Off Topic English football

[Ashez]

Tickets too expensive or do people just not care? 

[samhardy]

3 minutes ago, Ashez said:

Tickets too expensive or do people just not care? 

People don't care and rightly so, think there was a boycott going on at some clubs

It's mainly because the FA or EFL or whoever took a perfectly decent competition in the JPT and ruined it by adding PL and Championship U21 teams to help them so their young players would gain "match experience". Yet the problem is on average only 5 players in the academy's starting XI's are English!

As if the bigger clubs don't already get enough help anyway. No plans at all to help the lower league clubs with their youth prospects, they've all got to go even lower down the pyramid to get first team action. I bet there's more promising youth talent at some League 2 clubs than there is at some PL clubs.

[FuddledFox]

2 hours ago, samhardy said:

@FuddledFox from what we were discussing the other day I found these stats on Checkatrade Trophy attendances (1st, 12th and 24th of both divisions)

Shrewsbury Town - Capacity (9,875) Checkatrade Av.Attendance (1,404)

Portsmouth - Capacity (20,620) Checkatrade Av.Attendance (1,524)

Plymouth Argyle - Capacity (17,800) Checkatrade Av.Attendance (3,870)

 

Luton Town - Capacity (10,356) Checkatrade Av.Attendance (2,101)

Grimsby Town - Capacity (9,027) Checkatrade Av.Attendance (862)

Chesterfield - Capacity (10,503) Checkatrade Av.Attendance (1,099)

Needs to be scrapped

That really tells you All you need to know. When a football league club is getting under 1k to a competitive match something is wrong with the competition. Those pompey figures as well for such a well supported and passionate fan base.

I think most clubs do reduce prices but fans are staying away in protest. It seems that the under 21s being put in this competition was to softens us up to premier league B teams joining the lower league but that just isn't going to wash with fans I don't think so they stay away.

I can't see any benefit for youngsters in playing couple matches in empty stadiums against clubs with little interest. Surely loan spells at league 1 or 2 clubs would benefit them far more.

Saying all that once teams get to later rounds interest picks up and their was no boycott at final last year when we lost to Coventry. There was 70k + at Wembley that day.

[Ashez]

Football fans are a fickle bunch haha

[samhardy]

I've said this before but part of the big/little club problem is all the newer generation of football fans choosing to support say United or Arsenal when they've got absolutely no connection to them whatsoever instead of supporting their local club. So many lower league clubs are fucked because their attendances drop as people choose to support teams 200 miles away. This leads to a knock on affect of ticket prices rising as they aren't getting the support from what should be their catchment area.

The West Midlands is probably the best example with Birmingham*, Villa, Wolves*, West Brom etc yet so many choose to support a bigger club and use the traditional excuses such as "It was all Arsenal in my house growing up" Nonsense reasoning. It gets even worse lower down and at times teams like Coventry**, Port Vale** and Carlisle grounds are deserted. Fans that turn up week in week out to those teams are worth 100 of those United fans from Bristol and other places who never go to games.

Many people will disagree and I'm interested to hear other people's views tbh as subjects like this both frustrate and interest me at the same time.

*Both have suffered from major attendance drops in the past

**Currently suffering from major attendance drops

[samhardy]

Anything less than a win v Bolton and Grayson will be gone. Ellis Short has completely ruined this club, daft pig-faced nonce

[Taff]

10 minutes ago, samhardy said:

Anything less than a win v Bolton and Grayson will be gone. Ellis Short has completely ruined this club, daft pig-faced nonce

No no Sam say what you really feel

Spoiler

 

[Ashez]

The world’s worst team have fared better than Sunderland at home

The self-proclaimed worst team in the world, Brazilian outfit Íbis Sport, who were entered into the record books for their winless run of three years and 11 months, have even recorded two wins at home since September 17 this year.

[FuddledFox]

44 minutes ago, Ashez said:

The world’s worst team have fared better than Sunderland at home

The self-proclaimed worst team in the world, Brazilian outfit Íbis Sport, who were entered into the record books for their winless run of three years and 11 months, have even recorded two wins at home since September 17 this year.

That's gotta sting!

[samhardy]

We haven't won at home in 2017 anyone that doesn't fare better is an embarrassment

[Ashez]

29 minutes ago, FuddledFox said:

That's gotta sting!

Their fans actually complained about the wins saying it goes against their history lmao. 

10 minutes ago, samhardy said:

We haven't won at home in 2017 anyone that doesn't fare better is an embarrassment

There are actually humans on the planet and a lot of them that have never been alive for a Sunderland home win haha. 

[Taff]

15 hours ago, Ashez said:

There are actually humans on the planet and a lot of them that have never been alive for a Sunderland home win haha. 

[FuddledFox]

I tried to resist the urge to google it..........but I just had to.

According to http://www.worldometers.info/world-population/ over 116 million people have never lived in a world where Sunderland win at home.

 

[samhardy]

6 hours ago, FuddledFox said:

I tried to resist the urge to google it..........but I just had to.

According to http://www.worldometers.info/world-population/ over 116 million people have never lived in a world where Sunderland win at home.

This is ridiculous 

[samhardy]

Anyone seen this? Blues were 3-1 down in the last minute and this followed

 

[Ashez]

Saw that last night, that's why we love and hate the beautiful game! 

[MerlionMaple96]

Yeah showed up on my fb feed. Being on the team that scores last minute equalizers/winners is honestly the best feeling in the world.

[samhardy]

Happy Sunderland home win day

[FuddledFox]

Grayson gone then @samhardy. Seems a bit hasty to me as I think he is a good manager at that level and surely the problems are above him at the club. Then again thats just looking at it from a far.

[samhardy]

4 minutes ago, FuddledFox said:

Grayson gone then @samhardy. Seems a bit hasty to me as I think he is a good manager at that level and surely the problems are above him at the club. Then again thats just looking at it from a far.

I feel sorry for Grayson as he's hardly had anything to work with yet at the same time he has been tactically inept. Whilst they might seem to contradict each other as he only had £1.5 million to spend on a mess of a squad in the summer you can only work with what you've got and surely he knew what he let himself in for when he took the job.

Problem is there is something rotten right at the core of the club and it needs a complete overhaul starting with Ellis Short and all the people stealing a living in the boardroom who know nothing about football. We've turned into a mess of a club due to lack of investment and lack of football knowledge. How we've gone from where we were in 2012 under MON to where we are now on our knees in such a short space of time is nothing more than baffling especially for a club of our size.

Saying that if England hadn't lost to Iceland the annoying thing is we'd be mid-table in the Prem now under Big Sam 

Manager wise now we need a motivator, plain and simple. It's what Grayson lacked and we need someone who the fans will be behind from the first minute. I'd absolutely love Keane back and I wanted him in the summer but he hates Short so won't happen. Maybe even Super Kev if we're looking left field, could certainly do worse.

One thing I will say though is that I'd rather nail my testicles to the kitchen table than see Alan Pardew take charge

[Ashez]

1 hour ago, samhardy said:

I feel sorry for Grayson as he's hardly had anything to work with yet at the same time he has been tactically inept. Whilst they might seem to contradict each other as he only had £1.5 million to spend on a mess of a squad in the summer you can only work with what you've got and surely he knew what he let himself in for when he took the job.

Problem is there is something rotten right at the core of the club and it needs a complete overhaul starting with Ellis Short and all the people stealing a living in the boardroom who know nothing about football. We've turned into a mess of a club due to lack of investment and lack of football knowledge. How we've gone from where we were in 2012 under MON to where we are now on our knees in such a short space of time is nothing more than baffling especially for a club of our size.

Saying that if England hadn't lost to Iceland the annoying thing is we'd be mid-table in the Prem now under Big Sam 

Manager wise now we need a motivator, plain and simple. It's what Grayson lacked and we need someone who the fans will be behind from the first minute. I'd absolutely love Keane back and I wanted him in the summer but he hates Short so won't happen. Maybe even Super Kev if we're looking left field, could certainly do worse.

One thing I will say though is that I'd rather nail my testicles to the kitchen table than see Alan Pardew take charge

Tim Sherwood it is then  

[samhardy]

Bilic gone Moyes in! Poor West Ham

[MerlionMaple96]

I mean Bilic literally looked super fucking done lol. Like he hadn't slept for a few months straight. Was about time they shipped him off.

Team has good players they just need someone to organize the atrocious defense a bit

 

[samhardy]

33 minutes ago, MerlionMaple96 said:

I mean Bilic literally looked super fucking done lol. Like he hadn't slept for a few months straight. Was about time they shipped him off.

Team has good players they just need someone to organize the atrocious defense a bit

But they're getting Moyes...

[MerlionMaple96]

6 minutes ago, samhardy said:

But they're getting Moyes...

Moyes gets too much shit. He's half the reason Everton are considered a 2nd tire side (just outside the top 6).

[Ashez]

2 minutes ago, MerlionMaple96 said:

Moyes gets too much shit. He's half the reason Everton are considered a 2nd tire side (just outside the top 6).

Even Everton fans were never that pleased with him. He also spent a lot more than people tend to believe, £20m odd on hair ball for example. 

[samhardy]

Also his tactical styles are well outdated and he only signs players who he's managed in the past.

[Ashez]

Just now, samhardy said:

Also his tactical styles are well outdated and he only signs players who he's managed in the past.

Rodwell's a hammer?  

[samhardy]

1 minute ago, Ashez said:

Rodwell's a hammer?  

Hope so Him and Gibson to West Ham!

[FMH Skill]

1 hour ago, Ashez said:

Even Everton fans were never that pleased with him. He also spent a lot more than people tend to believe, £20m odd on hair ball for example. 

You mean Fellaini, who's clearly better than Henderson?