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#272899 2015/16 Pre Season thread
terriersmad
I'm on the other side of this argument, as is pretty well known. If the FL/FA had taken quicker action to ensure Town fans were reimbursed (it still hasn't happened, and Blackpool haven't made any kind of offer either) I might be softer in my stance, but as it happens my club's fans have been hurt after being supportive of action against Oyston. I will maintain that when you disrupt the thing that you've come to see in the first place you've lost the argument.
On to our first pre-season game, I had nothing better to do yesterday afternoon so went to Guiseley. As friendlies went, it wasn't bad at all. Guiseley looked a tidy side and I hope they do well in their first season in the National League. They have some good ex-League pedigree in the likes of Liam Dickinson and Andy Gray, and their left-winger impressed me. We were very much in pre-season mode and played at about 60%. We had Martin Cranie on trial, and he's now going to Spain with the rest of the squad, where we'll face Leyton Orient - in this game he looked composed, but it's difficult to work out whether he's good enough for Championship football on the evidence of 45 minutes. We walked out 3-1 winners in the end, with goals from Wells and Butterfield before they scored a penalty. Lolley scored a cracker in the last minute to give the scoreline a bit more gloss.
#272480 The Lower League Thread
terriersmad
Noticed you've signed Graham Carey. We had him for 6 months 5 years ago. Beautiful left foot. Not quick. Crap full-back. Decent winger. A bit unlucky to be competing with Gary Roberts and Anthony Pilkington for a berth on the wing with us. Wish him well with you
In the mean time, we've signed Carlisle midfielder Kyle Dempsey. 19, just played his first season in professional football and won their player of the year. Got 11 goals and assisted another 10. Optimistic about this signing, he sounds like an ideal replacement for Coady. Time will, of course, be the ultimate judge. We're only a couple of players shy of having a very competitive squad. We need a centre-back for certain.
#271696 The Lower League Thread
terriersmad
Quite a few mixed emotions. On one hand, he had phenomenal potential. At 22 he was touted as a future captain, and at times last season he looked a real Rolls Royce player. On the other, it was only his first season in the division and he might not live up to his potential. If I had to put a strict value on his performances last season I'd say he was an £800k midfielder with £5m potential. To get £2m for him 12 months after signing him for £400k is good business whichever way you look at it, even if it leaves a gap in the squad. Best of luck to him at Wolves, I hope to see him in the Premier League shortly.
It also gives young Philip Billing a chance in the first team. He's a Danish U21 international from our academy, still only just 19, having made his debut for us at 17. It'd be too much to expect him to play the full season, but his emergence means that we only need to sign one midfielder rather than two to plug the gaps in the squad. We've also got Sondre Tronstad, a Norwegian U21 international, waiting in the wings. And Jake 'grandson of John' Charles, who's a Welsh U19 cap. It's a big season for the academy lads, not least because we have a few with great potential, and also because they'll be expected to plug the gaps in the squad. Some won't be up to it, but I have high hopes for those three in particular.
#270750 The Lower League Thread
terriersmad
Aren't you only under an embargo until you can show yourselves to be FFP compliant? In that case, doesn't it make sense for your board to ensure the sale of one asset on a ridiculous £45,000 a week wage to protect the rest of the squad? On his own, Rhodes sets you back (under FFP rules which mean the transfer fee is also taken into account over the duration of the original contract, which I think was 4 years) almost £4.5m a year. Doesn't it make sense to take that off the wage bill with a £12-15m transfer and ensure you can sign other players?
Or does that make way too much sense for your board to consider?
#270623 2015/2016 Kit Thread
terriersmad
Pretty good apart from the collar and shoulders. Bet our home shirt will be crap again. Our away shirt looks like Borussia Dortmund (if Dortmund wore fluorescent yellow shirts with yellow shorts and yellow socks).
#270600 The Lower League Thread
terriersmad
We've also signed Jason Davidson, the Australian international left-back, on a free from West Brom. I'm actually really excited about this one, and it has the potential to be a class move. He was pretty good at the World Cup, and played for the best side in Asia when they won the Asian Cup, and he's only 23.
We've also been linked with David Ball, which somewhat undermines previous good transfer business. He's not good enough for the Championship, even as a backup striker behind Wells, Vaughan, Miller, and Bunn.
#268841 2015/2016 Kit Thread
terriersmad
#267854 The Lower League Thread
terriersmad
We're linked with Dean Whitehead and Gary Hooper (the latter on loan). After I've spent the best part of two years taking the piss out of Hooper's inability to hit the net in England, it would be sod's law if we signed him. The Wells to Burnley links are hotting up as well, which could explain the Hooper rumours.
#267153 The Lower League Thread
terriersmad
I await you signing Nathan Clarke and Tom Clarke at this rate
Always had time for Leon Clarke, honest pro. You seem to be putting a cracking squad together for a side newly promoted from League Two.
#266580 The Lower League Thread
terriersmad
The best captain I've seen at Huddersfield Town (with the possible exception of Chris Lucketti first time around). Slow, yes. Prone to flying in to last-ditch blocks, yes. But the best leader you'll see. He's 33 now and probably 2 years past his best, but it should be remembered he's played over 100 games in the Championship in the last 3 years and I expected to see him sign for a top side in that division as part of a concerted promotion push. You'll never see a more passionate football man. Still got so much love for Peter Clarke despite his shortcomings.
#266191 The Lower League Thread
terriersmad
That said, I also said before his move to Millwall that Lee Gregory wouldn't cut it above League Two. 9 goals last season in the Championship says otherwise!
#265913 The Lower League Thread
terriersmad
I absolutely agree. It amazed me that no one mentioned it in commentary beyond the bit about Bamford being isolated. The only time he got real support was when Vossen followed him in and cracked that one off the bar, and even then it was more down to Bassong being daft and not looking where he was clearing it rather than any real skill from Middlesbrough.
Still, I suspect Middlesbrough will be back stronger next season, once again boring the life out of the opposition with their effective game management. You have to admit, it gets results, but it's dull to watch.
Congratulations to Norwich, who were far better on the day and had a more enterprising team in general over the course of the season.
#265845 The Lower League Thread
terriersmad
#265332 The Lower League Thread
terriersmad
Stan Ternant and Mick Wadsworth jump straight to mind. As does Paul Ince. To be fair to the bloke, it's only a year since he pretty much got Brentford up and guided Wigan to the play-offs. And it's not like he's going to be given the chance to succeed or fail properly anyway - first run of poor form, he's gone with his reputation intact because Leeds is a madhouse.
Feel sorry for Redfearn. Decent bloke who's been treated like crap.
#264904 The Lower League Thread
terriersmad
#264717 The Lower League Thread
terriersmad
#264586 The Lower League Thread
terriersmad
I was being sarcastic (hence the ...). One of my (many) problems with that ruling is that it undermines the integrity of the competition and places more importance on games which do have a bearing at the top and the bottom at the end of the season. The game should have been treated with the same gravity as if the Derby-Reading game had been abandoned, or even if the Reading-Derby game had been abandoned in September.
#264526 The Lower League Thread
terriersmad
40,000 words is a bit much, tbf. I just need a handful to point out that IF the result should be decided on the field of play (as they state) they should not have ordered the match not to be replayed. As they made that decision, they should have decided it in our favour as the innocent party. Blackpool FC are vicariously liable for the acts of their fans, and should not have been allowed to get any benefit while we were denied the opportunity to win the football match.
Oh, and if a team needs a point from the final game of the season to stay or go up, I assume the result will stand if their fans invade the pitch and refuse to leave, forcing an abandonment...
#264089 The Lower League Thread
terriersmad
Hope you do. Though I do remember your fans' song going back down Wembley Way in 2010: 'We're the famous Sheffield United and we're shit at Wem-ber-lee.' You always hit me as being too one-dimensional to do it the easy way, there's no X-factor when I see you. It's lines of four/five and no movement. Be good to see the Blades back up, though. Been hoping you'd do it since we beat you, because you should have been up that year.
#263110 The Lower League Thread
terriersmad
I doubt either side could get a team together at this stage - all loans will have gone back, players will be on holiday, and no one would want to risk an injury at this point. Had they acted quickly and called a crisis meeting on the day, we might have been able to have played on the Sunday evening or Monday afternoon, but it's taken 2 days just to get them to announce when they'll make a decision! I actually seriously doubt whether we'll be awarded the points and think the decision they'll come to will just punish yourselves.
Anyway, we've sorted out the retained list. Only Gobern, Miller and Holmes from the first team have been offered deals. Stead, Paterson, Carroll and Carr go with best wishes. Gerrard leaves having been told to fuck off by most Town fans after getting pretty much everyone's backs up while out of the team. Pleased to see the back of the tit.
#262961 The Lower League Thread
terriersmad
#262605 The Lower League Thread
terriersmad
Pretty certain they're not the first club to have ownership issues or to have a poor season. They're entitled to protest. They're not entitled to prevent a game from being played to the detriment of others. It really is that simple. It doesn't matter whether it's Huddersfield Town, Ipswich Town, Leeds United, Wigan Athletic or Blackburn Rovers. Affecting the team and fans of other clubs because of your own problems is very, very poor, and I for one won't ever pledge any support to Blackpool fans after this. If a club is on the brink I'll normally put a few pounds in a bucket for a survival trust - I won't do that for Blackpool.
I can think of plenty of other teams who have had issues in the last 3 or 4 years. The big one is, of course, Portsmouth. Their idea of fan power was to get organised and buy the club. And what about Wimbledon, creating a phoenix club just a decade ago? If you want to protest those are two ways of doing it, both of which take the power away from the likes of Oyston and place it back with the fans. Of course, if you don't want your money going to Oyston you don't go and hit him in the pocket.
#262508 The Lower League Thread
terriersmad
If you'd been to a game which was abandoned because the opposition fans wanted to protest on the pitch, I doubt you'd say the same. Toddle off to Old Trafford and arrange an on-pitch protest against the Glazers and the debt if it's that good an idea. Fact is, they crossed a line. People who think their actions are fine are wrong. The one thing that should always go on is the football, and when you interrupt that you've lost any kind of footballing argument, whether against the owner, or the league, or a player, or the manager. Why should other fans be punished for your owners? Because that's what abandonment does - punishes another club's fans. It was us today.
If you want to talk about 300 fans doing a good thing today, talk about 300 Town fans who cycled to Blackpool and are now cycling back to raise money for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance. Our usual end of season Pedal For Pounds should attract more attention to deflect from the idiots.
#262468 The Lower League Thread
terriersmad
Three points, please.
Update: fans have got onto the directors balcony and have been physically violent. Stopped from getting to Oyston by police. I sense half a dozen games will be played behind closed doors.
#262464 The Lower League Thread
terriersmad
No, it isn't. I get that why they're protesting and support the reasons, but the means are wrong. Plain and simple. You can't stop a football match - it's that simple. Protest in the stands all you want, but if it spills over onto the pitch it's gone too far.
#262184 The Night Thread Mk. IX
terriersmad
Fixed for accuracy. As a Labour man, I'm really disappointed with how the SNP looks set to take a clean sweep in Scotland. We're getting punished, ultimately, for being on the same team as the Tories during the referendum, and with the unionist vote split three ways it opens the door to (hopefully temporary) nationalism hegemony in Scotland.
The Tories were a spent force in Scotland following on from Thatcher's redefinition of unionism. Since then, Scotland has been like a foreign country to the Tory leadership, and any election which sees nationalists returned gets its democratic value questioned - because the SNP can't represent the entire UK (because, of course, the Tory lack of penetration into Scotland doesn't undermine that particular argument...).
The SNP's big problem is that it's a separatist party, which means no other party will go into a formal deal with it. It can't join with the Tories as it would undermine its own credibility at home (and probable drive a lot of voters back to Labour and the Lib Dems), and Labour can't work with it due to its separatist agenda, despite a lot of overlap between policies, which is a shame as a Labour/SNP alliance could be a very potent combination. It's going to be a very messy five years, regardless of the result. And due to the Fixed Term Parliaments Act it's bloody difficult to call an election to sort it out - I'm actually expecting two or three different alliances forming administrations without an election, and maybe a Tory minority government by the end of the parliament, which may work out in Labour's favour for next time.
#261972 The Lower League Thread
terriersmad
Historically, maybe, but I'm a bit disappointed for them. They've tried to build a core of young support and encourage locals to get along to their games, and League One won't do anything for them. Still, if you can't score goals you won't stay up and fans won't come through the doors. They've not had a proper striker for months, which is what's cost them imo. Better defensively than most in the bottom half, but just no firepower to get them points.
I want to congratulate Bournemouth, but I don't buy this 'incredible story' thing. The money has taken the edge off their achievement a little. Remember, their strike force alone cost about £8m, with Wilson and Rantie a combined £6m. Still, other clubs have spent massive money (Nottingham Forest, for instance) and got nowhere. This is a tough league, and it's a real achievement to get out of it even with money, even when most clubs are cutting their cloth.
And on Rotherham - can't expect Steve Evans to be the bigger man. Cracking quote, mind, even if it lacks in class.
#261284 The Lower League Thread
terriersmad
My impression of Blackburn was of an average side who would be in the bottom third of the table without the two strikers. They lack invention and creativity and have too many jobbing journeymen to be a promotion side. Selling one or the other and investing in a quality midfield would actually benefit them, because on the day our midfield was by far superior.
#261137 The Lower League Thread
terriersmad
#260080 The Lower League Thread
terriersmad
Still, great game. Derby punished every mistake we made but can't defend themselves to save their lives. We probably shaded it in terms of shots and chances, but still. Can't complain at proper entertainment.