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English Leagues

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Farewell to Saltergate

Submitted by WG on Wed, 12/05/2010 - 08:21

Some years ago I went to a match at Chesterfield's Saltergate stadium which had a capacity of just 8,504.  It was an evocative atmosphere and the small group of away fans at one end of a stand were seated on what looked like wooden benches.  Now the Spireites have played their last game there.   Their wealthy new owner who is in the Sunday Times rich list has brought to completion a long-term plan to move to a new 10,000 capacity stadium.

Battle on to control Bones

Submitted by WG on Tue, 11/05/2010 - 19:33

A battle is on for control of impoverished Northamptonshire side Rothwell Town.  Known as the Bones because of the unique collection of human remains in the nearby church, they may play in the United Counties League next season having resigned from the Southern (Zamaretto) League.

Chinese gambling tycoon in for Liverpool

Submitted by WG on Tue, 11/05/2010 - 14:23

A Chinese gambling tycoon has expressed an interest in buying Liverpool.   He could put together a consortium of others involved in the Chinese Super League.

What did happen at Pompey?

Submitted by WG on Tue, 11/05/2010 - 09:27

This article is an interesting and evocative piece by a fan about events at Portsmouth.  A bit sepia tinged perhaps, but well worth reading nevertheless.   At the end he suggests that someone should write a book about what has happened there and probably they will.   If we were not an amateur site run by two people trying to find time in between doing their day jobs, it would be worth launching full-scale imvestigations into cases like Portsmo

Newcastle cannot afford to make signings

Submitted by WG on Mon, 10/05/2010 - 17:18

They may have won promotion to the Premiership in emphatic fashion, but Newcastle United fans will have been disappointed to learn that the club is going to have to rely on loans and free transfers to strengthen the squad next season.   Admittedly, there is a great spirit at the club, but this may not be enough to secure the level of success Toon fans were hoping for back where they feel they rightfully belong.

Premiership prospects for Cardiff

Submitted by WG on Mon, 10/05/2010 - 11:42

Whether Cardiff City can win promotion to the Premiership through the play offs remains to be seen, but they have taken the first step down that road, albeit one that can have many twists and turns.  For some months now we have been taking a relatively optimistic view about the Bluebirds.  That may seem surprising given that Peter Ridsdale has been a controversial figure in football after his involvement in Leeds.  There have certainly been some short-term problems at Cadiff and at times the club has been very near the brink.

Everton are the best buy

Submitted by WG on Sun, 09/05/2010 - 10:00

We upset some of the Blue side of Merseyside recently by suggesting that their club would not be easy to sell.   To redress the balance here are some comments by manager David Moyes.   He admits that Liverpool may be the bigger brand but says that Everton are a steadier club and have much less debt than a lot of leading clubs.

Does losing Champions League status matter financially?

Submitted by WG on Sat, 08/05/2010 - 10:53

There has been a growing gap in English football between the top four clubs qualifying for the Champions League and the rest.   It is, of course, in large part a question of sporting prestige.  It has been reported that Roman Abramovich intends to hold an inquest at Chelsea into their failure to achieve Champions League status even if they win the double.   The race between Spurs and Manchester City for the fourth spot, only a qualifying one, was fierce.   But the financial rewards are also considerable, far outweighing winning the FA Cup.

Liverpool debt situation worrying

Submitted by WG on Sat, 08/05/2010 - 07:12

Sometimes when we report that a club has financial problems their fans react negatively, but there are times when one has to face unpalatable truths.  I have tried to maintain a positive tone about Liverpool in recent postings.  I am not a Liverpool supporter, but the club is one of the giants of football that has contributed a great deal to the game.

FA hits sponsorship problems

Submitted by WG on Fri, 07/05/2010 - 10:19

The Football Association, which has never fully recovered from the collapse of Setanta, has hit new sponsorship problems.   Admittedly, National Express is a second tier sponsor and parts of the deal may yet be salvaged.  However, they did not think that the deal represented good value for money, although there had been a change of personnel at the top of the firm since the original agreement was signed.