League 2 Relegation Thread 2018/2019

[SVH]

As long as our own club isn't at stake, we're all rooting for Notts County to get out of it in place of some other tinpot clubs.

 

[Enzo Scifo's Right Foot]

Might be getting ahead of meself, but could be out of the relegation zone in precisely 8 days.

You are mate haha

 

[Enzo Scifo's Right Foot]

As long as our own club isn't at stake, we're all rooting for Notts County to get out of it in place of some other tinpot clubs.

Not all but most

 

[Luke Imp]

That Lincoln collapse was absolutely baffling. Always remember them coming to Gresty Road and playing quite well, earning a 1-1 draw in a game they should've won which truly derailed any hopes we had of making the playoffs. They looked safe as houses when they earned that point and I still to this day can't believe they went down from being 11 points clear of the drop with a month of the season left to play...

Wasn't baffling to any of us. We were telling people for weeks before then that we were shite and were still in trouble. Could see it coming a mile off despite our decent run (which coincided with all our loan players being available). Don't get me wrong, it was criminal to not pick up another point or two in 11 games because that shouldn't be beyond any side, no matter how shite they are.

Tilson decided to tell the fringe players they weren't good enough, weren't needed and would be released at the end of the season. Then, when our loan players got long term injuries (our two FB's and CM) or recalled (our GK), he then had to rely on the players he'd pissed off weeks earlier.

Add the mountain of injuries to permanent players we had (same old, same old when you're in a scrap and players don't want to play...). The main, genuine, injury being Big Delroy Facey who was the reason Ashley Grimes scored as many as he did.

As you say, we should have won that game at yours. Was never a penalty IIRC.

Believe similar things happened to Oxford in 2006 and Bristol Rovers in 2014 too where they only entered the relegation zone on the final day despite Torquay in 06 and Northampton in 14 spending almost the entire season in the drop zone.

Had Lincoln not dropped out the league in 87, Burnley may well be another Rochdale or Bury these days at best and Lincoln might've had two big stands that went down both sides of the pitch as I believe they had to chuck all their cash reserves on a side to get them back into the league. Fine margins shape legacies I guess.

Correct.

It was finish the stand, or stay FT in a PT league. The decision obviously paid off because we went straight back up.

 

[jacobncfc]

You are mate haha

Well ahead of ourselves. Got to target a win against Newport at home, but Mansfield (H) and Tranmere (A) are very tough games. Come out of those three in a similar position to where we are now and we’ve done okay - then got a pretty favourable run right through until the end of the season with lots of games against lower mid-table teams hopefully starting to wind down.

 

[LongEatonPie]

I have us picking up a point against: Mansfield, Cheltenham, Carlise, Exeter, MK Dons
Wins against: Newport, Port Vale, Morecambe, Northampton, Crewe, Grimsby
Defeats against: Tranmere, Stevenage, Crawley, Swindon
W6 D5 L4 = 23 points = 48 points a End of season.

 

[Semi-skimmed Silk]

I have us picking up a point against: Mansfield, Cheltenham, Carlise, Exeter, MK Dons
Wins against: Newport, Port Vale, Morecambe, Northampton, Crewe, Grimsby
Defeats against: Tranmere, Stevenage, Crawley, Swindon
W6 D5 L4 = 23 points = 48 points a End of season.

I've got us potentially hitting 44, and even some of those points felt unlikely in my head.

 

[Crewelad87]

I have us picking up a point against: Mansfield, Cheltenham, Carlise, Exeter, MK Dons
Wins against: Newport, Port Vale, Morecambe, Northampton, Crewe, Grimsby
Defeats against: Tranmere, Stevenage, Crawley, Swindon
W6 D5 L4 = 23 points = 48 points a End of season.

Optimistic

 

[Devon_Lad]

I've got us potentially hitting 44, and even some of those points felt unlikely in my head.

'Tis footy though, and I'm sure you'll win some you completely wrote off, and you'll lose some you were expecting to win.

 

[Devon_Lad]

Optimistic

Really? I think it's pessimistic. I can see them beating a couple of those that he was just expecting a draw for, and definitely some of those defeats are winnable.

 

[valefan16]

Really? I think it's pessimistic. I can see them beating a couple of those that he was just expecting a draw for, and definitely some of those defeats are winnable.

Hard to say, 6 wins after winning 5 all season is optimistic regardless of improvement but possible... Teams like us and Cambridge will have Notts County down as a winnable one too so its hard to call. End of season you get some dodgy results anyway!

 

[Vanni]

I have us picking up a point against: Mansfield, Cheltenham, Carlise, Exeter, MK Dons
Wins against: Newport, Port Vale, Morecambe, Northampton, Crewe, Grimsby
Defeats against: Tranmere, Stevenage, Crawley, Swindon
W6 D5 L4 = 23 points = 48 points a End of season.

Had a spare couple of minutes so I tried to predict County's games, from a neutral perspective.

Wins - Newport, Port Vale, Cheltenham, Stevenage, Northampton, Grimsby
Draws - Morecambe, Exeter, Crewe, Crawley, Swindon
Defeats - Mansfield, Tranmere, Carlisle, MK Dons

So as you can see I got the same number of points you did - 23.

But yeah, Devon Lad is right. Cambridge have lost games that 'on paper' we shouldn't have lost while got wins or draws at unlikely places or against much stronger sides, that had 'loss' written all over them before KO time.

 

[Vanni]

Hell, why not do Macc next?

wins - Stevenage, Morecambe, Cambridge
draws - Crawley, Exeter, Yeovil, Lincoln, FGR, Northampton, Newport, Vale
defeats - Col U, Bury, MK Dons,

17 points in total.

Nah, 8 draws(?!?) doesn't look right.

 

[valefan16]

Hell, why not do Macc next?

wins - Stevenage, Morecambe, Cambridge
draws - Crawley, Exeter, Yeovil, Lincoln, FGR, Northampton, Newport, Vale
defeats - Col U, Bury, MK Dons,

17 points in total.

Nah, 8 draws(?!?) doesn't look right.

Thats a tricky set of fixtures for Macc looking at that!

6 of the top sides to start with.

 

[Buxton Vale]

I have us picking up a point against: Mansfield, Cheltenham, Carlise, Exeter, MK Dons
Wins against: Newport, Port Vale, Morecambe, Northampton, Crewe, Grimsby
Defeats against: Tranmere, Stevenage, Crawley, Swindon
W6 D5 L4 = 23 points = 48 points a End of season.

very optomistic

 

[Semi-skimmed Silk]

Thats a tricky set of fixtures for Macc looking at that!

6 of the top sides to start with.

Yup, that Cheltenham red card/loss is going to haunt us the rest of the season.

Going to need Askey to do us a favour and gift 3 points on the penultimate weekend...

 

[valefan16]

Yup, that Cheltenham red card/loss is going to haunt us the rest of the season.

Going to need Askey to do us a favour and gift 3 points on the penultimate weekend...

Might need those bad boys ourselves still!

 

[Vanni]

I admit LongEaton's predictions do look a tad optimistic at a glance but I'm not a Pies fan and I also predicted them to get 23 points. Look at it another way: there's every chance some of the sides Notts have got coming up - I'm thinking Cobblers, Grimsby and Boro - will have nothing to play for by the time they come up against them. So County winning 6 games ain't that optimistic if you think about it.

 

[Semi-skimmed Silk]

Might need those bad boys ourselves still!

Askey is a football genius. He'll have you liquid-footballing your way to mid table soon enough (hopefully with a decent sized win on Saturday!).

 

[valefan16]

Askey is a football genius. He'll have you liquid-footballing your way to mid table soon enough (hopefully with a decent sized win on Saturday!).

Liquid football is fine but wont put the ball in the net for us!

Anyway Macc will survive, Notts and Morecambe are doomed... its all here by the super computer!

https://www.footballwebpages.co.uk/league-two/league-table/predicted

 

[Vanni]

Thats a tricky set of fixtures for Macc looking at that!

6 of the top sides to start with.

Sure is! I think Sol's doing a grand job and all that, but personally I'm not committing myself just yet to say that he'll keep them up, like some on this board and all over social media are saying. They've got Vale and then us on the final day, and I'm praying both our teams will be assured of L2 footy by then so we won't make life too hard for Macc

 

[The_Boss]

There's so many games between each other for the bottom 8 yet that it's really hard to second guess points required right now. Also Oldham have both Yeovil and Morecambe at home tonight and next Tues so they are hugely important to the rest of us. I can see 46/47 points being enough simply because of everyone still having to play each other.

 

[Vanni]

Liquid football is fine but wont put the ball in the net for us!

Anyway Macc will survive, Notts and Morecambe are doomed... its all here by the super computer!

https://www.footballwebpages.co.uk/league-two/league-table/predicted

So does The Fishy -

https://thefishy.co.uk/calc.php

 

[TheEndIsNigh]

Had a spare couple of minutes so I tried to predict County's games, from a neutral perspective.

Wins - Newport, Port Vale, Cheltenham, Stevenage, Northampton, Grimsby
Draws - Morecambe, Exeter, Crewe, Crawley, Swindon
Defeats - Mansfield, Tranmere, Carlisle, MK Dons

So as you can see I got the same number of points you did - 23.

But yeah, Devon Lad is right. Cambridge have lost games that 'on paper' we shouldn't have lost while got wins or draws at unlikely places or against much stronger sides, that had 'loss' written all over them before KO time.

That would certainly do. The big unknown with us is that we’ve tended to do better against the better sides, so our nascent revival will be given a test against the likes of Vale.

 

[SVH]

Here is my prediction.
20 points which will see us safe on 55 points.

Tranmere - Win
Cheltenham - Loss
Yeovil - Draw
Grimsby - Loss
Oldham - Draw
Crewe - Win
Bury - Loss
Carlisle - Loss
Colchester - Win
Mansfield - Loss
Newport - Win
Swindon - Win
Forest Green - Loss
Morecambe - Win
Macc - Loss

 

[jacobncfc]

Hard to say, 6 wins after winning 5 all season is optimistic regardless of improvement but possible... Teams like us and Cambridge will have Notts County down as a winnable one too so its hard to call. End of season you get some dodgy results anyway!

We're essentially impossible to predict at this point. There's only two survivors in our starting XI from December, and one of those is now playing in a completely different position.

All we have to go on are the performances/results against Lincoln and Forest Green, which have been great - but it's only two games. We're also only a couple of injuries away from having to start bringing back players who had been absolutely hopeless for the first six months of the season.

 

[valefan16]

Hard to call us at the moment, we’ve been good away but not at home however Askey surely will change the negative style at home so games like Morecambe and Tranmere coming up along with Yeovil hopefully will yeild better results.

Away from home is a conundrum, stick or twist? We were slightly more open at Cambridge and lost but did create more, hopefully injured key players coming back will help as any team losing three of their four top scorers in one go will struggle so Pope, Monty and Whitfield being back hopefully will help especially at home.

If we keep win Saturday and avoid defeat next Tuesday it would go a long way.

 

[Buxton Vale]

My calculations have Morecambe and Yeovil dropping.

 

[Buxton Vale]

Yeovil go behind right on half time

 

[Buxton Vale]

Big defeat for Yeovil which keeps them right in the mix