This time last season

[Chris Black come back]

After 19 games in League One this season we have 28 points.

After 19 games last season?

29 points.

[dknward2]

Hopefully we can now pick up some more

[Campsall rover]

Someone remind me where we finished last season. 

As i have said from the start of the season if we can stay injury free, which so far we have not been able to do then we can compete with the best in this league.

Of course injuries are always likely to happen so if we can get 2/3 extra bodies into the squad in January a striker and central midfielder being the priority then we can
( not saying it’s a certainty of course ) undoubtedly finish in the top 6 again this season.
We have 12 players in our squad who are capable of getting auto promotion out of this league. ( Yes I can hear some of you laughing ) but that is what i firmly believe.

The reason why we are well behind the automatics apart from the games in hand is the depth of the squad. We are probably 4 players of equal ability to what we have already including a goal scorer better than what we have, short of a team capable of maybe winning this league.

The top 2 at the end of the season will be Ipswich & Portsmouth for that very reason.
Sunderland are misfiring big time and they should finish in the top 3 but something is going badly wrong up there at the moment. Well they can’t score goals.
Please may it stay that way in our 2 up & coming games with them.

So I am going to make a bold prediction for the final league table.
Top 12

1) Ipswich T
2) Portsmouth

3 Oxford U
4) Wycombe W
5) Rotherham U
6) Doncaster R

7) Peterborough U
8) Fleetwood T
9) Coventry C
10 Sunderland
11) Blackpool
12) Burton A

Bristol Rovers are likely to sell Clarke-Harris so don’t see their recent good form continuing as they are very reliant on his goals.

Wycombe have now lost their last 2 games so a big test of their credentials over the next month or so.
I do think they have over achieved and will now only finish in the play offs.

Peterborough well the manager they have means the will probably implode once again. A 3rd P45 from McAnthony is on the cards in May for DF.

I will possibly be proved very wrong with these predictions as there are many twists and turns to come over the next few months.

It won’t be dull. Yesterday i feel like the Nottingham Forest Boxing Day win in 2008/09 will prove to be the turning point of the season.

Enjoy the ride, a few bumps on the way of course but the end destination well who knows it might just possibly end in glory.
I for one would not be writing Darren Moore’s men off that’s for sure. 

[dickos1]

Someone remind me where we finished last season. 

As i have said from the start of the season if we can stay injury free, which so far we have not been able to do then we can compete with the best in this league.

Of course injuries are always likely to happen so if we can get 2/3 extra bodies into the squad in January a striker and central midfielder being the priority then we can
( not saying it’s a certainty of course ) undoubtedly finish in the top 6 again this season.
We have 12 players in our squad who are capable of getting auto promotion out of this league. ( Yes I can hear some of you laughing ) but that is what i firmly believe.

The reason why we are well behind the automatics apart from the games in hand is the depth of the squad. We are probably 4 players of equal ability to what we have already including a goal scorer better than what we have, short of a team capable of maybe winning this league.

The top 2 at the end of the season will be Ipswich & Portsmouth for that very reason.
Sunderland are misfiring big time and they should finish in the top 3 but something is going badly wrong up there at the moment. Well they can’t score goals.
Please may it stay that way in our 2 up & coming games with them.

So I am going to make a bold prediction for the final league table.
Top 12

1) Ipswich T
2) Portsmouth

3 Oxford U
4) Wycombe W
5) Rotherham U
6) Doncaster R

7) Peterborough U
8) Fleetwood T
9) Coventry C
10 Sunderland
11) Blackpool
12) Burton A

Bristol Rovers are likely to sell Clarke-Harris so don’t see their recent good form continuing as they are very reliant on his goals.

Wycombe have now lost their last 2 games so a big test of their credentials over the next month or so.
I do think they have over achieved and will now only finish in the play offs.

Peterborough well the manager they have means the will probably implode once again. A 3rd P45 from McAnthony is on the cards in May for DF.

I will possibly be proved very wrong with these predictions as there are many twists and turns to come over the next few months.

It won’t be dull. Yesterday i feel like the Nottingham Forest Boxing Day win in 2008/09 will prove to be the turning point of the season.

Enjoy the ride, a few bumps on the way of course but the end destination well who knows it might just possibly end in glory.
I for one would not be writing zDarren Moore’s men off that’s for sure. 

Could be wrong but I think clarke Harris has been out injured since September so not sure they’re that reliant on him.
Losing the manage could be a bigger factor for them.

Last season we went in a great run just at the right time in April,
If we have a similar run this year we’ve every chance of being up there

[Campsall rover]

Just realised i have predicted a possible Rovers v Rotherham play off final.

I think we would all take that. Well we can dream can’t we.
Sometimes they come true. 

[Chris Black come back]

Clarke-Harris has been fit for several weeks and scored twice recently in the league, at home in a 4-2 win against Southend United on 7 December and yesterday in a 1-2 home defeat by AFC Wimbledon. He also scored the winner for them in their 1-0 FA Cup win against Bromley on 19 November.

[Campsall rover]

Clarke-Harris has been fit for several weeks and scored twice in recently in the league, at home in a 4-2 win against Southend United on 7 December and yesterday in a 1-2 home defeat by AFC Wimbledon. He also scored the winner for them in their 1-0 FA Cup win against Bromley on 19 November.

You beat me to it CBcb thanks. Saved me replying. 

[dickos1]

Clarke-Harris has been fit for several weeks and scored twice in recently in the league, at home in a 4-2 win against Southend United on 7 December and yesterday in a 1-2 home defeat by AFC Wimbledon. He also scored the winner for them in their 1-0 FA Cup win against Bromley on 19 November.

He’s only played in half of their games this season, yes he did score a goal against Southend but this was his first game back and he got injured again 

[Chris Black come back]

He has played in 13 of their 21 games in League One this season, all of their FA Cup games and all of their EFL Cup games. Since September he has played in 8 games, scoring 3 times.

[dickos1]

Dear me
Give it a rest.
He’s missed a large portion of their games this season and they’ve been flying.
The manager leaving in my opinion will effect them more than if Harris left

[dickos1]

He has played in 13 of their 21 games in League One this season, all of their FA Cup games and all of their EFL Cup games. Since September he has played in 8 games, scoring 3 times.

Also you are just making stuff up
Since the end of September he’s started two league games one was yesterday and one was the Southend game.
2 games in 3 months.

[Campsall rover]

Give me strength. Here we go again.

Sensible discussion.   

[dickos1]

What’s wrong with you?
You’ve stated that Bristol won’t get promoted because they rely too much on clarke Harris.
I’ve pointed out he’s missed a big proportion of their games this season already yet they’ve managed excellently without him.

What on earth is wrong with that

You need to get a grip

[IDM]

But he is fit again now..  a big loss for the Gas if they sell him as he has done very well there.

Someone on our radar.?

[dickos1]

I believe he was on our radar in the summer
I think he’s priced himself out of our range now

[Chris Black come back]

He has played in 13 of their 21 games in League One this season, all of their FA Cup games and all of their EFL Cup games. Since September he has played in 8 games, scoring 3 times.

Also you are just making stuff up
Since the end of September he’s started two league games one was yesterday and one was the Southend game.
2 games in 3 months.

Nothing is made up. He has played in 13 of their 21 games in League One this season. That is what I said and that is - fact...

[dickos1]

Aye
And I said he’s started 2 league games from the end of September.
During that time they’ve done very well

This is also a fact

He started yesterday and they lost, also a fact

My only point was losing their manager would be a bigger factor rather than selling a striker they’ve managed without for large parts of the season

[Chris Black come back]

Good, we are making progress. I wasn't then "just making stuff up" but handing out factual information. If we can keep working on this and distinguish between "fact" and "opinion" then we might just get there in the end.

As an aside, in the league games he has missed since 28 September, they lost as many as they won (including losing against Bolton). Their league form over the games he missed was mid-table form, not play off form. This is ok form but not "done very well".

[dickos1]

As you well know I implied you were making stuff up when you said he’d played 8 games since September. Rather than the two he actually has.

After his last game in September they were 7th in the table yet before his return yesterday they were 4th.

Therefore yes I think they did very well in his absence moving up 3 places in the table without him

[Chris Black come back]

As you well know I implied you were making stuff up when you said he’d played 8 games since September. Rather than the two he actually has.

After his last game in September they were 7th in the table yet before his return yesterday they were 4th.

Therefore yes I think they did very well in his absence moving up 3 places in the table without him

Again, I didn't say that. I said very clearly that he had "...played in 8 games, scoring 3 times". The key element in my direct quote, that you omitted to include was "IN" that he had "played IN 8 games". That - again - is fact.

"His return yesterday"? He scored in a League One game on 7 December! Jesus wept man, he SCORED on 7 December. How can he have returned yesterday?! This is in addition to scoring in the FA Cup on 19 November.

Much more work needed! D+

[dickos1]

As I’ve already stated he returned from injury in the Southend game but got injured again. And yesterday was his return game.

Anyhow once again you’ve turned my simple reply to someone else may I add into a slanging match.
Good work.

End of the day they’ve managed for a big portion of this season without him,
It’s taken numerous nonsense replies from you and yet we’re still left with the same outcome.

[Alan Southstand]

Clarke Harris hasn’t priced himself out of anything:

1. You’ve already made the case that he’s injured half the time and hasn’t really affected BR’s form.
2. He’s out of contract anyway in the summer!
3. BR have basically said he’s for sale!

The only problem I see with us getting him, it would be an ‘end of January’ signing, as they’ll want to go with the highest bidder, and we really can’t wait that long!
He’s a good age and he’s a proven L1 striker and would probably be a good signing for us (and affordable, when you consider what Peterborough want for Toney).

[Chris Black come back]

He is a good age with a decent recent record. The only reservation would be that his most impressive form has come only at Bristol Rovers. Now this is good as it is the most recent period, but everywhere else the record hasn't been as good, including at a lower level, so like Marquis with us, perhaps he works very well in one system with one team, but that might not work elsewhere. Who knows though?

[dickos1]

I heard their ex manager talk about him and he’d worked with him before.
He said Harris called him up and said he was on his way to sign and they hadn’t even approached his club he just wanted to work with coughlan again so went there without discussing money etc.

That may be a reason why he’s done so well under him but can’t see him going Mansfield

[Alan Southstand]

What other proven L1 strikers could we afford, though, cbcb?

[RoversAlias]

I think we could afford someone like JCH or Gnanduillet. Admittedly, there aren't a load of suitable proven scorers in L1 at the moment but they're a rare commodity for a reason.

[Chris Black come back]

What other proven L1 strikers could we afford, though, cbcb?

He could well be as good as we can afford, especially given his deal is up soon. He might though be thinking that if he can do as well in second half of this season, then he will just let his deal run down with Bristol Rovers and walk straight into a Championship club as a free transfer on much higher wages than we could pay him. If his deal is up this summer, then financially he is going to be better off focusing on maintaining his form in the next few months then he is quids in this summer in charge of his own destiny.

[Chris Black come back]

Wilder now talking about "enquiries" for Billy Sharp as he is in last six months of his contract. Beyond our price range and not sure he would work as one up, but good that the lad has been involved this season in the EPL, which is just rewards for him.

[RoversAlias]

Probably a pipe dream but I think Sharp and Ennis would work very well together up front.

No doubt he's out of our range and I'd be surprised if some Championship teams didn't fancy signing Sharp, but it would always be worth a cheeky enquiry from us considering his relationship with the club.

[Alan Southstand]

One can only dream!

Billy could do the lone striker role with his eyes closed and both hands tied behind his back! The question is:
A) Would he fancy L1?

And

B) Could we afford him?

One thing’s for certain, he would make a tremendous difference to our attack.