Sometimes it’s not nice to be proved correct, especially when your predictions are of the glass half-empty variety. Back in July, when my club, Stockport County, appointed Paul Simpson, I feared that he would turn out to be nothing more than the ‘proverbial sacrificial lamb’. Less than six months on, Simpson has been unceremoniously sacked, despite being on course to achieve his target for the season - namely, to keep County in the division. Although sitting four points clear of the relegation zone, albeit having played more games than all their relegation rivals, Simpson’s record was obviously not good enough…
All posts tagged Stockport
Sharing with the Oval Ball: the Cons
In last month’s print edition of When Saturday Comes, the ever reliable Roger Titford analyzed the pros and cons of sharing one’s ground with purveyors of the oval ball. The piece sounds a note of warning: my fellow blogger Scarf is rightly incandescent at Stockport’s unequal alliance with Sale Sharks and if Reading’s relationship with London Irish is better, there is still unease among the Royals’ support.Most annoying is the local media’s occasional comparison of the clubs’ respective gates and Titford enlarged upon this in his missive, showing how rugby crowds have grown encouragingly while football league attendances have declined….
The Monday Profile: George Donnelly
Three weeks ago I used Norwich goalkeeper John Ruddy as an example of how larger clubs have exploited the loan system to their own ends, to the possible detriment of the players involved. The subject of this week’s Profile shows the other side of the coin, whereby a player surplus to requirements at his parent club can use a loan move to get his career back on track. Football can be a fickle game, and the dividing line between success and failure can depend on many factors aside from talent. Success requires a player to be playing in the right…
TTU 2010/11 Season Preview: League 2 (Part Two)
See Part One of the TTU 2010/11 League 2 Season Preview here.Macclesfield Headline of the SummerUpwardly Mobile. Gary Simpson did a very good job taking over from the sadly deceased Keith Alexander. He has brought continuality and stability to the Silkmen, who continue to be hard to beat. Having managed to keep leading players Emile Sinclair, Ricky Sappleton and John Rooney, Simpson has added to his side with established League 2 players Richard Butcher and the classy Matt Hamshaw, amongst others. This should mean they should avoid any last-day drama this time around.Ins/OutsINRichard Butcher (Lincoln)Tyrone Barnett (Hednesford) Lewis Chalmers (Aldershot)…
Problems for Paul
If Peterborough United were The Apprentice of 2009-10, Stockport County are surely somewhere closer to Coronation Street. An ever-changing cast, regular instances of backbiting and intrigue, and unwelcome strangers from outside taking possession of the family home, supporting Stockport County is gripping, frustrating but certainly never dull. Today’s appointment of Paul Simpson as manager is just another twist in a story that, over the past decade, has seen four different owners and seven full-time managers (in addition to numerous caretakers), three relegations, one promotion, the loss of ownership of Edgeley Park and administration. Wembley winners just two years ago, the…
John Flanagan: This is probably the worst bit of journalism I have ever seen. Put the...
Kirk: Who is this moron who wrote the article !???
Clearly confused ! We ha...
billmapguy: Great work Ben!. I stopped reading the Economist years ago when I real...
AitchPee: I think 'florid prose' is not only generous, it's also wrong. "queries...
Neil.S: This is not an article, but the bitterness of a Reading fan who has si...
