Athletic Article: League One and Two Seasons to be abandoned next week

[Si Robin]

So the first play off game is in 9 days time. What happened to the 3 weeks needed to get up to fitness.

We've been training since the 1st of June.

We also apparently lost 3-1 to Cardiff in a friendly today.

 

[Alty Pieman]

So the first play off game is in 9 days time. What happened to the 3 weeks needed to get up to fitness.

Forgive my ignorance,... but who is paying for the covid testing ? and what happens if clubs have positive cases and cant play ?

 

[Devon_Lad]

Crikey son, at 25 you are a polymath. 12 years semi-pro refereeing and acknowledged league eagle.

QED.

You look daft when you think I've said something just because someone else misquoted me fella.

 

[Alty Pieman]

Absolutely they want us out, the report from our last disciplinary hearing showed that they would have relegated us there and then if they'd got their way. Then they go and charge us again last week, directly in contradiction with the independent panel's advice. And to be fair, in any other season we would have been relegated long ago and with no reason to complain.

The more pressing question to me is whether the other FL clubs want rid of us as well, so may have voted in a way that makes it more likely that we will be relegated.

It would be sad to see a fellow Cheshire club kicked out of EFL,.. but it might even lead to a derby again sooner if you're still around then ?

 

[Indian Dan]

Now we’re promoted, all we have to do is survive until the next season starts.

Not alone there, though.

 

[AdamStag]

Well fucking off 2 southern teams and a thoroughly uninspiring trip to Crewe is hardly the end of the world.

Warm congrats to all on here who follow those sides and I hope you Hagerty a prosperous time of it in league 1 next term

 

[Richard Cranium]

Crewe one of the best aways in the league

 

[Luke Imp]

18-4 in L1, so someone chose not to vote (Darren Moore was looking more towards null and void, likewise Southend's Chairman so could have been one of those will their preferred option being off the table).

The '6' must have split.

 

[dannyc5]

You look daft when you think I've said something just because someone else misquoted me fella.

25 eh. When talking about your refereeing credentials you claimed on Jan 3rd in the New Years Day Match Thread “12 years of officiating in the Southern National League with my level 2b qualification.”

You cannot formally be a qualified ref until you are 14. So one of those statements is erroneous. Which one? Or both?

 

[Indian Dan]

Cheltenham v Exeter PO Final

 

[Luke Imp]

Staggering. If Macclesfield were to be relegated on the basis of having an effective points deduction that is bigger than the sanction they were given I can't see them not successfully taking that to court.

Exactly. By calculating it the wrong way, it probably costs Macc a couple of extra points breathing space.

 

[Huntsman94]

Congratulations to all at Swindon, Crewe and Plymouth. Enjoy the next few days and all the best in League One next season (whenever that may be!)

 

[dannyc5]

 

[Richard Cranium]

I'd rather not bother if I couldn't get swonked down the pub to celebrate

 

[Blue Lion]

It would be sad to see a fellow Cheshire club kicked out of EFL,.. but it might even lead to a derby again sooner if you're still around then ?

The only way I can see us staying in business is if we stay up and find new ownership. I don't see us surviving if we end up getting relegated. Best case scenario is that we meet in League 2 in 10 years time in your nicely renovated stadium! But failing that maybe one day you'll cross paths with a Macc phoenix club....

 

[Chris FGR]

Congrats to Swindon, Crewe and Plymouth.

Welcome to Barrow and also probably Harrogate I would think.

 

[Boletus Edulis]

You look daft when you think I've said something just because someone else misquoted me fella.

In english please. Who misquoted what?

 

[dannyc5]

In english please. Who misquoted what?

I can’t be sure. But I think he is saying he misquoted himself.

 

[Vanni]

Congrats to Crewe, Swindon and Plymouth. Of course, it sucks when you can't celebrate promotion properly but what the heck. Good luck all and I hope we don't see you back here in a year's time.

Good luck as well to the four play off contestants.

 

[Boletus Edulis]

Good luck to all the players in the play offs. Stay safe.

 

[Essex2Wessex]

Congrats to those promoted and in the play offs.

I don't approve of the treatment of Macclesfield at all. The obvious comparison is with Bolton last year. Yes, not all aspects of the two cases are identical, but it's not hard, and probably only slightly too simplistic to conclude, that big clubs are treated one way by the EFL, and small clubs quite another. Hope you guys manage to stay up, and somehow, flourish.

 

[valefan16]

Congratulations to Swindon, Crewe and Plymouth on promotion. Doesn’t matter how it comes about your out the pit of L2 and have a chance to push on. Won’t miss Swindon giving us a good hiding at the County Ground next season for the 7000th time.

Good luck to the four play off sides, good battle with Colchester and Northampton and would of been nice to see how that panned out but two solid sides, Cheltenham we had three excellent battles this season and well done to Exeter who must be fed up off the POs now!

Hard luck for Stevenage or Macclesfield, would feel for Macc if they go as they actually looked half decent this year and after Smurf with us I can sympathise with their situation, whatever happens I hope you survive as a club.

As for us, it’s been a great season with memories made, after three absolutely horrific years, two of which resulted in our lowest ever finishes it’s nice to have been competitive. Ironically we beat all the top 7 and only lost twice against anyone who finished top 11 which is pretty nuts!

After breaking club records for home defeats last season to only lose once and getting rid of Smurf, 19/20 has made us fall in love with our club again and see it fixed.

The Man City game and the equaliser from Tom Pope will be forever in the memory. That mental and atmosphere was something else! Adding in breaking the post war goal scoring record for the club he loves and it was icing on the cake!

Plenty of other memories, the last gasp win at Bradford, beating Argyle after having to replace three players by HT, the win at Crewe and Popes 8 minute hatrick at Cheltenham. The wins against Swindon and Colchester etc

Thank you Carol and Kevin... how lucky we were to have them spend over double the clubs worth to keep us from oblivion and giving us our club back!

Hopefully this pandemic passes soon and we can get on with 20/21 and following the clubs we live in the stadiums and I hope all the clubs can get through this and come out the other side intact. May be rivals on the pitch but the clubs are a big family that makes this game in England so great.

 

[Valeite]

I think the FL have been gunning for you since the Crewe game was called off. It’s quite clear IMO they want you to go over Stevenage.

Thankfully all Crewe fans accepted it without causing a fuss.

 

[TimeyWimey]

Thankfully all Crewe fans accepted it without causing a fuss.

Ah, good old League Two memories. They were the days.

 

[Brox]

It's bonkers that the Lincoln amendment was turned down, following any logic you surely have to factor in the points deduction after the PPG calculation. I'm struggling to even play devil's adovcate with this one.

If Lincoln's amendment had passed Macclesfield would be on 33.76 and we're on 28.11 meaning the next penalty would have needed to be 6 points for them to fall below us. As things stand they're on 31.08 meaning an extra 3 points will need to be deducted to see them fall below us in the table.

At the outset I'd really hoped the EFL would scrap relegation in light of the season finishing early as it feels wrong to be wanting a club to be deducted further points so your club can survive.

One interesting line from the statement:

The 24th placed Club in the League Two will be relegated to the National League provided the Board receives the necessary assurances that the National League will start Season 2020/21 (i.e. the relegated Club in League Two has somewhere to play).

I suppose it depends on what level of assurances they require. Presumably the National League won't start until fans are able to go and watch football who knows when that will be? Is there a possibility they won't relegate anyone? Probably clutching at straws but who knows.

 

[Valeite]

Ah, good old League Two memories. They were the days.

We will miss you, especially the easy points.

 

[dannyc5]

Thankfully all Crewe fans accepted it without causing a fuss.

Should have been kicked out of the league there and then.

 

[Devon_Lad]

I can’t be sure. But I think he is saying he misquoted himself.
View attachment 12765

Not sure if you're thick or trolling - orrr? That doesn't correspond to your then later comment.

 

[dannyc5]

You are completely insane.

 

[AdamStag]

It's bonkers that the Lincoln amendment was turned down, following any logic you surely have to factor in the points deduction after the PPG calculation. I'm struggling to even play devil's adovcate with this one.

If Lincoln's amendment had passed Macclesfield would be on 33.76 and we're on 28.11 meaning the next penalty would have needed to be 6 points for them to fall below us. As things stand they're on 31.08 meaning an extra 3 points will need to be deducted to see them fall below us in the table.

At the outset I'd really hoped the EFL would scrap relegation in light of the season finishing early as it feels wrong to be wanting a club to be deducted further points so your club can survive.

One interesting line from the statement:

The 24th placed Club in the League Two will be relegated to the National League provided the Board receives the necessary assurances that the National League will start Season 2020/21 (i.e. the relegated Club in League Two has somewhere to play).

I suppose it depends on what level of assurances they require. Presumably the National League won't start until fans are able to go and watch football who knows when that will be? Is there a possibility they won't relegate anyone? Probably clutching at straws but who knows.

I have sympathy for tranmere as they’d been in the cup, had bad weather and were on some type of form before the season ended.

Stevenage had lost their last 9 in a row.

Whereas I’ve every sympathy from a financial perspective, if there were ever a team who deserved to go down, Stevenage would be them

I also find the argument of “we don’t know when we’ll play next” argument baseless too. The Stevenage chairman knows as well as we all do that there will be little difference between when the league 2 season and the conference seasons kick off.

Ya seriously reckon that league 2 clubs are going to be up for kicking off in August when there’s no fans? The argument about streaming league games but not conference ones doesn’t wash either as the revenue from it would be negligible from a financial perspective.

Personally I don’t see any type of lower league football until October