English Football

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/57373050

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/mar/09/oldham-owners-accused-of-destroying-club-legacy-as-harry-kewell-sacked I had missed this that Curle had replaced Kewell at Oldham

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/sportsnews/article-9197545/Torquay-United-accused-forgery-fraud-former-player-Kalvin-Lumbombo-Kalala.html

This would make a great quiz question: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li_Ke_(footballer)

Just realised that we don't have a thread to discuss the goings-on in the league we (hopefully temporarily) call home. Well now we do. - Barnet now have NINE players plus their manager in quarantine. Did they spread it to us, or did we spread it to them? They played their FA Cup match anyway, and won 3-2. - American investors are sniffing around Woking and talking about taking them into the Football League. What could possibly go wrong? - As mentioned in Jason Turner's email, NL clubs are to receive 10m of funding - 95k a month for proper football clubs, and 84k a month for the tin-potters. Our Jase isn't happy with this, as it doesn't take actual crowds (t…

Remember when the FA Cup rounded off the season? It was the showcase of English football, watched by millions around the globe. Those days are gone but every now and then the FA Cup rises from the ashes and we get a feeling of what it was like in its heyday. Yesterday was one of those days. Leicester won the FA Cup for the first time. Fans were there to witness it. Grown men cried. Grown women cried. Kids cried. Gary Lineker went bananas. It was fitting that it a wonder goal won it. Just for a moment, I was 10 again, a happy time, sat in front of the telly watching the game I would grow to love. It was magical.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/mar/12/low-cost-high-pressing-how-barnsley-took-the-championship-by-storm Barnsley have a “soft cap” on signing players over the age of 24 (at 26, top scorer Cauley Woodrow was the oldest player in their starting lineup in midweek) and target undervalued players from the lower leagues and across Europe who can develop into assets. Metrics such as PPDA (passes per defensive action) detail the intensity with which a team defends and can help recruit players accustomed to Barnsley’s gegenpressing philosophy. “If we look at a player who is extremely talented, and his goals and assists are through the roof but he is no…

The votes are in, and while the NLN and NLS have voted to void their season, most NL clubs voted to carry on. So carry on we will, at least for the time being. Dark clouds are looming though. Dover have already taken their ball home with them and declared that they're not going to play any more games. I have the feeling that a clutch of other clubs are waiting to see how the National League deals with them before acting. King's Lynn have only committed to playing until the end of February. The NL have the right to turf Dover out for refusing to play. If they don't, there's no incentive for half the clubs in the league to carry on, what with there being no relegation …

http://www.wearebrighton.com/newsopinion/shrewd-stockport-appoint-brighton-u23-boss-simon-rusk-as-manager/

Altrincham Alistair Smith - Mansfield Town (CM) - Free Joe Piggott - Wigan Athletic (ST) - Loan Barnet Courtney Baker-Richardson - Barrow (ST) - Loan Boreham Wood Krystian Pearce - Solihull Moors (CB) - Free Bromley Courtney Duffus - Yeovil Town (ST) - Undisclosed Chesterfield Martin Smith - Salford City (CM) - Free Grant Smith - Wealdstone (GK) - Free Gavin Gunning - Gloucester City (CB) - Free Adam Przybek - Ipswich Town (GK) - Loan Dagenham & Redbridge Mo Sagaf - Free Agent (CM) - Free Dover Athletic Oliver Webber - Crystal Palace (GK) - Loan King's Lynn Town Tyler Denton - Chesterfield (LB) - Free Not…

For 2 weeks: https://www.thenationalleague.org.uk/national-league-statement-two-week-suspension-to-n-65013 What a complete shambles that is. Suspended? What exactly do they think will change in the next 2 weeks? Clubs like Dorking have said that it is 'not safe' to carry on. You can bet every penny you have that it'd be safe enough should the government have kept giving them money. Most of these clubs that were suspending their seasons with or without NL gratification are clubs around the relegation spots... what a surprise. I fear the National League won't be far behind.

What if... What if we had one big club in the same city? Outside London of course. For example: Aston Villa in Birmingham Sheffield Wednesday in Sheffield Everton in Liverpool Notts County in Nottingham etc... I will try to explain what I mean. Look at Bristol - big and important enough city in England but they don't have really strong team. If they put all their resources into one club Bristol Rovers as the oldest in the city they could get more benefits. Is not it? Leeds and Derby have one club and those clubs are more successful than Bristol's. So what do you think, is that good idea to have one big club in the same city?

something i think can put a little perspective into the ardley out situation is that 4 games ago, newly promoted weadstone sat bottom of the table with minus 4 goal difference. they looked doomed having being beaten by stockport 5-2 at their own ground. since they have gone on a winning streak of 4 games, this has changed everything for them and now they sit 3rd. tomorrow they play again, they face halifax away and could go 2nd. notts has 2 games over sutton who sit 4th. beating stockport could push notts as high as 6th place. a winning streak for notts could change form, performance and reflect better in the national league table. there is still a long way…

Gone to NCFC reserves... Aka Boston United..... Could we have done with him back?????? Or has he found his level!!!!!

This could be very good news, I am hopeful it will go ahead - people just need to be mindful. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/55010011?at_custom4=A6310350-2D9C-11EB-823F-2A7A96E8478F&at_campaign=64&at_custom1=[post+type]&at_custom3=Match+of+the+Day&at_custom2=facebook_page&at_medium=custom7&fbclid=IwAR2lin92QWaN11SSWbn-3mL8NZzL6gBahWR_AzbvCheLpjea8ohqrlzTRuM

https://solihullobserver.co.uk/sport/ambition-of-moors-matched-by-pearce-upon-solihull-move/

Hurray! The Premier League is going to save English football! But be warned - there are strings attached... https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/54499998 The owners of Liverpool and Manchester United have tabled a proposal, with the Orwellian name "Project Big Picture", according to which the PL will hand over 250 million quid to the Football League, plus 25% of its TV revenue every year. Great. But coming from American billionaires, this amazing offer has strings attached: Only nine Premier League clubs will have "special status" and thus voting rights - Liverpool, Man United and City, Spurs, Arsenal, Chelsea, Everton, West Ham and Southampton (it's interest…

I am rather gutted that Notts miss out on this quality

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/54341314

https://www.portsmouth.co.uk/sport/football/portsmouth-fc/former-portsmouth-and-notts-county-man-lines-local-non-league-side-2977340