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

[elguapo4]

Maybe I'm cynical, but I can't imagine Stevenage gave a rat's arse about Macclesfield.

[Foot of Astaire's]

The poor buggers. I cant imagine Stevenage wanted to stay up like that

[Paul S]

The club were deducted 17 points over last season. Not a good record.

[Simon G]

The EFL get their wish of not having to deal with a problem club next season.

And Stevenage, a team who won 3 times last season, manage to stay up.

Got to feel for the Macclesfield fans, who seem to have been shafted from all sides.

[Gangster Octopus]

Isn't that last season?

[Third rate Leszno]

Goodbye Macclesfield, hello again Stevenage.

[Crystal Staples]

Very similar at Carlisle on the cheap and cheerful front, except we started on Monday and have so far announced seven new signings - they have actually done this really well and created a lot of interest on social media. PR certainly seems to be improving at the club, admittedly from quite a low base in recent years - the kit launch was done well, and the club has been surprisingly open about things during the lockdown.

Anyway our list for now:

George Tanner, defender, ex Man United and Morecambe. 20
Rod McDonald, defender, ex Northampton, Coventry, Wimbledon, 28
Gavin Reilly, striker, ex QOS, Hearts, Bristol Rovers and Cheltenham, 27
Josh Kayode, striker on loan from Rotherham (we also had him on loan last season), 19
Joe Riley, utility player, ex Man United, Sheffield United (where he had a "freak training ground accident) and Bradford (where he "suffered another freak injury), 23
Jack Armer, defender ex Preston, who had a "fruitful loan spell at Lancaster" apparently, 19
Danny Devine, midfielder, ex Bradford, 22

I'm intrigued about Joe Riley. Stood on broken glass while stamping feet after argument with Steve Lamacq about Elastica?

[jwdd27]

Neil Cox is Scunthorpe's new manager. Previously assistant to Ardley at Wimbledon and Notts Co., and he is of course a local lad, making 20-odd appearances before Villa came in for him.
He is my age, and I often cite him as an example when people are trying to tell me how good their lad is and how professional clubs are interested in them.
Coxy was a decent player, but was probably only just in the top 10 for our year group around the town.
The difference is dedication to training and cleaner living, and, significantly, physique (which served him well when Ravanelli needed taking down a peg at Boro).

Good luck to us. I've not good a good feeling about this season.

[Simon G]

I'm bullish at the moment because I think we were heading towards automatic promotion before lockdown. Our second leg performance in the playoffs opened our eyes a little, but that was by far our worst performance of the season. As such, I think we need to be aiming for automatic promotion again.

We've kept the vast majority of our squad from last season, and the only real shock was the release of Luke Varney. That being said, I think he's been replaced well with Andy Williams coming in from Northampton. Liam Sercombe has come in saying the right things as well about how this is a club looking for promotion and not just to bumble along (I know most signings say that). Our biggest issue is in goal because Scott Flinders is still out until at least January and we need to get a decent lad in on loan. We know from experience that this is a massive risk - for every Jack Butland and Owen Evans there's a Russell Griffiths and Jon Flatt.

I expect Vale to be up there, like ourselves, they'd hit form at just the right time last season before lockdown. I think Salford's biggest hindrance will be Graham Alexander. They're officially "going for it" this summer by the looks of things, but Alexander is a poor manager and if they do well it will be despite him not because of him. Same goes for Bradford - they had a decent squad anyway, but I don't really rate Stuart McCall as a manager.

[Foot of Astaire's]

Some of your fans on another messageboard I frequent have you in the Championship already due to Ian Evatt being the League Two Pep Guardiola.

Personally, I think Doyle isn't as great a signing as he's expected to be. He was fantastic at Swindon for the first half of last season, but the return to Bradford and subsequent permanent move to Swindon saw his form drop right off. Before the first half of last season his form was very patchy so it looks like he had a hell of a purple patch from August to January.

Sarcevic is a fantastic signing though.

We're being linked with Shay McCartan - promoted with Lincoln a couple of years back and played in League 1 with Bradford. All I really know about him is that he's played against us twice and scored on both occasions.

Aye. Every club has them. Dont they?

There's a lot of ironic gallows humour going on too. I'm old enough to remember last time we were in the 4th division and whilst we were only there for a season we got out by the skin of our teeth. It's nice that we're relatively stable for once and I'll be happy with getting back to games and, please God, a top half finish.

Doyle's record away from Bradford is pretty good and worth a punt imo. Hopefully we wont be too reliant on him.

Vale and Salford are the two teams I expect to do well. Perhaps Tranmere too if they hang onto the bulk of their side and somehow get Vaughan back.

What are you expecting for Cheltenham this season?

[jwdd27]

I know Frank's parents well, especially his mother as her brother is one of my oldest friends. I can't tell you anything about his footballing ability but his grandfather is sculptor, performance artist and painter Bruce McLean and that whole side of the family is very artistic so you'd hope he has a cultured left foot at least.

Heh, thanks for that, I'll have to ask my father if he knows Bruce, it looks like they might have briefly been on the same "scenes" in the late 60s and early 70s.

[slackster]

Orient haven’t done much business on the player front, but we have been bloating up our coaching team with inexperienced types (mostly recently retired Os players)...at the same time as sacking a couple of peripheral coaching employees because of “unavoidable” covid cost-cutting. Something doesn’t sit right with the cosy compliant old boys crew DoF Martin Ling has assembled beneath him to me.

[Simon G]

We seem to have done our business pretty early. Training started last week with a pre season friendly played already too.

After last season where we had practically a whole squad of loanees, kids and old pros on a years deal, its refreshing to see us trying to build a team with our own players. So far its been a mixture of the relatively well known - Doyle, Sarcevic, Crawford and Delfouenso with the something to prove, possible potential types - Taft, Comley, White, Greenidge.

I've not the first clue how we'll get on. I just hope we can actually get to games, sooner rather than later

Some of your fans on another messageboard I frequent have you in the Championship already due to Ian Evatt being the League Two Pep Guardiola.

Personally, I think Doyle isn't as great a signing as he's expected to be. He was fantastic at Swindon for the first half of last season, but the return to Bradford and subsequent permanent move to Swindon saw his form drop right off. Before the first half of last season his form was very patchy so it looks like he had a hell of a purple patch from August to January.

Sarcevic is a fantastic signing though.

We're being linked with Shay McCartan - promoted with Lincoln a couple of years back and played in League 1 with Bradford. All I really know about him is that he's played against us twice and scored on both occasions.

[Ray de Galles]

Frank Vincent has also arrived at Glanford Park on a season long loan from Bournemouth. 21-y-o attacking midfielder.
20 odd games on loan at Torquay last season seem to be the sum total of his experience, his Wikipedia entry concentrates mainly on his acting work, he of course played Billy Batts in Goodfellas, Phil Leotardo in The Sopranos, and quite a few other obnoxious made guys.

Now go home and get your fuckin' shinebox, League Two defences.

I know Frank's parents well, especially his mother as her brother is one of my oldest friends. I can't tell you anything about his footballing ability but his grandfather is sculptor, performance artist and painter Bruce McLean and that whole side of the family is very artistic so you'd hope he has a cultured left foot at least.

[Foot of Astaire's]

We seem to have done our business pretty early. Training started last week with a pre season friendly played already too.

After last season where we had practically a whole squad of loanees, kids and old pros on a years deal, its refreshing to see us trying to build a team with our own players. So far its been a mixture of the relatively well known - Doyle, Sarcevic, Crawford and Delfouenso with the something to prove, possible potential types - Taft, Comley, White, Greenidge.

I've not the first clue how we'll get on. I just hope we can actually get to games, sooner rather than later

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

Scunny started pre-season training today, and unveiled FOUR new signings. I guess the club photographer has been on furlough from the "hold up the shirt" shots.

They're obviously shopping at the cheap and cheerful, worth a shot, won't cost us much if it goes wrong end of the market.
.

Very similar at Carlisle on the cheap and cheerful front, except we started on Monday and have so far announced seven new signings - they have actually done this really well and created a lot of interest on social media. PR certainly seems to be improving at the club, admittedly from quite a low base in recent years - the kit launch was done well, and the club has been surprisingly open about things during the lockdown.

Anyway our list for now:

George Tanner, defender, ex Man United and Morecambe. 20
Rod McDonald, defender, ex Northampton, Coventry, Wimbledon, 28
Gavin Reilly, striker, ex QOS, Hearts, Bristol Rovers and Cheltenham, 27
Josh Kayode, striker on loan from Rotherham (we also had him on loan last season), 19
Joe Riley, utility player, ex Man United, Sheffield United (where he had a "freak training ground accident) and Bradford (where he "suffered another freak injury), 23
Jack Armer, defender ex Preston, who had a "fruitful loan spell at Lancaster" apparently, 19
Danny Devine, midfielder, ex Bradford, 22

[jwdd27]

Frank Vincent has also arrived at Glanford Park on a season long loan from Bournemouth. 21-y-o attacking midfielder.
20 odd games on loan at Torquay last season seem to be the sum total of his experience, his Wikipedia entry concentrates mainly on his acting work, he of course played Billy Batts in Goodfellas, Phil Leotardo in The Sopranos, and quite a few other obnoxious made guys.

Now go home and get your fuckin' shinebox, League Two defences.

[Simon G]

Manny was brilliant in his first loan spell with Cheltenham and dreadful in his second.

We also had Kelsey Mooney on loan for the first half of the 18/19 season. Was very raw, but clearly had a bit of talent. Hard to judge him fully though as he didn't play much once Luke Varney signed.

[jwdd27]

Scunny started pre-season training today, and unveiled FOUR new signings. I guess the club photographer has been on furlough from the "hold up the shirt" shots.

They're obviously shopping at the cheap and cheerful, worth a shot, won't cost us much if it goes worng end of the market.

Kelsey Mooney, striker, son of Tommy. Youth at Villa, more recently at Hereford.
Aaron Jarvis, striker, most recently Sutton United, former Luton.
Lewis Spence, midfield, Scottish, with Dundee in the Prem, most recently Ross County.
Emmanuel Onariase, defender, Dagenham and Redbridge. He's got the number 6 shirt, so might actually be half decent, previously with Brentford, Rotherham and Cheltenham so maybe some OTF'ers will know of him. A lot of former clubs for a 23 year old.

[HORN Reborn]

Port Vale's Tom Pope has followed up last season's paltry one match ban for offensive comments on Twitter with a proper big boy six match ban for an "anti-Semitic/not anti-Semitic/could be/wasn't intended/oh FFS get off Twitter you dullard" tweet.

[Tony C]

Workington had a good almost-season and were on course for promotion, but even then they have a glass ceiling as to how for they can get (unless new money came in).

In the same division, of course, Kendal Town were second bottom and heading for the trap door when Covid intervened. The previous season they had finished the completed season in the relegation places only to be reprieved by Colwyn Bay decamping to the Welsh League.

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

I'd not realised Tony was back in Blighty.

Someone told me Barrow's players travel to home games on a coach as they're largely based in Greater Manchester, training in Rochdale. It makes sense but it seems just a bit weird. How do they organise their youth teams etc?

Think that's been the case for some time, don't know if it has always been Rochdale but Liverpool/Manchester has been their usual recruiting area - can't remember who it was but one of their previous management teams was from Liverpool and brought a lot of local players with them. It's not the easiest place to get to (from any direction really) so it makes sense for them to train down there rather than bringing them up to Barrow.

Similarly, I don't know if it is still the case but I remember Stranraer used to train at Kilmarnock and Queen of the South also used to train near Glasgow.

[HORN Reborn]

I'd not realised Tony was back in Blighty.

Someone told me Barrow's players travel to home games on a coach as they're largely based in Greater Manchester, training in Rochdale. It makes sense but it seems just a bit weird. How do they organise their youth teams etc?

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

Yes. I went a couple of times last season and they impressed me. God knows Cumbrian football needs some kind of success story - for a county of this size it punches way below its weight.

Not expecting much success at this end of the county any time soon - with the latest bout of contract rejections Carlisle's longest serving player is now John Mellish, who we signed in May 2019, and the player with the most appearances for the club within the current squad now stands at 24.

Workington had a good almost-season and were on course for promotion, but even then they have a glass ceiling as to how for they can get (unless new money came in).

[Tony C]

They're a (relatively) local club to you these days, aren't they.

Yes. I went a couple of times last season and they impressed me. God knows Cumbrian football needs some kind of success story - for a county of this size it punches way below its weight.