Nicely placed.

[Saxo1man41]

After comfortably beating Shrewsbury, as we should along with any other side in this league, all is going OK.

We need to win the title though and overthrow Wigan, as that confidence will carry on through into next season, and a push for getting back to the league we truly belong, the premier.

That is all..

[AucklandRover]

Let's do one season at a time, Saxo! As we've seen already, this Division isn't just about one tactic. Teams are going to pile their defences up even more now, and we aren't always going to score three.
We probably are better-suited to playing the stronger teams, because they are less likely to get ten behind the ball.
Mowbray seems pretty good at plotting a course. Very few people predicted that he would use Bennett as a second "holding" midfielder. It worked very well, so TM's ongoing critics have gone eerily quiet. If we'd drawn or lost, the result would all have been down to the decision to use Bennett in that role instead of one of the youngsters!

[robinrover]

A fantastic result and if Shrewsbury lose to West ham in the replay I can see them slip away
Confidence is everything in football
15 league games unbeaten
No defeats with downing at the back
We are looking a very dangerous team to play and for the first time in many years a pleasure to watch.

[Despair]

I’m sorry to disagree with Sax, but: ‘where we truly belong’???
It’s that sort of thinking that has brought us to where we are and with that the demise of the attendances.
I’m with Champs on this, but admittedly coloured by my lifetimes watching of the blues, where for me we are a Championship club. As are Burnley, but presently deservingly holding their spot in the Premier. Yes it will falter at some point and they will drop back , but that is just how it should be.
No club has a god given right to sit in the top league.
Will we ever return there? I have no idea.
Do we need to return there? Financially - yes.
Would I welcome it ? No not really (but I’m not carrying the debt).

Just my personal opinion, as always.

[AucklandRover]

Despair- that takes me back to one of my old hobby-horses: does the PL, in its present form, make sense? I know you get the occasional Leicester to break the pattern, but - realistically - only six teams are competing for the title. A European super-league would be much more logical for those clubs. It would also make the PL genuinely competitive again.
I know all about the financial implications, and I'm not suggesting it's entirely realistic, but it would be much better from a football perspective. It seems daft to me that about 12 teams are essentially battling to avoid relegation every season.

[Turfmoorspirit]

You know when you're on the up when the "Turncoat" returns. Despair is 100% spot on with his last post,i fully agree. I am no fan of the prem,but will take it while it lasts. Hope you all had a wager when i said you would win the title when you were mid table. Good look guys !

[AucklandRover]

You know when you're on the up when the "Turncoat" returns. Despair is 100% spot on with his last post,i fully agree. I am no fan of the prem,but will take it while it lasts. Hope you all had a wager when i said you would win the title when you were mid table. Good look guys !

TMS - I tend to be optimistic when things look bad, and pessimistic when it appears that we've turned the corner.
Look - don't get me wrong: I'd be delighted, in one sense, if we could get back to the PL, but the Championship is probably our "natural" home. Having said that, I wonder how many teams in the bottom ten of the PL are significantly better than the top six of the Championship. As a Claret, you are probably in a good position to know the answer, from your experience this season. I suspect that a League formed from the 14 clubs below Arsenal and the top six or eight of the C. would produce a much more balanced and interesting set of matches than the current format.

[champs95]

TMS - I tend to be optimistic when things look bad, and pessimistic when it appears that we've turned the corner.
Look - don't get me wrong: I'd be delighted, in one sense, if we could get back to the PL, but the Championship is probably our "natural" home. Having said that, I wonder how many teams in the bottom ten of the PL are significantly better than the top six of the Championship. As a Claret, you are probably in a good position to know the answer, from your experience this season. I suspect that a League formed from the 14 clubs below Arsenal and the top six or eight of the C. would produce a much more balanced and interesting set of matches than the current format.

Silly thread time again I see!! I know lets start getting really ahead of ourselves again after seeing our club get ripped apart!
Its been really good on here this season, as we have just stuck to football - on the pitch. Match reports, no real opinions, just facts. As its been a very tite nit group (Sorry Alf, I apologise I missed you off our regulars the other day, I didn't mean to!! You are very much part of this site)
We haven't been doing this kind of thing for ages, so while its good to see a return of an old poster, if your looking for bites etc you will always be better off goading Burnley fans on their site, than goading your own. AS it's me, Aucks (who will always be balanced) Robin (exactly the same) Alf (who knows his stuff and always gets our results correct) ....sometimes Despair and Ghosty. I just don't think you will get what you want out of this place anymore. This is soley for people who like Rovers, want to see us do well, and have the occasional chats about the formations etc. Its changed here now, its more about football, than hearsay, telling us what you'd do etc .....

In the modern game, where ONLY money talks and nothing else, we have only been in that league once. Heavily banrolled. At a time when hardly any other club had any money. Timing helped. Now things are different. Without Walkers money we flirted with promotion, but never made it? So our rightful place?? History says that is the Champ. Lets get there first. Then see what happens. TM is not only building a side to get up, he is building one to stay up, and compete. Any other talk frankly is ridiculous. And unhelpful.

[Saxo1man41]

In the last 25 years, which league have we spent most time in? The premier, where we belong.

[champs95]

Irrelevant ..... we are Div 1 rite now. But pretty much debt free. When was the last time anyone mentioned the Chicken fkers?? Funny that ain't it .....barley a mention.