Rival Watch

[katweslowski]

Wycombe 0 Huddersfield 1

I watched about 10 minutes of the game last night. It was absolutely dead in there, to the point you could hear players shouting at each other.

Attendance is reported as 4095, but I'd say it was half of that - maybe even less.

(Disclaimer: this isn't one of those snooty "aren't they tinpot" things - simply an observation, not a criticism)

[Crusader Royal]

Wycombe 0 Huddersfield 1

I watched about 10 minutes of the game last night. It was absolutely dead in there, to the point you could hear players shouting at each other.

Attendance is reported as 4095, but I'd say it was half of that - maybe even less.

(Disclaimer: this isn't one of those snooty "aren't they tinpot" things - simply an observation, not a criticism)

It’s not attendance that is reported, it’s tickets sold (actually not even that, it’s tickets ‘distributed’). So hardly any figure published reflects numbers actually in the ground.
Clubs obviously count actual numbers and having worked at a club at one point you would be amazed at how different the actual attendance is to what is published. 50% was not uncommon.

[Snowflake Royal]

Wycombe 0 Huddersfield 1

I watched about 10 minutes of the game last night. It was absolutely dead in there, to the point you could hear players shouting at each other.

Attendance is reported as 4095, but I'd say it was half of that - maybe even less.

(Disclaimer: this isn't one of those snooty "aren't they tinpot" things - simply an observation, not a criticism)

Presumably not many away fans traveled for a frozen evening game. Wycombe don't have a big fanbase and with Oxford doing ok in the Champ rather than malingering lower down the leagues, that's probably a few fans they could have expected in a L1 title push gone elsewhere.

[Mid Sussex Royal]

Wycombe 0 Huddersfield 1

I watched about 10 minutes of the game last night. It was absolutely dead in there, to the point you could hear players shouting at each other.

Attendance is reported as 4095, but I'd say it was half of that - maybe even less.

(Disclaimer: this isn't one of those snooty "aren't they tinpot" things - simply an observation, not a criticism)

Presumably not many away fans traveled for a frozen evening game. Wycombe don't have a big fanbase and with Oxford doing ok in the Champ rather than malingering lower down the leagues, that's probably a few fans they could have expected in a L1 title push gone elsewhere.

From what I saw on Sky the away end looked pretty full.

Awful game - strange time to re-arrange it just after the Christmas schedule....there's loads of free midweeks until the end of the season.

[Brogue]

700 away fans. Not bad considering Yorkshire was snowed in.

[Snowflake Royal]

That is impressive

[East Grinstead Royal]

I remember being at a Bristol Rovers game at Twerton Park in the early ‘90s, when the attendance figure was announced as way below the likely number, the fans started singing, “Does the taxman know we’re here?”

[Clyde1998]

What I've been able to find regarding transfers in League One this window (doesn't count young players returning from loan).

Barnsley:
In: Neil Farrugia (Shamrock Rovers; Free)
Out: Gabriel Slonina (Chelsea; End of loan)

Birmingham

Blackpool
Out: Elliot Embleton (Carlisle; Undisclosed); Dom Ballard (Southampton; End of loan)

Bolton
In: Aaron Morley (Wycombe; Return from loan); Joel Randall (Peterborough; Undisclosed)

Bristol Rovers
In: Romaine Sawyers (Wimbledon; Free)
Out: Michael Forbes (West Ham; End of loan); Jake Garrett (Blackburn; End of loan)

Burton
In: Ivan Inzoudine (Kalmar; Return from loan); Owen Dodgson (Burnley; Loan)
Out: Ronnie Stutter (Chelsea; End of loan); Alejandro Bran (Minnesota; End of loan)

Cambridge

Charlton

Crawley
In: Ben Radcliffe (Derby; Undisclosed)
Out: Cam Bragg (Southampton; End of loan)

Exeter
In: Cheick Diabate (Bradford; Return from loan)

Huddersfield
In: Ruben Roosken (Heracles Almelo; Undisclosed)
Out: Kian Harratt (Fleetwood; Undisclosed/Loan made permanent); Kieran Phillips (Ross Co; Undisclosed)

Leyton Orient
Out: Zach Hemming (Middlesbrough; End of loan)

Lincoln

Mansfield

Northampton
In: Liam Shaw (Fleetwood; Undisclosed)
Out: Matt Dibley-Dias (Fulham; Return from loan)

Peterborough
In: Gustav Lindgren (Degerfors; Undisclosed); Carl Johnston (Fleetwood; Undisclosed)
Out: Sam Curtis (Sheff Utd; Return from loan); ; Joel Randall (Bolton; Undisclosed)

Reading
Out: Chem Campbell (Wolves; Return from loan)

Rotherham
Out: Esapa Osong (Nottm Forest; Return from loan); Joseph Hungbo (Nurnberg; Return from loan); Jamie McCart (Hearts; Undisclosed)

Shrewsbury
Out: Charles Sagoe Jr (Arsenal; Return from loan)

Stevenage
Out: Harrison Smith (St Albans; Undisclosed); Aaron Pressley (Barrow; Loan)

Stockport
In: Benony Breki Andresson (KR; Undisclosed)
Out: Louie Barry (Aston Villa; Return from loan); Michael Mellon (Burnley; Return from loan); Tyler Onyango (Everton; Return from loan)

Wigan
In: Josh Robinson (Arsenal; Undisclosed); Joseph Hungbo (Nurnberg; Undisclosed); Will Goodwin (Oxford; Loan); Tobias Brenan (Oxford; Free)
Out: Calvin Ramsay (Liverpool; Return from loan); Josh Stones (York; Undisclosed)

Wrexham

Wycombe
In: Sonny Bradley (Derby; Loan); Ryan Cole (Newmarket); Jonny Pettitt (Pro Direct Academy; Free); Anders Hagelskjaer (Molde [Denmark]; €500k)
Out: Aaron Morley (Bolton; Return from loan); Caleb Taylor (West Brom; Return from loan)

EDIT: A couple of transfers which were confirmed yesterday after I posted this:

• Matthew Craig (Barnsley to Tottenham; Return from loan) and (Tottenham to Mansfield; Loan)
• JJ McKiernan (Lincoln to Burton; Loan)
• Jay Williams (Crawley to Milton Keynes; Undisclosed)

[Clyde1998]

Half-time - Rotherham 2-0 Bolton.

[Mid Sussex Royal]

Half-time - Rotherham 2-0 Bolton.

3-1 FT

Keeps them a few points behind us still. That's it for L1 today, all other games off.

[Brogue]

Matt Bloomfield looks set to leave Wycombe and go to Luton as their new manager. Odd.

[Mid Sussex Royal]

Matt Bloomfield looks set to leave Wycombe and go to Luton as their new manager. Odd.

I guess bigger club, not really likely to go down with the dross below them & possibly money to spend from parachute payments. New stadium on horizon too.

[tidus_mi2]

Yeah, don't find it particularly odd. Wycombe are currently at one of their highest points in the last 5 seasons and Luton are at one of their lowest yet still ahead of them, definitely comes across as a bigger opportunity.

[Brogue]

Yeah, don't find it particularly odd. Wycombe are currently at one of their highest points in the last 5 seasons and Luton are at one of their lowest yet still ahead of them, definitely comes across as a bigger opportunity.

whilst i agree to a point, i don't think the bemusement is any greater than Selles joining Hull for instance. A lot of us fans questioned that move, saying he could do better.

For me, if i were to leave a team who were in the automatic places in January, it would have to be at a club much higher in the table than luton. Mid Sussex royal saying they wont go down? they are only 2 points above the drop, they've lost their last 4, and two of the sides in the drop zone have a game in hand over them. I back Hull and Cardiff to get out of it. I think Pompey and Plymouth will go, and i really think the 3rd team will be luton.

[Hound]

I can’t see Luton going down (despite having Holmes in the side )

Haven’t they just bought that Isiah Jones chap from Boro? More signings on the way as well

And as said; new Stadium on the way, probably still flush from their trip to the PL

Bloomfield will certainly back himself to get them out of trouble. There’s a lot of dross in that division

[tidus_mi2]

Yeah, don't find it particularly odd. Wycombe are currently at one of their highest points in the last 5 seasons and Luton are at one of their lowest yet still ahead of them, definitely comes across as a bigger opportunity.

whilst i agree to a point, i don't think the bemusement is any greater than Selles joining Hull for instance. A lot of us fans questioned that move, saying he could do better.

For me, if i were to leave a team who were in the automatic places in January, it would have to be at a club much higher in the table than luton. Mid Sussex royal saying they wont go down? they are only 2 points above the drop, they've lost their last 4, and two of the sides in the drop zone have a game in hand over them. I back Hull and Cardiff to get out of it. I think Pompey and Plymouth will go, and i really think the 3rd team will be luton.

They've still got the Prem money for another season right? While I agree the positions are similar if you compare when Selles left us, I think Luton have far more going for them than Wycombe right now, but it could really change in as little as one more season.

[Snowflake Royal]

Yeah, don't find it particularly odd. Wycombe are currently at one of their highest points in the last 5 seasons and Luton are at one of their lowest yet still ahead of them, definitely comes across as a bigger opportunity.

whilst i agree to a point, i don't think the bemusement is any greater than Selles joining Hull for instance. A lot of us fans questioned that move, saying he could do better.

For me, if i were to leave a team who were in the automatic places in January, it would have to be at a club much higher in the table than luton. Mid Sussex royal saying they wont go down? they are only 2 points above the drop, they've lost their last 4, and two of the sides in the drop zone have a game in hand over them. I back Hull and Cardiff to get out of it. I think Pompey and Plymouth will go, and i really think the 3rd team will be luton.

I think its pretty standard he'd move. If Wycombe go up, far from certain, they'll go down again within a couple of seasons almost certainly.

Luton have a good chance of staying up, are better able to mount a promotion push if they go down and have a good chance of sticking around in the Champtionship if they stay there/ go back up.

Plus he'll get a lot more money and if it fails a big pay off.

Selles to Hull wasn't exactly surprising either. More money, more security. Better chance of promotion from L1. The only question was does he wait and see if a club higher up the table wants him. But they're less likely to sack their manager mid season and may set their sights higher.

Would Luton have been a better bet for Selles if he'd waited, not a lot.

[Hound]

Would Luton have been a better bet for Selles if he'd waited, not a lot.

I’d say considerably tbh. More stable club, probably a lot better off. If this stadium thing happens then good potential. Also location (maybe not Luton itself) probably preferable

Hulls owners are a bit nuts aren’t they? Sacking Rosenior etc

[WestYorksRoyal]

This will sound disrespectful, but what you see now with Wycombe is about as good as it can get. Every club has their natural ceiling; ours is probably being like Brentford or Bournemouth, and it's the same for Luton with their new stadium.

Wycombe is a small town near London. At their high point, they're barely averaging 5k attendances. They could have a good season in the Championship like we did in the PL on 06/07, but long term simply staying in L1 is an achievement for them and there are limits to how long you can defy gravity. Luton is obviously a big step up, plus it's a well run club which is nearby. No need to change his kids' school. It makes obvious sense.

[The Cap]

This will sound disrespectful, but what you see now with Wycombe is about as good as it can get. Every club has their natural ceiling; ours is probably being like Brentford or Bournemouth, and it's the same for Luton with their new stadium.

Wycombe is a small town near London. At their high point, they're barely averaging 5k attendances. They could have a good season in the Championship like we did in the PL on 06/07, but long term simply staying in L1 is an achievement for them and there are limits to how long you can defy gravity. Luton is obviously a big step up, plus it's a well run club which is nearby. No need to change his kids' school. It makes obvious sense.

Was talking to a mate the other day about the three B's in the Prem and how well run those clubs seem to be. We've done it before and, once the joker's finally handed the reins over, there's absolutely no reason why it can't be done again. BTW WYR, your words 'there are limits to how long you can defy gravity' are so true.