Rival Watch

[tidus_mi2]

WBA deducted 2 points to put them on 50 points, that`ll piss off the Poxford lads.

Why? It'll give them another team they can catch.

as if it needed saying, oxf*rd would’ve hoped for more.
As is, for oxf*rd, welcome to Reading next seaso’ oxf*rd

Hmm, fair, didn't think of that. Would hope they're not praying for point deductions to stay up considering they've already had 2 teams get them.

[AthleticoSpizz]

Why? It'll give them another team they can catch.

as if it needed saying, oxf*rd would’ve hoped for more.
As is, for oxf*rd, welcome to Reading next seaso’ oxf*rd

Hmm, fair, didn't think of that. Would hope they're not praying for point deductions to stay up considering they've already had 2 teams get them.

Don’t know a scrap of WBAs politics or ‘situation’ tbf, but there was talk of them getting a bigger hit than that a few weeks ago.

Maybe too many ‘big-hitters’ on the bones of their arses in L1 is not what the EFL need nor want?

Little oxf*rd are an easy cast-off

[SouthDownsRoyal]

as if it needed saying, oxf*rd would’ve hoped for more.
As is, for oxf*rd, welcome to Reading next seaso’ oxf*rd

Hmm, fair, didn't think of that. Would hope they're not praying for point deductions to stay up considering they've already had 2 teams get them.

Don’t know a scrap of WBAs politics or ‘situation’ tbf, but there was talk of them getting a bigger hit than that a few weeks ago.

Maybe too many ‘big-hitters’ on the bones of their arses in L1 is not what the EFL need nor want?

Little oxf*rd are an easy cast-off

Can’t help but think it would have been more point deducted if they were mid table

[Mid Sussex Royal]

Hmm, fair, didn't think of that. Would hope they're not praying for point deductions to stay up considering they've already had 2 teams get them.

Don’t know a scrap of WBAs politics or ‘situation’ tbf, but there was talk of them getting a bigger hit than that a few weeks ago.

Maybe too many ‘big-hitters’ on the bones of their arses in L1 is not what the EFL need nor want?

Little oxf*rd are an easy cast-off

Can’t help but think it would have been more point deducted if they were mid table

Sounds like it was because they missed being compliant by less than £2m and this does impact the scale of the points deduction. Its wrong though as seems to be quite discretionary.....if there is an informal points deduction scale they should make it formal and publish it so everyone knows where they stand.

[windermereROYAL]

WBA deducted 2 points to put them on 50 points, that`ll piss off the Poxford lads.

Why? It'll give them another team they can catch.

They were talking a 6 point deduction, that would have put them level on points with the pox, albion and Charlton just need a single point to send them down.
But west brom have Ipswich at home today while Oxford have Sheffield Wednesday, so it could yet go to the last day.

[Sutekh]

WBA deducted 2 points to put them on 50 points, that`ll piss off the Poxford lads.

Why? It'll give them another team they can catch.

They were talking a 6 point deduction, that would have put them level on points with the pox, albion and Charlton just need a single point to send them down.
But west brom have Ipswich at home today while Oxford have Sheffield Wednesday, so it could yet go to the last day.

Like Ox will get anything at Millwall next week

[tidus_mi2]

Why? It'll give them another team they can catch.

They were talking a 6 point deduction, that would have put them level on points with the pox, albion and Charlton just need a single point to send them down.
But west brom have Ipswich at home today while Oxford have Sheffield Wednesday, so it could yet go to the last day.

Like Ox will get anything at Millwall next week

Well they just got relegated without kicking a ball so that's gotta be fun for them.

Also while not rivals, if Southampton beat Ipswich, that sets up a 4 way final day showdown for 2nd which is quite impressive.

[WestYorksRoyal]

Looking like the L1 relegation battle will have an exciting finish next week.

[Sutekh]

Looking like the L1 relegation battle will have an exciting finish next week.

Exeter need to beat Bradford at home and hope Orient don’t beat Burton at home. Peterborough’s current points total & GD advantage pretty much takes them out of the struggle.

[tidus_mi2]

In the Championship, if Southampton beat Ipswich before the final fixtures, it'll be straight up slog between 2nd and 5th where anyone in those positions could finish in any of those positions.

[WestYorksRoyal]

Looking like the L1 relegation battle will have an exciting finish next week.

Exeter need to beat Bradford at home and hope Orient don’t beat Burton at home. Peterborough’s current points total & GD advantage pretty much takes them out of the struggle.

I wrote that when Exeter were beating Burton.

[stealthpapes]

Looking like the L1 relegation battle will have an exciting finish next week.

Exeter need to beat Bradford at home and hope Orient don’t beat Burton at home. Peterborough’s current points total & GD advantage pretty much takes them out of the struggle.

Peterborough you say? Changed managers in October?

Had a solid run of form over the winter but the last twelve is W1 D5 L6

There’s a message here

[South Coast Royal]

Looking like the L1 relegation battle will have an exciting finish next week.

Exeter need to beat Bradford at home and hope Orient don’t beat Burton at home. Peterborough’s current points total & GD advantage pretty much takes them out of the struggle.

Peterborough you say? Changed managers in October?

Had a solid run of form over the winter but the last twelve is W1 D5 L6

There’s a message here

Yes, pick the right manager.

Look at Southampton for an example and (when not playing City) they play quick and entertaining football.

[stealthpapes]

Yes, pick the right manager.

I mean, we can all see that this is a particularly stupid comment.

So let's try and do something meaningful with it.

How?

We're a small-to-medium sized club, with a limited budget, a limited catchment area but a strong history in developing players whether our own or brought in from lower.

Big names - simply not going to get.
Maybe could get an older head but you'd have to sell the project to them. It's not a bad idea but the match of candidate, availability and cost is going to be very restrictive.
Recruit from within the club - worked for Pardew, McDermott, Hunt but less so for Rodgers
Things to really avoid - headline grabbing names (Warnock, Mowbray have been mentioned, nope), random foreigners with marginal experience (Gomes, Paunovic, dump Clement in here)
I think had Steve Clarke not blotted his copy book, could have hung around and been a success but its also pretty clear that the financial nonsense was starting to bite.
The most likely to succeed approach is a young and hungry manager, with a clear alignment of the club's needs and their approach. Fold the recruit from within types in here. Even then, it's not guaranteed.

And then there's always a risk it doesn't work.

Peterborough looked like it might have, but then they faded harder than we did. You mentioned Southampton - 16 games and a W 4 D 6 L 6 record is IMHO way to soon to decide on a young manager who'd seen success in smaller clubs elsewhere. Eckhert would have been potentially available on 26th October, was he mentioned anywhere in the possible names for us? Can you imagine the response had we gone in for him? No pro career. No managerial experience. It would have been a bold choice.
(Or ask the same question, had the weeks lined up, if Will Still had been the candidate)

(Just for the numbers, and a point I seem to have to continue to make: Eckert's league form is P 31 W19 D7 L5, so even with > 2 points per game, there's run of over a month when they got 3 points from 7 games. Our form under Leam is W13 D9 L9 - the difference is in 4, maybe 5 games in 31.)

Any of the ways described, its going to need a bit of patience and, for some reason, our fanbase just doesn't seem in the mood to give anyone that space. Hunt got one meaningful transfer window. Some people don't think Leam should be given the chance to put his own stamp on the club. This path, this is the route to catastrophic failure.

But you know, stamp you feet, make a fuss, it might just work this time.

[leon]

Yes, pick the right manager.

I mean, we can all see that this is a particularly stupid comment.

So let's try and do something meaningful with it.

How?

We're a small-to-medium sized club, with a limited budget, a limited catchment area but a strong history in developing players whether our own or brought in from lower.

Big names - simply not going to get.
Maybe could get an older head but you'd have to sell the project to them. It's not a bad idea but the match of candidate, availability and cost is going to be very restrictive.
Recruit from within the club - worked for Pardew, McDermott, Hunt but less so for Rodgers
Things to really avoid - headline grabbing names (Warnock, Mowbray have been mentioned, nope), random foreigners with marginal experience (Gomes, Paunovic, dump Clement in here)
I think had Steve Clarke not blotted his copy book, could have hung around and been a success but its also pretty clear that the financial nonsense was starting to bite.
The most likely to succeed approach is a young and hungry manager, with a clear alignment of the club's needs and their approach. Fold the recruit from within types in here. Even then, it's not guaranteed.

And then there's always a risk it doesn't work.

Peterborough looked like it might have, but then they faded harder than we did. You mentioned Southampton - 16 games and a W 4 D 6 L 6 record is IMHO way to soon to decide on a young manager who'd seen success in smaller clubs elsewhere. Eckhert would have been potentially available on 26th October, was he mentioned anywhere in the possible names for us? Can you imagine the response had we gone in for him? No pro career. No managerial experience. It would have been a bold choice.
(Or ask the same question, had the weeks lined up, if Will Still had been the candidate)

(Just for the numbers, and a point I seem to have to continue to make: Eckert's league form is P 31 W19 D7 L5, so even with > 2 points per game, there's run of over a month when they got 3 points from 7 games. Our form under Leam is W13 D9 L9 - the difference is in 4, maybe 5 games in 31.)

Any of the ways described, its going to need a bit of patience and, for some reason, our fanbase just doesn't seem in the mood to give anyone that space. Hunt got one meaningful transfer window. Some people don't think Leam should be given the chance to put his own stamp on the club. This path, this is the route to catastrophic failure.

But you know, stamp you feet, make a fuss, it might just work this time.

Fcuk me papes. You don’t give up do you?

Ok let’s do this. Leam in. What’s the roadmap for success over the next 6 months?

That you’re going to predict (being the clever cnut you clearly are) ?

[stealthpapes]

Please stop being dickheads and calling for the manager’s head when there’s bigger, structural, problems with the squad and the club that aren’t fully fixed yet.

Frame it and put it in the Louvre.

[stealthpapes]

You can also have

The difference between a great and a good, or a good and a merely solid, season is down remarkably fine margins. The rest is vibes.

[morganb]

So, Bolton escape League One and we have to face Stockport (and Stevenage and Bradford) again next year

Now just need to see who comes up out of Salford and Notts County tomorrow

We have already lost Exeter, Rotherham, Port Vale and Northampton

And gained Oxford, Leicester and Sheffield Wednesday

[MR. CYNICAL]

So, Bolton escape League One and we have to face Stockport (and Stevenage and Bradford) again next year

Now just need to see who comes up out of Salford and Notts County tomorrow

We have already lost Exeter, Rotherham, Port Vale and Northampton

And gained Oxford, Leicester and Sheffield Wednesday

As well as Bradford City, Leicester and Sheffield Wednesday you can write off as losses as Richardson will no doubt say that not many of our team have played there before!
Can see the excuses building already.

[stealthpapes]

Prepare for lolz when the Salford away capacity gets announced.

Notts County, now thats a name I haven’t heard in some time.