League 2 General Chat Thread

[GTFCfish]

Seems to be the same era I grew up watching football in. Bodin is probably most famous for that penalty miss for Wales against Romania, but for us, he scored the penalty that got us, for 1 season only, into the Premier League. He was a regular scorer as a roving left sided defender.

Unfortunately off the field we've just gone from one set of poor owners to another. The Andrew Black/Di Canio era was a lot of fun, but completely unsuitable and it's been a struggle since then. Oddly Lee Power, despite being an absolute crook knew what he was doing on the pitch and we had relative success under him. Since then it's been a race to the bottom.

There is a new supporters group been setup called 'spirit of 69' which is trying to get some support for protest to try and oust the current ownership. I can't see anything changing for a while so we have to hope we can stay up this season and work on getting new owners in that can take us forward. One thing is, it's never dull!

I can remember watching that Swindon - Leicester play off game

Nuts.

 

[leedsvaliant]

Seems to be the same era I grew up watching football in. Bodin is probably most famous for that penalty miss for Wales against Romania, but for us, he scored the penalty that got us, for 1 season only, into the Premier League. He was a regular scorer as a roving left sided defender.

Unfortunately off the field we've just gone from one set of poor owners to another. The Andrew Black/Di Canio era was a lot of fun, but completely unsuitable and it's been a struggle since then. Oddly Lee Power, despite being an absolute crook knew what he was doing on the pitch and we had relative success under him. Since then it's been a race to the bottom.

There is a new supporters group been setup called 'spirit of 69' which is trying to get some support for protest to try and oust the current ownership. I can't see anything changing for a while so we have to hope we can stay up this season and work on getting new owners in that can take us forward. One thing is, it's never dull!

What's happened to you since the playoff defeat? I was concerned about those games, because on paper you had a better squad and I thought you'd push on the following season. At the time, the fans seemed relatively happy with the owner (is it Clem?) and there was a feeling that with a couple of additional signings, you'd actually get promoted the following season.

Is it the same old story of owners unwilling (or unable) to give a sufficient budget? Or is it an owner who likes the status (like Smurthwaite) but actually doesn't give a stuff and will hold on until they make a profit out of a sale?

 

[valefan16]

What's happened to you since the playoff defeat? I was concerned about those games, because on paper you had a better squad and I thought you'd push on the following season. At the time, the fans seemed relatively happy with the owner (is it Clem?) and there was a feeling that with a couple of additional signings, you'd actually get promoted the following season.

Is it the same old story of owners unwilling (or unable) to give a sufficient budget? Or is it an owner who likes the status (like Smurthwaite) but actually doesn't give a stuff and will hold on until they make a profit out of a sale?

We had 4 really good games with them, lost 2 won 2 that season but they played some good stuff in the league game at VP before Mad Cov pretty much threw any chance we had away!

I expected them to really push on after that play off night and was surprised to see they'd struggled since.

 

[Agombar stool]

I can remember watching that Swindon - Leicester play off game

Nuts.

IIRC it was on a bank Holiday (in England) but we lived in Scotland so I was at school. I sprinted home at 4 o clock, whacked on Ceefax and was horrified to see we had thrown away a 3-0 lead. I listened to extra time on my radio I had in my room but the signal for Radio 5 was shockingly bad so ended up refreshing ceefax again!

Kids nowadays don't know they are born!

 

[Si Robin]

I watched our first promotion to the Football League on Ceefax in 1999. We were at home, but I lived just outside Gloucester and was only 14, so wasn't allowed to go to an evening game on my own. I can't recall if it was on Radio Gloucestershire or not, so I just sat there refreshing Ceefax on the telly in my aunt and uncle's room (I was raised by my aunt and uncle). It was gone 10 when it refreshed to show we'd scored the winner.

 

[valefan16]

IIRC it was on a bank Holiday (in England) but we lived in Scotland so I was at school. I sprinted home at 4 o clock, whacked on Ceefax and was horrified to see we had thrown away a 3-0 lead. I listened to extra time on my radio I had in my room but the signal for Radio 5 was shockingly bad so ended up refreshing ceefax again!

Kids nowadays don't know they are born!

Yeah it was always Whitsun Bank Holiday end of May, with most of my family and mates being Leicester at that time they generally used to seem to be in that final every season! (4 in 5) with a relegation from the top flight in between! Proper yo-yo side at the time under Brian Little and Mark McGhee.

 

[Agombar stool]

What's happened to you since the playoff defeat? I was concerned about those games, because on paper you had a better squad and I thought you'd push on the following season. At the time, the fans seemed relatively happy with the owner (is it Clem?) and there was a feeling that with a couple of additional signings, you'd actually get promoted the following season.

Is it the same old story of owners unwilling (or unable) to give a sufficient budget? Or is it an owner who likes the status (like Smurthwaite) but actually doesn't give a stuff and will hold on until they make a profit out of a sale?

Way too long to go into really, but that play-off season was magical. The season began with the takeover and we had 6 players registered. We brought in the liked of Jonny Williams, McKirdy etc and whilst many Town fans expected us to struggle, we hit the ground running and we were a penalty kick away from Wembley.

Even since then it's been down down deeper and down. Garner and Chorley, who were an excellent team left (i think Chorley was probably the real brains behind the operation) and its been piss and panic ever since. Seemingly nothing the owner does has any real footballing merit to it. The managerial appointments (who knew Scott Lindsay was actually a good football manager) haven't worked, the footballing operation seems to be based on guesswork (although oddly our youth team is very good) and we just don't have the proper footballing people in place and the business appears to be run, badly.

There are rumours of shady people involved in the background skimming money out of the business, for example we applied for Zav Austin to be our Vice-Chairman but he failed the fit and proper test because he's a convicted criminal yet still appears regularly as a matchday guest. He is not alone. You could probably write a book about it, but hopefully you get the gist.

 

[GTFCfish]

Good old Ceefax, you’d check your teams score then have to wait while it went around the other 2 pages with the other 8 games on before it came back round to the page with your teams game on it.

 

[Agombar stool]

Good old Ceefax, you’d check your teams score then have to wait while it went around the other 2 pages with the other 8 games on before it came back round to the page with your teams game on it.

Initially I didn't realise that if you used the 'hold' function the page wouldn't refresh!

 

[Stocky]

Initially I didn't realise that if you used the 'hold' function the page wouldn't refresh!

Same. Thought it was odd that every game on that page was still 0-0. Didn't realise until half time.

 

[Meadow]

Good old Ceefax, you’d check your teams score then have to wait while it went around the other 2 pages with the other 8 games on before it came back round to the page with your teams game on it.

At least your results were on Ceefax. I didn't have the internet when we reformed in 2002 so if I wasn't at a match, I found out via The Non-League Paper or by going to the Library or worst case scenario, at the next home match.

We first appeared on BBC London local pages when we were promoted to the Ryman (level 7) in 2005.

 

[The_Viking_Magpie]

At least your results were on Ceefax. I didn't have the internet when we reformed in 2002 so if I wasn't at a match, I found out via The Non-League Paper or by going to the Library or worst case scenario, at the next home match.

We first appeared on BBC London local pages when we were promoted to the Ryman (level 7) in 2005.

Why didn't you just call a fellow fan using a good old fashioned telephone?

 

[Si Robin]

At least your results were on Ceefax. I didn't have the internet when we reformed in 2002 so if I wasn't at a match, I found out via The Non-League Paper or by going to the Library or worst case scenario, at the next home match.

We first appeared on BBC London local pages when we were promoted to the Ryman (level 7) in 2005.

I had the same problem until 1997 - Ceefax only went as low as the Conference and even then it wasn't a guarantee it would update as live. If we were away then it was a case of going to the shop around half 6 to buy a Pink Un.

 

[Meadow]

Why didn't you just call a fellow fan using a good old fashioned telephone?

The only number I had was a mate I attended matches with at Selhurst. He moved out of London in 1999 and was in the same boat.

Anyway, telephone calls actually cost money then, and I didn't have much of that.

 

[GEORGE]

I had the same problem until 1997 - Ceefax only went as low as the Conference and even then it wasn't a guarantee it would update as live. If we were away then it was a case of going to the shop around half 6 to buy a Pink Un.

I still remember watching you in the Southern League Midland division.

 

[DippyDon]

Scott Lindsey is about to win the manager of the month award having played only 2 league games in November isn't he.

 

[JJ1990]

He better not do. I'm biased, but Lee Bell's record is far superior. 2 home wins over 2 bottom half sides is easily eclipsed by going unbeaten in 4, which includes 3 away games and opponents in 1st, 2nd and 5th.

 

[Dan Phillips]

It was criminal how Lee Bell wasn't even nominated last month, so he has to win it this time, surely?

 

[mightyshrimp]

After being called out earlier this week by Martin Calladine on social media ,after yesterday's fa cup win over Bradford ,bizzarely this statement suddenly appeared https%3A%2F%2Fwww.morecambefc.com%2Fnews%2F2024%2Fnovember%2F30%2Fstatement-regarding-morecambe-football-club-ltd-from-mr-kuljeet-singh-momi%2F

 

[saddler78]

2800 tickets sold for Vale the remaining 200 should go easy enough before Saturday i know its not far but that's still a decent effort.

 

[valefan16]

2800 tickets sold for Vale the remaining 200 should go easy enough before Saturday i know its not far but that's still a decent effort.

Hopefully push 11,000-11,500 plus for this one, no weekend home league game for 8 weeks either side and got 8k home fans for Monday night on sky so surely we will see that many again, would be disappointed if not, 20,000 plus for 2 home games to give DM a bigger war chest in January would be a boost for our chances this season too.

 

[lordofthepies]

no weekend home league game for 8 weeks either side

What, surely that can't be right

 

[Jimmy Anderson]

What, surely that can't be right

I think he means Saturday 3pm in the league at home. Basically Wimbledon at home October 26th and then Carlisle 21st December are the Saturday 3pm league home games. The other 2 home league games in that period were the Crewe game which was a Monday night and the Walsall game is a 12.30 kick off.

 

[valefan16]

What, surely that can't be right

is it:

Sat 26th October was our last Saturday league home game
since then
2nd Nov - FA Cup weekend
9th Nov - Away at Gillingham
16th Nov - Away at Morecambe
23rd Nov - No game - Moved v Crewe to Monday night
30th Nov - No game
Dec 7th - Walsall - only Saturday game (12:30pm KO too!)
Dec 14th - Bromley Away
Dec 21st - Carlisle Home (first Saturday 3pm League game since 26th October)

Next Saturday 3pm at home after that as well isn't until 11th Jan! so only 1 Saturday 3pm home game in 2 and a half months and 2 Saturday home league games in total.

Its weird this season as at the half way point of the season we will have played 10 home 13 away.

 

[lordofthepies]

is it:

Sat 26th October was our last Saturday league home game
since then
2nd Nov - FA Cup weekend
9th Nov - Away at Gillingham
16th Nov - Away at Morecambe
23rd Nov - No game - Moved v Crewe to Monday night
30th Nov - No game
Dec 7th - Walsall - only Saturday game (12:30pm KO too!)
Dec 14th - Bromley Away
Dec 21st - Carlisle Home (first Saturday 3pm League game since 26th October)

Next Saturday 3pm at home after that as well isn't until 11th Jan! so only 1 Saturday 3pm home game in 2 and a half months and 2 Saturday home league games in total.

Its weird this season as at the half way point of the season we will have played 10 home 13 away.

Ah ok, so it's 2 in 8 weeks, rather that 8 weeks either side. Still a bit extreme though.

 

[saddler78]

Sold out now so I'm told 3000 making the short trip to Vale Park on a sadder note I've been told today a load of nutters are going that never normally do and have no interest in the game but are just going to cause trouble tooled up as well apparently

 

[kieran_vale]

Sold out now so I'm told 3000 making the short trip to Vale Park on a sadder note I've been told today a load of nutters are going that never normally do and have no interest in the game but are just going to cause trouble tooled up as well apparently

They could try. Staffs dibble are well on top of that kind of thing at VP now and with where away fans are put now the likelihood is they won’t even come close to any home fans. Would expect Walsall fans will be banned from any pubs in the town as well.

 

[saddler78]

They could try. Staffs dibble are well on top of that kind of thing at VP now and with where away fans are put now the likelihood is they won’t even come close to any home fans. Would expect Walsall fans will be banned from any pubs in the town as well.

good

 

[saddler78]

don’t know where the rivalry came from but it has been going on since I started going in the early 80s seems Vale fans today are a bit puzzled by it.


I don’t think they can claim they never cared about the rivalry, there was/is a song they sing “We hate Walsall more than Stoke” On my first visit there on the special train with my Dad, on arrival the was a bunch of Vale fans with a flag with “Kill Walsall” on it… i guess its Generational.


Shit on the Vale was one of the first Walsall songs I learned!


In my mind and memory our rivalry with Vale was much bigger than the one with Shrewsbury which seems to have escalated due to a few incidents in the last 25 years.

 

[valefan16]

don’t know where the rivalry came from but it has been going on since I started going in the early 80s seems Vale fans today are a bit puzzled by it.


I don’t think they can claim they never cared about the rivalry, there was/is a song they sing “We hate Walsall more than Stoke” On my first visit there on the special train with my Dad, on arrival the was a bunch of Vale fans with a flag with “Kill Walsall” on it… i guess its Generational.


Shit on the Vale was one of the first Walsall songs I learned!


In my mind and memory our rivalry with Vale was much bigger than the one with Shrewsbury which seems to have escalated due to a few incidents in the last 25 years.

It was big decades ago but completely died out by the 90s, the puzzling bit is why it randomly reignighted on the Walsall side a couple of years ago. No incidents or anything controversial really and your fans said they weren’t bothered about DC leaving.

Win, lose or draw Saturday it won’t make any more odds to me than say Notts County or Doncaster, big game but at the top of the table yet there’s pure hatred from Walsall.

Crewe, Swindon, Burton, Walsall we are getting like Leeds in the popularity levels.