Rovers 2014/15 Season Preview

 

As I'm writing this, Rovers (and visitors Cardiff City) are just hours away from returning to league action. The summer has been and gone, and with it a World Cup that will certainly live long in the memory. Many thought the high temperatures of hot Brazilian afternoons would kill the pace and lead to slow and more tactical matches. Boy, were we proven wrong! I have to admit, following the conclusion of the tournament, I didn't really want the domestic season to start again knowing that it had an awful lot to live upto. This particularly applies to the Premier League.

But enough of that, an enduring summer has had many Roverites wondering if we could hold on to our star players. So far however, mission accomplished. The standouts – Tommy Spurr, Tom Cairney, Craig Conway, Corry Evans, Rudy Gestede – have all stuck around along with Jordan Rhodes adding the shine by signing a contract extension, there are plenty of reasons for the fans to be optimistic. Add to that the permanent additions of former loanee Luke Varney from Leeds, Chris Brown from Doncaster, and Bolton loan addition Alex Baptiste to bolster the defence. Several players have been moved on in order to attempt to get them off the wage bill and remove any lingering dressing room disturbances. Whether or not all this will result in Rovers managing to meet fair play requirements, we are yet to see. A potential January transfer embargo is still a possibility, as such you'd assume boss Gary Bowyer may try to do all the club's business before the close of this transfer window. Two players who likely won't be returning are Todd Kane & Michael Keane. Keane has been a regular in Manchester United's pre-season and looks as though he will get first team action. Defence is probably still our weakest aspect, although I think we have enough in an attacking sense that it won't be a problem for us.

Last season was just that, but the end run was something pretty substantial to build on. An impressive start would go along way to making up for the inevitable period of struggle that all clubs (not just Rovers) will face. A bit of confidence (or more specifically, over-confidence) can be a dangerous thing; but I firmly believe Rovers can go up automatically. Not that I wouldn't take a play-off place now! We do need to fend of injuries better than we did last season, and hopefully that can be achieved.

Finally, a 'welcome back' to former Rovers goalkeeper John Filan. I recall the sickening moment during the 97/98 season where Sheffield Wednesday's Wayne Collins collided with the Australian and he suffered a broken arm during our impressive 7-2 victory while on holiday. Filan returns to Rovers as Under-21s number two to Eric Kinder.

To finish up, I'm taking for us to finish runners-up to a very strong Derby County side. I'm not convinced the three relegated sides will bounce back. Here's to the new season. Come on you Blues!