shoddycollins
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jan 17, 2015
- Messages
- 11,512
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- Location
- In the managerless wonderland
- Supports
- Carlisle United
Let's get this going shall we? We're just a handful of games now from the halfway point of the season and I think we know already who's going to be involved down here. There's only one place (assuming Macclesfield don't go and render this whole discussion moot) just like old times; managerial changes are afoot; we don't have a club rooted to the foot of the table amidst a storm of poor management already looking for a miracle, and Jim Bentley is nowhere to be seen.
There's a few teams around mid-table who've threatened to join the fun at the bottom but for various reasons you wouldn't expect them to, in no small part because with only one relegation place and so many woeful teams around and about it you can't really see the likes of Mansfield or Salford finishing the season in last place, even if they do finish in the bottom half. Cambridge, Crawley and Macclesfield have been on the decline following decent starts to the season but the former two surely have the quality not to finish bottom... as for Macclesfield, I think they're in this thread, things are just going from bad to worse for them and the cushion they built up in the opening third of the season might not be enough to save the division's only real basket case.
From Leyton Orient down, questions have to be asked.
Leyton Orient - From such promising beginnings, this has been a very sad, and slightly concerning year for Orient. The appointment of Carl Fletcher could not possibly have gone worse and while the board acted quickly, the penny on the track that Fletcher left could still derail the Orient Express. Back under the leadership of Ross Embleton they need to put things right and their Conference-winning squad might lack the right equipment to do so. If they are to make another permanent appointment then they need to make the right one; that said there are many worse teams than the O's.
Grimsby Town - Grimsby have three games in hand on most teams, so theoretically could be in the play-offs if all goes well for them; they also have a neutral goal difference. However they have only taken one point from the last four games and have just sacked their manager. Fenty isn't exactly known for his ability to select the right man for the job and you don't have to suspend disbelief to imagine them appointing someone who isn't up to the job and dropping like a stone. Looking at their squad though, you would expect them to have too much to get dragged in and they may still harbour greater ambitions for this season.
Scunthorpe United - Unbeaten in four, the Iron are moving in the right direction following a dreadful start to the season. Still, it's been a slow rise, mostly built on being difficult to beat, as only the bottom three have won fewer. They're still a long way from being clear of the woods and avoiding a second successive relegation is still the focus for them. Based on performances so far it's difficult to see them getting to put their feet up and relax any time soon, Scunthorpe are down here for the long haul.
Carlisle United - The division's worst defence started the season looking like they could at least score the goals to balance it out, but those have quickly dried up and now that defence is coupled with the fewest chances created per game. Their squad has been almost entirely rebuilt from last season and now the man who built it has left the building. The cash-strapped Cumbrians now face the challenge of finding someone who can take on the squad and mold them into something more solid. Avoiding relegation isn't going to be easy for Carlisle.
Walsall - Another team relegated from League One staring down the barrel of exiting the league entirely. Their rookie owners now face their biggest challenge yet and a six-game losing run recently ended with a win hasn't helped matters. Darrel Clarke made an outburst against his players during that run but he and the owners may still feel he's the best man for the job. No doubt his experience when trying to keep Bristol Rovers up (a relegation he wasn't at fault for) will be called upon but this time he will be left carrying the can should Walsall sink.
Oldham Athletic - Oldham have struggled under the ownership of Abdallah Lemsagam whose managerial appointments and subsequent influence over those managers has left fans perplexed and frustrated. Laurent Banide didn't last long as manager and was replaced on the same day as being sacked with Westley-lite Dino Maamria. Only three wins all season, both against clubs in the bottom four doesn't bode well for the Latics, and with Lemsagam in charge you would expect more twists and turns for them this season. They do have a game in hand on most of the clubs around them.
Morecambe - Everyone's favourite plucky survivor will have to do it without Jim Bentley this season, and even before Jimbo's departure most bookies had them down as relegation favourites. Usually they've benefited from clubs around them imploding and so far it doesn't look like anyone will do that, at least not to the extent of teams like Notts County and Chesterfield in previous seasons. Bentley was an expert at taking a tiny budget and assembling squads of seasoned battlers and talented unknowns and then getting the absolute best from them in terms of work ethic and togetherness. That job now falls to Derek Adams, a surprisingly experienced manager for the Shrimps to appoint. That appointment may well prove the best decision Morecambe have ever made, but it'll be a long time before we can answer that.
Stevenage - Only two wins all season and only twelve goals, it's a good job they're 'OK' at defending, but they're still right at the foot of the table. Maamria sacked and replaced with former England women's manager Mark Sampson has only seen a slight upturn in fortunes. They beat Morecambe with a late goal to record their second win and have a game in hand. It's likely to be a long battling season for them and if the clubs above them manage to sort themselves out then they may just run out of options. Still, you can see it going right down to the wire for them.
There's a few teams around mid-table who've threatened to join the fun at the bottom but for various reasons you wouldn't expect them to, in no small part because with only one relegation place and so many woeful teams around and about it you can't really see the likes of Mansfield or Salford finishing the season in last place, even if they do finish in the bottom half. Cambridge, Crawley and Macclesfield have been on the decline following decent starts to the season but the former two surely have the quality not to finish bottom... as for Macclesfield, I think they're in this thread, things are just going from bad to worse for them and the cushion they built up in the opening third of the season might not be enough to save the division's only real basket case.
From Leyton Orient down, questions have to be asked.
Leyton Orient - From such promising beginnings, this has been a very sad, and slightly concerning year for Orient. The appointment of Carl Fletcher could not possibly have gone worse and while the board acted quickly, the penny on the track that Fletcher left could still derail the Orient Express. Back under the leadership of Ross Embleton they need to put things right and their Conference-winning squad might lack the right equipment to do so. If they are to make another permanent appointment then they need to make the right one; that said there are many worse teams than the O's.
Grimsby Town - Grimsby have three games in hand on most teams, so theoretically could be in the play-offs if all goes well for them; they also have a neutral goal difference. However they have only taken one point from the last four games and have just sacked their manager. Fenty isn't exactly known for his ability to select the right man for the job and you don't have to suspend disbelief to imagine them appointing someone who isn't up to the job and dropping like a stone. Looking at their squad though, you would expect them to have too much to get dragged in and they may still harbour greater ambitions for this season.
Scunthorpe United - Unbeaten in four, the Iron are moving in the right direction following a dreadful start to the season. Still, it's been a slow rise, mostly built on being difficult to beat, as only the bottom three have won fewer. They're still a long way from being clear of the woods and avoiding a second successive relegation is still the focus for them. Based on performances so far it's difficult to see them getting to put their feet up and relax any time soon, Scunthorpe are down here for the long haul.
Carlisle United - The division's worst defence started the season looking like they could at least score the goals to balance it out, but those have quickly dried up and now that defence is coupled with the fewest chances created per game. Their squad has been almost entirely rebuilt from last season and now the man who built it has left the building. The cash-strapped Cumbrians now face the challenge of finding someone who can take on the squad and mold them into something more solid. Avoiding relegation isn't going to be easy for Carlisle.
Walsall - Another team relegated from League One staring down the barrel of exiting the league entirely. Their rookie owners now face their biggest challenge yet and a six-game losing run recently ended with a win hasn't helped matters. Darrel Clarke made an outburst against his players during that run but he and the owners may still feel he's the best man for the job. No doubt his experience when trying to keep Bristol Rovers up (a relegation he wasn't at fault for) will be called upon but this time he will be left carrying the can should Walsall sink.
Oldham Athletic - Oldham have struggled under the ownership of Abdallah Lemsagam whose managerial appointments and subsequent influence over those managers has left fans perplexed and frustrated. Laurent Banide didn't last long as manager and was replaced on the same day as being sacked with Westley-lite Dino Maamria. Only three wins all season, both against clubs in the bottom four doesn't bode well for the Latics, and with Lemsagam in charge you would expect more twists and turns for them this season. They do have a game in hand on most of the clubs around them.
Morecambe - Everyone's favourite plucky survivor will have to do it without Jim Bentley this season, and even before Jimbo's departure most bookies had them down as relegation favourites. Usually they've benefited from clubs around them imploding and so far it doesn't look like anyone will do that, at least not to the extent of teams like Notts County and Chesterfield in previous seasons. Bentley was an expert at taking a tiny budget and assembling squads of seasoned battlers and talented unknowns and then getting the absolute best from them in terms of work ethic and togetherness. That job now falls to Derek Adams, a surprisingly experienced manager for the Shrimps to appoint. That appointment may well prove the best decision Morecambe have ever made, but it'll be a long time before we can answer that.
Stevenage - Only two wins all season and only twelve goals, it's a good job they're 'OK' at defending, but they're still right at the foot of the table. Maamria sacked and replaced with former England women's manager Mark Sampson has only seen a slight upturn in fortunes. They beat Morecambe with a late goal to record their second win and have a game in hand. It's likely to be a long battling season for them and if the clubs above them manage to sort themselves out then they may just run out of options. Still, you can see it going right down to the wire for them.
