Relegation Thread 23/24 Sponsored by Sadford City

[Optipez]

I think Colchester's odds have lengthened today. Four horse race, Salford, Grimsby, FGR and Sutton?

 

[joethegill]

If the Colchester managerial appointment goes to plan (and who knows it can be a crazy club), they will presumably be out of this debate within a couple of months. Hopefully that steps up the chances that Salford will be deeper in it....

Colchester normally go on a run in about March and end up well clear, could easily happen again. Unfortunately for them they're losing their one good player back to Luton and have to deal with playing John Akinde who's slower than me.

 

[Conker]

I reckon Colchester will pull off some good signings this month.

 

[Master D]

I think Colchester's odds have lengthened today. Four horse race, Salford, Grimsby, FGR and Sutton?

I can only see the current bottom 2 going down.

 

[Optipez]

I can only see the current bottom 2 going down.

I think Sutton may survive, depends on who takes over.
I don't rate Karl Robinson at all so I wouldn't rule Salford out.
I look at FGR and don't see a together club which in a relegation battle is a disaster. If Deeney doesn't pick up points soon I can see them going for a four manager season, it's what we did when we went down. Nolan, Kewell, Paul Hart temporary, Ardley. Total shit show from pre season all the way to the end with a bankrupt tadger waving owner thrown in for entertainment value.

 

[Chris FGR]

I expect Vince will go into proper meltdown if we start looking certain to go down again. He'll get a lot of stick which he never reacts well to, will have the whole M5 junction Eco Park development thrown into doubt and will have pissed money up the wall for 13 years only to be back where he started, owning a non league club with dwindling fanbase.

Even if we somehow stay up we're run so badly these days I don't think the future looks very bright. Club can't reply to emails, sort streaming issues or even fix a fucking hand dryer anymore. Feels like no one really gives a fuck anymore, especially our invisible CEO who is back in New Zealand right now having seemingly done very little in his six months here other then shake hands with hospitality guests/VIP's.

 

[Optipez]

I expect Vince will go into proper meltdown if we start looking certain to go down again. He'll get a lot of stick which he never reacts well to, will have the whole M5 junction Eco Park development thrown into doubt and will have pissed money up the wall for 13 years only to be back where he started, owning a non league club with dwindling fanbase.

Even if we somehow stay up we're run so badly these days I don't think the future looks very bright. Club can't reply to emails, sort streaming issues or even fix a fucking hand dryer anymore. Feels like no one really gives a fuck anymore, especially our invisible CEO who is back in New Zealand right now having seemingly done very little in his six months here other then shake hands with hospitality guests/VIP's.

Why is you CEO in New Zealand during the transfer window ?

 

[Chris FGR]

On holiday apparently.

Tbf he has said himself that he's not really that clued up on football, previously worked in executive roles in Rugby League and tennis in NZ I believe so he doesn't really get involved too much on the footballing side. Let's our DoF handle that. That's the same DoF who oversaw us appointing a new management team that lasted 20 league games and 18 new signings last summer that have helped us pick up a grand total of 4 wins so far this season. So not sure letting him run things is the wisest decision either but there you go.

 

[Conker]

Pretty sure our old CEO was on holiday at the same place as Matty Longstaff agent, who at the time was on 20k p/w at Newcastle, we ended up getting him on loan for nowt.

Think they were in Dubai though, more likely to bump in to a agent than New Zealand.

 

[Optipez]

On holiday apparently.

Tbf he has said himself that he's not really that clued up on football, previously worked in executive roles in Rugby League and tennis in NZ I believe so he doesn't really get involved too much on the footballing side. Let's our DoF handle that. That's the same DoF who oversaw us appointing a new management team that lasted 20 league games and 18 new signings last summer that have helped us pick up a grand total of 4 wins so far this season. So not sure letting him run things is the wisest decision either but there you go.

It has that ominous ring of failure to it. During our relegation the owner demoted our CEO ( the brilliant much missed Jason Turner) and put his PA from his interior fitting company in ahead of him. She knew absolutely nothing about football which when it all going well you can get away with but not when you're in a deep hole.

 

[Indian Dan]

They’ll turn us over tomorrow

 

[Chris FGR]

Pretty sure our old CEO was on holiday at the same place as Matty Longstaff agent, who at the time was on 20k p/w at Newcastle, we ended up getting him on loan for nowt.

Think they were in Dubai though, more likely to bump in to a agent than New Zealand.

So who knows, maybe our CEO will come back from NZ with a couple of surprise top signings secured. Chris Wood on loan from the lesser Forest maybe? What's Winston Reid up to these days?

 

[Greenacres]

So who knows, maybe our CEO will come back from NZ with a couple of surprise top signings secured. Chris Wood on loan from the lesser Forest maybe? What's Winston Reid up to these days?

What is Kiri Te Kanawa doing these days...he could bring back a thin Kiwi lady to sing our demise, which would at least be tuneful, rather than waiting to get a fat one involved!

 

[Chris FGR]

They’ll turn us over tomorrow

Wouldn't surprise me. You looked pretty shite against us.

 

[GTFCfish]

I can only see the current bottom 2 going down.

Same here, I was shocked at how poor Salford were against us but they will surely spend big in January to pull away and despite our last result we’ve shown enough to me when we’ve hit our good spells to be more than ok I hope.

 

[GEORGE]

So who knows, maybe our CEO will come back from NZ with a couple of surprise top signings secured. Chris Wood on loan from the lesser Forest maybe? What's Winston Reid up to these days?

He'll probably sign an All Black.

 

[Greenacres]

A key game today, aren't they all, if we can win against Salford it would reduce the gap between us to three points and potentially drag them into the relegation mire...but a draw or a defeat would leave us with a lot of ground to catch up and probably put a big dent in the confidence that, despite results not going our way, has crept into the team since Troy took over running the show.

This is a really hard game to call.

 

[JaredSUFC]

Probably the best set of results for Sutton today. Whilst we’ve dropped to bottom, it’s only on goal difference and we haven’t lost much if any real ground.

 

[Greenacres]

Probably the best set of results for Sutton today. Whilst we’ve dropped to bottom, it’s only on goal difference and we haven’t lost much if any real ground.

Above you on goal difference, but six points is a lot to make up on the teams above us...it is really starting to look like two from four, with ourselves, Colchester and Salford...plus Grimsby and Donny Rovers at a pinch...trying to avoid the drop. Above them most teams probably only need five or six wins in the second half of the season to guarantee safety, or even a chance at the play-offs if they can put a really decent run together.

 

[Indian Dan]

‘Only 5 or 6 wins’. We’re in the shit if that’s true.

We couldn’t beat a carpet atm

 

[Chris FGR]

‘Only 5 or 6 wins’. We’re in the shit if that’s true.

We couldn’t beat a carpet atm

3 will be enough for you I reckon.

 

[DearneValleyRover]

‘Only 5 or 6 wins’. We’re in the shit if that’s true.

We couldn’t beat a carpet atm

Well you’ve got us, a thread bare rug

 

[Indian Dan]

We were beyond abysmal 2nd half v Colchester. The most inept 45 minutes I’ve seen from us in 50 years. Offered absolutely nothing. It’s a theme with each half polar opposite from the other. God knows what Flynn says at half time.

 

[JJ1990]

I used to do this on my other account a few years ago, so I'll bring it back this time. The real relegation league table. As a disclaimer, the points totals for survival in each year were what you would have needed to stay up, as in 1 more point than the team in 23rd, not what the team in 22nd eventually stayed up with. Or, if a team stayed up on goal difference, that points total was counted as the survival line.

I obviously discarded the totals for the 19/20 season as they were for a shortened season and only 1 team went down.

51 - Survival 12/13 Stockport(26)
50 - Survival 13/14
49 - Mansfield(25), Wrexham(25)
48 - Survival 10/11 Barrow(26)
47 - Survival 16/17
46 - Survival 17/18, 20/21
45 - Survival 11/12, Average Points needed for Survival(2010-2023)
44 - Survival 22/23 Crewe(26)
43 -
42 - Survival 14/15, 18/19 Notts County(26)
41 -
40 -
39 - Survival 21/22 AFC Wimbledon(25), MK Dons(24), Crawley(26)
38 - Accrington(26), Gillingham(25)
37 - Harrogate(26)
36 - Walsall(25)
35 - Survival 15/16
34 - Bradford(26), Swindon(27)
33 - Expected Survival 23/24 Tranmere(27), Morecambe(24)
32 -
31 - Newport(26)
30 -
29 -
28 - Doncaster(26)
27 - Grimsby(26)
26 -
25 -
24 - Salford(26), Colchester(27)
23 -
22 -
21 -
20 -
19 -
------------------------------------------------------
18 - Forest Green(25), Sutton(25)

I'll remove the teams as they go past 51 points as they don't need to be included.

In terms of upcoming fixtures, the teams in the top third(1-8) will be listed green, the middle third(9-16) orange and the bottom third red(17-24).

17th - Morecambe - 33 points, -4 GD: Mansfield(H), MK Dons(A), Crewe(H), Colchester(H), Crawley(A)
18th - Newport County - 31 points, -7 GD: Doncaster(A), Wrexham(H), Harrogate(A), Swindon(H), Walsall(A)
19th - Doncaster Rovers, 28 points, -15 GD: Newport(H), Bradford(A), Stockport(H), Sutton(A), Tranmere(H)
20th - Grimsby Town, 27 points, -9 GD: Notts County(H), Harrogate(A), Tranmere(H), Accrington(A), Stockport(H)
21st - Salford City, 24 points, -14 GD: Crawley(A), Colchester(H), Bradford(A), Crewe(A), Wrexham(H)
22nd - Colchester United, 24 points, -17 GD: Bradford(H), Salford(A), Morecambe(A), Forest Green(H), Harrogate(A)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
23rd - Forest Green Rovers, 18 points, -20 GD: Harrogate(H), Mansfield(A), Gillingham(A), Accrington(H), Colchester(A)
24th - Sutton United, 18 points, -24 GD: Barrow(H), Mansfield(A), Walsall(A), Harrogate(H), Doncaster(H)

Next week's fixtures:

Saturday 13th January
Colchester United v Bradford City
Crawley Town v Salford City
Doncaster Rovers v Newport County
Forest Green Rovers v Harrogate Town
Grimsby Town v Notts County
Sutton United v Barrow

Tricky fixtures for each of the teams down at the bottom. Colchester have a decent shot at home to a suddenly out of form Bradford in the Cowley's first home game. But the others have either a promotion chaser or an inform team like Harrogate or Crawley.

You feel Donny need a win at home to Newport, their away form is terrible, so need the results at the Keepmoat to keep them afloat. Not sure Newport stay in the danger area, could see Morecambe or Swindon entering this discussion before too long with their form, loss of key players and off field issues.

 

[Luke Imp]

33 would just sneak under the current low point record of 34 (York/Dagenham?), I think?

 

[Chris FGR]

Shows how shit we've been so far that the bar for survival is on course to be so low. I mean we were champions less then two years ago ffs.

 

[saddler78]

We were beyond abysmal 2nd half v Colchester. The most inept 45 minutes I’ve seen from us in 50 years. Offered absolutely nothing. It’s a theme with each half polar opposite from the other. God knows what Flynn says at half time.

Are your fanbase Flynn out yet mate? Don't see where he goes if he gets sacked again he's failed with us and you so far.

 

[Conker]

Sure Newport will take him back eventually but that’s probably it.

 

[Optipez]

Are your fanbase Flynn out yet mate? Don't see where he goes if he gets sacked again he's failed with us and you so far.

Seeing as Phil Brown is back in work, anything is possible.

 

[Conker]

Seeing as Phil Brown is back in work, anything is possible.

Phil Brown is absolutely useless, crazy appointment.