Mrs Barista wrote:Fair post, but the point around 3rd place tied up is obviously complete and utter garbage. Several disadvantages coming up for us. Tight turnaround to the derby, which I think you will win for all the reasons already cited. We still need to play Saints twice. And we are disadvantaged vs all the chasing pack as we have a cup semi final as a distraction. I'd imagine that 24 points is enough to avoid the drop, which is obviously all teams' first and most basic ambition, but so many twists and turns yet to come from teams all desperate to make the 5 or avoid relegation.
Whilst I don't agree that Rovers will be favourites for the derby (and I don't believe that you really think that anyway) you are right that there is still a lot of work to be done yet. We are nicely positioned right now, but with a cup semi (and hopefully a final) to think about, we need to be building up a good buffer because things can change quickly. We are in good form and a lot of teams below us are struggling, so we have to make hay whilst the sun shines. Next week is another very important game.
Also, whilst 5th is obviously where you need to be for a playoff spot, 3rd really needs to be the target now that we have got ourselves in this position. There is a big difference between 3rd and 4th/5th in the current system.
