The English Lower League thread

[SSF]

Bury has been in trouble for a while, it is just now things have finally gone past the tipping point.

With Bolton, Shaun Harvey and Ken Anderson should be in HMP Darkandgloomy or whatevs they call it.

 

[robertmac43]

Unfortunately a lot of the teams in the lower leagues have been in trouble, especially more Northern rural towns.

 

[Stray Wasp]

Notts County has now been sold to a Danish consortium.

Reedtz brothers confirm Notts County takeover is complete

You can read about their previous owner here: Alan Hardy the speedster leaves Notts County stuck in reverse | Daniel Taylor

They've been an incredibly unstable club for most of the last decade, beginning with the brief Sven-Goran Eriksson era. An article from David Conn gives a potted history to the period leading up to Alan Hardy's takeover that shows their present debt troubles and Inland Revenue winding-up orders are nothing new.

Another Notts County era begins with cautious optimism after £3.5m takeover

In the last 10 years, Kevin Nolan was their longest serving manager - he lasted a smidgen over 18 months.

 

[Stray Wasp]

Unfortunately a lot of the teams in the lower leagues have been in trouble, especially more Northern rural towns.

Indeed. The story of Gateshead's expulsion from the Conference is mind-boggling.

 

[IceColdOx]

I got some reading to do. Wow. Sucks when teams go through this stuff.

 

[robertmac43]

I got some reading to do. Wow. Sucks when teams go through this stuff.

Really got to feel for the fans. Been through a ton, stood by the team the whole time, and then just like that they can cease to exist

 

[GabeTravels]

As a Portsmouth fan, it kills me seeing these teams go through this.

I remember waiting to hear if the club would fold a few years back... Thankfully the fans stepped up and bought the club.

So happy we have responsible ownership now, building things the right way.

 

[robertmac43]

As a Portsmouth fan, it kills me seeing these teams go through this.

I remember waiting to hear if the club would fold a few years back... Thankfully the fans stepped up and bought the club.

So happy we have responsible ownership now, building things the right way.

I love stories like the Portsmouth one. Fans save their teams and then build. The club may never have the prestige as it once did, but there is a certain calm and security that come from a stable ownership. Fans can often deliver that much.

 

[PanniniClaus]

Luton Town and Boro get it kicked off tomorrow.

 

[PanniniClaus]

Luton Town and Boro get it kicked off tomorrow.

which is today I guess! available on DAZN in Canada

 

[robertmac43]

Predictions for who is going up this year?

 

[PanniniClaus]

Predictions for who is going up this year?

Super hard to call.

Fulham should go back up....Leeds should finally punch through....after that I really don't know.

 

[PanniniClaus]

Boro were airtight on D last year. 3 3 with Luton right now and the tying goal was calamitous.

nearing stoppage time

 

[Stray Wasp]

If in doubt, look to the clubs still receiving the financial boost of parachute payments.

I'm sceptical Siewart will manage to turn around the negative momentum he accrued last season at Huddersfield. My instincts say that Scott Parker won't prove up to the job at Fulham, and that Slaven Bilic will have cause to regret West Brom losing more than 40 of the goals they scored last season thanks to Dwight Gayle's loan spell ending, and Rodriguez returning to Burnley. The loss of Graham Potter and McBurnie will surely stop Swansea carrying last season's strong finish into this campaign. Hull haven't especially strengthened, even if we assume Grant McCann tightens up their defence without reducing their goals for column.

Jonathan Woodgate is one of the last players have expected to become a manager (mind, I'd have said the same about his old clubbing buddy Lee Bowyer), but I have a funny feeling he might free Middlesbrough from the shackles Tony Pulis imposed on them without leaving their defence wide open, and lead them to promotion. (Perhaps he really did learn from Robson, Venables et al - when he joined Real Madrid, he surprised people by learning the language. Who knows, maybe it occurred to him that foreigns had something to teach him on the footballing front, too.) For the record, the Smoggies were drawing 2-2 at Kenilworth Road when I began typing this.

I think Stoke will go up despite losing Ryan Shawcross. Hard to believe that Ince, Afobe and Vokes between them won't produce the goals they lacked last year. Nathan Jones sounds just the sort of religious nut who's bound to end up spending a few months in the EPL being weird at every microphone he encounters.

It's hard to bet against Cardiff. Their squad is experienced without being old, and hasn't suffered too many key departures. Aden Flint is a good addition, and Robert Glatzel might prove a shrewd signing - the sort of big target man to create space for Bobby Reid, Josh Murphy, and Junior 'what do you mean, he isn't 109 years old?' Howlett.

I've no clue what Lamouchi's stock as a coach is, but Forest have the makings of a real challenge for the top six this year. Brentford have a good chance to be the underdogs who make waves, but I can't see them winning promotion.

As for Leeds, I'll take them to lose in the playoffs again.

 

[Venkman]

Entertaining game last night. Two great goals by Bradley and Wing. Missed penalty by Assombalonga, Luton should have had a penalty and missed a last minute chance to win the game.

Leeds, Fulham and Cardiff are favourites for promotion. Might do a prediction when the transfer window closes.

 

[HoseEmDown]

My top 6 would be in alphabetical order Blackburn (think Bradley Dack will be the POY and carry them to a playoff spot), Brentford (they seem to lose players every year but add well like Jansson, they still have Maupay too), Fulham (not very good in the premium league but have a lot of guys who have done well in the championship before), Huddersfield (not sure why they aren't getting more love, they have probably the best CB duo in Schindler and Kongolo, Mooy is a stud at this level while Grant and Mounie are top strikers), Middleborough (have a very balanced team with experience, if the coaching is up to par no reason not to be a playoff team) and West Brom (they are always a competitive team and I see no reason this year shouldn't be any different).

For relegation I got Birmingham, Millwall and Reading.

I don't see what everyone else does in Leeds this year. I think they'll be a top half team but they lost Jansson and probably lose Roofer too, that's two big pieces gone. Whichever team gets Gayle on loan should also be a playoff team, they guy just eats up championship defenses and is good for 20+ every year.

 

[robertmac43]

Looked strange seeing Knockaert in Fulham colours. In his short stint he looked really good, I think he will carry on in the championship as the star player he was when he gained promotion.

On a Barnsley note, Wilks looked very solid.

 

[The Lemonheads]

First game of the season done and I'm already done.

This team has too much dead weight. It's gonna take 2 more windows to fix this mess.

Lose home opener against QPR tells me it's gonna be a loooooooooooong season.

If you can't manage to get up for that game and atleast get a point... a point! You're in the shits.

FFS Stoke.

 

[Stray Wasp]

As we know from having it remorselessly hammered down our throats, London is the UK's mainspring of cosmopolitan, educated enlightenment and sophistication. Whereas Barnsley is in The North, where knuckles are dragged and intolerance nurtured from the womb.

Guess what - when Barnsley met Fulham at Oakwell this afternoon, the sister of Fulham's Cyrus Christie was assaulted and racially abused. However, the story has a twist that you can read about here. Cyrus Christie: Fulham investigate incident after player says sister was hit and racially abused.

 

[PanniniClaus]

As we know from having it remorselessly hammered down our throats, London is the UK's mainspring of cosmopolitan, educated enlightenment and sophistication. Whereas Barnsley is in The North, where knuckles are dragged and intolerance nurtured from the womb.

Guess what - when Barnsley met Fulham at Oakwell this afternoon, the sister of Fulham's Cyrus Christie was assaulted and racially abused. However, the story has a twist that you can read about here. Cyrus Christie: Fulham investigate incident after player says sister was hit and racially abused.

I just don't get it.....Barnsley have players that are not white....Hopefully they find him/her and ban them for life.

 

[sabremike]

I just don't get it.....Barnsley have players that are not white....Hopefully they find him/her and ban them for life.

Don't think you read the story: it was a Fulham "fan" who committed the act.

 

[PanniniClaus]

Don't think you read the story: it was a Fulham "fan" who committed the act.

oh wow...I missed that. really sorry to any Barnsley folks.

 

[PanniniClaus]

Did i miss the memo where teams have to wear a road kit even if there is no clash? Brom wore a horrid green and yellow and now Leeds are wearing a pretty awful gray and pink when it seems a white would be fine against Bristol's red.

 

[robertmac43]

I also mirror the Leeds getting promoted sentiment. I think they win in through the playoffs this year.

My automatic promotion predictions are West Brom and Cardiff.

 

[Stray Wasp]

Did i miss the memo where teams have to wear a road kit even if there is no clash?

Alas, I think there probably was a memo - from the marketing departments of these clubs, hoping that the sooner their teams wore the change colours in games, the greater the likelihood of children whose parents hadn't already bought them the kit squealing to have it.