Saturday 13th April

[Greenacres]

It depends how much Vince is willing to pump in now you would have thought ? the NL like league 2 looks like it will be weaker next season with not as many big hitters .

I think given a summer Coterill will do a good job , he's a decent manager in the lower leagues so just having him should help aswell .


Probably wouldn't mind Colchester going aswell for the same reason , no doubt they will be a lot better next season with those brothers in charge .

I watched SC's post match interview, he looked absolutely destroyed...I can't remember ever seeing a manager like that after a game...at the moment I will be very surprised if he is still around next season and, despite having great respect for all he achieved as a player and manager, part of me hopes that for his health and sanity he is gone. There is something really wrong at our club at the moment, the fact that it is being run by someone whose priority does not appear to be football could be the main reason, I think the culture needs to be completely reset or the future looks uncertain at best.

 

[chief]

Punching for the last few years or not, it's a horrible feeling seeing your club fall through that trap door. My dislike for Dale Vince doesn't extend to the wider FGR fanbase who seem a very decent lot. I wish them all the best and hope that next season, they get some players in who actually give a shit.

 

[chief]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1779231833231638912

Oof.

 

[Master D]

Fuzzy as fuck this morning. What a day though, the match seemed to take about 3 hours. We've produced our best performances when it has mattered on this run in. Mullin always shows up in the big games and he has carried us to promotion, think the captaincy has given him an extra boost. Legendary figure at the club now, if he wasn't already.

Start of the season I always felt we had more than enough to go straight through this league but you never want to jinx it by actually saying it. With the quality we've got there was nothing to fear but the Foster debacle at the start needed sorting and it was. It's been quite plain sailing really for us apart from that.

Best 3 teams over the season are going up, nobody can argue with that. Well done Mansfield and Stockport.

 

[The_Viking_Magpie]

I'm a bit of a connoisseur a love a volleyed finish and that is a fine finish indeed. Great technique.

However I suspect goal of the day could be Nemane at Walsall, dribble, take on beat 3 men and smash it in. Beautiful and well worth a look.

Congratulations to the promoted sides, the obvious predicted top 3 for so long doesn't usually come off but special circumstances for each made it very likely, as it has proved.

Just need Stockport to confirm a deserved title now.

 

[Son of Cod]

Jumped up little non-league clubs get eaten alive in L1.

Now that's not fair. I wouldn't have said Carlise are that little.

 

[Stocky]

Stockport two promotions in three seasons too without ever really having anyone challenge the best player in the league lists shows how balanced the squads Challinor has built have been.

Our injuries have also been incredible. Getting promotion with everything thrown at us is Challinor's best achievement and I didn't think he could top that major run he went on when he first joined in the NL to win us that league.

 

[Greenacres]

Punching for the last few years or not, it's a horrible feeling seeing your club fall through that trap door. My dislike for Dale Vince doesn't extend to the wider FGR fanbase who seem a very decent lot. I wish them all the best and hope that next season, they get some players in who actually give a shit.

Cheers mate, whilst there is an element of our fanbase who hold Dale in an almost cult like status, buy into his every word, there are plenty who don't and wish he was nowhere near the club...that number may be increasing.

On the club forum it appears to have descended into fans attacking each other, which is neither nice nor a good look, at a time when uniting might be a better approach. Personally I'm worried for the future of our club, some talk about where it will be in ten years, my concern is that the next two years could be more challenging.

If we do go down, which is almost certain, I don't think we will be back in the Football League any time soon...if ever...it was an interesting experience, something I never expected when I started following the club over 20 years ago, my concern is that I will still have a team to support in my dotage.

 

[Master D]

Got to hand it to Phil Parkinson, he's under pressure and done the business. No doubt you've been well funded but plenty of well backed teams fail.

He's been under big pressure from day 1 with everything going on and he has done the job. He's always been seen as the man to get us to L1 but the next few years are going to be interesting to see if he's got it in him to go again. Much tougher test now in that league but I still see a lot of smaller clubs there than us where we would dwarf their budget.

Owners aim was Championship within 6 years I think so we're on track for a spell in L1 now.

 

[The_Viking_Magpie]

Challinor, Parkinson, Clough. Will any of them get poached by a Championship club? Or are they not seen as good or exciting enough for that level?

 

[Stocky]

Best 3 teams over the season are going up, nobody can argue with that. Well done Mansfield and Stockport.

100% agree.

Stockport, Wrexham, Mansfield have been up there all season, there to be shot at. Naturally we've all had bad results at times like every Football League, the odd dodgy defeat, frustrating draws, had to pick ourselves up to go again etc and all three teams have done it whilst under pressure.

At various times we've had MK Dons, Crewe, Barrow etc all poking their noses into the top three but the moment they put themselves up to be shot at, they've ducked for cover.

 

[Stocky]

Challinor, Parkinson, Clough. Will any of them get poached by a Championship club? Or are they not seen as good or exciting enough for that level?

If you look at Challinor's record, right from his spell from Colwyn Bay, to Fylde to Hartlepool and to us it's amazing he hasn't been poached. So I definitley think he's not seen as exciting enough.

Charlton tried earlier in the season, he didn't fancy it but he's North West based so I think it'd have to be Championship club with decent ambitions or one of those big League One clubs like a Derby.

 

[Master D]

Challinor, Parkinson, Clough. Will any of them get poached by a Championship club? Or are they not seen as good or exciting enough for that level?

Parkinson was the perfect choice for us really as he's already been at much bigger clubs and is seen as unfashionable in his style of play so was never getting poached from us. Most chairmen prefer these xG nerds in charge these days. He was also off the back of managing the basket case at Sunderland and his stock appeared quite low. Looking back it was a joke that he was managing in the National League really, 5 promotions to his name now with 4 different clubs.

Don't see him leaving us for anyone, we've also not lost a single player we wanted to keep since the takeover. Big turnover this summer though, loads out of contract and we need to invest heavily in the squad again.

 

[Son of Cod]

If you look at Challinor's record, right from his spell from Colwyn Bay, to Fylde to Hartlepool and to us it's amazing he hasn't been poached. So I definitley think he's not seen as exciting enough.

Charlton tried earlier in the season, he didn't fancy it but he's North West based so I think it'd have to be Championship club with decent ambitions or one of those big League One clubs like a Derby.

The good thing about going up for you is that it wipes out the likes of Blackpool and Wigan as potential suitors. I'm amazed that Blackpool weren't sniffing around him more and that they went crawling back to Critchley earlier in the season. Like you say he should be on the radar of plenty of clubs in the second tier. Many a good NL/L2/L1 manager has taken that plunge a little too early though so I hope for his (and your) sake he stays with Stockport for a bit in L1. PNE, Blackburn, even Stoke and Birmingham all the sort of clubs I could see him at.

 

[Son of Cod]

Cheers mate, whilst there is an element of our fanbase who hold Dale in an almost cult like status, buy into his every word, there are plenty who don't and wish he was nowhere near the club...that number may be increasing.

On the club forum it appears to have descended into fans attacking each other, which is neither nice nor a good look, at a time when uniting might be a better approach. Personally I'm worried for the future of our club, some talk about where it will be in ten years, my concern is that the next two years could be more challenging.

If we do go down, which is almost certain, I don't think we will be back in the Football League any time soon...if ever...it was an interesting experience, something I never expected when I started following the club over 20 years ago, my concern is that I will still have a team to support in my dotage.

I always stick up for FGR when someone starts slagging you off IRL. I get that it's football and people like to take the piss out of anyone that goes against the grain but that should be that, just piss taking. There are too many people that seem to genuinely have a problem with FGR and the eco-friendly values that DV has instilled and that's quite sad. I think he has become a caricature of himself in recent years but there is no denying he was doing good for the club for years and years (from an outsider's perspective at least). I like FGR as a club and a fanbase and it's sad to see you go down. Hopefully you can bounce back.

 

[Stocky]

Outsider looking in, Vince has just completely taking his eye off the ball and the relegations have sapped life out of him and his ego (in football and FGR terms). He may start getting it back if he can smell the glory of a NL promotion push next year.

 

[chief]

He's been under big pressure from day 1 with everything going on and he has done the job. He's always been seen as the man to get us to L1 but the next few years are going to be interesting to see if he's got it in him to go again. Much tougher test now in that league but I still see a lot of smaller clubs there than us where we would dwarf their budget.

Owners aim was Championship within 6 years I think so we're on track for a spell in L1 now.

He'll rightly get a shot at it and unless we're in a relegation dogfight next year or he walks he'll get the tools to go at it the season after. He's got 2 clubs up from League One so he's certainly got it in him.

Our budget will be comfortably top half but there'll be a few with higher. Suspect those coming down from the Championship with Rotherham will have larger budgets and we will be in a similar ballpark to the likes of Wigan, Reading, Rotherham and Oxford. If Bolton don't go up I'd imagine they'll have a larger budget too. Most of these clubs will have less rebuild to do than ourselves too.

 

[The_Viking_Magpie]

Parkinson was the perfect choice for us really as he's already been at much bigger clubs and is seen as unfashionable in his style of play so was never getting poached from us. Most chairmen prefer these xG nerds in charge these days. He was also off the back of managing the basket case at Sunderland and his stock appeared quite low. Looking back it was a joke that he was managing in the National League really, 5 promotions to his name now with 4 different clubs.

Don't see him leaving us for anyone, we've also not lost a single player we wanted to keep since the takeover. Big turnover this summer though, loads out of contract and we need to invest heavily in the squad again.

It's surely no great surprise you haven't lost a single player you wanted to keep since the takeover. It's a gravy train for many, players are enjoying success, being overpaid and in the spotlight. Why move? They would have to be very very good to make the move in my opinion, top Championship level.

"Most chairmen prefer these xG nerds in charge these days" , have no proof but I suspect that is the case for top two leagues only.

Challinor is definitely the only exciting one so Wrexham and Mansfield will likely benefit from no/little interest which should make their fans very happy.

 

[Richard Cranium]

4-0 to the Stags I reckon.

Also vodka on your cornflakes works a treat

Close enough

 

[Greenacres]

Outsider looking in, Vince has just completely taking his eye off the ball and the relegations have sapped life out of him and his ego (in football and FGR terms). He may start getting it back if he can smell the glory of a NL promotion push next year.

I agree with taking the eye off the ball, but it is more than that, he is pushing an ethical and political agenda...beyond the eco stuff (the majority of which I agree with)...that is alienating fans, it doesn't seem that the football club features highly on his list of priorities. He regularly leaves his seat before the end of games, I wouldn't be surprised if he is largely absent on match days next season back in the National League, with a somewhat reduced profile for him.

 

[Ainsty]

I watched SC's post match interview, he looked absolutely destroyed...I can't remember ever seeing a manager like that after a game...at the moment I will be very surprised if he is still around next season and, despite having great respect for all he achieved as a player and manager, part of me hopes that for his health and sanity he is gone. There is something really wrong at our club at the moment, the fact that it is being run by someone whose priority does not appear to be football could be the main reason, I think the culture needs to be completely reset or the future looks uncertain at best.

I'm very sorry to see FGR go down because I feel an affinity with another small club. Plus, I've enjoyed weekends away in Gloucestershire and I've found the FGR fans to be a good bunch of lads and lasses. I watched in disbelief as Deeney hurled abuse from the dugout at his players when we were there in January. Neither the players nor the supporters deserved that.

Cotterill looked close to tears in his interview, I hope Parkinson does give him a call. Obviously, there have been massive off field shenanigans going on. Whether the problems are culture or something else, they are too big for Cotterill to fix.

The contrast in the positions of FGR and Harrogate highlights the damage inconsistency and owner misbehaviour can wreak on a club. Harrogate has benefited from the involvement of the Weaver family and the steady management and consistent approach they have created. It's kept us up far longer than any of us expected.

We all know the NL is difficult to escape but I hope you can sort yourself out and return. If not, I'm sure we will meet again when Harrogate inevitably drop down in the fullness time.

 

[GTFCfish]

I always stick up for FGR when someone starts slagging you off IRL. I get that it's football and people like to take the piss out of anyone that goes against the grain but that should be that, just piss taking. There are too many people that seem to genuinely have a problem with FGR and the eco-friendly values that DV has instilled and that's quite sad. I think he has become a caricature of himself in recent years but there is no denying he was doing good for the club for years and years (from an outsider's perspective too). I like FGR as a club and a fanbase and it's sad to see you go down. Hopefully you can bounce back.

Great post I agree with pretty much every word of it, and the FGR posters are some of the best on here so it will be a shame to see them go, never thought I’d say this a few years ago but ChrisFGR is one of my favourite posters on this whole forum.

 

[The Jovial Forester]

DV's divorce probably hasn't helped when it comes to the eye-ball situation. Bit of divorced dad energy next season will be all we need.

 

[Greenacres]

DV's divorce probably hasn't helped when it comes to the eye-ball situation. Bit of divorced dad energy next season will be all we need.

I think he has moved on already...I take it that the young woman beside him at most games isn't a daughter!

 

[Grimsby Road]

Yeah I like FGR rovers , much like Wrexham they were decent clubs before their relative investments , not sure why either get the stick they do .

 

[Master D]

Just that Barrow red card, bloke's got a screw loose going in like that.

 

[GTFCfish]

We deserve to be relegated just for this to be fair:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1779526490087915952

 

[Gladders]

We deserve to be relegated just for this to be fair:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1779526490087915952

Most of them are about 12 so will grow up in a few years, but wouldn't count on it.

 

[Conker]

Yesterday shows Clough got it right so much this season, not starting DKD I’m sure raised many eyebrows but leaving him until the second half proved to be a masterclass, he absolutely ran them ragged and was unfortunate not to get a hat trick.

 

[Son of Cod]

We deserve to be relegated just for this to be fair:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1779526490087915952

Fucking hell.