EFL EFL promotion & relegation 24/25

JerryL said:
What is it with all the tinpot pitch invasions, that bristol one made me proper cringe
Click to expand...
I loved them sadly taking down the anti-invasion barriers at the end at Peterborough last year while everyone in yellow was going mental.

Though to be fair, given the emotion in the away end that night would we have been on the pitch if we'd had the opportunity? Probably.
 
A seat in some areas of Block 133 for this year's finals

Championship Final - Category 2 - £82
L1 Final - Category 5 - £41
L2 Final - TBC

3 blocks of seating behind each goal in the lower tier are deemed Category 5 prices for the L1 final, but Category 2 for the Championship. Mind-boggling.
 
Carlislehotdog said:
I loved them sadly taking down the anti-invasion barriers at the end at Peterborough last year while everyone in yellow was going mental.

Though to be fair, given the emotion in the away end that night would we have been on the pitch if we'd had the opportunity? Probably.
Click to expand...
Youre absolutely right, i think if we were to do it its fine and just passion and whatnot, but if everyone else does it it's definitely just tinpot behaviour and i have absolutely 0 problems with the cognitive dissonance that should be causing me 😏
 
I’ve seen a lot of punditry since the end of the regular season about how much more tough the Championship is going to be next year than it was this year. I’m really not sure I agree, and I’d be interested to hear others’ thoughts.

First of all, going back to post-Wembley last year, looking at the league was a scary prospect. The only teams obviously circling the drain - Birmingham and Huddersfield - had gone down (along with a Rotherham side who were never in the running). The league otherwise looked strong. All three promoted sides had stayed up and looked like they were on the up after ‘sticking’ that first season. There was no really obvious basketcase or weak club as there had been in previous years (think Reading, Sheffield Wednesday of a few years ago, Wigan, etc). Outside the promoted sides (two of which finished a good 20 points or so ahead of us in League One), it wasn’t at all obvious who was going to go down. We were (rightly) immediately pegged as preseason favourites for the drop. It wasn’t until Plymouth made the mad decision to appoint Rooney that another club became an obvious relegation contender.

So the league we were going up into looked extremely unforgiving. It’s obviously early days, but I think next season is different. If you’re looking at clubs obviously/possibly in trouble:
  • Hull look to be losing the plot. Stayed up on GD this season and have got rid of a great manager on the basis of, if rumours are to be believed, discrepancies over transfer policy. If I’m a fan, that’s ringing massive alarm bells.
  • Wednesday seem like they’re all at sea. The rumours today of a potential takeover aside, the club seems like it’s in pretty dire straits. Their fans have seemed worried for the last few months, which is always a good barometer for the general health of a club.
  • Watford I think are ones worth watching. A lot of knowledgable commentators had them going down last year and, though they started well, their end of season form was horrific. The sacking of Cleverley seems (for their fans) an ominous portent of a return to their haphazard old days. If this new guy doesn’t hit the ground running, I think they could be in trouble.
  • QPR and Preston seem to be seriously stagnating. Maybe not obvious candidates for the drop, but if this year is anything to go by, ones to watch for sure.
  • Wrexham I think are being overhyped. The rumours of them signing a 34 year old Tom Cairney for silly money have me licking my lips. They’ve done, you have to say, spectacularly well the last few years, the club has been run superbly, but a big part of that has been attracting lower league players who could go to a league or two higher with big pay checks and a bit of Hollywood glamour. That appeal (and financial capacity) runs out after a point. I understand their squad this year was aging, and one they’re going to have to do a lot of work with over the summer to refresh. Media darling status aside, I can see them having a bit of a shock to the system.
  • Charlton I’d be worried about - for all his nauseating histrionics, Jones is a superb manager at this level, and they have the infrastructure of a big club - but Leyton I think would go straight down. Their star performers this year (our Jack amongst them) have all been loanees. Replacing all your best players and building a side capable of competing in the league above is an enormous ask.
  • I don’t think we’ll have another Luton, but I don’t think you can underestimate how devastating this season will have been to Southampton and Leicester’s collective morale. Ipswich I think will do fine - they never expected to do much this year and acquitted themselves reasonably well - but early doors I can see those two struggling to make playoffs. Won’t be troubling the relegation places, but certainly not the almost guaranteed 0 points of Burnley (yes I know we drew at home) and Leeds this year.
That’s a good 6/7 sides that I think could all be in trouble even before you take into account that we’ll have a squad of players with an extra year of championship experience, and one led by Gary Rowett. It’s not going to be easy by any means - the championship never is - but early doors I think there are a fair number of clubs we should be looking to finish above this year.
 
ttg17 said:
I’ve seen a lot of punditry since the end of the regular season about how much more tough the Championship is going to be next year than it was this year. I’m really not sure I agree, and I’d be interested to hear others’ thoughts.

First of all, going back to post-Wembley last year, looking at the league was a scary prospect. The only teams obviously circling the drain - Birmingham and Huddersfield - had gone down (along with a Rotherham side who were never in the running). The league otherwise looked strong. All three promoted sides had stayed up and looked like they were on the up after ‘sticking’ that first season. There was no really obvious basketcase or weak club as there had been in previous years (think Reading, Sheffield Wednesday of a few years ago, Wigan, etc). Outside the promoted sides (two of which finished a good 20 points or so ahead of us in League One), it wasn’t at all obvious who was going to go down. We were (rightly) immediately pegged as preseason favourites for the drop. It wasn’t until Plymouth made the mad decision to appoint Rooney that another club became an obvious relegation contender.

So the league we were going up into looked extremely unforgiving. It’s obviously early days, but I think next season is different. If you’re looking at clubs obviously/possibly in trouble:
  • Hull look to be losing the plot. Stayed up on GD this season and have got rid of a great manager on the basis of, if rumours are to be believed, discrepancies over transfer policy. If I’m a fan, that’s ringing massive alarm bells.
  • Wednesday seem like they’re all at sea. The rumours today of a potential takeover aside, the club seems like it’s in pretty dire straits. Their fans have seemed worried for the last few months, which is always a good barometer for the general health of a club.
  • Watford I think are ones worth watching. A lot of knowledgable commentators had them going down last year and, though they started well, their end of season form was horrific. The sacking of Cleverley seems (for their fans) an ominous portent of a return to their haphazard old days. If this new guy doesn’t hit the ground running, I think they could be in trouble.
  • QPR and Preston seem to be seriously stagnating. Maybe not obvious candidates for the drop, but if this year is anything to go by, ones to watch for sure.
  • Wrexham I think are being overhyped. The rumours of them signing a 34 year old Tom Cairney for silly money have me licking my lips. They’ve done, you have to say, spectacularly well the last few years, the club has been run superbly, but a big part of that has been attracting lower league players who could go to a league or two higher with big pay checks and a bit of Hollywood glamour. That appeal (and financial capacity) runs out after a point. I understand their squad this year was aging, and one they’re going to have to do a lot of work with over the summer to refresh. Media darling status aside, I can see them having a bit of a shock to the system.
  • Charlton I’d be worried about - for all his nauseating histrionics, Jones is a superb manager at this level, and they have the infrastructure of a big club - but Leyton I think would go straight down. Their star performers this year (our Jack amongst them) have all been loanees. Replacing all your best players and building a side capable of competing in the league above is an enormous ask.
  • I don’t think we’ll have another Luton, but I don’t think you can underestimate how devastating this season will have been to Southampton and Leicester’s collective morale. Ipswich I think will do fine - they never expected to do much this year and acquitted themselves reasonably well - but early doors I can see those two struggling to make playoffs. Won’t be troubling the relegation places, but certainly not the almost guaranteed 0 points of Burnley (yes I know we drew at home) and Leeds this year.
That’s a good 6/7 sides that I think could all be in trouble even before you take into account that we’ll have a squad of players with an extra year of championship experience, and one led by Gary Rowett. It’s not going to be easy by any means - the championship never is - but early doors I think there are a fair number of clubs we should be looking to finish above this year.
Click to expand...

Tbf to Hull fans, plenty of them are worried about their owner and have been for a fair while.

Blackburn could go either way as well as they could be losing some significant players.
 
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ttg17 said:
I’ve seen a lot of punditry since the end of the regular season about how much more tough the Championship is going to be next year than it was this year. I’m really not sure I agree, and I’d be interested to hear others’ thoughts.

First of all, going back to post-Wembley last year, looking at the league was a scary prospect. The only teams obviously circling the drain - Birmingham and Huddersfield - had gone down (along with a Rotherham side who were never in the running). The league otherwise looked strong. All three promoted sides had stayed up and looked like they were on the up after ‘sticking’ that first season. There was no really obvious basketcase or weak club as there had been in previous years (think Reading, Sheffield Wednesday of a few years ago, Wigan, etc). Outside the promoted sides (two of which finished a good 20 points or so ahead of us in League One), it wasn’t at all obvious who was going to go down. We were (rightly) immediately pegged as preseason favourites for the drop. It wasn’t until Plymouth made the mad decision to appoint Rooney that another club became an obvious relegation contender.

So the league we were going up into looked extremely unforgiving. It’s obviously early days, but I think next season is different. If you’re looking at clubs obviously/possibly in trouble:
  • Hull look to be losing the plot. Stayed up on GD this season and have got rid of a great manager on the basis of, if rumours are to be believed, discrepancies over transfer policy. If I’m a fan, that’s ringing massive alarm bells.
  • Wednesday seem like they’re all at sea. The rumours today of a potential takeover aside, the club seems like it’s in pretty dire straits. Their fans have seemed worried for the last few months, which is always a good barometer for the general health of a club.
  • Watford I think are ones worth watching. A lot of knowledgable commentators had them going down last year and, though they started well, their end of season form was horrific. The sacking of Cleverley seems (for their fans) an ominous portent of a return to their haphazard old days. If this new guy doesn’t hit the ground running, I think they could be in trouble.
  • QPR and Preston seem to be seriously stagnating. Maybe not obvious candidates for the drop, but if this year is anything to go by, ones to watch for sure.
  • Wrexham I think are being overhyped. The rumours of them signing a 34 year old Tom Cairney for silly money have me licking my lips. They’ve done, you have to say, spectacularly well the last few years, the club has been run superbly, but a big part of that has been attracting lower league players who could go to a league or two higher with big pay checks and a bit of Hollywood glamour. That appeal (and financial capacity) runs out after a point. I understand their squad this year was aging, and one they’re going to have to do a lot of work with over the summer to refresh. Media darling status aside, I can see them having a bit of a shock to the system.
  • Charlton I’d be worried about - for all his nauseating histrionics, Jones is a superb manager at this level, and they have the infrastructure of a big club - but Leyton I think would go straight down. Their star performers this year (our Jack amongst them) have all been loanees. Replacing all your best players and building a side capable of competing in the league above is an enormous ask.
  • I don’t think we’ll have another Luton, but I don’t think you can underestimate how devastating this season will have been to Southampton and Leicester’s collective morale. Ipswich I think will do fine - they never expected to do much this year and acquitted themselves reasonably well - but early doors I can see those two struggling to make playoffs. Won’t be troubling the relegation places, but certainly not the almost guaranteed 0 points of Burnley (yes I know we drew at home) and Leeds this year.
That’s a good 6/7 sides that I think could all be in trouble even before you take into account that we’ll have a squad of players with an extra year of championship experience, and one led by Gary Rowett. It’s not going to be easy by any means - the championship never is - but early doors I think there are a fair number of clubs we should be looking to finish above this year.
Click to expand...

You can’t really judge any league at this stage, so the whole league of death thing is a bit over the top. But for the most part they are always of a roughly similar standard as the year before, team or two at the top might be better and a team at the bottom useless but the majority are around the same standard.
It will be as tough as last year but it’s not going to become the premier league over the summer, we freshen up and strengthen a bit, have the right attitude then we can be competitive.
 
ttg17 said:
I’ve seen a lot of punditry since the end of the regular season about how much more tough the Championship is going to be next year than it was this year. I’m really not sure I agree, and I’d be interested to hear others’ thoughts.

First of all, going back to post-Wembley last year, looking at the league was a scary prospect. The only teams obviously circling the drain - Birmingham and Huddersfield - had gone down (along with a Rotherham side who were never in the running). The league otherwise looked strong. All three promoted sides had stayed up and looked like they were on the up after ‘sticking’ that first season. There was no really obvious basketcase or weak club as there had been in previous years (think Reading, Sheffield Wednesday of a few years ago, Wigan, etc). Outside the promoted sides (two of which finished a good 20 points or so ahead of us in League One), it wasn’t at all obvious who was going to go down. We were (rightly) immediately pegged as preseason favourites for the drop. It wasn’t until Plymouth made the mad decision to appoint Rooney that another club became an obvious relegation contender.

So the league we were going up into looked extremely unforgiving. It’s obviously early days, but I think next season is different. If you’re looking at clubs obviously/possibly in trouble:
  • Hull look to be losing the plot. Stayed up on GD this season and have got rid of a great manager on the basis of, if rumours are to be believed, discrepancies over transfer policy. If I’m a fan, that’s ringing massive alarm bells.
  • Wednesday seem like they’re all at sea. The rumours today of a potential takeover aside, the club seems like it’s in pretty dire straits. Their fans have seemed worried for the last few months, which is always a good barometer for the general health of a club.
  • Watford I think are ones worth watching. A lot of knowledgable commentators had them going down last year and, though they started well, their end of season form was horrific. The sacking of Cleverley seems (for their fans) an ominous portent of a return to their haphazard old days. If this new guy doesn’t hit the ground running, I think they could be in trouble.
  • QPR and Preston seem to be seriously stagnating. Maybe not obvious candidates for the drop, but if this year is anything to go by, ones to watch for sure.
  • Wrexham I think are being overhyped. The rumours of them signing a 34 year old Tom Cairney for silly money have me licking my lips. They’ve done, you have to say, spectacularly well the last few years, the club has been run superbly, but a big part of that has been attracting lower league players who could go to a league or two higher with big pay checks and a bit of Hollywood glamour. That appeal (and financial capacity) runs out after a point. I understand their squad this year was aging, and one they’re going to have to do a lot of work with over the summer to refresh. Media darling status aside, I can see them having a bit of a shock to the system.
  • Charlton I’d be worried about - for all his nauseating histrionics, Jones is a superb manager at this level, and they have the infrastructure of a big club - but Leyton I think would go straight down. Their star performers this year (our Jack amongst them) have all been loanees. Replacing all your best players and building a side capable of competing in the league above is an enormous ask.
  • I don’t think we’ll have another Luton, but I don’t think you can underestimate how devastating this season will have been to Southampton and Leicester’s collective morale. Ipswich I think will do fine - they never expected to do much this year and acquitted themselves reasonably well - but early doors I can see those two struggling to make playoffs. Won’t be troubling the relegation places, but certainly not the almost guaranteed 0 points of Burnley (yes I know we drew at home) and Leeds this year.
That’s a good 6/7 sides that I think could all be in trouble even before you take into account that we’ll have a squad of players with an extra year of championship experience, and one led by Gary Rowett. It’s not going to be easy by any means - the championship never is - but early doors I think there are a fair number of clubs we should be looking to finish above this year.
Click to expand...
This is the post I couldn't be bothered to write. You've nailed it. There are some clubs with no plan, or who are making bad decisions all over the shop.

Hull and Sheffield Wednesday for me are the two in the worst shape. Stoke and Preston are the other two to watch.
 
n1 said:
This is the post I couldn't be bothered to write. You've nailed it. There are some clubs with no plan, or who are making bad decisions all over the shop.

Hull and Sheffield Wednesday for me are the two in the worst shape. Stoke and Preston are the other two to watch.
Click to expand...
I thought about Stoke, but I rate Robins enough to think they’ll be fine. Similarly Derby and Pompey - I think quality managers are so important at this level (see us this year!), probably more so than individual players, and Eustace and Mousinho I think will also see their sides comfortably safe next year.
 
ttg17 said:
I’ve seen a lot of punditry since the end of the regular season about how much more tough the Championship is going to be next year than it was this year. I’m really not sure I agree, and I’d be interested to hear others’ thoughts.

First of all, going back to post-Wembley last year, looking at the league was a scary prospect. The only teams obviously circling the drain - Birmingham and Huddersfield - had gone down (along with a Rotherham side who were never in the running). The league otherwise looked strong. All three promoted sides had stayed up and looked like they were on the up after ‘sticking’ that first season. There was no really obvious basketcase or weak club as there had been in previous years (think Reading, Sheffield Wednesday of a few years ago, Wigan, etc). Outside the promoted sides (two of which finished a good 20 points or so ahead of us in League One), it wasn’t at all obvious who was going to go down. We were (rightly) immediately pegged as preseason favourites for the drop. It wasn’t until Plymouth made the mad decision to appoint Rooney that another club became an obvious relegation contender.

So the league we were going up into looked extremely unforgiving. It’s obviously early days, but I think next season is different. If you’re looking at clubs obviously/possibly in trouble:
  • Hull look to be losing the plot. Stayed up on GD this season and have got rid of a great manager on the basis of, if rumours are to be believed, discrepancies over transfer policy. If I’m a fan, that’s ringing massive alarm bells.
  • Wednesday seem like they’re all at sea. The rumours today of a potential takeover aside, the club seems like it’s in pretty dire straits. Their fans have seemed worried for the last few months, which is always a good barometer for the general health of a club.
  • Watford I think are ones worth watching. A lot of knowledgable commentators had them going down last year and, though they started well, their end of season form was horrific. The sacking of Cleverley seems (for their fans) an ominous portent of a return to their haphazard old days. If this new guy doesn’t hit the ground running, I think they could be in trouble.
  • QPR and Preston seem to be seriously stagnating. Maybe not obvious candidates for the drop, but if this year is anything to go by, ones to watch for sure.
  • Wrexham I think are being overhyped. The rumours of them signing a 34 year old Tom Cairney for silly money have me licking my lips. They’ve done, you have to say, spectacularly well the last few years, the club has been run superbly, but a big part of that has been attracting lower league players who could go to a league or two higher with big pay checks and a bit of Hollywood glamour. That appeal (and financial capacity) runs out after a point. I understand their squad this year was aging, and one they’re going to have to do a lot of work with over the summer to refresh. Media darling status aside, I can see them having a bit of a shock to the system.
  • Charlton I’d be worried about - for all his nauseating histrionics, Jones is a superb manager at this level, and they have the infrastructure of a big club - but Leyton I think would go straight down. Their star performers this year (our Jack amongst them) have all been loanees. Replacing all your best players and building a side capable of competing in the league above is an enormous ask.
  • I don’t think we’ll have another Luton, but I don’t think you can underestimate how devastating this season will have been to Southampton and Leicester’s collective morale. Ipswich I think will do fine - they never expected to do much this year and acquitted themselves reasonably well - but early doors I can see those two struggling to make playoffs. Won’t be troubling the relegation places, but certainly not the almost guaranteed 0 points of Burnley (yes I know we drew at home) and Leeds this year.
That’s a good 6/7 sides that I think could all be in trouble even before you take into account that we’ll have a squad of players with an extra year of championship experience, and one led by Gary Rowett. It’s not going to be easy by any means - the championship never is - but early doors I think there are a fair number of clubs we should be looking to finish above this year.
Click to expand...
It would not surprise me if Ipswich struggle like Luton have this season. I don’t see them going down but they won’t be challenging at the top.

Hull, Wednesday, Preston, QPR, Stoke and whoever comes up in the play offs will be fighting relegation.

Our biggest weapon next season? Gary Rowett.
 
Marked Ox said:
Tbf to Hull fans, plenty of worried about their owner for a fair while.

Blackburn could go either way as well as they could be losing some significant players.
Click to expand...
Hull finished 7th in 23/24, 3 points outside the playoffs. To finish the following season outside the drop on goal difference is alarming. Ruben Selles did an extraordinary job at Reading, and would have probably comfortably had them safe next year. Rosenior is thriving elsewhere. They might have been concerned for a while, with no detriment as yet, but the fact managers of this calibre are being kicked out by the management is surely indicative of a club only going in one direction.
 
ttg17 said:
Hull finished 7th in 23/24, 3 points outside the playoffs. To finish the following season outside the drop on goal difference is alarming. Ruben Selles did an extraordinary job at Reading, and would have probably comfortably had them safe next year. Rosenior is thriving elsewhere. They might have been concerned for a while, with no detriment as yet, but the fact managers of this calibre are being kicked out by the management is surely indicative of a club only going in one direction.
Click to expand...

I have a vague memory of their fans discussing that the owner wants to play a real version of Football Manager.
 
ttg17 said:
I’ve seen a lot of punditry since the end of the regular season about how much more tough the Championship is going to be next year than it was this year. I’m really not sure I agree, and I’d be interested to hear others’ thoughts.


  • Watford I think are ones worth watching. A lot of knowledgable commentators had them going down last year and, though they started well, their end of season form was horrific. The sacking of Cleverley seems (for their fans) an ominous portent of a return to their haphazard old days. If this new guy doesn’t hit the ground running, I think they could be in trouble.
Click to expand...
Just shows what a 'a lot of knowledgeable commentators' really know then - they were patchy and unconvincing but they never looked like going down. They might well be in trouble next year but there are some good footballers in that squad.
 
Basham Wonderland said:
Just a mention for some fantastic attendances at fixtures in the National League playoffs.

10,800 at Oldham's playoff qualifier against Halifax in the NL.

8,200 at Scunthorpe's playoff final against Chester in the NL North.

Feels like fans are flocking to the EFL and the NL now more than ever.
Click to expand...

Yes some great attendances. I was only saying to a mate the other day that it's good to see so many kids coming to watch football these days compared to when I was a kid in the late 90's early 00's where alot my age supported either Man U, Arsenal, Liverpool or Spurs and just used to watch them on the box occasionally.
 
OX14 said:
Yes some great attendances. I was only saying to a mate the other day that it's good to see so many kids coming to watch football these days compared to when I was a kid in the late 90's early 00's where alot my age supported either Man U, Arsenal, Liverpool or Spurs and just used to watch them on the box occasionally.
Click to expand...
Totally. There is a definite switch in the youth (I’m sorry if that make me sound old, but I literally couldn’t think of any way of putting it better) to the value for money of non-league.

3,500 at Boreham Wood v Maidstone in NL South play-off, and 2,100 to see Bedford go up from the Southern League. And not only the numbers; the atmosphere created by the youngsters (look, I did find another way of sounding old) is great, and goes against the sense that we are in a self-obsessed Insta generation. There’s a proper social feel - great to see.
 
Mateo Corbo's Tackle said:
Totally. There is a definite switch in the youth (I’m sorry if that make me sound old, but I literally couldn’t think of any way of putting it better) to the value for money of non-league.

3,500 at Boreham Wood v Maidstone in NL South play-off, and 2,100 to see Bedford go up from the Southern League. And not only the numbers; the atmosphere created by the youngsters (look, I did find another way of sounding old) is great, and goes against the sense that we are in a self-obsessed Insta generation. There’s a proper social feel - great to see.
Click to expand...
Football is cheap and exciting (how I like my women, etc).
 
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