Division Three, 2024/25

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

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Here's the run-in. Promo-chasing opponents in pink, home games in caps.

Tomorrow, Reading travel to Shrewsbury, who have been absolute arse-gravy for ages; tomorrow will mark two whole winless months in which they've D3 L8, so I wouldn't hold out much hope for Michael Appleton's mob helping our cause. Happy if I'm wrong, like - they've not often been soundly beaten, and last Tuesday got a 0-0 at Wycombe despite allowing 33 (33!) efforts on goal.

It's Huddersfield's turn to host Wycombe. Reading did it well at that task this weekend, but here's hoping our fellow Wanderers have enough in the tank to overcome the Terriers, who've won their last two home games after a seven-game domestic disaster streak of W0 D3 L4 – in which they scored just once - did for Micky 'the Maximiser' Duff.

It's then a 4pt gap to Orient, who will expect to win at Mansfield and more or less have to: if they lose and we win, we're 9pts above them with 5 games left, which is basically snookers. Speaking of which, Blackpool don't play tomorrow or Saturday, so by the time they start again on Good Friday they could be 12pts back and thus may disappear off this list. Let's hope so. But in the end it all comes back to us having to win.

[BWFC_Insane]

Don’t see Reading dropping too many from that list. Northampton away probably the toughest they have left.

Huddersfield would have to do it the hard way with that fixture list.

For us I think the three home games have to be wins then try and win one and draw one of the three aways.

That’s 79 points. If someone goes past that - good luck to them.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Don’t see Reading dropping too many from that list. Northampton away probably the toughest they have left.

Huddersfield would have to do it the hard way with that fixture list.

For us I think the three home games have to be wins then try and win one and draw one of the three aways.

That’s 79 points. If someone goes past that - good luck to them.

Agree on all that.

All three of our aways are tricky for different reasons - Barnsley are Barnsley and Posh are Posh, meaning anything can happen (especially against us). Meanwhile, Lincoln have just in the past week thrown spanners in the spokes of Huddersfield (beating them at home) and Charlton (drawing away).

The Imps also only lost by one goal at Wycombe and Birmingham, and at home have recently belted Bristol Rovers (5-0) and Crawley (4-1). All told, they will have an extraordinarily large say in the promotion race, considering their final eight games are Wycombe (A), Hudds (H), Charlton (A), Shrewsbury (H), Reading (A), us (H), Stockport (A), Wrexham (H).

[irie Cee Bee]

From DSBs list, Readings fixtures are the "easiest" on paper. Nearly all midtable teams with little to play for except perhaps Rovers who still need a few points to save themselves from the drop. I would not like to be in Huddersfield shoes. Three teams still in with at least playoff shots and 2 battling relegation. They will do well to get in.

Orient and Blackpool seem to have too much to do so for me, its down to us or Reading for that sixth position. Based on the fixtures left, the odds are in favor of Reading. Rotherham and Lincoln are form teams and Barnsley always gives us trouble. We will have to dig in to make it. Lets hope we are able to hit our top form with Dempsey back, and Etete... hope you are Schuey's secret weapon.

[Mar]

From DSBs list, Readings fixtures are the "easiest" on paper. Nearly all midtable teams with little to play for except perhaps Rovers who still need a few points to save themselves from the drop. I would not like to be in Huddersfield shoes. Three teams still in with at least playoff shots and 2 battling relegation. They will do well to get in.

Orient and Blackpool seem to have too much to do so for me, its down to us or Reading for that sixth position. Based on the fixtures left, the odds are in favor of Reading. Rotherham and Lincoln are form teams and Barnsley always gives us trouble. We will have to dig in to make it. Lets hope we are able to hit our top form with Dempsey back, and Etete... hope you are Schuey's secret weapon.

Certainly think that Blackpool are too far gone. Birmingham will likely be aiming for record points total this season so they'll not want to disrupt that by lowering their standards at the end of the season.

Orient have to make up a 5 point gap with Reading losing that gap so I can't see that happening.

It's Us, Reading and Huddersfield for it I reckon.

We're disturbingly inconsistent, so its anyones guess if we'll get there. I think by the time Lincoln rolls round we'll know whether or not we're still in the running. Drop points at Barnsley and we'll need to win at Wycombe. Can't see Reading dropping the ball if they get a decent gap, especially not with that run in.

[Prufrock]

Do we know what happens if Reading don't get bought in time? That has the potential for a farce.

[Mar]

Do we know what happens if Reading don't get bought in time? That has the potential for a farce.

Especially if they have to re-arrange for the play off entrants. Wouldn't surprise me if they just try and sort the ramifications after the seasons end.

Either way, it'd be crazy to think that it could be Reading being kicked out of the play offs, or reaching the final knowing they may not go up. Loser of the play off final getting promoted?

[Worthy4England]

Do we know what happens if Reading don't get bought in time? That has the potential for a farce.

Especially if they have to re-arrange for the play off entrants. Wouldn't surprise me if they just try and sort the ramifications after the seasons end.

Either way, it'd be crazy to think that it could be Reading being kicked out of the play offs, or reaching the final knowing they may not go up. Loser of the play off final getting promoted?

Historically, the outcome seems to be; Get promoted, get let off; Don't get promoted, points penalty....

[Mar]

Do we know what happens if Reading don't get bought in time? That has the potential for a farce.

Especially if they have to re-arrange for the play off entrants. Wouldn't surprise me if they just try and sort the ramifications after the seasons end.

Either way, it'd be crazy to think that it could be Reading being kicked out of the play offs, or reaching the final knowing they may not go up. Loser of the play off final getting promoted?

Historically, the outcome seems to be; Get promoted, get let off; Don't get promoted, points penalty....

Suppose it'll all come down to how convincing the new owners could potentially be. We certainly got heavily penalised for something that wasn't the new owners fault. Reading having crap owners should be considered punishment enough.

[Abdoulaye's Twin]

Do we know what happens if Reading don't get bought in time? That has the potential for a farce.

Especially if they have to re-arrange for the play off entrants. Wouldn't surprise me if they just try and sort the ramifications after the seasons end.

Either way, it'd be crazy to think that it could be Reading being kicked out of the play offs, or reaching the final knowing they may not go up. Loser of the play off final getting promoted?

Historically, the outcome seems to be; Get promoted, get let off; Don't get promoted, points penalty....

Works for Trump

[jmjhb]

Birmingham champions after Wrexham could only draw against the Pies.

Wycombe picked up 3 points too but that run-in is nasty.

[Worthy4England]

Can't make the autos with that point!

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Huddersfield sack the much-unloved sporting director Mark Cartwright. Which means they now have a Markham-shaped hole there to go alongside the Evatt-shaped managerial hole they’ll surely have in summer. I hope so, because maybe if those two end up there they’ll have the decency and hubris to take some of their failures off our hands.

[The_Gun]

Huddersfield sack the much-unloved sporting director Mark Cartwright. Which means they now have a Markham-shaped hole there to go alongside the Evatt-shaped managerial hole they’ll surely have in summer. I hope so, because maybe if those two end up there they’ll have the decency and hubris to take some of their failures off our hands.

I really doubt Evatt is getting that kind of job next. There’s a lot of alleged off-field baggage there, and I think he’s been rather exposed as a coach in the past year or so. I’d wager he shows up at somewhere like Chesterfield or Fleetwood.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Huddersfield sack the much-unloved sporting director Mark Cartwright. Which means they now have a Markham-shaped hole there to go alongside the Evatt-shaped managerial hole they’ll surely have in summer. I hope so, because maybe if those two end up there they’ll have the decency and hubris to take some of their failures off our hands.

I really doubt Evatt is getting that kind of job next. There’s a lot of alleged off-field baggage there, and I think he’s been rather exposed as a coach in the past year or so. I’d wager he shows up at somewhere like Chesterfield or Fleetwood.

What if Markham gets the SD job?

[The_Gun]

Huddersfield sack the much-unloved sporting director Mark Cartwright. Which means they now have a Markham-shaped hole there to go alongside the Evatt-shaped managerial hole they’ll surely have in summer. I hope so, because maybe if those two end up there they’ll have the decency and hubris to take some of their failures off our hands.

I really doubt Evatt is getting that kind of job next. There’s a lot of alleged off-field baggage there, and I think he’s been rather exposed as a coach in the past year or so. I’d wager he shows up at somewhere like Chesterfield or Fleetwood.

What if Markham gets the SD job?

Seems unlikely that Markham would have that much of a say in a managerial appointment as a newly hired DOF.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Seems unlikely that Markham would have that much of a say in a managerial appointment as a newly hired DOF.

Maybe, but it's also the case that any club intending to use such a structure would look for a tight-knit double act. If we take off the spectacles tinted brown by how it turned out here, Markham could be a good signing for Huddersfield - knows the club, worked there before very successfully, plenty experience elsewhere. "And what sort of manager would you like to work with, Chris?"

As for Evatt's "off-field stuff" - I thought it interesting that Ilesy mentioned that on a podcast a few weeks ago and said he didn't think Huddersfield would be put off by it.

I also suspect that, notwithstanding any financial necessity, Evatt's hubris and magical thinking will stop him taking just any job. He'd definitely apply for Huddersfield, and they would very probably at least interview him - again, ignoring the bad last year here, he's got a strong CV: promotion, promotion, CV, reaching the play-offs Huddersfield are about to miss, doing it again, plus that bloddy win percentage he never stopped wanging on about. And that's before you get into the white-teethed look-into-my-eyes "playing football" evangelism. I can imagine he'd win some folk over with it.

Indeed I imagine he'd rather not take any fourth-tier job – with the possible exception of Chesterfield (romance and geography). There again, I note with fascination that Gareth Ainsworth and Paul Warne, so frequently and passionately held up as the most surefire tickets out of the third tier, are now in the fourth. Maybe Warney's so scarred by his most recent second-tier experience that this time he wants a run-up at it. Or maybe he just needs the money - which takes me back to the 'financial necessity' point.

I dunno. We'll see. In another discussion, Prufrock described football tactics as a dialectic and things do indeed come and go. Looking at the managers in the top 10 places of our division you've got
• 40, first-jobber (but renowned coach)
• 38, first-jobber (but renowned coach)
• 57, 1,000+ games as gaffer
• 51, 400+ games, managed in all four divisions
• 49, 700+ games, came out of non-league (and voluntarily went back in)
• 45, 350 games, largely League Two
• 42, first-jobber (crisis club)
• 40, 150 games
• 42, interim, no experience
• 64, 1,000+ games at 12 clubs

It takes all sorts but I suspect Evatt will find a home, perhaps by talking a better game than an aspiring coach...

[The_Gun]

As ever, you have provided a well reasoned response, DSB.

My feeling with regards to Huddersfield specifically is that they have an extremely disenfranchised fan base right now, and you’d think their owner will be looking to get them back onside. I’m fairly confident that hiring Evatt would go down like a lead balloon, so it would be a very bold decision.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

As ever, you have provided a well reasoned response, DSB.

My feeling with regards to Huddersfield specifically is that they have an extremely disenfranchised fan base right now, and you’d think their owner will be looking to get them back onside. I’m fairly confident that hiring Evatt would go down like a lead balloon, so it would be a very bold decision.

Thanks. Agree with you completely that the owner will want to get the next one right, but it depends what his options are, and I think he'll want a name and idea that's not too left-field. For all those Bright Young Things mentioned above there's been a fair few absolute failures - lookit the lad that Stoke turfed Schuey for and then sacked him too within about three months.

Personally, while I don't hate Evatt, I'm not invested in his career now - he's not Bolton any more. I wouldn't be scared if he got that job I'd just be hopeful he'd come back with some receipts - for his crapper buys... Think we've still got an Ivan Toney in a cupboard somewhere....

[TonyDomingos]

Burton 1-1 Wiggin. Confirms Crawley & Bristol R's relegation.