Football

[Puffing Devil]

Really quite upset. Was sat waiting for the 22:25 from Lime Street to depart and take me home to West Allerton when a train from London arrives. Que hundreds of blues piling off the train from London chanting "You lost the league and you're still crap" and hammering on the Windows of our train. There were f all Liverpool fans left in town but the virtuous blues proper shat up a load of " civilians". Kids, young kids they had smacking the Windows of our train. And they give our fans agro for past behaviour. They should be ashamed.

They should be ashamed - no idea why so many blues in L'pool, though.

 

[Stuwhu]

Maybe means Everton?

They should be ashamed - no idea why so many blues in L'pool, though.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

They're also bankrolled by a rich benefactor aren't they? Not to mention the vegan pies and so on... not a fan!

So you ignore the fact that it is the players on the pitch who have the ability to play to the standard of the league that they are in and have to perform well to ensure the club gets the benefit of their skills. Manchester United have monied owners, yet in their last twelve matches since the away match at PSG, when league points gave them a chance of a top four finish and Champions League football next season, they won two, drew two and lost eight matches.

 

[zuriblue]

Maybe means Everton?

Probably. They were at Spuds yesterday.

 

[Darandio]

Really quite upset. Was sat waiting for the 22:25 from Lime Street to depart and take me home to West Allerton when a train from London arrives. Que hundreds of blues piling off the train from London chanting "You lost the league and you're still crap" and hammering on the Windows of our train. There were f all Liverpool fans left in town but the virtuous blues proper shat up a load of " civilians". Kids, young kids they had smacking the Windows of our train. And they give our fans agro for past behaviour. They should be ashamed.

Not really surprising when you consider many of them weren't even interested in their own result yesterday and were glued to the Liverpool and Man City games. Same goes for Man Utd fans where RedCafe has been in meltdown for some time, fans with a strange obsession towards what Liverpool are doing while their own team disappears down the toilet.

 

[Cowley]

Not really surprising when you consider many of them weren't even interested in their own result yesterday and were glued to the Liverpool and Man City games. Same goes for Man Utd fans where RedCafe has been in meltdown for some time, fans with a strange obsession towards what Liverpool are doing while their own team disappears down the toilet.

That’s very true. And as they say, wishing someone else to crash down to earth does not necessarily mean that your star will burn brighter...

 

[61653 HTAFC]

So you ignore the fact that it is the players on the pitch who have the ability to play to the standard of the league that they are in and have to perform well to ensure the club gets the benefit of their skills. Manchester United have monied owners, yet in their last twelve matches since the away match at PSG, when league points gave them a chance of a top four finish and Champions League football next season, they won two, drew two and lost eight matches.

No, I don't ignore that fact. If the small town of Nailsworth had managed to produce a football team that climbed the pyramid simply through players from the local area or from players shaped by a decent coach who was able to polish up a few "rough diamonds" then all credit to them. However they've spent money vastly in excess of their income for years thanks to their rich owner. The vegan preachiness rubs me up the wrong way too, especially from a club which can only be reached using road transport!

As for Manchester United, the fact that they couldn't even beat us last week says it all really. If we'd been able to play Wolves or MU every week we'd have been fine!

But then that's a problem I have with fans if the so-called big clubs. If they finish 6th or 7th they lose their minds, as if they have a divine right to silverware and access to the top European competition. Sometimes your team is just a bit crap, get over it.

 

[Howardh]

So at long last the big issue of the season has been sorted; Chorley went up on penalties. The Magpies Soar!!

 

[Iskra]

Not really surprising when you consider many of them weren't even interested in their own result yesterday and were glued to the Liverpool and Man City games. Same goes for Man Utd fans where RedCafe has been in meltdown for some time, fans with a strange obsession towards what Liverpool are doing while their own team disappears down the toilet.

A lot of proper football fans dislike Liverpool, for historic reasons. They are entitled to. To give one example, I had a Sheffield Wednesday fan ranting at me last week about them*. I personally can't stand Liverpool either, and my team haven't been on Liverpools radar for a long time. It does however speak volumes when the best you can hope for is another team to fail. Also funny that Manchester United fans preferred City to win the title over Liverpool.

*To clarify, that wasn't Hillsborough related.

 

[DarloRich]

They are very small clubs for that division, and yes it's because of their financial backers that they got into that position ( like smaller versions of Manchester City)

The attendance was actually not bad for such tiny clubs, far away from London.

The attendance is appalling. Both clubs have no fans, no history and are plastic clubs.

Again. It was a play-off final with a place in the Football League for the victors. For Salfordians there are THREE trains per hour to London, with one per hour from Preston for the Fylde lot. The distance is around 200 miles, not an overly arduous journey and a poor excuse for the low attendance.

Rich men's playthings taking up places in the league is not good for football. Accy Stanley also get small crowds but at least their support is fairly organic (they do get a few tourists of course) and their owner is trying to make the club sustainable. That they've held their own in the third tier is to be admired but the likes of Salford and Fylde make those stories less likely.

Personally, the more money bags clubs we can get rid of the better it is for the fan owned clubs like Darlo. I am happy to see Salford gone.

They could even have used the Emptyhad. Might've had a few more through the turnstiles, and I'm sure they could sort out a few digital banners!

I agree - a smaller neutral ground makes for a better atmosphere and experience for all. I’d even consider much smaller stadiums for an 8k attendance, even third tier ones for example.

I disagree - once this game is a way from Wembley it wont come back. Proper clubs would take a lot more and should not be punished because two tiny but massively backed clubs got to the final.

How do you view Forest Green Rovers since they became members of the EFL, noting the size of the community they come from?

Same thoughts really. Tiny moneybags team bankrolled onto an unsustainable position - although they have hit a ceiling.

So at long last the big issue of the season has been sorted; Chorley went up on penalties. The Magpies Soar!!

Spennymoor( another heavily backed team) lost on penalties to Chorley in the Conference North playoff over the weekend. That is bad news for us as their money means they can outbid us in the same transfer pool.

 

[DarloRich]

if two "pub teams" can qualify for play-off places at the end of a season...

Paul - Both teams have spaffed money up against the wall. More of a shock is that Salford didn't win the league with the money they have spent. They took Rooney from Aberdeen for goodness sake. Word is he is on several thousand a week. in the conference! Look at the accounts: They lost £2m last year.

Take away the investment from both clubs ( and that will happen regardless of any statements to date) and they will burst spectacularly.

 

[DarloRich]

Chris Hughton sacked. Harsh?

Chris Hughton: Brighton sack manager after 17th-placed finish in Premier League

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/48251716

 

[Iskra]

Chris Hughton sacked. Harsh?



https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/48251716

On the face of it, it seems harsh, but I can understand the logic considering their more recent form. Keeping him could have been a one way ticket to the championship, so they are sensibly trying to avoid that.

 

[DarloRich]

On the face of it, it seems harsh, but I can understand the logic considering their more recent form. Keeping him could have been a one way ticket to the championship, so they are sensibly trying to avoid that.

i get that but realistically they are going to be down the bottom every year and could, regardless of manager, find themselves in a relegation scrap. They haven't the resources to avoid that.

 

[Iskra]

i get that but realistically they are going to be down the bottom every year and could, regardless of manager, find themselves in a relegation scrap. They haven't the resources to avoid that.

It doesn't have to be that way; Leicester, Burnley... they have both achieved far more than what they should recently.

 

[DarloRich]

It doesn't have to be that way; Leicester, Burnley... they have both achieved far more than what they should recently.

Liecester was a fluke ( and had more money to spend than Brighton) Burnley overreached and paid for it this season.

 

[Iskra]

Liecester was a fluke ( and had more money to spend than Brighton) Burnley overreached and paid for it this season.

I'm not disagreeing, but they both show what can happen despite the odds being against them.

 

[yorkie]

i get that but realistically they are going to be down the bottom every year and could, regardless of manager, find themselves in a relegation scrap. They haven't the resources to avoid that.

Exactly. I hope they go down now, as this is a ludicrous decision.

 

[Puffing Devil]

Maybe means Everton?

D'oh! Of course! Must take off my blue tinted glasses!

 

[Puffing Devil]

I disagree - once this game is a way from Wembley it wont come back. Proper clubs would take a lot more and should not be punished because two tiny but massively backed clubs got to the final.

Games like this don't need to be at Wembley. Fine if it's two London/South Teams, for those in the North better to keep it closed to home at a neutral stadium. When Grimsby made it up from the conference in 2016 the attendance at Wembley was 17,000, v FGR. That's a lower league club with a big travelling support. Leicester would have been an ideal venue for that game.

More and more we're being forced into Wembley with inflated prices and inconvenient kick-off times to service the debt on the stadium and pander to the TV money.

 

[Puffing Devil]

Exactly. I hope they go down now, as this is a ludicrous decision.

Agree. I hope that Chris Hughton finds himself at a Championship Club in the ascendancy and waves to Brighton as they pass each other in promotion/demotion next season.

 

[Kite159]

On the face of it, it seems harsh, but I can understand the logic considering their more recent form. Keeping him could have been a one way ticket to the championship, so they are sensibly trying to avoid that.

And probably better sacking at the end of the season to allow a new manager to come in, buy some new players etc compared to sacking the manager after the first month of the new league with the team bottom of the league with the new manager unable to bring in fresh blood to try and recover.

 

[Iskra]

And probably better sacking at the end of the season to allow a new manager to come in, buy some new players etc compared to sacking the manager after the first month of the new league with the team bottom of the league with the new manager unable to bring in fresh blood to try and recover.

Exactly. Departing now, it will be fairly amicable too. He's kept them up. He can leave without souring his reputation like Wagner.

I'm sure he's done financially well out of it too.

 

[DarloRich]

Games like this don't need to be at Wembley. Fine if it's two London/South Teams, for those in the North better to keep it closed to home at a neutral stadium. When Grimsby made it up from the conference in 2016 the attendance at Wembley was 17,000, v FGR. That's a lower league club with a big travelling support. Leicester would have been an ideal venue for that game.

More and more we're being forced into Wembley with inflated prices and inconvenient kick-off times to service the debt on the stadium and pander to the TV money.

I disagree - they do need to be be at Wembley. I don't care that there were only 24,668 at Wembley for our FA trophy final v Mansfield. We won. At Wembley. That is important. It is a great day out if you win and part of the folklore of your club. Chris Senior will never buy a pint in Darlo as long as he lives. It wouldn't be the same if the goal had been at Sid James Park!

Goal here for you all. Greatest goal EVER scored at Wembley:

I am in there somewhere going absolutely mad. What a day. Coming on the back of two previous play off final defeats. Superb.

I do agree about the prices mind. They are bonkers and have more to do with suppressing attendance than distance.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

When was the last time that two northern "pub teams" managed to take a combined total of 8,000 supporters to a stadium miles away darn sarf that doesn't have ferret facilities, doesn't sell proper wooden rattles and believes in warm beer?

 

[61653 HTAFC]

When was the last time that two northern "pub teams" managed to take a combined total of 8,000 supporters to a stadium miles away darn sarf that doesn't have ferret facilities, doesn't sell proper wooden rattles and believes in warm beer?

@DarloRich has given an example above, Darlington v. Mansfield in the FA Trophy.

I'd also cite the 1988 FA Vase final which was my first ever football game. The teams were Emley (a village of around 2,500 people) versus Colne Dynamoes... however I can't find an attendance figure for that game. It was at the old Wembley stadium which was only half open but the half that was open seemed fairly full. I'd estimate the crowd to have been around 20k, or TEN TIMES the population of Emley village.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

@DarloRich has given an example above, Darlington v. Mansfield in the FA Trophy.

I'd also cite the 1988 FA Vase final which was my first ever football game. The teams were Emley (a village of around 2,500 people) versus Colne Dynamoes... however I can't find an attendance figure for that game. It was at the old Wembley stadium which was only half open but the half that was open seemed fairly full. I'd estimate the crowd to have been around 20k, or TEN TIMES the population of Emley village.

I am sure that the supporters of both the established football clubs of Darlington and of Mansfield would take great exception to having their clubs compared to either of the two "pub teams" to whom I so alluded in my earlier posting.....

 

[61653 HTAFC]

I am sure that the supporters of both the established football clubs of Darlington and of Mansfield would take great exception to having their clubs compared to either of the two "pub teams" to whom I so alluded in my earlier posting.....

But then I'm sure there are plenty of long-established real "Pub teams" who take exception to moneybags teams like Salford, Fylde, Rushden & Diamonds etc. rendering their competitions meaningless.

 

[Groningen]

With 1 game to play Ajax is champion in the Netherlands. They are 3 points ahead against PSV, but have a 14 goal better difference.

Looking back at Ajax - Spurs the 2nd and 3rd goal were not necessary. Who do you call it. The Dutch goalkeeper tried to pull the game over the finishline with stalling tacticts. It went wrong!.

 

[greyman42]

City have traditionally had a local, working class, fanbase with little support outside of the GM area. That fanbase hasn't grown massively with the success and the move to the Etihad, which does sell out for the majority of the PL games. Frankly, I don't care. I'd rather have local, loyal fans that love the club and its success than the blow-in plastic tourists on a day trip with their half and half scarves.

Considering the Etihad is full of 'local, loyal fans that love the club and its success', the atmosphere is pretty flat for most games. Its usually the away fans that lift the atmosphere.