Relegation Dogfight Thread

[leedsvaliant]

And you think your team has had it bad in recent years...

 

[valefan16]

And you think your team has had it bad in recent years...

Way its going we could top that table come the end of the season!

 

[leedsvaliant]

I'm amazed that we've managed to stay in the football league with that record.

 

[Bobbin']

 

[leedsvaliant]

Another stat which I took off OneValeFan....check this bad boy out:

Our form since September (at which point we didn't win again until December) has us 138th in the form table of the entire EFL + top 3 non-league divisions. 18 points. There's only 5 clubs and 8 points between us and being at the very bottom of 6 x 24 team divisions.
Would you like to know the best bit, gents? While we're rubbing shoulders with Dover Athletic (15 points) and Bishops Stortford (10 points) they're still one up on us as both have scored more goals. We're 142/144 for goals scored since September in the EFL and below.
Out of 53 games, which I think is pretty much the last calendar year, we've lost 30.

It's fair to say that we've had a shitter....and you can understand why Vale fans are a moaning bunch!

 

[BigDaveCUFC]

View attachment 19804

That is true and also not true because a lot of sides have been catching you up, Wigan and reading for a start.

Carlisle Fleetwood and Cheltenham were miles behind at Christmas, but as everyone knows one or more of them sides usually hit better form and someone……..somewhere collapses.

One of them sides in Cheltenham has turned it about and fair play to them, it’s only a matter of time they will get out of it they have been in too solid a form.

Question will be can your form change to make sure your not the side taking their place

 

[Laker]

Charlton’s next two are really difficult but they have a nicer month after that. I think they will drop into the bottom four by the end of February and then will haul themselves out in March.

 

[valefan16]

Another stat which I took off OneValeFan....check this bad boy out:

Our form since September (at which point we didn't win again until December) has us 138th in the form table of the entire EFL + top 3 non-league divisions. 18 points. There's only 5 clubs and 8 points between us and being at the very bottom of 6 x 24 team divisions.
Would you like to know the best bit, gents? While we're rubbing shoulders with Dover Athletic (15 points) and Bishops Stortford (10 points) they're still one up on us as both have scored more goals. We're 142/144 for goals scored since September in the EFL and below.
Out of 53 games, which I think is pretty much the last calendar year, we've lost 30.

It's fair to say that we've had a shitter....and you can understand why Vale fans are a moaning bunch!

Whats worse is 8 wins of our 11 since Jan 1st 2023 fell in 2 spells.... 5 wins in 6 in August/Sept, 3 wins in 3 weeks in December! so 3 wins in the whole rest of the time!

Thing is its relatively unforgivable because we are not the basket case club, we have invested more than probably since the halcyon era of the 90's but its all on the wrong things, so obsessed with being "Championship Ready" off the pitch with the training center, corporate facilities, Campus, score board, stand swap, ice baths and cryogenic chambers that we've totally forgot that being Championship Ready also means investing correctly in the first team!

They learnt absolutely none of the lessons from Jan-May last season and repeated the same mistakes this January. Feel for people like DC, Crosby etc who worked so hard to get us back into this level and competitive for it to be completely undone.

 

[folletto]

Stolen from the Charlton forum: the average position of each club's remaining opponents

Exeter: 13.66
Wycombe: 13.21
Reading: 11.91
Cambridge: 10.64
Burton: 13.43
Shrewsbury: 12.23
Charlton: 13.15
Cheltenham: 13.20
Port Vale: 11.80
Fleetwood: 12.76
Carlisle: 12.07

Not sure how much you can really read into it but looks like Cambridge and Port Vale have the hardest run ins.

 

[folletto]

Charlton’s next two are really difficult but they have a nicer month after that. I think they will drop into the bottom four by the end of February and then will haul themselves out in March.

I'm still not sure. I'm hoping one win opens the floodgates but we are 15 without a win for a reason and still struggle to see us picking up many more despite the improvement under Jones.

 

[valefan16]

Stolen from the Charlton forum: the average position of each club's remaining opponents

Exeter: 13.66
Wycombe: 13.21
Reading: 11.91
Cambridge: 10.64
Burton: 13.43
Shrewsbury: 12.23
Charlton: 13.15
Cheltenham: 13.20
Port Vale: 11.80
Fleetwood: 12.76
Carlisle: 12.07

Not sure how much you can really read into it but looks like Cambridge and Port Vale have the hardest run ins.

Ours doesnt feel that bad on paper, the home games we only have Oxford of the top 9 left, away we have Derby, Peterborough and Bolton but otherwise mostly mid table sides.

That said we've lost to most of the bottom sides so probably not much of a bonus there.

 

[folletto]

Ours doesnt feel that bad on paper, the home games we only have Oxford of the top 9 left, away we have Derby, Peterborough and Bolton but otherwise mostly mid table sides.

That said we've lost to most of the bottom sides so probably not much of a bonus there.

Yeah I've just looked at your run in and it isn't anywhere near as bad as this would suggest. The next 4 games are massive for you. Barring the Derby game all are quite winnable

 

[Tom_CUFC]

Our fixture list is absolutely rancid, and we've shown neither an ability to do well at home or beat anybody vaguely good recently, which the above list doesn't make good reading for. I think we're good enough to stay out of it but I am worried, it's a good job we beat Carlisle at the weekend otherwise we'd really be in the shit.

 

[Luke Imp]

View attachment 19804

Seemed to have been the same for mid-table this season as well. We went winless in 10 across December and January and hardly moved.

 

[Bobbin']

Soon be welcoming Cambridge to this thread?

 

[Bartonyellow]

Soon be welcoming Cambridge to this thread?

They are on the same points as us - so yes they are in it.

 

[AmberRich]

Soon be welcoming Cambridge to this thread?

Never left it tbh. Toughest run of games with potentially no manager, we are definitely a candidate.

 

[Arbury]

Soon be welcoming Cambridge to this thread?

Yeah never left in my eyes, got 9/1 on us to go down shortly after appointing Harris.

Shrewsbury for me to be joining Carlisle and fleetwood, fourth from bottom is up for grabs with us being bang in it as well, at a push I’d say either vale or Exeter.

 

[Soz]

cant see how we turn it around with the lack of strikers. injuries have cost us as well as horrific recruitment planning.

it really does feel like such a needless relegation.

we were playing in january at one point with Wilson as our only fit striker (who is out of school). our 4 first choice midfielders gone (recalled or injured). Our only specialist wing back injured and half of our committee of sketchy centre backs injured.

we sack our manager days after the window closes despite his reign coinciding with the appalling form posted above.

if he had of gone in october, we made a reasonable appointment and not pinned all our hopes on trying to sign mbappe and settles for a league one, maybe even league 2 standard striker, i dont think we would be in this thread.

i said to my brother after the fleetwood cup win that we were bang in trouble this season. it has been clear at every turn for me that we were struggling.

flitcroft has to go. even if we somehow stay up, he is responsible for one of the bleakest runs in english football.

 

[valefan16]

cant see how we turn it around with the lack of strikers. injuries have cost us as well as horrific recruitment planning.

it really does feel like such a needless relegation.

we were playing in january at one point with Wilson as our only fit striker (who is out of school). our 4 first choice midfielders gone (recalled or injured). Our only specialist wing back injured and half of our committee of sketchy centre backs injured.

we sack our manager days after the window closes despite his reign coinciding with the appalling form posted above.

if he had of gone in october, we made a reasonable appointment and not pinned all our hopes on trying to sign mbappe and settles for a league one, maybe even league 2 standard striker, i dont think we would be in this thread.

i said to my brother after the fleetwood cup win that we were bang in trouble this season. it has been clear at every turn for me that we were struggling.

flitcroft has to go. even if we somehow stay up, he is responsible for one of the bleakest runs in english football.

Crosby should of gone after Cheltenham at home, that was a diabolical performance, against at that point a terrible side and he rested Oli Arblaster and Garrity for the cup game and it cost us big time.

We then put in arguably out best performance of the season a few days later to beat unbeaten Mansfield and he then survived longer and longer as it seemed we wanted to allow him the Quarter Final as games drifted by.

Obviously we picked up 10 points in December which then gave him more time and thus more damage done once the injuries (notably Uche and Garrity) hit and the recall of two of the best English teenagers in the country, and their replacement then getting injured by half time on his debut.

Its a calamity of errors, the only hope is if we do go down at least we have a manager capable of bringing us back, many of the big spenders will be in L1 and harsh lessons are learnt so we quickly build a side to get us back first attempt.

 

[kieran_vale]

While a look at the league table would tell you it’s achievable for us forget it this sorry bunch don’t have it in them. They’re too soft for a dogfight like this. Today was a must win and our club captain thought it was a good idea to do what he did in the 2nd minute. He should be dropped for that alone.

Darren Moore doesn’t have any of this on him, he’s the victim of what’s happened before he arrived and to be honest am at the point of his focus being on L2 next season.

 

[valefan16]

While a look at the league table would tell you it’s achievable for us forget it this sorry bunch don’t have it in them. They’re too soft for a dogfight like this. Today was a must win and our club captain thought it was a good idea to do what he did in the 2nd minute. He should be dropped for that alone.

Darren Moore doesn’t have any of this on him, he’s the victim of what’s happened before he arrived and to be honest am at the point of his focus being on L2 next season.

Got some nice Cryogenic chambers though. Even the pitch that’s been heavily invested in looked rubbish today!

 

[leedsvaliant]

Absolutely no chance we're getting out of this. Look at Lincoln today, absolute shithouses, constantly on the windup, time wasting, playing the ref, asking the ref to send players off. But us? Nothing. We're a nice club so we don't do that.

We looked a beaten and resigned club today. Moore might be good with a bit of support bit he's doing nothing with that squad. It lacks not only ability but more importantly heart and brains. Carlisle fans keep saying they're the worst team in the division. They're nowhere near as poor as us.

The stats don't lie. We've been the worst performing league one club for a year. Instead of putting down a proper competitive budget, we've spent money on a nice new training changing rooms and a coaches office. When will our club learn that the football team is the most important thing in a football club. Full stop. Anything else us just window dressing.

 

[Pompeyblueboy]

Absolutely no chance we're getting out of this. Look at Lincoln today, absolute shithouses, constantly on the windup, time wasting, playing the ref, asking the ref to send players off. But us? Nothing. We're a nice club so we don't do that.

We looked a beaten and resigned club today. Moore might be good with a bit of support bit he's doing nothing with that squad. It lacks not only ability but more importantly heart and brains. Carlisle fans keep saying they're the worst team in the division. They're nowhere near as poor as us.

The stats don't lie. We've been the worst performing league one club for a year. Instead of putting down a proper competitive budget, we've spent money on a nice new training changing rooms and a coaches office. When will our club learn that the football team is the most important thing in a football club. Full stop. Anything else us just window dressing.

At long last I agree with you

 

[folletto]

Absolutely no chance we're getting out of this. Look at Lincoln today, absolute shithouses, constantly on the windup, time wasting, playing the ref, asking the ref to send players off. But us? Nothing. We're a nice club so we don't do that.

We looked a beaten and resigned club today. Moore might be good with a bit of support bit he's doing nothing with that squad. It lacks not only ability but more importantly heart and brains. Carlisle fans keep saying they're the worst team in the division. They're nowhere near as poor as us.

The stats don't lie. We've been the worst performing league one club for a year. Instead of putting down a proper competitive budget, we've spent money on a nice new training changing rooms and a coaches office. When will our club learn that the football team is the most important thing in a football club. Full stop. Anything else us just window dressing.

You played us off the park not that long ago!
Appleton Charlton are the worst side in the league this year

 

[thewwfc]

The Gas were never seriously in this but they can officially fuck off now with their hoity-toity 46 points.

Look at that festering cesspool of mediocrity though in lower mid-table. Yum.

Neil Harris' oops, <insert manager>'s Barmy Army are not looking so hot right now (well, can anyone in this mess be called "hot", but still).

Charlton are showing a nice line in mediocrity there with a string of draws - which if they could keep that utter middledom going till the end of the season, should see them trickle haplessly into another season of glorious third tierball.

 

[Throbber_for_Dunk]

Two tough ones for us to come in the next week. Still a few grim ones after that, but hopefully should still have enough about us.

The hallmarks were there for a lot of last season, and despite changing mangers twice this season, the hallmarks largely aren't there, though it may seem different if we drop over the next few matches. -

 

[kieran_vale]

You played us off the park not that long ago!
Appleton Charlton are the worst side in the league this year

I wouldn’t say we did in all honesty. The game at VP was basically a re-enactment of what it would look like if both teams were on acid. I think you’ll probably start to pull clear before long, looks like Jones has made you harder to play against at least. I can’t say the same for us but you can’t polish a turd as they say.

 

[valefan16]

I wouldn’t say we did in all honesty. The game at VP was basically a re-enactment of what it would look like if both teams were on acid. I think you’ll probably start to pull clear before long, looks like Jones has made you harder to play against at least. I can’t say the same for us but you can’t polish a turd as they say.

We are done, but Charlton have a good run in, Cheltenham are winning or drawing most weeks so who is coming on the League Two tour with us? Any of those on 38 points hits a sticky patch it’s probably done.

 

[folletto]

We are done, but Charlton have a good run in, Cheltenham are winning or drawing most weeks so who is coming on the League Two tour with us? Any of those on 38 points hits a sticky patch it’s probably done.

We do but with that good run in it also means if we slip up we give a relegation rival points to pull away from us. We are still 16 without a win in the league so still need drastic changes in form to stay up. We’ve played plenty of bad teams in that run and either lost or drawn. It's well and good now under Jones digging deep for a point against Pompey but if we can’t win games coming up like Carlisle and Cheltenham it’s irrelevant.

With Cheltenham picking up form it likely means we need to catch those teams on 38, some of who also have games in hand on us and who could also pull away further on Tuesday when we are away at Derby