Fulham v Rotherham - Wed.

Time to get a win, only Blackpool is worse away from home than these guys. A little scoreboard watching today as Millwall and WIgan playing a last gasp match where it looks both teams are toast, but if there is a winner they are still on live support and hoping for our help tomorrow. Would expect Rotherham to be looking for a 0-0, so let's take it to them.

 

Normally I'd agree...except almost nobody's been as bad at home as we have. Rotherham is, in fact one that almost has been, by one. So yeah, why not? We've gone from storming back into matches to coughing up leads lately, so I'd just like to see some stouter defending, ESPECIALLY on set pieces. We seem to be scoring some, so giving young Bettinelli a chance at efforts he can reach would seem to be in order. Again. And I hope the home support will refrain from acting so boorishly against the manager and players. That's not who we are.

 

Well, I'd like you to tell that to, not just my fingernails, but also our doorjambs. It looks like a friggin' puppy was let loose in the house (and my dentist just purchased a new Tesla...).

I think a win is in order, but, well, just butt.

COYW

 

Millwall beat Wigan 2-0 in a game where six players got yellows and 3 got reds (wish I could see video of what the Den was like during that match). Millwall is now 6 points behind us with four games remaining for each of us. A win and we jump 2 spots to 18th place.

And there is a chance Rotherham could lose 3 points for starting an ineligible player: http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/32287991 That would be good for us and an incredible gift for Millwall, leaving them just 1 point out after we crush Rotherham!

 

Rotherham are 1-1-6 & have been outscored 17-5 in their last 8 road games. We really need to be winning this one. That said, it's more important that we don't lose.

Hopefully a win will take some of the bitterness out of the crowd.

 

Starters:
Bettinelli
Richards, Turner, Burn, Husband
Parker, Guthrie, Tunnicliffe, Ruiz
McCormack, Smith

Subs: Kiraly, Hoogland, Stafylidis, Hutchinson, Woodrow, Rodallega, Kavanagh

Looks good to me. Glad to see Ruiz and Burn starting.

COYW!

 

Are we starting four central midfielders?

 

In this case a point is as good a two denied to a club below Fulham.

 

Talking about the virtues Taco Bell is almost more appealing than discussing a 1-1 draw against Rotherham. I guess 1 point will do, but this is the definition of limping home.

 

Well that's disappointing. Better than a loss, but still. You have to wonder what is a winnable match for us these days. Unfortunately, I didn't get to listen before the site went down. Reading between the statistical lines, we clearly had the better of possession, but only managed to make as much use of it as they did. Chances were fairly even but they forced more saves. And they won 12 corners to our 4.

Surely we can beat Blackpool...right?

 

But will we stay up if we don't win another match...or lose another match the rest of the way? I hate math...

 

Right now, I'd say no match is a cinch win for us, especially not away to Blackpool, who have nothing to lose as they've already been relegated. And the pitch there has supposedly deteriorated to nearly unplayable.

 

Milwall can get as high as 52 points if the win out and Rotherham can get to 53 if they win out. If we draw our last 3 we would be at 49. Basically if milwall lose any of they're last 4 then and we take 3 points from 3 games were safe. If we lose all 3, milwall need 7 points from 4 games but then it would depend on goal difference, we have a gd of -21 and they have -30. We SHOULD be safe but it'd be nice to at least get a win from the last 3 and that would almost certainly do it.

 

Don't worry Jump! Math people have done the mathy things for us!

http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/stats-say-brentford-stay-down-9049625

To meet that prediction we only need on point in three matches. Sounds realistic. But I say to hell with the stats! I'm making the absurd prediction that we go out on a three game win streak! Sure, we haven't done that all season and we play two teams vying for promotion, but that's just the kind of team we are.

And I can't wait for the highlights from the match since Rotherham's manager is certain Ross had a handball before the goal (funny, no mention of that from GJ that I recall).

http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/32213840

 

Based on the highlights, I don't think Ross handballed it. Looks like it came off his chest.

A draw was probably a fair result, but it probably should have been 3-3 given the chances both sides missed.

 

At this point Micah, that prediction is closer to walk on water faith than it is to going out on a limb.