Very encouraging near the end when we lost both starting halves and still looked a really good team

Quote: Dave K. " I've never known a ser of fans so happy in defeat each week, they should be fuming with that defeat.'" Among professional clubs with decent, well intentioned leadership, the relative lack of emphasis placed on winning in the near-term by Rovers (2012 to 2016, 2019 and 2020) is unusual. It’s a big, wide sporting world, so I won’t say unique... but the nearest I can think of is when struggling teams get accused of tanking to get a better draft pick in the US. And that at least offers something tangible, and could even be seen as ruthless in a certain light. I’ve harped on this previously: viewtopic.php?f=59&t=630710 In terms of fuming... if a fan another club had to suddenly switch to this, I’m sure they’d fume for a bit. Like I did in 2016. But when it happens over and over again it would be difficult and probably unhealthy to keep getting very upset. I still feel a bit low and irritable with it, but it has happened so many times that an ‘OH MY GOD REACTION!’ would now be a bit weird, imo.

Quote: Dave K. " I've never known a ser of fans so happy in defeat each week, they should be fuming with that defeat.'" Among professional clubs with decent, well intentioned leadership, the relative lack of emphasis placed on winning in the near-term by Rovers (2012 to 2016, 2019 and 2020) is unusual. It’s a big, wide sporting world, so I won’t say unique... but the nearest I can think of is when struggling teams get accused of tanking to get a better draft pick in the US. And that at least offers something tangible, and could even be seen as ruthless in a certain light. I’ve harped on this previously: viewtopic.php?f=59&t=630710 In terms of fuming... if a fan another club had to suddenly switch to this, I’m sure they’d fume for a bit. Like I did in 2016. But when it happens over and over again it would be difficult and probably unhealthy to keep getting very upset. I still feel a bit low and irritable with it, but it has happened so many times that an ‘OH MY GOD REACTION!’ would now be a bit weird, imo.

As if I wasn't fed up enough already, someone pass the anadin slammers.

Aye. It is fine line between patiently acknowledging bleak truths and that over spilling into tired negativity.

8th was/is pretty much the height of my ambition for this year. We were never going to win the cup. All this ‘only 3 wins from Wembley’ stuff rings pretty hollow to me - 3 WINS! In a row (in that comp)! For Rovers!

I’d divide Smith’s tenure into four uneven parts so far. Winning 4 of his first 8 to steady the ship. Losing 4 of the last 5 in 2019 and having Wakefield drag us over the line to safety, justifying the clear out that followed. Last season they (we) gambled on a blank page... it was a weird year, but we got away with it thanks in part to Toronto’s implosion. It is done and gone for me. If we keep losing then it may come back as a stick for some to beat him with - but if we keep losing it’d be a problem anyway. Then the difficult start to this season. Winning a similar proportion of our games over a decent portion of the season wouldn’t be acceptable and would (obviously) pretty much guarantee relegation.

We might as well reconcile with the past, because you can’t change it. Doesn’t mean that same again is okay.