League 2 relegation thread 14/15

[Hooped Wizard]

Just remember after we went down eight years later we were a top end championship club in a 20 000 seater stadium with the top scorer in the league.

Although we were absolutely minted tbf. Not sure if the Trannies and poolies have the financial clout.

 

[Conker]

Exodus was a brilliant and a shit player for us at the same time.

He was better in our play-off season, but he had some immense games for us.

 

[Richard Cranium]

I loved Big Ex, His best game was Liverpool at home aswell, marking Sturridge. Fuck knows how, He couldn't run and Sturridge has bags of pace. He apparently asked for money based on that though so Cox banished him from the team.

 

[Richard Cranium]

The FA Trophy was bollocks. Not sure if it's any better now the final is played in March.

Problem is it's not even worth getting knocked out as you still get affected Fixture wise!

 

[shoddycollins]

The FA Trophy was bollocks. Not sure if it's any better now the final is played in March.

Problem is it's not even worth getting knocked out as you still get affected Fixture wise!

Were you ever in the Conference when the Conference cup was knocking around?

 

[AdamStag]

Exodus Had a good throw though

Can also claim to having Luiz Suarez in his backpocket

 

[Richard Cranium]

Were you ever in the Conference when the Conference cup was knocking around?

Do you mean the Setanta Shield?

 

[shoddycollins]

Do you mean the Setanta Shield?

Can't remember it having a sponsored name when we were down there, is that what it was? Don't think it's around any more either.

Main memory of it involves us beating Runcorn with Andy Preece scoring 4 goals in a rugby stadium, only one stand of which was being used, and then being given a free bottle of sparkling wine and a lift back to the station by the owner of a pub we went to after the game. (Runcorn played their games in Widnes, the locals hated everything and anything Runcorn-related).

 

[rudebwoyben]

Thankfully that abomination is no longer around.
Even though Conference clubs enter fewer competitions than League 2 clubs, the league programme is always subject to some awful disruption. Thankfully it wasn't so bad this season, Halifax excepted. Their situation came about because of their pitch, which is in a horrendous state easily surpassing previous holders of the worst pitch accolade, Braintree. Kiddy's is in a terrible state too.

 

[AdamStag]

We only played one game in it, we lost to york on penalties after drawing 0-0 at BC

 

[shoddycollins]

We only played one game in it, we lost to york on penalties after drawing 0-0 at BC

We played two... beating Runcorn 6-2 and then losing to penalties after drawing 1-1 with Morecambe.

 

[hellogregory]

Why am I still here? I keep waking up in here.

I need to leave

 

[daviejones]

Why am I still here? I keep waking up in here.

I need to leave

Just getting set up for next season.

 

[hellogregory]

Just getting set up for next season.

Well I fucking hope not, otherwise I'm going to be banned every day.

 

[Glasshalffullpools]

For those that think Hartlepool are always bottom, we haven't actually finished bottom of ANY league since 1961, so this is a new situation for 90 percent of our fans . That said, if anyone can make a pigs ear of Exeter home and Carlisle away it would be us..... It wouldn't surprise me if we lost them both and still stayed up

 

[Walkley_Owl]

Just remember after we went down eight years later we were a top end championship club in a 20 000 seater stadium with the top scorer in the league.

Although we were absolutely minted tbf. Not sure if the Trannies and poolies have the financial clout.

You went down in 1998 and promoted to the Championship in 2008

The keepmoat holds 15k.

By top end you mean finished 12th/14th/21st/24th.....

Is any of your post remotely true?

 

[localhero]

I only think a club only goes into the Chester or hereford bracket if they are badly ran or spend too much wanting to get promotion again straight away.

The amount of money you lose if you go down is well documented so it shouldn't be a shock, it doesn't just leap up at you - you know you lose youth grant money, sponsorship and the lot , you have to budget accordingly.

The issue is most sides don't budget accordingly (and Mansfield did it in our promotion season) an if you budget accordingly you tend to struggle - as TOrquay have done.

The league is full of basket case clubs and its a fucking nightmare to get out of - hartlepool in particular would struggle with away followings.

I think what really did for me was that about 15 games of your season will be a tuesday night as opposed to 4 or 5 in the league.

The fa trophy is the biggest bugbare - it is wank - if you think the JPT is waitrose this is lidl A its a fucking nightmare.

I think this'll be where having Mark Palios as our owner will massively work to our benefit. As the former head of the FA he'll have a decent understanding of the cost implications of relegation and having made his money in accountancy he'll hopefully have ideas to get the most out of our budget. There's also rumours of a big third party investment coming in, no idea whether there's any truth in it though.

 

[AdamStag]

You went down in 1998 and promoted to the Championship in 2008

The keepmoat holds 15k.

By top end you mean finished 12th/14th/21st/24th.....

Is any of your post remotely true?

That's a diss and a half there pal

 

[AdamStag]

I think this'll be where having Mark Palios as our owner will massively work to our benefit. As the former head of the FA he'll have a decent understanding of the cost implications of relegation and having made his money in accountancy he'll hopefully have ideas to get the most out of our budget. There's also rumours of a big third party investment coming in, no idea whether there's any truth in it though.

Through Radford we learnt to become more self-sustaining (in the end). Though he massively propped us up to start with, being in the conference made us realise we were both being wasteful, and also not fulfilling what we could do with marketing and events etc at the club. Though clearly on the pitch we have struggled this season, off the field we are doing alright on bringing extra money in which can make all the difference.

The only real downside was that when we were relegated, prices weren't reduced as that was needed to help bridge the gap in finances.

 

[BigDaveCUFC]

Tranmere look all but gone and I'm shocked really because I never even considered them for most of the season, but it just seemed to go horribly wrong in feb and never recover. If you have one glimmer of hope it is that Plymouth are beatable.

it does also highlight that this 'nothing to play for' is a myth, we beat a side with the most to play for, the side who got someone with nothing to play for lost..................does not always work out that way.

Tough decision for us in 2 weeks, do we look to perform for the fans last day and get a buzz going or do we frankly let Hartlepool win as financially its not good to let Tranmere and Hartlepool go........for all I like chelts I have to hope they go because if we do lose hartlepool, Tranmere and Bury we've lost all sides who'd bring any sort've fans to us.

 

[Walkley_Owl]

That's a diss and a half there pal

Well he grips my shit, he was being all billy big bollox last season and was loving the fact they got 11k or so against Posh when it was £5 entry. He genuinely thinks Rovers are a bigger club than they actually are.

Just to add a bit more to the original reply...

Who was the top scorer cos i don't see Billy Sharp appearing on any lists from 2008/09 to 2011/12

 

[Luke Imp]

I think current and recent fans of Conference teams have covered most things.

Chris Lumsdon was saying on BBCRC today that he feared the worst for them. These were the points he made (i.e. his words not mine)

When we were down there you still had 5 or 6 part-time teams down there. When we played Farnborough at home and beat them 7-0 some of their players had been in their regular jobs that morning and then travelled up to Carlisle. For the players these home games against such lowly opposition were almost like training days, allowing us to rejuvenate and focus more on winning the big games. However these days there are no part-timers in the conference, and instead you have clubs who are able to bring down players with Football League experience and give you a game. It's no longer possible for big clubs to use a large fully professional to such an advantage.

There are 11/12.

Nuneaton, Dartford, Telford, Alfreton, Welling, Southport, Altrincham, Braintree, Halifax, Dover and Woking. Not sure on Chester, think they went FT this season.

In terms of 'proper' part time i.e. train two evenings a week, there are probably less than 5. Southport changed their training earlier this season from evenings to during the day and from twice to three times a week.

I've read a lot of comments on here and its predecessor TFF (and also the Conference forum, wherever that has got to) about just how bad the Conference is for ex-league teams, but specifically what is it about that division which makes it worse than getting relegated to any other league higher up the pyramid? Apart from the usual factors, worse football, shit grounds, fewer home/away fans etc?

It's a combination of lots of things really as opposed to just one or two having a big impact, most of which has been covered.

One of the things that I haven't seen is the streetwise nature of the Conference. Regardless of what you think of it all, you've just got to join them in doing it. You'll see as the squad goes from FL players and start bringing in Conference ones that the mind-set changes with that sort of thing.

What do you class as 'moneyed' though? What would a typical Conference Budget be at the top end?

FGR were £1.5m last season and £1.2m this season, so top end is around £1m. Average £600k-£700k.

Why are there so many midweek games?

I suppose fitness must be a massive issue when choosing what players to sign.

In terms of thinking you'll have an advantage by tiring PT sides out after 70/75 minutes, then no.

The PT guys are as fit at the FT ones. There are decent players who could go FT but choose not to because a FT wage won't be as much as a PT wage and their job.

They'll be no noticeable drop in fitness until you get below the Conference North/South. They're the 'proper' PT sides.

 

[Chasing Rainbows]

Any chance of Lincoln returning to the league anytime soon? Enjoyed our trip to Sincil Bank in the Conference.

 

[Luke Imp]

Depends how long you're willing to wait.

Appointing a proper manager instead of a Director would be a start but that's another story.

 

[Chasing Rainbows]

Depends how long you're willing to wait.

Appointing a proper manager instead of a Director would be a start but that's another story.

Wouldn't mind a few more localish fixtures to make up for a lack of a proper derby. Looks like Grimsby will be staying down again too.

 

[Luke Imp]

Could be a nightmare for us. Lost you and Mansfield. Alfreton could be going down, Grimsby up, so that'll leave Macclesfield as our 'derby'.

Once upon a time in L2, we had Scunthorpe, Hull, Chesterfield, Notts County, Boston, Mansfield etc. Most weekend's were derby games!

 

[AdamStag]

Wouldn't mind a few more localish fixtures to make up for a lack of a proper derby. Looks like Grimsby will be staying down again too.

I think now we've lost Burton you are the closest to us. Depending on whether Notts Co come down.

Other than that, the closest we have are Northampton and Cambridge.

 

[Chasing Rainbows]

I think now we've lost Burton you are the closest to us. Depending on whether Notts Co come down.

Other than that, the closest we have are Northampton and Cambridge.

We can't be that far away from you?

But we can't be rivals because we admire each other so much

 

[AdamStag]

We can't be that far away from you?

But we can't be rivals because we admire each other so much

Apart from the playoffs, i've never had a problem with York and can't see why anyone else would either from mansfield. It's a great weekend out usually for me (appreciate the deal for you lot in Mansfield probably isn't so hot)

You are 72 miles from Mansfield (I just come on the train direct from Manchester) and Northampton is 77 - shocking for a "derby". Hopefully Notts will come down

 

[hellogregory]

Tranmere look all but gone and I'm shocked really because I never even considered them for most of the season, but it just seemed to go horribly wrong in feb and never recover. If you have one glimmer of hope it is that Plymouth are beatable.

it does also highlight that this 'nothing to play for' is a myth, we beat a side with the most to play for, the side who got someone with nothing to play for lost..................does not always work out that way.

Tough decision for us in 2 weeks, do we look to perform for the fans last day and get a buzz going or do we frankly let Hartlepool win as financially its not good to let Tranmere and Hartlepool go........for all I like chelts I have to hope they go because if we do lose hartlepool, Tranmere and Bury we've lost all sides who'd bring any sort've fans to us.

I think Hartlepool will be safe by the time they visit Brunton park. I think they'll win on Saturday and Cheltenham and Tranmere will lose.

In a way I'd prefer them not to be safe. It will be nice to watch a relegation scrap from a relaxed, safe point of view.