Ethan Hoijord

Meeting the opposition – Forest Green Rovers F.C

This upcoming Saturday afternoon, Keith Hill’s Tranmere Rovers will travel to Gloucestershire to face an outfit who they may come up against in the nearby playoffs, Forest Green. This League Two encounter will pose many questions as both sides are steeped in quality at this level, even though they have both struggled somewhat in recent times. There is also a niche rivalry, stemming from playoff games and the Green’s former gaffer in Mark Cooper, that is set to be rekindled.

I spoke to @FGR_Alfie who gave his thoughts on the hosts’ on and off field positions, the upcoming league meeting and his personal experiences as a fan of the club titled the ‘greenest football club’ amongst other subjects.

How long have you been a FGR supporter?

I’ve been a Forest Green supporter for around 6 years.

Highest and lowest points across that time?

The promotion from the National League certainly has to be one of the highs of my time supporting FGR. As for lows, maybe falling out of the playoffs to Tranmere or winning 3 in 22 last season.

Random fact about The Green?

Arsenal full-back Hector Bellerin is an investor into the club.

What were your expectations going into the season and what are they now the campaign’s coming to an end?

I had imagined this season we would finish high in the mid table, towards the playoffs and my prediction is near enough right now the season is coming to a close.

After five years at the club Mark Cooper was sacked in mid-April, he had taken the club to the Football League from the Vanarama National League before guiding them up to be a promotion chasing League Two side. What are your thoughts on Cooper’s departure and what are your thoughts on the current interim gaffers? Who would you like to see appointed in the hot-seat next?

I can agree with the sacking of Mark Cooper on the basis that he had lost the backing of the fans a while ago and he certainly wasn’t the man to take us up. I’ve been fairly proud of what Jimmy Ball has done over his short tenure at the club. The ideal signing for the next manager would be Richie Wellens.

Dale Vince is chairman of Forest Green and has been since 2010, what are your thoughts on him?

I don’t mind Dale vince, albeit some of his views are certainly interesting. It’s good to see the club breaking some new ground.

Your danger men?

Jamille Matt, if he wasn’t injured, Ebou Adams and Odin Bailey.

The last time Rovers played against The Green Devils, was in late January at Prenton Park and the League Two encounter resulted in a 3-2 victory for the hosts. What were your thoughts on that game?

I didn’t think we particularly played that well last time out at Prenton Park. There was certainly room for improvement. 

How do you see the upcoming encounter panning out? (Score prediction etc) and why, if you do, do you think this game will pose more questions than the previous meeting?

I think we’ll win this one 1-0 because we are desperate to win to keep ourselves in the playoffs.

What eleven do you think will be selected for the hosts this time round?

Luke Mcgee, Udoka Godwin-Malife, Chris Stokes, Baily Cargill, Kane Wilson, Jordan Moore-Taylor, Dom Bernard, Odin Bailey, Scott Wagstaff, Jake Young, Ebou Adams.

Thoughts on Tranmere? The club in general.

I personally think that Tranmere are a decent club. Some fans might disagree with that, given the past history of both clubs, but you’re a fairly well run club.

What are your thoughts on Forest Green’s January transfer business? More often than not, this plays a vital part in whether the club is successful in achieving their late found ambitions.

I think the January transfer window was okay, but I do think we could’ve done with another proven striker due to the fact that Matt got injured. 

Two men that may come up against their former side this weekend are full-back Kane Wilson and forward Aaron Collins. The young defender made just upwards of ten appearances after making a loan move to Merseyside from West Brom, the latter made a couple of National League appearances for Micky Mellon’s Whites. What are your thoughts on them both? 

Kane Wilson is a proper good quality right back that I rate really highly, didn’t start off too well and picked up a couple of injuries but has come good. Collins, I thought was decent but missed some really really easy chances. For example, he missed an open goal against Crawley Town away (‘Yesterday afternoon’, at the time of writing). 

21-year-old full-back Kane Wilson during his time at Tranmere. In the above picture, he’s playing against Wycombe Wanderers in the FA Cup at Prenton Park. The youngster, a product of West Brom’s academy system has seen past a tricky start which was hampered with injuries to now ‘come good’.

‘Meeting the opposition’ – Barrow A.F.C

On Saturday afternoon, Keith Hill’s Tranmere Rovers played host to Barrow A.F.C in a League Two encounter. The last time the two clubs met the game finished in a dull 1-1 draw, to give Rovers any chance of an automatic promotion place come the end of the season they will need to win this time round. The visitors will have plans of their own, as they look to get a win that pushes them further away from the relegation zone. To get an in-depth insight into the Bluebirds’ on and off field position, as well as much more, I spoke to my creative media teacher Stephen Fallows who starts by telling me what his time as a fan has been like.

How long have you been a Barrow supporter and when/how did you first come across the club? 

The first games I remember going to would be back in 1987 / 88. Possibly Enfield at home with friends from school. Can’t remember too much about it, but it was towards the end of the season and just remember loving the atmosphere and seeing Cowps (see question 3) score at the goal we were standing behind and it got me hooked. 

Highest and lowest points across that time? 

There have been plenty of highs. The two wins at Wembley were obviously special, more so 2010 when we were up against Stevenage, who had already won the league and were huge favourites for the game. To see Jason Walker (a Barrow born player) scoring a cup final winner at Wembley in extra time from outside the area was amazing (quality goal too). The FA Cup 3^rd Rd trips were good as well. 7 / 8 thousand fans going over to Middlesbrough (2009) and Sunderland (2010) were great days out too. 

One of the lows lead to a lot of those highs. In 2007/8 were in the bottom three of the National League North and looking dead certs for relegation. We were really struggling and there was no sign of anything changing. One particular game, I think it was Hyde United at home and we were 3-0 down at half time and it was raining, absolutely awful day and terrible game. Hyde wasn’t even that good, they just took the many chances we gave them. One of those days when you almost reconsider your life choices. Then, when the board decided a change was needed, they appointed Dave Bayliss and Darren Sheridan to be joint player managers. They took us on a 24-game unbeaten run and took us into the playoffs where we beat Stalybridge Celtic and got back into the National League. From there we had three or four amazing years in league and cups. 

Random fact about the Bluebirds? 

Legendary striker Colin Cowperthwaite (or ‘God’ to give him his rightful title) holds the record for the fastest goal in English football. He scored in 3.5 seconds against Kettering Town in 1979. 

What were your expectations going into the season and what are they now the campaign’s coming to an end? 

Obviously moving into League Two was going to be a big step up for a team that weren’t expected to challenge for the National League title last year. I said right from the start that I would be happy with 22^nd (which is where we are now) and I would still be happy with that. Stay up and prepare for next season, which will hopefully be less chaotic. 

Rob Kelly is currently the caretaker manager of Barrow and has been since the sacking of Michael Jolley in late February. However, David Dunn was the one that started the season. What are your thoughts on the departures of Jolley and Dunn and what has Kelly brought to the club so far?  

I thought that it was maybe too early to get rid of David Dunn. We were losing games, but only by the odd goal, and despite being down the wrong end of the table, we still haven’t been heavily beaten yet. We had a new manager and a lot of new players and starting in a new division. It was going to take time to adjust to all of them, so I was sorry to see Dunn leave so early. He was very magnanimous about it all too and has remained on good terms with fans on social media, being very supportive when Michael Jolley was sacked. The whole Jolley situation seems like it was a desperate grab to move out of trouble. We signed a lot of players and again had to take time adapting to new players and management style again, and there wasn’t a chance for that to happen as he was gone really quickly, So Rob Kelly has done an excellent job in getting us to where we are. Whether he stays on is up to him, but I think most fans and the board would love him to stay longer. 

Who owns the club and what are your thoughts on them?  

We have a board that for the first time in a long time, looks like they can take the club places without being too reckless. We recovered from an awful financial position back in the early 2000’s and at the time Brian Keen did a great job over the next ten years, but the finances weren’t there to take us to the next level after the cup runs. Then we had a Barrow born millionaire living in Texas for a while who promised a lot, but nothing really came of that. Then current boss Paul Hornby came on board and everything you hear from the club since then is positive. Even bad news is delivered in an open and optimistic way, so the fans know what the club is going through and where we are. When they have needed a cash input, such as during the pandemic, they have said what they need and why they need and have told us what they have estimated to lose during this last year and how they are trying to limit those losses, so the fans have been very supportive and raised a fair amount of money when needed. They obviously care about the club and the fans, and as we have seen with all the Super League talk, owners like that are hard to find. 

Your danger men? 

It’s hard to look past Scott Quigley as the main threat. He has found it hard at times this year, especially after losing players around like John Rooney him that made us such a potent attacking threat last season, but he is a handful and one of those forwards you wouldn’t enjoy playing against. Lewis Hardcastle would have been a definite name to mention, but he recently had to retire after taking ill during a game and discovering he had a heart problem. At the moment, it is a team effort and we have a few players capable of getting goals, so it’s not all dependent on Quigley. 

The last time the two clubs came head-to-head was the final game of 2020 and it finished in a 1-1 draw. What were your thoughts on that game? 

It was a difficult game. We were on a poor run and a new manager (It was Michael Jolley’s first game I think) had come in, so was happy to get the point and we could have got a late winner if I remember rightly. One of those games we have had a lot of this year, could so easily have won, and also have lost as well.  

How do you see the upcoming game panning out? (Score prediction etc) and why, if you do, do you think this game will pose more questions than the previous meeting? 

I think it will be close. Just by going through Barrow’s season so far. To be that low in the table and have a goal difference of –6 is pretty good going. If we keep up our recent form we have a chance, but we must be careful not to leave too many opportunities for Tranmere. It’s going to be a tough game with Tranmere going for promotion, but I reckon we can get something from the game. Every point counts for us now so I would be happy with a draw but can see Barrow grabbing a win too if we play to our strengths. 

What eleven do you think will be selected for Barrow and what game plan do you think your interim gaffer will choose to play with? 

Since Rob Kelly took over, we have been pretty decent at the back, soaked up a lot of pressure and never given up looking for a goal. We had a lot of games where we lost late goals and dropped a lot of points, but Kelly has turned that around with a fair amount of late goals picking points up for us. As for the team, Dixon, Eardley, Brough, Thomas, Taylor and Quigley should be there, but we seem to be building a decent squad so whoever plays seems to fit into the system well. 

Thoughts on Tranmere? The club in general. 

I like them. They seem to be very well run and building on what they have without risking the club, which a lot of lower and non-league teams seem to do. Great ground (it did seem very strange going there for the FA Trophy and National League games) and seems like a very community lead club, and the fans seem cool too. Have shared a few pints with some over the games I’ve seen at Prenton Park, and hopefully will enjoy a few more trips there as it’s my local ground now.

What are your thoughts on Barrow’s January transfer business? More often than not this plays a vital role in determining whether the club can achieve their late found ambitions. 

I think it was all a bit rushed with a new manager coming in and adding to a squad that was already adapting to the previous influx of players from the summer. We brought in eight in the summer, then another seven I think in January, so when Rob Kelly took over, he had a group of players that weren’t settled and were having to adapt to their third managers tactics and training in just a matter of months. 

One player that may face his former club this weekend is former Rovers midfielder and promotion winner, Ollie Banks. What are your thoughts on his time at the club thus far and what does he bring to the team? 

It’s early days, but he does look useful. He has had a couple of rough games early on, but this has been part of a side that has been struggling but seems to be coming good just at the right time. I heard good things about him from Tranmere fans when he signed, and if he turns out to be as good as they said, we could have ourselves a great player. 

Creative midfielder, Ollie Banks during his time at Tranmere Rovers. In this picture, Rovers are playing against Leicester City U21s in the Papa John’s Trophy. The 28-year-old became a Bluebird in January, after playing a vital part in the Whites’ promotion to League One in 2019.

Ryan Eades’ viewpoint on the ESL

I spoke to an Irish Liverpool supporter in the form of Ryan Eades. He spoke about the importance of a level playing field in football and how the ESL proposals went against anything he thought that the game should’ve been about. Like many others, he dismissed the belief that football fans have won as the clubs withdrawn following a backlash as ticket prices and other situations need to improve.

‘I support Liverpool and have done so for the last 12 years. Rather reluctantly under the Hodgson and Rodgers years.’

‘I felt the ESL proposal was an insult to the fans, players and staff of all 20 premier league clubs. It was clearly a money grab that honestly has baffled any fan as to how these owners thought fans would agree to this and there would be no backlash. I completely understand why the other 14 clubs became outraged as these clubs felt they were too good to be in the presence of the other 14 which could be acceptable when you consider the top 6 do attract the most fans but this is no excuse for jeopardising the meaning of competition.’

‘I think a level playing field is more important than personal greed and success. I personally want football to be competitive. The beauty of the premier league is every club can beat everyone at any given time. I think dropping out of the English system just to gain financially was pointless as you would make people lose interest very quickly.’

‘The only positive I saw from the proposals was the financial gain for the clubs. From a business standpoint the ESL made perfect sense and was a perfect thing to do but from a morality point of view it was highly offensive to the players and supporters. I don’t think it will ever happen however if these crooks are still in charge of the 6 clubs in 10 years you can almost guarantee that they will try again but with more planning and better PR to manipulate fans into agreeing’.

‘I don’t think that the Premier League would’ve kicked them out but if the 6 teams were still in the league still and also in the ESL the league would become meaningless and stale. I think if they had kicked the 6 clubs out the premier league would severely struggle as the interest would no longer be there from sponsors and revenue would be decreased massively as a result. The 6 clubs are prime examples of supply and demand. The big companies like Cadbury pay big money to the premier league to sponsor the league and be associated with the massive clubs like Liverpool and Manchester United. Without these clubs also the fans wouldn’t show an interest in the league which would mean the massive television money from sky and BT would eventually stop coming in as there’s less eyes on the league’.

‘I felt Florentino Perez’s comments were an incredibly ignorant assumption to make and was a prime example of him just clutching at straws to fit his narrative. Being a 19 year old I am addicted to football and I know millions of 16-24 year olds worldwide also feel the same. Perez’s comments on Monday night was solely all arrogance from a man who felt he was undefeatable’.

‘I really enjoy the English pyramid. I feel the whole fairy tale of teams going from nothing to something is key to the romance in the game. For example, Bournemouth going from league 2 to the premier league in 6 seasons was something you just don’t get in other countries. These success stories would ultimately be no more if the ESL did happen as the resources of English football would take a massive hit’.

‘My initial response was anger. I was livid at the proposals. I felt it was a massive teller from the owners as to how they view the fans. If it wasn’t evident before that FSG viewed fans as consumers instead of actual fans then its set in stone now. I was upset like I presume every fan was that the sport we love so much was ultimately being snatched away to line these people’s pockets’.

‘I personally don’t think they listened to the fans. I honestly think the owners were apologetic that they got called out on their bluff. I think players like Jordan Henderson and Marcus Rashford speaking out really put pressure on these owners. As a football fan I want all clubs to be punished but as a Liverpool fan I hope there’s no punishment or if there is it’s a punishment imposed on these owners’.

‘I think ticket prices have to decrease. Fans have been priced out of following their teams. I think the game has to be given back to the fans and ticket prices should be capped at £30. I’d like to see more control in decisions given to the fans like in Germany with the 50+1 model. I’d like the greed to be taken out of football. I’ve no issues with the players’ wages if it’s sustainable for the club as at the end of the day these players are in demand as entertainers and are probably being paid fairly for what they generate financially even if it is ridiculous money’.

THOMAS WHEWELL

I spoke to a supporter of League Two, Tranmere Rovers, who completely opposed the European Super League proposals and who the League would’ve benefitted the most. He believes that issues such as ticket prices need addressing and that sporting integrity must be kept intact.

‘I support Tranmere and been interested in football my whole life’  

‘My thoughts, about the ESL, were that it could put the whole pyramid in jeopardy’ 

‘It’s important that all clubs hold the same values and positions, we need to keep sporting integrity so no one is entitled to anything’. 

‘The only ones it benefited were those glory hunters in other countries and the owners behind it. I think the reaction it received was deserved and definitely an eye opener to prove no one can just come and franchise our game’.  

‘I think the Premier League should punish them in every way possible for even having the audacity to propose such a ridiculous idea that could ruin football forever, never mind actually agreeing to it. They’re no different from Wigan, Bolton, Bury Birmingham etc. If they’re not punished it only reinforces their view of being untouchable and something similar will happen again. With them out of the PL it will obviously bring less money but I think it would be refreshing and more competitive’. 

‘Perez is absolutely deluded for coming out with such a ridiculous statement, the reason 16-24yr olds don’t ‘have an interest’ is because we can’t pay the ridiculous subscription fees in order to watch it never mind the ridiculous ticket prices of those in the PL, I’m quite lucky  ticket prices are reasonable in LG2’. 

‘The brilliance of the English pyramid is that you can have Leicester go and win the league, you have West Ham pushing for the champions league, I know they’ve been relegated but last season Sheffield United pushed for Europe. That’s what it’s all about’. 

‘I thought the super league was a complete insult to what sport is about and an absolute money grab by owners who clearly have no idea about what football means to us and don’t care to understand our culture. After watching Neville’s and Carragher’s reaction among the uproar of fans I knew it wouldn’t be long before the plans caved’. 

‘Owners gave an apology but not that they meant it otherwise they wouldn’t have proposed it in the first place. If they cared about the fans’ views then why was it schemed in private behind the scenes? They need to be punished and punished heavily to ensure this doesn’t happen again’.

‘Ticket prices especially in the PL need reducing massively, it’s no longer the working man’s sport, we need to take power off billionaires and give it to the people that care, the fans, finally racism needs to be taken more seriously give lifetime bans to anyone found guilty of racism, you’re not accidentally racist and you get more punishment if you put a bet on’. 

Joe Roberto

I spoke to Evertonian Joe Roberto about his thoughts on the European Super League and what he values the most about football and his club. He believes that the club’s involved in the ESL need to be heavily punished and that the people in charge of clubs and organisations need to do more to improve their relationship with supporters.

What football team do you support and how long have you been interested in football?

‘I support Everton and have been interested in the game since I can remember. I went to my first game in 2004 and still regularly go to games’.

What were your thoughts on the proposals and how did you feel for the 14 clubs who weren’t involved?

‘Luckily, Everton weren’t involved with these proposals. I felt disgusted that the owners of the club’s involved thought they could secretly conspire to ditch the other 14 clubs for personal gain’.

Obviously, we would all like our teams to be successful, but would you mind if the values of the sport were adjusted for personal gain?

‘While winning silverware is something you will always want your club to do, supporting a club with decent values is massive for me. While I’m not oblivious to the fact Everton are a well-established Premier League club and who are very wealthy, we do a lot of work off the pitch. The club’s ongoing support for the Fans Supporting Food Banks campaign, Everton Free School and Everton in the Community are things I’m very proud of’.

‘I take a lot of interest in the German club St Pauli who are a club that are built on principles that tackles problems such discrimination, homophobia and racism. If more clubs were willing to follow their path, then football would be miles better’.

What were your thoughts on the ESL proposals? Did you see any positives about the League? Can you see it working one day? Do you think it, or something similar, will happen one day regardless of the fans viewpoint?

‘From what I have read, I can’t see anything I can agree on. I don’t think this will be the end of it though. Depending on punishments, more ideas will be floated and when they do happen, I hope fans remember this situation and once again use their power to stop it’.

The proposals went against rule L9 in the Premier League handbook, saying that clubs shouldn’t play for anything outside the stated competitions. There were rumours circulating that the Premier League would kick them out if they went against their wishes, do you think that they would’ve actually kicked them out and what do you think the league would’ve been like without the six clubs?

‘I don’t think they’ll be kicked out. While the Premier League’s image would be given a boost as they would be seen to be tackling these clubs, they would be losing a lot of money in the long-term which they can’t afford to do’.

‘This can be seen when one of the ‘big six’ play each other, there’s a lot of fanfare pre-match and TV revenue is sky high. If you compare this to a game against two mid-table teams, the same attention isn’t there’.

‘While you have to admit that the teams who proposed this league are the best clubs in the Premier League, the league still has plenty of quality. Leicester are starting to cement themselves as regularly challenging for Europe, West Ham have been great this season and Everton are showing glimpses of being able to challenge anyone on their day. While the quality would drop in parts, the drop wouldn’t be that massive’.

What were your thoughts on Florentino Perez’s comments? Perez is the director of Real Madrid and was going to be the chairman of the proposed ESL, he said that ‘football needed to change and that 16–24-year-olds had lost all interest’.

‘Funnily enough, I think that football needs to change, but my reasons for this are completely different to Perez’s. The greed of the big clubs – including Perez’s Real Madrid – is disgusting. Just look at the amount of wealth they have and compare it to teams in their league, never mind lower leagues, and you’ll realise something has to change.

He was quoted in an interview saying that: “Young people say the game is too long. If young people don’t watch an entire game, it is because it is not interesting enough, we will have to shorten the games.” I don’t know about you but I’ve never heard that view before. If he wants shorter games then he should try and bring back masters football!

While there will always be a massive demand for youngsters playing football, look at how many are involved in grassroots, I think some youngers have lost interest. But like before, not for Perez’s reasons.

Due to the rise in ticket prices, some younger fans can’t go to games because it isn’t financially possible, they have to depend on streams to watch their games. While it is still watching the game, it will never give you the same experience as being at the game, they see the game as a weekly TV show. When you look at it like that, I think it’s pretty obvious to see why some have lost interest’.

Do you like the English game, at the moment, and the values of the English pyramid? For me, anything can happen and that is what makes the game loved by so many.

‘I think most of my love for the game comes from stuff off the pitch. There’s a lot of fan activism which is great to see such as clubs like FC United of Manchester, fans helping out with charities and how Shrewsbury Town fought to get a safe standing area – I love that type of stuff.

But there’s good stuff on the pitch. I think the Premier League is very entertaining and has some of the best players in the world playing in it. The Championship is very unpredictive, which from a natural point of view is great, and League One and League Two teams always have the odd cup shock in them.

But I know that many fans of clubs in the Championship, League One and League Two fans aren’t happy with how the English Football League is run which is something that needs to be changed’.

What were your initial reactions to the EFL’s statement about the ESL proposals? 

‘I think the statement was strong and made a lot of sense. A strong pyramid based on promotion, relegation and ultimately European qualification, is fundamental to our game’s continued success.

I also hope the ESL club’s view of the League Cup changes. While many see it as a burden, which I completely understand why, it provides vital income to many EFL Clubs’.

Ultimately, they were overturned and John W.Henry gave a speech to Liverpool fans. Did you think that the owners/people involved with withdrawing did pay an interest to the fans reaction? Also, I’d like to see them punished still so it doesn’t happen again. Do you think they should be punished?

‘I feel like the reaction from fans played a massive part in clubs withdrawing from it. While I knew this was always going to be the reaction, if fans didn’t kick up a fuss, I’m confident it would’ve happened.

Just look at the reaction to ‘Project Big Picture’ a few months ago. While that proposal was welcomed by a lot more than the ESL, the overall view was against it. So why did they think this would be any different?

A points deduction and a one season European ban has to be seriously considered. The authorities have to make a strong statement and make sure the clubs know that what they did was wrong and can’t happen again. If they are too lenient in their punishments, I fear the conspirators will be able to learn from their mistakes and try this again.

I understand fans of the club’s who took part in this proposal will argue that a points deduction or a European ban will be seen as punishing the fans – but something has to be done. It’s been repeated many times across social media for the past 48 hours, but fans of Sheffield Wednesday, Macclesfield and Leeds weren’t taken into consideration when they had points taken off them and the general consensus was that the right thing had been done. What’s the difference now? Is it because it’s the ‘big six’ involved? It has to be.

If the fans can be rewarded when the owners make ‘good’ decisions then obviously the opposite has to be true’.

People are now saying that the fans have ‘won’. However, I don’t agree with this as there are still so many problems within the game. What are three of the biggest subject topics that you want tackling within the sport?

‘While it’s great that fans were able to throw their allegiances out the window to unite, the game is far from ‘won’. The list of topics that have to change is endless. But my three main issues are the ever-increasing ticket prices that are pricing fans out of the game, crazy kick-off times that stop fans from going to games and sorting out the sport’s relationship with the gambling industry’.

SAM MORRIS’ VIEW ON THE ESL.

I spoke to an Irish Liverpool supporter, who also has a great interest in Tranmere Rovers, in Sam Morris. He believes that the game, in general, is great as dreams are captured throughout being awarded and punished through promotions and relegations etc and that Florentino Perez has no understanding of how young football fans view the sport. We also spoke about other subjects, including how Sam would like to see the game change for the better.

‘I support Liverpool, I always have done’.

‘When I heard the news about the ESL, my reaction was no different to anyone else. I was shocked and embarrassed that the owners of my beloved football club would go without consulting the fans or members of the club and put our club into a breakaway league. When I saw the details of this Super League and how it would guarantee european football every season without the competitive nature of the sport made me think that this decision was made solely because of money’.

‘I felt sorry for the other 14 clubs in the league because it’s completely unfair to them. The ESL would apparently have taken the place of the Champions League and the whole underdog story. As of this season we have seen teams like Leicester and West Ham be in with a chance of getting Champions League football based on merit and their performances over the season and the ESL discredits those teams efforts over the course of the season because one of the traditional top 6 would miss out. I also know the impact it would have on the teams in the EFL because I have been to a lot of Tranmere Rovers games and there is a world of difference between clubs further down the leagues and clubs in the Premier League and it’s refreshing to see. The ESL would destroy the football pyramid and essentially divide the rich from the poorer teams’. 

‘Every football fan wants their club to be successful. For me as a fan I value success but I would rather achieve that success without adjusting the already values of the game. So you can take Liverpool as an example, we achieved our success differently to clubs like Chelsea and Man City. They in ways bought their success overtime because before their takeovers they had history but very little success and their struggles with FFP. Even lower down the leagues, clubs like Salford and Forest Green barely had any success until they had massive injections of money. So I do value core values and would rather not have the already values of the sport adjusted just so my club can be successful’.

‘I never liked the idea of a non competitive league and the fact you would play the same teams every year. For me the ESL ruins the magic of the Champions League. One of my biggest dreams is to go to watch Liverpool in the Champions League under the lights at Anfield. That is an experience in itself nevermind the game. Famous nights like the 4-0 vs Madrid, the Man City game and the Barcelona game come to mind, just to experience that once in my life would be a dream come true. The Super League would destroy that dream and the memories attached to the Champions League by playing pointless games against the huge european giants. The beauty about the Champions League is, the rare occasions you face teams like Real Madrid and Bayern Munich make it even more special on european nights and the Super League would just kill them games. Another reason is it kills the underdog story. You wouldn’t get great unexpected runs from teams like AS Monaco, Ajax and even Leicester a few years ago and major upsets like when Red Star Belgrade beat Liverpool. It also ruins the dreams of the smaller teams who have made long journeys through the qualifying rounds to play one of Europe’s elite clubs. Personally, I can’t see it ever working and I don’t see any positives apart from the financial aspect but I believe that The Super League idea isn’t dead in the water just yet. I reckon it will be brought back up in a few years again with revised plans and they will try to force it  through’. 

‘No, I couldn’t see the Premier League kicking them out of the league. Lets not forget that without the “Sly Six” the popularity of the league and financially would be a lot less. Those 6 clubs are the money makers when it comes to revenue, brand deals etc, so wherever those 6 go the attention and money goes with them. If they did relegate them, you would see the likes of Sky and BT lose a lot of money and would have minimal interest in the remaining 14 teams and the 6 newly promoted sides. I think if they kicked them out and the Super League went ahead, you would see the destruction of the Premier League. The big 6 have the most power when it comes to English Football and whatever they do has a ripple effect on the football pyramid’. 

‘I wouldn’t believe a word that Perez says. I don’t think he even knows what he is saying half the time. His statement about young people not interested in football anymore was mad. He has definitely never seen football twitter before. I think the main reason people would fall out of love for the game is because of VAR. From ages 16-24 you start to develop your own opinions about players and the game itself so I don’t think he even thought about what he said at all. I still engage in arguments with my mates about football all the time even if we support the same team. He started the league to save his name and try to get Real Madrid out of serious debt.  He is a clown, he’s a businessman who knows nothing about today’s game’.

‘I like the way the English game is. I love the Fa cup. I wish Liverpool took the domestic cups more seriously. You can’t beat the unpredictability of the cups and the leagues. I feel like the top 6 sides shouldn’t be involved in the league cup. The league cup gets won by Man City every year and not many teams take it seriously. They should consider changing the league cup into an all Island Cup to add more excitement. So scottish league teams would be added to the cup and it would include the 14 remaining Premier League sides, Championship, League 1&2 and Scottish League teams. Keep the same format’.

‘I didn’t like the format of the Super League at all. It’s very similar to how the MLS is run. They have theirs split into western and eastern for travel reasons and they have a semi final and final. It’s very weird. The owners of these clubs and the main ones backing Perez are American so they would be used to this type of format because that’s how most sports are played over there. It would never work in Europe, hence why there was massive outrage as well. The no relegation gave the Super League a massive disadvantage as the league then became non competitive. The Super League had more cons than pros and that’s why it failed’. 

‘The owners should 100% be punished with some hefty fines. I don’t think for one minute that the owners thought of the fans while making the decision to pull out. They were offered big money from UEFA to back out and the threats that they would be banned from all competitions. The owners showed their true colours with that decision and ultimately burned bridges with fans and staff of the club. I’m expecting big punishments from the Premier League and UEFA for these owners. I reckon there will be a points deduction at the start of next season and a possible ban from European competitions for a season’.

‘I don’t believe that the fans have won to be quite honest. UEFA and Sky Sports and all the big TV companies are tricking the working class people into thinking that we were the ones who stopped the Super League. What are we benefiting from the end of the Super League? Nothing has changed for the fans. Sky and BT subscriptions are still too high, ticket prices haven’t gone down, the price of club jerseys are a joke. Further action against these things have to be taken if we ever want to “win” but unfortunately I cannot see anything changing. The 2019 Champions League final was held in a  64,000 seater stadium. Liverpool and Spurs were given 16,613 tickets each and all the other tickets were corporate. If that doesn’t say something about how little UEFA care about the fans then I don’t know what does. 

The biggest issue right now is racism. Everyone would like to see that kicked out of the sport and the only way to do that is by handing out long punishments and big fines. UEFA and the FA will have to almost scaremonger people so they know it’s a serious offence. The other issue I would like to see ironed out is  VAR. Personally I am not a big fan. They have to change the rules around VAR because the small offsides they give are a joke. They have to change the rules around offsides with VAR, we are seeing perfectly good goals chalked off because of referees opinions. That and the referees in English football especially in the Premier League are appalling. There’s a reason not many of them go to world cups and Euros’.

‘Best and Worst’ – Bradford City F.C

A recent feature that I have started to do to gather the best and worst times from Tranmere supporters, is the ‘best and worst’. I decided to stretch this feature to a fan of the club that Tranmere are up against next, Bradford City. Matthew Ward, the Bantams’ Football Fans View correspondent, recalled some of his finest and worst memories of the club throughout his time being a supporter. 

Best team: 2012/13 team – Two trips to Wembley, went on an amazing run to get into the play offs, and got promoted. 

Worst Team: 2018/19 team – Relegated and there was no team spirit at all.

Best Player: Stephen Warnock – So professional in all that he did.

Honorable mentions got to: James Hanson, Nahki Wells, Gary Jones, Rory McCardle and Stephen Darby. 

Worst Player: Kai Bruenker. Big Kai as we used to call him. Was like Bambi on ice. 

Best Moment: Beating Arsenal on penalties in the League Cup quarter finals. 

Honourable mentions go to: Beating Leeds in the League Cup in 2014/15, Beating Aston Villa in the semi final of the League Cup, Getting promoted from League Two, Beating Chelsea in the FA cup, Beating Sunderland when they were in the Premiership in the FA Cup.

Worst Moment: Getting relegated from League 1.

Best Game: If we’re going on occasion then Arsenal in the League Cup but for football itself, Bradford 2-2 Bolton in 2016/17. Best I’ve seen City play on that day.

Worst Game: Probably losing 6-0 to Bristol City when they were in League 1. 

Best Haircut: Stephen Darby.

Worst Haircut: Gary Jones – There’s nothing there.

Best signing: Josh Cullen – Best loan signing we ever made.

Worst Signing: Kai Bruenker. 

Best season: 2012/13 season. 

Worst Season: 2018/19 season.

Best Goal: Lee Novak’s overhead kick against Grimsby. 

Worst Goal: David Ball vs Walsall.

Best Kit: 2017/18 Home Shirt. Classic stripes. 

Worst kit: 2015/16 Home Shirt- The checkerboard pattern never works. 

Best Nickname: The Bantams. The main one really. 

Worst Nickname: The Citizens. Nicked off Man City I think but it’s listed. 

Best Chant: ‘Midland Road Take me home’ 

Worst Chant: No such thing! 

Best Manager: Phil Parkinson.

Worst Manager: Gary Bowyer. 

Cult hero: Gary Jones. 

Hardman: Andrew Davies. 

Best Facial Hair: Romaine Vincelot. 

Worst Facial Hair: I haven’t a clue. There haven’t been many that stand out.

‘My favourite Cult hero is Gary Jones. Considering he has no hair and there’s no sign of anything growing, I’ll say he has the worst haircut as well’.

Jones was a midfielder for the Bantams between 2012-2014, he was born in Liverpool.

‘Meeting the opposition’ – Bradford City F.C

On Tuesday night, Keith Hill’s Tranmere Rovers travel to Bradford City as they face the Bantams in English Football League Two. This is the Whites’ penultimate away game of the season and recent performances have left a lot to be desired. However, there have been rumours that the top six due to the European Super League will be promoted this season so if Hill’s men can gather together a string of successful results then last season’s unfair demotion can be taken away from memory. 

Bradford City will pose their own questions as they aim to have a great end of the season, thus I spoke to Bantams fan and football fans view correspondent Matthew Ward about the club’s on and off pitch positions amongst other subjects.

How long have you been a Bradford City supporter and when/how did you first come across the club?

I have been a Bradford fan pretty much all my life. They’re my local team and my brothers supported them. So I followed suit. 

Highest and lowest points in that time?

Highest point was the 2012/13 season where we got to League Cup final and got promoted. Lowest was probably the years we were stuck in League Two up until the 2012/13 season. 

Random fact about the Bantams?

The only professional team in the EFL to wear Claret and Amber. 

What were your expectations going into the season and what are they now the campaign’s coming to a close?

My expectations were promotion but it’s gone the complete opposite to be honest. I’d say now just try and get a top 10 finish and go again next season. 

Bradford City had a change of manager in mid December as Trueman and Sellars came in. What are your thoughts on the duo so far and what have they brought to the club?

Trueman and Sellars have done wonders since they’ve come in. They revitalised the squad and got that passion and enthusiasm back into the players. 

Who owns the club and what are your thoughts on them?

The club is owned by a man called Stefan Rupp who is a German businessman. Seems a nice guy appointed a good CEO who seems to have got the behind the scenes backroom working like clockwork again. 

Your danger men?

I’d say Callum Cooke, he’s only just come back from injury so will be on the bench but when he comes on he can get things flowing in Midfield. Andy Cook is a handful. Elliot Watt can string passes from quite far. 

The last time the two clubs came head to head was when Bradford won 1-0 at Prenton Park on Boxing Day. Thoughts on that game?

Very good from our perspective. Played well and grabbed a valued three points for us at that time. 

Score prediction this time round?

I’d say Bradford City 1-0 Tranmere Rovers. 

What eleven do you think will line up for the visitors?

Think it will be Richard O’Donnell, Connor Wood, Niall Canavan, Paudie O’Connor, Finn Cousin-Dawson, Elliott Watt, Levi Sutton, Kian Scales, Ollie Crankshaw, Charles Vernam and Andy Cook.

Thoughts on Tranmere? The club in general.

Decent club with decent fans.

What are your thoughts on the Bantams’ January transfer window? Players such as Danny Rowe and Andy Cook were two of the many that came in.

I think January was very important for us and the right business was made. Hopefully going into the summer the same can be done to make a competitive squad. 

James Vaughan and Andy Cook may face their former clubs this season? The latter formed a formidable partnership with James Norwood in the National League and now plays his football at the Utilita Energy Stadium.

Vaughan is very dangerous up front. He can be a handful but so can Andy Cook and he’s been that target man we’ve missed for many years. 

Striker Andy Cook may come up against his former club, Tranmere, on Tuesday night. He shared a formidable partnership with James Norwood in the National League, even scoring at Wembley in a final that promoted the Whites back to the Football League. ‘He’s been that target man we’ve missed for many years’.

Best and Worst – Tranmere.

Tristan Browning – Supporter since 1980.

Team: 

Best – John Achterberg; Steve Vickers, Mark Hughes, Ian Goodison, Ged Brannan; Gary Williams, Pat Nevin, Johnny Morrissey; Ian Muir, Chris Malkin, James Norwood.

Worst – Phil Whitehead; Marcus Holness, Janoi Donacien, Godwin Antwi, Harrison McGahey; Nicky Summerbee, Jon Otsemobor; Nathan Eccleston, Michael Ricketts, Kithson Bain, Guy Madjo

Player:

Best – Pat Nevin, pure class from start to finish. 

Worst – Unfair this, as he is a decent enough player, but in the 2014-15 relegation season, I saw us lose away at Oxford, and defender Janoi Donacien literally didn’t put a foot right all afternoon. Worst individual 90 minutes I have ever seen.

Moment: 

Best – Promotion back to the league in 2018. 

Best individual moment – Andy Cook’s goal in that play off final – I celebrated that one more than Norwood’s. 

Worst – Dropping out of the league in 2015. 

Worst individual moment – Simon Haworth breaking his leg at Brentford in 2004. It happened right in front of me. You could hear the bones break. Ouch!

Game: 

Best – The 2018 play off final just shades it from the home leg of the 2000 Worthington Cup semi v Bolton – the best atmosphere I have ever been in at Prenton Park. 

Worst – Not a bad game as such, but early 1996, home v Crystal Palace, 2-0 up at halftime, lost 3-2 – I came away knowing our time aiming for the Premier league was over.

Player’s haircut: 

Best – Johnny Morrissey’s flowing locks. 

Worst – Dougie Anderson’s 1980s home-made haircut.

Signing: 

Best – Other obvious ones I guess, but a good case for Ian Goodison, signed at age 31, went on to play over 400 games for us, 9th in the all time appearance list. 

Worst – Guy Madjo, a striker signed in 2014-15. Came, ran around in circles for 3 games, disappeared never to be seen again.

Season: 

Best – Loved 92-93, the first 2nd level play off season, and 99-2000 getting to the League Cup Final, but also seeing plenty of new grounds, and of course 2017-18.

Worst – Not so keen on 2014-15. dismal.

Goal: 

Best – Adam McGurk, last minute winner away at Bournemouth in 2011 – real Roy of the Rovers stuff. 

Worst – Sean Flynn’s 20 yard own goal volley at home to Wolves in 2001 – it would have been goal of the season if it hadn’t been in the wrong net.

Kit: 

Best – 1995-97, blue and green hooped home top. 

Worst – Never really liked the pinstripe 2000 home shirt – it had red in it! – even though we got to Wembley wearing it.

Nickname: 

Best – Stuart ‘Jigsaw’ Barlow (‘he goes to pieces in the box’) always made me smile. 

Worst – Ian ‘Goody’ Goodison wins no points for originality.

Chant: 

Best – Too many funny things over the years. 

Worst – Tequila, I can’t bear it!!

Manager: 

Best – Johnny King, a total legend, his team from around 1989 to 1995 was six years of absolute brilliance. 

Worst – Micky Adams – came in at a time we needed rescuing, failed utterly to do so.

Cult hero: 

Best – Graham Branch, described as having “the tactical awareness of a newborn deer”, he was actually a superb player and went on to have a great career after leaving us as well. Honourable mention for ‘Steeeeeeeve’ McNulty.

Worst – Never set the world alight as a player, but Frenchman Max Blanchard from 2010-11 loved playing for the club so much, he was a cult hero even though half the people in the crowd were probably better at football.

Hard man: 

Best – Georges Santos. Full stop. 

Worst – James Wallace – wasn’t trying to be hard, but it was a good job, as he injured himself every time he tied his laces.

Facial hair: 

Best – I’ll go for Aldo’s never changing moustache and goatee combo, or Stefan Payne’s full ‘stranded on a desert island’ look. 

Worst – Sean Flynn’s wispy top lip.

Worst hard man? ‘James Wallace, he injured himself every time he tied his laces’

• The 29 year old Liverpudlian came through the Everton academy ranks before making just over 60 appearances for Tranmere across two spells at Prenton Park.

Meeting the opposition – Salford City F.C

This weekend, Tranmere Rovers host Salford City in a League Two fixture, as they search for their first win six. The Whites’ recent run hasn’t been good enough and there are serious concerns that they will drop out of the promotion mix and the playoffs themselves if that doesn’t change soon enough. Thus, Keith Hill’s men need to beat Gary Bowyer’s Ammies.

With this game in mind, I spoke to a Salford City supporter in the form of Adam Franks. He told me about his experiences as a supporter before giving an insight into Salford’s on and off pitch positions as well as the upcoming game itself, amongst other subjects.

How long have you been a Salford City supporter and when/how did you first come across the club?

I’ve been a Salford supporter for fifteen years, my first game was back in 2006 vs FC United at The Willows. The club came across as my Nana’s next door neighbour’s son, Matthew Burke, played for the club. 

Highest and lowest points across that time?

Lowest point for me would have been the play off semi final defeat against Halifax when we got beat on penalties. Was just a cruel way to go. 

Random fact about the Ammies?

My random fact about Salford is that my stepdad, Les Whiteley, used to manage the club years ago. 

What were your expectations going into the season and what are they now the campaign’s coming to a close?

Being a football league team is still such a surreal feeling because of how far we’ve come in such a short amount of time. My expectations were to survive and hopefully challenge some of the top teams that have been up there and got a good history about themselves. 

Gary Bowyer was appointed manager last month, following the departure of Richie Wellens. It was another gaffer that was on the touchline the last time Salford hosted Tranmere, Graham Alexander. What are your thoughts on the departures of Wellens and Alexander? Also, what are your thoughts of Bowyer’s time so far?

The departure of Alexander came of a shock with the recent run of form and it being such an early start to the season. 

Wellens was a good replacement but he tried to change the full format which backfired. He went to Swindon and was handed a squad who played the formation he wanted and he tried throwing that at the lads straight away and it backfired. 

I think Bowyer will do well with these final run of games, he has to considering his contract only runs into the end of the season and I hope that the club can appoint someone on a long-term basis soon. 

Who are the club’s owners and what are your thoughts on them?

I have a lot of respect  for the owners of the club, both Class of 92, Karen Baird and the back room staff as the club wouldn’t be where they are without their constant support. 

Your danger men?

For me I have three danger men within the Salford squad, Vaclav Hladky, Ibou Touray & Ashley Hunter.

The last meeting between Salford and Tranmere ended in a 2-2 draw, in mid-October. Thoughts on that game?

I was embarrassed with our final five minutes as being 2-0 up and to only come away with one point because of two very poor late goals. 

How do you see the game panning out this weekend? (Score prediction etc) and why, if you do, do you think the game this weekend will pose more interesting questions than last time?

On the back of two wins and a loss against a strong Bolton side I see us doing well as Tranmere are still without James Vaughan who has been their target man throughout this campaign. I hope we come away with a clean sheet but it’ll be a tough game and hopefully full of goals. 

What starting eleven do you think Bowyer will select?

Hladky, Clarke, Eastham, Turnbull, Touray, Towell, Coutts, Lowe, Hunter, Brandon Thomas Asante & Henderson. 

Thoughts on Tranmere? The club in general.

Tranmere are a solid team with a very decent past record and I did think they would be challenging for promotion. I wasn’t wrong. 

Thoughts on the Ammies’ winter transfer business? That is crucial, more often than not, in determining whether the club can reach their late found ambitions.

The transfer business this season has been very good, I’ve been impressed with every player the club has brought in. 

Who is your favourite all time Salford player?

My all time favourite Salford City player has got to be Scott Burton. Scott was a solid leader in the midfield and put his heart on the line every time he stepped on the pitch. 

Midfielder Scott Burton, ‘he was a solid leader’.