go to Portsmouth next week, we're almost there.

Despite two shocking performances in the last 5 days, we're not such a bad side that we can't still do this. It's now a time for players to look at themselves in the mirror and ask themselves if they are proper professionals, or bottlers.

[TheFunk]

I'm beginning to wonder if the problem was Fergie or whether it's because we've got a squad of bottlers who can't stand real pressure. Oh how I wish we could regenerate Rob Jones.

[pib]

I do fear for us now. If we play like we did tonight (and considering our away form and Oxford’s current form) we could conceivably lose the next two games. Coventry will be a very tough test too.

I wouldn’t rule out Posh getting 4 (or 6) points from their remaining games. I think they’ll beat Walsall, and they could turn over Burton now their purple patch is over.

[Alan Southstand]

Nice try Billy, but I've had a few now and I think it's time to call time on all this posturing. We are simply not good enough. We found a system that got 4 good solid results on the bounce and we have gone back to the manager's preferred system again and been found out - not just a little bit, massively. Tonight wasn't Sunderland, for God's sake, they played for 67 mins on Saturday with 10 men! 3 points off going down.

Perennial bottlers we are - mentally questionable.

Peroni was nice, though.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Thing is, it's easy to forget how unpredictable football is.

Who'd have had a double on Accrington and Wimbledon getting four points away at us and Luton tonight?

[StocksArmy]

Its a successful season regardless is it not? Without trying to be negative we really are just making the numbers up if we do get there and if we did and happened to win it I feel we are far less equipt for the championship than we ever have been and what Rotherham are this season. Even IF we get there we still lose Kane and Wilks who have been our biggest performers. I just think as a club we could do with another season in league one. Progress made now lets have a big summer and have a real go next year.

[dickos1]

I think we’d have a good chance of keeping Kane and wilks if we went up

[Pliskin]

I can't help but not be comforted by this sort of stuff any more more.

How many times in the recent past we've tried to rationalise away the idea that the unthinkable will happen? Yet the unthinkable did happen on three occasions, with seemingly implausible collapses in form leading to relegation in 2016 and 2014, and losing the title in 2017.

I'm just resigned to us taking a maximum of 1 point from the final two games and bottling it again, then having to watch a smug-as-f**k Ferguson in the playoffs.

[RoversAlias]

If we lose on Saturday, which has to be classed as likely right now, and Peterborough beat Walsall, which you'd also say is the likely outcome, then we aren't even favourites for 6th place anymore. We've missed a big chance tonight and I'm worried now.

[Bentley Bullet]

Talking about perspective it's a bit like saying we can beat Mike Tyson on our day, let's forget about losing to Mary Berry tonight.

[BillyStubbsTears]

No. It's not is it?

[bobjimwilly]

https://youtu.be/6Cs3Pvmmv0E?t=99

[Bentley Bullet]

No, you're right, Billy.


We can't beat Mike Tyson.

[Bentley Bullet]

https://youtu.be/6Cs3Pvmmv0E?t=99

Asda supermarket?

[BigH]

I get the bit about perspective, but last night was a real opportunity to showcase everything that's good about us:

Good home form
An ability to bounce back from poor displays
Our ability to stick it to sides in the bottom half of the table
Taking advantage when our better players come back from injury

So how come we were so crap? I know we were without Coppinger but are we that reliant on our 37-year old talisman? And what was McCann doing playing May - who couldn't score in a brothel right now - from the off, keeping Sadlier and Smith on the bench?

The fact is that group of players and the manager choked last night. 

[since-1969]

Which I know is hard after that abomination, but here we go.

We still make the playoffs unless.

1) We lose to Oxford, Coventry beat Shrewsbury and us.

Or

2) Peterborough get 4 more points from Walsall, Portsmouth and Burton than we get from Oxford and Coventry.

I know it feels like we've f**ked it up tonight, but those scenarios are more likely NOT to happen than to happen.

The bookies certainly think so. Longest odds you can get on us to make the playoffs as of tonight is 1/8.

Saturday at Oxford is now the biggest match since Brentford. Win that, and, given that Peterborough have to go to Portsmouth next week, we're almost there.

Despite two shocking performances in the last 5 days, we're not such a bad side that we can't still do this. It's now a time for players to look at themselves in the mirror and ask themselves if they are proper professionals, or bottlers.

It all boils down to hindsight, and knowing in advance that we don’t have a squad  to choose from but a handful of experienced players who have been their and done it before . If the knowledge of who ... oh we did know but did nothing to sort this preseason  . At this time McCann knows who he can rely on but it makes his job harder when JM and Kane fall short of what is required now  etc  but he put out a team last night good enough on paper but clearly not up to the challenge of playing against another team who also had a greater goal SURVIVAL! . and left out our  experienced players Butler ( Copps no reason offered )who could have  helped us get over the line . McCann's lack of experience showed and he’s the one who needs to look in the mirror this morning .

[TommyC]

To be honest the original post from Billy has cheered me somewhat this morning. On that basis it is of course still ours to lose. Having said that, there looks some real value in the bookies odds. I've had a look this morning and Peterborough at 6/1 to make the playoffs and Coventry at 16/1 looks tempting to me. A tenner on both of those scenarios could be a cheap way to ensure our end of the season produces something. If we make the playoffs I'll be glad to have lost my 20 quid. If we dont then a little win at the bookies will soften the blow.

[NickDRFC]

You’re looking in the wrong place - you can get 66/1 on Coventry. For that to happen we’d need to lose both games, they’d need to win on Saturday and Peterborough would need to get no more than one win from their last three (or no more than 4 points with an 8 goal swing in Coventry’s favour). Very, very slim chance of that happening (but I’m still putting a couple of quid on )

[DonnyBazR0ver]

Another positive I guess is having Whiteman back and performing like he did in the second half.

We need Blair in his natural position being positive with his runs.

I don't care if Rowe is sacrificed because he doesn't show up half the time. Sadlier showed real intent when he came on.

Get those key pieces of the jigsaw in the right places and we have a chance.

[Chris Black come back]

What on earth was the thinking behind playing Whiteman in a game the same afternoon as he was playing in the evening?! Absolute madness.

[graingrover]

Best performances Donny Baz Rover and Billy Stubbs Tears for me.Cool analyses ,know their roles  and stick it out .What more can you expect from supporters .

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

Agree on this in some ways.  The other point to forget is prior to the last 2 games we had won 3 on the bounce so the form was ok.  The poor result was last night and that was a bit of a one off you'd hope.  2 big games to come, who knows what will happen.

[Campsall rover]

Agree on this in some ways.  The other point to forget is prior to the last 2 games we had won 3 on the bounce so the form was ok.  The poor result was last night and that was a bit of a one off you'd hope.  2 big games to come, who knows what will happen.

We had won 4 on the bounce before the last 2 games.
There are an awful lot of knee jerk reactions on here again. The title is “A bit of perspective” well that is what is needed.
Sunderland was Sunderland we just seemed to be in our shell and as GM said “played safe” 
He doesn’t know why he team didn’t play as he wanted them to it just happened.
Last night i feel he dropped a massive clanger leaving out Butler & Copps. If they were not fit, fair enough. If they were fit then he has discarded our 2 most experienced players in what was probably our most important match so far this season. He also started with May ahead of Sadlier and Smith which again was a massive misjudgement imo.
GM is a young manager still learning his trade and on reflection i hope he will realise he got the team selection badly wrong last night.
Let’s move on to Oxford on Saturday which is going to show us how good both GM is as both a motivator and tactician, and how much this set of players want promotion.
  

[grayx]

Campsall, your point about McCann being a young manager learning his trade is very valid.
Its noticeable that when we have played teams with , shall we way more “experienced” managers, we seem to have been out thought tactically. They seem to know who our key men are and are able to stop them being effective. They also seem to know our weaknesses.
Grant needs to get wise to this and change things  a bit as we have become far too predictable.

[Surrey Rover]

Anyone remember the reaction after the defeat to Notts County in the final home game of season 2012/13? After blowing the opportunity of doing it the easy way very few thought we’d do it the hard way at Brentford a week later. Not to forget of course the defeat at Cheltenham in final game of the season of 2008 when victory would have guaranteed promotion whilst relegating Cheltenham.

There might only be two games left to play but there are so many permatations and just as an illustration it’s not beyond the realms of possibility Luton could still miss out on automatic promotion.

[drfc1951]

Campsall Copps was left out due to personal family reasons according to Free Press.

[Campsall rover]

Campsall Copps was left out due to personal family reasons according to Free Press.

Hope he will be able to play on Saturday. He is still one of our most important players.
When Copps is on song the team plays well in 9/10 games and we nearly always win.
I think in Sadlier we have someone who can fill his mantle over the next season or two.

[DonnyBazR0ver]

I'm certainly not one for knee jerk reactions. There's previous form at this time of year and there are common denominators which successive managers have not been able to address and that's our experienced players not leading from the front and demanding the other younger players play up to the same standards. The standards we manage to see more often than not through the season, mysteriously drop and we're found wanting.

I don't have the answers but we need these players to be setting the example to the rest. The manager should know who he can look to to take responsibility. He sees them everyday in training and has now seen the piss poor execution of a game plan in two successive matches. Over to you Grant.

[Barmby Rover]

Never mind who beats who in the last few games, if Rovers current form is repeated in the play offs, which of the other three teams would fear us? Not a single one of them, and I would suggest we would get such a severe thrashing in an away leg that the second becomes irrelevant. What on Earth is the logic in sending long high balls to a player who is a good foot smaller than defenders? Why have we suddenly taken to punting the hopeful ball forward? Why can't we pass the ball to one of our players if we get beyond the half way line? They were my questions in the first half last night, second half, so much better, but we will not get that sort of luxury against better teams. I don't have answers, that is up to the manager and coaching staff, they better sort out the answers soon!

[bobjimwilly]

Was last night the first time we've lost at the Keepmoat (in the league) since October?