Rex
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Post by Rex on Apr 25, 2021 16:10:43 GMT
Thanks, Hb... Apart from WBA, do you know if we've relegated clubs? I remember once in 1990 we stopped someone going up, only delaying it really, but it was fun
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Rex
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Joined: June 2014
Posts: 3,287
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Post by Rex on Apr 25, 2021 10:19:37 GMT
Brighton & Hove Albion v Leeds United 0-3 Everton v Aston Villa 2-1 Huddersfield Town v Coventry City 2-1 Millwall v Bristol City 0-2 Rotherham United v Blackburn Rovers 1-2 AFC Wimbledon v Portsmouth 0-1 Bristol Rovers v Crewe Alexandra 3-1 Burton Albion v Gillingham 2-2 Leyton Orient v Carlisle United 1-1 Mansfield Town v Oldham Athletic 1-2
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Rex
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Post by Rex on Apr 25, 2021 9:08:29 GMT
In light of where we find ourselves i cant think of anyone better suited to unite the fans and regalvanise the club then DC in league 2. If we could go back to that point he had to replace our successful squad to have a proper go at league 1 but give him the help he needed with recruitment, infrastructure and the new training ground we would all give anything for that. B***** even if we win league 2 will leave a bad taste with many fans. Hes horrible. He turned to crapola. He left. He ain’t coming back.
Get over it. That's the thing isn't it. DC had a great couple of years here, but he really had lost it come the end (and it didn't start that well either) He was the right man at the right time, just as Gerry Francis was once , Holloway was once and to a degree, Coughlan was once.
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Rex
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Post by Rex on Apr 24, 2021 11:20:50 GMT
I remember that West Ham game well. A large IRA bomb caused traffic chaos and some of us got out of our coach from the Pied Horse and attempted to get across London by other methods, this being in a pre mobile phone era we really had no idea what was going on, but we did manage to get there in time for kick off. We may have got relegated that day, but, as you would have expected with the team form that era, we went down fighting, not with the whimper this lot have gone down with. I would never have imagined how far we would fall from that day. I find it hard to believe it was 28 years ago, I was still -just about- in my 20s!
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Rex
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Post by Rex on Apr 24, 2021 10:58:51 GMT
If you think the shirt is funny wait till you see the state of our club in 25 years.
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Rex
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Posts: 3,287
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Post by Rex on Apr 20, 2021 19:32:36 GMT
If anyone is offering mid table obscurity next season, we should snatch their hand off.
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Rex
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Posts: 3,287
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Post by Rex on Apr 20, 2021 18:19:40 GMT
Can we go down tonight?
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Rex
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Joined: June 2014
Posts: 3,287
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Post by Rex on Apr 20, 2021 8:29:39 GMT
I honestly believe Wael means what he says when he talks about his care and affection for Rovers.
I think if I was chairman and wrote you all an open letter, you too would believe I cared about the club. Whether that would make me a good chairman or not is an entirely different matter.
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Rex
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Post by Rex on Apr 20, 2021 7:43:45 GMT
Sheffield United v Brighton & Hove Albion 2-1 Barnsley v Rotherham United 1-2 Derby County v Birmingham City 2-1 Portsmouth v Bristol Rovers 1-3 Gillingham v Northampton Town 2-0 Lincoln City v Hull City 1-2 Oxford United v Plymouth Argyle 2-1 Carlisle United v Harrogate Town 1-1 Tranmere Rovers v Barrow 1-1 Bristol City v Luton Town 0-2
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Rex
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Post by Rex on Apr 19, 2021 22:11:40 GMT
Wonderful programme on BBC Two tonight about Derry City. Heart warming stuff and areal antidote to the current big story in football.
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Rex
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Post by Rex on Apr 19, 2021 18:32:51 GMT
Look on the bright side: Our Full Member's trophy competition hijack (that some of you gleefully didn't boycott) can now assist some of the new European League teams... Some people just want to watch the games and have no interest in politics, whether it's Rovers or FIFA, and that's fine if that's what they want to do. Quite funny seeing the likes of Lineker pretending to be outraged by this ESL thing. Just remind us how much money you trouser every year for presenting programmes associated with a product that's adversely affected every club not directly involved in the PL Lineker? My hope in all of this is that not only doesn't the ESL happen but also that the conversation moves on and the spotlight gets pointed towards the PL and UEFA, they are the source of the issue here. epping. Arse were playing in front of crowds of 30~35,000 sometimes before Covid hit, just see what happens if they try to inflate prices further still for what's been a second rate product for at least 15 years now. Yes, I do know that the 'official' attendance was always 60,000. The faux outrage from Lineker, Gary Neville et al - especially Neville who seems to be trying to re model himself as some kind of 'man of the people' - is laughable. I heard him banging on about the importance of fans feelings and genuine competition. It didn't seem to worry him to much when Salford fans were protesting about the changing of their clubs colours to suit him and his mates or when he and those mates fast tracked themselves into the football league by chucking a load of money at their arrogantly named 'Project 92'
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Rex
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Post by Rex on Apr 19, 2021 11:13:19 GMT
I agree the hypocrisy shown by the EPL complaining of ESL greed,takes the biscuit. Thing is though,the ESL may cause huge damage,alot more than the EPL. I still don't see it actually happening. The ESL is a European version of the EPL, led by the same clubs, with the same sickening greed for money above everything else. Premier League clubs shat on the English League that had survived since the late 19th century; SOLELY for shedloads of TV cash. It's flippin' rich for the EPL to condemn a proposed ESL; massive hypocrisy! Pretty much my thoughts. I really don't care much one way or the other if the ESL goes ahead or not. The Premier League has already changed the game forever and I am struggling to find any sympathy with them or any Premier League clubs that may get left behind.
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Rex
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Post by Rex on Apr 19, 2021 11:08:49 GMT
On the contrary Basle - this could be our big opportunity. We establish a new South West Mediocrity League, do it double-quick before we're ejected from League One, exclude City, and invite star out-of-region outfits like Barrow, Concord Rangers, Medicine Hat 2nd Eleven, Taunton Ladies Embroidery Globetrotters, Mary Celeste Reserves and Luton Ludo Lewds to join. We can't go wrong. In no time everybody in Merthyr Tydfil Fochriw will be green with insouciance and thence it's only onwards and upwards. TBF , I don't much fancy our chances Taunton Ladies Embroidery Globetrotters.
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Rex
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Post by Rex on Apr 19, 2021 8:44:32 GMT
Why are we waiting, why are we waiting tra la la la la la la la I think he's f**ked off to start his European Super Prediction League.
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Rex
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Post by Rex on Apr 19, 2021 8:16:27 GMT
Their statement was utterly shameless . The breakaway league will make no difference to me whatsoever. If it hurts the Premier League and some of their clubs, I will give them as much sympathy as they did to other Football League clubs, when they pulled up the drawbridge in 1992. It's worse than that Rex. They aren't done with us yet, they are still coming back, nibbling away, trying to alter competition formats, and it's not to benefit the likes of us or Walsall, that's for sure. Going back to that Scuddamore 'going away' gift from the PL 18 clubs, that totalled £4,500,000. Bury were wound up because of a £4,200,000 loan. Makes you feel physically unwell, doesn't it. The going away gift was sickening. It should have been shouted about from the rooftops and been a source of shame that our national game was being run by such people , while at the same time our media make sneering jibes at '3rd world' countries FAs effectively taking bribes. There is no shame with being caught with your nose in the trough any more, that is just a sad fact of modern life.
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Rex
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Post by Rex on Apr 18, 2021 20:46:34 GMT
Funny as anything. PL are squealing like pigs. Odd isn't it, they haven't given too much thought to the harm they've done to our national game, they don't care about fairness, if they did they would have expelled Citeh years ago, in what way is it fair for Fulham and Brighton to try to compete with a club funded by a country? Just remember, when Scuddamore stepped down from his position they had a little whip round amongst the PL clubs to give him a going away present, you know the sort of thing, a £50 clock from the Argos catalogue. They made each PL club put £250,000, yep, a quarter of a million quid from each and every club, into the pot for him. Who the Hell do they think they are to even mention others being cynical and greedy! Their statement was utterly shameless . The breakaway league will make no difference to me whatsoever. If it hurts the Premier League and some of their clubs, I will give them as much sympathy as they did to other Football League clubs, when they pulled up the drawbridge in 1992.
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Rex
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Post by Rex on Apr 18, 2021 18:00:41 GMT
UEFA thinks its a 'cynical project' , the Premier League think it 'attacks the principles of open competition and sporting merit' and that it will 'destroy fans dreams of climbing to the top and playing against the best'.
I think what they actually mean is 'Bloody hell, we were gonna do that'
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Rex
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Post by Rex on Apr 18, 2021 14:18:53 GMT
What do you think Joey's resistance is to playing a back 4? We've looked much more solid on the odd occasion it's been used. i don’t rate Joey as a football manager. celebrities don’t equate to good managers, look at the likes of Lawrenson and Rush coming out the great Liverpool side etc. Brian Clough ? I don't think there is any hard and fast rule about whether superstar players make good managers or not. What we do now, is that being a good player doesn't necessarily mean you will be a good manager.
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Rex
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Post by Rex on Apr 18, 2021 9:32:18 GMT
I will go to the Glos road for the pre match beers and maybe hang around for after games but I really can’t stomach paying the money asked, for tier 4 games and then the very idea of being cat A games in that tier is incredible I will become a glory hunter and start to go IF we do well. If completely honest, I have not really been enthralled with games for awhile and spent most of them chatting. I don’t want to give up lifetime friendships but I can’t handle tier 4 again but, conversely, I honestly enjoyed our non league season and fell back in love with the game again. My highlight of the away days was Kidderminster, they went out of their way to accommodate our fans and their clubhouse and food was outstanding. So much hope after the 2nd promotion. Hard to stomach how that has been thrown away I couldn’t handle listening to Joseph, post match
I don't blame you at all. I imagine a lot of fans will be considering their commitment to attending games as a result of this season, which is natural especially given our history over the last 20 years. The season ticket sales will be interesting...
I agree 100%, that season in the National League was probably the most enjoyable season that I can remember following The Gas. It united the fanbase and was the start of a period when we could hope and dream again. I had dreams of us finally reaching The Championship. It feels like that period is definitely over now. Back to reality. Which is sad.
Hopefully the team will give us all something to get behind next season and reignite our dreams.
I think a few Rovers fans over romanticise that season a bit. There were certainly some times I enjoyed that season, but there were -I think -two occasions when supporters got on the team bus to hurl abuse at players and management, one I'm pretty sure was Alfreton away . a drab 0-0 on a cold November night in front of less than a thousand fans, it certainly wasn't a high point of my time watching Rovers. Nor was Braintree away, where the arrogance of some of our support who chanted about our opponents being a pub team had it well and truly rammed back down their throats, there were plenty of lows that season. The following season was of course truly memorable, and it really did seem like something special was happening. Ah well, at least it was a brilliant night out
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Rex
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Post by Rex on Apr 17, 2021 19:46:08 GMT
i didn’t say it’s wholly different, only different from a business only in some regards. And I stand by it. firstly. Similar in terms of a business has expenditure so needs income to pay the bills, so you would infer it has to be careful with its money? Do people invest in most football clubs for the dividend it’s going to pay them, own them for the money they can make out of it? If it’s hobby/pastime for those who can afford to do it, like owning or part owning a race horse, it would suggest it is different from normal business. Where is the incentive to watch penny’s if sugardaddy is getting the credit card out? That goes against sensible rules of business. As exhibit A i present Lord Sugar happy to tell anyone who asks that when he took over Spurs he didn’t recognise the club operating like a business, or football in general operating like a business. this brings us secondly to the reason why. Our owner is getting the blame for relegation here tonight, but will he be receiving as much blame from fans of his pies or deckchairs if the pies or deckchairs were of relegation standard. The output from the football business is very different. As an example, imagine if we were run like the big Spanish Giants, you actually vote in the man in charge? The President needs to watch his own share price! The example I used above you fundamentally, absolutely disagree with, in normal business practice you can put someone between a rock and a hard place to get what you want, if you had to watch your own share price or opinion poll leads, you couldn’t. If you sack a manager more popular than you, you don’t get the vote you need. Even without the election, due to the unique end product that is reliant on fans, fans have to matter to this business owner. People own football clubs or racehorses for a number of reasons but IMO it should always be done with surplus wealth, wealth you can afford to lose. The two main reasons for ownership IMO are that either these are competitive people who have had success elsewhere and now want to pit their wits against others in a different field or they are wealthy people who want to have a bit of fun and show off. I don’t need to say any more on that score. When I it comes to racehorses I have some experience. Of course there are people who get involved, give someone a large sum of money to buy and train a horse then look forward to dressing up for a nice day out with their friends at Ascot or ( in my case) Wolverhampton. But others go into it with a strategy, they do their research and talk to experts to formulate a plan rather than diving in. They work out what they are trying to achieve and how they are going to achieve it, who do they need with them to help and how much do they need to budget, what constitutes success, what constitutes failure and what ( if needed) is the exit strategy. So there is a way to apply a business strategy in a high risk sports venture and you stand to get far more out of it if you put the work in and then are able to reap the rewards because it is so much more satisfying to have helped build something than just getting the credit card out and standing around waiting for people to admire you. A few months ago I posted a mini plan relating to Wael’s “vision” of developing and selling young players which epping described as a “ money ball” type idea. I guess that is what it was but just calling it a fancy name doesn’t get away from the fact that really it’s just business common sense in action. The same thing could be applied not just to young footballers but to racehorses or classic cars or many other things. But in our case the developing young players plan would be just one of the facets which all go together to make a business successful. It’s not something you would do in isolation or do without a detailed plan, as Rovers appear to have done, you would do it as part of a larger strategy. So, although most fans are primarily concerned with the first team and its management if you break down all the different components which make up the BRFC business you will see that there are an awful lot of them to which little attention is paid and so they are ripe for the malaise which B***** talked about to set in and once that is established it is very hard to stop it reaching the first team. Unless we adopt a normal business strategy encompassing all aspects of the club’s operations we won’t be very successful. But, more importantly, if we do adopt a strategy and include fans in it through transparency and a feeling of belonging then I think we will have more chance of success. I could go on and on about this but basically the “making stakeholders feel included” is a strategy successful businesses adopt, it was part of the 2006 Rovers Agenda for Change, and even on this thread Rex talking constructively about “ we are all in this together”. Contentment with the attitude of “Higgs knows best” or “we must be grateful to Wael” is dragging Rovers down. I have worked for a few different companies (all in the same trade) and the most successful ones have been when the people at the bottom of the pile have by and large been happy with how they are treated , had a pride in their work and spoke well of their bosses. The least successful ones were ones were those at the bottom thought the bosses were **** and the bosses thought those 'beneath them' were lazy and feckless. We have a fan base that think 'they deserve better' just because they turn up most weeks , and quite a few of those do so to have a good moan and a laugh at how s**te we are AKA the 'I paid my money I can say what I want brigade. We have an owner who tells us nothing because he thinks we probably wouldn't understand and it may upset us if we knew the truth .I understand that a few things need to be confidential, but I'm not quite sure why progress on a training ground, on land that we already owned, needed to be so hush hush for so long. The managers. Coughlan, hugely successful, yet large parts of our fan base disliked him intensely, he even got stick for daring to joke about preferring Celtic to Rangers FFS. Garner, who for some bizarre reason disassembled a successful team, Tisdale who must be baffled as to why he was taken on if he wasn't going to be given a chance to change things and B*****, who to my mind- and this is based purely on footballing reasons, whether he should be here or not is an entirely different argument- is the one most likely to be able to instigate real change on the field. That leaves us with the players. One player stands out, McCormick, he isn't our player and won't be here next season. It's unlikely that there will be any major investment in the playing squad, so we have to hope that , what now looks like an almost inevitable relegation, will actually do the current squad a bit of a favour and see them playing at a level they are more comfortable with. As fans we can either choose to back those players when we are allowed back into grounds, or not.
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