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News Thread ... 2018-19 Season

Old joke, but... FA were so mad at Man City and Chelsea for FFP violations, they threw the book at Birmingham.

Birmingham just have less lawyers. They're every bit as guilty of ignoring FFP regs as the big boys.
 
Moving into midweek makeup match season. Liverpool regained the top spot with a win over Spurs but they’ve played 1 match more than Man City. That win also allowed Arsenal to vault over Spurs and Man U into 3rd with their win over Newcastle. At the other end of the table, Huddersfield was relegated over the weekend. A Fulham loss at Watford today will also send them down. It’s only a matter of time for the Cottagers, they’d basically have to win out to survive.
 
And Cardiff appear to be self destructing and/or just falling apart at the seams throughout the organization ... again. If they stay on the track they're on, we might have all three relegation slots tied up well before "relegation Sunday."

Meanwhile in the Championship, Bolton's players are in day two of a 48 hour walkout to protest the fact that the club failed to deliver payroll for March. This is their second walkout of the season, as February wages were late as well. Bolton avoided an immediate points deduction when a winding up hearing was adjourned, but it seems inevitable that they will end up in administration at a minimum. This is really sad. If you'll recall, Bolton were an ever plucky fixture of the Premiere League for almost 20 years starting in the mid 90s. They just never got their financial feet under them after their relegation balloon payments ran out and have struggled to make ends meet under two different ownership groups over the last 4 years. Looks like they'll all but certainly be working under yet another new owner in the 1st Division.

Meanwhile others are chasing promotion and the top four spots have separated from the pack over the past few weeks, with Norwich running away with 1st, while Leeds, Sheff United and West Brom slug it out for that second automatic spot. Villa have won five in a row to charge into 5th to lead the huge pack snapping at the last two playoff spots.
 
And in "dog bites man" news, Joey Barton is still a dirtbag.

Fair. Honestly, the only surprise there is that anyone would hire that dirtbag to coach or manage. To what possible end?

In more shocking news, Paul Scholes is facing charges of gambling on football. https://www.theguardian.com/football/2019/apr/16/paul-scholes-charged-fa-bets-football
For the record, I don't even want to hear the standard defense that he's not betting on his own team. It's illegal for good reasons.
 
Championship update ...

We're down to the last game or two in the Championship and Sheffield United have joined Norwich in clinching the automatic berths. It'll be the Blades' first return to the top flight since the 90s. Since their keeper and driving midfielder are both on loan from Premiere League clubs, they'll need some investment to have a chance to stick. Good for them that half of their ownership in in the Saudi royal household. Cash shouldn't be an issue, one would think. Either way, nice to see an old line club get a day in the sun, especially since they were in League 1 only three years ago. Norwich has been the class of the Championship all season and they have well and truly earned this.

3 out of four playoff spots are clinched as well, with Leeds, West Brom and Villa locked in. Derby and Middlesborough are duking it out for the last spot. On the other end of things, Rotherham, Bolton and Ipswich are all locked in to relegation ... and Bolton may well be forced into receivership pending a tax settlement.
 
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Minor correction. Sheffield United had a 1 and done in 2006-07.

The circumstances of their clinching is a too strange to be true tale. In the Leeds - Villa match, Leeds scored while Villa had a player down injured. Rather than send the ball out, they matriculated the ball down the field and scored. Villa were incensed so Leeds manager told his team to allow Villa to score on the ensuing kickoff. The 2 points that Leeds dropped allowed the Blades to clinch.


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Minor correction. Sheffield United had a 1 and done in 2006-07.

The circumstances of their clinching is a too strange to be true tale. In the Leeds - Villa match, Leeds scored while Villa had a player down injured. Rather than send the ball out, they matriculated the ball down the field and scored. Villa were incensed so Leeds manager told his team to allow Villa to score on the ensuing kickoff. The 2 points that Leeds dropped allowed the Blades to clinch.


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Forgive me ... it clearly wasn't memorable :0)

And yeah, that Leeds/Villa match was a weird one to say the least. Poor Dean Smith looked like he might vaporize from pure rage for a minute or two.
 
As long as we’re talking the lower leagues, Luton and Barnsley have clinched the top 2 spots in League 1. Portsmouth, Sunderland and Charlotte have clinched playoff spots, Doncaster and Peterborough are separated by 1 point for the last spot. Bradford City are relegated, three of Wimbledon, Southend United, Plymouth Argyle, Walsall and Scun Thorpe United will join them.

In League 2, Lincoln City have clinched 1st place. Two of Bury, Mansfield Town, MK Dons, Forest Green Rovers and Tranmere Rovers get the other automatic promotion spots. There are 5 clubs in the running for the last playoff spot. At the other end, Yeovil town are relegated, the other spot is either Macclesfield Town or Notts County.

In the National League, Leyton Orient are back in the league after 2 years away. Salford City, with 60% owned by Man U’s Class of 92, are in the playoffs.
 
Celtic beat Aberdeen 3-0 today, and wrapped up their 8th consecutive Scottish Premiere League championship.
 
Cardiff lost to Crystal Palace today and joined Fulham and Huddersfield in relegation. There is much relief in Brighton.
 
Championship playoffs are set. Norwich wrapped up 1st and Sheffield United 2nd, so they're done.

4. West Brom faces 5. Villa in one set with a bonus that it's a West Midlands derby on top of a playoff matchup
3. Leeds faces 6. Derby in the other, as Derby snuck into the last playoff spot by one thin point over Middlesborough. Exchange one loss for a draw, man ... that's all there was between them.
 
Derby has been so close the last few years, making the playoffs in 4 of the last 6 years and losing in the semifinals their last 2 trips, losing to 10 man QPR in 2014. I’m really surprised that West Brom made it back, I thought they’d have a Wigan/Sunderland consecutive relegations after the way they ended last year.
 
Yeah ... West Brom invested their golden parachute money into largely keeping the roster together and loaned in a few key players. With their instability in the boardroom (note that they STILL have a caretaker manager) one would have thought that was going to be a mess, but it somehow worked for them. Now, hopefully Villa take them out :0)
 
Yeah ... West Brom invested their golden parachute money into largely keeping the roster together and loaned in a few key players. With their instability in the boardroom (note that they STILL have a caretaker manager) one would have thought that was going to be a mess, but it somehow worked for them. Now, hopefully Villa take them out :0)

After finishing last season as the caretaker, Darren Moore was made the permanent manager right after the season ended. But he was sacked in March and replaced by the first team coach who will remain caretaker until the ends of the season.


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After finishing last season as the caretaker, Darren Moore was made the permanent manager right after the season ended. But he was sacked in March and replaced by the first team coach who will remain caretaker until the ends of the season.


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Yup. At this point the Baggies should just call whoever is in charge the caretaker. It generally has gone better for them than any permanent hire they've made in the last 3-4 years.
 
Salford City beat Fylde 3-0 for promotion to the Football League for the first time. They’re 60% owned by members of Man U’s Class of 92; Gary and Phil Neville, Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and David Beckham. Giggs promised Championship level football witching 15 years. It took 5 seasons after they took over to get promoted to the League. They were in the 8th tier of the pyramid when they took over and either won their league outright or made the playoffs every season.
 
Salford City beat Fylde 3-0 for promotion to the Football League for the first time. They’re 60% owned by members of Man U’s Class of 92; Gary and Phil Neville, Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and David Beckham. Giggs promised Championship level football witching 15 years. It took 5 seasons after they took over to get promoted to the League. They were in the 8th tier of the pyramid when they took over and either won their league outright or made the playoffs every season.

Apparently that game drew less than 9,000 souls at Wembley ... and frankly, I never did see a still photo that revealed even one paying customer. Salford's owners have pumped insane amounts of money into simply getting them promoted to the freaking League. It's nonsense. An absolute vanity project.
 
Apparently that game drew less than 9,000 souls at Wembley ... and frankly, I never did see a still photo that revealed even one paying customer. Salford's owners have pumped insane amounts of money into simply getting them promoted to the freaking League. It's nonsense. An absolute vanity project.

Officially, it drew 8,049, less than half of what the match between Tranmere and Boreham Wood drew last year. Salford has only been full time professional since July 2017.
 
Championship playoffs round one has finished the first leg matches. Villa came from behind and took a 2-1 win at home against West Brom. Leeds gutted out a 1-0 home win over Derby. The venues flip on Tuesday, and honestly both matchups are still anybody's to take.
 
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