Our club have been very up front about why and our podcasts with recent staff have been very illuminating on this.
Yes of course you want a pitch for higher levels but you’re a professional footballer for a relatively short period and it’s not just about wanting to play. You want to work in the best conditions possible. During the week that means the training facilities and during the games that means atmosphere and pitch. These things form part of the decision making process for every football move.
At Wrexham our plans require a 3 sided pitch until 2027 and we’re still struggling to identify a suitable location for new training facilities. The only selling point we have is the ability of the owners to deliver our ambitions and the quality of the pitch. The pitch has been stated as a clear selling point, for example, for both Broadhead and Callum Doyle.
Bit weird for me. All sorts of reasons they win that game and Roy is but one. A club with a massively problematic ownership who keep selling their players from under managers whilst simultaneously expecting success. Only lost the previous manager because they ripped his team to pieces during the January window.
Definitely didn’t. Highest ground in the EFL and known as one of the 4 coldest. It certainly wasn’t Oldham or Accrington cold but…
The first 4 minutes of the walk from The Hawthorns railway station were lovely. Then you hit the first corner of the ground and the weird microclimate kicks in just as you pass the houses. Only time I’ve experienced a wind and temperature drop like that was the FA Trophy Final v Grimsby in March 2013.
February 2001 for me. Lost 5-1. Didn’t deserve 1. Flynn so disgusted he refused to let anyone off by subbing them. A horrid mix of snow and wind which seemed to enter every orifice whether covered or not. One of the rare occasions I’ve left a game early. We then witnessed the start of the Oldham riots 3 months earlier than the police snd media say they started. Trapped on the then Oldham Mumps railway station for 90 minute whilst Molotov cocktails rained down. Outside fans were subject to lads in cars co-ordinating attacks over walkie talkies. When our Pacer finally arrived we were instructed to lie in the aisle face down as the MCs put through the drivers window etc.
Excellent performance and an inarguably deserved result. Really don’t think they tried hard enough to take that to extra time for the benefit of Wrexham though .
Said a little while back that we’re not competing with Saints for 6th. Saints will likely finish higher than 6th. We’re competing for 6th with Hull and some others. That’s narrowed down to Derby now. Our run in is probably the toughest on paper but results are so mad this time of season who really knows. I’m sure most of our fans think Tuesday is a must win but I can’t help thinking I’d be very happy with a draw and that in many ways there’s more weighing on Southampton. That said, Saints are flying and, like Millwall, of all the teams at the top they’re the ones now clearly shaping up to look like EPL teams.
The umber of casual requests I have had asking if my Companion ticket has been taken for Tuesday has been “interesting”.
Very good 2-1 away win at Millwall. If only we’d had the benefit of another month of Philippe Clement.
Have to say I’m surprised when you see all these daft lists of the best midfield players in the championship you never see mention of Pelle Mattsson who IMO is as good as anybody in the league. Another brilliant goal in a game Norwich controlled.
After the abysmal Leeds performance & the home draw with Portsmouth, I was concerned that our season would peter out & leave us with no idea what the new season would bring.
A strong finish would suggest a determination to really push on over the summer & approach next season with a view to a playoff place as the minimum & direct promotion as the main aim.
Of course, Liverpool will probably sack Slot & appointment Clement…….
I’d still argue that Millwall are the best team we’ve seen this season albeit weirdly beatable at home. A good measure of how far you’ve come. Go from when he was appointed and you’re 4th. Go from the new year and you’re top. Augers very well for next season but a lot can change in the interim.
I just hope we’ve not peaked & this summer will further strengthen the side &, very importantly, develop a winning mentality that, unlike previous seasons, does not totally disappear after one or two disappointing results to be replaced by a ‘couldn’t care less’ attitude which has been the impression given far too often in the recent past.
Clement means business and so far Attanasio has backed him.
The turnaround since November has been incredible using players that were no way near the fitness levels I’d expect for the championship.
If we retain certain players and recruitment continues with the success we achieved in January I’m sure we’ll be there or there about next season.
It’s not a fluke that we are currently a top performer in this leagues. We are also playing some of the best football outside the premier league.
24 games unbeaten is not to be sniffed at. An incredible run.
The offspring and I really enjoyed our trip there at the end of last season for our promotion party. Skubala strikes me as an impressive manager. Hopefully Cardiff will join them in due course.
