The English Lower League thread

[gary69]

You've piqued my curiosity - why those three?

Just no personal history with any of them when I was growing up, I'd just like to see the clubs which were on the top divisions back then do well again. For example I'd like e.g. Coventry and Ipswich make it back into higher divisions. Like the first one will be next season.

 

[Stray Wasp]

It'd be good to see Ipswich back in the second tier - and after all Coventry has been through, I'm also glad to see them recover (particularly when it treats us all to the possibility of sunderland tripping over themselves in a division they have the resources to walk again).

Funnily enough, for me the question 'who do I want relegated from the Championship' is especially difficult right now.

Normally, 'Stoke City' would be an obvious answer, but I have a soft spot for Michael O'Neill from his playing days with NUFC, and I admired the job he did with Northern Ireland.

I wish many things more negative than mere sporting demotion upon Lee Bowyer, but I have a soft spot for Charlton.

Neil Warnock deserves relegation, however to bear Middlesbrough ill will would be too much effort.

Luton is a club I'm not overly fond of; then again, they achieved promotion playing good football, so I'm told. They earn additional brownie points for their part in Helping sunderland Stay Ridiculous (2018-19 edition).

Barnsley and Hull's fate I'm indifferent to. At least the former can also lay claim to a HsSR merit award for 2018-19.

Birmingham City are four points clear of relegation with four games remaining. While their fans have suffered horribly from awful ownership, that's a club I'd shed no tears for, were they to suffer the drop again.

 

[SSF]

Really wanting a draw this game and Luton just wont give up.

 

[Cassano]

 

[Evilo]

No football fan can deny they're with Atalanta the most exciting team in Europe.

 

[These Are The Days]

What a fantastic breakout. But I must say I got flashbacks of this for about that first minute or so

 

[These Are The Days]

And as pertains to Leeds, they better go through with that massive renovation to Elland Road they were talking about (in return to the EPL) if they actually expect to compete like that consistently at the highest level and keep the budget for it. They look as ready for the EPL as it gets but you can say that about any team that gets promoted.

Bielsa has gotten that team to play over its head for a while now

 

[Jersey Fresh]

West Brom on their way to another 3 points against Derby. Big win to keep Brentford and Fulham away.

Hopefully Leeds will drop points tomorrow.

People will learn the name Matheus Pereira. Hopefully they can keep him long term...

COYB!

Know Diangana has been injured a bit, but how would you rate his play this season? He's looked like he's taken a step up from what I've seen.

 

[SSF]

Brentford win again, within 3 points of the top having played one game more than Leeds and the Baggies. They are really trying to play Premier League football in their new stadium.

 

[Savant]

Swansea X Leeds is a very interesting game tomorrow

 

[Evilo]

It's crazy to think Leeds plays this way with a somewhat limited lineup, on a second tier league, while most teams in top leagues, with much more spending power and much more technical level can't do half of it.
Coaching IS underrated. Because few coaches can change the way teams play. Bielsa, Klopp, Guardiola, Simeone, Blanc, off the top of my head.
When you see their teams play you know who their coach is.

 

[PanniniClaus]

I expected to find Fulham and Cardiff on DAZN yesterday and certainly a game per day over the weekend. Nothing...did they drop the Championship from their offerings?

 

[ghostnights]

Brewster and Ayew offer a lot in attack for Swans . Will be a good match . Hoping we can secure the 6spot for the playoff.

 

[These Are The Days]

It's crazy to think Leeds plays this way with a somewhat limited lineup, on a second tier league, while most teams in top leagues, with much more spending power and much more technical level can't do half of it.
Coaching IS underrated. Because few coaches can change the way teams play. Bielsa, Klopp, Guardiola, Simeone, Blanc, off the top of my head.
When you see their teams play you know who their coach is.

Somewhat limited? Man that's generous lol. Anyone who can make a team with the likes of Patrick Bamford and Gianni Alioski supplying its offense look like Liverpool in that 2 minute video is nothing short of a magician. They're not a BAD team but they are a pretty damn good example of what great coaching will do for anyone. If Leeds get promoted they need to load up in a hurry. If you made no changes at all to that roster, pulling off a 1-0 win is gonna have to be their recipe to EPL success almost indefinitely. And it's hard to say just how many times they'd be able to do it.

That match against Swansea is gonna tell us a whole lot about how ready Leeds is to play in the EPL again

 

[Cassano]

I have no issue saying I’d prefer Biesla over all PL managers except Pep, Klopp and maybe Hasenhüttl.

 

[Gecklund]

And OGS

 

[Evilo]

Somewhat limited? Man that's generous lol. Anyone who can make a team with the likes of Patrick Bamford and Gianni Alioski supplying its offense look like Liverpool in that 2 minute video is nothing short of a magician. They're not a BAD team but they are a pretty damn good example of what great coaching will do for anyone. If Leeds get promoted they need to load up in a hurry. If you made no changes at all to that roster, pulling off a 1-0 win is gonna have to be their recipe to EPL success almost indefinitely. And it's hard to say just how many times they'd be able to do it.

That match against Swansea is gonna tell us a whole lot about how ready Leeds is to play in the EPL again

Somewhat because Bielsa is making those guys progress. Just like great coaches do.

 

[These Are The Days]

Somewhat because Bielsa is making those guys progress. Just like great coaches do.

Fair enough. When you consider they've got only one non-loan player (Bamford) who manages to average a goal in less than every 300 minutes at that level of competition, I love the way you said it even more now lol.

 

[hatterson]

Holy crap, I hadn't followed the lower league for the last half of the season. I can't believe Oxford are in a final to get promoted to the Championship.

 

[These Are The Days]

Holy crap, I hadn't followed the lower league for the last half of the season. I can't believe Oxford are in a final to get promoted to the Championship.

You think that's nuts? Look at the run Brentford has been on lately. Leeds and West Brom better win out because I'm fairly certain Brentford is going to at this rate and end their season winning 10 in a row.

 

[These Are The Days]

Leeds score in the absolute dying seconds of the game to take the score 1-0 over Swansea almost no sooner than I mention that Brentford is liable to run the table. Yup.... Bielsa is a God for getting that club to play with that kind of composure





Look out Man United... That psychotic ex girlfriend you haven't thought about in 15 years is ready to come back and has been plotting revenge this whole time

 

[Evilo]

Best thing in the video is Bielsa's reaction : none.

 

[HajdukSplit]

Leeds as good as up, need 4 points from their final three (Barnsley H, Derby A, Charlton H)

Getting tight for that second sport with Brentford getting within three points of WBA and have the ‘easier’ fixtures on paper. WBA control their own destiny needing 7 points
WBA: Fulham H, Huddersfield A, QPR H
Brentford: Preston H, Stoke A, Barnsley H

Fulham and Forest seem destined to play each other in the playoffs while 6th place is separated by 4 points between 7 teams

The bottom half is tight too, bottom 7 separated by 6 points but looking at the fixtures Barnsley have a brutal finish playing nothing but the top 5 sides to finish the season

 

[These Are The Days]

Leeds as good as up, need 4 points from their final three (Barnsley H, Derby A, Charlton H)

Getting tight for that second sport with Brentford getting within three points of WBA and have the ‘easier’ fixtures on paper. WBA control their own destiny needing 7 points
WBA: Fulham H, Huddersfield A, QPR H
Brentford: Preston H, Stoke A, Barnsley H

Fulham and Forest seem destined to play each other in the playoffs while 6th place is separated by 4 points between 7 teams

The bottom half is tight too, bottom 7 separated by 6 points but looking at the fixtures Barnsley have a brutal finish playing nothing but the top 5 sides to finish the season

Forest are so hard to figure out. I've lost count of how many times they've been outdone late in games the way Swansea was today and conceded a draw accordingly. Like 93rd-minute stuff. That gray area between bad luck and bad composure might as well be the size of the field they play on. At this point, they are my darkhorse for promotion because it's happened enough times to where they'd probably be in a tie for 3rd place if history played out differently. It feels like if you get them in the playoffs and anything can happen.

 

[PanniniClaus]

Really good game...an open field bodycheck from Eastwood gave Wycombe a late penalty...Oxford roared back with quality chances looking for the equalizer. Wycombe are in the championship...wow.