1 hour ago, gonzo said:

 

That Oxford game will go down in history. Don't think we all realise even now how much damage that has actually caused.

 

I still have a real bitterness towards Evatt about that game. I've always been a "trust the process" person and had stuck up for Evatt a lot. Even after the game, I was fuming about that result and I think its more his stubborness to change in game when 70,000 could see his tactics werent working. Part of me does think he just genuinely doesnt know any other tactics and just simply doesnt have the fluidity and flexibitly to change because he just doesnt know. He's thrown all his eggs in one basked. 

After that Oxford game I was still in the Evatt in camp and he had enough credit in the bank to at least start the season and give it a go. In hingsight (which is a wonderful thing), we should have cut ties. 

I do think if we had a mch stronger minded and mentally stronger manager, it wouldnt have done as much damage. You come back fighting and a point to prove. His fragility has seeped well into the squad and I think its irreversible now. 

37 minutes ago, victor meldrew said:

Back to the topic, I won’t be calling anyone who wishes to vent their spleen on Saturday unlike the Wigan game.

Folk can do what they want but just keep it fucking civilised and don't ruin the day for folk who are there to simply watch a game of football with their friends and family and support their football club.

9 minutes ago, gonzo said:

Folk can do what they want but just keep it fucking civilised and don't ruin the day for folk who are there to simply watch a game of football with their friends and family and support their football club.

happy clapper

"Ian Evatt, get out of our club" hopefully from minute 1 to send the owners a message 

11 minutes ago, gonzo said:

Folk can do what they want but just keep it fucking civilised and don't ruin the day for folk who are there to simply watch a game of football with their friends and family and support their football club.

I will remind you of that the next down your are bowling down the street 😁

1 hour ago, Stig said:

Was Barnsley away before or after those 2 derby matches?

That's the first time I thought Evatt's head had gone, talking about needing time off or something just at a time when we needed energising to win our games in hand to get back to second. 

By the Oxford game a lot of clubs had cottoned onto the way to stop us. Not disagreeing that that was obviously the seminal moment, but I don't think the masterclass from their coach was that much of an impact.

it was after

we lost to blackpool and wigan, beat cambridge and then came barnsley

agree though, that's also the first time I thought something wasn't right with him if that's what he comes out with

1 hour ago, Stig said:

"Ian Evatt, get out of our club" hopefully from minute 1 to send the owners a message 

Really?

It won’t do want you want it to do. Can you not see everyone at the club has “doubled down” and I suspect that includes Sharon. She’s not backing him in this window, to be then be persuaded to bin him because folk are shouting “get out of our club”

It just makes an already poor experience even worse. You’ll have folk falling out, families questioning why they are there, players completely demotivated, potential new signings looking at us and thinking fuck that. The list goes on.

The biggest issue I have with your call to arms is the “from minute one” Jesus Christ. I get that if we are losing natural emotion takes over and we are going to hear discontent. 

No problems with folk chanting/slagging evatt me , can't start a game with that though surely ? It will happen if we go behind anyway.

3 minutes ago, burnden said:

No problems with folk chanting/slagging evatt me , can't start a game with that though surely ? It will happen if we go behind anyway.

I go back to my initial comments on this thread. It’s not my bag all this pre-planned chanting. Even when it goes sour I’m not an abusive baller. But I’m more tolerant of it happening with others, if that’s their prerogative, especially when what’s happening in front of you is as poor as it has been.

But be reactive - not from minute one for fucks sake.

Crying out loud we are 4 points off the play-offs. If the club are backing us/him to bring in what we need to fill the gaps, then from minute one the wanderers are getting my backing to turn this shit situation around.

Last thing I want to do is add to our problems. 

There’s been loads of talk about regardless of how poor we’ve been lots still fancy us to make the play-offs. That has to be the aim. And that starts with 3 points against Cambridge.

 

13 minutes ago, burnden said:

No problems with folk chanting/slagging evatt me , can't start a game with that though surely ? It will happen if we go behind anyway.

Agreed... always start out to win...

44 minutes ago, desperado said:

Really?

It won’t do want you want it to do. Can you not see everyone at the club has “doubled down” and I suspect that includes Sharon. She’s not backing him in this window, to be then be persuaded to bin him because folk are shouting “get out of our club”

It just makes an already poor experience even worse. You’ll have folk falling out, families questioning why they are there, players completely demotivated, potential new signings looking at us and thinking fuck that. The list goes on.

The biggest issue I have with your call to arms is the “from minute one” Jesus Christ. I get that if we are losing natural emotion takes over and we are going to hear discontent. 

Minute one won't happen anyway but it would send a really clear message if it did. If we go behind it will turn them 

However, this is as close to a banker win as possible, and I predict a very quiet atmosphere with goals not really celebrated.

16 minutes ago, Stig said:

Minute one won't happen anyway but it would send a really clear message if it did. If we go behind it will turn them 

However, this is as close to a banker win as possible, and I predict a very quiet atmosphere with goals not really celebrated.

A clear message?

Not everyone wants to send one.

 

13 minutes ago, gonzo said:

A clear message?

Not everyone wants to send one.

 

Anyone shouting abuse from the first minute and/or taking a bedsheet sends out the clear message that they are a halfwit.

11 minutes ago, gonzo said:

A clear message?

Not everyone wants to send one.

 

Fair enough. I'm not criticising anyone who doesn't want to call for Evatt to leave, just as there shouldn't be any criticism of people who do call for him to leave.

If you've given up on the season why are you getting involved?

Just leave and let the one's clinging to the hope that things will improve get on with it.

You can't keep giving up FFS, it's the equivalent of stamping your feet because you haven't got your own way.

Edited January 17, 20251 yr by JOGLER

All the loud "outers" will be all over social media calling out other clubs fans for wanting a manager change, can't make up the lack of self-awareness in the fan base, utter thick cavemen.

3 hours ago, Stig said:

"Ian Evatt, get out of our club" hopefully from minute 1 to send the owners a message 

they've already given us a message of their own by Sharon coming out and saying he's going nowhere then backing him in the transfer market

by all means boo and jeer a bad performance

but such negativity from the off serves zero purpose right now

I'd rather get behind the players from minute 1 to send them a message and not focus on the manager at all (I won't I'll just sit and watch, I only do chanting away from home when pissed)

My home matchday usually consists of a couple or three pubs, two buses, fanzone, two buses, pub and eventually home.

Apart from a few 'he's got to go' and similar comments it seems to be a bit Father Ted - Easy now, down with this sort of thing.

I've not heard myself of anyone disturbing the 'memsaab' for the duvet.

Whatever happens I hope it's not a Bolton on Bolton scrap scenario.

45 minutes ago, bolton va va said:

Anyone shouting abuse from the first minute and/or taking a bedsheet sends out the clear message that they are a halfwit.

#happyclapper

5 hours ago, Stig said:

The away form did seem to fall off a cliff even against the poorer teams in the second half of last season. Maybe it was just harder games but teams seemed to have worked us out in my recollection.

As you say the home form was still good so but I don't think the difference in points from up to end of Jan compared to rest of the season can be explained by just playing better teams.

- up to end of Jan: 51 PTS from 24 games = 2.1 PTS per game

- after Jan: 36 PTS from 22 games = 1.6 PTS per game

So in summary I think the drop off started from Feb, and by the Oxford game it was already noticeable we weren't playing well.

Hence why quite a few of us were calling for a change in the summer, it wasn't just a knee jerk to a play off final defeat.

I promise this is my last word on the topic, I've bored myself now 😀

I think you mean end Dec rather than end Jan?  Our 24th game was Burton on 1st Jan.

I accept there was a bit of a drop off, like I said maybe from 8 out of 10 to 7 - and injuries a bit of a mitigating factor but definitely not as significant as some have made out, given our generally good form Jan to April aside from the games we never win.

I still say the easier fixtures were a big part of the first half of the season.  Firstly, 13 home games in first 24 compared to 11 at home.  Before the end of Jan 7 of our wins were against relegated Fleetwood and Cheltenham, Lincoln who we always beat and Port Vale.  We'd also played Orient, Burton and Carlisle twice each before the end of Jan (we hadn't even played Barnsley once upto then, work that out).  Routine home wins against a load of no marks that we often made hard work of (eg Northampton, Orient, Burton). 

Yes the best away run of the season was the 3 wins at Wycombe, Charlton and Shrewsbury, no argument with that.  But horrible home defeats too, that didn't happen 2nd half of season so yes the away results dropped off a bit but the home form definitely picked up and we saw some great games. 

Edited January 17, 20251 yr by Johnnyrotten

1 hour ago, Stig said:

Minute one won't happen anyway but it would send a really clear message if it did. If we go behind it will turn them 

However, this is as close to a banker win as possible, and I predict a very quiet atmosphere with goals not really celebrated.

Why won't it happen? Takes someone to start a chant. You want that from minute one to send a message and change at your club with immediate effect, you could start it.

 

 

Guarentee nothing will happen until at least half time. If its 0-0 at half time then there'll be some boos. 

30 minutes ago, itdiddidit? said:

Why won't it happen? Takes someone to start a chant. You want that from minute one to send a message and change at your club with immediate effect, you could start it.

 

 

For all my big talk I'll be sat in silence as usual. Few extra mutterings of annoyance to myself to show my displeasure 

Edited January 17, 20251 yr by Stig

7 minutes ago, Stig said:

For all my big talk I'll be sat in silence as usual. Few extra mutterings of annoyance to myself to show my displeasure 

It's good to vent it helps 😂 

It'll be diagnosed as an illness in later years and carry some label no doubt

We're all suffering with the current fayre on offer

I ended up trying to put a positive spin on it all to my youngest lad on the way back when he was gutted and despairing at it all last Saturday. 

We've met some decent friendly Rotherham fans, ground was decent, pies were good etc whilst cursing to myself 

It's been worse a lot worse just part of our journey on the football/life sine wave we all ride along on.  

 

So 3 out of the next 4 games are at home. Potentially 9 points. A lot will depend of the reaction of the crowd tomorrow. If they get behind the team and we win. A tougher game on Tuesday, but again potentially 3 points and things will look a lot better. Wev'e won 3 0f the last 5 games, although we haven't played particulaly well. But a negative atmosphere tomorrow and things could get a lot worse. Focus on the team, support the team. Forget Evatt. Reading posts of here you would thing we were in tge relegation places, not with a good chance of getting in the play offs