The "Pub League" Myth

[Worksop II]

Then you'll have a little self-important tantrum, will you?...

If you seriously think that NA doesn't realise we need central defenders then you're dafter than you appear, and that's quite something already..

I feel privaliged for the insult ............. but I am just joining a long line of others .....................

 

[Swanseablade]

This isn't complicated;
Going down the leagues each league is progressively worse than the one above it.
Teams that are (on average over a season) better than the rest, tend to get promoted & elevated in their league position.
L1 a pub league? Obviously not.
All the "big teams" mentioned in this thread have recently spent a protracted period of consecutive seasons in League 1.
Wednesday, Leeds & even little Swansea have been here on average 3 years recently.
Unfortunately we'be been here longer - for whatever reason!??
Now that is Fckn depressing & the great unwashed throw that at us regularly, as we would to them!

 

[Living In a Fantasy World]

Teams are gradually improving since players are improving at all levels of football, I think the quality between the levels are getting ever so closer each year as well, with evidence of teams getting back to back promotions, this showing that the step up is not to steep. I also think a lot of it is down to better organisation, as we were able beat Southampton last season and Bradford beat Chelsea are examples where lower teams have improved.
The problem is each year it may just get harder for us to get out of the leauge.

 

[Lord Bos of Eckington.]

The Bohemian i get your point, but the competitiveness of this division doesn't necessarily mean that the quality is something to behold. English football has changed and here is my take on it.

Premier League - Personally i think that the Premier League has regressed over the last few years. With the exception of the top 4-6 teams in there, the rest struggle to compete with them. Those that get close are almost victims of their own success. The Europa League sides struggle to make the money in the Europa League, but need to invest in bigger and more expensive squads, generally this results in the second season syndrome.

Prior to this you get sides pushing for the top 6 or having a real go in the cups, they have the momentum, play a long season and then within July they're right back into the qualifiers for Europe.

Championship - I remember when Wigan went up in the early noughties and they were a big, physical side, compared to United they dominated in the air, they bullied through midfield and alongside them were Pompey. Nowadays the Championship is filled with failed premiership sides, still big, but rather than being a side of Kevin Davis' they tend to be more athletic and pacey sides. The games i saw on TV last year, the football looked good and perhaps with the exception of the bottom 6-8 sides, its really a competitive division. Thats not to say that theres 16-18 teams able to win the league, but the mid table sides (Wednesday, Leeds etc) are capable of putting a run together and reaching the play offs.

League One - So its a tough division to get out of if you don't bounce straight back, but for sides that put a good strong squad together it looks, from the 5 years we've spent down here that the key things to push on are good strikers. They tend to make the difference. I see many similarities as well to the physical Championship from a decade or more ago.

The thing in League one though is that whilst the top sides tend to have Quality and Physicality, the mid table sides and below tend to have a different attitude. They play to the opposition, rather than to their own strengths.They play as the underdogs and with that spirit. So it looks very competitive, but often its a case of strangling the opposition. Lots of smash and grab results.

You could argue that over a season its no more competitive, because the big spenders tend to fight it out still.

In terms of football and the opposition we've seen though, its a long way off the Championship for quality. I've never called it a pub league myself (i don't think), but it is shit to watch and the sooner we're out of it the better!

Its what it is , third tier football , clubs and players . The bar rises every year especially when clubs loan premiership or championship players who have that extra quality . The problem we have , like many fallen ex premiership clubs , the opposition raise there game against us .

The only way out is to buy the cream , score goals and have a very strong close knit defensive unit . You either do it as a Charlton or as a Bristol. Strong , physical , athletic players who can play football or kill a game.

Sounds simple , but we are yet to crack the formula.

UTB

 

[judge]

You need to be strong ,fit and organised with players who give it everything week in week out
Quality isnt that important at this level ,our players just switched off mentally way too many times last season

Although we did reyt gud in the cups

 

[blade too long]

only one thing gets you promoted , gaining points consistantly , you can play shit as possible but get a draw at least
there will be days when you dont function , even chelsea and arsenal have them , but you must get a result, like they often do despite being gash
and keep it to 3 home losses in 23 or less, and go for wins away , not draws