‘We’ve come a long way, baby’

I don’t think a home defeat has resulted in such a positive outlook from most of us in quite a while. Usually, the surrender of three points on your own patch results in the usual bunfights, in dressing rooms, pubs, messageboards and social media. But sometimes you just get beaten by a better team.

Shrewsbury, it’s fair to say, are a better team than us, as of right now. The table never lies, as the old saying goes, but there’s a reason for their success so far this season. ‘Well-drilled’ is an even older saying, and Paul Hurst, the manager, has got his charges very well-drilled. Every man knows his job and sticks to it. These days, when a team reaches the top two of this division without having a generous backer or the financial might of a 20,000 seat stadium packed to the rafters, it’s usually down to a manager working wonders on the training ground and instilling some proper discipline into his men.

As for us, we’ll get there. The difference between the two sides on the day was a late goal, partly caused by one player not picking up his man. These things happen, of course, but maybe the reason we’re not doing the usual tearing-everyone-to-shreds act, seen from Carlisle to Plymouth and Swansea to Norwich when they get turned over at home, is that we can see in the grand scheme of things that it’s not so bad losing to a very good side.

Ten weeks ago, these momentary lapses were happening three of four times a week, and we were getting punished with alarming regularity. We’d just lost six of our last seven league games. Three years back, we’d just dropped two valuable away points at Dartford. With respect to Dartford, as the great philosopher, Fatboy Slim, once said, we’ve come a long way, baby.

Please don’t take this as a fluffy, “DC deserves no criticism” tirade. The boss has made mistakes, in recruitment, and, less often, tactically. But, as he likes to say often, we’re on a journey. The squad is partway through a refresh, with the three new January signings clearly made with the long-term in mind, and with the gaffer making overtures about possibly keeping hold of one or two of the loanees. (Please note that I’ll help Marc Bola move house if it helps seal the deal). Last week’s opponents are doing what we’re striving to do. If they can do it this year, what’s stopping us, with a few changes, kicking on next year? We’re not miles off the top six now, despite forgetting how to defend for three months.

Before I take a deep dive into next season, let’s look at the next week. Oxford away is usually a guaranteed three points for the Rovers; we get more points from the U’s at the Kassam than we do at the Mem. What also helps right now is that the yellows are in a right old state. They haven’t got a manager. They hired a trendy Spanish bloke called Pep in the summer and having surprisingly not turned into Manchester City, they sacked him the other week. Oh, and we bought their best player for a few quid in July (all hail Liam Sercombe). Granted, Oxford reacted to Pep’s dismissal with an impressive away win at Charlton last weekend, but I’m putting us down for a second successive away win, coming like the proverbial buses. (Whoever made that phrase never went to Bristol, by the by).

Then, what better for the good folk of Rochdale, 23rd in the table, than a Tuesday night seven hour round trip to the South West on what might be the coldest night of the year? I mean, at least it’s not at their place, the only ground in England with a worse pitch than ours.

https://twitter.com/JamesRhodes01/status/960949584297168897

While their league season has stunk, they’re in the fifth round of the FA Cup, having put out Millwall on that swamp of a pitch in midweek. My betting is that they’re going to have an eye on the game after us, the small matter of Tottenham Hotspur in the world’s oldest cup competition, next weekend.

So, anything other than six points from six this week and all our positivity will be gone and we’ll all be throwing things at each other. Again.