Billy Paynter's Excellent Adventure: Football League, Blue Square and Beyond, 2010/11

The new season kicks off, for some reason, with Norwich v Watford on Friday night.

http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images_root/images/photos/000/998/658/David_Jamesx_12_68_1095932a_crop_340x234.jpg?1280504860

HE'S READY

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/paulfletcher/still595.jpg

HE'S READY

http://www.echo-news.co.uk/resources/images/691385/?type=display

HE'S COMPLETELY READY REGARDLESS OF WHAT ANY SCURRILOUS NAYSAYERS MIGHT POSSIBLY SUGGEST

http://www.grimsby-townfc.co.uk/javaImages/af/53/0,,10417~4674479,00.jpg

HE'S... well, it's Grimsby. You don't make predictions with Grimsby.

http://www.cafc.co.uk/uploads/charlton34501news1.jpg

It's his world. We just live in it.

YES to title

So psyched for Norwich beginning another run of finishing lower mid table for the next few years. We can do this!

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f14/snouts/QPR/Bernie-Ecclestone-has-bee-001.jpg

HE HOPES WE'RE NOT READY

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f14/snouts/QPR/boutique-1.jpg

THAT'S STILL READY IN CASE ANYONE USES IT SOMEDAY

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f14/snouts/QPR/horse_02.jpg

HE'S JUST HAPPY HE GOT A FOUR YEAR CONTRACT OUT OF IT ALL

so i started pondering a championship prediction preview and basically decided i wouldnt be surprised at damn near anything happening pretty much - i know this is what's said every year but truly there are no outstandingly good or bad sides in there this year.

your favourites are decidely not, as the bookies would hilariously tell you, qpr. (more on that later if i summon the strength but it's doubtful tbh.) imo you're looking at boro's spl select xi (huge lol @ scotland if they don't go up), a solid but unspectacular burnley, and nottingham forest who may just instead implode due to play-off hangover and billy "temperate" davies not throwing a massive signature wobbly cos david pleat still hasnt signed anyone. depending on the skillz of their respective managers, watch our for leicester, hull and bristol city possibly making a push too and tbh i wouldnt be surprised if promoted leeds, norwich and millwall (doing a blackpool) keep their runs going and end up in the mix either. see what i'm saying?

i'd suggest cardiff and portsmouth will be too crippled by financial strife to make any impact. sheff utd with a miraculously not-sacked kevin blackwell in charge will continue their slow slide. darren ferguson, brendan rodgers, and malky mackay at preston, swansea and watford will be looking to arrest alarming slumps in managerial reputation but i don't fancy them to pull it off. conversely reading's brian mcdermott will be looking to keep a meteoric rise going.

scunthorpe will probably struggle without hooper; barnsley probably also faves for the drop too.

qpr... i would be grimly happy with midtable, and some sort of signs that whatever it is that's so rotten at the heart of the club is being addressed. chances of that being as fat as taarabt's arse.

(weird how yr proverbial chances can be slim or fat and still mean the same thing eh? adel analogy still applies i suppose.)

So psyched for Norwich beginning another run of finishing lower mid table for the next few years. We can do this!

― Andy Cole (Dwight Yorke), Saturday, 31 July 2010 20:16 (1 hour ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

eh i dunno, paul lambo seems pretty good and surman's a quality signing. simeon jackson bit overrated i think but i could be wrong... elliott ward is shite though... hmm maybe ur right after all.

any reason to believe southampton aren't a lock for the league 1 title? i can't see past them.

Boro's SPL select is a bit hit and miss imo and probably won't be good enough to win the league.

Barry Robson: solid player, gets stuck in, chips in the odd goal including at least two long range spectaculars a season
Willo Flood: did absolutely nothing at Celtic, no idea why Strachan bought him, really no idea why he bought him again. Looked good at Dundee United against SPL opposition
Scott McDonald: on his day one of the best finishers in the game - rarely on his day in the last two seasons - frustrating - blames his team mates for everything that doesn't work - fat
Lee Miller: big target man who doesn't score - surprised Celtic didn't buy him tbh
Stephen McManus: looked a good young prospect, given the captain's armband at Celtic too early, couldn't live up to it - prone to diving in and giving away cheap fouls & occasionally running backwards as all his mates play the offside trap
Kevin Thompson: great buy if he stays fit and controls his temper, good in the tackle, good passing and vision, good engine - but prone to torn muscles and red cards
Kris Boyd: instinctive poacher who thrives on good service, don't expect much tackling back or passing or hold up play or anything but stick it in the right area and he'll fill his boots, unless he's playing a good team in a big game

yeah robson looked pretty handy tail end of last season. mcdonald pretty disappointing though, him and boyd do seem like a particularly badly concieved partnership but as long as one of them's on their day i guess it'll work. strachan's wisely bought nicky bailey from charlton (who shouldve been a qpr player this summer if we had a clue imo) to compete/cover with thomson so no probs there either. flood anonymous as you say and miller's out the door already i think...?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efyhCz6nSRQ

wahey that looks familiar. fraser forster not coming back i take it?

league one preview: OO-ER LOOKEE ALAN PARDEW

miller's out the door already i think...?

I don't think so, though he's been linked with a move back to Scotland a couple of times.

I was about to say I'd forgotten Chris Killen then I discovered he's now playing in China!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPArcRmgINU

Possibly the best goal ever scored by anyone in an Orient shirt.

Oh Matt Spring, your talent so profligate ;_;

any reason to believe southampton aren't a lock for the league 1 title?

Well, being the biggest fish in the pond always worked so well for Leeds... I think a Gary Johnson-inspired Peterborough will probably be a sizeable threat, Huddersfield should keep pushing on and will definitely challenge the automatic spots, Charlton have the potential to do something (but Phil Parkinson has still got a bit to prove - for a side that came in fourth last season, they were oddly uninspiring), it'll be interesting to see if Swindon can keep hold of their momentum after losing Paynter, and I suppose you can't really ignore a club of Wednesday's size, even if they're financially floundering - but a Clinton Morrison-Neil Mellor forward pairing should do serious damage at this level.

And then there's The Rest. Brighton probably the best of said bunch. Will be interesting to see how the promoted sides cope - three of the smallest clubs in the division, and one 'project' of indeterminate financial strength (albeit that, again, Jon Harley and Liam Chilvers are both solid signings). Wouldn't bet against at least one of them springing a surprise.

bugger yeah forgot about peterborough.. surprising they havent had to sell anyone. grant mccann is probably the signing of the summer for that league too.

Charlton's signings have been surprisingly excellent, and we've kept hold of a few good'uns too (Jose Semedo for club captain, please) - reckon we'll be at least play-offs

HE'S

http://www2.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/Queens+Park+Rangers+v+Preston+North+End+uPEPI3L9etLl.jpg

READY

AND GOD HELP US ALL

in other news, forest sign (the v good) ryan bertrand on loan from the scum which means no nicky shorey to go with no darren pratley. billy davies strop-ometer reaching critical mass....

They're not ready

http://s3.amazonaws.com/twitpic/photos/large/141843427.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=0ZRYP5X5F6FSMBCCSE82&Expires=1281187950&Signature=f6ekc2QmVNQVbUQEOFTjNweuHbI%3D

YAYYYY FOOTBALL YAYYYY

FOOTY FOOTY FOOTY FOOTY FOOTY FOOTY FOOTY FOOTY FOOTY FOOTY FOOTY FOOTY FOOTBALL FOOTBALL

sadly I have to go to the library so I'll be keeping up via BBC live updates. FOOTBALL FOOTBALL.

Hmm, that jpeg doesn't appear to be working.
http://twitpic.com/2cg737

It's sort of sad-but-great that I can tell who the keeper is because he's the only one I've not heard of.

And then I look at our starting 11 and see three full-backs and two centre-backs. I'm assuming one of said full-backs played out wide, but... that is really quite odd.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOqKKr4-3Bw

HOLY SHIT HE'S READY

also well played lads, backs against the wall etc etc

holy shit seconded

Plymouth Herald 1, Saints board 0

:DDDDDD

ALSO! Swansea have signed Scott Sinclair! For keepsies!

RIP Exeter City's Adam Stansfield, age 31. Fuck cancer, seriously.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/e/exeter_city/8902976.stm

RIP; also that shit is never not terrifying

rip :(

Saints owner Markus Liebherr has died. Whoa.

Wiki: Liebherr died of causes yet to be disclosed on 11 August 2010, he will be sadly missed, as seen on Facebook.

Oh, that's just not fucking fair.

Although if the club gets a fairly moderate percentage of his fortune and some kind of trust set up to run it, that could be a pretty awesome legacy.

Sad times.

lolz coppell's done it again!!

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44645000/jpg/_44645889_coppell512.jpg

"I can't enjoy management. I work all week to win a game. If we win, I have an unbelievable high for 20 minutes, but then it is thinking about the next game, who's in training, can we get videos over, who's in physio. If we are beaten, it's a bottomless pit. I have a depression after a defeat.

I don't have any hobbies, pastimes. Sometimes my family don't cope very well, and keep out of the way. It goes through my mind when I get beat: 'Do I need this?' Then I wake up the next morning, the sun is shining and I crack on with it again. Other managers are perhaps more resilient than me."

lolz nothing, that's just terrifying

whoa.

yeah dude has never enjoyed the job, and never pretended to tbh. he's a quote somewhere along the lines of 'my dad would turn in his grave if i walked away from 20 grand a week, otherwise meh'

jeezo, I prescribe 1x early retirement. Or a lucrative position managing someone like the United Arab Emirates national team.

I think everyone should be prescribed that tbf

O VALIANT MEN OF TEAK AND STEEL

So one week into the new season, and it's two managers down - Sheffield United have finally run out of patience with Kevin Blackwell.

No doubt Bernie Ecclestone desperately trying to sell his shares comes next.

I'm now watching last week's Football League Show. Stevenage's kit is absolutely awful.

oh lol http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/s/sheff_utd/8918047.stm

eh don't mind speed, might well do a job there. reserving judgement

They'll need to find a new bloke who actually knows stuff for the next series of A Question of Sport now then.

he does have the air of a good coach about him. given there's not a lot wrong with sheff utd's squad besides just being told to play some football instead of hoofing it over evans, britton, and yeates' heads i expect them to do well now.

this year's championship looking super average so far - it's anyone's.

i.e. qpr's. yes i am tempting fate with impunity

if millwall win it then I am having words with y'all though

yes indeed, you have correctly spotted what i'm not trying to do.

as it stands we are pretty solid, very flukey, and relying on tarbs just that bit too much. could be enough...

kenny jackett and half the current millwall staff worked for olly when he rebuilt us from nothing, so i was fully expecting them to do well if only for the even more egg-on-face factor. top coach though is kenny.

want to see taarabt in the premier league so tacit support here.

top coach though is kenny.

this much is very true - have been hearing it for years, in fact

coventry might do quite well this season maybe?

i'm still trying to work out if it's inexplicable or very explicable indeed how taarabt and warnock are a match made in prick heaven. it's like tarbs is the son he never had. (he's also been very good to alejandro faurlin, our glorious argentinian xabi alonso type maestro.)

coventry might do quite well this season maybe?

the gf's dad supports cov (even "treated" me to the 0-0 vs charlton at the ricoh when you lot were already down, aka the most miserably depressing 90 minutes i will rue on my deathbed wasting) so i bloody well hope not.

the previous season, coventry were by quite some distance the worst team to visit the valley - they were walking dead, absolutely devoid of any invention, aspiration or ability

but they seem to have improved a little

http://twitter.com/esdavids/status/21646120578

That's quite a way for them to exit administration.

fuck me, neil's only gone and made adel CAPTAIN.

CAPTAIN!

Former Crystal Palace striker Neil Shipperley tells H&J why he's learning 'the Knowledge' in the hope of finding further employment as a cab driver.

Might have something to do with it:

http://www.cpfc.co.uk/javaImages/51/2/0,,10323~5636689,00.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Shipperley

"A large, powerful, courageous, honest and brave forward who was surprisingly mobile for a big man and was particular good with his back to goal"

citation needed tbqfh

Should team up with Mark Yardley and trample opposition defenders into the ground.

Adel Taarabt: signing of the summer?

"how he was rewarded: Taarabt was imperious. Inside the first half-hour he'd performed multiple Cruyff turns' and "fans are mentioning Taarabt's name in the same sentence as those of Bowles and Marsh: and, yes, he really is that great to watch"

GOD DAMN IT

http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/48915000/jpg/_48915839_pardew226.jpg
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2007/04/pour-one-out.jpg

"We recognise that frequent changes to the football management are unlikely to assist in the winning of trophies and promotions.

"However, we are taking these steps to achieve our aims, which we share with all supporters, to get promoted this season, and secure long term stability and progress for our football operations.

What are the odds on Steve Coppell?

Even worse, you could end up with Phil Brown.

BBC Sport deadline day rumour page reckons it's...

Paul Hart.

*FACEDESK IN EXTREMIS*

His Wikipedia page is a dream:

After the disappointment of his spell at Barnsley, Hart decided to take some time out of football, opening a dog kennels in Newton Le-Willows. In February 2006, after receiving a nasty bite on his forearm by a German Shepherd, he decided to sell up and return to football management.

So yeah, just give us the title now, save all the hassle. Go on.

Please?

At the risk of this thread becoming "LOL Saints", today has one of the more confusing days in the recent history of the football club.

And tomorrow will probably be about as bad.

Oh boy.

lol i heard phil brown may be going there.

Yes, that's because Phil Brown said so.

Seriously though, we have been linked with Paul Hart, so Agent Orange isn't actually the worst option.

Favourite part of the Daily Echo comments threads is where someone suggests the only reason anyone's heard of Adkins is cos he's been linked with us so he should be grateful.

He put the corpse hunt in Scunthorpe.

first pun on scunthorpe ever that doesn't implement profanity

we're gonna merk County today

anyone else attending league footy?

Still not been any games this season. Watching Burnley-Preston on Beeb 2 right now, Keown has come up with the compliment of the season:

"Good player, Paterson."
"Yes, he's almost a poor man's Wayne Rooney."

:D

lee hughes btw - couldn't happen to a nicer guy <3

fucking hell iwelumo

Some player eh

big chris, big game

oh lol

omg

that is literally the worst marking ever

bad day for the Ferguson dynasty

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_div_1/8989642.stm

fightback starts here

fuck the beeb and their fucking cardiff bias yet again. weren't very bored of the RELENTLESS LEAGUE LEADERS when they were newcastle united.

chillax yr gonna fucking cream the league w/ a record points total, jamie mackie is kevin phillips mark II, also milolwalol

it just doesnt seem fair that awestruck fear is denying us our props is all.

connor wickham s/d btw? can't decide if he's the future or actually just everything that's wrong with english youth football (ie 17 year old beast built like prop forward).

I mean just admit you're using this thread as a meagre placeholder and really can't wait to bid us an unemotional farewell

con(n?)or wickham looks like jon parkin, plays like young kevin davies, possibly will emerge as low-rent vieri, otoh could be fat sheringham

oh who am i kidding. i admit it, i want a carroll-wickham-rooney boot stamping on a miniature spanish face forever. with steve howard on the bench.

that would be genuinely delightful, is the thing

chris brunt a-bustle on the wing, alex bruce all primed to thug

what the christ is that scunthorpe away kit

I quite like it

yknow in just watching bristol city v coventry there i realised that what you say is true - i did start off bemused and 'umble about rangers' success but now the wins keep coming i am developing a contempt for these shamblingly average hordes i once defended as my own. helloooo lady fate, i'm right here.

and now the league one highlights have begun but you have already closed the browser tab

no no i'm gonna overcompensate now.

there must be a way for troy archibald-henville to still play for england somehow. please?

lol jaysus are exeter operating with CURETON AND NARDIELLO up top? forgot about those divs.

ah balanta, there's a lil player though.

troy archibald-henville and craig mackail-smith (and marc bridge-wilkinson)

sheffield wednesday being shit is so gratifying :D

obviously no name is as great, nor no player as imposing, as exodus geohaghan

spiritual heir of nyron nosworthy and so much more deserving of premiership exposure

being so shit that bradley wright phillips can pop one in against you i wish on no team tbh. also southampton is way funnier, soz wbs.

nigel adkins looks like he's turned up to run the club website backend and maybe coach some tennis on the side (a la curbishley.)

lol were those the shortest highlights of all time? two shots?

sheffield wednesday southampton being shit is so so so so so gratifying :D

― acoleuthic, Sunday, 19 September 2010 00:30 (3 minutes ago)

^^^I typed this before seeing your last three posts

oh god it's us

oh wow @ that defending by leyton orient

hahahaha that first addicks goal is just everything i feel above putting up with now in a nutshell. hours on the training pitch finetuning that set piece so the baffled keeper can only spill it.

actually the worst defending I've seen all season, that from leyton orient CB

charlton goal today = you play in league one, you're entitled to legislate for incompetence

the charlton kick takers i mean - the whole run up as if to kick (where? into the dugout?), stop, jog off, let other bloke already standing over it take

maybe it was never meant to be a set piece tbf, just looked so well drilled

bristol rovers' first two goals, superb! see there is quality in the grotto

oh we just have loads of tossers who fancy themselves as dead-ball maestros, none of them are

manish stfu we're doing just fine, go talk about cardiff city

why are there not more mickey spillane gags?!! am i just not paying attention?

christ we could have so much more than Bhasin, although sadly I can't see anyone but Claridge occupying the pundit's chair

lizzy looks a right state

she's a charlton fan iirc

but I'm unsure whether her pleated blouse is AGL

BOO FUCKING HOO THIRTEEN YEAR-OLD TRANMERE FAN, DEAL W/ IT

think i can detect a frisson between her and claridge

league two league two ARE YOU WATCHING RTC IT WON'T BE LONG NOW YOU CAN FORGET THIS EVER HAPPENED

claridge is a dog, everyone wants his languid love

TEAM PASSANTINO IN CRISIS

i swear numpton sacked kevin thornton for being too fat a while ago?

CRAIG DAVIESSSSS

another papal visit gag, wd everyone

yeah craig davies on dis ting dere. looks like he might make a poor mans clive platt one day.

:D

the genealogy that begins with jason euell

since when were accrington stanley known for excellence, this is damaging my reveries of england

hollandford are so doomed ;_;

what happened to that late-kick off show on mondays, are they ever bringing that back? just realised these highlights need more brighty inanities + marc bircham ripping the piss out of dougie freedman.

goddd are they still doing the accchrington-who routine.

marc bircham's that canadian chap with moronic hair isn't he

tbh what needs to happen is live football league matches every week on terrestrial with an unknown presenter and grainy low-slung camerawork

ITV in my lifetime has literally been only good for live lower-league football

fecking andy keogh, thought you were meant to be bobbins. think i heard the cheer from broadcasting house from here.

not feeling the vibe this afternoon, predict frustration.

anyone watching sheffield utd leeds. no goals yet but a couple of good fouls.

that was a pen wtf

http://www.nufcblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/Gordon-Strachan.jpg

cheerio btw

paddy kenny's keeping us in it sez the beeb, knew this one would be awkward

no mercy.

Over a year on air, the Football League Show still hasn't realised that Steve Claridge is not a man who should be allowed to look directly into the camera.

not even gonna start on today's game. as depressing a 2-2 as last year's swindon game was euphoric

Holy crap, I'd not fully appreciated QPR's numbers before. +20 goal difference off 8 games with only 2 points dropped?

even that draw involved scoring twice in 2nd-half injury time so must have felt like a win

On a Saints front, I failed to go Hillsborough due to sleeping. So now, I'm using part of my week off work to go to the Yeovil game on Tuesday night. Quite Excited.

you probably won't score a seeming 90th minute winner only to be denied by a 93rd minute equaliser, do it

I've booked the trains already. If I'd wanted to be proper masochistic, I've have booked on the train that somehow takes just under three hours to get from Cheltenham to Yeovil, but decided to be at least moderately sensible about it.

oh man but think of all the local station names you'd have learnt - never know when one might prove useful

serious question: do people actually hate neil warnock?

no, he is quite lucid and his forthrightness is understandable

He's fairly loathesome, I think, and his teams can exceed the necessary and pleasing level of brutality.

Also he still has the whiff of Argyle hanging about him. His name anagramises nicely though.

He's a sociopath and a hypocrite so yeah fuck him.

This thread's quiet tonight considering there's a full programme in Champ/L1/L2. Preston have come from 4-1 down at Leeds to lead 5-4. Flippin' 'eck.

I've just realised all this is going on elsewhere. Is 6-4 now. There's a zillion goals in Norwich v Leicester an' all (well, 4-3)

Elsewhere = not on my telly.

Preston have only had 8 shots on target.

where's michael white

I hope the four goalless games in the Championship are thoroughly ashamed of themselves.

I picked a good night to forget there was a game at the Valley too by the looks of it

hahahaha spoke too soon! PAUL BENSON HAS LANDED

I tell thee what, the Championship relegation race is going to be awesome

Yeovil away pro tip: bring a nice waterproof jacket, seeing as how the away end is an uncovered terrace. And don't expect to be able to get your car out of the ground inside half an hour. And don't expect there to be a bus to the ground.

They're a decent-ish side, though. Solid, robust, with reasonable pace. Good enough to keep up with us for the most part, except when (I think) Butterfield did a mazy run that hauled their defence out of position, then rolled Guly in to slot home. Their goal was a penalty cos Dan Seaborne was a bit dozy.

As for us - we're a much better side with Lallana. Dan Harding's under-rated. Rickie Lambert's lack of pace was getting exposed a wee bit too often.

I'm rubbish at attending away games! Glad someone's doing it. Is Huish Park not near the station?

Well, there's two stations in Yeovil. The one I went to (Pen Mill) is right on the other side of town. I've no idea where Yeovil Junction is.

YJ is not really in Yeovil at all.

Possibly this is why the official site doesn't offer directions to people coming by public transport.

Another installment in the amazing downward career or Mr Eriksson.

sousa off, predictably.

is martin o'neill really gonna do this?

lol wait what

Nah, given it's Milan Mandaric making the appointment, this would make all kinds of sense. Apart from the kind that doesn't get Leicester relegated.

Plymouth Argyle's captain Carl Fletcher has failed in a bid to avoid jury service after the judge disagreed that he was just too famous and busy. "Captaining Plymouth Argyle is not sufficient reason for not doing jury service," sniffed the bewigged gavelman. "Lots of well-known people, some more famous than you, have been required to do it." Fletcher, who must now report for duty on Monday, flounced from court saying: "I'm glad I have to pay my tax to do jury service."

lovin' it

"flounced from court" A+++++++

Does Le Tissier still own that strip club? Lee Barnard should have gone there instead.

staying at home: brilliant decision

parky out

although idk what's worse, losing 4-0 at home to the league leaders, or losing 4-0 at home to the lowest team in the football league from the position of 3-0 up

keep strong passantino

Second away of the season for me, a 2-0 loss to Huddersfield. We were rubbish. They ran out of pies. There were 11 minutes of extra time. Still, Carlisle in a few weeks time. That'll be alright.

it's almost not worth going to carlisle if you win - defeat (or preferably a dour 1-1) is part of the stoic package

Running out of pies should really be unforgiveable, yet I think it's happened before the end of halftime at every game I've ever been to.

or losing 4-0 at home to the lowest team in the football league from the position of 3-0 up

the ref took away their goals?

Good luck Middlesbrough. Someone at Celtic thought Tony Mowbray was a decent replacement for Gordon Strachan and look how THAT turned out.

Well done Boro, you usually wait too long. Mowbray would be alright I think. Should really give Southgate another go though.

Reports suggesting Strachan quit and isn't seeking compensation. I hope that's true, he's basically a decent chap, unlike Mowbray who's still trousering a wage from Celtic afaik.

this is custom-built for curbishley

and i ain't just sayin' that

I hear Mick McCarthy's available.

You misspelled hope there NV.

Someone's not been paying attention to the SPL (oh OK, no-one pays attention to the SPL):

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/oct/26/middlesbrough-tony-mowbray-new-manager

Well, this ain't exactly the same; Boro are a club that looks to be nosediving. Turnee's not going to a side that has the same kind of expectations as Celtic - if anything, the pressure will most likely coming from himself. Celtic and Boro are the two clubs that dominated his career, he's already failed to do the business at one of them - if he screws up here, where does he go?

aldo to thread to moan about his Hibs tenure...

Celtic were showing signs of nosediving when he turned up and stalled them straight into a full-on tailspin. Pressure surely coming from the Boro fans with expectations who think he's a readymade hero-in-waiting with little regard for his less than impressive CV.

Seriously, he is not the messiah, he is a very naughty boy. Came to one of the only Scottish clubs in a position like Arsenal's financially, spunked away shedloads of cash on fucking numpties putting it in a 'difficult' financial position in the process (we went back to Uncle Tom as a result, and him and Petridish put some of their own money in), doesn't know how to manage a side, is a fundamentally useless man-manager, and fails to understand the balance (or, in fact, difference) between defence and attack.

Expect 10 weeks of excuses about how he's taken on a difficult thing to manage, watch him spend >£10M in the transfer window on players that wouldn't get a game for Bristol City (lolz at their troubles btw) and then come March see him say none of it is his fault because the board wouldn't give him an open chequebook (in a Benitez stylee) without acknowledging he's spent the money on 5 players for the same positin and putting out 1-9-0 formations.

We are one point better off than Liverpool. I can't help thinking part of it is his fault.

Wow, wasn't expecting you that quickly tbh.

I await many many interviews on the football league show which feature the phrase "take it on the chin"

I had just come back from watching the Man U game.

Saints make another new friend

league one hotting up imo

PLAY-OFFS BAYBEH

cannot wait for boxing day

oh god it's ages 'til our next game. fuck you fa cup, fuck you johnstone's paint trophy harder

swygart i would like you to summarise in the form of a single jpg or gif what winning the paint prize meant to you last season

Jason Lee retires at 39: "The forward recently rejoined Boston United for a second time after Ilkeston Town went out of business."

Live on ESPN tonight, its' the big one...

...half-time: Rochdale 0 FC United 1.

Just switched on - looks quite exciting, this. Rochdale are making a chance with every attack though, they surely can't hang on.

Bloody hell! I was sure that was going to happen at the other end.

yass!!!

History is demanding that these dudes make the 3rd round now.

Players being carried off shoulder-high now - it gets no better than that.

AHAHAHAHAHAHRRRGHG!!!!

Fucking incredible. To be fair, that was a very dodgy winning goal, pretty sure he kicked it out the keeper's hands.

like parent like son, you could say

in Fergie time, too

Nah, for the parent the keeper would have just put it down (for an imaginary free-kick) and let him score

LIVE TEXT AND STATISTICS
FA CUP
Rochdale 3-2 FC Utd of Manchester

Somebody at the Beeb's earning their money

BBC football coverage, list problems here

They still have the score that way on the news front page too

xpost

yeah I nearly posted it there but this thread was handy

http://www.thefa.com/TheFACup/FACompetitions/TheFACup/NewsAndFeatures/2010/rochdale-fcunited-report

wally downes writes match reports for the fa now?

ahahahahaha oh palace

nice to see shane long score a beaut

Potentially AFC Wimbledon v MK Dons in the second round (or, rather less excitingly, Ebbsfleet v Stevenage). FC United away to Brighton or Woking. That would be perfect for me, except the away allocation will be too small for me to get a ticket.

Need to get that FA Cup thread up 'n' running forthwith

that'd be the job of a lower-league fan

What are the odds against that AFC Wimbledon v MK Dons draw? Smells like a total money-grabbing FA fix.

been happening for years

If they wanted to fix that one up, wouldn't it be better waiting til a year when they could draw it and not have it subject to replays?

beauties from ambrose and bostock tonight so far.

is bostock on loan or sold i can't recall?

and garvan and madjeski!

Bostock on loan iirc

oh good, because we need someone that can cunt them left footed like that

He got sent off after, apparently.

frustration at gallas/kaboul imo

Excellent interview with the new Portsmouth owner on SSN last night. Content of interview basically "OMG BEST TEAM EVER I WUV STEVE COTTERILL, BEST MANAGER EVER. WAHEY!".

yahhh fuck off the pair of you taff bastards

hull in relegation zone now, blimey

what with the riots and all, the posh have really taken a kicking this week

hiyo http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/s/sheff_wed/9187930.stm

FA Cup in here, then.

So MK Dons v Stevenage in Extra Time. AFC fans praying I imagine.

It seems most AFCW *really* don't want to play MK Dons, so come on Stevenage

I am listening to Woking v Brighton (2-2 in extra-time) to find out who FC United will play in the 2nd round. My chances of getting a ticket are slightly higher if Woking win, but still negligible.

I'm watching that game, though I'd much rather be watching Stevenage. My friend will be devastated if MK get through.

Penalties

Meh. Woking miss their first two.

It's Brighton.

"The flares break out on the far side as Brighton celebrate" - can't've been that epic surely?

I was just watching it and then turned it off so I must have missed the flares.

Stevenage up on Penalties.

also - somebody start a proper thread already

charlton are still on dis ting :D

3-4 to Stevenage

3-5. Stevenage through. AFC fans breathe a sigh of relief.

they're gonna probably have to acknowledge mk dons at some point if they wanna keep ascending the leagues

Not necessarily.

hence probably!

Is this an actual thing, refusing to recognise mk dons? Will they forfeit their games against them if they end up in the same division, arab-israeli style?

James Hildreth, Nat Wei, Ken Chu, Alisha's Attic - your boys took one hell of a beating.

No, they made the decision that they would play them (forfeiting would mean punitive measures by the FA). xpost

as an AFC Wimbledon fan who was praying we wouldn't be playing the franchise in the next round, I am surprisingly disappointed. Obviously Ebbsfleet will batter us now...

James Hildreth, Nat Wei, Ken Chu, Alisha's Attic - your boys took one hell of a beating.

They may have lost tonight, but they will always have their precious memories of the 1988 final to keep them going in the hard times...

YEAAH

YEAAAAAH

that match had EVERYTHING

(and still managed to be kinda not-that-great, ha)

btw dom passantino, if yr reading this, hard luck - non-league ain't ready for ya :(

opposition goalkeepers, eh

can't win 'em all

went to see saints v brighton tonight, not a classic but we should have won it with the chances we had. brighton were dreary. if they finish top i'll eat my red and white hat.

norwich-ipswich on bbc1 right now is cracking stuff

could make a comment worth a lj sb.

Peter Ridsdale appears to have popped up on the board at Argyle. Wonder how this will turn out.

It'll be fine once those World Cup $$$s start rollin' in. See also: no-one ever referring to MK Dons as Franchise ever again.

OK, what the fuck is going on at Mansfield Town?

that is outrageous

It really is. Mind-boggling.

It'll be fine once those World Cup $$$s start rollin' in.

The atmos on their message boards is pretty panicky. It's an odd feeling when your hated rivals are in this kind of trouble (I know this is not an unfamiliar position to you, WBS). Ultimately, I remember our own near-collapse keenly enough that I wouldn't wish this on anyone. But it's hard to completely forget the greenies who were giving it "we'll never play you again" from the away end the day we went out of the league (we were playing Southend). And it's hard to forget the gargs who'd sneer at our ownership model, which I'm so proud of. Still, that's not most of them, I guess. Local rivals need each other, in a way, and I hope they come through their current nightmare. Ideally, without some sugar daddy who funds a massive on-pitch renaissance. That would be horrible.

makes me fucking furious that we'd come to a situation where the norm is for lower-league clubs to be financially struggling with their league position to such perilous extents

the only way it seems is to hope to fluke promotion and then consolidate like mad. a plan which my lot seem to be implementing with some degree of potential.

ipswich ipwich wtf. it's like watching a jol team defend.

peno surely

oh what a goal , rub it in.

keano wont be loving that

ah that's chronic, clear peno for a foul on edwards, swansea go down the other end and score an absolute stunner

QPR taking a pounding all of a sudden

piss off

fucking gimp brighty's endless wittering inanity will make my head explode before long, jesus christ

I'll assume that 'piss off' was also aimed at Brighty shall I? I'd been thinking how classy qpr looked, they'd put together a few very sweet moves, then they suddenly got cut open again and again

nearly again

enjoying this watford/kate bush nexus

this isnt the world club cup - expect savagery on your tribal lowlands safari

(soz tho)

watford have done a good job on us tonight. frustration is making us bypass derry and daurlin completely, we need to settle back down and build from a platform that doesnt involve kenny hoofing it

can still see a draw in this

haha that millwall goal is a championship classic

yup good old taarabt moanfest, keep it up you daring pundits

not nearly within a millionth of the worst game i've seen him play, couple of ricks but right at the centre of everything positive too

fucking fuck cunting fuckballs

getting a bit tasty now

five sending offs please uncle neil

reckon if we're gonna lose ("if") we need to ship a couple more here, make it a real dirty great fiasco, a monstrous aberration

3-0 just makes it seem like we got outplayed fair & square

LEON CLARKE IS ON MOTHERFUCKERS

LEON CLARKE

anyone else think rob hulse has really elegant long arms

oh man i'd've watched the end of that match if I'd known Leon was still alive

WELCOME BACK TO THE FOOTBALL LEAGUE, QPR

keane out now surely surely surely

dude needs to go home and fuck his dog stupid and then realise it is all over

then we will write his inner monologue

Dale Roberts, the Rushden and Diamonds keeper whose fiance cheated on him with John Terry's brother, has died at the age of 24.

http://www.thediamondsfc.com/page/NewsDetail/0,,10784~2244403,00.html

there's an advert just below the news which keeps flashing up 'GAME OVER'

Intriguing sacking this: Paul Trollope's gone at Bristol Rovers. Their recent form hasn't been great, but he's generally thought to have done a very good job up til now...

Clowns.

Also, curse Charlton for losing the pens in the other area semi, a trip to the Valley would have been better than Brentford.

you expected us to win a penalty shootout? karmic repayment for 1998 is ongoing and fierce

anyway w/e my friend is gonna get me tickets to WHL in the FA Cup

*gloats, emptily*

Coventry goal: BBC Sport's Paul Fletcher at the Ricoh Arena reports: "Scarcely deserved, but after Marlon King out-muscled Elliot Ward to a long ball up field from Michael Doyle, the striker closed down on goal before smashing the ball beyond John Ruddy. The Coventry fans are now chanting his name."

1637: GOALFLASH Coventry 1-1 Norwich (King)

hope yr proud, Spiralli

blip is over bitchessssss

adel just wankered some poor dude for the last one acc to the radio

Three cheers for doing Huddersfield on aggregate!

have the somewhat relieved feeling that h'field have copped the tonking spared us by the weather

come the rearrangement, we'll be READY

Pity Dave Boyle isn't round here anymore, otherwise I think he might be pointing out there's two fan-owned clubs up the top of the Conference table - AFC Wimbledon and Newport County. Evil Crawley Town have games in hand on them both, though.

crawley town will only be redeemed if it is revealed that their benefactor is actually robert smith under an alias

Or The Levellers

SECOND!!!

you wouldn't be if we knew how to finish 10 men off

and I think our penalty karma for the season must be about to reverse

Also, think it's time to tip the hat to the Football League's real under-the-radar team this season. Hartlepool United are one point off the play-offs in League One; win their game in hand, and they're in the automatic spots. Which, for a side where Ritchie Humphreys is still a first-team regular, seems fairly amazing.

half of League One is a good combination of results off the playoffs though - it's an incredibly bunched-up league

fair play though, they've been ok

Can someone who watches the Championship more than me tell me a bit about Kelvin Wilson please? Like, is he any good?

he's terrible and will score loads of own-goals obv, thanks 4 visiting

haha no idk, rtc might let ye know if he hasn't already decided to abandon this thread for good

he's terrible and will score loads of own-goals obv

This is the sort of form that still had Gary Caldwell as my favourite player, so looking good :-)

how the fuck did kilbane not get sent off for that?!

developing a useful habit of sleeping thru our more embarrassing defeats

ha how did I miss davids leaving CP

On 20 August 2010, Davids agreed a pay-as-you-play deal with English Championship club Crystal Palace. He made his debut on 24 August 2010 at left-back in the Second Round of the League Cup against Portsmouth.[16] On 8 November 2010, he announced his departure of the club, stating it was "one of the greatest experiences of my life".

the departure was, or the being there?

think i might be pretty cross when we don't end up signing a charlie austin this window tbh #hypevictim

brazilian chap at saints looks fun though eh

Guly? Yeah, he's alright. Trouble is, I saw him in the Huddersfield game, where their defence managed to scare him off the ball inside the first minute. However, that could well just be an acclimatisation thing - certainly he looks to have his tail up now.

Meanwhile, Charlton have blinked.

wait you have a brazilian and we now have no manager

scolari in

this has ill-fated thebig_sam appointment all over it

would embrace, cackling like supervillain and hating self

better not be fucking dennis wise

if it is I'm not removing that Pinefox quote from my DN until he's sacked again

what is your dn supposed to refer to other than indie bands or is it just a reference to indie bands

reference to some great drunken misspelling of indie bands by our dearest NE fatherfigure

wow, it would be great if Wise never came back. in fact, if anyone has to suffer and be lost to the tragic carnage of the Middle East right now, let it be him.

― the pinefox, Monday, 15 September 2008 11:32 (2 years ago)

probably a bit too long for a DN tbrfh ;_;

sir bobby robson and his famous malapropisms?

i think it was from a pissed/hungover blather about the lowliness of the long-distance indie

Q: What did Big Bobby always call Little Shola Ameobi?

A: Coldcut! (Carl Cort!)

ah it was u

not sure if that's proper NE....gotta be north of the yorks moors for that afaik

here's a compromise

NE begins at the Humber tbtfrwy

fog on the tyne all mine all mine
fog on the tees all mine all mine
fog on the wear all mine all mine
fog on the humber all mine all mine DOES NOT SCAN, NOT NE

we tend to end up in the "East" or "Yorkshire" section

NE = Middlesbrough and up imo

would say that given the slanting border and England's W-tilting nature, Northumberland isn't NE so much as N

but I want to eat food so I'll let you guys win this one

very generous of u

i don't think i've watched any Real Football this season, what is the best goal so far?

I've eaten food and now I am back on the warpath

Oh! Um...probably something by Taarabt amirite

but that'd be a really blinkered perspective so instead I'm gonna humbly suggest this, from the League's bottom club

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9v8YAA0Q18

proper Real Football youtube quality but better than anything real madrid have done lately

also part of Team Passantino's most embarrassing defeat in years

'What's the colour of the shithouse at Hereford? Northampton red'

anon Real Football fan, England 2010

I have shown u my great coup right

What's the colour of the boathouse at Hereford?

yeah i was on that thread the other day, a+

turned out putting that photo up on ILX (along with one to WDYLL) was a test which I failed and I was dumped later that day (of posting it)

worst january ever

times changed tho and this month's dumping is much more to my taste. oh parky, to have loved and lost

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahS6yHpDt6Y&feature=player_detailpage#t=21s

best Real Football goal of 2010 is easily this effort by wall's tamika mkandawire, rounding off a great team move

nice

p sure that's not how u pronouce angel rangel

p sure everyone is happily pretending not to know that

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/p/preston/9344503.stm

Phil Brown back in work!

YAAAAAY love that man

http://ui29.gamespot.com/252/fireworks01_2.gif http://www.independent.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00029/phil_brown_29557t.jpghttp://ui29.gamespot.com/252/fireworks01_2.gif

Keane out?

http://twitter.com/#!/search/roy%20keane

best Real Football goal of 2010 is easily this effort by wall's tamika mkandawire, rounding off a great team move

ok irl lols

wd have kinda gruesomely liked p brown @ valley - the search goes on

omg xp

As if Phil Brown wouldn't quit after a week to put himself forward for the Liverpool job.

please o sweet minty jesus can keano rock up at liverpool.

joining u in prayer

Ha ha yes Sunderland are doing a Funguscunt in solidarity

basically impossible to watch that mkandawire golazo now and not have it being imaginary soundtracked by klata's oi oi dustbin lid man

might pop to the kitchen and bring mine over tbh

New Ipswich manager
http://www.voetbaloutsite.nl/_voetbaloutsite/uploads/ew/image/pauljewell.jpg

uploads/ew/image/pauljewell.jpg

evo stik??

There's a lot of money in adhesives and sealants.

My instinctive reaction to this story is "DON'T DO IT EDDIE", but given Bournemouth have just moved into 2nd in the table...

my instinctive reaction is that swygart should zip it for once

i mean you wouldn't want to be denied promotion by dennis wise now would you

god i hate myself now

SIX FOOKIN NIL

Joint eighth biggest win ever for the club. Really hope the Saints get the fuck out of that division this year.

Blimes, Saints really have hit some form,eh? I heard a vague rumour that Seaborne might be off to Sheff U, can that be true?

They have moved our away game at Brentford forward a day, so we're playing them on Friday night. This to accommodate our JPT Area Final first leg which is on Monday... away at Brentford. Griffin Park's away end bookending a weekend. I can tell you're jealous.

should think soton will challenge in the champo next season too.

yakubu in at leicester. fat and past it but still - eek! they're throwing around some serious money now, even just in wages and loan fees.

also dougie freedman in permanently at the glaziers to continue his lover-spurned vendetta against rangers.

(well he was never not fat actually, was he.)

Really got my fingers crossed Dougie does a good job. Be kind of heartbreaking if he didn't. But... this is Palace. Heartbreak is pretty much always soup of the day.

I heard a vague rumour that Seaborne might be off to Sheff U, can that be true?

Really? Odd if so - he's not starting with us at the moment, being kept out by Big Radhi Jaidi and Good Ol' Jose Fonte. I can see why a move would be appealing for him - for the Blades, not so much. Also, while we've four quality full-backs right now, we'd only have three centre-backs with Seaborne out. Can't see it.

don't hold out much hope for palace alas - think they needed some inspiration, whether youthful or experienced, and more of the same in dougie is probably not going to be of help.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/q/qpr/9358548.stm
http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11711_6652078,00.html

warnock sounding like he's angling for more money and then these boys come in. hope that's not an alarm bell i hear ringing in the disance...

'alas'

http://halftimewhistle.wordpress.com/2011/01/14/statisfied-most-boring-fans/

Boring boring Leeds fans!

(Celtic fan here in pieces)

chrissy powell's red and white battalion

The new best goal of the Football League 10/11 has ALSO been scored by a club right at the bottom of that league, although they were second-bottom at the start of the day - check out Lincoln's goal when it goes up on the BBC

QPR's second goal today was class. Lovely outside of the right foot dug out crossfield pass from Taarabt finding diagonal Routledge run. Controlled on the volley with the right foot and prodded home with the left.

Orient come out against the Stratford Hotspurs.

CHIM CHIMINEY CHIM CHIMINEY CHIM CHIM CHEROO

WHO NEEDS SOL CAMPBELL WHEN WE'VE GOT

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/q/qpr/9377989.stm

Righto, who's venturing into Manish's corridor of uncertainty?

Matt Mills looks to be trying for a Mellberg beard. It's a brave attempt, worth keeping an eye on.

It's only just occurred to me that Neil Warnock must dye his hair. Given that he's had the same haircut for at least the past two decades, that seems somewhat redundant.

Commentator on the Norwich highlights claims Adam Drury's returning from "a bout of man-flu". Which is a bit... odd.

He's now just claimed Dean Marney "kissed the crowd" after scoring.

Holy heck that Kyle Naughton goal is ever so slightly special.

Connor Wickham making every single Sheffield United player look like a mook there, marvellous.

Lizzie valiantly pronouncing Adam Le Fondre correctly there, marvellous.

Really praying we go up, cos I do still want there to be a sliver of hope that we can hang on to Little Alex.

Trying to figure out how the promotion contenders would fare in the top flight. I think, oddly enough, Leeds might have a strong chance of surviving if they go up - solid keeper, Snodgrass and Gradel could definitely give plenty of the current Premier defences trouble. A back four based around Alex Bruce, Andy O'Brien and George McCartney, though...

god I really need to check these highlights out don't I

our goal difference is heroically low for our place in the table <3

qpr would finish 8th in their first season and 19th in their second

btw the colchester non-goal against us last week is probably the worst refereeing decision of the season, I feel ashamed tbh

it's okay, Leeds are booked in for a tragic knocking out in the Play Off semis as a nation mourns, followed by Nigel Pearson triumphantly returning Hull City to the top flight. Where they get gubbed mercilessly week in week out.

1 Brighton 28 30 56
2 Bournemouth 30 22 53
3 Huddersfield 29 15 50
4 Southampton 28 23 48
5 Charlton 27 9 47
6 Oldham 29 6 45
7 MK Dons 30 -2 45
8 Rochdale 29 8 44
9 Peterborough 28 4 43

Is it just me, or is the business end of League One an incredibly scary place to be right now? Unless you're Brighton, obviously.

Port Vale's preparations for League Two encounter at Aldershot have been disrupted by a bizarre bust-up on the team bus that left the manager, Jim Gannon, stranded at a motorway service station.

The coach was en route to Aldershot when trouble flared between Gannon and his assistant, Geoff Horsfield. Following the row, Gannon was dropped off at a service station in the West Midlands. He was later picked up by car and driven back to Vale Park for talks with his chairman, Bill Bratt.

In another bizarre twist, the former Birmingham City striker Horsfield was later dropped off at another service station further south and was also believed to be heading back to the Potteries.

Right then, Chappers is filling M'neesh's shoes this week, QPR-Leicester to kick off.

lol @ Wellens high-fiving Ben Mee after his reducer on Taarabt

There was just something so... teenage about it. Like, 13-year-old teenagers.

In Blink-182 hoodies.

By a war memorial in, like, Stowmarket or somewhere.

Ishy Miller having to pull up his shorts after scoring = typecasting. In the right hands, I really do believe he could be something, simply cos his physical qualities give him such potential - big dudes who can shift do not grow on trees.

...the fuck did paul lambert just say?

I think it was something along the lines of

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saI7lw9QGZk

Holy heck Jimmy Bullard just did something quite good with a football.

Love that Jay Emmanuel-Thomas' shirt has E-THOMAS on the back.

Also, how much better is Mark Chapman than M'neesh?

Good grief that Jay Rodriguez goal was a bit special too.

just been checking the scores and am expecting some ian harte gushing in five

my own team has obviously got some serious abandonment issues since I went to NZ. first point since my flight today and it was at home vs tranmere

still feel a little cheated i'm not getting the satisfaction of seeing claridge & manish's ashen-faced championship title race post mortem tbh. those cardiff highlights really were just the cherry on the best cake.

harte's goals were the most oddly perfunctory pair of not-especially-belted freekicks.

bye bye coventry.

Kind of really want Charlton revival. Pissed off that Franchise are starting to get a cushion in sixth. That, and Bournemouth refusing to collapse horrendously so we can get the automatic promotion slot our excellent hospitality services deserve.

Oh, and bloody free-scoring Peterborough, they can piss off too.

Losing 3-0 to Hartlepool ;_;

"Thing is yeah, this division is so tight that with a good run we can still make the playoffs" - some messageboard bro

Somehow, David Prutton's hair just keeps getting more magnificent.

Should they not be giving Lizzie a chair, seeing as how she's pregnant and such?

Unsung pleasures of the Football League Show - Leroy Rosenior doing in-depth technical analysis of players he's never seen before.

An experience which is even sweeter when you've previously spent a season watching him manage your club into relegation (not all his fault, tbf).

Enjoyed ex Liverpool academy wonderkid Lauri Dalle Valle scoring a beauty yesterday. At least we got a terrific player in exchange for him, one Paul Konchesky.

Terrific win for Hull at Forest yesterday, I'm starting to get just a tiny tingle of anticipation at the possibility of a Hull-Leeds playoff.

Via the twohundredpercent twitter: Web design, Whyteleafe FC style

^ saw that on your Twitter earlier, totally bizarre.

So, are Brizzle Rovers the first team this season to get shot of two (full-time) managers?

Shd have rule like for players where you can't manage 3 teams in one season.

Ross County are on their third manager of the season, but Derek Adams left voluntarily. However, Willie McStay's mutual consenting out the door did give us a nice candidate for details in Wiki articles: McStay had taken charge of only nine games, none of which were won, during that time. This time it was decided he had to McLeave

Kris Boyd's path of victory has now led him to Forest on loan. Billy Davies is probably furious, because that's just generally how things go with him.

Loving that Whyteleafe website. If Hogwarts manned up and played a proper sport, their hall-of-fame would look something like that.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

C'mon Orient. Barry Hearn's a sod, but, to be fair to him, he is very good at it.

qpr real shit

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-12682897

can't believe sheffield united are going down again for this. total stitch up.

How does this one tie into United or was that a joek?

joek.

i guess if qpr lose points for this then it would be somewhat inconsistent with the tevez decision (unknown details notwithstanding).

lol was gonna say it wasn't just QPR's fault. it is some bullshit tho. thoroughly expect the FA to be "one rule for the Premier League and one rule for the rest" but god knows - I mean, no decision wd surprise me at all.

shit, cardiff fan's fallen from 2nd tier at millwall.

I think the lower half of the Premiership's crazy tight, but every time I look at the Championship table it's changed totally. Now Portsmouth just about have a shot at going up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrY39ooSKBY

hot like mexico rejoice

almost worth getting deducted 20 points for that

can there be any doubt that ben shepherd is the worst football anchor of all time? what a div.

He has admitted to having a fear of beetroot since he was a child.[3]

This now means Preston have the best chance of staying up from the current Championship bottom three. Which is lots of kinds of fucked up.

So that's Crawley up, then. Yay.

Meanwhile, I was getting well excited by the Championship situation... till I had a go on the BBC predictor and somehow predicted it so that everything was resolved with one game to go with every club in basically the same position they're currently in :-/

Still, Scunthorpe, eh?

thought we'd got that sort of predictable big time charlie performance out of our system. still, glad it was a ridiculous score like that rather than an excusable-seeming 1-0, should be enough of a rocket up our arses to see us over the line.

and anyway as with every single other time we've ballsed up the chasing team are coming a cropper too (swansea 2-0 norwich HT).

fucking reading tho eh? timed it to perfection. lolz @ billy davies as ever.

blades bottom of the pile shouldnt really be shocking but it still is.

That Swansea score could proper put the cat among the pigeons. The last play-off spot should be an exciting race, too - Leeds have a four-point cushion, but Millwall, Leicester and Hull are all seriously ominous at the moment.

Annoyingly, the dream of Franchise getting sucked out of the play-off race is rapidly fading thanks to Bournemouth getting leggy and Colchester's completely unnecessary victory over Rochdale today. Dagenham's victory over Notts County perhaps my favourite result of the day, though.

Also, in League Two, Accy Stanley are only out of the play-offs on goal difference at the moment. Which is several kinds of stunning.

Would love for them to go up. Barnet are doing a good job at the other end. If Martin Allen keeps them up I will be pleased for him right up to the point when it's decided he should get the Brentford job over the summer.

We Brentford had a great chance to start a ludicrous surge towards the playoffs today but lost to fucking Swindon.

FC United's goalkeeper sent off after half an hour against Northwich Victoria, so they put a striker in goal. He saved a penalty and kept a clean sheet. FCUM won 1-0 and are now up to third.

Brian McDermott really wants Clem to fuck off, doesn't he?

i was under the assumption that we all did

do you reckon it was part of waitrose's sponsorship that heston blumethal had to manage the club btw?

Darius Henderson needs to sort his hair out.

Seriously, he looks like Marco Pierre White.

http://goo.gl/WqAgJ

i can't quite work out if he's fucked this headline up but props anyway

Notts County have named Martin Allen as their new manager less than a month after he joined Barnet. Allen, who becomes the League One club's eighth manager in just 18 months, was working without a contract at Underhill and has agreed a one-year deal with County.

Complete idiocy, but if it makes sure he isn't back with us next season then I'm all in favour of this madness.

So, will the Echo finally stop with the Adkins: We Can Still Catch Brighton headlines now?

The Mighty O's seem determined to end this season like every other, with nothing.

Panorama examines Notts County shenanigans tonight at 2030.

Could be fun. This is still one of the saddest sentences I've ever seen though: "The club had been owned by a supporters' trust, but Mr King persuaded the fans to sell it for just £1 after they met one of his supposedly wealthy benefactors in Bahrain".

Should be interesting. Sad to see, but the whole idea of fan-owned professional clubs is just unworkable imo. The game just isn't run in a way that can let them survive.

?
Those fan-owned clubs in existence seem to be doing well enough, while there's far from a shortage of non-fan-owned clubs in deep financial shit

I'm probably just jaded by 'the Brentford experience'. I don't see how the fan-owned model can bring in money consistently enough to compete. Glamour clubs like FC United and Wimbledon are ok. Ebbsfleet and Stockport are fucked. At best you get solid League One status. Then people get bored, the money runs out. A guy turns up with a load of cash, promising to keep the fans involved every step of the way, etc. If you're lucky he's a fit and proper person - the one in charge of us seems a decent sort. If you're unlucky then you get done like Notts County.

Sooner or later football will have to develop a model which relies on something other than rich people being prepared to spend ever-increasing sums of money just to tread water. My club have tried both ways - struggle and instability as not-very-rich blokes' plaything, and struggle and stability under the Supporters' Trust. I know which I prefer.

Fan ownership (so far, in England) has only ever come about when the club concerned is in crisis. It's hardly surprising that many haven't prospered. I can't see how anyone has the evidence yet to write the model off, based on a tiny number of examples, not all of which have failed.

yeah i feel like fan ownership or even a properly run public listing is a more sustainable model than comedy oligarchs.

QPR-Derby was arse last night btw. Reminded me of the season we last won the Championship, sometimes you have a spell of wading thru mud until it all clicks again. Really wanna see Taraabt in the Prem tho.

I support the fan-owned model. I just mean that without complete reform of the whole system I can't see it being sustainable.

Anyway, I don't think I can embed the video but the Brentford Reserves vs Crawley match had an all-time classic open goal miss, even by training ground standards.

Blimey Taraabt just scored a beauty vs Cardiff. 1-1 after 10 mins.

LJ yer boys were mince today. The Gas were shocking again, and are undoubtedly going down, but dominated the game pretty much.

The Saints game sounds fantastic.

Jose Fonte is the best. You think you want your side passing it on the ground, then you see Jose playing keep-ball with Kelvin Davis and you're thinking "Actually, it's more about the right ball than the long ball or the short ball". Actual genuine ball-playing centre-back at our level. Awesome.

what has happened to warnock's eyebrows?

sorry bout the Blades man

not over yet!

sorry, yeah, two 5-0 wins and Donny get no more points or something?

yeah, should be a nailbiter!

ho boy http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/3553711/The-FA-are-set-to-strip-QPR-of-promotion-to-the-Premier-League.html

jesus

if they get the deduction and then take legal action then fuck it the play-offs and everything shd continue as normal and if they won't participate fuck 'em

This hearing & decision could've been timed better, surely?

by a competent administrative body, no doubt

http://www.cleansheetsallround.co.uk/2011/04/qpr-to-offer-liverpool-star-90k-a-week-deal?

pretty alright with staying in the real world tbh...

far as the deduction goes the general assumption has been that the timing of the hearing would imply that the fa werent gonna rock the boat this late in the day. but no one knows anything really, including the sun.

personal feeling is that if the suits bottled the relatively simple briatore fit and proper person case (he is totally patently obviously still at the club btw) then why would they grow a pair of steel ones now all of a sudden

there is no doubting whatsoever the charges are all true, i should also add, they've got us bang to rights albeit cruelly belatedly

yeah i really don't wish QPR any harm nor wd i want to see them made a scapegoat nor do i believe much of what i read in the Sun, but surely the FA has to fucking old man up eventually over something ever?

yeah i guess. just dont really see why we're the ones to get lucky in a 5 million a month chamber russian roulette

come to think of it this probably is the greatest possible splash the fa could make without upsetting man u or the premier league so there u go

big shout out to everyone at the club for making this the most ungloriously tedious and grinding promotion ever constructed anyway, a remarkable achievement

irritating thing about it is we knew this might happen ages ago and devon loch'd it anyway - if we'd kept rolling we could have probably absorbed a 15 point drop and still been champs

nah like i said before it felt exactly like this when we finally stumbled over the line a couple of years back

CLUB STATEMENT
Posted on: Fri 29 Apr 2011

The Club are aware of the story printed by The Sun newspaper today (Friday 29th April 2011), but will not make any further statement as both the Club and The Football Association agreed to make no comment on this matter until after the hearing.

^ hereby ensuring we get fined 16 points and not 15 so the club can't sue the fa for leakage

Yes! Was hoping 'Liverpool star' meant QPR's Joe Cole.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/fcummatchday/5668931361/

Meh. Can't ever seem to post Flickr pictures.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fcummatchday/5668931361/
FC United had an impressive second half of the season, lifting themselves out of the relegation zone and up into the play-off positions. They won the (one-legged) play-off semi last night at Bradford Park Avenue and go to Colwyn Bay next week for the final.

Good luck for the play-offs. I saw Morecambe promoted to the Conference at Colwyn Bay. I guess they must have made some ground improvements since then, or the car park and grassy bump which made up an end and a side will be very full of FCUM fans.

I looked at this thread while still half asleep and I clicked on your first flickr link before reading yr post- for a few seconds I thought the photo - a naked flame on a terrace billowing smoke, the word "Bradford" was something much worse...

Exeter vs Argyle today, their first visit to ours since our adventure in the non-league. They're attempting a post-deduction "great escape" we're cruising to our best league finish in decades, maybe ever.

There are good reasons for wanting them to survive in this division (local derby next year, for one) and I found myself sympathiing when they almost went into liquidation ( we've been there and it turns out I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy) but I'm on my way to the game and we. have. to. beat. them.

'When I do go to football, I leave at halftime. By then you can see which way it's going. And they close the roads and all that business. I don't want to be delayed for an hour afterwards. I don't stay to have a drink with other directors. I've got nothing to say to them. I don't know what they are talking about.

'Actually if you ask me to name five of our team, I couldn't. There is that guy who scores goals for us - (Adel) Taarabt. (Wayne) Routledge I've heard of. They're all bloody nice guys, but I don't mix with them so I don't know them well.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1382060/Bernie-Ecclestone-I-wont-watching-QPR-team-clinch-promotion-Watford.html?

going on about how he supports chelsea is over-egging it but otherwise i am really starting to appreciate this man's gentle trollery

well done saints!

if fate wasnt giving me the eye right now i'd probably have something to say about cardiff city right now.

I can't recall a worse result for a team in a position like that ever, really

I would like to see Prem football ten minutes' walk from my house next season but this is to say the least tempered by the utter hilarity of the prospect of Swansea nicking third from Cardiff and QPR then getting deducted 15 points, or however many they need to drop out of the automatic places

Given the lack of precedent, is there any guideline as to what kind of points deduction QPR should get (if they get one)?

FC United lost the play-off final. :-(

Everyone seems to be saying 10 points don't they, but I don't know how official that figure is.

;_; FCUM

Boring final weekend for the Championship now. It's all about League Two on Saturday.

Pleased about Saints confirming promotion today. I'm going to be at Huddersfield on Sat and really didn't want to be walking back to the station after a last minute Bees equaliser denies them promotion or some shit like that. Not that a last minute equaliser would happen, because we are crap. At least we've got an imminent managerial appointment to look forward to.

i had a bet on Delia streaking across the pitch if Norwich got promotion tonite, when she didn't it was almost as disappointing as that cunt Higgins winning the snooker

Delighted to be going up, want Huddersfield to take the play-offs now - excellent club, superb side, think if they go up they'll surprise a hell of a lot of people next season.

As for us... we've not that many players in our side who are proven at Championship level. However, I don't think the gap between the two divisions is that big, we've lots who are hungry to prove themselves, and our manager's bloody fantastic. Also, Jose Fonte. Also, Adam Lallana. Given recent years, I'd take a nice, quiet season... but we've potential to do just a wee bit more than that too.

got every chance I'd agree without wanting to lay on the kiss of death

Also - Norwich! Grant Holt and Simeon Jackson and Drew Surman and Wes Hoolahan in the top flight! Holy heck!

Surman's been in the top flight once except some dick decided he didn't want to give him a game after he'd signed him

Stockport County need a manager.
http://www.stockportcounty.com/page/LatestNews/0,,10419~2351407,00.html

How about a collective ILF application?

dmac in

I missed out on promotion with Lincoln City by a point last season, I deserve my shot at the big league.

http://pictures.directnews.co.uk/liveimages/Alan+Shearer_1179_19110398_0_0_7031052_300.jpg

A four-man panel will comprise an independent QC, two from the FA's disciplinary panel and a football expert who will be either a former player or boss.

http://pictures.directnews.co.uk/liveimages/Alan+Shearer_1179_19110398_0_0_7031052_300.jpg

just gets better dunnit

oh god no

are they gonna explain the legalities to him with little Subbuteo men and Monopoly money?

bungling idiots

oh ffs - holding off until the table's sorted?

fuck knows tbh, i cant be bovd trying to work it out anymore

i mean are we still lifting the trophy on saturday anyway or what

most amusing (ie maximum carnage) suggested permutation so far is norwich and play-off winners are promoted and the prem club coming in 17th place stay up...

http://twitter.com/#!/Smudge1962

this sunday mirror bloke has been claiming to be in the know all week if anyone's interested

it's all good news but i darent believe til its in stone

Smudge1962 Paul Smith
As I have said previously I understand the FA are powerless to deduct points of QPR if there is no verdict before the end of the last game
30 minutes ago

can't actually find anything in the fa regulations to back that up, of course.

you are lifting the trophy on saturday.

also looooooooooool Leeds

1 point from their last 10 games, and Lincoln are in the Conference next season.

iirc Lincoln were the first team to go down when they introduced promotion/relegation between the conference and divsion 4 in 1987

maybe? feel like it wasn't but i'd have to check.

I'm not 100% certain, but I think they went down and Burnley stayed up and there was a late goal. And possibly a dog?

And a big thing was made of the fact that Lincoln were the team that had been playing at Bradford the day of the fire just two seasons before (I can't remember why this was relevant - maybe it was in the third division?)

And Scarborough came up and Wolves went there in August and ripped the place apart with one guy falling through the roof of the stadium

Dog might have been Torquay, actually. Somebody got bitten. Not sure if this is the same season...

that guy who fell thru the roof at Scarborough turned out to be a Leeds fan, allegedly. funny tho

A quick google of 'dog bite torquay' unearthed this:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2009/may/09/torquay-united

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egWbklcsfFw

Don't think I've been in the crowd for a 4-4 draw before, and today was proper fun. 2-0 down, equalised three times, preposterous goalkeeping errors, 'udders fans in good form tbf. I'd be sorry to see them go up and leave us, but they are certainly better than the other playoff teams. The only time I've ever cried at a football match was when they beat us in the 94-95 playoff semi on penalties (the season we finished second but there was only one automatic spot).

This season has been a total disappointment. Crap league finish, terrible signings, manager sacked, new stadium cancelled. Roll on next year with its fancy new youth academy and Glenn Hoddle rumoured to be the next manager (nb hopefully not). There was only one decent game before today. Highlight below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTWprTz1ynA

flying Blackpool banner gets Preston's goat

After the match, North End's manager, Phil Brown, said the mockery was "distasteful" and "if I had a gun I would have shot the plane down"

I can think of no reason why anyone would ever refuse to give Phil Brown a gun.

At kingsmeadow for AFC Wimbledon's 2nd leg against fleetwood, 3-0 up at half time, no contest at all. A few things differentiate this from most home games this season: small gathering of EDL cunts ('surrey division') outside the ground, not sure how the feel about the two goals from Kaid Mohamed in the first half... A bunch of ex players knocking about, Hartson, Sanchez, Leaburn, all the greats. And the best thing has been the CB pairing of fleetwood, who are the fattest I have ever seen. Its genuinely amazing. One is delightfully named McNulty, is the captain, and is genuinely obese, the other is Sean Gregan, once of west brom, who has normal looking legs but a huge pot belly, and walks like that fat wee 'haters gonna hate' cartoon gif man. Anyway I'll stop rambling and get online to book my tickets to Manchester for next Saturday...

Great stuff

Liveblogs from the ground are the best

5-1, Mohamed got his hattrick, the 153 fleetwood fans who made the journey are still making a great noise, we've taken off all our strikers and are now just knocking it about and laughing at fatty McNulty. Said hello to Harry Bassett at half time

6-1 FT. So fucking good. My brother and his mates (theyve got a fair few years on me, regulars home and away since mid 80's) talking about the biggest game for 23 years a week on Saturday. I'm elated, nervous and so fucking excited, brilliant, brilliant day.

Hope you do it - good luck

Barnsley fuck up

wow. is it too soon to put money on who's getting relegated next season?

(actually besides barnsley it's probably the least obvious it's ever been as to who'll be in the mire next year, genuinely dunno)

Actually, no, Barnsley have been topped. Ladies and gents, newly promoted to the Conference Braintree Town have parted company with their manager Rod Stringer because...

we're not looking to compete with the full-time Luton's and Grimsby Town's.

1:24 Sent off
The referee sends off Neil Taylor for professional foul.
0:52
Free kick awarded for a foul by Neil Taylor on Lewis McGugan.
0:33
A cross is delivered by Chris Cohen, Ashley Williams makes a clearance.
0:00
The referee gets the game underway.

some hit from britton

jesus another absolute cracker from dobbie

A Swansea vs Cardiff play-off final could be good.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/may/17/west-ham-hotel-brawl

My mistake, I was about to post that on the Premiership thread

poor old Forest

would have bothroyd as an option at spurs

JET rubbish so far. Wants as much time as every other gunner playing inferior opposition

super finish that bywater a moron

cannot stress how shit JET has been so far, every single incidence of possession has been laughably slow and incompetent.

howard webb gives a penalty for a really stupid wrestling manouevre from a corner

Long to take

cardiff will prob have a case in sayin that their goalie was punished for his ill-judged rush while federici's handling ten yards outside the box wasn't spotted, and they've had a good penalty shout turned down too. But they've not really offered much tbh, movement really poor up front.

dont matter now mcanuff let waltz through for 3

nazi at swindon

that's unfair. he's a fascist.

ACTUAL WIMBLEDON ARE IN THE FOOTBALL LEAGUE!

That's awesome.

Great stuff.

love it

prefer mk dons

oooh cruising for an SBing

love thatcher and hitler too btw

You are Lars Von Trier and I claim my five pounds.

i'm just saying if an mk dons player scores a cracker the fa should give it GOTS

Great news for AFC Wimbledon (and also good that MK Dons lost in their play-off). I would have been happy (though less so) to see Luton come back up as well. Well, not 'as well', 'instead'.

Outranking the Scottish Cup final on the Guardian home page as well, these are great/dark days.

Just back from Manchester, what a day! Most tense I have ever been, such an exciting game but with few clear chances, always felt like the first team to score would win. I ordinarily love watching penalties (I feel cheated if I have to watch 30 mins of extra time and dont get pens) but this was really torturous.

Anyway yeah we are in the league, and our chairman has said that he hopes to announce news of some movement in our quest for a stadium in Merton... everyone getting very excited about a possible 10-12k stadium to replace the wimbledon greyhound track.

This and the peterborough result in one week, it's too much!

Martin Allen finds new ways to damn Ishmel Demontagnac with faint praise:

"I met him in London a few days ago and he turned up early and he was well presented.

"He got the directions himself to where I was meeting him, I had a real good long chat to find out more about him and I like him.

Demontagnac is always a goal machine when I come up against him in FM2010

I understand that his teeth are mostly his own

OMG John Madejski dad dancing at Wembley BEST THING EVER!

Oh, Reading.

man, what a massacre

wonder how many goals Scott Sinclair will get next season

Khizanishvilli is just................

my bet on 4-3 to Reading is going to plan so far

yeah, they might need to start having a few shots on target to get the 4 though

SWAN RAKE

boo ya

Khizanishvilli is just................

― oppet, Monday, May 30, 2011 2:55 PM (15 minutes ago) Bookmark

Reading must be wishing Dowd had just sent him off when he gave away the pen. Sure they'd be down to 10 men but seeing as he played a part in goals 2 and 3 they'd probably have been better off!

I used to work with Jay Tabb's dad. </boringfactsaboutmylife>

Dowd has a known aversion to sending off Eastern Europeans for clumsy last-ditch fouls at Wembley

fuck off with this comeback, just the one team wearing b&w hoops singing "come on you rs" in the prem please.

matt mills supposedly bullied this guy i don't like when they were at school </boringfactsaboutmylife>

I really like Jay Tabb, from his Brentford days. Seems like a 'good sort'.

I also have a few quid on him to score today, for sentimental reasons. I do feel he's got a big goal in him this season, in all honesty.

phew

btw lol at the commentator saying "mark gower.. relaying some message from the bench..." as he runs on screaming "OI FUCKING COME ON" at anyone nearby

Yeah that was great.

Nice touch from the Swansea players wearing t-shirts for Besian Idrizaj.

Craig Bellamy has been made the frontrunner for the Cardiff City job after the sacking of Dave Jones

LOCK THREAD

Ah poor Dave.

The movers and shakers of the 72 Football League clubs will fly to Cyprus on Wednesday for their two-day annual general meeting.

It might sound like the pretext for a jolly in the sun but Football League chairman Greg Clarke is optimistic that some important decisions will be taken during the get-together to help safeguard the future of his clubs.

Arguably the most significant point under discussion is the issue of spending. Given Championship clubs have been unwilling to embrace any plans to restrict their ability to fulfil their Premier League ambitions in the past, it is sure to be a hot topic of debate.