Said at the start of the season we would be lucky to make the top six because we draw too many games and that is down to Rowetts defend first mindset.
I would bet that we have been in the top two teams in the Championship table for draws every season Rowett has been here.
My only worry is that Rowett‘s defensive mind set continues next season, and he’ll only throw off the shackles once he knows we’re mathematically safe from relegation. Unfortunately, by that time, we may have drawn too many games again, potentially throwing away two points every game, which no doubt will cost us dearly at the end of the season!
Rowett’s job as manager is first and foremost to keep our club surviving in the Championship! For this season, he has succeeded in doing that, and as a supporter, whether you like his brand of football or not, he and the squad should be congratulated for that achievement!
Having said that, whichever four teams end up occupying the play off positions on the last day of the season (sadly I don’t think we will be one of them), only one of them will be promoted, yet the other three will still have played consistently good football to get themselves there, and it’s that consistency that Rowett and the squad need to work on if they want to be in the same position as those four teams, come the end of next season!
Yes, you can say we’ve suffered with bad injuries to key players at the wrong time of the season (but so have other squads), but when that happens, the nearly players that sit on the bench week in, week out, need to take that chance to step up and shine, and show Rowett what he and the supporters have been missing!
Unfortunately, when that chance has been given to them, many of these ‘nearly men‘ haven’t made that chance their own, so when injured players return, they walk straight back into the starting 11, knowing that they don’t have to worry about any competition from other players. Players like Jed, Cooper, Bart etc. can have a run of bad games, but Rowett never seems to drop them in an effort to give them a kick up the arse! This in turn can lead to complacency in some of our ‘star players’ performances, and overall its the whole team (and supporters) that suffer!
If we’re going to cement a place in the play offs next season (or do better), we need young hungry players who want to reach the promised land, and want the riches that getting there gives them: not aging journeymen who‘s career is nearing its end, and who can just about still hack it in the Championship! Without that drive, belief and consistency from the players, I fear that next season could very well end up like this season has! Whilst that isn’t a bad thing in retaining Championship status, if the club, it’s manager and players want progression for themselves (and for many supporters), there has to be a different outlook and plan moving forward in terms of how the club uses its resources, its players and it’s tactics!