The Lower League Thread

Appeal the MLS, BPL type of people I assume. Could've picked an acronym that wasn't so close to the EDL though

Actually it does read like a merger of EDF Energy and the EDL.

The logo looks like a gas company too.

Paul Lambert has been named new Blackburn manager.

Definitely happy with that!

No idea what to expect today. Other than a lot of energy and pressing. The idea of Hudson playing out from the back scares me a bit.

See above.

Good first 70, collapsed last 20. Should have killed the game. Huws (twice) and Carayol had chances to kill it after Scannell's opener. We'd have deserved to be 2-0 up as well. Wednesday didn't play a single jot of football until the last 15 minutes when McGugan and that Joao came on. We passed and moved, but lacked that killer edge. Our need for a striker was highlighted when we were getting into good positions but couldn't put the ball in. We had bodies in the box, but they were lightweight - Wells had a good game with the ball at his feet, linking the play, but when it went up the centre-halves were a pair of big nasty bastards who were always going to beat him physically.

Whitehead going off made a difference. The ref just picked on him. Warned him after he had booked Bunn for... not a clue, actually. Then booked him for what can only be described as a nothing foul. Then gave him a final warning for... erm... Well, your guess is as good as mine. The ref had a shocker in general. Two or three cynical fouls by either side and bookings were allowed to go, while Whitehead got booked for precisely nothing and Dempsey's booking for timewasting was comical. I'm not going to say we didn't waste time (we did) but that was the least of the offences to say the very least. The Wednesday left-back was also fortunate to escape a second booking for controlling the ball with his hand while on the floor.

Still, plenty of positives. We have 8 first-team players out at the moment, the coach has only worked with them for 2 weeks, and we looked a better football team. 3-1 went beyond flattering Wednesday who only turned up for 15 minutes (although to be fair they had that punch we didn't in those 15 minutes - it's about sticking the ball in the net not playing nice football which is pleasing on the eye). Given another 3 weeks with them, and a few players coming back, we're going to start looking like a good team who play good football and win matches. I'm really buying into what Wagner wants us to do and already see the positives.

Went to Preston yesterday, good start to the Lambert era, hopefully we can go on a good run now and keep moving up the league - we went from 11 points off the play offs before yesterday's games to only 8 points off.

We won 1-0 away at Eastleigh yesterday. Fully deserved by the sounds of it and delighted for the 468 travelling fans who made the 500 mile round trip! Top notch.

Luton 3-4 Carlisle ... from 3-1 up with less than half hour to play and lose 4-3! With the squad at John Still's disposal he will be out of job before long if he doesn't turn it around, i'm pretty sure all Luton fans are expecting play off's as a minimum this season, on paper we should be challenging for the title yet we continue to throw away points game after game from winning positions, it's unreal!

Josh McQuoid seems to have finally settled though, lad is on fire!! Silver lining I guess.

Steer's back

Vaughan's gone

So for the next few weeks we have a goalkeeper. But only have one striker. And he's out of form. We only have a kid for backup.

I wish I could say the plus side is that the transfer window is just around the corner, but we have 8 games until then and everyone knows we need a new goalkeeper, a new right-back, a new centre-back and a new striker (or three). And they know we have money to spend...

We signed James Alabi on loan from Ipswich, and Connor Henderson from Crawley. Solid.

The first half was the best we've played all season. The only thing missing was a goal.

I'm not concerned that we're in the bottom three. Play like we did today and we'll be nearer the top than the bottom in May. We played with intensity and pace. Cutting edge was lacking, but it needs to be remembered that Middlesbrough last conceded under Karanka in December 1874. Boro's concentration was outstanding. The only time they put a foot wrong they got away with it when Ayala clattered Wells in the box and the ref inexplicably didn't give a penalty. They were clinical in front of goal and, lucky though they were, you can't knock them for that.

We'll beat Birmingham. I have absolutely no doubt that with performances like that results will start picking up. We have a fairly kind run over Christmas, and we'll be a good 6-9 points clear by the new year and end up comfortably mid-table. We do need a striker, and we also need a bit more depth in the squad, but we're in a position to invest and Wagner has us entertaining again. I can't remember feeling this upbeat after a defeat. Things look unusually bright.

Yeovil sack Paul Sturrock

Is there anyone who can stop their seemingly constant plummet?

Not surprised, results have been crap, and he apparently fell out with the Chairman long ago. I think this is it for Yeovil, been punching above their weight for years, now they could finally be going back to non-league.

We are on the fookin big screen on sunday! Watch getting destroyed at Rochdale's very own dump you will love it!

I've been to Spotland and I can confirm - it is a shit hole!

Plymouth to Rochdale's a cracking effort

I said we'd win, and we did win. Sounds like a brilliant away performance, scoring early, scoring late and outplaying Birmingham into the bargain. Though it should be said that Birmingham won't be in the top 6 in May - they'll be mid-table, like we will be.

If it makes it worse it was from Cornwall, on a coach. Not something I'd do again in a hurry but I can say I've been.

All the more impressive.

Though if you then lost after a poor display it will have had you asking serious questions about why the hell you bothered! I do that for home games, and I'm only 3 miles from the ground, never mind a 700 mile round trip.

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We had a man sent off early doors and lost 1-0! but it was the last game of the season and our survival in the football league hinged on that day, so I couldn't not go. I'm an hour and 10ish away from our home games and I'm a season ticket holder, Tuesday night games are a bitch!

Be nice if we took our chances one day. 23 shots, one goal, a missed penalty, a keeper having a blinder and a hit post. That said, Bristol City could have been 3 or 4 up - if they hadn't taken air shots they could have been.

Still, we shouldn't have lost. Awful luck today - Huws' hamstring visibly went as he took the penalty (which should have been re-taken anyway, due to encroachment by theirs who made the tackle that saved a goal), Wells was bundled down in the box (penalty not given this time) and had to go off injured as a result, and the ball just ran for Bristol when it broke in their box - Dempsey missed one just after Bunn's goal, for example, and it hit the covering defender on his way back and ran wide rather than in which, according to conventional physics, it should have done.

We weren't good enough first half. Two soft set-piece goals (the second of which looked more than suspiciously offside, it should be said, although our marking letting their gangly eight foot centre-half have a free header six yards out is beyond suspect). We didn't get the ball in early enough, took a touch too many, and weren't quick enough in possession.

More worrying is the injury situation - Whitehead out for 2 months, Billing and Murphy still injured, Lynch and Ward only on their ways back, Huws and Wells now going off. Our squad is stupidly light. When everyone's fit, we're fine. But when 7 first-teamers are out we're far too lightweight. We need January to get some bodies in.

10 points out of 12 under Lambert so far, cut the gap to the play offs from about 11 points to 4 in the meantime. Forest at home tomorrow night. Come on Rovers!

Urgh, we won a game. A result for the board to hide behind and further blinker the fans who still think there is nothing wrong at our club. I hate supporting Blackpool at the moment, I'm depressed when we win and when we lose! I don't imagine Wigan fans are too happy either! We seem to manage to nick a result against them more often than not. Still love the memory of our first game in the Premiership against them

Two goals, a clean sheet, a win. We weren't great last night, and we were distinctly under-strength, but we were comfortable against a poor Rotherham side who offered next to nothing. Carayol's goal was a screamer, a dipping, swerving strike from 25 yards. Even Miller scored!

After last week's aberration at Brentford, this week was much more like it. We're still struggling to get a 90 minute performance, but for the 45 minutes we did play well we were outstanding. In the first half we were a yard too slow and we had no tempo in our passing. That said, Preston really didn't carry much threat. We got a great goal before half-time, and in the second half we were a completely different beast.

Wells had his quietest game under Wagner up to his first goal. After that, he proceeded to destroy their centre-half. He got another through good work from Bunn and had two disallowed and hit a post. His link-up play was good, his movement was great and he thoroughly deserved his man of the match award. The third goal was a complete fluke, Huws scoring direct from a corner. We could and should have had more. Scannell and Bunn missed glorious chances and the final scoreline flatters Preston after the second half.

That said, their goal was very nicely taken, and they should have had a penalty at 2-0 when Smith brought their lad down. Weirdly, they didn't appeal at the time and only later spoke to the ref. Nice to have a bit of luck.

Our game was called off today due to a waterlogged pitch. Right decision too as Whalley, the flooded village where residents had to evacuate that was the main national news earlier in the day, is only 10-15 mins drive from Blackburn (and only 3 or 4 mins from me if you're interested!) so you get an idea of just how much rain has fallen here haha.

Luckily I'm going to Bolton on Monday lunchtime so don't have to wait long for a game, and we should win - Rotherham stuck 4 past 'em today!

First time anyone has ever said that.

Haha True though.

Soulless stadium stuck on a retail park right next to the motorway. Pretty grim.

Yeovil ate doomed for non league football next season, what a turn around the club have faced!

I heard a couple weeks ago this fact:

'2 seasons ago Yeovil were drawing 1-1 at Huish Park with Leicester in the Championship, now Leicester are top of the Premier League and Yeovil are struggling at the Basement of League football!'