So who will be relegated?

diamondgirl · Post by **diamondgirl** » 11 Feb 2014, 23:15

Torquay and Northampton 2 worst teams in the division, by miles.

tomogull · Post by **tomogull** » 12 Feb 2014, 00:00

diamondgirl wrote:Torquay and Northampton 2 worst teams in the division, by miles.

I disagree. Tonight was a hard slog in the mud and I don't think either team will go down.

ferrarilover · Post by **ferrarilover** » 12 Feb 2014, 00:37

tomogull wrote: I disagree. Tonight was a hard slog in the mud and I don't think either team will go down.

Ahahahaha, it really wasn't anything of the sort. It was bobbly and the flanks were soft-ish, but this was no mud bath. If you think you've seen two worse sides than that this season, you've been to games I haven't (I missed Fleetwood putting four past us, perhaps it was them).

Despite winning, Northampton looked worse than us and will surely go down. They got extremely lucky to win tonight against a hopeless Torquay. Against any other, even vaguely solid side, they'll get torn apart. I simply can't see them getting enough points. As for us, well, play like that again and we're ****. Drop the horrendous Manse and equally turgid Nico and we might be OK.

Matt.

ferrarilover · Post by **ferrarilover** » 12 Feb 2014, 00:42

yellowsmiffy wrote:Never thought Northampton would go down, as we all know that they always throw money at a new manager and players to ensure they get out of trouble.

Wycombe have the odd result in them but could potentially go down, Pompey do just enough to keep their heads above water and I can't see them not picking up the odd 3 points now and again. Accrington never go down despite being a horribly poor footballing outfit, there is no explanation for why this is the case. Bury will stay up with Flitcroft in charge. Good manager. Rovers are half decent and will definitely stay up. Mansfield will stay up simply because newly promoted teams never go straight back down. How they beat Cheltenham the other day is a mystery considering they're a glorified pub team.

All this leads me to believe that Exeter are candidates along with ourselves, Wycombe, and perhaps Accrington. Shame we haven't got the likes of Barnet, Macclesfield etc around us, but this season I just think the other clubs have the resources to add that little bit of extra quality that can win you games.

Thing is Smif, NTFC already have spent their vast sums of money and the result is that pile of cow shit you saw last night. Even after spending money, they are by far and away the worst side in the division.

Matt.

brucie · Post by **brucie** » 12 Feb 2014, 09:10

Yes agreed they were awful. I wouldn't be suprised if the two teams playing last night ended up going down.

tktufc91 · Post by **tktufc91** » 12 Feb 2014, 09:19

If we do end up going down, I can only hope to god that we take Northampton with us. I remember walking past a set of fans earlier in the season who couldn't believe a small tinpot club like us had beaten them. You're not a big club, your still bottom of league 2 and are still in this relegation scrap like us.

Hopefully though we can get out of this mess. There is still loads to play for.

stefano · Post by **stefano** » 12 Feb 2014, 09:46

The two bottom clubs in League 2 both change their managers in January for the relegation dogfight to come.

Northampton in Chris Wilder and Alan Knill appoint two very experienced managers at this level who immediately strengthen their team. We appoint a former good player and captain who has no managerial experience. Certainly the crafty old fox Alan Knill plotted the downfall of the young apprentice last night.

Knill had seen through our weak links and was ready to move them on in January. Although this was not popular with fans as our weak links had been at our club for years and had given sterling service, sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind and Knill was ready to apply the treatment needed. So what do we do? Back the manager? No!!! Sack the manager and appoint a mate of the weak links to ensure the fans are placated.

You couldn't make it up really. Only at Torquay!

As well as being ready to cast adrift the dead wood Knill was also overseeing an upturn in results which had seen 7 points from his last 5 games. A continuation of that points haul at that time would have been just enough to keep us up. The expected defeat on Saturday at Chesterfield will see our new manager with 6 points from 5 games .... which won't be enough!!!

Off up to the loft now to dust off my 'On Loan to the Conference' car sticker!

PhilGull · Post by **PhilGull** » 12 Feb 2014, 10:03

I don't remember the table looking like this before. The top seven are now pretty much sealed (barring a major change in form for at least two teams) with only 10 points covering 8th to 23rd.
Four of our next six games are against teams in the top seven, three of the games are at home.
As long as we are still in touch with the pack by the time we make the trip to Cheltenham in mid March then I think we can make ourselves safe.
As for who will be relegated (and ignoring our own plight) I think Wycombe are doomed. Northampton I think have enough about them to pick up points (as they did last night

) I think looking at current form it will be between Exeter and Cheltenham for the other spot.
As an outside bet, with their build up of fixtures I wouldn't rule out seeing Newport being overwhelmed by the amount of games to play in a short time and tumbling down the table.

tomogull · Post by **tomogull** » 12 Feb 2014, 21:57

stefano wrote:The two bottom clubs in League 2 both change their managers in January for the relegation dogfight to come.

Northampton in Chris Wilder and Alan Knill appoint two very experienced managers at this level who immediately strengthen their team. We appoint a former good player and captain who has no managerial experience. Certainly the crafty old fox Alan Knill plotted the downfall of the young apprentice last night.

Knill had seen through our weak links and was ready to move them on in January. Although this was not popular with fans as our weak links had been at our club for years and had given sterling service, sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind and Knill was ready to apply the treatment needed. So what do we do? Back the manager? No!!! Sack the manager and appoint a mate of the weak links to ensure the fans are placated.

You couldn't make it up really. Only at Torquay!

As well as being ready to cast adrift the dead wood Knill was also overseeing an upturn in results which had seen 7 points from his last 5 games. A continuation of that points haul at that time would have been just enough to keep us up. The expected defeat on Saturday at Chesterfield will see our new manager with 6 points from 5 games .... which won't be enough!!!

Off up to the loft now to dust off my 'On Loan to the Conference' car sticker!

Usually nod my head in agreement when reading your posts Stef, but not this one. I think you're well wide of the mark. Knill was supposed to be 'turning corners' in November, December and now you're saying January as well. If he'd stayed, we'd have been dead certs for relegation. Hargreaves is maybe inexperienced but he's worked with good managers and will know the score and know very well that tough decisions have to be made. Besides, he has an able assistant in Lee Hodges who has had managerial experience, albeit with Truro. I am more hopeful that we will stay up with Hargreaves as manager than the no hope if Knill was still here. Knill by his own admission is happier working with players as a coach - good luck to him. Yes, no doubt he had much to do with the tactics of man marking Labadie and putting pressure on Nicholson last night. But if Northampton stay up, and I think they will, it will be down to Chris Wilder - not Alan Knill.

kevgull · Post by **kevgull** » 12 Feb 2014, 22:18

On the basis of last night performance, ummmmmhhh?

A good rule of thumb is to judge a team by the quality of it strikers!

stefano · Post by **stefano** » 12 Feb 2014, 22:32

tomogull wrote: Usually nod my head in agreement when reading your posts Stef, but not this one. I think you're well wide of the mark. Knill was supposed to be 'turning corners' in November, December and now you're saying January as well. If he'd stayed, we'd have been dead certs for relegation. Hargreaves is maybe inexperienced but he's worked with good managers and will know the score and know very well that tough decisions have to be made. Besides, he has an able assistant in Lee Hodges who has had managerial experience, albeit with Truro. I am more hopeful that we will stay up with Hargreaves as manager than the no hope if Knill was still here. Knill by his own admission is happier working with players as a coach - good luck to him. Yes, no doubt he had much to do with the tactics of man marking Labadie and putting pressure on Nicholson last night. But if Northampton stay up, and I think they will, it will be down to Chris Wilder - not Alan Knill.

:~D Thank you Tommo that is very kind of you. I have done 4 or 5 of these in a similar vein on different threads and have to admit that they have been a little tongue in cheek (albeit also containing some things that are fact [like 7 pts from last 5] and some things that I do believe [like some of our senior players picking up their bus passes and growing old gracefully]). You could say it is for the sake of balance and maybe playing the Devils advocate. I was getting a little bit bored with the mass hysteria that broke out on here which put me in mind of the witch trials (not that I was around then but I think my mother may have been involved!). We had one week where we were playing Manchester United in the FA Youth Cup but nobody was remotely interested and were just regurgitating (good word must use it more often) the same stuff on the 76 threads which had been created all on the same subject!.

Anyway I promise to behave in future!

tomogull · Post by **tomogull** » 13 Feb 2014, 15:43

stefano wrote: :~D Thank you Tommo that is very kind of you. I have done 4 or 5 of these in a similar vein on different threads and have to admit that they have been a little tongue in cheek (albeit also containing some things that are fact [like 7 pts from last 5] and some things that I do believe [like some of our senior players picking up their bus passes and growing old gracefully]). You could say it is for the sake of balance and maybe playing the Devils advocate. I was getting a little bit bored with the mass hysteria that broke out on here which put me in mind of the witch trials (not that I was around then but I think my mother may have been involved!). We had one week where we were playing Manchester United in the FA Youth Cup but nobody was remotely interested and were just regurgitating (good word must use it more often) the same stuff on the 76 threads which had been created all on the same subject!. Anyway I promise to behave in future!

Ah - I get it !! You were winding us all up. :B Certainly got me going as I had to go hunting for me blood pressure pills ! Agree that mass hysteria broke out on here when 'Jesus' Hargreaves was appointed. Back to earth and reality with a severe bump on Tuesday night 8-o

okehampton gull · Post by **okehampton gull** » 13 Feb 2014, 22:19

I hope Northampton go down and take that **** nill with them , there tactic to crock billy bodin was premeditated.. go down you dirty b*stards

brucie · Post by **brucie** » 14 Feb 2014, 22:26

At least Accrington managed to lose tonight blowing a 2-0 advantage at half time.

stefano · Post by **stefano** » 15 Feb 2014, 09:45

Wycombe game off so a win at Chesterfield (not impossible - remember Carlisle away way back when) will put us above them. Get out of the bottom two and stay out of the bottom two. Then set our sights on Exeter and Plymouth

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