David Cameron Walker

Archive for the ‘League Two’ Category

Same man, same result, 33 years apart

Thursday, May 10th, 2012

33 years ago this month, Graham Turner was celebrating a Football League Third Division win in his very first season in management as player-manager of Shrewsbury Town. His return as manager in 2010 created much optimism for success in the town once again, and only two years into his tenure he has provided. So what comparisons can be made, not only between Turner’s first & most recent promotion successes, but The Shrews’ prospects for retaining League One status for as long as they did in the 1980’s?

In front of a near 10,000 strong home crowd for the final home league game at the Greenhous Meadow, a solitary goal from James Collins in the 38th minute was enough to finally confirm promotion to League One for The Shrews. It was a match that Turner’s side dominated in the form of possession & chances, but it was Nicky Wroe who once again provided the opportunity for Collins to convert, with the final whistle sending the fans into pitch invasion pandemonium. Whilst Turner would have wanted the opportunity to go for the league title going into the final game, he was clearly in awe of his player’s efforts throughout the season…

“It was a surprise when we went up in 1979. And the expectations were greater this season, but we’ve got there in the end.” Turner stated shortly after claiming promotion to League One. “I’ve got to pay tribute to the players. They’ve been fantastic all season. For all the hard work they’ve put in, they deserve everything they’ve got.”

The League Two Manager of the Month for April also suggested that the art of being successful is to finish strongly, which is evidently justified in the fact that Shrewsbury were the most in-form side by winning seven & losing only once in their final ten games. Another stat, which has elevated The Shrews to promotion, is their unprecedented unbeaten home record this season in the Football League, only Manchester City look likely to match that out of all the English Leagues. Flashback to 1979 and you find one stand out similarity between both promotions. Under Turner’s first season as player/manager, The Shrews were also unbeaten at home throughout the whole season, a great credit to his coaching abilities over his career, in particular converting his playing experience into coaching as a solid defender. At no other club has he managed to lead a team to an undefeated home campaign, and as the River Severn literally and yet fittingly wraps itself around the town like his very own moat, under Turner’s helm Shrewsbury is known as ‘Fortress Meadow’.

As soon as the pitch invasion, the open top bus parade & town celebrations come to an end, preparations for League One commence. Several players have signed new contracts such as Shane Cansdell-Sherriff, Chris Neal, Nicky Wroe & most notably the skipper and one of the players of the season, Ian Sharps.

Players to leave the Greenhous Meadow already are Sean McAllister, Lionel Ainsworth, Carl Regan & Ben Smith, all have shown great promise but never on a regular enough basis to cement their place in an already strong starting eleven. Turner will hope that top scorer James Collins will sign a new deal offered to the striker some time ago, with the hope that the promising young talent will endeavour to prove himself at a higher level with The Shrews.

If we follow the performance of Turner’s winning formula of ’79, the Greenhous Meadow will hopefully be home to League One or better for the foreseeable future. When promoted to Division Two as it was back then, Town spent a decade at this level with Turner leaving his post for the dizzy heights of Division One with Aston Villa in 1984. With a combination of Turner’s previous experience in League One with Hereford and a team built based on a mix of experience supported by a string of exciting young players, Town will aim to not only retain their League One status, but grow as a club in all aspects in preparation to push for even bigger honours.

As previously stated in earlier blogs, it’s been seven years of near misses for the fans, but Town have finally snatched promotion, and once more Turner is the Pride of Shrewsbury, the Pride of Shropshire!

Written by Michael Aldridge, We Are Going Up’s Shrewsbury Town Blogger

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in League Two, Shrewsbury Town | No Comments »

PAOLO DI CANIOOOOO!

Wednesday, May 9th, 2012

On May 23rd 2011, the new Swindon Town manager Paolo Di Canio said he “was close to signed Lionel Messi”. In hindsight, he’s had the kind of season you can’t help but be impressed by – lighting up every game he’s been part of, appearing to be several steps ahead of the opposition and gained even more admirers than he already had.

And Lionel Messi has had quite a good season too.

Paolo Di Canio’s first season, not only as Swindon manager, but also as a manager full stop, has been little short of perfect. Many ‘experts’ wrote him off instantly and declared he would be out of the door at the first sign of trouble. Understandable, yet humorous with hindsight. What has transpired is a title-winning season, FA Cup giant-killings, a trip to Wembley and the bottom line of Di Canio still in charge of the club he joined a year ago.

The stats are the simplest way of describing the Robins’ path to glory – the best home record in the league, the most victories in the league, the best defensive record in the league. Cogito ergo sum; they’ve ended up as the best placed team. Curiously, they’ve lost ten away games, whereas a team like Crawley have lost just four. Yet, amazingly, in twenty-three home league games they’ve conceded just eight goals – seven of which came in three matches. Yes, that’s nineteen clean sheets at home, let alone including away games, all season.

Yet, when they lost at home to bitter rivals Oxford United on the 21st August, and then lost away at Shrewsbury Town, Swindon sat 21st in the league having lost four of their first five games. Doubt poured through the minds of Robins fans like cheap Italian wine at high-streets restaurants across Wiltshire. Had we paid untold fortunes to this man to see him leave before the first leaf fall of Autumn?

Arguably, the turning point came with Swindon’s televised victory over the team then top of the table, Rotherham United, but defeats still found themselves sown into the team’s form. The fact the team found themselves either winning or losing, and not dropping points in the form of draws proved vital as the season progressed (a stat they’ve maintained all season, drawing only one game throughout 2012). Yet as Paolo finally settled and players began to warm to his style of management, things back to bloom at the County Ground. But that’s not to say he’s always known who his best players are…

Before the season started, I wrote of the early flames of what would be Di Canio’s roaring season. Yet, the list of players he collected, and latterly disposed of is quite staggering for a level of football where money is tight. Alberto Comazzi and Ibrahim Atiku left the club after cancelling their contracts, Mehdi Kerrouche fell out with Di Canio and was shipped out on loan to of all clubs, Oxford United, and Mattia Lanzano’s contract was cancelled by the club, but curiously he later changed his mind and made his way back to the County Ground. These are just players who he had already bought in by mid-July, let alone other car-crash signings such as Leon Clarke and Lukas Magera. While he has freely acquired players left, right and centre, at a higher level where wages increase and the financial risks of failure are greater, this is something which cannot be risked from now onwards. His mistakes must be learnt with immediate effect.

That’s not to say there aren’t methods to his madness. Take Wes Foderingham in goal – pinched on loan from Crystal Palace and latterly signed permanently, he has been an incredible find and proved a constant rock, albeit a very agile one, in between the posts and surely not coincidental that Swindon have not only broken their club record for clean sheets during this season, but the fourth tier record has been rewritten.

Of course, far be it from me to reminisce just of the good times – thirty thousand Swindon fans rocked up at the Venue of Legends in March and were odds on favourites against Chesterfield in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy final. They promptly walked away empty handed with a performance devoid of anything which had been witnessed by fans in the recent months before the day at Wembley. At least the heavens didn’t open, which had magnified most supporters irritation when the club last appeared in HA9 back in May 2010 against Millwall in the League One play-off final. Big days out appear to be Di Canio’s Achilles heel, if indeed he does possess such a mythological weakness – Oxford fans will continue to remind Robins fans of both derby victories this season. However, I’m sure collecting the league trophy will numb the pain over knowing their rivals up the A420 will be spending another year behind Swindon in the standings.

The past twelve months have actually been the most tumultuous and upsetting of Di Canio’s life with his father, Ignazio, and his mother, Pierina, passing away within months of one another during his time at the club. His father’s illness was actually something that stopped Di Canio becoming Newport County manager in March 2011, yet when the Swindon job arose, his father insisted on him pursuing his dream of becoming a football manager. Somewhere they’ve looked down on him and guided him through a period of his life when lesser men would have understandably walked away. The ability to separate such personal hardship and continue your fledging professional career can only stand him in good stead wherever the next few years take him.

Chairman Jeremy Wray has justifiably said that Di Canio was a “risk” – the biggest risk now however is keeping hold of the man. Di Canio has provided a catalyst of hope for Swindon Town the whole way through the club – from the Chairman to the fans – which many worried may not arrive with immediate effect after Paul Hart’s atrocious spell at the club which saw them consigned to relegation last season. Yes, they were early season favourites to bounce straight back, but so were Bristol Rovers, who have ended in mid-table, and Cheltenham Town were favourites for relegation yet ended up in the play-offs – nothing is certain in football, regardless of what level its played at.

The close season will now, inevitably, link Di Canio with various managerial positions as they become untenable and available. The enormous elephant in the room still remains West Ham United, although with Sam Allardyce on the verge of guiding them back to the Premier League via the play-offs, it could mean he receives a deserved stay of execution. Would Di Canio really want to go elsewhere other than West Ham? Although managers will come and go over the next three months, no job will arise that will honestly have Paolo bolting for the County Ground door – no Premier League team will risk going for him, and why would he leave for a Championship or League One club when his intention all along with Swindon was to get them back to the second tier of English football?

His commitment and professional to the Wiltshire club has surprised many at times, myself included. Although money inevitably talks louder than most things in these situations, he doesn’t appear swayed by moving on after one season at Swindon. He appears to have committed himself to launching Swindon onwards and upwards – not something that is a god-given right as Chesterfield have proven this season after walking away with League Two last season, but something that isn’t beyond the realms of possibility either if Di Canio stays at the club.

Players will come and go between now and the middle of August – players such as Matt Ritchie, Paul Caddis & Wes Foderingham must remain, and a proven striker must arrive. Season tickets will be sold, new fans will be found, and hype will be built. But as long as Jeremy Wray keeps hold of his Italian gaffer, Swindon Town have every hope of being the latest team to become part of the “double-bounce” phenomenon which the likes of Southampton, Norwich, Stevenage and Crawley have all enjoyed in recent years.

All together now – Paolo Di Caniooooo! Paolo Di Caniooooo!

Written by Carl McQueen – We Are Going Up! Podcast member and Swindon Town Blogger

Carl tweets at @mrcarlmcqueen

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Featured, League Two, Swindon Town | No Comments »

And we’re up!

Monday, May 7th, 2012

Whatever happens to Scott Neilson this summer, whether he’s offered a new contract or leaves, he will be forever remembered as the player who scored the goal that sent us up to League One.

Sixty-six tense minutes had passed – Accrington had had the better of the first half, with Scott Shearer making two or three excellent saves, whereas the first 20 of the second half had seen Crawley hit the bar twice and have a header cleared off the line. Just one goal would change everything. Another Crawley attack had been cleared – Kyle McFadzean controlled the ball, and with a swift swipe of his right foot the ball was launched forward towards the diminutive Scott Neilson – he found himself in a yard of space just inside in the Accrington penalty area, but was quickly closed down by the closest defender. No matter. He controlled the ball, his back to goal, shifted the ball onto his right foot and curled the ball past the keeper – the goal that we so desperately craved had come. The end of the ground housing the Crawley fans exploded; they knew this was the goal that would send Crawley to League One.

The remaining twenty-four minutes felt like hours, but the defence held steady. Anything that Accrington threw at Crawley, Crawley headed and hacked away – each clearance met with a sigh of relief from the Crawley faithful. Another clearance, another sigh of relief; the referee looked as his watch, raised the whistle to his lips and that was that – Crawley became a League One team. Fans streamed onto the pitch, and the players were mobbed. Eventually we retreated back onto the terrace, where the promotion party continued.

And whilst we have achieved our pre-season aim of getting promoted, it has to be said that the second half of the season has been pretty poor. Seven wins in 2012, and really we struggled over the line. Considering our position at the start of the year, we should have won the league, and had it not been for numerous points not being stupidly dropped, we would have. But we got promoted and at the end of the day, that was our aim.

Quality must be added to the squad if we are to be competitive in League One; another goalkeeper as cover for Scott Shearer, and perhaps another striker are top of the list – the striker preferably being in the mould of Matt Tubbs (ie. Gary Alexander with more pace). Or Matt Tubbs himself if he fancies it. Player contracts are another issue, and of course, the manager.

Personally I think that, assuming he wants the job, the board should offer it to Steve Coppell. His enthusiasm and passion is obviously still there, despite what he said when he left Bristol City, and I really can’t see the point of getting another person from outside- after all, he knows the players by now, he’s got a lot of managerial experience and from what I’ve heard likes to player attractive football- something which for much of this season has been lacking, but a style which we are best employed playing in my opinion. Apparently Ray Wilkins has thrown his hat into the ring (my word…), but the Crawley board, for all their faults (not mentioning the sale of the league’s most potent strike force), are generally quite sensible in their decision making and, thankfully, the appointment of Steve Coppell would seem to come under that headline.

But for now, we’ll just enjoy the promotion, and bask in the glory of being a League One team…

Written by Louie Elmer, We Are Going Up’s Crawley Town blogger

Louie tweets at @LouieElmer

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Crawley Town, League Two | No Comments »

End of Term Report – Could do better

Sunday, May 6th, 2012

At 5pm on Saturday against Swindon Town the Bradford City fans, players and all connected with the club looked on with envy as they watched a jubilant set of players in red and white celebrating with their fans as they leave League Two worthy champions. In stark contrast the City fans exited Valley Parade as the curtain draws on yet another season with the same feeling of previous campaigns – could do better.

Back in August before a ball had been kicked I was optimistic under Peter Jackson that Bradford had a chance of challenging for a play-off place, shows what I know given what has happened over the past ten months!

The opening month of the season hadn’t elapsed before Jacko left the club as Bradford became the first club in the Football League to change managers. For one game only Colin Cooper took temporary charge and guided the club to a comfortable win over Barnet. Cooper didn’t land the role permanently and shortly after ex-Charlton gaffer Phil Parkinson took over at Valley Parade, Cooper left to join the coaching staff at championship side Middlesbrough.

Throughout the course of the season the squad has evolved massively, the majority of the summer recruits have left or hardly featured under Parkinson as he brought in his own players. Prior to Jackson leaving he almost guided City to a memorable victory over Leeds in the Carling Cup as the Bantams dominated at Elland Road for a large portion of the match before running out of legs towards the end and narrowly losing 3-2.

From a personal point of view I’ve not been overly impressed with Parkinson as a whole this season but at the same time I do believe he is the right man to take City forward. Ultimately he’ll be judged more on next season rather than this campaign. Once he’s had a summer to bring in his own players and ship out the dead wood in the ranks I’ll be hopeful that City can at least compete towards a play-off place.

There have been a few highlights during the course of the season, the run to the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy northern semi final was a highlight whilst it also enabled many City fans to have the bragging rights over their neighbours for a short period of time as Bradford knocked out Sheffield Wednesday, Sheffield United and Huddersfield Town all on penalties before crashing out away to Oldham which on paper would have been the easier tie compared to the previous three rounds.

Another major highlight has been the emergence of Bermudan striker Nahki Wells. The young striker has been a revelation since breaking into the side, and he is now a permanent fixture in attack. Wells was snapped up by Jackson on a free transfer last summer from Carlisle and if he keeps progressing I’m sure in due course bigger clubs will come sniffing around – hopefully the City board will have Wells tied down on a long term deal, so if clubs do come calling at least Bradford can benefit financially.

Elsewhere on the pitch giant defender Luke Oliver, who scooped nearly all Player of the Year awards for this season, has been consistently solid at the back. Under the failed regime of Peter Taylor, Oliver had been a far cry from being the fans favourite which he has now become. Playing out of position at times Oliver simply looked a liability but he is a completely different player now, clearly benefitting from playing in his natural position. Oliver has excelled at the back this season and his partnership with on loan Andrew Davies has been a plus point to Bradford’s season.

Aside from Wells and Oliver I struggled to pick out many other star performers from the season. The likes of Kyel Reid and Andrew Davies have done well, Reid in patches and Davies has been solid enough all season long. Let’s be honest with the squad City have they should have done significantly better this season.

On the pitch results have been inconsistent, hence the reason why City are likely to finish 18th. On any given day the Bantams have been capable of beating the top sides whilst being more than capable of getting turned over by the likes of Hereford and Macclesfield. Away from home results have been poor, with Bradford’s first away league win not coming until mid December away at Southend and ending the season with only four away wins to their name – if next season City are to be successful their away form needs to be significantly better.

At home their form has been good, only Crawley have left with three points in recent months. Prior to that the last team to take all three points from Valley Parade was Rotherham last November. Unfortunately though the Crawley game won’t be remembered for the Sussex side taking the three points, it will be remembered for the post-match brawl which brought national coverage to both sides for all the wrong reasons, City had three players sent off and Crawley two after the final whistle – subsequently Crawley had an extra player banned following an FA hearing.

As the curtain draws on this campaign, Parkinson has already started to show his hand with regards to letting players leave the club. Craig Fagan, Michael Flynn and Chris Mitchell have all left the club, whilst Steve Williams and Mark Stewert both on loan at Inverness and Hamilton respectively look set to leave the club permanently. With players leaving it frees up some of the budget immediately for Parkinson to bring in his own players. I would expect more players will be leaving Valley Parade over the coming weeks when the gaffer starts to fully implement his stamp on the side.

So everyone heads away for the summer holidays and the gates shut at Valley Parade for yet another season. Yes it has been disappointing on the whole but it won’t take long for the excitement and expectation to start building for next season once one or two signings arrive. Fingers crossed City can compete at the right end of the table, I for one am getting fed up of looking at the bottom end of the table and for a club the size of Bradford within League Two they should really be challenging at the right end of the table. That is the task Parky has for next season – and I generally hope he can give the long suffering Bradford fans the one thing they desperately crave, promotion out of the bottom division.

Written by Mark Scully, We Are Going Up’s Bradford City Blogger

Mark tweets at @scully87

Tags: , ,
Posted in Bradford City, Featured, League Two | No Comments »

The pies must be better up North…

Monday, April 9th, 2012

Today it was confirmed that Steve Evans has left Crawley to become manager of Rotherham, taking his ever-faithful lapdog, Paul Raynor, with him, with Craig Brewster put in temporary charge of Crawley. I can’t say I’m surprised, as the rumours have been gathering pace over the last 12 hours or so, but all the same I am disappointed….And annoyed.

The much malined Scot took over the reigns in 2007 and steered the club t0 Conference safety that same season, before stabilising the club and securing them as a steady Conference team the next season. In the 09-10 season, the club finished in 10th – a record high – and only just missed out on the play-offs. In the summer of 2010 Evans brought in 17 new players following a cash injection, with the aim being to get promoted from the Conference. The ambitious move saw Crawley hit the headlines, and the following season was to be a success- a 5th round FA Cup trip to Old Trafford was to be followed by promotion to the Football League with a record 105 points.

The club’s first season in the Football League was going well until Christmas – top of League Two and in the 4th round of the FA Cup. The club would reach the 5th round, but the title challenge faded into a struggle to get promoted, with just two wins in little under 3 months before the 3-2 defeat of Port Vale on March 17th. Many suspected that the sale of Tubbs and Barnett had prompted this run, but as I have said previously the run started a month before… his overall record with Crawley is as thus: 266 matches, won 126, drawn 68, lost 70, with a win percentage of 48%.

It seems an odd time to leave, what with six games left of the season, and promotion still on the cards. One can only assume that he wasn’t confident of promotion this season and thought that he had a better chance of being promoted with Rotherham next season. Evans never really endeared himself to the fans, even with getting us promoted etc. His character and refusal to acknowledge Wimbledon as rivals, as well as criticising the fans back in February didn’t exactly help either.

His style of football, no matter what he says, often left a lot to be desired and often frustrated fans when it was clear we were/are more effective when passing the ball rather than hoofing it up towards the forwards.

However, his ability in the transfer market is excellent, and even when you do have money to spend you have to spend it wisely- which he often did. There was the occasional blunder, but for every Willie Gibson there is a Matt Tubbs, for every Richard Brodie a Tyrone Barnett, and for every Steve Masterton a Dannie Bulman.

I find it difficult to label Evans a Crawley legend – perhaps because of his character, perhaps because of the fact that he’s left us at the time he has – but his achievements here at Crawley will always be remembered. From keeping us in the Conference, to taking us to Old Trafford, to promotion to League Two. Thank you for what you have done, Steve. Thank you.

As for who takes over, it is difficult to say. If Craig Brewster takes us up this season, then I think the job could and should go to him. Lee Clarke has been mentioned, and apparently was at the Crewe game 0n Saturday, but I think we’re too small a club to attract Clarke. However, I think Clarke would be an excellent appointment. Besides, I can’t think of anyone else.

Who we would be able to attract I think will depend on whether we get promoted or not, as many potential targets wouldn’t want to manage in League Two.

But at this point, with Evans only just gone, it’s all speculation. For now the focus must be promotion.

Written by Louie Elmer, We Are Going Up’s Crawley Town blogger

Louie tweets at @LouieElmer

Tags: , ,
Posted in Crawley Town, League Two | No Comments »

Back on track

Thursday, April 5th, 2012

Since my last blog here, Crawley Town have played six matches and won four of them. They’re unbeaten in eight, and their last defeat was at home to Torquay on the 3rd of March. Things are definitely back on track, post match fights aside. The ”Battle of Valley Parade” could well be decisive as now three of Town’s four centre-backs are now unavailable and the team will be stretched defensively.

Who will play alongside John Dempster is anyone’s guess, because the club can’t bring anyone in on loan now and as far as I’m aware there aren’t any free agents out there. Sol Campbell doesn’t count. I can’t imagine Charlie Wassmer will be recalled from Dagenham and I’m not sure if the club can do so anyway. Perhaps a youth team or reserve player will get a chance to shine?

In recent games Crawley’s form has suddenly improved, with draws against Southend, Macclesfield – despite being two goals ahead with five minutes to go – and Aldershot, were followed by wins against Port Vale, Gillingham, Rotherham and Bradford, further followed by a 0-0 draw win Burton, a game in which Town arguably should have had two penalties.

It’s no coincidence that the arrival of Gary Alexander has coincided with the run of four wins in the last six since he joined, as without his five goals in those six Crawley would probably be out of the playoff places with the season all but over. His link up play with Billy Clarke has already proved to be dangerous and even Clarke has scored two since Alexander’s arrival, having failed to score since his January move from Blackpool, until the draw with Aldershot. Clarke is more of a creative force than goalscorer, so hopefully he will continue to provide Alexander with chances.

This coming Easter weekend will be a crucial time in the race for automatic promotion, and I strongly believe the top three after Monday’s games will be the three that get promoted. I also think that Crawley will need to take fourteen points from the remaining seven games if they are to win promotion.

Up first is Crewe on Good Friday. Alexandra will visit the Broadfield in a good run of form and will be confident of taking at least a point. Probably with good reason given Town’s first three centre backs are suspended. I’m actually not at all confident Crawley will get even a point, purely because of how shaky our defence might be, and I’m predicting the away side will prevail 3-2.

Easter Monday sees Steve Evans’ men visit Underhill to face relegation threatened Barnet, which is a game that fills me with more confidence, and I expect all three points to return home to Crawley, by a 3-1 scoreline. The following Saturday sees rivals Wimbledon visit the Broadfield in what will, I’m sure, be a fiesty encounter!

The loss of Matt Tubbs may be felt the most in this fixture more than any other for Crawley, as he had scored in every Crawley vs. Wimbledon game since he joined in 2010, so hopefully Gary Alexander steps up to the plate. It will be a tight game, where Crawley may just scrape it 3-2 as they never seem to keep clean sheets against the Dons.

The penultimate home game of the season will see the visit of Northampton Town on Tuesday the 17th. Whilst I think it will be a tight game, I can’t see Town dropping any points against the relegation threatened Cobblers, especially at home and I’m predicting a 3-1 victory.

Then comes a trip to another struggling side, Dagenham and Redbridge, who seem to have a rather deep hatred of Town, or at least Steve Evans. They seem to have picked up recently, but Crawley will be too strong for the relegation strugglers and will overcome this hurdle to win 2-0. Incidentally, this game is the earliest in which Crawley can achieve promotion, although realistically it won’t be.

In the final two games of the campaign, Hereford and Accrington Stanley provide the opponents. The Bulls are in poor form at the moment and I’m fairly confident Town will get the three points, especially as it is their last home game of the season. I think the scoreline could be 4-0. Bold, I know.

The last game of the season against Stanley is probably the one that will determine whether or not Crawley get promoted. The Reds will travel up to Lancashire to face a side who are fairly comfortable in League Two and will most likely have nothing to play for, so perhaps that will work into Town’s favour. The team should feel confident of a win there, and it could well be the win that sees them promoted. I predict a 2-0 success.

My predictions see Crawley collecting eighteen points between now and the final day of the season, which by my earlier statement will be enough to see Town go up. Now I’ve actually typed out those predictions, I’m starting to change my mind. My heart is saying Crawley won’t do it and my head is saying they will, but which one do I believe?

Written by Louie Elmer, We Are Going Up’s Crawley Town blogger

Louie tweets at @LouieElmer

 

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Crawley Town, League Two | No Comments »

Can someone remind us how to celebrate?

Tuesday, April 3rd, 2012

No really, we’ve forgotten. It’s been over 8 hours and since March 3rd since we last had that celebratory feeling when Daryll Duffy gave us the lead at Morecambe so very long ago. Ever since then Cheltenham Town have hit a torrid run of form, and the fears are it’s here to stay.

Looking back, my blog posts have been nothing short of optimism and delight, for supporting the Rubies this seaosn has been a fantastic experience, up until March anyway. Mark Yates has done an incredible job in constantly defying the bookies, winning games “we shouldn’t be winning” and topping the league. The majority of the season we’ve led comfortably in the top 3 or at least the play-offs. So where has it all gone wrong?

The fixture calendar dealt us a huge test with the month of March and from as far away as December us fans had pin pointed it as the month that will define whether we are good enough to go up or not, sadly it seems the latter occurs. Just a solitary point was gained in the whole month and coupled with a run of simply no luck, profligate finishing and some dire quality has led to all our promotion rivals gaining the upper had on ourselves. From being 6 points into the top 3 and 15 points into the play offs at one stage we now lie just 3 points ahead of Crewe (what should’ve been 1 if it wasn’t for some last gasp goalkeeping heroics from a debutant Northampton Goalkeeper, thanks for that!)

Daryll Duffy’s goal gave us a deserved lead at Morecambe back on March 3rd but having let slip a sloppy equaliser to Kevin Ellison there only looked like being one winner. Morecambe attacked with vigour and purpose and thoroughly deserved their win. No worries, we only had Swindon at the County Ground lying next. What was ironically one of the finer displays of March still yielded no points or goals. Duffy, the lone striker once again, was guilty of missing 4 guilt edged chances including a penalty which Wes Foderingham saved impressively. Paul Benson, however, had 2 chances all game. He scored one and forced Butland into a fine save for the other, there was the difference. An impressive display desperately unlucky to gain nothing but at this stage of the season it’s a results based business.

Gillingham at home looked like it couldn’t come at a better time. A team who had so many injuries and suspensions they could field a whole team of them, and have one left over. It was a great chance to react and show the home faithful the blip was a minor one. Oh how it went oh so wrong. Yates confirmed the thoughts on the terraces post match: “that was the worst performance of the season by a country mile”. It was dire and we lacked heart, passion, fight and most importantly we were devoid of any quality. Enough said!

Things were looking up though, we only had Shrewsbury away 3 days later – hopefully you detected the sarcasm there. The Shrews had just passed the milestone of going a year unbeaten at home and considering some of the positions they’d gotten themselves out of that was even more impressive. Crawley and Oxford in particular will look back and wonder how they didn’t win at the Greenhous Meadow. The cries from the 400 travelling army from Cheltenham was to just keep it tight and give ourselves every chance. You could understand our joy that we were breached after just 43 seconds by Nicky Wroe! More sarcasm by the way. Despite another display that showed signs of quality the tactic of 1 up front was fast fading from a stroke of early season genius to an over used tactic that every manager in the league had figured out. Changes were needed and the lack of chances created that day proved that.

Cue two loan signings just 48 hours later, both strikers, both from League 1 clubs. Ben Burgess and Steve MaClean came to Cheltenham with pedigree from higher divisions and their differing qualities gave Cheltenham fans cause to be optimistic. The return to 4-4-2 for the visit of play-off and local rivals Oxford pleased the home faithful further. The game itself once again proved fruitless but a display that showed far more heart, quality and endeavour than the previous home one left Mark Yates and the fans wondering quite how Cheltenham didn’t not only win, but win by a comfortable margin, even Chris Wilder admitted so. So we’d turned a corner then, the goal was around the corner? Wrong again!

A month of crazy twists and turns led to Cheltenhams heaviest defeat of the season. The Rubies outplayed Southend at home in early December and with yet virtually the same team this encounter could not have been anymore different. Granted Sido Jombati’s early red card didn’t help proceedings but this was a game Southend only ever looked like winning, and winning at a canter.

Freddy Eastwood’s homecoming after 5 years was a delightful one for the Essex club, he along with 3 others gave the Seaside club the easiest win they could imagine and the 160 travellers leaving for the long cross country journey home wondering what an earth they’d just witnessed. Jack Butland had a game he’ll never forget conceding 3 goals normally he’d save with consumate ease. The team hid away after Sido’s red card Yates claimed, he was right.

It leaves Cheltenham in a position still in their own hands but with ourselves and Crewe both going opposite directions many Ruby fans believe we’ve already blown it. A small squad seems burnt out, struggling for ideas and having the same sinking anti-climactic last season.

Barnet at home lie in store next in what simply must be a Good Friday for Cheltenham. One things for sure, we don’t care how we do it, we just want a goal to celebrate.

Written by Maxi Hobbs, We Are Going Up’s Cheltenham Town Blogger

Maxi tweets at @maxihobbs

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Cheltenham Town, League Two | No Comments »

The Battle of Valley Parade

Saturday, March 31st, 2012

It’s not often Bradford make the national news but since Tuesday night we’ve certainly had our fair share of coverage, unfortunately for all the wrong reasons. As the full time whistle blew on Bradford’s latest defeat this time against Crawley Town the red mist descended and what followed was nothing short of remarkable. The pictures and footage which thousands of people witnessed would be more a kin with watching a royal rumble or a Friday fight night with Hayemakers reigning in all over the place.

It’s not fully clear what sparked the mass brawl, Crawley have a certain style and everyone is aware of what Steve Evans brings to the party. He’s like a jack in the box on the touchline, bellowing for absolutely everything. I can’t imagine he’s won many friends throughout his time in the football league. The five reds cards distributed after the final whistle matches previous records for dismissals in a domestic English league fixture.

The melee appeared to start when City’s centre half Andrew Davies who has collected two red cards already this season, reacted angrily to something, he charged at Crawley defender Claude Davis who clearly forearms Davies in the face quite aggressively but what follows was shameful from both clubs. Davies partner at the back Luke Oliver came steaming in and landed a right hook on Davis, as players traded blows City keeper Jon McLaughlin joined the party and started trading blows with Crawley’s Pablo Mills, who was giving as good as he got by throwing punches freely.

As the ref watched the chaos unfold, he duly noted down the offenders and subsequently sent the players off in the referee’s room after the match. Crawley saw Davis and Mills both receive red cards whilst Bradford received reds for Davies, Oliver and McLaughlin. Davies will receive a five match ban whilst the other two offenders for the bantams will receive three games. Both clubs will expect a heavy fine from the FA for failing to control their players along with other charges, yesterday the FA charged Pablo Mills with violent conduct and also charged fellow defender Kyle McFadzean. With the bantams struggling badly in recent weeks, the events on Tuesday night couldn’t have come at a worst time the club needs all hands on deck not sat in the stands unable to help the team.

On one hand the fact that McLaughlin and Oliver stuck up for Andrew Davies after he got hit is honorable but they over stepped the mark by a country mile. On the other hand all three could potentially cost Bradford their place in the football league next season, with City racking up defeats for fun in recent weeks it has left Bradford hovering dangerously close to the drop zone and now have to contend with missing three key players for a minimum of 3 and 5 games, which could quite easily be extended by the FA should they deem fit.

For the record Crawley won the game 2-1, but going forward will anyone look at this fixture and remember the score line?…I suspect not, it will be remembered just like the fixture between Sheffield United and West Brom for the mass brawl that brought shame on our national game.

On top of the suspensions fellow defender Marcel Seip has been ruled out for the season and left back Matt Fry is struggling with injury which will pile extra pressure on Phil Parkinson’s shoulders. Saturday’s fixture against fellow strugglers Plymouth is a huge game, as the club not only needs a win to keep clear daylight between themselves and the relegation zone but also to move on from the chaos of Tuesday night.

City need wins and quickly with a tough run-in starting against Plymouth, it is only hoped that what happened against Crawley will galvanize the squad to produce the goods on the pitch and ensure survival is reached. As the season reaches its climax, performances aren’t what it’s about its results and three points in the bag…without a doubt City have under-performed badly again this season which surprises me as Parkinson has signed some good players which on paper should do very well in League Two but for whatever reason it hasn’t happened and yet again for the second season running although this time around it is a lot closer than last, City find themselves stuck in a relegation battle.

Personally, I’m not overly enthusiastic with the gaffer but he should be judged on next season. Hopefully we will have stayed up and over the summer he can rebuild and try to mould a squad that he believes is good enough not only to survive but to be successful at the top end of the table. If once again City struggle then without a doubt he’ll come under pressure but for now I’m sure he has the backing of the majority of fans, who for the remaining games need to be the 12th man like they always are.

The City fans have endured dour season after dour season in recent times we deserve some success and the first part of that success can start with staying up!

Written by Mark Scully, We Are Going Up’s Bradford City Blogger

Mark tweets at @scully87

Tags: , ,
Posted in Bradford City, Featured, League Two | 1 Comment »

What defines a successful season?

Monday, March 19th, 2012

So what exactly defines a successful season? That is the current question that has enraged debate between Cheltenham Town fans after a run of games which has seen the club pick up just 1 point from a potential 12 and, since the Tottenham FA Cup game, win just 4 in 13 games.

Rewind back to August and Cheltenham Town were relegation favourites with the usual suspects, Macclesfield, Hereford, Barnet and the like. Therefore in that sense, what a season we’re having. Take away the recent dreadful run and we’ve been living the dream in reality. On the flip side the other fan rightly states that the club has led the league at points this season, been in the top 3 for the majority of the season and been as far as 15 points into the play-offs at any one time, so it is therefore unacceptable if the club now fails to finish inside the top 7. A very realistic possibility at present.

I spoke earlier in the season about the C word, consistency. At present we have that in abundance, but sadly with games going against us. A certain section of fans have been very quick to turn on Mark Yates. Shouts from the terraces on Saturday (a dire 3-0 defeat to Gillingham) led to Yates being branded “a bottler”, “someone who can only last half a season” and someone with “no plan B”. These fans seem to forget very quickly the achievements we have made and the progress we have made. However, they have every right to shout don’t they as the performance was unacceptable, the tactics were wrong and we were dire beyond belief? All these questions are swirling around the heads of Cheltenham fans and with there being no right or wrong answer fans are having to agree to disagree as we continue through the typical rollercoaster that is Cheltenham Town FC.

Ruby fans all knew, and feared the month of March, for the fixture computer dealt us a heavy blow playing teams all with ambitions of League One football next season. We did ourselves proud at Swindon, just forgetting to hit the net. We were utterly humiliated and embarrassed at home to Gillingham, our worst display of the season by a country mile. Shrewsbury, Oxford and Southend lie ahead next in a run of games that will surely define our season.

Clubs usually wish for steady progression. If you stick to this, the only way is up surely? However, our progression this season has been rapid beyond belief to the extent that even the most positive Cheltenham fan has been pinching themselves this season. Did we peak too early or is this a blip that will be ovecome with 9 games still to play?. We got to a stage where we’ve simply been awaiting this bad run and now it’s here fans seem to be unable to accept it. Players don’t become bad overnight. Remember the old adage “form is temporary, class is permanent”.

There inlies the question, what exactly does make a successful season for us Rubies? It seems every single fan has a different opinion on this matter. Some would still be more than content with a top half finish, others deem that utterly unacceptable stating our season has been so good, why should it be thrown away due to a second half season collapse (something we’re more than familar with here). Maybe the best answer lies in the hands of the neutrals… so what do you think?

Written by Maxi Hobbs, We Are Going Up’s Cheltenham Town Blogger

Maxi tweets at @maxihobbs

 

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Cheltenham Town, Featured, League Two | No Comments »

Sheer Talent!

Monday, March 19th, 2012

“Nick Powell, 17 years of age, stared in the recent England Under 17s World Cup in Mexico. The attacking midfielder came on as a sub in 18 games last season and showed great skill and potential, but couldn’t find the back of the net. He has already shown in pre-season that he is ready to make a step up and start contributing to Crewe’s goal tally.”

This is what I wrote on August 1st, when writing a preview for WAGU on Crewe Alexandra for the upcoming season. Over 30 appearances and 12 goals later, I wanted to write a follow up on possibly one of the most gifted footballers I have ever seen coming through the ranks at Crewe.

I am not saying that I am the next Paul the Octopus, predicting the future, as 95% of Crewe fans had a very good idea who would be the main man come the end of the season. It’s only been the last few months where football fans around the country have started to mention his name, and for the time being if they could keep quiet and let him get on with his work, that would be appreciated.

Last night I was having dinner with my family and I was talking to my Dad about the latest Crewe game and goings on. Although we no longer live in the area, my Dad has always been interested in the latest developments and attends the occasional away game with me. Of course, we started with the exceptional win over top of the league but the conversation quickly turned to Powell. I reminded my Dad of the first time he had seen him….Last season, away at Shrewsbury. Powell, 16 at the time, came on as a late substitute when we were winning 1-0 and proceeded to tease the Shrewsbury defence with various tricks and step overs.

It was always clear that this boy had talent; from his 18 substitute appearances last season, the majority of fans got to see what he was about, but this season (as you would expect) he has taken it up a notch. Recent goals against Gillingham and Swindon have thrust him into the spotlight, as well as winning the League Two Apprentice of the Year award. He showed a number of strengths against Gillingham; A sweetly struck shot from 30+ yards giving the goal keeper no chance, as well as a tidy finish in the box and to add to that, a brilliant assist after winning the ball on the halfway line. It’s not just his technical ability on the football pitch which stands out, he reads the game like a seasoned pro.

Something that I personally like about Powell is his arrogance. He knows he is a sensational player. He lets other players know he is a sensational player. He lets opposition fans know he is a sensational player. The swagger he has adds to his game and although it has divided the Crewe fans, as long as he is banging in the goals, we are all happy.

Rumours this week are that a 5 million pound bid from Chelsea is about to come in. I think it would be too early to go, but a move to a top Premier League club doesn’t come around often. Dario, Steve and the board won’t let go of him too easily…Ultimately, they want the best for his career, so won’t stand in his way in the future, but it’s important for him to gain more first team experience instead of potentially getting thrown into reserve squads in the top leagues. Ipswich were reported to have had a bid turned down last January. Rightfully so…he won’t leave Crewe unless its to a Premier League side, or big Championship team.

For me, I think he needs to stay at Crewe until next January. We have played very well under Steve Davis and sit 3 points of a playoff position which looked so unlikely 3 months ago. The top 7 is a possibility, and if we can squeeze through, half a season in League One would be good for Nick.

The world is certainly his oyster. I think a lot of Credit must go to Dario and the backroom staff. Powell wasn’t rushed into the team and although a lot of pressure has been on him this season, he seems to be dealing with it well. Lets hope he can carry on this form and drive us into a playoff place where he will have the opportunity to shine infront of the cameras and show the country the whole package!

Written by Hugh Wilson, We Are Going Up’s Crewe Alexandra blogger

Hugh tweets at @Hugh_Wilson

Tags: , ,
Posted in Crewe Alexandra, League Two | No Comments »

« Older Entries