When we win it means nothing to anyone else I know, except charlton fans........
When you're in the same league as palace or millwall you get the banter etc but I don't know any brentford fans and only 1 orient fan ..... I'm not gonna take the piss out of them
At least in the premiership people knew and took an interest in our club
The pride that went with chris powell representing england was something we won't be getting again in our lifetimes
And the fact that being in this shite league means we'll miss out on seeing the progress of jonjo is a blow
Last year the top 6 was pretty much what most would have said once the early jostling had taken place and the top 2 as well, this year I can see the same , pretty similar to the prem but as we're one of the higher teams it may seem more exciting , I bet the orient and brentford fans are hardly excited about their chances of winning the league
A big part of football is bantering with other fans about the various merits and strengths of your own team and where you'll finish in comparison to their team etc ...... while we're in this league without palace or millwall there is no discussion
We are no.3 in south london
A more realistic comparison allez is fulham - but valid point. people say now in hindsight we were never going to win anything etc, but we came very close to and could easily have made the uefa cup on several occasions, and then we would have had the chance to beat juventus and go over there on a european trip. as you say, much more motivation than the JPT and id rather go to madrid than brentford as much as love a trip to griffin park
all those years there not a peep in the cups just knowing who you can beat and you lose playing,even fulham tasted a european final oh and wigan little wigan made a carling cup final,our best chance was playing wycombe in the quarters sadly we had the worst manager ever to grace a football field
[cite]Posted By: nolly[/cite] little wigan made a carling cup final,our best chance was playing wycombe in the quarters sadly we had the worst manager ever to grace a football field
Well we sacked the fella who got us to the quarter finals
The biggest mare was the year parker was tapped up (I think)
That was the season we lost to gillingham in the cup and we would have had a non premiership route to the final and had the pleasure of beating/losing to millwall along the way and then got into europe thru the backdoor but we fooked up and them scumbags got the bye to the final and europe
im sorry to say but we would have won that quarter final with dowie in charge,if i remember right chelsea were a bit wobbly that month or terry was injured?
[cite]Posted By: oohaahmortimer[/cite]
At least in the premiership people knew and took an interest in our club
The pride that went with chris powell representing england was something we won't be getting again in our lifetimes
And the fact that being in this shite league means we'll miss out on seeing the progress of jonjo is a blow
Last year the top 6 was pretty much what most would have said once the early jostling had taken place and the top 2 as well, this year I can see the same , pretty similar to the prem but as we're one of the higher teams it may seem more exciting , I bet the orient and brentford fans are hardly excited about their chances of winning the league
Agree with that.
I hate this league and everything about it.
I hate it when friends say ''who've you got on Saturday?'' and I have to answer Carlisle or Exeter.
I hate watching TV on Sat and Sun and seeing Bent, Konchesky, Parker, Luke Young etc. because it reminds me how shite we've become.
I hate it when people say ''Charlton? They used to be a good team. What division are they in now? ''
I hate being the third-ranked team in south London.
I hate watching the comical refereeing that seems to be the norm in third division games.
I hate turning on Radio Five in the car at 5pm on a Saturday and having to wait until ten to six before Charlton gets mentioned.
I hate it that if we beat Doncaster or Scunthorpe in the FA Cup we would be called ''giant killers''.
I hate the lack of ambition when Charlton fans say ''it might only be div three but we're still fifth and that's more exciting than being mid-table in the Premiership'' .
I hate it even though we've won three games on the spin.
I hate it that we haven't even got a functioning screen during the match.
There is nothing good about being in division three.
[quote][cite]Posted By: ISawLeaburnScore[/cite]I still think the Championship is the best division in the country in terms of competitiveness/support/entertainment, the top half of which is probably our natural level over the years but this League One is tight (Brighton aside). It's only bearable when you win though![/quote]I can't think of a better league than the championship.
I agree with Henry, if the future of the club wasn't threatened I would be in love with this league!
I hate the plastic-ness of the premiership and the obsession with the big 4 however surely as a club you should strive to be the best at the highest level even if it's not likely.
I looked at Fulham and how close they came to winning the Uefa cup and beating Juventus. That goes down in the history books and imagine it could have been us.
As long as you dont do a leeds and go for broke I think the prem is the place to be. Ive got a couple of die hard fulham mates and I dont think they would want to swap places with us.
I would rather be playing in the top league with a squad of homegrown players and a few talented mercenaries than in this league having to sell our best homegrown prospects and signing players with no true affection for the club with limited ability.
Not a god given right to be in a higher league than we are but i would still prefer to be otherwise what is the point of wanting us to win every game we play.
The major point about my Scott Wagstaff v Jerome Thomas comparison was to ask people what they would prefer to see.
Would you prefer a home-grown Charlton fan like Scott Wagstaff trying his bollocks off every week in L1 or a bought-in, overweight Jerome Thomas in the Prem who came from Arsenal and thought he was too good for us?
I just think there is so much more honesty and intergrity about football at this level of the game compared to the cesspit that is the Premiership.
1) The "pool" of players to choose from at this level is vast. Most could play anywhere from the mid-Championship to Conference North/South and not stand out or look out of place.
2) Very few of that "pool" are in it for the money. Decent living, yes, but more than anything else they just want to be footballers. Mainly full of younger players with the dream to progress and one day maybe play in the promised land and hence secure their futures, plus a bunch of senior pros who just love playing the game.
So although money plays some part and those with a bit of cash can have first dibs, the other clubs still have the pool of similar quality to choose from, thus making it more competitive than the Premiership by comparison.
44 replies, and only 2 of them are in relation to what the opening post is about. Must be a record
That's because the thread got hi-jacked from the outset. From the first response on your original (and rather thoughtful) supposition was already lost ,mate!
Whatever division you're in, it's great when you're winning a shite when you're not - that's the bottom line.
My happiest season as a Charlton fan was 97/98 when we were flying high in a very competetive Division 1 (Championship), but if you offered me 03/04 again I'd rip your hand off. The big question for me is was the 7 years worth the financial turmoil it's eventually put us in? I'm not sure it was. I guess in an ideal world we regularly go through the 97/98, 98/99, 99/00 cycle with the odd 03/04 thrown in for good measure.
Ultimately I just want us to be competetive, entertaining and with a secure future - if that means we stay in League 1 forever then sobeit but I think the Championship is our natural level. As others have said, it's a good league both in terms of quality of football and matchday experience.
It never bothered me before 98 that we weren't top flight and it doesn't bother me now.
[quote][cite]Posted By: Ormiston Addick[/cite]@ Paul Sturgess
The major point about my Scott Wagstaff v Jerome Thomas comparison was to ask people what they would prefer to see.
Would you prefer a home-grown Charlton fan like Scott Wagstaff trying his bollocks off every week in L1 or a bought-in, overweight Jerome Thomas in the Prem who came from Arsenal and thought he was too good for us?
I just think there is so much more honesty and intergrity about football at this level of the game compared to the cesspit that is the Premiership.[/quote]
Yeh but as I made clear in my previous response, that is an irrelevant comparison when debating the merits of Lg 1 Vs the premier league, the fact that you have used one home-grown player compared to one lazy player (who was actually excellent for us for a significant period and thrilling to watch despite being a tosser) is pointless as I, and any sane Charlton fan, would surely prefer to watch players with the integrity and honesty of Chris Powell, Dean Kiely, Richard Rufus, Graham Stuart and even latterly the likes of Luke Young, Hermann Hreidarsson, jason euell etc etc, or a homegrown Scott Parker, but in the Premier League. They all cared about our club just as much and probably more than most of our squad today. By comparing Wagstaff and Thomas you are suggesting that all our players in the premier league were lazy arrogant gits which just isnt true. Parker sacked us off and that hurt me more than any other transfer in our history (I renamed my pet goldfish at the time from 'Parker' to 'Judas'), but Wagstaff would do exactly the same.
It isn't about resource because it's all pretty much relative because most of the clubs in this league have been very badly managed and are close to administration.
For me it's all about goalscoring.
Most teams are disciplined and play a similar system, but if you have someone that scores 20-25 goals and most importantly scores winning goals that will take you into the top 6.
[quote][cite]Posted By: paulsturgess[/cite][quote][cite]Posted By: Ormiston Addick[/cite]@ Paul Sturgess
The major point about my Scott Wagstaff v Jerome Thomas comparison was to ask people what they would prefer to see.
Would you prefer a home-grown Charlton fan like Scott Wagstaff trying his bollocks off every week in L1 or a bought-in, overweight Jerome Thomas in the Prem who came from Arsenal and thought he was too good for us?
I just think there is so much more honesty and intergrity about football at this level of the game compared to the cesspit that is the Premiership.[/quote]
Yeh but as I made clear in my previous response, that is an irrelevant comparison when debating the merits of Lg 1 Vs the premier league, the fact that you have used one home-grown player compared to one lazy player (who was actually excellent for us for a significant period and thrilling to watch despite being a tosser) is pointless as I, and any sane Charlton fan, would surely prefer to watch players with the integrity and honesty of Chris Powell, Dean Kiely, Richard Rufus, Graham Stuart and even latterly the likes of Luke Young, Hermann Hreidarsson, jason euell etc etc, or a homegrown Scott Parker, but in the Premier League. They all cared about our club just as much and probably more than most of our squad today. By comparing Wagstaff and Thomas you are suggesting that all our players in the premier league were lazy arrogant gits which just isnt true. Parker sacked us off and that hurt me more than any other transfer in our history (I renamed my pet goldfish at the time from 'Parker' to 'Judas'), but Wagstaff would do exactly the same.[/quote]
You may think its an "irrelevant comparison" between Wagstaff and Thomas but I - and many others on here - certainly don't.
I have never claimed that "all our players in the premier league were lazy arrogant gits" - that's a complete fabrication on your part. What I said was that I - and many others - would rather see a home-grown talent like Scott Wagstaff in L1 than watching Jerome Thomas prance and preen around in the Premiership as if he were doing us a favour by being there.
Thomas had a very limited period for us where he turned it on but for the most part he was well overweight - look at him now for West Brom - and could not be bothered to really put in the hard yards. His meagre goal tally tells you all you need to know in that regard, he simply was not prepared to make the kind of lung-busting runs that would put him in goal-scoring positions.
Thomas was, of course, not the only example of this type of player in the later Premiership years, take your pick from Marcus Bent, Dennis Rommedahl, Francis Jeffers, Ben Thatcher, Soulemayne Diawarra, Djimi Traore or Amdy Faye for other examples of highly-paid players who, quite frankly, could not have cared less about Charlton Athletic and were only there for the money.
Would Wagstaff take the big money if it were offered him? Of course he would. That's not the point though, is it? The point is, that like Parker, he is prepared to work his balls off while he is here and give 100% in every game he plays - that's not something you could ever claim of Jerome Thomas or Marcus Bent.
Yeh i know what youre saying and i agree Orminston, yes there were plenty of lazy arrogant in-it-for-the-money tossers we had in the premiership, but there were also plenty of the opposite. Hence regarding fabrication, what I am saying is that by making that comparison I personally read it as you suggesting that the difference between the prem years and now was that now we have a team of Wagstaffs whereas in the Prem we had a team of Thomases, but you get Jerome Thomases at every level and you get stevie browns at every level, so I just don't think that that is a relevant way to compare what's good or bad about then and now. In my opinion its more relevant to consider how much you actually enjoy watching the football, enjoy the atmosphere, how excited or pleased you are when we score or win, etc etc.
And for me, although I have enjoyed some football (Swindon play-offs), some atmospheres (Orient away, Milwall) and been excited when we've won some games (Orient, Southend...), on the whole I enjoyed those things more in the Prem.
I've watched Charlton since 1964, so I've seen plenty of the good, the bad and the ugly over the years.
I felt proud that my team Charlton were in the top division during the Lennie and Curbs years.
You've only got to keep tabs on Blackpool this season, to remember what playing in the Prem really meant to us - before the realisation set in that we were only ever going to tread water, with a very occasional victory against the Sky 4 to allow us bragging rights against the armies of "plastics" out there.
But confession time ....... despite living in Cornwall, I saw 11 matches last season, and so far 3 this season with several more to come (and all the televised matches, of course). But by and large, I find I quite enjoy the 3rd Division, it's refreshing not to have the media hype vomited all over it - and going to away grounds has that "traditional" real football feel about it that going to games was all about before Sky ruined the top division.
I don't like the half empty Valley ...... but I can't see that will change unless our "Prem" fans come back.
Like a few others, I see our mid-term future as a yo-yo team between the Championship and the Prem....... and agree, it gives the balance between winning promotion and our day in the sun. And then the chance to do it all over again.
Football is all about having dreams and aspirations. When I was a kid, coming from the heart of Wet Spam territory, I used to dream of one day beating them. I used to hear stories from my Dad about the day's when we used to beat Arsenal and Liverpool. When we finally reached the top flight and beat Man Utd, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea etc on numerous occasions, my dream had finally been realised. Fantastic memories that can never be taken away because I have all the evidence on DVD. To say we were always slaughtered by the top teams is simply not true, and Blackpool are proving now that it is still possible to mix it with the best and sometimes beat them. I used to be so proud to say to people "I support the team that beat Liverpool last Saturday". Mentioning that your team beat Dagenham at the weekend doesn't have quite the same ring about it. Let's start aiming for the top guys and stop being content with mediocrity.
[cite]Posted By: queensland_addick[/cite]Football is all about having dreams and aspirations. When I was a kid, coming from the heart of Wet Spam territory, I used to dream of one day beating them. I used to hear stories from my Dad about the day's when we used to beat Arsenal and Liverpool. When we finally reached the top flight and beat Man Utd, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea etc on numerous occasions, my dream had finally been realised. Fantastic memories that can never be taken away because I have all the evidence on DVD. To say we were always slaughtered by the top teams is simply not true, and Blackpool are proving now that it is still possible to mix it with the best and sometimes beat them.
I used to be so proud to say to people "I support the team that beat Liverpool last Saturday". Mentioning that your team beat Dagenham at the weekend doesn't have quite the same ring about it.
Let's start aiming for the top guys and stop being content with mediocrity.
Er, sorry to be the bearer of bad news but...we never beat Manchester United whilst in the Premiership! Our last win against them was in 1989 at Selhurst courtesy of two Paul Williams strikes!
[quote][cite]Posted By: Ormiston Addick[/cite][quote][cite]Posted By: queensland_addick[/cite]Football is all about having dreams and aspirations. When I was a kid, coming from the heart of Wet Spam territory, I used to dream of one day beating them. I used to hear stories from my Dad about the day's when we used to beat Arsenal and Liverpool. When we finally reached the top flight and beat Man Utd, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea etc on numerous occasions, my dream had finally been realised. Fantastic memories that can never be taken away because I have all the evidence on DVD. To say we were always slaughtered by the top teams is simply not true, and Blackpool are proving now that it is still possible to mix it with the best and sometimes beat them. I used to be so proud to say to people "I support the team that beat Liverpool last Saturday". Mentioning that your team beat Dagenham at the weekend doesn't have quite the same ring about it. Let's start aiming for the top guys and stop being content with mediocrity.[/quote]
Er, sorry to be the bearer of bad news but...we never beat Manchester United whilst in the Premiership! Our last win against them was in 1989 at Selhurst courtesy of two Paul Williams strikes![/quote]
I did say top flight deliberately rather than Premiership! Yes, I know, I was there and remember it well. We also beat them 1-0 at Selhurst (Mark Reid penalty). But my point was that it was still in the top flight of English football and something that I could only dream of as a kid. Anyway we did have that fantastic 3-3 draw against Man Utd at the Valley in the Prem, another unforgettable occasion that I wouldn't swap for any third division victory.
Comments
When you're in the same league as palace or millwall you get the banter etc but I don't know any brentford fans and only 1 orient fan ..... I'm not gonna take the piss out of them
At least in the premiership people knew and took an interest in our club
The pride that went with chris powell representing england was something we won't be getting again in our lifetimes
And the fact that being in this shite league means we'll miss out on seeing the progress of jonjo is a blow
Last year the top 6 was pretty much what most would have said once the early jostling had taken place and the top 2 as well, this year I can see the same , pretty similar to the prem but as we're one of the higher teams it may seem more exciting , I bet the orient and brentford fans are hardly excited about their chances of winning the league
We are no.3 in south london
Well we sacked the fella who got us to the quarter finals
The biggest mare was the year parker was tapped up (I think)
That was the season we lost to gillingham in the cup and we would have had a non premiership route to the final and had the pleasure of beating/losing to millwall along the way and then got into europe thru the backdoor but we fooked up and them scumbags got the bye to the final and europe
Agree with that.
I hate this league and everything about it.
I hate it when friends say ''who've you got on Saturday?'' and I have to answer Carlisle or Exeter.
I hate watching TV on Sat and Sun and seeing Bent, Konchesky, Parker, Luke Young etc. because it reminds me how shite we've become.
I hate it when people say ''Charlton? They used to be a good team. What division are they in now? ''
I hate being the third-ranked team in south London.
I hate watching the comical refereeing that seems to be the norm in third division games.
I hate turning on Radio Five in the car at 5pm on a Saturday and having to wait until ten to six before Charlton gets mentioned.
I hate it that if we beat Doncaster or Scunthorpe in the FA Cup we would be called ''giant killers''.
I hate the lack of ambition when Charlton fans say ''it might only be div three but we're still fifth and that's more exciting than being mid-table in the Premiership'' .
I hate it even though we've won three games on the spin.
I hate it that we haven't even got a functioning screen during the match.
There is nothing good about being in division three.
It's a lot easier and quicker to get home after a game.
Smaller queues at the hot dog stall
I agree with Henry, if the future of the club wasn't threatened I would be in love with this league!
I looked at Fulham and how close they came to winning the Uefa cup and beating Juventus. That goes down in the history books and imagine it could have been us.
As long as you dont do a leeds and go for broke I think the prem is the place to be. Ive got a couple of die hard fulham mates and I dont think they would want to swap places with us.
I would rather be playing in the top league with a squad of homegrown players and a few talented mercenaries than in this league having to sell our best homegrown prospects and signing players with no true affection for the club with limited ability.
Not a god given right to be in a higher league than we are but i would still prefer to be otherwise what is the point of wanting us to win every game we play.
44 replies, and only 2 of them are in relation to what the opening post is about. Must be a record
The major point about my Scott Wagstaff v Jerome Thomas comparison was to ask people what they would prefer to see.
Would you prefer a home-grown Charlton fan like Scott Wagstaff trying his bollocks off every week in L1 or a bought-in, overweight Jerome Thomas in the Prem who came from Arsenal and thought he was too good for us?
I just think there is so much more honesty and intergrity about football at this level of the game compared to the cesspit that is the Premiership.
1) The "pool" of players to choose from at this level is vast. Most could play anywhere from the mid-Championship to Conference North/South and not stand out or look out of place.
2) Very few of that "pool" are in it for the money. Decent living, yes, but more than anything else they just want to be footballers. Mainly full of younger players with the dream to progress and one day maybe play in the promised land and hence secure their futures, plus a bunch of senior pros who just love playing the game.
So although money plays some part and those with a bit of cash can have first dibs, the other clubs still have the pool of similar quality to choose from, thus making it more competitive than the Premiership by comparison.
That's because the thread got hi-jacked from the outset. From the first response on your original (and rather thoughtful) supposition was already lost ,mate!
My happiest season as a Charlton fan was 97/98 when we were flying high in a very competetive Division 1 (Championship), but if you offered me 03/04 again I'd rip your hand off. The big question for me is was the 7 years worth the financial turmoil it's eventually put us in? I'm not sure it was. I guess in an ideal world we regularly go through the 97/98, 98/99, 99/00 cycle with the odd 03/04 thrown in for good measure.
Ultimately I just want us to be competetive, entertaining and with a secure future - if that means we stay in League 1 forever then sobeit but I think the Championship is our natural level. As others have said, it's a good league both in terms of quality of football and matchday experience.
It never bothered me before 98 that we weren't top flight and it doesn't bother me now.
The major point about my Scott Wagstaff v Jerome Thomas comparison was to ask people what they would prefer to see.
Would you prefer a home-grown Charlton fan like Scott Wagstaff trying his bollocks off every week in L1 or a bought-in, overweight Jerome Thomas in the Prem who came from Arsenal and thought he was too good for us?
I just think there is so much more honesty and intergrity about football at this level of the game compared to the cesspit that is the Premiership.[/quote]
Yeh but as I made clear in my previous response, that is an irrelevant comparison when debating the merits of Lg 1 Vs the premier league, the fact that you have used one home-grown player compared to one lazy player (who was actually excellent for us for a significant period and thrilling to watch despite being a tosser) is pointless as I, and any sane Charlton fan, would surely prefer to watch players with the integrity and honesty of Chris Powell, Dean Kiely, Richard Rufus, Graham Stuart and even latterly the likes of Luke Young, Hermann Hreidarsson, jason euell etc etc, or a homegrown Scott Parker, but in the Premier League. They all cared about our club just as much and probably more than most of our squad today. By comparing Wagstaff and Thomas you are suggesting that all our players in the premier league were lazy arrogant gits which just isnt true. Parker sacked us off and that hurt me more than any other transfer in our history (I renamed my pet goldfish at the time from 'Parker' to 'Judas'), but Wagstaff would do exactly the same.
For me it's all about goalscoring.
Most teams are disciplined and play a similar system, but if you have someone that scores 20-25 goals and most importantly scores winning goals that will take you into the top 6.
Team spirit only takes you so far.
The major point about my Scott Wagstaff v Jerome Thomas comparison was to ask people what they would prefer to see.
Would you prefer a home-grown Charlton fan like Scott Wagstaff trying his bollocks off every week in L1 or a bought-in, overweight Jerome Thomas in the Prem who came from Arsenal and thought he was too good for us?
I just think there is so much more honesty and intergrity about football at this level of the game compared to the cesspit that is the Premiership.[/quote]
Yeh but as I made clear in my previous response, that is an irrelevant comparison when debating the merits of Lg 1 Vs the premier league, the fact that you have used one home-grown player compared to one lazy player (who was actually excellent for us for a significant period and thrilling to watch despite being a tosser) is pointless as I, and any sane Charlton fan, would surely prefer to watch players with the integrity and honesty of Chris Powell, Dean Kiely, Richard Rufus, Graham Stuart and even latterly the likes of Luke Young, Hermann Hreidarsson, jason euell etc etc, or a homegrown Scott Parker, but in the Premier League. They all cared about our club just as much and probably more than most of our squad today. By comparing Wagstaff and Thomas you are suggesting that all our players in the premier league were lazy arrogant gits which just isnt true. Parker sacked us off and that hurt me more than any other transfer in our history (I renamed my pet goldfish at the time from 'Parker' to 'Judas'), but Wagstaff would do exactly the same.[/quote]
You may think its an "irrelevant comparison" between Wagstaff and Thomas but I - and many others on here - certainly don't.
I have never claimed that "all our players in the premier league were lazy arrogant gits" - that's a complete fabrication on your part. What I said was that I - and many others - would rather see a home-grown talent like Scott Wagstaff in L1 than watching Jerome Thomas prance and preen around in the Premiership as if he were doing us a favour by being there.
Thomas had a very limited period for us where he turned it on but for the most part he was well overweight - look at him now for West Brom - and could not be bothered to really put in the hard yards. His meagre goal tally tells you all you need to know in that regard, he simply was not prepared to make the kind of lung-busting runs that would put him in goal-scoring positions.
Thomas was, of course, not the only example of this type of player in the later Premiership years, take your pick from Marcus Bent, Dennis Rommedahl, Francis Jeffers, Ben Thatcher, Soulemayne Diawarra, Djimi Traore or Amdy Faye for other examples of highly-paid players who, quite frankly, could not have cared less about Charlton Athletic and were only there for the money.
Would Wagstaff take the big money if it were offered him? Of course he would. That's not the point though, is it? The point is, that like Parker, he is prepared to work his balls off while he is here and give 100% in every game he plays - that's not something you could ever claim of Jerome Thomas or Marcus Bent.
I hope mine is one of the two, if not why?
And for me, although I have enjoyed some football (Swindon play-offs), some atmospheres (Orient away, Milwall) and been excited when we've won some games (Orient, Southend...), on the whole I enjoyed those things more in the Prem.
In fairness your original post was indirectly comparing League 1 to the other leagues, people have just been abit more direct about it in response.
I felt proud that my team Charlton were in the top division during the Lennie and Curbs years.
You've only got to keep tabs on Blackpool this season, to remember what playing in the Prem really meant to us - before the realisation set in that we were only ever going to tread water, with a very occasional victory against the Sky 4 to allow us bragging rights against the armies of "plastics" out there.
But confession time ....... despite living in Cornwall, I saw 11 matches last season, and so far 3 this season with several more to come (and all the televised matches, of course). But by and large, I find I quite enjoy the 3rd Division, it's refreshing not to have the media hype vomited all over it - and going to away grounds has that "traditional" real football feel about it that going to games was all about before Sky ruined the top division.
I don't like the half empty Valley ...... but I can't see that will change unless our "Prem" fans come back.
Like a few others, I see our mid-term future as a yo-yo team between the Championship and the Prem....... and agree, it gives the balance between winning promotion and our day in the sun. And then the chance to do it all over again.
I used to be so proud to say to people "I support the team that beat Liverpool last Saturday". Mentioning that your team beat Dagenham at the weekend doesn't have quite the same ring about it.
Let's start aiming for the top guys and stop being content with mediocrity.
Swindon were play off finalists last term and we just dooshed em 3 to nothing at their place.
Carlisle by rights should be competing with Cambridge AFC Wimbledon et al in the non-league sects.
The standard of football in this league is excellent. The standard of player is what lets it down
Er, sorry to be the bearer of bad news but...we never beat Manchester United whilst in the Premiership! Our last win against them was in 1989 at Selhurst courtesy of two Paul Williams strikes!
I used to be so proud to say to people "I support the team that beat Liverpool last Saturday". Mentioning that your team beat Dagenham at the weekend doesn't have quite the same ring about it.
Let's start aiming for the top guys and stop being content with mediocrity.[/quote]
Er, sorry to be the bearer of bad news but...we never beat Manchester United whilst in the Premiership! Our last win against them was in 1989 at Selhurst courtesy of two Paul Williams strikes![/quote]
I did say top flight deliberately rather than Premiership! Yes, I know, I was there and remember it well. We also beat them 1-0 at Selhurst (Mark Reid penalty). But my point was that it was still in the top flight of English football and something that I could only dream of as a kid.
Anyway we did have that fantastic 3-3 draw against Man Utd at the Valley in the Prem, another unforgettable occasion that I wouldn't swap for any third division victory.