Football

[D821]

It's only half time and it's Everton - there's still time for them to lose 5-3!

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

It's only half time and it's Everton - there's still time for them to lose 5-3!

That scoreline occurred earlier in the Fulham v Leicester match.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

It's only half time and it's Everton - there's still time for them to lose 5-3!

I hope not... there are two teams at that end of the table I'd rather come down, no prizes for guessing who they are and in which order!

Meanwhile in our dead-rubber against Reading we managed to win 2-0, I'm still convinced that had there been anything riding on the match we'd have somehow conspired to lose. Now on to Friday when Neil Warnock will be giving a talk at Huddersfield Town Hall about the greatest of great escapes... no word on whether he'll drop trou on the steps afterwards, something he said he'd do back in 94/95 if Pat Scully managed to score in a particular game- you can guess the rest!

Credit to the Reading fans who still made the trip despite their relegation being confirmed by our victory on Thursday. I'm sure you'll come back stronger in a year or two.

 

[Drogba11CFC]

At least Liverpool have highlights in some of their games.

Elsewhere, Everton prove that it’s impossible for them to get relegated no matter how bad they are, by freaking a 3-0 half time lead away to Brighton. They’ll stay up!

At least Chelsea's fans showed respect on Saturday. (And as an aside, at least Wrexham won't be at the Trophy Final this season, so their fans won't be able to intimidate me)

God save the king.

 

[AlterEgo]

At least Chelsea's fans showed respect on Saturday. (And as an aside, at least Wrexham won't be at the Trophy Final this season, so their fans won't be able to intimidate me)

God save the king.

If it’s just now you’re realising Liverpool fans boo the anthem and monarchy then you should probably watch more then the highlights!

 

[Purple Train]

If it’s just now you’re realising Liverpool fans boo the anthem and monarchy then you should probably watch more then the highlights!

Half of them probably think the King is Elvis Presley...

Meanwhile, Queens Park Rangers have finished their season appropriately with a 2-0 loss against the red three-quarters of Bristol. If Mystic Wolmar wants any help, I can predict Rangers's next season for him free of charge

 

[swt_passenger]

3rd PL match - Forest seem to have started well, 2-0 at 22 mins.

 

[Herefordian]

At least Chelsea's fans showed respect on Saturday. (And as an aside, at least Wrexham won't be at the Trophy Final this season, so their fans won't be able to intimidate me)

God save the king.

I'm not from Liverpool. I don't like football much, either.

However, I'd suggest researching why Liverpool fans boo the anthem.

The way Liverpool Football Club and its supporters were treated after Hillsborough was shameful and disgraceful.

 

[AlterEgo]

Half of them probably think the King is Elvis Presley...

Only one King in Liverpool and he's Scottish.

 

[Harvester]

Preston 0-3 Sunderland

Brilliant performance and three quality goals, and thanks to a Millwall implosion the last playoff place

Felt they had been punching a bit above their weight this season, but good luck to them in the playoffs.

 

[Darandio]

I'm not from Liverpool. I don't like football much, either.

However, I'd suggest researching why Liverpool fans boo the anthem.

The way Liverpool Football Club and its supporters were treated after Hillsborough was shameful and disgraceful.

Whilst that is an element of it predates and is much more deep seated than Hillsborough.

 

[SteveM70]

Felt they had been punching a bit above their weight this season, but good luck to them in the playoffs.

They’ve done remarkably well.

Lost their manager in august (he subsequently took Stoke to the heights of 16th) and made a great appointment in Tony Mowbray

Youngest squad in the championship

Lost their two strikers in the new year, one to injury and one recalled by everton

Played the last five games without any recognised central defenders

95% of fans started the season saying finishing fourth bottom and avoiding relegation would be a success.

All a bit mad really

And Luke O’Nien. A proper character if ever there was one

 

[150249]

3rd PL match - Forest seem to have started well, 2-0 at 22 mins.

And it ended 4-3. One of the most entertaining premier league games I've ever watched. Amazing from the Premier league yesterday!

 

[PsychoMouse]

I'm a Birmingham fan and the feeling of relief reading the press releases and the open letter from the new investors yesterday was something I've not felt about Blues in a very long time if ever.

 

[Herefordian]

Whilst that is an element of it predates and is much more deep seated than Hillsborough.

I was doing some reading about it last night. Didn't realise just how deep it was.

Almost disappointed in myself for not knowing, as I have a friend in the area.

That aside, I think I'll stick with rugby union.

 

[Cheshire Scot]

Forty years ago today I was in Gothenburg for the European Cup Winners Cup Final , 11th May 1983.

The events of that night would be completely unthinkable in today’s era where European Football is, and has been for some years, dominated by the mega rich – and often in mega debt – clubs, most with huge squads of multi-national stars assembled at massive cost.

Aberdeen 2 Real Madrid 1 (aet)

This was achieved with a small and fairly young squad (six of the 16 stripped for the final being aged between 19 and 21 including three of the starting lineup) assembled at a total cost of less than £500k in transfer fees, all except 4 players having come through the club’s youth scheme having signed straight from school and progressed through the reserve team (no Academy set up or youth team back then), and all of them Scottish. Another European giant, Bayern Munich had been defeated at the Quarter Final stage.

Aberdeen played 60 competitive matches in that season which included winning the Scottish Cup and missing out on the League Championship by just one point (finishing third on goal difference behind second). Only 16 players took part in more than five of those 60 matches, with skipper Willie Miller playing in all sixty, a further five between 55 and 59 and 4 others playing over 50 – plus several of the those with most appearances also made a number of appearances for Scotland. Including the years that followed, eleven out of the sixteen stripped for the final would play for their country. There was no resting of players back then, strongest side in every match other than three fringe players started in the match before that final.

This achievement, followed by winning the Super Cup later in 1983 – the only Scottish club to win two European trophies – and a league and cup double in 83/84 brought the profile a certain Alex Ferguson to a wider audience, and the award of an OBE in the 1985 New Year honours.

During his eight years at Aberdeen Ferguson brought home ten trophies, setting the bar very high for those who have followed in the role with the yield in the thirty seven years since his departure totalling four trophies.

Having attended 14 out of 16 European ties between November 1983 and April 1984 (ending in defeat by an emerging Porto side in the 83/84 Semi Final) I have some wonderful memories to look back on – including the adventures by train around Europe to reach five of the matches away from Pittodrie (flying to the other three), and this is a particularly poignant date on which to do relive those memories.

One final thought, since that match forty years ago Real Madrid have appeared in a further ten European Finals, winning all ten, meaning Aberdeen remain the last club to have defeated Real Madrid in a European Final.

 

[Purple Train]

Forty years ago today I was in Gothenburg for the European Cup Winners Cup Final , 11th May 1983.

The events of that night would be completely unthinkable in today’s era where European Football is, and has been for some years, dominated by the mega rich – and often in mega debt – clubs, most with huge squads of multi-national stars assembled at massive cost.

Aberdeen 2 Real Madrid 1 (aet)

This was achieved with a small and fairly young squad (six of the 16 stripped for the final being aged between 19 and 21 including three of the starting lineup) assembled at a total cost of less than £500k in transfer fees, all except 4 players having come through the club’s youth scheme having signed straight from school and progressed through the reserve team (no Academy set up or youth team back then), and all of them Scottish. Another European giant, Bayern Munich had been defeated at the Quarter Final stage.

Aberdeen played 60 competitive matches in that season which included winning the Scottish Cup and missing out on the League Championship by just one point (finishing third on goal difference behind second). Only 16 players took part in more than five of those 60 matches, with skipper Willie Miller playing in all sixty, a further five between 55 and 59 and 4 others playing over 50 – plus several of the those with most appearances also made a number of appearances for Scotland. Including the years that followed, eleven out of the sixteen stripped for the final would play for their country. There was no resting of players back then, strongest side in every match other than three fringe players started in the match before that final.

This achievement, followed by winning the Super Cup later in 1983 – the only Scottish club to win two European trophies – and a league and cup double in 83/84 brought the profile a certain Alex Ferguson to a wider audience, and the award of an OBE in the 1985 New Year honours.

During his eight years at Aberdeen Ferguson brought home ten trophies, setting the bar very high for those who have followed in the role with the yield in the thirty seven years since his departure totalling four trophies.

Having attended 14 out of 16 European ties between November 1983 and April 1984 (ending in defeat by an emerging Porto side in the 83/84 Semi Final) I have some wonderful memories to look back on – including the adventures by train around Europe to reach five of the matches away from Pittodrie (flying to the other three), and this is a particularly poignant date on which to do relive those memories.

One final thought, since that match forty years ago Real Madrid have appeared in a further ten European Finals, winning all ten, meaning Aberdeen remain the last club to have defeated Real Madrid in a European Final.

Great story, thanks for sharing. A far cry from Darvel...

 

[Cheshire Scot]

Great story, thanks for sharing. A far cry from Darvel...

Indeed, the ultimate shame! Not the sort of history Goodwin hoped to make.

 

[AlterEgo]

I’ll be at the National League Final this weekend. Should be one of the most high profile ones for a while with Notts County having just scraped there but heavy, heavy favourites nonetheless.

 

[Old Yard Dog]

Bradford (PA) have had Macauley Langstaff and Reece Lewis-Potter on loan in recent seasons. If only ...

 

[REVUpminster]

Torquay United are hoping to stay up if Southend United go bust and are demoted a level.

 

[AlterEgo]

Absolutely ridiculous that Southend are allowed to keep hanging on by their fingernails. They’ll go bust next season and Torquay will be victims.

This happened a few seasons back when Mansfield came fourth and Bury were promoted along with two other clubs. Bury went bust having overspent in their promotion season and Mansfield got screwed.

 

[adrock1976]

Absolutely ridiculous that Southend are allowed to keep hanging on by their fingernails. They’ll go bust next season and Torquay will be victims.

This happened a few seasons back when Mansfield came fourth and Bury were promoted along with two other clubs. Bury went bust having overspent in their promotion season and Mansfield got screwed.

When the original incarnation of Bury went bust, did the other teams in the division they were previously in all move up a slot?

I recall that on the last day of the regular season in 2002, Airdrieonians (the 1874 incarnation, not the present day side of that name which was previously Airdrie United, which in turn was born out of the 1965 incarnation of Clydebank when the former Aston Villa, Barcelona, and Scotland internationalist Steve Archibald bought out Clydebank (after Kilbowie Park was sold, the Bankies played at Boghead, Dumbarton, then after failed attempts to play home matches at Lansdowne Road, Dublin, the rugby ground at Galashiels, and Brunton Park, Carlisle, they played their last season at Cappielow Park, Greenock) and relocated to Airdrie) went into liquidation after the final whistle. All teams below and into the below divisions all moved up a slot, which meant Falkirk avoided dropping into the third tier as they finished second bottom.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

When the original incarnation of Bury went bust, did the other teams in the division they were previously in all move up a slot?

Bury had just been promoted to EFL League One, but weren't able/allowed to start the 2019-2020 season. At the end of the COVID-19 affected 2019-2020 season, Bury were deemed to have finished bottom of League One, with only three other teams (Tranmere, Southend and Bolton) actually relegated, rather than the usual four.

There was also a ripple effect below, in that in EFL League Two, only Macclesfield Town were relegated, with Stevenage reprieved. Normally two teams would have expected to have gone down.

 

[Haywain]

Bury had just been promoted to EFL League One, but weren't able/allowed to start the 2019-2020 season.

Although the season was actually under way before they were finally expelled.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Although the season was actually under way before they were finally expelled.

For the other clubs, yes, but Bury never got to play any games in season 2019-2020. If I rightly recall, Bolton Wanderers were also in major difficulties at the time, and had a delayed start to the season.

 

[Haywain]

For the other clubs, yes, but Bury never got to play any games in season 2019-2020. If I rightly recall, Bolton Wanderers were also in major difficulties at the time, and had a delayed start to the season.

The point being that Bury could not have been replaced once fixtures had commenced on their division, and others.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

The point being that Bury could not have been replaced once fixtures had commenced on their division, and others.

Indeed. That's why they were deemed to have finished in 24th place with zero points. If I rightly recall, they'd missed something like five league matches and an EFL Cup tie by the time that the plug was finally pulled.

 

[adrock1976]

Furthermore, I recall Chester City FC going bust halfway through the season in 2010, after various matches had been cancelled.

For the fixtures that were completed, the results were expunged with the league table adjusted accordingly as if the other sides had never played against Chester City at all and would not show in any future historical records.

 

[AlterEgo]

Notts County promoted to the Football League. Good.

I was there today and it was outstanding entertainment. 38,000 fans for non league football is excellent.