Football Focus

[bluebottle]

There is some sort of myth in Sheffield that Wednesday are in some way better than United....but no one ever has worked out why this myth came about

 

 

Ah, yes; despite living within earshot of Hillsborough football stadium I've never set foot inside the place. On the other hand, I first went through the turnstiles of Bramall Lane back in 1958. One of these days I might go for a second time.

 

Edit: tidying up typing.

Edited April 1, 2014 by bluebottle

[Calnefoxile]

 

Oooohhhhh getting excited now, only 2 wins needed for promotion.

 

So beat Sheff Weds on friday night, and then beat Brighton on Tuesday and we're there. Then, if results go our way with Burnley, we could also be celebrating as Champions as well.

 

Regards

 

Neal.

[kevinlms]

 

Perhaps next season Oldham Athletic and their fans could commemorate the "centenary" of their best ever season 1914-15 by finishing 2nd in the "First Division"* again and getting promotion to the Championship. Not quite as good as missing out on the "big one" by a single point but a good start:

 

1914-15 league table.jpg

 

The bottom three make interesting reading, but I don't suppose Richard Scudamore, Premier League C.E.,would want history to repeat itself in 2014-15, because of the damage to the global appeal of the Premiership "brand" if Manchester United and Chelsea got relegated

 

Footnote : Manchester United won't anything important until the 1948 F.A.Cup

 

* other names available.

 

Edit: Brain f*rt - Just realised I'd written Peter Scudamore not Richard Scudamore - both jockeys of sorts but I'm sure one of them has a much easier ride.

What's truly awful about that year, is that Arsenal got promoted, even though they finished in 5th place (WITHOUT play off's it seems).

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1914%E2%80%9315_Football_League

[CUTLER2579]

Quote " What's truly awful about that year, is that Arsenal got promoted, even though they finished in 5th place (WITHOUT play off's it seems)." Quote

 

I presume this was something to do with the first World War ?

[Ohmisterporter]

 

Perhaps next season Oldham Athletic and their fans could commemorate the "centenary" of their best ever season 1914-15 by finishing 2nd in the "First Division"* again and getting promotion to the Championship. Not quite as good as missing out on the "big one" by a single point but a good start:

 

1914-15 league table.jpg

 

 

An interesting table. In an idle moment I calculated the difference that three points for a win would have made. No change in the top four or bottom three; the big difference would be for Sunderland moving from eighth to fifth. No Europa league in those days of course, there was a different competition going on.  

[cary hill]

Quote " What's truly awful about that year, is that Arsenal got promoted, even though they finished in 5th place (WITHOUT play off's it seems)." Quote

 

I presume this was something to do with the first World War ?

Perhaps more to do with increasing the number of clubs in First Division from 20 to 22. Derby and Preston were promoted and only Tottenham were "relegated" at the expense of Arsenal and possibly through some skullduggery involving this man http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Norris_(businessman)

Edited April 2, 2014 by cary hill

[CUTLER2579]

A couple of good replies gents. Certainly Mr Henry Norris was a Naughty Man pocketing £125 from selling the team BUS. As well as paying his chauffeur out of Arsenal's Kitty.

I suppose the !916 -1918 seasons were non existant due to th War.

 

Good to see your not Proud of your South Yorkshire routes Mickey  :laugh:.  My friend Michael is rather partial to the Blades and with his buddy from Eastwood in Nottinghamshire I thought it was a Shaw fire Plan he might start to follow Eastwood Town earlier this year when the Blades were struggling. However its just as well he didn't :-

 

Northern Premier League Southern Division  -- Feb 2014: Eastwood Town resigned from the League, playing record expunged, (they had hardly completed any fixtures all season).

 

Kind Regards,

Del.

[Enterprisingwestern]

A couple of good replies gents. Certainly Mr Henry Norris was a Naughty Man pocketing £125 from selling the team BUS. As well as paying his chauffeur out of Arsenal's Kitty.

I suppose the !916 -1918 seasons were non existant due to th War.

 

Good to see your not Proud of your South Yorkshire routes Mickey  :laugh:.  My friend Michael is rather partial to the Blades and with his buddy from Eastwood in Nottinghamshire I thought it was a Shaw fire Plan he might start to follow Eastwood Town earlier this year when the Blades were struggling. However its just as well he didn't :-

 

Northern Premier League Southern Division  -- Feb 2014: Eastwood Town resigned from the League, playing record expunged, (they had hardly completed any fixtures all season).

 

Kind Regards,

Del.

 

My claim to fame was actually going to an Eastwood Town match when the mighty red and white wizaaaards had a free weekend, that was 2 or 3 years ago and they were in turmoil then with threats of expulsion due to fiscal impropriety.

The bar had a mighty fine real ale on though, 4 pints in 20 minutes and another 2 at half time, for some reason I can't remember the opponents or result.

 

Mike.

[kevinlms]

Quote " What's truly awful about that year, is that Arsenal got promoted, even though they finished in 5th place (WITHOUT play off's it seems)." Quote

 

I presume this was something to do with the first World War ?

No it wasn't directly a WW1 thing. It was more to do with why did a team that finished 6th get promotion (if you take at look at the 2nd Division table for that year & read note 5 at the foot, regarding correcting them decades later to 5th).

Although the proper procedure (and undoubtedly what would apply to day) if the competition had been suspended for 4 seasons, then you'd have a play off between those candidates due for relegation & those due for promotion. Certainly complicated by the decision to change from 20 to 22 teams.

 

But what about Barnsley & Wolves, they finished higher up the table? Also Birmingham, although in their case it was a mistake in compiling the table, not discovered until 1975. Just imagine, how quickly such an error would be identified now?

 

By 'truly awful', I mean this promotion by Arsenal has meant, that they haven't been shifted from the top division since.

 

[BoD]

An interesting table. In an idle moment I calculated the difference that three points for a win would have made. No change in the top four or bottom three; the big difference would be for Sunderland moving from eighth to fifth.

 

Can you do something similar for us now please.

[cary hill]

 

By 'truly awful', I mean this promotion by Arsenal has meant, that they haven't been shifted from the top division since.

 

 

The trouble with Arsenal is that they have shown themselves utterly incapable of mounting a sustained attempt to be relegated.

 

Season after season they fail to finish in the bottom half of the League, let alone flirt with relegation.

 

It's just not good enough.

[cary hill]

Quite a strange feeling with Leicester City getting promoted to the Premier League this afternoon without kicking a ball.

 

About time though after 10 years wandering around in the wilderness.

 

The next trick, which will be much harder to pull off, is to stay in the Premiership for longer than our usual fleeting visits.

[Horsetan]

The trouble with Arsenal is that they have shown themselves utterly incapable of mounting a sustained attempt to be relegated.

 

Season after season they fail to finish in the bottom half of the League, let alone flirt with relegation.

 

It's just not good enough.

I just imagined Jeremy Hardy from the News Quiz saying this!!

[Calnefoxile]

Quite a strange feeling with Leicester City getting promoted to the Premier League this afternoon without kicking a ball.About time though after 10 years wandering around in the wilderness.The next trick, which will be much harder to pull off, is to stay in the Premiership for longer than our usual fleeting visits.

 

David,

 

Absolutely. I'm at my daughters in Germany and have been sat here with my son watching the results come in quite nervously, especially when QPR equalised.

 

But when the Bournemouth v QPR result finally came in, we cheered and raised a glass to NP and the boys, now its PARTY PARTY time!!!

 

We just need to win that Chamiponship trophy now.

 

Regards

 

Neal

 

UTF

[Claude_Dreyfus]

Best of luck to Leicester City; a great achievement!

 

From my point of view it is a little sobering; the last time they were promoted they were runners up to Pompey. This time around, you are returning to the Premiership whilst we are celebrating beating Hartlepool 1-0 and languishing a whole 66 place below!

[cary hill]

Best of luck to Leicester City; a great achievement!

 

From my point of view it is a little sobering; the last time they were promoted they were runners up to Pompey. This time around, you are returning to the Premiership whilst we are celebrating beating Hartlepool 1-0 and languishing a whole 66 place below!

I must be getting old as I can remember both games against Portsmouth that season 2002-03 - we won 2-0 at Fratton Park, although the match was more like a water sports event, and should have been abandoned, and a 1-1 home draw on an absolutely freezing February night in front of crowd of almost 32,000.

 

I was just looking at old Premier League tables and I think Portsmouth finished 8th in Season 2007-08 - it's been a truly horrific "fall off a cliff" since then in a very short time. Very sad.

[pH]

Quite a strange feeling with Leicester City getting promoted to the Premier League this afternoon without kicking a ball.

 

 

Good to see Leicester back in the top division. I lived near Long Eaton in the mid 1970s and had a choice of Derby, the two Nottingham teams and Leicester within easy reach. Leicester at home was a frequent choice - with players like Weller, Worthington, Birchenall and Sammels, they were always worth the admission. I've had a soft spot for them ever since. Good luck in the Premier.

[cary hill]

Good to see Leicester back in the top division. I lived near Long Eaton in the mid 1970s and had a choice of Derby, the two Nottingham teams and Leicester within easy reach. Leicester at home was a frequent choice - with players like Weller, Worthington, Birchenall and Sammels, they were always worth the admission. I've had a soft spot for them ever since. Good luck in the Premier.

That team was probably the most entertaining and skilful Leicester City team I've seen. Worthington and Weller both played briefly for England, but had their international careers cut short by the delightful Don Revie, who replaced Joe Mercer, and didn't like mavericks with minds of their own. Unfortunately the team was always short of at least one top class defender so was never in any danger of actually winning anything.

[pH]

Unfortunately the team was always short of at least one top class defender so was never in any danger of actually winning anything.

TBH, that was probably some of the attraction - as a neutral, you were pretty sure you were going to see goals, one way or another! (Including Keith Weller's in this compilation,

which I saw live.)

 

Edit - it helps to include the link.

Edited April 5, 2014 by pH

[cary hill]

TBH, that was probably some of the attraction - as a neutral, you were pretty sure you were going to see goals, one way or another! (Including Keith Weller's in this compilation,

which I saw live.)

 

Edit - it helps to include the link.

Funnily enough they don't show that Weller o.g. in the pre-match "great" Leicester goals compilation at the King Power, preferring to include his brilliant individual goal against Luton Town scored on a bog of a pitch in the F.A.Cup.

Edited April 5, 2014 by cary hill

[Michael Delamar]

[Michael Delamar]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voOQ-Fph7Fc

[Enterprisingwestern]

Congraultions to Hull City......Least it wasnt 10 nil or owt as I feared

 

and its probably stopped a third of Sheffields population from dying of bitterness

 

UTB

 

In all my years of following the RAWW, this was the biggest emotional roller coaster of a match I've ever been to, eclipsing the Warnock days.

Being on the front row of one of the tiers,I was more than once on the verge of throwing myself off.

Hull supporters I spoke to all admitted that they were sh!tting themselves at half time, inspired substitutions by our ex manager, and a crucial goal from one of our ex players.

Nothing but praise and admiration for Nigel and the boys.

 

Mike.

[cary hill]

Thanks to Sheffield United for making the second F.A. Cup Semi-Final an entertaining affair for the neutral after the drivel served up by Arsenal and Wigan.

 

Unfortunately I suspect you may have inadvertently provided the launch pad for Hull "Tigers" inexorable march towards becoming a "global" club, despite never having won anything of any real note in their entire history.

[gwrrob]

Driving down the M1 last night it crossed my mind how absurd it is to have made those two sets of supporters travel down to London.I'm sure that their semi could have been played at Old Trafford.Paying for Wembley but taking the rise out of fans.

 

Congratulations Hull.I hope you win.Its a great place if you do on cup final day.