2022/23 Relegation Thread

[Soup Ladle]

I still think you’ll be in for a shock mate,it’ll be different when your watching it every other week or so.
The ‘gamesmanship‘ from a lot of teams is beyone ridiculous & I got sick to the back teeth of it by the third season.

Yeah total different ball game, people go on about the shithousery here but fuck me like, it's another level there, the only thing for me was the first game v Dover and reality set in, not three seasons more like thirty minutes.

Went to a Northern League game midweek, proper football, both teams going for it, healthy crowd, where did it all go wrong.

 

[GTFCfish]

What Rovers did was A) Released a lot of the dead wood B) Added some pretty good Non league payers ( Out of contract )such as Matty Taylor , Jamie White ( who was a disaster ) Stuart Sinclair , Lee Mansell ( That penalty ) & Andy Monkhouse. Then as the season progressed we added some ex FL players in Jermaine Easter, Chris Lines & Lyle Della - Verde. That is how we managed to obtain promotion at the first attempt.

And having an incompetent referee in the play off final helped you out a bit too.

 

[GEORGE]

And having an incompetent referee in the play off final helped you out a bit too.

Totally agree -- Our goalie should have been sent off.

 

[Carver]

We'll be joining this thread start of next season

 

[The Terminator]

From what I've seen of Hartlepool since Askey came in, they can stay up.

 

[Chief Rocka]

Always fun (or not) having a stab at the Fishy Prediction Calculator thingy HERE when things get towards the sticky end of the season, just went on results didn't fret with the GD changes, went up to and included Harrogate and really tried using my objective head which can be hard, I got the following.

Pools beating Swindon (H), Crawley (H), Barra (H)
Pools drawing Grimsby (A), Newport (A),
Pools losing Stevenage (H), Salford (A), Stockport (A)

19	Harrogate Town	46	-12	48
20	Newport County	46	-12	48
21	Colchester	46	-12	47
22	Hartlepool	46	-26	43
23	Crawley Town	46	-18	41
24	Rochdale	46	-26	29

Easy as that lads!

Bit early to be tootin' me own horn but good start!

 

[Soup Ladle]

The team is a work in progress but is not bottom 2 material. Finally got a proper manager in, players putting a shift every week, some of them totally reborn. Fans behind the club, Northern Line up to Newcastle rocking, genuine belief now.

 

[Chief Rocka]

The team is a work in progress but is not bottom 2 material. Finally got a proper manager in, players putting a shift every week, some of them totally reborn. Fans behind the club, Northern Line up to Newcastle rocking, genuine belief now.

Crawley ain't gonna enjoy coming here in a few weeks if we're still close, needs to be £10 a head, place will be rammed.

 

[GFC4EVA]

Think colchester should be very worried

 

[PuB]

Think colchester should be very worried

Hope they go down for the JED chants alone to be honest.

Askey is a very very good appointment even if maybe it was a little by accident and a little by circumstance. Really hope Pools stay in the league (that goes out the window if it’s at our expense of course).

 

[GFC4EVA]

Also hope Hartlepool stay up as its an away day I'm yet to tick off the list.

After their big win today I think they will survive

 

[Sestonpoolie]

What a mental game that was.
Should have been dead & buried by halftime,played off the park by Swindon.
They even had chances in the first 20 mins of the 2nd to wrap it up,but didn’t,then we started to get a grip of the game.
The last 20 mins,we were excellent again & the last 10 was fantastic,Askey really knows how to make subs.
Happy days.

 

[Soup Ladle]

What a mental game that was.
Should have been dead & buried by halftime,played off the park by Swindon.
They even had chances in the first 20 mins of the 2nd to wrap it up,but didn’t,then we started to get a grip of the game.
The last 20 mins,we were excellent again & the last 10 was fantastic,Askey really knows how to make subs.
Happy days.

We do look quite dangerous switching up to a 433 with Wes McDonald coming on, he is a brilliant impact player. Askey just picks the same team, it is arguably our best XI and you can see the team benefitting from that. His changes aren't rocket science but he times them well.

 

[Lancs@(Bantam)]

Go on Dale and Pool hugely rooting for you 2 to beat the drop, always liked Dale even despite them generally always doing us over, I had the same feelings with Bury and Oldham so would hate Rochdale to head in the same direction. It's probably hugely biased with it being my closest game of the season from just over the hilld in Cliviger. But in general I'd hate our Northern bros to drop into the national league. As for Hartlepool I've no real affinity towards them but hugely admire and appreciate their fantastic support to away games, and in L2 that is few and far between so has to be embraced. So as a result it would be a huge loss to all in L2 if they drop out.

 

[Limerick Mariner]

The most IMPORTANT thing yous will need is a manager that
Knows his way around the NatLge, We have ours thank god.

Nat Lge is a strange beast, A lot of promising young players who never quite
Made it for one reason or another.

I say again the manager is the most important!!!!!

The formula is - “keep us shape” and then a score a series of last minute winners against teams that have better players, giving them no time at all to come back at you. Simple really - not sure why others haven’t tried it…

 

[Stocky]

Between 5 teams now. Rochdale still probably fucked. Hartlepool have found a bounce under Askey- got a good feeling for them now. Crawley, Colchester and Harrogate will be nervous.

 

[F!RTHY]

We’ll give Rochdale a leg up when we play them in 2 weeks time.

Really hope Dale and Hartlepool stay up - purely for geographical reasons.

Colchester and Crawley for relegation please.

Sorry, not sorry.

 

[Soup Ladle]

I also hope Dale can stay up (with us). We need to keep the proper clubs in the league.

 

[Richard Cranium]

Get Harrogate down. Worst away in the league

 

[Casey]

I said in the matchday thread we only stay up if the others are more useless than us.

I think we'll get a couple more results but Pools are going well and Colchester are picking up enough points here and there.

Casey

 

[RiftHouseLad]

The formula is - “keep us shape” and then a score a series of last minute winners against teams that have better players, giving them no time at all to come back at you. Simple really - not sure why others haven’t tried it…

Yep, Some other team did that during the week, Think it was against Crawley.
Ended up a draw if i remember, I blame the manager made some dodgy subs.

 

[Boz]

Think Harrogate would be missed least if they go down, but look as though they’ve enough quality to get the points needed. Can’t see a way out for Dale. Fairly even quality between the remaining trio, though for geography and having a Rovers hero in their ranks hope Pools stay up.

 

[RiftHouseLad]

Think Harrogate would be missed least if they go down, but look as though they’ve enough quality to get the points needed. Can’t see a way out for Dale. Fairly even quality between the remaining trio, though for geography and having a Rovers hero in their ranks hope Pools stay up.

Aye cracking lad Connor, And (some) county fans think he was beneath them will never understand that.

 

[Stocky]

Aye cracking lad Connor, And (some) county fans think he was beneath them will never understand that.

Unfair that mate. He's a local lad for us. Just never had the impact. Bad shoulder injury/illness stagnated his time here- he just never got going and therefore wasn't an important part of our promotion. He never had a meaningful impact but we rehabilitated him and nobody's got a bad word to say about him. His brother retired here through injury and we've basically created a position in player liason for him. Connor would be no different.

I'd love it if he kept you up.

Would I have him back? No. Don't think he's what we need or want for this season or next to push higher to League One.

Basically, to say we thought he was "beneath us" is not fair in my opinion and doesn't tell the full story.

 

[RiftHouseLad]

Unfair that mate. He's a local lad for us. Just never had the impact. Bad shoulder injury/illness stagnated his time here- he just never got going and therefore wasn't an important part of our promotion. He never had a meaningful impact but we rehabilitated him and nobody's got a bad word to say about him. His brother retired here through injury and we've basically created a position in player liason for him. Connor would be no different.

I'd love it if he kept you up.

Would I have him back? No. Don't think he's what we need or want for this season or next to push higher to League One.

Basically, to say we thought he was "beneath us" is not fair in my opinion and doesn't tell the full story.

Aye i take on board what your saying, Probably a little harsh by me.

I just have a liking for a player that is willing to run themselves into the ground for the team.
And didn,t realise how clever he is on/off the ball.

Can,t believe i,m saying this,lol. Hope you go up directly having had the rough time over the recent past
NLN i mean.
Also for DC cause he,s still fondly remembered by most here.

 

[Stocky]

Aye i take on board what your saying, Probably a little harsh by me.

I just have a liking for a player that is willing to run themselves into the ground for the team.
And didn,t realise how clever he is on/off the ball.

Can,t believe i,m saying this,lol. Hope you go up directly having had the rough time over the recent past
NLN i mean.
Also for DC cause he,s still fondly remembered by most here.

We're not good enough to go up mate. I'd be cheering like everyone else. And then I'd settle down and think "fuck, next year is going to have a few tough Saturday evenings".

Year too soon. We blow nobody away at this level. We're at the right level.

 

[RiftHouseLad]

We're not good enough to go up mate. I'd be cheering like everyone else. And then I'd settle down and think "fuck, next year is going to have a few tough Saturday evenings".

Year too soon. We blow nobody away at this level. We're at the right level.

Thing is if you can go up grap that chance, Things can be sorted in the summer.
DC is nobody,s fool, Would much sooner be up there than trying again next season.

 

[Stocky]

Thing is if you can go up grap that chance, Things can be sorted in the summer.
DC is nobody,s fool, Would much sooner be up there than trying again next season.

DC still has some adapting to do at Football League level IMO.

We were down on our arse from pretty much 2009-2019. I'd lose no sleep over another season in League Two. It's a solid league. We'd learn and go again.

Never once looked at us this season and thought "promotion team" and I think I'll be proved right.

 

[RiftHouseLad]

DC still has some adapting to do at Football League level IMO.

We were down on our arse from pretty much 2009-2019. I'd lose no sleep over another season in League Two. It's a solid league. We'd learn and go again.

Never once looked at us this season and thought "promotion team" and I think I'll be proved right.

To be honest apart from Orient (deserved) i think there are about 6-8 who could go up.
To me its about getting there and taking your chances.
But i understand what your saying.

 

[Son of Cod]

That applies to pretty much any relegated side in any division - presuming some old cloggers who have done it in the league above will be enough to get you up is a recipe for disaster.

In our time in the National League, Bristol Rovers and Orient are the two teams that stand out who came down and went back up without too much fuss - I think they managed to keep the core of their team together and added some of their own youngsters. I’m not sure there was a lot of non-league experience among their players or staff?

Edit: forgot it was Darrell Clarke in charge ^^
It seemed like the main thing he did was clear the dead wood rather than pick up a load of non-league talent.

Cheltenham bounced straight back in your first season back up in the NL proper too.

Absolutley. I've watched a few games at NL/NLN level and below for the last few years. Mostly ground hopping when Dale had shit away games I'd already done. So it won't be a huge culture shock to me at least.


If i had to pick a shortlist of potential managers it'd probably be

Mellon - NL promotions with Fleetwood and Tranmere.

Altrincham's Parkinson - Has had them overachieving on a small budget. Promotions from NPL - NLN - NL. Knows our best player in Mullarkey, seemed to get Sinclair firing whilst on loan.Would also continue the piss boil of Alty fans who seem to dislike us. Due to signing Mullarkey and avoiding the drop at their expense about 40 years ago during re-election.

Jim Gannon - Knows the level well and had success during a period of less affluent ownership at County. Seems happy without stress of management though.

Keith Hill - Obvious links to us and would take him back. Didn't go well at Scunny but they seem fooked off the pitch. I think he was harshly sacked by Tranmere and still has a point to prove that he can still do it. Maybe nostalgic bollox.


Whether any are realistic targets or not I've no idea.

Gannon is done surely? The best he'd do is get you hard to beat on a budget. Mellon has the best record but needs a top budget to compete. Keith Hill is the logical/obvious choice to be fair. Parkinson the pick of the bunch for me for the reasons you've listed. He's sound too, someone who just seems like he gets it.

We actually won the playoffs 2-0 against rectum!! Mansfield came up as champions that season, oh and i just thought i should mention we beat Grimsby 1-0 in both legs of the semi

Horrible matches of football! Totally hoodwinked us by letting us spank you on the final day of the season too. That entire division is still sat around claiming that minute minute now Newport's form is going to drop.

Totally agree -- Our goalie should have been sent off.

Ours could have been as well later on in the game, to be fair.