Maybe a tad too soon to start a new topic but must ask the question. Are we beginning to hit form at a crucial part of this season? Last two games have finished up all square. Can we finish the campaign with a victory over an in form team, Cardiff City? Heart says 'yes' but my head says 'no'.
Our players must be drained both physically and mentally. Some of our players must be running on auto pilot or even fumes. In short, they must be completely knackered. The ridiculous amount of games they've had to play in the past few weeks haven't helped our cause. It's been beyond cruel to expect a club to turn out every other day to compete against fresher teams some of whom haven't had much to lose except to tighten the screws further in an attempt to despatch us to League 1. Even some referees haven't helped our cause. But that's all done now. Not much we can do about those poor decisions which have gone against us.
As for our players? I'm sure most will want to step up to the plate and play against Cardiff and we will give our all. Whatever the result it's not the end of the world. I don't think that it would be appropriate to say it's our cup final. We've been in this position before. Last match of the season and on the verge of the drop.
Proud to be a Miller.
UTM!!
-- Edited by wotsisname on Wednesday 5th of May 2021 10:36:02 AM
We won at Middlesbrough, Preston and Bristol City when nobody gave us much of a chance. We can win at Cardiff. Of all teams we could be playing, they are not the worst to be playing from our point of view. They have nothing much to play for and they are a side that plays in a way that suits us. They are a very decent side, but they arent going to pass us to death. I really fancy Wednesday to not lose at Derby, and I suspect that a win at Cardiff keeps us up. We need to not panic. Yes, we have to score and goals have been in short supply but we have made chances in the last two games. We just need a break in front of goal. At the same time we cant be too cavalier too early and go a goal down. That tends not to end in three points for us. We arent favourites to stay up, but we have more than a fighting chance.
Cardiff City v Rotherham United (12:30)
Match referee, GRAHAM SCOTT
Mark Scholes and Ian Cooper
Fourth Official : Stephen Martin
My considered prediction is that it will be a drawn game.
My more outlandish prediction is that we could win this one if one or more of their players are sent off for fighting ......
Team is Blackman, Harding, Ihiekwe, Wood, Angus, Giles, Jozefzoon, Wing, Wiles, Smith, Crooks.
Not sure if that will be 352 or 442.
Jozefzoon is the surprise inclusion. Albeit that his contract there runs out in July, it is a chance for him to send his parent club down. It can't be right, but that is for another day. I am surprised Lindsay isn't playing. Today will be a scrap, and he is our scrapper in chief. I think Wiles has looked shot for about the last six weeks, but they obviously see him as a key man. Hirst isn't even on the bench.
We can win this game. Come on Millers! And I never thought I would say this, but for us to stay up they have to turn up so also........come on Wednesday!
I don't know the fitness of the players so i am stabbing a bit in the dark here. I agree with Smiler that to leave a scrapper like Lindsay out is strange. To play Josefzoon before Ogbene is stranger, and to leave our best passer Barlaser out is beyond me. Hirst is injured so he was never going to make it. I do not fancy that team to bring home the goods. Go and prove me wrong. I am very rarely correct.
that is a very weird team selection, no Lindsay no barlaser and to play flo who hasn't played well for us in any game he has played, did one good cross at Bristol city, huge insult to Sadlier as well. Wiles hasn't played well in months, the lad looks shattered and very low on confidence, where are the goals in that team. Warne stated clearly in the pre-match that Hirst was out but Lindsay was fit. Let us hope he has gotten it right, very strange set of decisions
Three positives. We are winning. We are playing well and look like scoring more. Derby arent winning. One negative, we could and probably should be more than one up. I'm sure we would all have settled for this at half time though. Great effort.
an outstanding first half performance should be 3-0 up to be honest, but effort and work rate you cannot fault them so far. What a goal that was, he really is a talented lad. Smith first 30 mins wasn't in the game did better last 15 mins, he really needs to learn to hit the target and stop looking for the perfect placement, same with Crooks but his did bobble up. I can see what they are trying to do with flo in that position and he has been better at closing down today, but not convinced with him though, hopefully he will prove me wrong. Credit to all the players so far and to the management team for the preparation.
One of the best halves I can recall this season! Jozefzoon doing well - what will Derby think? We need another goal and for Wednesday to score. Come on Rotherham!!
that hurt, great effort 17 shots only 4 on target and that is the story of our season, you have to hit the target, their keeper only had two saves to make, they had 9 shots and 3 on target. An easy clearance for us in the box two players got in each others way and the lad does the right thing direct it to goal and hit the target, The team gave it everything, wiles was dead on his feet 10 mins before been taken off we should have put fresh legs on at 75 or 80 mins to stop us being pushed back, but that is an issue that we have seen all season poor use of subs. We really tried on the day so very proud of them all in the last two games, we went down in that run of 5 defeats. Just not good enough at the end of the day, money is a huge factor I think we all know that. Feel awful and sick to the stomach to go down by conceding in 88 min, we will now see how we prepare for League 1 and hopefully we will learn from our mistakes. Up the millers
It's an absolutely filthy division. It is totally rigged against the likes of us with the parachute payments, awash with clubs spending twice their revenue on wages, dubious accounting practices, very dodgy owners all over the place. The competitor in all of us would want us to stay up, but I dont really enjoy battling against the odds week in week out. At the moment it hurts mainly because I feel for the players and staff who have given their all, but it wont be long before I am looking forward to next season. I am not sure how many lessons there are to learn. We just weren't quite good enough. We havent quite got that little bit of quality that most other clubs in there get by spending more than they can really afford. We have dropped points we shouldn't have dropped, but have won some big games aswell and some we weren't really expected to win. As a club we are still in very good shape, and once the sting dies down I will be proud of the effort we made and how we went about it.
-- Edited by smiler on Saturday 8th of May 2021 03:11:59 PM
that hurt, great effort 17 shots only 4 on target and that is the story of our season, you have to hit the target, their keeper only had two saves to make, they had 9 shots and 3 on target. An easy clearance for us in the box two players got in each others way and the lad does the right thing direct it to goal and hit the target, The team gave it everything, wiles was dead on his feet 10 mins before been taken off we should have put fresh legs on at 75 or 80 mins to stop us being pushed back, but that is an issue that we have seen all season poor use of subs. We really tried on the day so very proud of them all in the last two games, we went down in that run of 5 defeats. Just not good enough at the end of the day, money is a huge factor I think we all know that. Feel awful and sick to the stomach to go down by conceding in 88 min, we will now see how we prepare for League 1 and hopefully we will learn from our mistakes. Up the millers
