Issue #1 11th-18th October

News, articles, interviews, club focus + more surrounding the Football League!

WORD FROM THE EDITOR Welcome to The Football League 72 first online magazine, something that will be released every Thursday, at 5pm, from now on. This has been created to supply fans of the Football League with a weekly supplement of all-things regarding England’s most competitive and exciting leagues. The blog site will be down for now, but expect this to be back up-and-running in the next few months. Hope you enjoy reading and spread the word!

CONTENTS 3-19: News 20-31: Features 32-43: Articles 44-49: A look back and ahead

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CONTRIBUTIONS Editor: Josh Ilan Co-editors: Josh Lawless, Tom Seymour, Ollie Welch, Stephen Pollard and Joe Cockburn Many thanks to the writers, who have been acknowledged during their respective articles.

QUIZ WINNER A congratulations to ______, who won this week’s Football League quiz on Twitter.

HOW TO USE The magazine can either be read via Issuu or downloaded by PDF The magazine is split into four sections: news this week, features, articles and a look back and ahead. There is a title page for each of these sections, with all of the articles for these sections on it. To go to a preferred article, click on a picture of your choice on the title page (only available if you download it as PDF). Alternatively, you can scroll through the online magazine page-by-page.

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NEWS THIS WEEK

Eddie Howe returns to Bournemouth

Johnstone Paint’s Trophy draw

Edgar Davids joins Barnet

Neal Ardley appointed AFC Wimbledon boss

Birmingham City face takeover

League One News Round-up

Wray flies the Robins nest

Owen Coyle sacked as Bolton manager

Port Vale takeover nears completion

Championship News Round-up

Owen Coyle sacked as Bolton manager 3

Owen Coyle’s (pictured top-left) two-and-a-half year spell at Bolton came to an end last week, after only winning three matches this season, seeing the promotion favourites in 18th place. The Scotsman oversaw the Trotters relegation from the Premiership last season, with their 2-2 draw away to Stoke City on the last day of the season unable to save them. Having been poached from rivals Burnley in 2010, a club which he is currently being linked to, Coyle was seen as one of Britain’s best up-and-coming managers. A penance for playing attacking football and his motivational skills saw him gain notoriety, while enhanced his reputation. He continued this for the first year-and-a-half of his Bolton career, with him overachieving there. His downfall started in what should have been Bolton’s finest moment; a 5-0 drubbing to Stoke City at Wembley in the FA Cup Semi Final saw the club go on a bad run of form that they have never truly recovered from. Bad luck was also a major part of his downfall, with injuries to key men like Stuart Holden and Lee Chung-Yong putting a damper on their season. However, his transfer nous leaves much to be desired: his inability to find a replacement for goal scorers Daniel Sturridge and Johan Elmander proved costly, while signings such as Tim Ream and Darren Pratley amongst others have failed to impress. He deservedly received a lot of praise for his handling of Fabrice Muamba’s heart attack against Tottenham, in which he proved to be a key source of support for players, fans and most importantly Muamba and his family. Coyle said of his departure: "I have always been driven to act in the best interests of the club, I had fantastic times here as a player and it has been a privilege to have held the post of manager.“ Chairman Phil Gartside said that “a change was needed” and "Owen poured his heart and soul into the job, both on and off the pitch, and he led our club with great dignity during some very challenging times.” Owen Coyle will be looking to rebuild a reputation tattered by his struggles both last season and this season. He is bound to find a new club soon, with old club Burnley linked to him, as well as him being bound to be a front-runner for the Scotland and Ireland job’s should they come available. As for Bolton, where do they go from here? Academy coach Jimmy Phillips (pictured bottom-left), who has been placed in temporary charge, said that ‘the club are in no rush to find a replacement.’ According to SkyBet, the aforementioned Phillips, Crystal Palace’s Dougie Freedman, Portsmouth’s Michael Appleton and Mick McCarthy are amongst the frontrunners for the job.

By Josh Ilan

Coyle’s Bolton record Played: 126 Wins: 42 Draws: 24 Losses: 60 Win ratio: 33.33%

With foreign takeovers now almost as common as a Luis Suarez dive, Birmingham City Football Club are the latest club to have piqued the interest of an overseas investor; but is this something to be potentially worried about? Opinions on foreign investment – like any other topic in football – are mixed. Some investments (like Manchester City’s, or even Cardiff City’s) have been incredibly successful. However, some other investments (Yeung’s takeover of Blues is now thought of as a pretty bad move) have failed quite superbly. So far any investment is seen as a good thing, if only because it couldn’t get any worse (see 21st in the Championship w/ 5+ emergency loan signings). So far word is pretty rare from any board members, but Peter Pannu (pictured top-left), Birmingham City Chief Executive, has revealed that 2 companies are interested in signing Birmingham, but have signed confidentiality agreements. Birmingham isn’t officially for sale, of course, but Pannu has made clear the intentions to move on from Birmingham International Holdings; who, to be perfectly honest, haven’t done too much good for the club. Despite the tight-lipped Birmingham board, word has snuck out about one interested party: Ex-QPR chairman Gianni Paladini (pictured bottom-left). The Italian businessman took over at QPR in 2006, ousting Bill Powers, in a boardroom coup, with support from members of several Monaco-based companies and Dunga, the former Brazilian international, but left his position in 2011, when Tony Fernandes, the current of QPR, took over. Paladini, with valuable Championship/Premier League experience wouldn’t be the worst option at all for Blues, who would prefer someone who could actually move outside of their house without written permission from a court. As for the unknown bidders (thought to most likely be Middle Eastern businessman)? Less can be definitively said about them. Can they bring success back into the club? It’s a gamble, but one that Birmingham will have to take.

Birmingham City face takeover Birmingham City fan Cormac O’Brien looks at the prospective takeover facing the club.

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On Friday Eddie Howe (pictured top-left) returned to AFC Bournemouth following a 21 month spell up north at Burnley. The appointment of Howe is a real coup by Eddie Mitchell, as Howe previously brought Bournemouth some of it's best times in recent history. At the Leyton Orient home match he was introduced to the crowd, who welcomed him with a thunderous applause, and "Eddie Howe's Barmy Army" rang around Dean Court throughout the match. It is safe to say that Eddie Howe is a hero at AFC Bournemouth, and you would be hard pressed to find a manager more loved by his fanbase anywhere in England. Following the disastrous, short reign of Paul Groves Bournemouth had to make this appointment the right one, as a lot of money had been invested into a playing squad that was severely underachieving. Groves had succeeded Lee Bradbury, who could only get Bournemouth to mid-table in League One before he was sacked. Howe is seem by almost 99% of Cherries fans as the right appointment; he is Bournemouth through and through and the fans fully trust that he is the right person to lead this team towards promotion. There were many names linked to the job such as Karl Robinson and Glenn Hoddle, but Eddie Mitchell (pictured bottom-left) stated that his wife ultimately convinced him to try and persuade Howe to return to the club where he made a name for himself. Howe was immediately linked to the post following Groves' dismissal, but he and Burnley quickly poured cold water on the speculation. However last week rumours started to swirl around that Howe was on his way back to Bournemouth, with personal reasons being the driving factor behind his possible move back south. In the end, on Friday it was announced that compensation had been agreed between the two clubs and that Howe, and his assistant Jason Tindall would become Bournemouth's new management duo. In his previous spell as Bournemouth manager, the club pulled off a miracle survival, escaping relegation to the Conference even with a -17 points deduction. In the following season the team won promotion, even without being allowed to sign one player all year. At the time of his departure in January 2011 Bournemouth were very much in the League One promotion hunt. Howe found his success by building a very strong team spirit, with passing, attacking football consistently tearing apart opposition defences. He was loved by the fans and players alike, and his departure left a significant hole that has not been filled until his return. Howe's time at Burnley was a mixed bag, some Claret fans were happy to see him leave, but many were disappointed with his departure. His signings were highlighted by securing Charlie Austin's signature, at £1.6 million pounds he has proved a revelation at Burnley, and he will no doubt be sold for a large profit. Although the league position slightly worsened in his tenure, his reduced the wage bill, made a 5 million profit for the club and brought together a youthful squad.

Eddie Howe returns to Bournemouth Bournemouth fan Max Warren looks at Eddie Howe’s surprise return to Bournemouth.

Eddie Howe managerial record 2008-11, 2012-: Bournemouth P103, W52, D18, L33 2011-12: Burnley P87, W34, D19, L34

6 It is very clear that Eddie faces a huge challenge at Bournemouth, as he must cope with the expectations that come with an expensively assembled squad. He has already signalled his intent to trim the very large squad at the club, and during his first week in charge he will no doubt assess who is in his plans, and who will be shipped out. Unlike his previous reign he will no doubt have the financial backing to put together the team that he desires, but hopefully many of the players he needs are already at the club. Under Groves the fans were disheartened because of the team's lacklustre performances, there was a lack of passion and flair in the team, and Howe knows that his primary objective this season is to get the team playing entertaining football that provides value for money, though the results must obviously improve from what they have been. With such a trusted man at the helm, the pressure on Howe this year will be small, as long as the team plays attractive football with a small chance of the play-offs, I think most Bournemouth fans would be happy. After such a disastrous start to the season, many just want to see the squad come together and show some togetherness, rather than play as individuals. Howe's first game in charge comes against league leaders Tranmere, providing him with a very difficult start to his second spell as Cherries' boss. On the back of the first home win of the season against Leyton Orient, where Howe was introduced to the home faithful (pictured centre-right) hopefully he can build on the team's regained confidence and establish a winning mentality within his new squad. It may take a while for Howe's impact to be fully felt on the field, but off the field his impact has been significant from the moment his appointment was announced. The crowds at Dean Court will increase, and should the team put together a few wins the atmosphere will be rocking. All the signs point towards Howe being the right choice, but only time will tell.

Eddie Howe played 271 league games for Bournemouth, scoring 12 goals in the process. This came during three spells (1994-02, 2004 and 2004-07)

Eddie Howe: “We are both really excited to be back and it is a great challenge for us to take on. Everyone knows the feelings we both have for the club. Everything is very different – the infrastructure, the resources and the expectations – and there will be a lot to take in over a short period of time. We know everyone will have to work very hard to improve the league position but we can’t wait to get started.”

Current League One table (above)

Neal Ardley was probably not the first name on everyone's shortlist when the search started for the vacant manager’s position at AFC Wimbledon. At least not in the fans minds. Most were expecting a 'name' to come into the hot seat left by Terry Brown (pictured top-left) last month. We expected someone with League 2 experience, a boss with a bit of knowhow at this level, a reputation for a fight and getting results, and most of all a winner. Of course AFC Wimbledon are not the average football club, the media spotlight has been shining bright in all of its ten year existence, so any new man had to fit in and get what the club was all about. Not just in terms of the on the field business but more importantly off the pitch. Priding itself as the club run by the fans for the fans, it was vital that the new man was able to be in touch with the soul of the club. This didn't necessarily mean that he had to have connections from the past, although of course this is how it eventually played out. When Terry Brown was released from his position it was similar to when a close family member has passed away such was our love for him and what he had achieved in his spell as manager. Indeed the tears flowed the night before his sacking as he strolled around pitch side after a midweek defeat at home which condemned him. He adored us and his time, even though it was clear he was out of his depth at this level of football. Neal Ardley comes in at time of near crisis in terms of league position, the team sits just outside the two relegation spots, is worryingly short on confidence, even though at times they've been playing attractive football the end results are what matters. So during his unveiling at a press conference Ardley had no hesitation in stating the obvious "I am under no illusion about the task ahead, but I will put all my heart and soul into doing it right. I can guarantee the fans I will work 24 hours a day, seven days a week for the club. At the end of the day the only thing I am judged on in terms of the fans and their history with the club and love of it, is results and taking AFC Wimbledon forward". A solid start then in terms of attitude, and full of the normal cliché’s. "I know if you look at the grand scheme of things a lot of fans will look at me and say he has no league experience. But I know football. I know man-management, I know how to motivate people, I know systems. I know were in a tough predicament, but I would like to think my knowledge of football will serve the club well."

Neal Ardley appointed AFC Wimbledon manager 7

AFC Wimbledon fan Gary Jordan takes a look at the club’s appointment of Neil Ardley as manager.

Neal Ardley had previously played for Wimbledon between 1991 and 2002. He played 245 league games, scoring 18 goals in the process, playing mainly as a midfielder.

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Of course Ardley (pictured top-left) has experience to fall back on, both in playing terms and coaching. During a 11 year period with Wimbledon, in its second phase of its Crazy Gang during the 1990's he played 245 times scoring 18 goals, the tricky winger made his debut aged 18 away at Aston Villa , helping the Dons to a 2-1 win. In 2002 he moved on to Watford making over a hundred appearances scoring 7 times over an injury plagued 5 seasons. He moved on to Cardiff City and eventually Millwall before the injuries took their collective toll and forced him to retire. He then moved swiftly into Cardiff City’s coaching system taking control of the youth academy, he had already started his coaching badges back in 2004, and in 2010 he had fully completed his UEFA Pro coaching qualification. Personally I think this is what stood out for him when the AFC Wimbledon board made their final decision. A lot of emphasis has been put on our own academy system, Ardley’s experience is in this area, if he feels comfortable bringing in a set of lads from the youth ranks into the League 2 environment, it benefits the club greatly. There will be no need to splash out what little money we have on players. Fees and wages can be demanding at this level of the game too. In turn it will encourage local youngsters to sign terms with us early, as they see a legitimate shot of reaching their goals quicker than at other clubs. Before all this though there is the short term ambitions of moving the club to mid-table safety, if this happens sooner rather than nail-bitingly later Ardley can influence his style upon the team. For now it’s a "winning by any means necessary" as he stated in his debut with the media, "we're not going to be Barcelona overnight" he joked. Over the next few weeks we will see a brand of football different to what we have become used to over the last handful of years during the Brown era. If it produces the points I’m sure the faithful won’t be complaining. The right man for the job? Only time and results will determine that, he’s making all the right noises now, and if this likeable man can get the crowd behind him early than this will be a bright new future in this compelling story.

AFC Wimbledon chairman Erik Samuelson on the interview process: “We put the candidates through a very exacting interview process. They were all very impressive but it wasn't difficult to pick out the outstanding candidate for the role.” “With four graduates from our Academy already in the first team squad, Neal's background in bringing through young players fits perfectly with our commitment to youth development. We are looking forward to working with him”

Youth-team graduate Jim Fenlon (above)

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Edgar Davids joins Barnet 9

Barnet writer Josh Ilan takes a look at former Holland captain Edgar Davids joining as joint head-coach

It is not often that Barnet make national headlines. However, the club managed to this by appointing Edgar Davids (pictured top-left), one of the most iconic players in football history, to become their joint head-coach. The move took many by surprise, with a player like Edgar Davids and a club like Barnet should not be in the same sentence. I didn’t, and still don’t, know what to feel about his arrival. It is exciting, intriguing, interesting, and strange-the list could go on. But then, it is not everyday a former Holland captain joins your club.

Davids said on Twitter that ‘he was happy to have joined Barnet and looking forward to helping his local club.’ The former Holland captain; Serie A, Eredivisie and Champions League winner also said it was ‘the proudest moment of his career.’

His appointment will see him work alongside Mark Robson as joint head-coaches, becoming the first of their kind in the Football League. They will both coach and select the team, which will make things interesting if Davids decides he wants to play.

Robson, who as a result of Davids’ arrival has relinquished sole responsibility, said "I am delighted to welcome Edgar to our club. His experience as a player throughout his illustrious career will be a massive benefit to all our players and I look forward to forming a strong partnership with him".

Paul Fairclough, the club’s director of football that just won’t go away, said that “the club did not break the bank to sign Edgar Davids” and “that he is looking to make Barnet a team were the manager is not the be all and end all.” Hence, why we have two head coaches, both untested in managing a team.

Chairman Tony Kleanthos said of the capture "I am absolutely delighted to welcome Edgar as part of our exciting set up at Barnet FC… I feel, despite recent results, that these are exciting times ahead for our Club."

Before Saturday’s game against Plymouth, there was a presentation for both Edgar Davids and his fellow Dutchman Collins John, who joined the club to score the goals we desperately crave. In a sense, there was a joyous, somewhat expectant atmosphere as a result of this. Come the end of the game, we had lost 4-1, in what was our worst performance of the season (and there have been many bad ones). Mark Robson has gone fourteen games without a win in all competitions since he took charge. Almost every other club in England would have given him his marching orders by now. Not Barnet, though. Paul Fairclough, the man responsible for his appointment, said that he has a ‘job for life at Barnet’, to the dismay of many Barnet fans.

Career stats 1991-96; 2007-08: Ajax 131 (21) 1996-97: AC Milan 19 (0) 1997-2004: Juventus 159 (8) 2004: Barcelona 24 (2) 2004-05: Inter Milan 16 (0) 2005-07: Tottenham 40 (1) 2010: Crystal Palace 6 (0) 2012-: Barnet 0 (0) KEY: appearances goals

The majority of Barnet fans felt that anything less than a win against Plymouth Argyle should have seen Robson sacked. And that view has not changed. Whether Robson would have been sacked if Davids (pictured top-left) had not joined is questionable, but Davids appointment complicates matters, and perhaps has a hint of desperation regarding it.

While almost everyone agrees that Edgar Davids appointment is a brilliant coup for the club in many respects, from PR to his contacts, at the moment it is hard to say whether it is the correct one. There is a big difference between whether an appointment as good, and whether one is needed.

Quite a few former players with a big reputation, or have achieved a lot in the game as a player try to carve their managerial career at a League Two club. While some, most notably eccentric Italian Paolo Di Canio (pictured centre-left) at Swindon Town, succeed massively; there are others who fail miserably, like former Ireland manager Steve Staunton, who endured an ill-fated spell at Darlington.

Edgar Davids presence will hopefully inspire the players. The younger players can learn a lot from a player of his quality, while his attitude and never-say-die spirit will hopefully be replicated by the other players. In this sense, Davids may be an ideal fit for Barnet, for a squad depleted of confidence and with limited ability.

Edgar Davids has taken on the biggest challenge of his career so far. His spell at Barnet could determine whether he succeeds as a manager, both now and in the future. If he manages to keep us up, he could be moving on to better things; a bit like Paul Ince did when he saved Macclesfield Town from certain relegation. Fail and his managerial career could be over before it starts. If we were to go down this season, it would be a predicament that the club might not recover from. The amount of panic buys so early on of players we should have brought in at the start of the season, plus Edgar Davids appointment as joint head-coach, shows how much we need to survive. If Davids can bring his experience and his knowledge to the fore, he could be the unlikely saviour that Barnet have been searching for.

Tony Kleanthos, Edgar Davids, Mark Robson and Paul Fairclough (from left to right)

Edgar Davids after Barnet’s 4-1 loss to Plymouth: "It was not a very good performance, but I saw some good spells and we have to build on them… We are definitely going to look closer at the squad and see how we can improve.”

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The departure of Swindon Town Chairman, Jeremy Wray (pictured top-left) it is fair to say, caught practically all supporters on the hop when it was announced. Now boardroom instability and change is certainly not unfamiliar to STFC, in fact it has been the norm over a period of over 20 years. What is different here is that we have the departure of a popular chairman, and make no mistake Wray was well liked by the fans. After Andrew Fitton decided he could take the club no further, Jeremy effectively stepped into the breach to ensure continuity and to reassure supporters that the club wasn't backsliding into the sort of chaos that reigned prior to Fitton/Wray's arrival.

It's worth putting into context that we could have quite easily have become a Darlington or Chester (no disrespect intended) prior to the current regime's arrival. Court cases had to be settled, money had to be generated and a club needed to be revived. Fitton began this process, Wray's greatest legacy will be that be continued it. He persuaded Paolo Di Canio (pictured centre-left) that a newly relegated League 2 team would be the ideal starting place for the maverick Italian's management career. Not just that, he sold a vision to PDC – Championship football within a 3 year plan, and a budget to back it up. So far on the football side, so good. At the time of writing this, we sit in the League One play-off places having bagged our first silverware since McMahon was manager.

So you must be asking, well why has he gone given things appear to be going so well? Well the official statement from Wray partially sheds some light on this. Basically it boils down to Wray's inability to balance the “Football” and “Commercial” side of the job. It's worth remembering that Swindon has just been given a transfer embargo for exceeding the new 'cap' that exists on income and expenditure. Two higher than expected tribunal decisions on James Collins & Troy Archibald-Henville appears to have ruined our calculations. Once again having invested heavily in the squad for League One – all at the behest of an ambitious PDC we appear to exceeded our ambitions without generating the commercial revenues, hence Wray's departure.

As a fan, I can imagine that Wray could not manage these often conflicting priorities. Managing PDC in itself must be a full time job, part mentor, part boss, part childminder etc Frankly I'm amazed that he would have time for stadium redevelopment etc etc.

However, it is a sad loss and it is curious how Wray words his official statement: “.. At the specific request of the club's majority shareholder, Andrew Black, I have been replaced as Chairman of STFC by Sir William Patey (pictured bottom-left)..”

It's the words ‘I have been replaced’ that worries me, and I suspect others, that it sounds like a coup rather than an amicable parting of the ways. Black and Wray are actually 'friends'. Wray was invited to remain on the Board, but declined.

Confused? Well, like US comedy 'Soap', you will be!! What I am pretty certain about is that something, whether it involves PDC or not, has gone wrong and had the transfer embargo not occurred, I would not be writing this. Sir William is the outgoing British Ambassador to Afghanistan so having dealt with the Taliban he now faces PDC! Sound preparation methinks. Is this the start of a new era of stability or another chapter in our boardroom soap-opera? Time and certainly money will tell.

Wray flies Robin’s nest 11

Swindon Town writer Neil Evans fills us in on chairman’s Jeremy Wray’s departure from the County Ground.

Port Vale takeover almost completed 12

By Josh Ilan

After months of speculation, Port Vale look to be changing their ownership at last. Keith Ryder (pictured bottom-left) , who had been in negotiations with the club for the last few months pulled out; with this fiasco causing havoc both on-and-off the pitch. Instead, it will be Paul Wildes (pictured top-left) who is at the helm. Wildes fronts the Alchemy Investment Group, and will looks set to takeover the club after it has been verified by the Football League. This is not the first time Wildes has been involved with a takeover bid; with his bid for the now defunct Darlington failing. He made his money through a variety of businesses, from Phones4U to The Holiday Inn. Wildes said of his impending takeover "I'm excited at being involved in a club with so much potential. We are aware that there is still a process to be completed in terms of Football League approval, which all parties are working towards. Port Vale has a rich history and I am certain that we can play our part in ensuring it also has a successful future.“ He is certainly not wrong when he talks about the clubs potential. The club’s Vale Park stadium is an example of this, with it holding almost 20,000 people. Despite matters off-the-pitch, Port Vale have started the season incredibly well. Micky Adams deserves major credit for his ability to motivate a squad, which has not received its wages in full in recent months. The club are currently in 2nd place, only being three points off Gillingham in first. The takeover comes as a welcome relief to Port Vale fans, who were bound to be fearing the worst after Keith Ryder did not buy the club. It is now well and truly onwards and upwards for Port Vale

League Two table 1: Gillingham 29 2: Port Vale 26 3: Cheltenham Town 22 ---------------------------------------------------- 4: Fleetwood Town 21 5: Burton Albion 19

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The draw has been made for the quarter finals of both the Northern and Southern section of the competition. The ties will be played on the week commencing December 3rd. There will be a new name on the trophy this year, with last year’s victors Chesterfield (pictued right) having been knocked out by League One opposition Doncaster Rovers in the last round. Here is the draw: NORTHERN SECTION Crewe Alexandra vs Doncaster Rovers Bury vs Preston North End Port Vale vs Bradford City Coventry City vs Sheffield United SOUTHERN SECTION Northampton Town vs Leyton Orient Southend United vs Brentford Torquay United or Yeovil Town vs Wycombe Wanderers Plymouth Argyle vs Oxford United

Johnstone’s Paint Trophy Draw

The favourites Brentford 13/2 Preston North End 8/1 Coventry City 8/1 Doncaster Rovers 10/1 Sheffield United 10/1 Bets according to SkyBet

BARNSLEY full back John Stones‘(pictured top-left) agent has ensured the club that the hot prospect is currently fully concentrated on his career at Oakwell, despite attention from the higher reaches of the Premier League. BIRMINGHAM CITY have signed Papa Bouba Diop on a short term deal to try and turn around a disappointing start to the season and there has also been two separate approaches to buy the club. BLACKBURN ROVERS' Global Advisor Shebby Singh said that the new manager will be under significantly less pressure than Steve Kean. He said "The new manager must understand he will not have two or three seasons to build the club - he will be under pressure straight away, if he doesn't get it right we will have a chat about things.” BLACKPOOL boss Ian Holloway (pictured centre-left) has blasted the 'boo-boys' at Bloomfield Road who clearly displayed their displeasure after a 2-0 home defeat to Charlton Athletic. BOLTON WANDERERS continue their efforts to replace Owen Coyle after a difficult start to the season, and Sky Sports believe caretaker Sammy Lee has every chance of landing the job on a full time basis. BRIGHTON AND HOVE ALBION will be boosted after the international break by returns for both Andrew Crofts (pictured bottom-left) and Craig Mackail-Smith. BRISTOL CITY have strengthened their defence by loaning in Steven McManus. “Last season I felt he came in and gave us a real lift; hopefully he can do something similar this time around," Boss David McInnes said. BURNLEY have ruled out a comeback for their ex-boss Owen Coyle. Lee Hoos, the Chief Executive, said "I just couldn't see how that one could happen." CHARLTON ATHLETIC have allowed Scott Wagstaff to move to League One Leyton Orient on loan for 28 days. Manager Chris Powell explained on the club's website: "… this is an opportunity for him to get some minutes under his belt.” CRYSTAL PALACE have been boosted by Championship Manager of the Month Dougie Freedman dismissing links to him taking on the reins at Bolton Wanderers. Freedman stated ‘he was comfortable ‘dealing with the speculation but fully focussed on his side's match against Millwall. DERBY COUNTY skipper Richard Keogh has impressed boss Nigel Clough with how quickly he has settled at the Rams since his summer move to Pride Park from Coventry. Clough told press this week: "It's as if Richard has been with us for two or three seasons to be honest."

Championship News round-up 14

Adam Missen rounds-up the Championshipnews for the past week

HUDDERSFIELD TOWN unused striker James Spencer has been allowed to move on loan to Brentford. "We had to fight off stiff competition from other League One clubs to get him to Griffin Park." Mark Warburton, sporting director, told Brentford's official club website. HULL CITY's Sone Aluko (pictured top-left) believes their good start to the season has a lot to do with their home form, despite the Tiger's last two performances. “We’re really enjoying playing at home and it’s special when we win at the KC Stadium.” IPSWICH TOWN have signed former Bolton Wanderers midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker on a three month deal. Reo-Coker said: "It's a massive club with a great history and tradition. The facilities are first class and there is a terrific fanbase. It's the right club at the right time for me and everything has just fallen into place." LEEDS UNITED midfielder David Norris has heaped praise on in-form team mate El Hadji Diouf. "…his hunger and desire to do well and be a team player has impressed me. He's been a great signing so far LEICESTER CITY youngster Tom Hopper will remain on loan at Bury until the New Year. The youngster hasn't yet helped the League One club to a victory this season but has scored two in his seven appearances for them. MIDDLESBROUGH have been boosted by news that striker Lukas Jutkiewicz (pictured centre-left) isn't injury is not as serious as they first believed. Mowbray informed the press saying: "He's had a scan and he's seen a specialist and it doesn't seem that he needs an operation.” MILLWALL expect Andy Keogh to return to the front line against Crystal Palace this weekend. Manager Kenny Jackett said: "Andy has been for an X-ray, and our medical staff believe there is cause for optimism.” NOTTINGHAM FOREST are in talks with Lee Camp to follow in Chris Cohen's footsteps by signing a contract extension. SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY chairman Milan Mandaric has ensured manager Dave Jones' position is safe at Hillsborough. The former Portsmouth backer told BBC Radio Sheffield: "There is no reason to question Dave's position, he is a very good manager." WATFORD's Joe Garner will remain at Carlisle United for another month. The Cumbrian's boss Greg Abbott said: "Joe was keen to stay and we were keen to keep him here." WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS new loan signing Jermaine Pennant (pictured bottom-left) has informed his new club he is fully focused on his new role at Molineux, saying "I'm excited to have made the loan move, Wolves are a massive club and it's been a tough game and a great encounter every time I've

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Bournemouth: The big news this week for the Cherries was the return of former manager Eddie Howe. Howe has returned to the south coast after a year at Championship side Burnley. Brentford: In-form striker Farid El Alagui (pictured top-left) is facing some time on the injury list after sustaining a knee injury against Crawley. The club where drawn away to League Two Southend in the Quarter finals of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy. Bury: The Shakers have signed Leeds United pair Zac Thompson and Dominic Poleon on loan for an initial one month. Bury have drawn local rivals Preston at home in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy Quarter Finals. Carlisle United: The club have confirmed the will not be signing free agent Femi Orenuga following a trial. Carlisle have however extended the loan of Watford Striker Joe Garner who celebrated the extension with an equaliser against Bury in a 1-1 draw. Colchester United: Colchester were dumped out of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy with a defeat against League Two Northampton Town. Coventry City: the Sky Blues were drawn at home to Sheffield United in the Quarter Finals of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy. Crewe Alexandra: Alex have been drawn at home to Doncaster Rovers in the Quarter Finals of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy. Midfielder and summer signing Abdul Osman (pictured centre-left) is set to return from injury. Doncaster Rovers: Doncaster have been drawn away at Crewe in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy. Leyton Orient: Orient have signed Charlton winger Scott Wagstaff (pictured bottom-left) on an initial one-month loan from Charlton. Notts County: Notts were dumped out of Johnstone’s Paint Trophy 4-1 by Sheffield United. Oldham Athletic: The Latics game vs Sheffield United was overshadowed by alleged racist abuse from Oldham midfielder Lee Croft directed at a ballboy. Portsmouth: everyone at the football league 72 would also like to wish Portsmouth academy coach Alan McLoughlin a speedy recovery following surgery to remove his kidney.

League One News round-up 16

Stephen Pollard rounds-up the League One news for the past week

Preston North End: Preston have extended the loan of Akpo Sodje (pictured bottom-right) by another month. Scunthorpe United: Captain Paul Reid will return this weekend following injury. Sheffield United: The Blades will face Coventry City in the next round of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy. They are also at the centre of a racism row concerning there ballboy and Lee Croft (pictured bottom-centre) following their 1-1 draw with Oldham. Shrewsbury Town: Reuben Hazell has parted ways with the club by mutual consent. Stevenage: Nigel Winterburn (pictured bottom-left) has been brought in as defensive coach by Stevenage. Swindon Town: Jeremy Wray has been ousted as chairman and replaced by Sir William Patey. Yeovil Town: Yeovil will play at home to League Two Wycombe Wanderers in the next round of the Johsntones Paint Trophy after a 5-4 victory on penalties against local rivals Torquay.

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FEATURES

Steve Fletcher cult hero

Twitter question

Rhys Griffiths player profile

Stevenage club focus

Danny Murphy player profile

Winners and losers

Jack Midson interview

AFC Wimbledon Know Your Enemy

WHAT DO WE KNOW?

Griffiths made his Football League debut at the tender age of 32 and has quite a pedigree as a goal-getter. Upon moving to Plymouth Argyle (picture far right), he actually put a career as a fire-fighter on hold in order to make himself available for a trial at the Devon outfit.

WHERE HAS HE BEEN?

Griffiths has spent the entirety of his career in the Welsh League and has built up a sterling reputation. Not only as he won the Welsh Premier Golden Boot award for the past seven years but he is the second highest goal scorer in the leagues’ history. Primarily found plying his trade at Port Talbot Town and at Llanelli (picture on right), he has stormed the scoring charts. In fact, he has scored a Messi-esque 180 goals in 181 games for the latter. He re-signed for Port Talbot in July before Argyle came calling.

HOW HAS HE PERFORMED SO FAR IN 2012/2013?

With two goals in his opening four games, one as a substitute, he has had a pretty decent impact thus far bearing in mind the difficult adjustment he has had to make in signing professional terms for the first time in his career. A Plymouth fan I know has spoke highly of Rhys’ work rate, possibly many years working as a fireman has helped in this respect – and is sure that with the right amount of games he can make the best of the chance he has been given to ply his trade in the Football League.

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD?

Well, at 32 years of age, perhaps the future is a difficult thing to assess for Rhys. He will be hoping to stay fit and continue to make a promising adjustment to life at Home Park. Plymouth themselves are looking a lot more steady after the financial difficulties that have plagued the last couple of seasons – Carl Fletcher is an astute man and has assembled a mixture of youth and experience as the Green Army look to advance on previous disappointing finishes. Rhys is part of a forward line that includes the likes of Nick Chadwick and Warren Feeney, who themselves have bags of league experience between them, so to displace them will certainly mean that the Welshman has impressed.

NOW, FOR SOMETHING INTERESTING…. Due to his previous vocation, Rhys is somewhat appropriately nicknamed, The Fireman. Plymouth fans will be hoping he doesn’t burn out too quickly.

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CAREER STATS 2001-2002: Cwmbran Town 22 (1) 2002-2004: Haverfordwest County 57 (19) 2004: Carmathen Town 9 (2) 2004-2006, 2012: Port Talbot Town 51 (35) 2006-2012: Llanelli 181 (180) 2012-: Plymouth Argyle 5 (3) KEY: Appearances, Goals.

NAME: Rhys Griffiths CLUB: Plymouth Argyle POSITION: Striker NATIONALITY: Welsh AGE: 32

Rhys Griffiths: Player Profile Tom Jasper takes a look at Plymouth Argyle striker Rhys Griffiths, who joined the Pilgrims in the summer after impressing in the Welsh Premier League

20 Danny Murphy: Player Profile James Newnham talks about the career of Blackburn Rovers midfielder Danny Murphy.

CAREER STATS 1993-1997; 1998-1999: Crewe Alexandra 148 (28) 1997-2004: Liverpool 170 (25) 2004-2006: Charlton Athletic56 (7) 2006-2007: Tottenham Hotspur 23 (2) 2007-2012: Fulham 169 (17) 2012-: Blackburn Rovers 11 (0) KEY: Appearances, Goals.

NAME: Danny Murphy CLUB: Blackburn Rovers POSITION: Midfielder NATIONALITY: English AGE: 35 Caps: 9

Danny Murphy is one of the veteran midfielders of our generation, saying that he is also one of the most professional footballers this country has produced. It’s therefore no surprise that even as a teenage boy, Murphy was gifted with a tremendous football brain. Dario Gradi, the manager of Crewe Alexandra, who was a great believer in Murphy’s ability., and he gave him his debut in 1994 The bantam playmaker began his career as a deep lying forward, scoring several dazzling goals and earning his reputation as a set-piece specialist. In 1997 he went on to help Crewe gain promotion to the second tier of English football, for the first time since the war. Later that year, he got his big move to boyhood club Liverpool, for a reported £1.5m. He made his debut as a substitute on the opening day of the season, but failed to break into the first team on a regular basis. The season after, he was shipped back to Crewe on loan for the entire season. After his return, he grew to become a first team regular at Anfield, staying there until 2004. During his time there he became frustrated with the lack of opportunities to play in his natural position as he was often used as a wide midfielder. However Murphy’s time at Anfield was rewarding. In 2001 he was part of the squad that celebrated winning a unique treble. He went on to collect the European Super Cup the same year, as well as recapturing the League Cup in 2003. His form at Liverpool was remunerated with his inclusion in the England squad in 2001. He made his debut for then manager Svenn Goran Eriksson against Sweden. Murphy only mustered 9 appearances for his country, after being called up for 2002 World Cup, he later withdrew through injury. In 2004 he was snapped up by Charlton Athletic for £2.5m, his biggest transfer fee. His time at The Valley was brief as he failed to recapture the form that had seen him break into the England set up. The inventive middleman then made a shock move to Tottenham Hotspur in 2006. On the final day of the January transfer window, Martin Jol paid £2m to acquire his services. Once again Murphy was forced to fight for a first team place. After his disappointing spell with Tottenham Murphy found home at another London club. After signing for Fulham in 2007 Murphy found he was a first team regular and an integral part of manager Roy Hodgson’s plans, who made Murphy his captain. Following impressive league performances; the side managed to reach the heights of the Europa League final in 2010, losing out to an impressive Atletico Madrid side. After Hodgson left the club, Murphy once again found he was a small fish in a big pond. It should be noted that during his final season

with the club he made more goal scoring opportunities then any other player in the league. After failing to agree personal terms on a new contract with then boss Martin Jol, Murphy joined newly relegated Blackburn Rovers in The Championship. It was later revealed the secret behind his move was the promise of first team football. After ten games in The Championship Blackburn have lost their manager and sit just outside of the play-offs. Murphy has featured in every game so far, but is yet to make a significant impact on the side. There is no doubting the players intelligence and experience will help the side through a long season. Whether he still possesses enough talent at 35 to help them bounce back to the Premiership, still remains to be seen.

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JC: How hard was the transition from semi-professional to professional football? JM: I didn't find it hard Physically as I have always been fit as I worked hard during the day then trained in the evenings. I just had to match sure I was prepared for training everyday and perform to a high standard consistently everyday in training. JC: What aspect of your game have you had to work on the most in the professional game? JM: Just to make sure you are more consistent and make fewer mistakes. One thing that I've noticed about full time teams is that you have more time during training to work on things therefore becoming more organised across all areas. JC: What is your greatest attribute? JM: I don't get that many chances during the game but I score a lot of goals so my finishing must be one of my main attribute. Also my fitness gives me then edge and enables me to work hard right to the end of the game. JC: How would you describe your style of play?

JM: I enjoy playing good football but I seem to have the most success when the ball is played in behind I enjoy running behind the defenders and creating chances that way. JC: What was your best moment from last season? JM: Last season had many highs mainly the late comes backs we made and the goals I scored. But being part of Wimbledon's first game back in the league after 9 years and being part of the amazing history that the club has. JC: Who is the best player you have played with? JM: I’ve played many friendly games against premier league teams and some of the best players have been, Aaron Lennon, Jermaine Jenas, Danny Murphy. I have played with the likes of Steve Morrison, DJ Campbell and Craig Mackail Smith and they have all done well for themselves. JC: What is the best stadium you have played at? JM: It has to be Wembley (pictured bottom-left for Oxford vs York) it doesn't get any better than that. I played there in the blue square premier play off final. It was an amazing experience and one I will never forget. There's a lot of top players that haven't played at Wembley and I have so I have to be proud of that. I have also played at Upton Park and that was a great experience too.

Jack Midson interview Joe Cockburn was lucky enough to grab an interview with AFC Wimbledon striker Jack Midson, who talks about attributes, Steve Evans and more.

Jack Midson (above)

22 JC: Do you think you could go on to play at a higher level than League Two? JM: I do believe I can and probably could have gone this year if I really wanted to leave Wimbledon but I didn't. There were a few League One clubs interested in me but the grass is not always greener and I am happy where I am and hopefully will reach league one with the club I love being at and that's Wimbledon. JC: What do you like the most about being a footballer? JM: I enjoy the life and can't complain about it. You work hard but only for a short period of time so you get a lot of spare time. Obviously when things are going well and you’re scoring goals it’s such an adrenaline buzz and when the fans are singing your name it’s such a great feeling and there's not many things that compare to it. JC: How do you motivate yourself before a game? JM: I motivate myself by remembering how good it feels to get a win as a team and for me to score a goal and do everything i can to get the best result. And thinking of my family helps motivate me. But I naturally get up for the game as I appreciate how many people want to be in my position and work as hard as possible. JC: Do you ever get bored of training every day? JM: No, I don't get bored if I am not happy with the session I stay behind and continue to practice until I get what I need out of it. JC: Have you ever had any altercations with Steve Evans? JM: No altercations but he has made two separate approaches for me so he must like me. He paid an interest in me when he was manager of Crawley and now manager of Rotherham he made an official bid which was rejected. A lot of people have got stuff to say about him and he does shout a lot on the line and I have heard stories about what his like behind the scenes. But he has been successful with his sides so he must be doing something right and no one can take that away from him. JC: What do you think you will do once you finish playing? JM: I have done tennis coaching and coached in schools for about 6 years and still continue to do this now when I'm not playing football so I'm sure I will be doing this after my football careers finishes. I also would like to stay in football whether it’s as a coach or a manager so ill have to do as many qualifications as possible. I have a few businesses that I can go into too so it’s good to have as many options as possible so I can choose rather than only having one option. I'm always on the go so it’s likely that will find the time to do all three.

Career stats 2001-03: Stevenage 10 (1) 2001 (L): Harlow Town 8 (1) 2002; 2003 (L): Hayes 14 (4) 2003 (L): Chelmsford City 3 (0) 2003 (L): Hendon 7 (1) 2003-04: Arlessey Town 37 (12) 2004-05: Dagenham & Redbridge 9 (1) 2004-05 (L): Hemel Hempstead 12 (2) 2005-08: Bishops Stortford 84 (18) 2008-09: Histon 65 (25) 2009-11: Oxford United 59 (11) 2010 (L): Southend United 4 (2) 2011 (L): Barnet 5 (0) 2011-: AFC Wimbledon 55 (20) KEY: appearances goals L=loan

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Stevenage: Club Focus Josh Ilan takes a look at Stevenage’s history, with the club having gone from non-league regulars to League One promotion contenders in the space of three years.

This time three years ago, Stevenage fans would have laughed at you if you told them that in 2012, they would be second in League One. Their success saw them gain plenty of detractors for the not-so glamorous style of football former manager Graham Westley got his team to play: they also won plenty of admirers for their endeavour to the cause and what they had achieved in such a short period of time. Under the stewardship of Gary Smith, Stevenage are looking to play a more expansive, and attacking brand of football, which is paying dividends so far. Stevenage are a relatively ‘new’ club, with them having been founded in 1976 under the name Stevenage Borough. Their formation came after the demise of Stevenage Athletic, who like many non-league clubs in that era, succumbed to bankruptcy. In 1980, the club reassumed both its senior status and its ground Broadhall Way (pictured top-left), which had been brought back by the council four years after they had sold it to businessman for non-football purposes. The 1980-1981 season saw them win promotion in their first season back as a football club, with them winning both the United Counties League Division One title, as well as the United Counties League Cup. One further promotion in the 1980s ensued, when they won the Isthmian Division Two North title in the 1985-1986 season. In 1990, the club made a decision to appoint Paul Fairclough (pictured bottom-right) as their manager, with the Liverpudlian having previously managed fellow Hertfordshire team Hertford Town. It did not take long for Fairclough to prove himself to the Boro faithful. His first season in charge saw him lead them to promotion from the Isthmian Division Two North, having won 34 out of their 42 games, winning every single home match they played. A precedent of Stevenage’s success almost two decades later was seen in the 1991-1992 season as they finished of champions of the Isthmian Division One. After a 7th place finish in their first ever season in the sixth tier, Fairclough won his third promotion in four years as Stevenage manager when they Isthmian Premier Division, in which they lost only seven games in the process. Key to this success in such a short period were prolific striker Martin Gattings, midfielder Stuart Beevor, but most importantly Paul Fairclough. In their first season as a Conference side in the 1994-1995 season, Stevenage brought the form they had displayed in the Isthmian leagues to the fifth tier, seeing them finish in 5th place. The next season, though, saw a triumphant year replaced by one of hurt. With help from Barry Hayles firing on all cylinders, Stevenage finished top of the Conference, with this seeing clubs 99% of the time secure promotion to the Football League. They were denied promotion to what is seen as the “promised land” for Conference sides as their Broadhall Way stadium did not meet Football League standards regarding capacity. The 1996-1997 season produced the most recognisable and arguably the finest match in Stevenage’s history. Having reached the fourth round of the FA Cup for the first time in their history, they were drawn against Premiership giants Newcastle United, who they drew 1-1 with thanks to a Giuliano Grazioli

Founded: 1976 Stadium: Broadhall Way (7000 capacity) Manager: Gary Smith Captain: Mark Roberts Division: League One Nickname: Boro

They lost the replay at St James Park 2-1, but this was aroused by controversy. After finishing 15th the following season, Paul Fairclough decided to end his eight-year reign as manager, which saw him take Stevenage from the Isthmian leagues to within a whisker of promotion to the Football League. Off-the-pitch, the club was experiencing difficult times. Things got so bad that then chairman Victor Green had stated that the club would close if no buyer was found. The club was eventually taken over by Phil Wallace, who brought a 90% stake in the club in 1999. The club reached the FA Trophy final for the first time in their history in the 2001-2002 season under the management of Paul Fairclough, who was back for a second spell at the club. However, they lost 2-0 to Yeovil Town. With the club facing relegation in the 2002-2003 season, they turned to maverick boss Graham Westley (pictured top-left) to be their saviour. His arrival coincided with the club’s moving away from the relegation zone, where he led them to a 12th place finish in the end. It was his third season in charge were he came closest to guiding Stevenage back to the Football League, when he led them to the play-off final, only to be defeated 1-0 by Cumbria outfit Carlisle United. After finishing 6th the next season, thus missing out on the play-offs; Westley’s contract was not renewed. Grays Athletic manager Mark Stimson was Westley’s successor. His tenure saw Stevenage create history, with Stevenage becoming the first side to win a trophy at Wembley, having defeated Kidderminister Harriers 3-2 in the FA Trophy. After a sterling start to his second season in charge, Stimson departed for Gillingham in November 2007. His replacement was Peter Taylor, whose failure to guide the side to the play-offs saw him resign from the hot-seat. Cue the start of Stevenage’s “Golden Era”. Two years after he left the club, Graham Westley returned to Broadhall Way in May 2008. Despite fans being sceptical about his re-appointment, Westley proved all of his doubters wrong. The play-offs proved to be his undoing again, with Stevenage losing to Cambridge United in the semi-finals, but he guided them to a second FA Trophy win. The 2009-2010 season was the season Stevenage had been waiting for for a long time. Promotion to the Football League had been achieved, fourteen years after the club were denied a place in the fourth division. For the start of the season, chairman Phil Wallace decided to remove “Borough” from the club’s name. As eluded to earlier in the article, Stevenage achieved back-to-back promotions not for the first time in their history. The step-up a level proved tough at first, with Stevenage being placed in 18th come the end of January. At the end of the season, Stevenage beat Torquay United 1-0 in the League Two play-off final to secure successive promotions. The close-knit squad Westley had in the Conference was key to this, with minimal changes seeing a fantastic team-spirit. To put the icing on the cake, Stevenage defeated Newcastle United 3-1 in an FA Cup tie. Last season saw Stevenage almost achieve something that very few sides in football history had achieved before: that being three consecutive promotions. Other clubs became alerted to the remarkable success Graham Westley had achieved at the club, with this culminating in him moving to Preston North End in January. Was this the end of an era? Far from it-it was more like the dawn of a new one. His replacement Gary Smith had gained his stock over in America, where he won an MLS Cup

TROPHIES WON United Counties League: 1980-81 United Counties Cup: 1980-81 Isthmian Premier Division: 1993-94 Isthmian Division One:1991-92 Isthmian Division One North: 1990-91 Herts Senior Cup: 2008-09 FA Trophy: 2008-09 Conference: 1995-96; 2009-10

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as manager of the Colorado Rapids. Upon his arrival, he did not change anything, from team selections to style of play. It was the play-offs that put an end to Stevenage’s great season, with Sheffield United needing a late goal in the second leg to go through to the final at Boro’s expense. In the summer, though, it was all change at Broadhall Way. Thirteen players departed the club, with twelve entering. This saw a change in emphasis at the club to Gary Smith’s eye-catching style of football. The players he brought in were both of a very good calibre, and suited to Smith’s vision. Some of the players he brought in were Greg Tansey from Inverness, right-back David Gray and Southend midfielder Anthony Grant. This also signalled the end of the “Westley era.” The long-ball system was a thing of the past. Players-such as Scott Laird, Lawrie Wilson, John Mousinho, Michael Bostwick plus numerous others-who had been key to their rise up the leagues, had all left the club. The new system has worked almost immediately, with Stevenage being second in League One after eleven games. With this season’s third tier having no team vastly superior, the chances of a well-run outfit gaining promotion are higher than ever. Gary Smith has showed his nous as a manager so far, while the grit that has been key to their rise up the divisions has remained; this is because they are unbeaten after eleven games, having come back from losing positions to gain something in six games. With an out-and-out goal scorer, the Hertfordshire side could become a more potent threat, with many chances having been squandered. Minus that, all the signs point ahead for an extremely bright future for Gary Smith’s side. Stevenage might be heading for yet another promotion, to heights that they could never have imagined previously.

The three remaining players from their Conference title win •Chris Day •Mark Roberts •Jon Ashton

Gary Smith Mark Roberts

Managerial History 1976-83: Derek Montgomery 1983-87: Steve Cornwell 1987-88: John Bailey 1988-90: Brian Williams 1990-98; 2000-02: Paul Fairclough 1998-00: Richard Hill 2000: Steve Wignall 2002: Wayne Turner 2002-03: John Dreyer 2003-06; 2008-12: Graham Westley 2006-07: Mark Stimson 2007-08: Peter Taylor 2012-: Gary Smith

Greg Tansey

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Despite not strictly being a one-man club, Steve Fletcher will almost always be associated with AFC Bournemouth. Holding the club record for most appearances, Fletcher began his Bournemouth career way back in 1992, signing from Hartlepool, the place of his birth. Despite his origins in the North-East, he has achieved cult hero status at Dean Court with his performances and commitment to the club over the years – Fletcher is not considered to be an out and out goal-scorer, but is utilised as a target man, whose physical presence and prowess brings others around him into the game. Steve spent 15 years at Bournemouth between 1992 and 2007, scoring 88 goals in just shy of 500 appearances. In this time, he forged “little and large” partnerships with prolific strikers such as Mark Stein, James Hayter, and Jermain Defoe. The association ended for Fletcher at the end of the 2006-2007 season, after being released by then manager, Kevin Bond. Cherries fans may have thought that this would be the last time that he appeared for them in the red and black. They were wrong. After individual seasons at both Chesterfield and Crawley, he returned to Bournemouth at the beginning of 2009 – under the guidance of friend and former team-mate, Eddie Howe. The next couple of seasons would carry a lot of success for Fletcher and the club he holds so dear to him. Under Howe, and predecessor Fletcher and Bournemouth faced some difficult times off the pitch, but overcame a lot of the odds to help the Cherries triumph on it. Ahead of the 2008/2009 season, ongoing problems with the club’s finances, outstanding debts, and changes in ownership, they were almost denied the chance to compete in the Football League. Despite all this, Bournemouth kept their league status on the final day of the season, with this being a good achievement for a club who had 17 points deducted. During this troubling season, he had already made his 500th appearance for the club in February. To mark his continued association with the club, Bournemouth renamed the North Stand at Dean Court after Steve Fletcher in April 2010 – the club had just secured promotion to League One under Howe, and a nostalgic month for Fletcher was added to when he was awarded with a one-year contract extension. The 6”4 front man has since had a brief spell as assistant manager at the club after Howe’s departure, working with another former teammate in Lee Bradbury. Together, the pair helped Bournemouth reach the dizzy heights of the League One playoffs in their first season, before being defeated in the semi-finals to Huddersfield Town. Fletcher continues to be a part of the setup at Dean Court, despite his advancing years. Howe is now back at the helm after a couple of years away, and Fletcher is still an active part of the squad, despite only making a handful of substitute appearances. The future at Bournemouth looks bright, with foreign investment and a fans’ favourite back in charge – the big man himself has said that he would be happy to stay in a coaching capacity once he decides to hang up his boots. A true club legend, I’m sure the supporters would agree.

Steve Fletcher: Cult Hero Tom Jasper takes a look at Bournemouth’s cult hero in striker Steve Fletcher

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Career stats 1990-92: Hartlepool United 32 (4) 1992-2007; 2009-: Bournemouth 620 (103) 2007-08: Chesterfield 38 (5) 2008-09: Crawley Town 21 (2) 2012: Plymouth Argyle 6 (0) KEY: appearances goals

JC: You are just going into your second season at the club. How are you finding it?

JM: I enjoy being at AFC Wimbledon very much that's why I resigned and am looking to spend many more years at the club. I had a successful 1st year and once we sorted out a few contractual things then I was more than eager to sign. JC: How strong do you think the squad is? JM: The squad we have is obviously not as big as last year but I believe the quality of the squad is better and we will come good eventually this season it’s still early days and we are still gelling. JC: Who do you feel is the best player at the club? JM: I’d say Sammy Moore and I (top-left) as we won the awards at the end of the season so I guess it’s us two, but hard to say. JC: Are there any up and coming talents that we may see emerge in the next year or two? JM: We have some home grown talents that have been introduced to the squad and have recently made their 1st league starts and I believe these players have the potential to make a good career in the football league. We have defender Jim Fenlon (pictured centre-left) and midfielders Hugh Johnson and Frank Merriefield amongst other players but these are the ones to have made their league debuts this year. JC: How do you feel last season went for you? JM: I was very pleased with being top of the League 2 goal scoring table last season and proved if I play regular I can score regular as I have done at every level I have played at. It was a great feeling but as most strikers do we thrive for more and I probably should of scored more and was disappointed than I wasn’t on penalties until towards the end of the season others wise my tally would of been more but I can be please as most of my goals were in open play which makes it an even better personal achievement. JC: Have you set yourself any targets? JM: I don't normally set myself targets as I have done in the past and got nowhere near them so I will take every game as it comes and try and at least match last year’s stats. JC: In one number, where will you finish this season? JM: 10 or 12 JC: What are your predictions for: Premier League: Man United Championship: Blackburn or Blackpool League 1: Notts County League 2: Gillingham FA Cup: AFC Wimbledon League Cup: Arsenal

AFC Wimbledon: Know Your Enemy 27

This feature sees Joe Cockburn ask fans and players of Football League clubs questions regarding their side. This week’s edition sees Joe interview AFC Wimbledon striker Jack Midson.

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Winners and Losers

CHARLIE AUSTIN Ten games, eleven goals so far this season; says it all really

NOTTS COUNTY Keith Curle’s side managed to set a new club record of thirteen away games without defeat

GARETH AINSWORTH Three wins a week have certainly helped him to stake a claim for the Wycombe job on a permanent basis

ROCHDALE Defeat to Morecambe at the weekend means that Dale have picked up one win at home all season

LEE CROFT The Oldham winger was accused of racially abusing a ball boy during their away draw to Sheffield United

BLACKBURN ROVERS Both Grant Hanley and Jordan Rhodes picked up injuries on international duty

Magazine editor Josh Ilan looks at the winner and losers of the past Football League week

Winners Losers

@jwscargill: Peter Whittingham and Martin Olsson

@Chris78901: Chris Cohen, Charlie Austin, Peter Whittingham, Craig Bellamy and Wilfried Zaha

@Ankrett19: Emmanuel Ledesma, Florent Cuvelier, Marvin Sordell, Nathan Redmond, Jack Butland, Curtis Davies, Matt Mills, Kasper Schmichel

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@TheJackOrton96: Craig Bryson

Each week, we ask a question to our Twitter followers. This week’s questions was “Which Football League players can play in the Premiership?” Here are some of the replies:

Twitter question

@MaxW_182: Mark Pugh, Charlie Austin, Adebayo Akinfenwa

@joehallwords: Dale Stephens, Chris Solly, Liam Bridcutt, Nathan Redmond, Thomas Ince

@StephenQPFC: Jordan Rhodes, Nuno Gomes, Sean St Ledger, Tom Ince, Kevin Doyle, Frank Fielding, Sean Murray, Wayne Bridge

@Liam_Fountain: Jacob Mellis

@JonesLad96: Max Clayton

Akinfenwa Redmond

Mellis Ince

Zaha Whittingham

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ARTICLES

Bristol City’s defensive woes

Fergie, Fry and MacAnthony: The love triangle of London Road

Should Tommy Wright get the Chesterfield job on a full-time basis?

Mark Robins arrival sees Coventry improvement

The Day of the Dog

Is Portmouth’s ownership saga coming to an end?

Leicester shrug off inconsistency bug

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Derek McInnes (pictured top-left) will hope that recent acquisition Stephen McManus will shore up the Robins leaky defence. Bristol City have fallen to 17

th in the league since my last blog and the novelty of Ashton Gate seeing the

third most amount of goals in the nPower Championship has started to wear off for some corners of Ashton Gate. Despite being one of the highest scorers in the league, City have really found the last five games a struggle defensively. Conceding 14 goals in only 21 days. The first game back from the break set the tone for the next four games when three defensive errors from centre backs Liam Fontaine (pictured centre-left) and Louis Carey helped Blackburn Rovers take all three points back from Ashton Gate in a highly entertaining 5-3 victory for the ex-Premier League outfit. Fans, however, left the ground in high spirits. City had the game all square at 90 minutes, and either team could have felt that they had every chance of a victory when the fourth official had signalled there would be five minutes of injury time to play. Three days later City started their first of two consecutive away games at a then pointless Peterborough and came minutes from their only clean sheet of the season when a Lee Tomlin penalty was not enough in a comfortable 2-1 win for the away side. However the Robins were hit hard by an injury to Greg Cunningham, who had continued an impressive start to his career with the Robins, ruling him out until mid November. A hard earned point followed at Watford, twice coming from behind, as City’s strikers made amends for further defensive mistakes in a 2-2 draw at Vicarage Road. But the attack were unable to do the same the following week as the Robins finished on the wrong side of another entertaining game at the Gate. This time Leeds the victors, with more errors from captain Liam Fontaine, as the Yorkshire outfit won 3-2. City again suffered with injuries to two left backs in this match, first George Elokobi (pictured bottom-left) – an emergency loan from Wolves just 24 hours before to replace Cunningham – fractured and dislocated his ankle ending a very short career in Bristol. Then his replacement, Joe Bryan, left the field with concussion.

Bristol City’s defensive woes Bristol City writer Adam Missen talks about the Robin’s defensive issues, with them shipping goals for fun.

Two remaining lacklustre performances landed City in a position most would have expected them to lie in before August. A 1-1 home draw against a poor Millwall side had removed the last drops of optimism from the opening month and an expected 2-0 away defeat to promotion chasing Leicester left the Robins thankful for a 14 day break. Although McInnes continues his search for the right man to come in at centre back, it might now be worth looking for the right men. Liam Fontaine has done more than enough to lose the captains arm band, if not only for a kick up the backside, as he has been instrumental in a number of goals going past Tom Heaton in the past five games. With the arm band he cannot be dropped and his performances do not justify this reward, not to mention the apparent lack of leadership from him. The manager has attempted three different centre back partners since the last break, all of which Fontaine has featured in and all looked vulnerable. City’s backline looks too nice. I can’t imagine that a single team fear coming up against a polite and professional pair of Liam Fontaine and Lewin Nyatanga. We need some bite and some leadership at the back. Ten games in and we appear to have really lost out by not signing Andre Amougou when we had the chance. Once the backline is sorted City will be a dangerous side in this division. All of our strikers are capable of goals, Baldock especially of being a 20-a-season striker. With them, and an Albert Adomah who is looking just as creative and dangerous as he was in his first season, Bristol City will hurt teams. Cardiff, Crystal Palace and Blackburn’s defence have already learnt that. McInnes needs to find another defender, in time for City’s trip to the Reebok Stadium on the 20

th of October, but Stephen McManus’ arrival is a step in the

right direction. If he does then the next blog could see the return of a touch of optimism down at Ashton Gate (below).

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Teams with the most goals conceded in Championship Burnley (22) Sheffield Wednesday (21) Bristol City (19) Millwall (19) Ipswich Town (19) Watford (18) Peterborough United (18) KEY: goals conceded

Bristol City’s regular defence (above)

Fergie, Fry and MacAnthony: The love triangle of London Road

At Championship level, the International break is nothing but a hindrance. This has been evident at Peterborough United's London Road stadium over the last week where a lack of action has seen two so-called 'news stories' break. On any other given weeks when there were games to prepare for, neither of these stories would have made much in-roads to the back pages of the local paper let alone made national headlines. The first story centres around the three main characters at the club: chairman Darragh MacAnthony (pictured bottom-left), director of football Barry Fry (pictured centre-right) and manager Darren Ferguson (pictured top-left). According to reports in the national press, there was a power struggle over the summer after Barry Fry (pictured centre-left) revealed last week that Darren Ferguson was trying to orchestrate a move to take over as manager of Nottingham Forest following the departure of Steve Cotterill. Fry said 'I found out that Darren had two meetings in the summer and hadn't told my chairman. It was very unsettling because we were trying to sign players. We lost two or three players on the strength of that and we were very angry about it'. What wasn't expected so much was Darren Ferguson's response to these claims where he stated 'No player has ever refused to sign for this club as a result of anything I have ever done. It's Fry's job to sign players, so maybe he is looking for an excuse for his own failings'. 'But the real issue here is why on earth this story has surfaced now? I suspect he is trying to undermine me with the fans and force me to resign. If that is the case then he is going to be disappointed. He has tried these underhand tactics before'. Whether he cares to admit it or not, Ferguson is a man under pressure. Not necessarily by his chairman, but certainly from his own fans after the club made their worst ever start to a season by losing their opening seven league games, it became eight defeats from the start of the season if you include the 3-2 Capitol One Cup exit at the hands of Premier League Reading. Ferguson eased the pressure on himself when the club secured back to back away wins at Hull City and Barnsley. Normal service was resumed the following Saturday when a 1-0 home defeat to Nottingham Forest meant that Fergie's men are yet to pick up a point at home this season from five home games. To make matters worse, Fergie was quoted as saying 'I don't like working with Fry, but for some reason he is a permanent fixture at this club'. If these quotes are true then it just puts more strain on an already strained relationship. Barry Fry is the last remaining fixture from the pre-MacAnthony era when he himself was first a manager and then Chairman at the club. Fry will always be remembered by the London Road faithful not for leading the club up via the play-offs in 2000 with one of the final performances under the old twin towers of Wembley stadium, but as the man who allowed the sky cameras in to the club to film the now laughable documentary 'Big Ron manager' for the sum of £100,000.

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Peterborough United writer Ben Powell talks about the off-the-field issues surrounding the club

As it turned out, the 2006 documentary made a laughing stock of a club on the brink of financial collapse, but it also attracted the attention of current chairman Darragh MacAnthony. The Florida based businessman has sunk a small fortune into the club over the past six years and in return has seen three promotions in four years, so he would argue it has been money well spent. But as the club seeks to consolidate itself at Championship level, news stories such as this only continue to hold the club back from being taken as seriously as MacAnthony is desperate for it to reach. Whether Posh fans love him or loathe him (opinion is well and truly divided on this one), most accept that Barry Fry is an integral part of the way the club is run. The former Barnet, Southend and Birmingham manager's contact list and knowledge of all levels of football is second to none. Having spent a considerable spell as chairman of the club as well, his input is invaluable to MacAnthony. His main role is as a foil between chairman and manager, helping Darren Ferguson to identify the right new recruits and then springing into life in order to make sure the club gets the best possible deal on all new recruits. In fact ever since MacAnthony took the helm in 2006, Fry has helped to make sure the club made a tidy profit in the transfer market in every season. He hasn't always got every decision right however as he helped to persuade the chairman that Kettering manager Mark Cooper would be the ideal replacement for Ferguson when he was sacked during his first spell in charge in 2009. One win from thirteen games later, and Cooper was on his way back to non-league football once more. Fry also held a press conference at the time of Fergie's departure when he claimed that the outgoing manager had been 'tapped up, and gotten himself a job elsewhere'. The truth was that it was nearly two months before Fergie resurfaced at Preston. The second piece of 'news' to come out of London Road this week was that striker Emile Sinclair (pictured centre-left) had been put on the transfer list. This report first featured on the Sky Sports website with their sources claiming that the reasoning was because the young striker, signed from Macclesfield on transfer deadline day in August 2011, had turned down a new contract and as is club policy left the chairman with no option but to transfer list the player who's hat-trick at Hull City two weeks ago gave the club their first win of the season. MacAnthony himself was quick to distance himself from these claims using his own personal Twitter account to state the story was the work of a bored agent rather than anywhere close to the truth. These stories just succeed in fanning the flames of bored fans who have nothing better to do during an International break. Whatever the rights and wrongs of the MacAnthony, Fry and Ferguson triangle, what is clear is that the club need all three men working together and pulling in the same direction if they are to succeed in pulling the team up by their boot straps. With a tough trip to Watford to prepare for this Saturday, followed by successive home games with Huddersfield Town and Derby County, a power struggle should be the last thing on anyone’s minds. Nine points from the three games would put these stories well and truly to bed and catapult the club out of the relegation zone and up towards mid-table. This would satisfy every fan and leave me looking forward to the next International break and the next set of crazy stories.

This season Played: 10 (league only) Wins: 2 Draws: 0 Losses: 8 Position: 24th Scored: 10 Conceded: 18

Sinclair’s Posh record Games: 42 Goals: 13 Age: 24 Transfer fee:£100,000 Joined: August 2011

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Leicester City shrug off inconsistency

A smiling David Nugent is on fine form for Leicester City and with the Foxes recording five wins on the trot for the first time in three years, there are plenty of reasons to celebrate at the King Power Stadium this month.

Whatever the outcome at the end of the season, Leicester can proudly say they have broken their recent form of inconsistency. Not since Nigel Pearson (pictured top-left) was last in charge have the Foxes won five games in a row and this current run is City's best in a decade. At this stage, Pearson's youngsters and nobodies have far outclassed the big-guns of the Sven Goran Eriksson era, undermining once more the ethos of big-spending in football. Pearson's team - in the making since January - has taken shape and it is becoming a force to be reckoned with.

Ben Marshall, Jamie Vardy, Liam Moore plus others have all been examples of this, with it being fair to say that they have going from having little pedigree, to becoming some of the best young talents in the Championship. Then there is Kasper Schmeichel (pictured bottom-left), whose fantastic start to the season has seen him linked to Real Madrid as a possible replacement for Iker Casillas in the future.

The Foxes were just too good for Bristol City, who could hardly put up a fight in a 2-0 victory for the East Midlands outfit in their last fixture. It was hardly the most dazzling of performances from this season's Leicester City, but it was as professional and clinical as they have been in years. From the off, City applied high pressure and prevented the Robins from playing; Kasper Schmeichel had just one shot to deal with throughout the entire game and he goalscoring problems of seasons past have been dealt with. Nugent is a man on fire and even Lady Luck is smiling on the usually unlucky Foxes, with refereeing decisions and the ball's bounce falling nicely to aid Leicester towards the promotion places for the first time in ten years. They say you make your own luck; Leicester are building a factory.

Despite the money, the reputation and the players it is Pearson's down-to-Earth attitude that is winning games for Leicester City this year.

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Leicester City writer Tim Filbert says they have beaten the inconsistency that has plagued them in previous seasons.

This season Played: 10 (league only) Wins: 7 Draws: 0 Losses: 3 Position: 2nd Scored: 17 Conceded: 9

Two weeks have passed since Mark Robbins was appointed Coventry City manager. There has been slight improvement in results and enough to restore minor hope for Sky Blues fans. His first game was a disappointing home loss to Carlisle but first games are never an indication of what's going to happen for any manager. At that time he had only had the team for training for 2 days and experimented with the selection, by this I mean changing from what was the norm under Andy Thorn. Wood and Brown was the defensive partnership and Kilbane moved from Left Midfield to Left Back. But, like I said it was his first game charge. 4 days later, Arsenal were next. Despite the scoreline being a disappointing 6-1 loss the players showed spirit and passion for the shirt and hope of a good result was really just a wishful daydream. Oldham loomed soon after, 3 points were imperative and that's what we got. However scrappy Cody MacDonald's 89th minute winner may have been it got us the first 3 points to take back to the Ricoh. The performance was in no way vintage or spectacular but they're the points you need to win to get promoted, one's where you battle and things are made more difficult. It didn't help that Oldham's 'keeper Dean Bouzanis had a stormer making the lads' job even harder. Robins wasted no time in bringing in players of his own, Conor Henderson, Franck Moussa and Jamie Reckord within 2 days. Bold move. MK Dons were next and after Richard Wood headed in after 35 minutes things were looking good for the City, however, Gleeson equalized 10 minutes later. An important thing to remember is that Coventry haven't even been dominating games, the possession stats have been rather unflattering, a below average 36% against MK Dons. This was followed up with impressive results against Bournemouth in the league and York City in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy. The 4-0 mauling of York was little more than a morale booster as a relatively strong team was played and a win was what was expected. One great thing that has been taken from these games is that it seems, finally, there is a consistent goalscorer in the ranks. David McGoldrick (pictured bottom-left) has done nothing but impress since joining on loan from Nottingham Forest scoring 5 league goals already. He seems to have filled the void left by injured Cody McDonald and appears to be forming a strong strike partnership with Callum Ball and in the light of the Bournemouth game, McGoldrick was full of praise for Ball. "He changed the game for us," He said "I thought all we needed to do was go with two up front and press them and I think Bally did that. He put his weight about and played some good football with some great passes and touches, so I am really pleased for him. I can’t believe how young he is and he’s clearly got a great future ahead of him." He went on, "We linked up really well but I think I have linked up well with all the strikers while I've been here but just not always got the results.“ The charismatic Paulo Di Canio's Swindon were up next and after a fantastic first half performance in which McGoldrick bagged a double things were looking good with City 2-0 up at the break. But thus; somewhat inevitably Swindon scored 2 late goals to prevent another 3 points. Next up for City are Midland neighbours Notts County at The Ricoh in a seemingly must win game - like the majority of the remainder of games this season - in order to secure that enviable goal of promotion. What I say is, results aren't always going to be a definite for the moment. Robins is still experimenting with the team, implementing his own philosophy and reactions from the fans has been superb. Play up Sky Blues.

Mark Robins arrival sees Coventry improvement 36

Coventry City writer James O’Shea says that Mark Robins appointment has seen an immediate turn-around.

Mark Robins’ record Played: 7 Won: 3 Drawn: 2 Lost: 2

After months of uncertainty and to be honest, a realistic fear of liquidation, the saga appears to be over. The Football League have rejected the takeover bid from ex-owners Balram Chainrai and Levi Kushnir. Their company Portpin saved the blues from extinction two years ago, but when they expressed an interest in regaining the club, there was uproar on the south coast. This was not helped by the comments of Mr.Chainrai, who was obviously unhappy at chants directed at him by sections of the Fratton Park (pictured bottom-left)crowd. He said of the fans before the opening game at home to Bournemouth, that they lacked commitment. In the true fashion of Portsmouth F.C the fans reacted with a sell-out crowd and an atmosphere that was unmatched by any other that day. With Chainrai and Portpin now out of the picture it leaves just the PST (Portsmouth Supporters Trust) to take over. This is the best possible news for the Blues with this finally bringing an end to the financial merry-go-round that is Portsmouth. The PST are backed by 4 local businessmen. Iain McInnes (pictured on the left in centre-left) is the face of the four: he is a 61 year old who has made his money in the electronics industry. Mr.McInnes is also a lifelong Pompey fan. If this takeover happens the Trust will have done something that most people, including me thought was impossible. If you think about it, Pompey don't have the fan base of Man United or Liverpool and the city is far from the richest in the land but the pure determination and love of the club has given the supporters trust this platform to take the club forward. I would like to give the board of the Supporters Trust massive credit. Chairman Ashley Brown, Vice Chairmen Ken Malley and Tom Dearie. Also Jo Collins, Pam Wilkins, Daniel Fearnley, Mick Williams, Mike Saunders and Mark Trapani. All these people deserve massive respect for all the hard work they have done. If the PST takeover the biggest question is whether they can sustain the financial aspect of running Portsmouth long-term. There are two options, in my opinion: the first is to become short term owners, until a long-term investment can be found. The trust does have a three-year business plan and the Football League has confirmed that it is viable. Despite what people are saying the majority of the fans are backing the PST. The second option is to form an alliance of such, with the Port Co group, led by the director of investment company Avalon, Harry Kerr. The group where the fifth bidders for Portsmouth, following the PST,Portpin, former Watford owner Laurence Bassini and ex-owner Sulaiman Al-Fahim. The latter two failed to show proof of funds, which came as little surprise because Bassini was declared bankrupt 18 months ago and Al-Fahim never had money to begin with. Hopefully this all brings an end to the financial meltdown the Blues have suffered in the last 3 years and matters on the pitch finally take centre stage again.

Is Portsmouth’s ownership saga finally over? 37

Portsmouth writer Stephen Pollard says Pompey’s prospective owners have been met with mass approval.

PST chairman Iain McInnes in response to former owner Balram Chainrai: “….We may have different ideas like any passionate group of football fans, but we have common hopes and values. The unthinkable alternative seems to involve one idea and negotiable values."

Should Tommy Wright get the Chesterfield job on a full-time basis?

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Eleven games have been and gone since it was announced that former manager, John Sheridan, was to be placed on gardening leave, amidst much speculation to the reasons why. Nevertheless, this spelt the end of his three-year tenure at the Spireites. Tommy Wright (pictured top-left), assistant under Sheridan, was given the role as caretaker manager, but with over a quarter of the campaign now expired, Chairman Dave Allen and the club board are yet to announce a full time replacement. This issue is expected to come to a solution in the coming days with Wright appearing to be the number one candidate. There are arguments both for and against him stepping up to the plate, but along with a large proportion of the Spireites faithful, I believe beyond all doubt, that this should be an unequivocal no. There can be no argument that Tommy doesn’t know the club and ‘his’ players. He, with his deputy Mark Crossley, has been part of the coaching staff since Sheridan’s appointment back in 2009. He appears very passionate towards the team, and is observably far more vocal from the touchline than his predecessor was in the last 5 months of his spell. Wright’s media handling is good, and in desperate times in last season’s relegation campaign, he was, unfairly in my opinion, given the duty of attending press conferences and post game interviews for local radio stations. Saying and doing the right things seems to appease many, and his appreciation of support both home and away was noticeably different to that of the previous manager, and was greatly appreciated by the paying public. Significantly, Wright appears to have the backing of the board. He has been afforded the freedom to bring in his own playing staff, including the underwhelming Micah Evans from Blackburn, Chris Atkinson, leading midfield scorer this term with 2, and last week a coup that took many by surprise, the capture of Luis Boa Morte’s services until at least the end of January. Appointing Wright would also mean that us fans wouldn’t have to hear the age-old new manager excuse ‘this isn’t my team, I need time to build’. Things started positively too, on the surface at least, with the Blues having an unbeaten September, and advancing to the second round during the defence of the JPT. All well and good? No. Not in the slightest. In reality, this translates into just three league victories all season for the Spireites, with just a solitary away win at lowly Aldershot to speak of in their last 6 outings, having only found the net on 3 occasions in that time. That is only good enough for a meagre 15 points leaving us languishing in 15th place in League 2. The job on a full time basis could only be seen as rewarding mediocrity. So as a results business, Wright doesn’t seem the best man for the job. Even this doesn’t tell the full story.

Chesterfield writer James Thompson asks whether caretaker manager Tommy Wright should get the job permanently?

Tommy Wright’s record Played: 11 Won: 4 Drawn: 4 Lost: 3 Scored: 15 Conceded: 14 Win ratio: 38%

Tactically at least, there has been no significant change at the Proact Stadium. The local press were circulating the story that the signing of Boa Morte (pictured top-left), a man who has achieved plenty in the game and has been capped by his native Portugal on 27 occasions, would capture the imagination of the fans, and in a week where their were no games in the top 2 divisions, should surely see a welcome boost to the attendance amongst other things when the Spireites entertained Dagenham on Saturday? Again, wrong. The attendance fell by 35 from the home draw with Torquay. The 35 that stayed away were the ones that made the correct decision too, as they missed a lacklustre display in which Wright sent out his side with just one striker, talisman Jack Lester, something I see as unacceptable at this level as hosts. This was reflected in the Spireites failure to register a shot on target in the first half. A change is as good as a rest, a clichéd saying but in the case of Chesterfield it is all too true. Wright’s tactical ineptitude, stubborn refusal to play Lester away from home, hasty rotation of his side both between and during games, combined with his lack of experience as a manager appear to be working against him when it comes to getting results and the best from his players. Will the board heed the desires of many of the fans who have contacted local phone in’s and wrote on the club message boards and not appoint Wright? Only time will tell, but what are the solutions? Whilst ever a job is available in football, their will always be interest from many sources. I mean, who could have predicted Eddie Howe’s return to Bournemouth from Burnley? Or Edgar Davids working at Barnet! Chesterfield would be thinking too narrow to appoint Wright. This is the cheap option and a trap that previous ‘powers that be’ at the club have made before by appointing within… Dave Rushbury, Lee Richardson et al. The same could be said for turning to other main candidate Brian Laws (pictured centre-right). This would leave the major posts at Chesterfield in the hands of ex Sheffield Wednesday managers (Chris Turner as Club Chief Executive) all of which failed to differing extents. However, it appears that it will be one of these two options. The fans, as ever, will back whoever takes charge. It is essential though, that something is done soon before this season already becomes a write off, leaving the new permanent manager to have nothing left other than to build for next year.

Tommy Wright regarding the full-time job: "There has been speculation about the situation and hopefully something will be sorted this week. The fans need to know whether it's going to be me or someone else. Someone told me that it had been in one of the newspapers that I had been given the job but I can assure you that's not the case."

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When it comes to change, football supporters can either love it or hate it. In the summer of 2012, the majority of Gillingham supporters knew that they desperately needed it. Two seasons with club legend Andy Hessenthaler back in the dugout for his second spell, had on both occasions promised so much, but in the end, delivered so little. Twice failing to reach at least the play-offs, Hessenthaler had fallen short of his initial promotion target, and was rightfully dismissed from managerial duties.

On the 5th July 2012, Martin `Mad Dog` Allen (pictured top-left) was appointed Gillingham manager, an appointment which, befitting of Allen’s character, immediately sparked a mixed reaction amongst the faithful Kent supporters. Allen came into the club and immediately started to shake things up – he brought in an assistant manager, a new goalkeeping coach, and James Russell, strength and conditioning coach who was responsible for maintaining the fitness of a squad that had endured a torrid time with injuries in the last couple of seasons.

Straight away, Allen set about blowing the winds of change. He implemented a ruthless training schedule, mixed in with an attitude that seemingly made him very much in touch with the players at his disposal. He saw fit to release a lot of the `deadwood` from the club and bring in his own players to match his own obvious ambitions. High wage earners such as Simon King (unfortunately struck down by injury) and Curtis Weston left the club, as well as club captain Barry Fuller. The latter two signed for Barnet, now under the guidance of former Gills coach, Mark Robson. At the other end, backed extremely well by longstanding chairman Paul Scally, Martin made some handsome additions to what was already a strong squad, bringing in a lot of players that he had worked with previously, of which he knew would add value to the squad. Such individuals as Stuart Nelson, Myles Weston, Deon Burton, and his own son, Charlie Allen (pictured bottom-right), had all played under his teams before, and in the past couple of months it has been clear to see why he strived to bring them back again. Along with this, new skipper Adam Barrett has been a breath of fresh air since his arrival from Bournemouth for an undisclosed fee, one of the best central defenders I have ever seen grace the Priestfield turf.

So, how have Gillingham been fairing? Well, I think even the most positive of supporters would not be able to tell me that they expected this. Three points clear of second placed Port Vale, with the best goal difference in the league, Gillingham have only been beaten in the league once in their opening 12, a 2-1 home defeat to Rochdale after they had been reduced to 10 men. Along with the fantastic set of results, Allen has brought about a renewed sense of optimism both on and off the pitch; the players are healthier, fitter, so much so that Allen has been able to repeatedly chop and change certain members of his playing squad and still come out on top with the desired results.

The Day of the Dog Gillingham writer Tom Jasper talks about Martin Allen’s emphatic start at Priestfield.

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This season Played: 12 (league only) Wins: 9 Draws: 2 Losses: 1 Position: 1st Scored: 24 Conceded: 7

August began with a tricky Capital One Cup tie away at Championship outfit, Bristol City. Admittedly, Robins boss Derek McInnes said that the home side had not performed to the best of their abilities – but take nothing away from the Gills’ spirited display. This result stood the club in good stead, as they went on to claim victories over Bradford (on the first day of the season) as well as away successes at both Wycombe and Dagenham, before ending the month defeated at home to Middlesbrough in the Capital One Cup. Martin Allen was named League 2 Manager of the Month, and rightly so.

September did not start by going completely according to plan. The Gills dropped their first league points of the season with a 1-1 draw at home to fellow promotion hopefuls Chesterfield, before a first round elimination in the JPT at the hands of League One Crawley. Nevertheless, this did not dampen the team’s spirits, and they were back to winning ways and stretching their lead at the top of the table with three consecutive league victories; comprehensive wins against strugglers Barnet and Bristol Rovers, before a resilient display got the better of Southend, despite the Shrimpers having a man advantage for the majority of the match. The aforementioned home loss against Rochdale, where the Gills were again forced to play with ten men, put a bit of a downer on the month, but Allen’s men moved into October with a 6 point lead at the top of the table and spirits extremely high.

More of the same so far in October, unbeaten after wins over Northampton and Aldershot, and a decent goalless draw at Oxford’s Kassam Stadium, Gillingham are three points clear at the top of League Two.

A major factor in Gillingham’s successes so far this season has been the togetherness and unity of the squad. Martin Allen has introduced some fantastic talent to add to the likes of Jack Payne, Chris Whelpdale, and top scorer Danny Kedwell (pictured bottom-left)(to name but a few) that were already here to begin with. Under Hessenthaler, we possessed a squad that were certainly good enough on paper, but lacked cohesion, basic fitness, and most worryingly, the ability to be completely bowled over by stronger teams, both physically and mentally.

Not this time around. Martin was known as a bit of a hard nut during his playing days – a no-nonsense individual who asserted himself extremely well. These qualities are standing him in great stead, and he is fast becoming a cult hero at the Priestfield Stadium.

Gillingham are a club that have dabbled in the higher divisions; they only gained promotion to the second tier for the first time in their history in 2000 – the general consensus is that Martin Allen is perhaps laying the foundations to take us back there again.

Table 1: Gillingham (29) 2: Port Vale (26) 3: Cheltenham Town (22) -------------------------------- 4: Fleetwood Town (21) 5: Burton Albion (19)

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A LOOK BACK AND AHEAD

Football League Review

Championship table League Two table League One table

Championship Preview

Co-Editor Ollie Welch previews the next round of Championship matches this weekend.

Sheffield Wednesday vs. Leeds United

Friday Night fixture at Hillsborough brings two teams in opposite side of the table Sheffield Wednesday on the back of three straight defeats and lost four out of the last five npower championship games. Leeds have hit form at the right time have won four out of their last five games. Crystal Palace vs. Millwall Early Lunchtime Kick-off between palace and Millwall this weekend. Palace looking good under Dougie Freeman will look to play 4-3-3 to hit Millwall on the break from set pieces Glenn Murray faces a late fitness test. Millwall on the other hand need to get some wins under the belt to ease pressure on manager Kenny Jackett. Birmingham vs. Leicester Birmingham Manager Lee Clark is under pressure as he looks to be without new signing Papa Bouba Diop after the paperwork hasn't be finalised in time. Nicola Zigic faces a late fitness test against a inform Leicester city team that has David Nugent Banging the goals for his club and looks to find the net this weekend against Birmingham. Bolton vs. Bristol City

Jimmy Philips takes Charge of Bolton for the first time this weekend against a Bristol City side who will be without key defender George Elokobi who's out for the rest of the season. Midfielder Albert Adomah faces a late fitness test. Brighton vs. Middlesbrough

Brighton go into their Game with Middlesbrough without their Key man up front Craig Mackil-Smith and need to improve their recent run of form. Middlesbrough will also be without their key man upfront in Lukas Jutkiewicz who missed the start of the season due to injury. Charlton vs Barnsley

Charlton who look to pick up three points against an out of form Barnsley team have striker Rob Hulse available after signing him from QPR on a three month loan deal.

Championship Preview 43

Derby vs Blackburn

Derby will be without striker Conor Doyle (pictured top-left) after recently having a Apendix Operation In Miami. Blackburn still without a manager go into the game pushing for automatic promotion if three points are obtained at Pride Park Derby

Hudderssfield vs Wolves Huddersfield go into their home game with wolves on the back of three wins out of their last five matches but could be without Oliver Norwood after picking up a knock against Portugal in the world cup qualifiers on Tuesday. Wolves go into the game this weekend by giving Jermaine Pennant his debut after signing on a three month loan deal from stoke city. Hull vs Ipswich

Hull City Preparations for their game with Ipswich took a big blow when in form Matt Fryatt (pictured left-centre) has picked up a Achilles injury and could be out for the whole league season. Ipswich however are in a desperate run of form having not won in the last five games but spirits are high after the recent signing of former west ham midfielder Nigel Reo Coker who looks set to make his debut for the Suffolk Club. Nottingham Forrest vs Cardiff Forrest under Sean O'Driscoll have been very quiet as of late but go into their game with Cardiff with confidence with Jermaine Jenas back in the centre of midfielder but will be without Dexter Blackstock who is still serving his suspension after the red card against Derby. Cardiff however are on a role winning four out of the last five games and go into this one with no injury worries. Watford vs Peterborough

Watford go into their home game with Peterborough on the back of 2 wins from their last five games and need to pick up points if they want to fight for a place back in the premier league. Posh fans have had a long wait but their first win came a few weeks ago and have never looked back since manager Darren Ferguson (picture bottom-left) job looks uncertain but wins might swing it for the Posh Manager. Burnley vs Blackpool Saturday's Late Kick off see Burnley who will be without Eddie Howe after their former manager want back to his first club Bournemouth last weekend Face a strong Blackpool under manager Ian Holloway who look to bounce back after costly defeat against Charlton but have tom Inca back from under 21 work on Tuesday night against Serbia

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Football League Review Bruce Halling rounds-up all of the Football League action from last weekend,.

League One It proved to be a day of high drama in League One, although it did take some time for the action to really get going in some of the matches. The pick of the games saw league leaders Tranmere go 7 points clear after coming from behind to record a 3-2 victory against Yeovil. Paddy Madden and Sam Foley had put the visitors 2 goals ahead, but Yeovil were unable to contain a Tranmere side missing two of their top scorers. James Wallace got one goal back for the hosts, before Jake Cassidy equalised and Danny Holmes (pictured top-right) scored the winning goal to ensure that it was another three points for the Prenton Park side. Sheffield United also remain unbeaten but will be disappointed with 1 point from their game against Oldham. Nick Blackman’s penalty appeared to have been enough for Danny Wilson’s side, but they again paid the price for not making sure of the victory when Matt Smith snatched a late equaliser, six minutes into second half stoppage time to get Paul Dickov’s side an unlikely point. The league’s only other previously unbeaten side, Stevenage, saw their run come to an end after a 1-0 defeat at Colchester. Sanchez Watt scored the only goal of the game for the hosts, who had the better of the game, while the visitors saw Anthony Grant dismissed for two bookable offences. Crawley fought off a second half comeback from Bury to take all three points at the Broadfield Stadium. Nicky Adams (pictured right-centre) and Hope Akpan had put Crawley into a comfortable lead, but Kevin Blackwell’s side rallied back and got level with goals from Tom Hopper and Andy Bishop, before Adams scored late on to ensure the points went to Richie Barker’s side. A much simpler encounter saw Notts County cruise to victory at Carlisle. Jeff Hughes, Neal Bishop, Francois Zoko and Jamal Campbell-Ryce scored as Keith Curle’s side were in control for large stretches of the game and ultimately got the result that their play deserved. A similarly confident performance saw Portsmouth continue their recent impressive form, recording a 2-0 victory over Crewe, with goals from Wes Thomas and Izale McLeod (pictured bottom-right). Elsewhere, Swindon came from two goals down to get a 2-2 draw against a Coventry side who have shown great improvement in recent weeks under Mark Robins, while Scunthorpe and Brentford shared the points in a game where Clayton Donaldson missed a penalty for the visitors. Rob Jones headed in a late equaliser for Doncaster as they drew 1-1 at Hartlepool, while Bournemouth recorded their first home win of the season, beating Leyton Orient 2-0. Sunday’s games saw Preston North End and MK Dons play out a goalless draw, while Shrewsbury Town defeated Walsall 1-0 at home. Tuesday saw

46 League Two There were some big wins and some equally big performances in League Two, with a number of notable results. The biggest win of the day saw Gillingham overpower struggling Aldershot, recording a 4-0 victory which sees Martin Allen’s side move six points clear at the top of the table. Charlie Allen (pictured top-right), Danny Kedwell, Myles Weston and Chris Whelpdale scored the goals for the Gills. Plymouth also recorded a big win, running out 4-1 winners at Barnet in Edgar Davids’ first game as joint head coach of the Bees. It didn’t start particularly well for the hosts, who found themselves two down early on after Rhys Griffiths netted from the spot and Maxime Blanchard (pictured right-centre) headed in to double the lead. David Stephens scored to give Barnet hope, but second half goals from Paris Cowan-Hall and Luke Young completed a convincing victory for Carl Fletcher’s Pilgrims, leaving Barnet now seven points adrift of being out of the relegation zone. Northampton cruised to an impressive 3-0 win over Exeter, with goals from Adebayo Akinfenwa, Kelvin Langmead and Alex Nicholls. The result sees Aidy Boothroyd’s side move into the top half of the table, while Exeter, who had previously shown good form on the road, drop to seventh place. An equally impressive performance saw Southend come away from Rotherham with three points after a 3-0 victory at the New York Stadium. The game was goalless at the break, but a double strike from on-loan striker Britt Assombalonga and a late goal from David Martin gave Paul Sturrock’s side an impressive win to cap off a rare week of good news for the Essex side, which saw them advance in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy and come out of a transfer embargo that had been in place since August. Wycombe’s good form under caretaker manager Gareth Ainsworth continued, with the Chairboys taking a 1-0 win at Fleetwood. They move above Wimbledon, who were beaten 2-1 at home by Cheltenham, and Bristol Rovers, who recorded a 1-1 draw away at Burton. Elsewhere, Rene Howe’s sixth goal in as many games set Torquay on their way to a 3-1 victory over Accrington, while the Yorkshire derby contested between Bradford and York ended in a 1-1 draw, with Ashley Chambers putting the hosts ahead before Zavon Hines equalised to earn Bradford a share of the spoils. Jack Redshaw scored twice for Morecambe to help the Shrimps to an impressive 2-1 victory over Rochdale at Spotland, while a Sam Williams (pictured bottom-right) double earned Dagenham a 2-1 victory at Chesterfield. Monday night saw Port Vale comfortably dispose of Oxford United 3-0, with goals from Tom Pop, Ashley Vincent and Sam Morsy. There were no Championship games due t o the international break. It will resume, alongside League 1 and League 2 next weekend.

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Championship Table Upcoming fixtures -Sheffield Wednesday vs Leeds -Birmingham vs Leicester -Bolton vs Bristol City -Brighton vs Middlesbrough -Charlton vs Barnsley -Crystal Palace vs Millwall -Derby vs Blackburn -Huddersfield vs Wolves -Hull City vs Ipswich Town -Nottingham Forest vs Cardiff -Watford vs Peterborough -Burnley vs Blackpool To be played weekend commencing October 19th

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League One Table Upcoming fixtures -Bournemouth vs Tranmere -Colchester United vs Carlisle -Coventry City vs Notts County -Doncaster Rovers vs Brentford -Hartlepool United vs Crawley -MK Dons vs Stevenage -Oldham vs Leyton Orient -Portsmouth vs Shrewsbury -Preston vs Sheffield United -Swindon Town vs Scunthorpe -Walsall vs Crewe Alexandra -Yeovil Town vs Bury To be played weekend commencing October 20th

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League Two Table Upcoming fixtures -Barnet vs Northampton Town -Aldershot Town vs Rotherham -Bradford City vs Cheltenham -Bristol Rovers vs Torquay -Exeter City vs Chesterfield -Fleetwood vs AFC Wimbledon -Gillingham vs Burton Albion -Morecambe vs Southend -Oxford United vs Accrington -Plymouth Argyle vs Rochdale -Port Vale vs Wycombe -York City vs Dagenham To be played weekend commencing October 19th