The writing blog of David Stringer
New today, the latest in the Lower League Week I write for BornOffside, covering the big events in League 1 and League 2. Stories include the FIFA regulation stopping Shaun Derry continuing as a player, the bad form of Peterborough, Crewe and Portsmouth, Gillingham losing in the FA Cup, and a really, really bad miss.
Click here to read Lower League Week: Notts County and Leyton Orient Battle Red Tape
I’ve just completed writing the latest Lower League Week for BornOffside and, after filing it for editing, I realised I’ve not linked to last week’s edition.
The main stories are news and opinion of Swindon and Cheltenham being defeated in the FA Cup; Hartlepool’s excellent form; Gillinham appointing a permanent manager; Shaun Derry retiring from playing to focus on management; Port Vale banning their local paper from covering their matches; Carlisle taking released criminal Courtney Meppen-Walter on trial; and mascots solemnly observing minute’s silences while smiling gleefully.
Click here to read The Lower League Week – Port Vale Battle The Sentinel
My Lower League Week column has, over the past two years, become the premier weekly internet recap of events in Leagues One and Two written by a guy called David Stringer.
That is, unless the David Stringer who wrote The Insect Hotel has decided to branch out.
After not being able to find the time in a hectic last seven weeks (which I’ll blog about at some point soon) I’ve finally gotten back into the swing of things with a Lower League Weeks, published today at Bornoffside.
In it I cover Leyton Orient maintaining their position at the top of League One; Bristol City’s surprisingly enduring underachievement; a mass of sackings and replacements; and, more seriously, Tranmere player Joe Thompson’s battle with cancer.
Click here to read The Lower League Weeks – Getting Back Into the Groove
Going up tonight, the latest Lower League Week, covering events in Leagues One and Two, is now live.
Northampton have had a surprisingly bad start to League Two given their playoff finish last season; Hartlepool and Carlisle have their first wins of the season; Sheffield United are struggling in League One; I’ve covered the latest, (relatively) mundane developments for Coventry; Leyton Orient can’t stop winning even if they wanted to (though I assume they don’t); Notts County can’t win at all; and there’ve been a load of goals in League One, now officially* the best league in the world.
*It’s at least as official as Sky Sports’ insistence that the Premier League is the best league in the world.
So how can you say no to all that? Be honest, you can’t, can you?
Click here to read Lower League Week: Northampton Are Cobblers And Sheffield United Still Blunt
I wasn’t able to get a Lower League Week finished last week, so earlier this week a Lower League Fortnight went up.
It covered Celtic’s offers for Peterborough’s Lee Tomlin; some other interesting late transfer window action; Hartlepool’s 5-0 win over Bradford and the context to explain why this was so bizarre; Bradford bouncing back with a 4-0 win over Brentford; Tom Pope opening his account for the season; Greg Abbott being sacked by Carlisle; Sheffield United’s new Saudi Arabian owners; Coventry winnin to cancel out their ten point deduction; and the huge figures Portsmouth owe to their former players.
Click here to read The Lower League Fortnight – Pay Up Pompey
Today at Bornoffside.net, the latest Lower League Week is up.
Carlisle’s results this weeks have been less bad than previously; Bradford’s Nahki Wells has broken a club scoring record; There’s been lots of goals for Coventry and Peterborough but few for Hartlepool; Wycombe have had a double financial boost; Mark Cooper has started well at Swindon but still has a few problems ahead.
Plus, there’s been a few upsets in the second round of the League Cup.
Click here to read The Lower League Week – Posh Peterborough Slaughter the Royals
At Bornoffside.net, the Lower League Week has gone up today.
There’s some bits on the Football League and governance in general (it’s more interesting than it sounds); a large section on Coventry; Carlisle and Greg Abbott; Swindon’s new boss Mark Cooper; Oldham’s kitman doing a runner; and Bobby Moore, Leyton Orient legend.
Click here to read The Lower League Week: Michael Knighton’s Bloody Awful Poetry
Today my latest Lower League Week went up at BornOffside.
It featured stories on Wolves trying to clear out unwanted players so that they can take a star player from Sheffield United, one of their rivals; Exeter have decided to expand their fanbase by appealing to Brazilians; Walsall have started surprisingly well and Carlisle surprisingly badly; there’s some brief thoughts on Hartlepool; and two different versions of Coventry City were playing at ‘home’ at the same time on Sunday.
Basically, it’s just another ordinary, bizarrely colourful week in the lower leagues!
Click here to read Lower League Week: Wolves at Sheffield United’s Door
This went up a little later than it should have, but yesterday BornOffside published predictions made for the Football League and Conference by myself and two others – Lucy Waldon and Dan Rawley.
Obviously, predictions should be made before the event begins, as the word, broken down, should make clear: pre- meaning previous to, and -diction meaning… to pronounce correctly. Actually, that just about makes sense.
Though it’s been published after two Football League games and one Conference game, all predictions were made before the Football League started.
Click here to read Football League & Conference Predictions
The Football League has returned, and that means that, during the week, so did the Lower League Week.
On Wednesday, for Born Offside, I wrote about the Coventry fiasco; the media’s lazy reporting of the Coventry fiasco; a Crawley fan being banned for being mean to Ian Holloway; Northampton beginning pre-season with a bonfire; the opening weekend’s matches; and an Accrington employee being naughty and breaking some betting laws.
There was also some lovely sarcasm from Torquay United, and Notts County tempting fate.
You can read all that and more at The Lower League Week: Coventry’s Ten Points and Northampton’s Bonfire of the Memories
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