The English Lower League thread

[BKIslandersFan]

f*** Millwall.

Also Sunderland has been finally sold. Things might be looking up again over there.

 

[Chloraflora]

**** Millwall.

Also Sunderland has been finally sold. Things might be looking up again over there.

Rude.

 

[hatterson]

Really hope AFC Wimbledon stay up. Them being higher than MK Dons is how the universe should be

 

[Fro]

"I'm so sad MK Dons got relegated" said no one ever. **** them.

I figured spurs were funneling them money to keep them afloat for selling us Dele for peanuts

 

[HajdukSplit]

Wimbledon officially safe after their draw in Doncaster

Scunthorpe secure a playoff spot in League 1; last playoff spot is down to Charlton and Plymouth, heavy advantage for Charlton with 3 points ahead and a six goal better GD

 

[hatterson]

Wimbledon officially safe after their draw in Doncaster

Scunthorpe secure a playoff spot in League 1; last playoff spot is down to Charlton and Plymouth, heavy advantage for Charlton with 3 points ahead and a six goal better GD

Nice.

Northampton down unless they can pull of an incredible 9 goal away win against Oldham.

Between Oldham and Rochdale, due to goal difference, Oldham needs a better or equal result against Northampton compared to what Rochdale get against Charlton. If their result is worse (draw or a win, or loss to a draw) they’ll be down on either points or goal difference.

 

[GB]

All for the want of expanded horizons.

Congratulations on Sunderland's relegation. The Schadenfreude certainly seems to be to your taste. As Sunderland's prospective new owner is suggesting he'll be sitting with the fans at our next game I suspect there we'll be providing you with plenty more opportunities to bask in the tepid glow of our incompetence.

I can't agree with your conclusions about the, disturbingly distant, 2001/02 season. Although European competition would have been pleasant, (although of course the InterToto could never match the heights of the Anglo-Italian), thinking that our failures that season would have been any affected by more ambition ignores the facts in favour of a more pleasing narrative. Broader horizons and more ambition would have only lead to more expensive transfer failures (and more money being put into brown envelopes. Allegedly)

I have to take issue with the idea that Rugby League is the number one sport in Wigan. It isn't. It's important and it could be argued that Wigan Warriors are a bigger club than Wigan Athletic but football is the bigger sport in Wigan. It doesn't take away from your wider point about the small fanbase for Wigan Athletic but it is an annoying tabloid myth that never fails to irk me.

 

[Stray Wasp]

Congratulations on Sunderland's relegation.

Thanks, but those who worked so hard to bring it about are the ones who deserve the credit.

 

[Stray Wasp]

The Schadenfreude certainly seems to be to your taste. As Sunderland's prospective new owner is suggesting he'll be sitting with the fans at our next game I suspect there we'll be providing you with plenty more opportunities to bask in the tepid glow of our incompetence.

I can't agree with your conclusions about the, disturbingly distant, 2001/02 season. Although European competition would have been pleasant, (although of course the InterToto could never match the heights of the Anglo-Italian), thinking that our failures that season would have been any affected by more ambition ignores the facts in favour of a more pleasing narrative. Broader horizons and more ambition would have only lead to more expensive transfer failures (and more money being put into brown envelopes. Allegedly)

I have to take issue with the idea that Rugby League is the number one sport in Wigan. It isn't. It's important and it could be argued that Wigan Warriors are a bigger club than Wigan Athletic but football is the bigger sport in Wigan. It doesn't take away from your wider point about the small fanbase for Wigan Athletic but it is an annoying tabloid myth that never fails to irk me.

If you read back a page or so, you'll note that even to the end I was sceptical relegation would happen. I still find it incredible. And since I'm counting down the days to:

a) Benitez leaving
b) The Inland Revenue case torpedoing NUFC
c) both of the above, interspersed with large helpings of Ashley's lazy dishonesty being fed into the usual media outlets

I'm taking my entertainment where I may find it.

An owner sitting with the fans? What can possibly go wrong?

As to 2001/02 - a terribly long time ago, indeed - from the outside looking in it seemed like Reid's team simply went stale. I genuinely think presenting a new challenge for the club would have helped- and it's hard to imagine the fans wouldn't have enjoyed a trip to Belgium, followed by in Munich. Who knows, but if Wayne Quinn could score against Sporting Lokeren, Nicolas Medina and Lilian Laslandes might have managed it too. (I never heard the rumours about brown envelopes, or if I did I'd forgotten. But now you mention it, I can easily imagine).

Whilst I'd argue that historically speaking there can be no question that Wigan Warriors (contrived Sky-era nicknames- eugh) is of greater significance than Athletic, I presume when you say that football is a bigger sport you're referring to the problem of large numbers of locals holding allegiances to one or other of the North-West giants. In which case, I take your point without a word of argument. In my defence, for the Latics' purposes, such people may as well not exist.

 

[BKIslandersFan]

Congratulations on Sunderland's relegation. The Schadenfreude certainly seems to be to your taste. As Sunderland's prospective new owner is suggesting he'll be sitting with the fans at our next game I suspect there we'll be providing you with plenty more opportunities to bask in the tepid glow of our incompetence.

I can't agree with your conclusions about the, disturbingly distant, 2001/02 season. Although European competition would have been pleasant, (although of course the InterToto could never match the heights of the Anglo-Italian), thinking that our failures that season would have been any affected by more ambition ignores the facts in favour of a more pleasing narrative. Broader horizons and more ambition would have only lead to more expensive transfer failures (and more money being put into brown envelopes. Allegedly)

I have to take issue with the idea that Rugby League is the number one sport in Wigan. It isn't. It's important and it could be argued that Wigan Warriors are a bigger club than Wigan Athletic but football is the bigger sport in Wigan. It doesn't take away from your wider point about the small fanbase for Wigan Athletic but it is an annoying tabloid myth that never fails to irk me.

Wigan Athletic has better attendance though. I never understood how Warriors are then a bigger club.

 

[GB]

Let's see if I can get multi-quote working.

Thanks, but those who worked so hard to bring it about are the ones who deserve the credit.

Definitely; but without the joy their efforts bring to others it's ultimately worthless. You bring meaning to their existence.

If you read back a page or so, you'll note that even to the end I was sceptical relegation would happen. I still find it incredible.

I've read it. In contrast I expected relegation very early on. September's thrashing at Ipswich was probably the point for me when I gave up hope. Of course a degree of fatalism has crept in over the years but I think relegation was unavoidable once Grabbon left in early January.

I still find it incredible. And since I'm counting down the days to:

a) Benitez leaving
b) The Inland Revenue case torpedoing NUFC
c) both of the above, interspersed with large helpings of Ashley's lazy dishonesty being fed into the usual media outlets

Ordinarily I'd suggest HMRC wouldn't do anything to damage a top flight club but with how disliked Ashley is by so many people I'm sure there are plenty of people in every Governmental department itching to put the boot into him. Hopefully he's soon gone from the club and he'll get the metaphorical kicking he deserves without damaging the club any further.

I'm taking my entertainment where I may find it.

An owner sitting with the fans? What can possibly go wrong?

Indeed. It's not as if there's a local example that can be learned from.

As to 2001/02 - a terribly long time ago, indeed - from the outside looking in it seemed like Reid's team simply went stale. I genuinely think presenting a new challenge for the club would have helped- and it's hard to imagine the fans wouldn't have enjoyed a trip to Belgium, followed by in Munich. Who knows, but if Wayne Quinn could score against Sporting Lokeren, Nicolas Medina and Lilian Laslandes might have managed it too. (I never heard the rumours about brown envelopes, or if I did I'd forgotten. But now you mention it, I can easily imagine).

In hindsight everything after 2000/01 was just papering over the cracks and trying to recreate the magic of the 1999/2000 team. Laslandes may be the best example of this. Quinn's late career peak was obviously over and the only way to replace him was to sign another tall striker. Even when Laslandes was at the club and obviously not a target man he was still played that way. It's not so much a lack of ambition as an inability to change ingrained ideas about the way football could be played. There's a long parade of English managers affected by that curse of course.

Allow me to expand on this theme a little. Thomas Helmer was signed as a free agent from Bayern Munich. In pre-season training, so goes the legend, he questioned the utility of practising lumping the ball up to a target man. Allegedly called a f***ing minger he was dispatched to the reserves where he mostly warmed the bench before going on loan to Hertha. From Bayern's captain to Sunderland's reserve team substitute. No amount of ambition can change the mind of someone who reacts that way.

Reid brought success and some enjoyable football but just as surely he brought about the end of it.

Anyway, that's enough reminiscing. It's quite impolite to ramble on like this to a Newcastle fan as well, I do apologise.

Whilst I'd argue that historically speaking there can be no question that Wigan Warriors (contrived Sky-era nicknames- eugh) is of greater significance than Athletic, I presume when you say that football is a bigger sport you're referring to the problem of large numbers of locals holding allegiances to one or other of the North-West giants. In which case, I take your point without a word of argument. In my defence, for the Latics' purposes, such people may as well not exist.

Warriors are doubtless culturally more important than the Latics. And in the past League was bigger than football. Since Sky though football really rules supreme. There are a lot of Scouse families who have relocated to Wigan since the 70's and they've mostly stayed as fans of Liverpool and Everton. There's a similar thing with Man Utd fans, although probably less. If the Latics had stayed in the Premiership then I think more of the kids from those families would have adopted the Latics. That's probably gone now, especially with Klopp's appointment at Liverpool.

Maybe if the Wasps had continued in Durham to the present day and Durham City AFC had somehow ended up in the Premiership for a few seasons that would be a similar situation.

 

[GB]

Wigan Athletic has better attendance though. I never understood how Warriors are then a bigger club.

What attendance figures are you using?

 

[HajdukSplit]

League 1 and 2 completed today

LEAGUE 1
Promoted: Wigan Athletic, Blackburn Rovers
Playoffs: Shrewsbury Town (3) vs. Charlton Athletic (6); Rotherham United (4) vs. Scunthorpe United (5)
Relegated: Bury, MK Dons, Northampton Town, Oldham Athletic

LEAGUE 2
Promoted: Accrington Stanley, Luton Town, Wycombe Wanderers
Playoffs: Exeter City (3) vs. Lincoln City (6); Notts County (4) vs. Coventry City (5)
Relegated: Chesterfield, Barnet

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

Fulham decide to lose for the first time in 23 games against Birmingham, securing Cardiff's promotion.

 

[BKIslandersFan]

Would be cool to see back to back promotion for Lincoln.

 

[sabremike]

Thinking of adopting a lower league club to adopt. Any suggestions? Have a soft spot for Oldham (Paul Scholes boyhood team), Bury (my late father had a near 40 year career in law enforcement), Scunthorpe (because their name always gets edited by filters) and AFC Wimbledon.

 

[BKIslandersFan]

Thinking of adopting a lower league club to adopt. Any suggestions? Have a soft spot for Oldham (Paul Scholes boyhood team), Bury (my late father had a near 40 year career in law enforcement), Scunthorpe (because their name always gets edited by filters) and AFC Wimbledon.

To make it more fun, go with a non-league team. Hartlepool?

 

[Chloraflora]

Dulwich Hamlet!

 

[hatterson]

AFC Wimbledon is always a great choice.

I like Oxford United becuase I randomly selected them in fifa career mode years back and decided to stick with it in real life.

 

[SSF]

I have a soft spot for Scunthorpe because they were who you always had to start your management career with in 08 or 09.

1-1 at halftime in their first leg playoff semi. They have given up an away goal but responded immediately

 

[sabremike]

I have a soft spot for Scunthorpe because they were who you always had to start your management career with in 08 or 09.

1-1 at halftime in their first leg playoff semi. They have given up an away goal but responded immediately

I thought the away goal rule wasn't used in the playoffs? Was that changed?

 

[Stray Wasp]

I thought the away goal rule wasn't used in the playoffs? Was that changed?

You're correct. It had escaped my notice, but apparently the away goals rule was abandoned for league playoff games as far back as 1999.

 

[gary69]

21st century has been rough for Coventry, but their stadium is still a nice one and they had good crowd at least today against Notts County. And wow, I didn't realize Alan Smith is still playing. One of the most annoying players back in his heyday.

 

[HajdukSplit]

Fulham in the Championship promotion final having beaten Derby 2:0 (2:1 aggregate) after a completely dominating performance, they play some decent stuff. People on twitter moaning about their fans though, many showed up in their work clothes (suits) and they gave out clappers to everybody

 

[Chloraflora]

Fulham in the Championship promotion final having beaten Derby 2:0 (2:1 aggregate) after a completely dominating performance, they play some decent stuff. People on twitter moaning about their fans though, many showed up in their work clothes (suits) and they gave out clappers to everybody

Fulham have always had the most lukewarm, happy-clappy support in London. It’s no shock. They’re still not as embarrassing as Crystal Palace fans though.