Remi Garde’s ill-fated 147 day tenure as Aston Villa manager came to an end on Tuesday. By mutual consent, the Frenchman left the club, taking with him £1 million compensation. That pay-off might seem generous, given that the former Lyon boss did nothing to avert the crisis in B6, but it is the best possible outcome… Read more →
Prior to kick-off at the Ricoh Arena on Tuesday night, there was an atmosphere suitably subdued for a game between two teams with fading aspirations. 180 Colchester fans forewent the England-Holland match to see their team battle to keep alive their survival hopes, while play-off chasing Coventry had lost eight of their previous 12. Prospects… Read more →
Two months ago, The Football Lab wrote an article on why this is the best top flight season ever. The reasons were, mainly, that the so-called smaller clubs had greater spending power and were therefore catching up with England’s elite, creating a level-playing field. Look a little deeper, however and there is another reason to… Read more →
It is no surprise that Hartlepool and Leyton Orient have changed manager since their last meeting. Ian Hendon had long endured the wrath of O’s fans, making his departure seem almost inevitable, while player-manager Kevin Nolan was a popular choice to replace him, partly for his playing pedigree. New Pool boss Craig Hignett, a man widely praised for having… Read more →
Oldham Athletic continued their progress under John Sheridan with a 0-0 draw at league leaders Burton Albion. The East Staffordshire hosts came close on occasion but never quite found their rhythm as key forward men endured a frustrating afternoon. A point was the least Oldham deserved, as the relegation strugglers showed relentless tenacity and aggression. Such qualities were embodied by Curtis… Read more →
Three goals in four second half minutes saw Wigan thrash Swindon 4-1 in an impressive display at the County Ground. Will Grigg’s opener put the visitors in front after they had edged the first half, but it was the second period when the floodgates opened. Superb strikes from Max Power and Sam Morsy sandwiched Grigg’s second in a swift… Read more →
There are clubs that some managers are just made for. Keith Hill has spent a combined total of eight years as manager at Rochdale, either side of a short stint at Barnsley, where he was perhaps less successful. He clearly loves working at Spotland, he has an affinity with the fans there and has done a good job… Read more →
These two teams might be 15 points apart in the League Two table, but 2016 results tell a very different story. Yeovil have picked up 24 points since the turn of the year, meaning that they would be third had the season started on New Years’ Day. Carlisle, on the other hand, would be 17th,… Read more →
Mark Robins was severely disliked by a lot of Scunthorpe fans. He was criticized for poor recruitment, playing players out of position and above all, overly defensive tactics. Robins was sacked at the beginning of January, giving way to an 11 game period under caretaker boss Nick Daws, who also had defensive tendencies. The board’s decision, now,… Read more →
Ask a Leyton Orient fan about Bradley Pritchard and their response is likely to be: a hardworking player with a good attitude, but his technical ability is very limited. The 30-year-old started 24 of Ian Hendon‘s 26 league games in charge of the O’s, but has made just four appearances under Kevin Nolan, all of which as a… Read more →