Surviving league one?

[longmover]

Has nobody consulted FGR on this? They seem to have this topic nailed down.

 

[GEORGE]

Other than Luton, I realistically don't think any of the sides fighting for promotion this season in League two would stand a chance in League one next season without considerably strengthening their squads. Luton have the budget to be able to improve in the areas they need to, but looking at the standard of football this season it's much worse than last year and think we will see some return straight back to League two.

Luton Town would survive. But would need to add players in the second season. I think Accrington could survive a season but then go back down due to resources. Swindon & Coventry would be lower mid table -- All the others above Swindon not mentioned would go straight back down. All teams from Carlisle downwards forget it.

 

[Luke Imp]

You also beat Burnley who are now 7th in Premier League so are you saying you think this Lincoln team could easily hold their own in the Prem too then?

If you read his post correctly...

 

[Davidimp]

No I wouldn't, 'cos I think L1 referees are just as inept as their L2 counterparts so you lot can keep on doing what you've been doing this year, week in week out

L1 and L2 refs are drawn from the same group, the part time useless ones...

 

[shoddycollins]

You also beat Burnley who are now 7th in Premier League so are you saying you think this Lincoln team could easily hold their own in the Prem too then?

Don't tempt them, you and I both know that most Lincoln fans secretly believe that to be true.

 

[Vanni]

L1 and L2 refs are drawn from the same group, the part time useless ones...

That's what I believe too, but I recall reading some blog back in the summer and one comment was from some guy who said that a few refs seldom take charge of a L2 game and mainly stick to L1. IIRC, this guy said these refs only referee a L2 match two or three times a year.

Of course this could all be bollox, and I think it is. Thing is I'm not sure as I don't pay that much attention to who's doing the refereeing during matches unless the chap is having a mare!

PS - 'Worried Womble' would know as he's an expert on lower league refs but I don't think he posts on here anymore.

 

[Indian Dan]

It’s a conundrum as nobody knows how the promoted teams will recruit. Just bear in mind the 4 shit L1 teams that got relegated last season aren’t pulling up any trees in L2. Poor old Chesterfield look doomed, Vale dallied at the bottom but look OK and us and Coventry who appear to have done OK are both pretty average. There’s no way we would stay up with our present squad.

 

[PaulHaddock]

This is the same argument as the strength of the Conference isn’t it? I remember some uni student wrote an article last year, saying that Lincoln and Sutton’s cup runs showed that the league wasn’t in fact ‘weak’. What sort of argument is that? I watched a few Conference games and the standard was rubbish. And it’s still getting worse.

There does seem to be something about Lincoln playing higher teams though. Possibly down their intensity, willingness, physicality/brutality???

 

[Indian Dan]

That was always my problem with Flitcroft. Sure, he may have got us promoted playing hoofball but that, ultimately, gets you nowhere - maybe mid table L1, but that’s it.

If you want your club to progress beyond L1 Neanderthal, agricultural football is a no go

 

[gijsbert_bos]

And are you all so ignorant as to think Cowley wouldn't adapt his style to suit the league, and the players at his disposal? We actually adapted our style around oct/Nov this year to a more "footballing" one, dropping Rhead and focus8ng on Knott as a no10. It didn't work so we went back to a direct approach and now we are in the playoffs.

 

[gijsbert_bos]

Luton Town would survive. But would need to add players in the second season. I think Accrington could survive a season but then go back down due to resources. Swindon & Coventry would be lower mid table -- All the others above Swindon not mentioned would go straight back down. All teams from Carlisle downwards forget it.

This is utter rubbish and takes no account of summer recruitment.

 

[Indian Dan]

And are you all so ignorant as to think Cowley wouldn't adapt his style to suit the league, and the players at his disposal? We actually adapted our style around oct/Nov this year to a more "footballing" one, dropping Rhead and focus8ng on Knott as a no10. It didn't work so we went back to a direct approach and now we are in the playoffs.

I doubt it. Managers tend to stick to what has worked. If he is successful hoofing it, he may not have the tactical nous to play a more on the ground style. Teams generally only change their style when they change managers.

 

[Maple Hatter]

Luton Town would survive. But would need to add players in the second season. I think Accrington could survive a season but then go back down due to resources. Swindon & Coventry would be lower mid table -- All the others above Swindon not mentioned would go straight back down. All teams from Carlisle downwards forget it.

I think most teams attempt to strenghten in the summer no matter what league they are in. Very unlikely therefore that we will wait a season before adding more quality. Even if we did keep the same squad I'm sure we would adapt quite well. Promotion usually means that clubs experience a great deal of optimism that can carry you quite far during the first season. The key for continued progress is to have a longer term plan in place and improve all areas of the club to maximise income and to attract better quality coaches and players. I think those clubs that struggle already have a lot of off the pitch issues which hold them back. Relegation is an inevitble consequence.

 

[Kenneth E End]

I think most teams attempt to strenghten in the summer no matter what league they are in. Very unlikely therefore that we will wait a season before adding more quality. Even if we did keep the same squad I'm sure we would adapt quite well. Promotion usually means that clubs experience a great deal of optimism that can carry you quite far during the first season. The key for continued progress is to have a longer term plan in place and improve all areas of the club to maximise income and to attract better quality coaches and players. I think those clubs that struggle already have a lot of off the pitch issues which hold them back. Relegation is an inevitble consequence.

Whereas I'd say we're moving forward in every area of the club.

I'd be interested to know what the target would be for next season. For me, a positive season would be around the top 10, but I think the club want to 'go again' and push for promotion to the Championship.

For me, I'd say its pretty pointless us getting promotion until our new stadium is ready to go.

 

[Kenneth E End]

Besides, everyone in League One is playing for second place next season. If Sunderland don't get promoted with a £35m parachute payment, something is seriously wrong.

 

[PuB]

Worth noting possibly, our chairman says he ‘isn’t worried’ about relegation to L2 as the financial outlay on the whole is ‘very similar’ between the two leagues.

Except your chairman is a complete fucking moron.

We won this league a few seasons back but had to rebuild the side the year after when it turned out we were utter dogshite in L1. There is of course a gap in quality, that's fundamentally how a league system works, but sometimes momentum is enough for promoted teams to do well. The same can be said for relegated teams from L1 doing badly in league 2.

 

[valefan16]

Besides, everyone in League One is playing for second place next season. If Sunderland don't get promoted with a £35m parachute payment, something is seriously wrong.

This is where the parachute payment system is stupid! Wigan waltzed it by spending 7 figures in January a couple of years back on it, Wolves were in the same boat a few seasons back etc. How can sides on 5-6000 attendances compete with that?

 

[Indian Dan]

Get Flitcroft in to manage Sunderland and make it a level playing field

 

[GTFCfish]

Gonna stick my neck on the line here and not sit on the fence, if we end up in League 1 with our current team, I do think we'll struggle a bit.

 

[dedwardp]

When we were relegated last season I thought there was a noticeable drop in the standard, League Two is a terrible division. However, having said that the bottom third or so of League One is not much better so I would expect any promoted sides to make a decent go of staying up, if not more comfortably a la last season's promoted sides.

I don't think our current side is really any worse than the ones that didn't stay up by too much for a few seasons before we did eventually drop. Throw in a couple of signings over the summer and you'd compete just fine.

 

[GEORGE]

This is utter rubbish and takes no account of summer recruitment.

It may be rubbish to you -- But I've based my opinions on the football I've seen over the last few years.

 

[gijsbert_bos]

When we were relegated last season I thought there was a noticeable drop in the standard, League Two is a terrible division. However, having said that the bottom third or so of League One is not much better so I would expect any promoted sides to make a decent go of staying up, if not more comfortably a la last season's promoted sides.

I don't think our current side is really any worse than the ones that didn't stay up by too much for a few seasons before we did eventually drop. Throw in a couple of signings over the summer and you'd compete just fine.

A terrible division that Colchester aren't getting out of this season! As you say, not much of a gap between top of L2 and the bottom half of L1.

 

[dedwardp]

A terrible division that Colchester aren't getting out of this season! As you say, not much of a gap between top of L2 and the bottom half of L1.

Yes, and? I didn't say we were any good.

 

[TrinidadsNumberOne]

If a side like Blackpool, who are in total disarray off the pitch and on the pitch are littered with half a team of Crewe rejects who all struggled at League One level are comfortably on their way to survival, then it shows you what a basket case the bottom half of League One is.

Quite a few of those sides with their current squads would easily be in the bottom half of this division due to having losing cultures at their club. If a side like Oldham, who have done nothing of note for years, were to go down, I'd back them to struggle in League Two, because all they've known is 15th-19th in League One since 2010 or so. Sides with low budgets like Walsall and Wimbledon would struggle too because they won't have the finances to overhaul their squad for the new campaign. Rochdale have had the funds from a lucrative cup run and with Keith Hill at the helm, I'd back them to be competitive within 2 years because they'd lose a lot of players were they to go down. Whereas a side with some money like MK or Oxford would probably build a squad capable to go up a la Doncaster last year. You've also got Bury and Northampton, the former being the most boom and bust club in the country so you can't predict what they'll do, and the latter coming off the back of a dodgy Chinese investment scheme gone wrong it seems, so they might not have the finances they thought to piss this level again.

Sides like us and Yeovil have been in 5 consecutive relegation battles despite us spending generous wages (particularly at this level where we should be competitive. we hadn't a chance in League One once Davis started playing the financially inferior card to mask his own failings) and despite the latter having a season of Championship football because we've failed to rid ourselves of a losing culture. Accrington have a winning culture under Coleman and that's why they've defied the odds this season. Same goes to Wycombe under Ainsworth and Lincoln under Cowley. Even Tisdale since he got served notice has instilled a winning culture at Exeter (wonder what'll happen when his notice is due in November 2018 though?).

For me, as one of the smallest clubs to ever make League One, I think Accrington will be able to attract players they necessarily wouldn't have been able to attract before, but their wage structure probably won't change too radically so I'd see them as candidates to go down like Dagenham and Macclesfield did years before them. Luton will stay up in that league easily I'd imagine and be a top half side. The rest? Wycombe don't stay in League One for long these days when they're there and recent history shows that Lincoln, Mansfield and Exeter don't last in League One for long whilst they're there too. Notts, Coventry and Swindon can all compete with the right man in charge and the right squad in the league above, but they'll need to strengthen their sides dramatically in the Summer were any to go up.

Honestly though, you could whack the bottom 12 of that league though in our league and none of them would run away with this division...