Christmas Day table

[Campsall rover]

It would be good but prefer to be top after 46 games than 18

Being top on both though wouldn’t be bad.

DM seems to know what he is doing with his team positional changes.
CJ is improving as a left back and Reece James looks very much at home in centre or wide midfield.

Tough game on Tuesday. Need to put one over Cotterill as well as getting the 3 points.

[Superspy]

It might just be pessism but i feel like historically we don't tend to do well with games in hand...

[DonnyOsmond]

It's crazy we could be top at Christmas yet it doesn't feel like we've got out of 2nd gear yet. Like as fans we know there's more to come from this team.

[Chris Black come back]

It is a quirk rather than a criticism, but we have kept only 3 clean sheets in 17 league games this season.

By comparison, we kept 5 clean sheets after 17 league games in 2015/16 when Ferguson got us relegated.

[elmsallrover]

To be fair tho the last 2 games were only penalties

[Chris the Rover]

I have watched every game so far and have not seen one team that is superior to us. We’ve had the odd off day, but I suppose that’s only to be expected with a young team. Andy Butler has had a huge impact since he came into the team and is now, in my opinion, immovable. I’m still not getting over excited as January will be a very difficult month. See where we are then!

[Dutch Uncle]

It might just be pessism but i feel like historically we don't tend to do well with games in hand...

Clearly not at OBV in 1969 versus Aldershot.....................

IIRC we needed to win 6-0 or better to go top on Goal Average - we won 7-0.

[DonnyBazR0ver]

Sorry, I have to be the bearer of bad news.

I opted not to watch or listen to the game today for a stress free afternoon. Instead, opted to watch Final Score.

When we scored, Clem says. “Doncaster are flying at the moment. They are playing some beeaautiful football. Darren Moore has assembled a fantastic midfield with Ben Whiteman and Reece James in fine form.. “

That can only mean Clem is setting himself up for a visit to Donny shortly, perhaps to report on an award!

I hope he saves his visit for after Tuesday!

[drfchound]

It might just be pessism but i feel like historically we don't tend to do well with games in hand...

Clearly not at OBV in 1969 versus Aldershot.....................

IIRC we needed to win 6-0 or better to go top on Goal Average - we won 7-0.

I remember that night too Dutch.
I seem to remember that we actually needed to win by seven to go top.

[Superspy]

It might just be pessism but i feel like historically we don't tend to do well with games in hand...

Clearly not at OBV in 1969 versus Aldershot.....................

IIRC we needed to win 6-0 or better to go top on Goal Average - we won 7-0.

Indeed. I had to wait a couple of decades to be born.

I was thinking more about the last few years or so.

[DonnyBazR0ver]

Sorry, I have to be the bearer of bad news.

I opted not to watch or listen to the game today for a stress free afternoon. Instead, opted to watch Final Score.

When we scored, Clem says. “Doncaster are flying at the moment. They are playing some beeaautiful football. Darren Moore has assembled a fantastic midfield with Ben Whiteman and Reece James in fine form.. “

That can only mean Clem is setting himself up for a visit to Donny shortly, perhaps to report on an award!

I hope he saves his visit for after Tuesday!

Silly me. Forgetting there are more games in December! Do we really want to win on Tuesday, ha ha?

I think DM is getting the squad through these games brilliantly.

[idler]

It might just be pessism but i feel like historically we don't tend to do well with games in hand...

Clearly not at OBV in 1969 versus Aldershot.....................

IIRC we needed to win 6-0 or better to go top on Goal Average - we won 7-0.

I remember that night too Dutch.
I seem to remember that we actually needed to win by seven to go top.

I thought that the DEP report the following night said that we had gone one better than we needed to.

[Spud]

All this talk of being top at Christmas probably means we’re nailed on to lose tomorrow

Yep, I hate people tempting fate.

Good thing posts on an internet forum have no bearing on a football game isn't it?

Do you know that for certain.

I can't see how information on a web page could possibly affect how many goals are scored or conceded over the course of 90+ minutes.

Mysterious ways mate, you don’t have to know.
I am not the only one on here who dislikes people tempting fate.

Would you look at that, people were talking about something online before the event and it had no negative effect.

Yes but "hyphen-gate" undoubtedly led to Taylor Richards getting on the score sheet, it was inevitable in order for all us sarcastic feckers to jump on it

[Michael Shaw]

What we all feel, hope, think or say is irrelevant. We just need the team to go out on Tuesday determined to make it their night, and every Rovers fan will have a great Christmas Day.

[adamtherover]

When did maths become math anyway? Or is that just in the US of A?

Jimmy Carr does a good gag where he goes "Americans pronounce maths as math using the singular, because they are a set of arse hole!!

It sounds better the  way he says it..

[BobG]

Weren't Aldershot top before that game kicked off? Or did I imagine that?

BobG

[Bentley Bullet]

Weren't Aldershot top before that game kicked off? Or did I imagine that?

BobG

No, you didn't imagine it, they were top!

[Donnywolf]

Colin Clish scored a belter at the Rosso end I (sort of) remember.

Left foot drilled all along floor ? Right in bottom left corner ?

[Lesonthewest]

I recollect Brian Usher scoring from a corner in that game, or did I dream it.

[ravenrover]

Alick wooped one in at the Rosso end I can still see that ball spinning round and round in the back of the net

[BobG]

Thank you BB.

As the years pass I find, more often nowadays, that even though I can remember something distinctly, all the reference books and papers reckon I'm plain wrong. Me? I reckon the reference works are all wrong! Like my old Mum used to say, Tommy's Mum, watching him parade in some army manoeuvre would exclaim 'Look! They're all out of step 'cept our Tommy!'

Bob

[Bentley Bullet]

Thank you BB.

As the years pass I find, more often nowadays, that even though I can remember something distinctly, all the reference books and papers reckon I'm plain wrong. Me? I reckon the reference works are all wrong! Like my old Mum used to say, Tommy's Mum, watching him parade in some army manoeuvre would exclaim 'Look! They're all out of step 'cept our Tommy!'

Bob

You're not alone Bob. There's definitely at least two of us like that. I DISTINCTLY remember Rovers centre-half Stuart Robertson scoring two own goals in a game at Belle Vue, but there is no historic evidence to back it up. Even Dutch Uncle couldn't find it! Maybe I'd had a dream!

[Janso]

Thank you BB.

As the years pass I find, more often nowadays, that even though I can remember something distinctly, all the reference books and papers reckon I'm plain wrong. Me? I reckon the reference works are all wrong! Like my old Mum used to say, Tommy's Mum, watching him parade in some army manoeuvre would exclaim 'Look! They're all out of step 'cept our Tommy!'

Bob

You're not alone Bob. There's definitely at least two of us like that. I DISTINCTLY remember Rovers centre-half Stuart Robertson scoring two own goals in a game at Belle Vue, but there is no historic evidence to back it up. Even Dutch Uncle couldn't find it! Maybe I'd had a dream!

Was it dead vivid? must be true if so.

[drfchound]

Thank you BB.

As the years pass I find, more often nowadays, that even though I can remember something distinctly, all the reference books and papers reckon I'm plain wrong. Me? I reckon the reference works are all wrong! Like my old Mum used to say, Tommy's Mum, watching him parade in some army manoeuvre would exclaim 'Look! They're all out of step 'cept our Tommy!'

Bob

You're not alone Bob. There's definitely at least two of us like that. I DISTINCTLY remember Rovers centre-half Stuart Robertson scoring two own goals in a game at Belle Vue, but there is no historic evidence to back it up. Even Dutch Uncle couldn't find it! Maybe I'd had a dream!

To be fair BB, there wasn’t a dubious goals panel back then so if Robby had say,  diverted a shot that was going wide into the goal it may well have been awarded to the shooter.

[Campsall rover]

As much as I want to win tomorrow i will not be too upset if we do not win.

My gut feeling is it may be too soon if there is ever a too soon to hit the top of the table.
How many teams go on to win the league or even finish 2nd when they were top at Christmas.
One for Dutch Uncle.

I would be quite happy to stay in the pack near the top until the end of March and then go on a very strong run up to the end of the season and snatch the title on the last day against Peterborough. Which would just be the icing on the cake.

[DonnyBazR0ver]

As much as I want to win tomorrow i will not be too upset if we do not win.

My gut feeling is it may be too soon if there is ever a too soon to hit the top of the table.
How many teams go on to win the league or even finish 2nd when they were top at Christmas.
One for Dutch Uncle.

I would be quite happy to stay in the pack near the top until the end of March and then go on a very strong run up to the end of the season and snatch the title on the last day against Peterborough. Which would just be the icing on the cake.

Normally I would agree with all that. I was concerned that an extended cup run coupled with the games in hand would give us a mountain to climb in an already conjested season.

As it turns out, whilst we had things against us last season, things are falling into place for us this. Due to other clubs being unable to play due to COVID, we've managed to escape that so far and caught up somewhat at a time when we have a run of fixtures against some less fancied teams.

If all falls into place tomorrow, I can imagine the reaction from some of our rivals “Where the hell did they come from!? "

I would agree its a different mindset in leading from the front to hovering in the chasing back hoping to time your run to perfection.

As time and games pass, I'm getting more confident that DM can get the mental approach right and just continue to focus on each game at a time. No longer do we worry too much about rotating the team. We are showing that we are more resilient than we have been in the past.

Whilst we look at the fixtures and think it's going to be tough over the next couple of months, equally teams won't relish playing us either.

Just go with the flow, we're certainly in a good position whatever happens tomorrow!

[Lytham Rover]

Remember turning out to see Rovers v Swansea just before Christmas at Belle Vue, Deja vu! Fingers crossed!

Didn't it snow that night?
2 nil victory?

[drfchound]

3-1 in December 2003
2-1 in December 2005
Cant be sure which match had the snow.

[silent majority]

Apologies if this has been linked or mentioned elsewhere, I've not seen it.

Taylor Richards interview where he doesn't know we'd be top on Christmas day;

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0923s1k

[drfchound]

Apologies if this has been linked or mentioned elsewhere, I've not seen it.

Taylor Richards interview where he doesn't know we'd be top on Christmas day;

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0923s1k

Didn’t DM say he didn’t know we would be either.