Tues 9th/Wed 10th April fixtures

[Tangerine_tart]

Awful, awful approach to the game. It's happened so many times in the past 20 years. We basically turn up and are beaten before we start the game....against a team in our own league. Peterborough won't have an easier game all season....it was like a training game. Yes, they have better players than us , and we didn't want to leave ourselves too open, but we were truly pathetic.

This sort of game reflects where we are as a club. Peterborough post losses of £8 million a year, which the chairman is willing to write off. They pay much bigger wages than us and it shows. Is it fair considering they're a similar sized club to us? It's a risk, especially if their erratic chairman walked away. Yes, they make money from selling on non league talent, but they also spend big on it too.

We're absolutely miles away from Derby, Pompey, Bolton etc. None of these clubs would have a single one of our players in their squad, nevermind their team. We've scored 0 goals against any of the top 6. Yes, they're bigger clubs than us but we need some sort of plan to bridge that gap. Currently, the only way I can see it is through significant investment....we need someone who is willing to write off serious debt.

We should be able to compete with Posh, Stevenage right now, but Posh had a team full of skill, pace, athleticism, desire....we haven't had that in over 25 years.

If 4 teams finish below us this season then they truly deserve it. Ryan Loft should be flipping burgers...potentially the worst footballer I have seen, and we're playing teenagers out of position.

You have 3 of the 4 fixtures at home. We are God awful, but we had the 3 home games in a row just now. You've got this. Believe . You'll be back at Bloomfield Road, next season.

 

[denzel ecfc]

Beat ourselves largely with the set up, we shown them more respect than we did Man City, Aguero, Foden, Silva etc as a L2 club a few seasons back, embarrassing lack of belief, it’s Peterborough United for gods sake.

Was a free hit but annoyed we’ve not really made any effort to go for a result there, frustrating thing is we’ve done their job for them with two own goals and a needless penalty to concede.

Big one is Saturday though so overall doesn’t change a great deal, it was an expected result and the fate of us lays at Vale Park but felt a waste of a tenner that and feel for the fans who went.

Never thought we would be classed as the 'big one'.

We will probably carry on experimenting with our line up, with an eye on next season, so no excuses if you don't roll us over.

 

[Si Robin]

Amazingly, it's in our own hands again.

This relegation battle is a joke. My mate's just text to say that we need a minimum of 2 wins. I pointed out that we probably just need 1 and that's against Burton next week. At the moment, the three of us are just so bloody dreadful.

 

[valefan16]

You have 3 of the 4 fixtures at home. We are God awful, but we had the 3 home games in a row just now. You've got this. Believe . You'll be back at Bloomfield Road, next season.

It just depends really, we'd started to look better and the sides we play are mostly safe now but we've lost to some truly dreadful sides this year (which shows where we are) and have to show the effort and willingness to try and win that we'd shown in recent weeks over those home games.

Last night does not change anything really, along with Bolton it was one we'd written off so no damage done in that aspect to our chances of staying up. 3-0 away at Posh is pretty standard for us regardless of how we are playing but the manner and set up was a concern. Moore has to get it spot on in the home games.

 

[valefan16]

Amazingly, it's in our own hands again.

This relegation battle is a joke. My mate's just text to say that we need a minimum of 2 wins. I pointed out that we probably just need 1 and that's against Burton next week. At the moment, the three of us are just so bloody dreadful.

I think 45-46 points will be required total.

 

[Bartonyellow]

I think 45-46 points will be required total.

I think 43.
None of us can win.
Out game on Tuesday against Cheltenham is the decider for me between us two.
In reality we all deserve to drop. Fucking horrific this season. Thank god it’s nearly over.

 

[valefan16]

I think 43.
None of us can win.
Out game on Tuesday against Cheltenham is the decider for me between us two.
In reality we all deserve to drop. Fucking horrific this season. Thank god it’s nearly over.

Loser of that probably goes, guess for us a draw there is the best outcome!

We do, arguably Fleetwood going on a mad run to send us all down we'd have no complaints.

I'm not that fussed about it as the apathy of this season has killed me (and a lot of fans) so needless, I am at the point and last night is a good example of thinking I would rather go down and see us win 17-18 games next season than stay up and have another 11-12 wins and dire performances again. The last 16 months have sucked the life out of us really. 13 wins, this season 10 wins of which 5 in a 4 week period in August/Sept, 3 in a 3 week spell in December and 2 in a week in March... so the long periods of utter dourness between have been soul destroying really.

Bloody hate our away kit as well, won three times in it and been shocking in it, 7-0 V Barnsley, 3-0 V Rovers, Fleetwood, Posh, lost to Cheltenham in it, one of those I would like to see us burn! No idea why we wore it considering it is Blue last night either! We never play well in it.

 

[Bartonyellow]

Loser of that probably goes, guess for us a draw there is the best outcome!

We do, arguably Fleetwood going on a mad run to send us all down we'd have no complaints.

I'm not that fussed about it as the apathy of this season has killed me (and a lot of fans) so needless, I am at the point and last night is a good example of thinking I would rather go down and see us win 17-18 games next season than stay up and have another 11-12 wins and dire performances again. The last 16 months have sucked the life out of us really. 13 wins, this season 10 wins of which 5 in a 4 week period in August/Sept, 3 in a 3 week spell in December and 2 in a week in March... so the long periods of utter dourness between have been soul destroying really.

Bloody hate our away kit as well, won three times in it and been shocking in it, 7-0 V Barnsley, 3-0 V Rovers, Fleetwood, Posh, lost to Cheltenham in it, one of those I would like to see us burn! No idea why we wore it considering it is Blue last night either! We never play well in it.

It’s a strange feeling when you are at peace with relegation. I’m not shocked or surprised as it’s been coming for 2 seasons. If we both go down then at least there is the fixture next season plus notts county, crewe, Walsall, and maybe Solihull too. So it’s not all bad news…

 

[Si Robin]

I can't bring myself to accept it yet - I don't know why because we've been in the relegation zone since August. I suppose I'm just one of life's optimists, firmly believing that whilst it's in our hands then we can survive.

 

[Bartonyellow]

I can't bring myself to accept it yet - I don't know why because we've been in the relegation zone since August. I suppose I'm just one of life's optimists, firmly believing that whilst it's in our hands then we can survive.

You will win Tuesday so that will probably see you right.

 

[valefan16]

It’s a strange feeling when you are at peace with relegation. I’m not shocked or surprised as it’s been coming for 2 seasons. If we both go down then at least there is the fixture next season plus notts county, crewe, Walsall, and maybe Solihull too. So it’s not all bad news…

This time last year I was so worked up about it, my wife would testify that was a nightmare to be around but it felt like we'd made an error but was undoing the hard work DC had done and the club to get up, especially in the way we did it despite the tragedy for DC and how we'd all come together and felt like we'd gone up by fate as much as anything.

This season though we've made the same errors, we've made less effort to correct them until its too late (sticking with Crosby, messing up January again, getting rid of Flickers) that we deserve it for being so slow to react, at least you made managerial changes, signings in January, Cheltenham the same at the right times, we sat on our hands whilst fans could see for months what was happening, even when we were doing well which was largely down to having arguably the leagues best player on loan for the first half of the season.

I am largely bored with them at the moment, its been boring to watch, and I am not going to be ruining family life over them when it feels they largely dont care about the football on the pitch side.

We've had a few good parts, the Carabao (but even then the QF no show summed us up), watching someone of the class of Arblaster in a Vale shirt and the quality of the kids coming through (all be it more potential) but we've broken a few unwanted records as well!

 

[kieran_vale]

Have to admit looking at what L1 will likely comprise of next season whichever of the three of us survive its basically a one season stay of execution and will instantly be a relegation favourite. Probably be the same for Cambridge and Shrews too you’d say without significant upgrades. You never want to be relegated but there is a part of me too that is looking at it and saying it’d almost be a relief to be in L2 next season.

 

[valefan16]

Have to admit looking at what L1 will likely comprise of next season whichever of the three of us survive its basically a one season stay of execution and will instantly be a relegation favourite. Probably be the same for Cambridge and Shrews too you’d say without significant upgrades. You never want to be relegated but there is a part of me too that is looking at it and saying it’d almost be a relief to be in L2 next season.

Said this before, looking at the financial power of Stockport, Wrexham, plus possibly MK, those three would expect to finish above Shrews, Cambridge and who of us survive, Bristol Rovers would probably need to have a very good summer as it stands too which is partly why im less arsed about it as it screams another struggle (unless Carol has some of this £180 million to spend!)

Likely Northampton/Orient or Stevenage, 1 or 2 of those will have the famous second season syndrome also.

 

[Si Robin]

Have to admit looking at what L1 will likely comprise of next season whichever of the three of us survive its basically a one season stay of execution and will instantly be a relegation favourite. Probably be the same for Cambridge and Shrews too you’d say without significant upgrades. You never want to be relegated but there is a part of me too that is looking at it and saying it’d almost be a relief to be in L2 next season.

I actually disagree. We might have started falling away now towards the end of the season, but for large periods our form was distinctly mid-table. The start of the season hindered us massively. Had we had DC from last summer we wouldn't be in the trouble we're in now - I'm certain of that.

If we stay up, there will be a rebuild in the summer and we have the right man to oversee it.

We'll 100% be favourites for relegation, but I'd still rather that than potentially one relegation from non-league.

 

[valefan16]

I actually disagree. We might have started falling away now towards the end of the season, but for large periods our form was distinctly mid-table. The start of the season hindered us massively. Had we had DC from last summer we wouldn't be in the trouble we're in now - I'm certain of that.

If we stay up, there will be a rebuild in the summer and we have the right man to oversee it.

We'll 100% be favourites for relegation, but I'd still rather that than potentially one relegation from non-league.

37 points from 32 is 53 points over a season so would keep you up if that happened but DC isn't infallible (we nearly went down with him last season) if the budget isn't there to a degree also.

There likely will be less poorer sides than are in it this season with the financial power coming up. Wrexham will spend loads, Stockport will spend loads, MK usually are strong if they make it up so its going to be a right old slog.

I think they quality at the bottom next season will be a lot higher than the past 4 or 5.

 

[Carver]

From what I have seen, whoever survives out of us, Burton or Cheltenham can consider themselves lucky, all 3 deserve to go down.

And you've all been beaten by us this season! That should be deserving enough of going down.

We even did the double over Burton.

 

[BRFC_Gas]

Have to admit looking at what L1 will likely comprise of next season whichever of the three of us survive its basically a one season stay of execution and will instantly be a relegation favourite. Probably be the same for Cambridge and Shrews too you’d say without significant upgrades. You never want to be relegated but there is a part of me too that is looking at it and saying it’d almost be a relief to be in L2 next season.

Yeah I often think, whats better, struggling in L1 year after year, or competing at the top end of L2 every year. Crowds will turn up in numbers regardless as long as you are doing well.
The downside is that if you have a blip you could slide into national league oblivion. When we got relegated from L2 we were only in the relegation places for something like 60 mins. Unfortunately they were the final 60 minutes.
Obviously challenging at the top end of L1 would be ideal but its hard to compete with the big clubs that find their way here each season.

 

[kieran_vale]

I actually disagree. We might have started falling away now towards the end of the season, but for large periods our form was distinctly mid-table. The start of the season hindered us massively. Had we had DC from last summer we wouldn't be in the trouble we're in now - I'm certain of that.

If we stay up, there will be a rebuild in the summer and we have the right man to oversee it.

We'll 100% be favourites for relegation, but I'd still rather that than potentially one relegation from non-league.

True, that start you had was a killer. Seems an age ago now but think we were your first away win from memory. It was that time that doubt really started setting in about Crosby.

Be interesting if DC does just go for a mass cull on your squad. He did that with us and I think at Rovers in his first summer in charge. Basically released all our out of contract players that summer as well as transfer listing a couple others and sent them on their way calling them deadwood in his final post match interview of the season.

Most of my feeling on it is just largely being in L1 has been a miserable experience for us. Beating Derby away last season probably one of the only good things from it. Other than that window after window of pathetic recruitment that not one of our managers in that time has been able to overcome.

 

[Carver]

Yeah I often think, whats better, struggling in L1 year after year, or competing at the top end of L2 every year. Crowds will turn up in numbers regardless as long as you are doing well.
The downside is that if you have a blip you could slide into national league oblivion. When we got relegated from L2 we were only in the relegation places for something like 60 mins. Unfortunately they were the final 60 minutes.
Obviously challenging at the top end of L1 would be ideal but its hard to compete with the big clubs that find their way here each season.

That's how we've felt after we won the L2 play offs last season, we knew that we had no chance of competing in L1 but we had not had a promotion to celebrate in way over a decade so we needed to win that even though it meant that we'd become a victim of our own success soon after.

I'm not too fussed about us going back down to L2 because it had been coming since the start of the season and we expect to be a good outfit down there next season as we are developing the club so we can compete in L1, also L1 is looking a bit ominous next season with the potential teams coming down and up.

 

[valefan16]

I think for us we came up a season too soon, so had a largely L2 squad the first season, plus doing it the play offs, with the World Cup left us only a 9 week summer, in which the Robbie Williams concert and then the pitch needing massive work didn't help. We've then largely be playing catch up since and still have been spending big money on infrastructure.

Add in DC probably not being ready and after a solid first half last year we just ran out of steam, although public enemy number 1 Flitcroft did wonders up until that point really to turn us from struggling in L2 with little infrastructure (Carol as good as she is had zero experience in football) but January 2023 just seems to have killed us, all momentum and can't overly put a finger on why.

If we go down it could work well for us as we have some real decent youth products coming through (The Sun even ran an article on it last week) for the first time and these lads are doing well to dig in now but should flourish in L2, add in Darren Moore and surely getting in some of his own players i'd hope we wouldn't have the 5 year stints we've had the last 2 spells down there and first 2-3 years of struggle at the bottom end.

 

[BRFC_Gas]

That's how we've felt after we won the L2 play offs last season, we knew that we had no chance of competing in L1 but we had not had a promotion to celebrate in way over a decade so we needed to win that even though it meant that we'd become a victim of our own success soon after.

I'm not too fussed about us going back down to L2 because it had been coming since the start of the season and we expect to be a good outfit down there next season as we are developing the club so we can compete in L1, also L1 is looking a bit ominous next season with the potential teams coming down and up.

That's the best way to look at it mate.
You can have just as good memories in L2 as you can in L1, and as fans thats what its all about. Obviously the stadiums and standard of players is generally better but doesnt mean the enjoyment is any better or worse because of it.
There is a thread on our forum about our 1 season stint in non league - many said it was one of their best seasons supporting Rovers. Says it all really

 

[CTFCfan99]

I can't bring myself to accept it yet - I don't know why because we've been in the relegation zone since August. I suppose I'm just one of life's optimists, firmly believing that whilst it's in our hands then we can survive.

It's a slow painful death that's for sure. Keep getting within a win of safety but can never quite get over the line. We'll probably win Saturday only for Vale to beat Exeter too!

 

[BRFC_Gas]

I can't bring myself to accept it yet - I don't know why because we've been in the relegation zone since August. I suppose I'm just one of life's optimists, firmly believing that whilst it's in our hands then we can survive.

Things will look a whole lot better when you get the 3 points Saturday

 

[Si Robin]

It's a slow painful death that's for sure. Keep getting within a win of safety but can never quite get over the line. We'll probably win Saturday only for Vale to beat Exeter too!

I've always maintained that if we get out of the relegation zone we won't drop back in.

We just can't seem to get out of the relegation zone...

 

[Throbber_for_Dunk]

That's the best way to look at it mate.
You can have just as good memories in L2 as you can in L1, and as fans thats what its all about. Obviously the stadiums and standard of players is generally better but doesnt mean the enjoyment is any better or worse because of it.
There is a thread on our forum about our 1 season stint in non league - many said it was one of their best seasons supporting Rovers. Says it all really

Yeah, we spent 9 years down there, and the majority of those years would rank at the arse end of that poll. But I don't think anything can come close to the year we went up.

Sounds a bit tinpot talking about a famous match against sides clubs at this level probably haven't heard of, but the memories are just as cherished as any others.

The fact Luton are in the Premier League now but they've probably got fans still fuming they lost to Alfreton at home (maybe, go with the sentiment) a decade ago is a testament to how great our pyramid is, and how clubs like all of us lot here for now have to take pleasure from the journey as it comes.

 

[BRFC_Gas]

Yeah, we spent 9 years down there, and the majority of those years would rank at the arse end of that poll. But I don't think anything can come close to the year we went up.

Sounds a bit tinpot talking about a famous match against sides clubs at this level probably haven't heard of, but the memories are just as cherished as any others.

The fact Luton are in the Premier League now but they've probably got fans still fuming they lost to Alfreton at home (maybe, go with the sentiment) a decade ago is a testament to how great our pyramid is, and how clubs like all of us lot here for now have to take pleasure from the journey as it comes.

It was quite nice seeing new grounds and being one of the biggest cubs there. Barnet trying to forge some sort of rivalry with us, bless em.
We started off shite though losing to Braintree and the like, but DC soon sorted us out and it ended well albeit a very nervy play off final.
I guess if you spend more than a few years down there though it loses its uniqueness and becomes a slog.
I think Luton came back up as we went down. Just shows what can be done in a short amount of time!

 

[Si Robin]

My uncle will tell you until he's blue in the face that our 15/16 season was his favourite since we won promotion to the Football League the first time in 1999.

But as you say BRFC_Gas - 1 season as opposed to 5 or 6 seasons is likely to be more enjoyable. The fact we went up as Champions, with over 100 points, means it was our best season in my lifetime - statistically.