A Barrow-load of laughs - Division 4 2020/21

[Capybara]

Yes, sympathies Paul. Relegations are rotten.

Agreed. Commiserations Paul S

[Paul S]

It what makes me a football fan. You can't be a proper fan until you have seen your side relegated and then you find out just what a feeling promotion is. Here's hoping it isn't to far away!

[Ray de Galles]

Interesting that 'EFL on Quest' not only showed a Salford player clearly calling a linesman a "fucking cunt" (for which he got sent off) but highlighted it occurring in the analysis.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Apparently it all kicked off outside Bolton's ground - quite a large crowd had gathered expecting to be able to celebrate Bolton getting promoted, but when Exeter turned things round, they started chucking bottles and fireworks at each other and broke into the stadium. Police riot vans called out, the works.

[Foot of Astaire's]

Apparently it all kicked off outside Bolton's ground - quite a large crowd had gathered expecting to be able to celebrate Bolton getting promoted, but when Exeter turned things round, they started chucking bottles and fireworks at each other and broke into the stadium. Police riot vans called out, the works.

Bloody embarrassing. I couldn't understand those going to the ground before kick off. I mean, have they forgotten who they support?! We never do anything straight forward.

No complaints here though re the result. Exeter easily the better side over the 90 minutes, and our season long problem of being unable to turn possession or dominance into actual chances, continues to bite us on the arse. Technically, it's still in our hands and most of us would have taken that anytime from last August up to around a fortnight ago.

Commiserations to Southend. I can't imagine how they must be feeling this morning.

[Paul S]

Former Southend legend Stan Collymore has been on the Shrimperzone forum over the last few weeks offering to help out. He has already had a zoom chat with our current chairman and is hoping to get a CEO in place to run the club. Currently we have no CEO and haven't had for a couple of years, our chairman has been trying - unsuccessfully - to run the club himself. It'll take quite a lot to sort the club out and turn it round but at least a start has been made.

[slackster]

Grimsby have been and done it before, but I suspect Southend fans will actually enjoy the novelty of The National League (provided they can travel to games next season). As long as it’s not too many seasons down there...

[Paul S]

Grimsby have been and done it before, but I suspect Southend fans will actually enjoy the novelty of The National League (provided they can travel to games next season). As long as it’s not too many seasons down there...

That's my feeling but I think the novelty will wear off after a couple of seasons.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

As well as the National League itself, there's the FA Trophy as well, which opens up the possibility of trips to all sorts of places.

[jwdd27]

Very relieved that there were somehow two worse teams than Scunthorpe (across the season - both relegated clubs look better than them now).

For every Lincoln and Luton, who emerged from the Conference rejuvenated and refocused, there's also the examples of York, Wrexham and Stockport, who have yet to re-emerge, or have sunk deeper. I think Scunny would have been more at risk of carrying on sinking than bouncing straight back up.

[Capybara]

We never do anything straight forward.

Doesn't every fan of every club except, perhaps, those of the so-called 'big' clubs say that though? I know ours do.

[Third rate Leszno]

Commiserations Paul S. I hope Southend are able to sort themselves out and come back stronger, and that you're able to have some enjoyable days out while you're in the National League.

[E10 Rifle]

Some Orient fans have been gloating a fair bit over Southend's demise. I'm not particularly among them - this rivalry has never meant as much to our London-based support as it does to those who live further along the A127 corridor. Just hope the ownership and ground situation can be sorted. If it is, I suspect Southend are among those clubs that can come back stronger. Same with Grimsby really.

And the National League can be fun.

[Discordant Resonance]

That would be the main concern, one imagines - after all the High Court battles in recent times, tipping into the National League could either be the final financial straw, given Macclesfield's travails earlier in the season, or the rallying call for a transfusion of investment.

[Gangster Octopus]

By the way, what level are Macclesfield returning at?

[Southport Zeb]

The new Macclesfield team will come in at the same level that the new Bury side did - step 6, although Macclesfield will presumably go into Division One South of the North West Counties rather Division One South. The official announcement by the FA of league placings for next season will probably come towards the end of the month.

[Janik]

Some Orient fans have been gloating a fair bit over Southend's demise. I'm not particularly among them - this rivalry has never meant as much to our London-based support as it does to those who live further along the A127 corridor. Just hope the ownership and ground situation can be sorted. If it is, I suspect Southend are among those clubs that can come back stronger. Same with Grimsby really.

And the National League can be fun.

It can be. But it also can be anything but. I can't say I enjoyed much if any of it during Cambridge's long drawn out 9 years stuck there. Being at least two years away from getting sucked back down into the mire would be the main thing for me about a promotion next Saturday.

Of the two, and from afar, Grimsby look much more likely to rebound stronger. For one, they know precisely what to expect, and assuming they hang on to Hurst have a man in place who knows what getting out of that league takes. The other is for all the particular mismanagement that has lead them to where they are, it doesn't feel as ingrained as at Southend. Southend seem much the more likely to keep sliding, in a York/Stockport like manner, or to implode completely. One might say the ownership of that club deserves the loss of status they have suffered... if I wasn't concerned that this might have been the plan all along and that said ownership has a plan in mind for leveraging dropping out of the league to their financial advantage (at the determent of the club).

[ingoldale]

In my happiness last night, I completely forgot to send commiserations ingoldale. Despite the apparent rivalry over the years (mainly due to Harry Pell it appears) I've always liked Grimsby ever since we beat them in the playoff final in Cardiff and we bumped into a few fans in the City after who bought us a drink as a congratulations on the day.

Thought they were going to do it, and that run in the last 15 or so games was outstanding, just a shame there was so many draws. A couple of them being turned into wins could have made all the difference.

I think Hurst is the right man to take them back up, he's been there and done it all before with Grimsby. The only hindrance will be the fact that, from what I can see, a number of Grimsby fans simply won't accept him. Even when he won promotion in 2016 there appeared to a be a few more peed off that he criticised his doubters than happy that he got them up.

Thanks Simon G I think you have pretty much hit the nail on the head regarding our run in and Hurst. I am very much a fan of Hurst and think the improvement in the team has been brilliant given the circumstances. Commiserations to Southend too - it sounds like mismanagement off the field (much like our situation) has led to their downfall as well.

The final in 06 was disastrous for Town. We recently did an interview with John McDermott on the DN35 podcast and he talked about that game. He said only a handful of players travelled on the team coach back to GY after the game which was an eye opener. That season we were ultimately beaten to promotion by four teams that played better football than we did. We didn't beat any of the top 3 at all that year and we lost to Cheltenham who passed it much better than we did in the game that mattered after that.

I enjoyed the Conference last time and I am sure I will again.

[Simon G]

Wasn't Slade already in place to take over at Yeovil as well? I know he was appointed very soon after the game.

I was dreading playing Grimsby on that day. We'd never performed against them and I'd been to Blundell Park that year to watch arguably our worst performance of the season. I think Craig Armstrong taking Michael Reddy out of the game after around 10 mins (clash of heads that broke Armstrong's nose) put the momentum our way and we were the better team on the day in the end.

Probably my favourite day as a Cheltenham fan - Cardiff finals were so much better than Wembley ones.

[E10 Rifle]

The 2005-06 season was of course a glorious thing. Grimsby were certainly formidable opposition that year, and I remember feeling pretty content that we managed to grind out a 0-0 at home to them on Easter Monday.

We of course love Slade for the team he later built at Brisbane Road. Unfortunately play-off final heartache proved his specialism

[Gangster Octopus]

Just seen Oldham's goal at Mansfield on Saturday. I don't remember laughing at a goal before...

[ingoldale]

Dear John Sheldon Fenty, "cheerio, cheerio, cheerio, cheerio, cheerio cheeriiiioooo!

Get the chuffin' beers in!

[Ray de Galles]

https://twitter.com/ollie_bayliss/status/1390675442361946115?s=21

[Snake Plissken]

I think that was deleted. Do you mean this one?

https://twitter.com/Ollie_Bayliss/status/1390679829851295744

[Ray de Galles]

Yes. Strange, I wonder what he changed about it?