Promotion Tales: Blackpool in the Premier League? Yeah, right!
For the second in our narratives exploring fans differing attitudes to promotion to the Premier League, we are pleased to welcome back Chris Walker, @OneDaveBamber on twitter and the maestro behind the Measured Progress blog. As a fan of Blackpool FC, Chris looks back to a season we ourselves chronicled in the first year of this blog’s life.
…
“Blackpool in the Premier League? Yeah, right!”
For a …
Promotion Tales: Stoke City’s Premier League Journey
Until the weekend, the bottom three places in this season’s Premier League were occupied by the three promoted clubs from last season and there is little doubt that negotiating the chasm is a perilous business with the financial and sporting learning curve proving too much for many. This week, we present five case studies of teams promoted to the competition after a considerable gap or, in some cases, for …
Hot Seat Narratives: Looking Beyond the Manager
The stats relating to the duration of managerial spells are, as you might expect, damning. This season, the average length of employment across the Premier and Football League’s 92 clubs is 1.64 seasons. In the Championship the mean is even worse, standing at 0.82 seasons. Between the Premier League and League Two, 47 of the 92 managers currently in position are yet to complete a full season with their …
Hot Seat Narratives: Paul Tisdale and Exeter City: A Complicated Relationship
In the summer of 2006, a group of Exeter City fans bumped into a well-known Football League manager and conversation turned towards the managerial vacancy at St James’ Park. The advice was unequivocal. “Get in Jimmy Quinn. He’ll get you promoted, no worries.”
It seemed like sound advice. Quinn had recently got Shrewsbury promoted from the Conference at the first time of asking and was available after leaving Gay …
Hot Seat Narratives: Watford’s Managerial Carousel
In passing judgement on Watford’s unusual managerial goings-on this season, one really needs to take a step back and appreciate the backdrop to a bizarre period that saw five different men – four full-time appointees and one stand-in – take charge of Watford within less than six weeks.
So… for those that have been paying no attention at all, here’s a whistle-stop summary. The Pozzo family bought Watford in …