[Archived] The Championship 2013/14

[AggyBlue]

They're not even considering us as part of the playoff picture on the Football League Show.

I think they're right not to.

I wonder what odds you can get on us sneaking in? Strange things can happen on the last day of the season.

[booth]

40-1 play offs, 100-1 promotion according to other thread.

[AllRoverAsia]

The way I heard it Longsiders was Burnley ( Bob Lord ) made certain assurances to Accy re finances and then reneged on the assurances. Just a story I heard so I will add allegedly.

And that's the way the story was related to me whilst on an Ewood Park ground tour back in 2002 - I was lucky enough to be the only one on that tour just before the Lazio friendly (and have the photos to prove it!).

I also seem to recall that there was no Burnley Club Shield in the Ewood Boardroom.......

[longsiders1882]

Not the way I've seen it told at all but like I say, facts don't always make a good story. Out of interest why didn't rovers step in to save them, or any other clubs? Not saying Lord wasn't a ruthless @#/?, he was but he didn't run Accy's debts up, they did that themselves.

Tyrone my comment wasn't aimed at you or intended as a dig, just that you were in the top flight, give or take a season, from 92 ish so everyone under 30 will only really know top flight football because that's pretty much all they've seen the lucky sods (I say under 30 because I don't think you really know what's going on when you are 7-8 or younger)

[Stuart]

Not the way I've seen it told at all but like I say, facts don't always make a good story. Out of interest why didn't rovers step in to save them, or any other clubs? Not saying Lord wasn't a ruthless @#/?, he was but he didn't run Accy's debts up, they did that themselves.

Tyrone my comment wasn't aimed at you or intended as a dig, just that you were in the top flight, give or take a season, from 92 ish so everyone under 30 will only really know top flight football because that's pretty much all they've seen the lucky sods (I say under 30 because I don't think you really know what's going on when you are 7-8 or younger)

Strange that the Burnley version, which is obviously "the truth", doesn't paint you in a bad light? How bizarre.

http://twohundredpercent.net/?p=17830

[longsiders1882]

Burnley version?

Well I've read the link you posted before, hard to take completely seriously bit how about accrington's own version, from the accy observer?

http://www.accringtonobserver.co.uk/news/local-news/1962--diary-of-demise-1265023

Again Stuart, whilst big bad Burnley were behaving so badly, where were the white knights of Blackburn or elsewhere? At what level did Burnley owe Accy anything? When the club launched their save us appeal and pretty much nobody donated I guess that, along with them running up massive debts, was all down to big bad Burnley? Or just maybe the people of accy just didn't really care as many supported Burnley or Rovers anyway?

[rovers11]

Wouldn't be shocked if Birmingham beat Wigan. They are fighting for their lives and due a home win at some point, they also have a few decent players that could hurt Wigan. Plus, Wigan have been woeful recently.

Looking at how the league is shaping up next season, I think it will be a weaker league overall. The three teams who came down last year were all strong and look like finishing in the top 6. Don't see the three teams coming down this year being that strong. Cardiff will go down and they are in a bit of a state off the pitch and have a poor manager. Plus, they are likely to lose key players like Whittingham. I also expect Fulham to go down and they have an ageing squad that will need overhauling which will take time. The last team to go down will be Norwich or Sunderland who I think would both be strong. Norwich have a squad full of very good championship players.

The teams coming up are weak. Brentford will struggle, and relegation has set Wolves back light years. They have a team full of inexperienced youngsters and an ok manager so they will struggle.

Forest have appointed a very poor manager in Pearce. Middlesbrough could do quite well next season but not sure they have the firepower. Bolton might do ok but they will probably lose a few players and will most probably start slowly as they always do. Those in the play off places this year will be there or thereabouts again if, of course, they don't go up.

[thenodrog]

Strange that the Burnley version, which is obviously "the truth", doesn't paint you in a bad light? How bizarre.

http://twohundredpercent.net/?p=17830

Lord was right. There was no place in football for small clubs and the situation is even more hopeless now. Unfortunately Lord's intentions were suspect. Burnley had been top dogs in recent years, they had won the old 1st Div and represented England in the European Cup. Lord assumed that all Stanleys fans would gravitate towards Turf Moor..... some did of course but many didn't.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

The guy was a butcher by trade, that would have come easily.

[G Somerset Rover]

PFA Championship Team of the Year; Schmeichel, Trippier, Cresswell, Morgan, Shackell, Drinkwater, Reid, Bryson, Will Hughes, Ings, McCormack

Pretty fair team. Still think Will Hughes is a little overrated though, while Reid is too inconsistent.

Only Rhodes and Cairney could realistically have had a shout but Rhodes has been a passenger in too many games and Cairney primarily played out wide. Gestede/Conway would no doubt have had excellent chances of being included if they'd been here all season.

[USABlue]

Ipswich now out of the playoff picture entirely.

What even woth that masterful greatly experienced manager McCarthy. Say it aint so.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

What even woth that masterful greatly experienced manager McCarthy. Say it aint so.

Do you think he had the benefit of a squad as large or as talented as ours ?

[Stuart]

Mick McCarthy has WON this division with two different clubs. He is absolutely a better manager than Gary Bowyer.

I can't believe there is even a debate about it.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

I don't think McCarthy would have allowed our guys to be on easy street for the length of time they were. Have things changed for good ? We'll see next season.

[thenodrog]

Do you think he had the benefit of a squad as large or as talented as ours ?

no...... And I bet bowyer wishes the same.

I don't think McCarthy would have allowed our guys to be on easy street for the length of time they were. Have things changed for good ? We'll see next season.

So tell us what that great yesterdays man McCarthy would have done with our lot considering the current malaise of player power?

You are twisting the knife in bowyer now so goodness only knows how your wrath will be displayed when the play off are declared mathematically impossible.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

no...... And I bet bowyer wishes the same. So tell us what that great yesterdays man McCarthy would have done with our lot considering the current malaise of player power?

You are twisting the knife in bowyer now so goodness only knows how your wrath will be displayed when the play off are declared mathematically impossible.

How you arrive at that conclusion I don't know. Bowyer's done his best I've no axe to grind there. I just believe that a more experienced manager would have done better. Bowyer's slowly learning on the job but we couldn't afford the time to train an apprentice. I don't think I'm on my own in coming to this position.

We have better players and a stronger squad than most teams in this league but we'll still be playing in it next season, if we're lucky.

[Guest Norbert]

Will we be unlucky if we get promoted via the play-offs then?

[blueboy3333]

Mick McCarthy has WON this division with two different clubs. He is absolutely a better manager than Gary Bowyer.

I can't believe there is even a debate about it.

I can't believe the people who continually snipe at Bowyer considering he's dragged this club off it's knees. But there you go, c'est la vie.

Just for the record Bowyer and McCarthy have only ever managed in the same division once. It looks like Bowyer will finish higher. One can only deal in facts!

[Stuart]

I can't believe the people who continually snipe at Bowyer considering he's dragged this club off it's knees. But there you go, c'est la vie.

Just for the record Bowyer and McCarthy have only ever managed in the same division once. It looks like Bowyer will finish higher. One can only deal in facts!

You think this club is off it's knees? Only promotion would have done that.

As for this season, McCarthy would have loved this squad and would have at least reached the play-offs with it. What he overachieved on a tiny budget compared with Bowyer's underachievement with the fourth highest income and second highest wage bill in the division.

However, by Bowyer's own standards, he has done very well. Can't you see the glaring issue?

[booth]

I can't believe the people who continually snipe at Bowyer considering he's dragged this club off it's knees. But there you go, c'est la vie.

Just for the record Bowyer and McCarthy have only ever managed in the same division once. It looks like Bowyer will finish higher. One can only deal in facts!

I'm not a Mick McCarthy fan but to defend Bowyer like that then say you deal in facts when underplaying MM's achievements really does you no credit. Look back at Ipswich when McCarthy took over and tell me he hasn't done an amazing job there.

The point that people are making is that at the moment Bowyer hasn't achieved promotion from this league but MM has. That's a fact.

[rovers11]

COME ON BIRMINGHAM!! Let's take this to the final day and anything can happen.

Fast forward to 10pm tonight: Wigan win 4-0

[blueboy3333]

You think this club is off it's knees? Only promotion would have done that.

As for this season, McCarthy would have loved this squad and would have at least reached the play-offs with it. What he overachieved on a tiny budget compared with Bowyer's underachievement with the fourth highest income and second highest wage bill in the division.

However, by Bowyer's own standards, he has done very well. Can't you see the glaring issue?

I like McCarthy but neither I nor you knows what he would have done with our squad, nobody does. As for dragging the club off it's knees, we were heading for league 1 before Bowyer took over. We also had an ego-ridden squad full of characters that didn't care for the club. We now have a young enthusiastic squad who at least look like they care. All that has been achieved in 12 months. So yeah, he dragged the club off it's knees.

As for the budget, that's not Bowyers fault, he can only pick 11 players and the ones he picked he's mostly signed. They aren't on huge wages. It's not Bowyers fault he inherited a load of overpaid chancers.

What exactly are Bowyers standards? He's only been a manager for a year.

As for the glaring issue, it seems that a lot of people on here were predicting relegation or mid-table at the beginning of the season, the same people are now saying he should have got promotion. The people crying out for stability are now mocking the stability Bowyer has brought. Can you see the glaring issue?

[blueboy3333]

 

I'm not a Mick McCarthy fan but to defend Bowyer like that then say you deal in facts when underplaying MM's achievements really does you no credit. Look back at Ipswich when McCarthy took over and tell me he hasn't done an amazing job there.

The point that people are making is that at the moment Bowyer hasn't achieved promotion from this league but MM has. That's a fact.

 

I said bowyer will probably finish above McCarthy, not that McCarthy had never achieved anything in this division. McCarthy has done an excellent job at Ipswich, just as Bowyer has done here. Just look where we were when Bowyer took over. Surely the same rule of achievement applies to Bowyer too.

[Stuart]

The people crying out for stability are now mocking the stability Bowyer has brought. Can you see the glaring issue?

Those people crying our for stability have got status quo, and even that wasn't brought about by Bowyer but by the absence of Singh and Agnew. SSDD

[ABBEY]

I like McCarthy but neither I nor you knows what he would have done with our squad, nobody does. As for dragging the club off it's knees, we were heading for league 1 before Bowyer took over. We also had an ego-ridden squad full of characters that didn't care for the club. We now have a young enthusiastic squad who at least look like they care. All that has been achieved in 12 months. So yeah, he dragged the club off it's knees.

As for the budget, that's not Bowyers fault, he can only pick 11 players and the ones he picked he's mostly signed. They aren't on huge wages. It's not Bowyers fault he inherited a load of overpaid chancers.

What exactly are Bowyers standards? He's only been a manager for a year.

As for the glaring issue, it seems that a lot of people on here were predicting relegation or mid-table at the beginning of the season, the same people are now saying he should have got promotion. The people crying out for stability are now mocking the stability Bowyer has brought. Can you see the glaring issue?

thanks mrs D