TrueBlueArmy Forums

Cannot recall a time where the 3rd division has had such a wide range of clubs.

There are so many examples where the fans are frustrated because they believe they should be doing better but the clubs have fallen on hard times:

Sunderland, Sheff Wed, Pompey, Charlton, Ipswich, Bolton, Wigan........ with Derby likely to be added to the list next season!

Then there are others who relish being the minnows and regularly punch above their traditional weight:

Morecambe, Cheltenham, Wycombe, Burton, Accrington, Fleetwood, Crewe......... maybe Wigan belong in both lists?

'In between' clubs such as Rotherham, Plymouth and Oxford all have a great opportunity to make the most of their good starts and prevent the 'big boys' from escaping this division. 

Suppose part of the reason is the fall-out from the pandemic which has helped to create a level playing field to leave this division so unpredictable.

as regards clubs falling on hard times, that is almost entirely down to clubs owners gambling their future and paying silly wages on top. Yet we still have fans who think that is the way forwards.

I agree with PiD, there does seem to be a greater than usual number of 'big' clubs in the division this season, though there are usually 3 or 4. I would imagine that at least one of your list will actually go up, and be replaced by Derby. Rotherham seem a bit of yo-yo club - I guess most of us will remember the night we clinched the Div 1 title in 2003 against them. Slightly off your point, I just looked up league tables for 1998-99 - we finished 17th in Div 1, below Grimsby and Stockport, top were Sunderland, Ipswich 3rd and Bolton 6th. Div 3 was won by Brentford and Brighton finished 17th, Hull 21st (so there's hope for us yet, if not much at present.) Nearly half its teams then are now out of the EFL. Fulham won Div 2, Burnley 15th - and I just wonder how recent history might have been different if Man City had not scraped past Gillingham in extra time in the Div 2 play-off final that year. Maybe they would still be stuck there!