Bristol Rovers/Scunny/Northampton

Bristol rovers smash scunny 7-0 (SEVEN) to go up to league 1 on goals scored.

Happy for them to be honest, I liked their fans.

Scunny are beyond an embarrassment.

Karma for Northampton after 05/06 and their fans reaction. Cnuts.

(This is assuming Rovers fans get off the pitch so the game can restart)

Not over yet, but unlikely Scunts will score.

Scunts gone without a fight!

All over.

Incredible.

There's something very dodgy about Bristol Rovers fans delaying the game enough to know that Northampton didn't get a 4th goal, as non deliberate as it was.

I mean had the games been playing alongside Bristol Rovers wouldn't have known that 7 was enough, as they could not have guaranteed that Northampton wouldn't score again. By delaying the game they knew they could sit on 7.

There's nothing you can do about it, you can't stop so many fans invading the pitch and the delays caused. But Bristol Rovers fans have given their own side a subtle advantage there. If I were a Northampton player/fan I'd be very upset. Great drama anyhow

Level points should be split by head to head record in my opinion. Then GD, then goals scored  Having beaten Northampton twice in the league, Bristol Rovers deserve to go up. Fair play to them and as someone else said, the schadenfreude after their reaction in 05/06 feels pretty good

Why does this BR result feel like brown envelopes to me.

Quoted from Meza

Why does this BR result feel like brown envelopes to me.

Is Swanny that hard up?

Quoted from FishGY

There's something very dodgy about Bristol Rovers fans delaying the game enough to know that Northampton didn't get a 4th goal, as non deliberate as it was.

I mean had the games been playing alongside Bristol Rovers wouldn't have known that 7 was enough, as they could not have guaranteed that Northampton wouldn't score again. By delaying the game they knew they could sit on 7.

There's nothing you can do about it, you can't stop so many fans invading the pitch and the delays caused. But Bristol Rovers fans have given their own side a subtle advantage there. If I were a Northampton player/fan I'd be very upset. Great drama anyhow

‘Game management’ from the fans, you’ve gotta love that.

Quoted from FishGY

There's something very dodgy about Bristol Rovers fans delaying the game enough to know that Northampton didn't get a 4th goal, as non deliberate as it was.

I mean had the games been playing alongside Bristol Rovers wouldn't have known that 7 was enough, as they could not have guaranteed that Northampton wouldn't score again. By delaying the game they knew they could sit on 7.

There's nothing you can do about it, you can't stop so many fans invading the pitch and the delays caused. But Bristol Rovers fans have given their own side a subtle advantage there. If I were a Northampton player/fan I'd be very upset. Great drama anyhow

Upset that your team didn’t do enough to get automatic promotion…hardly Rovers fans fault.

Anyone else you’d have been cynical enough to think scunny have taken money but we’ve seen how abject they’ve been all year to know it’s more than believable they’d get twatted today…

Why would you need to pay the worst team in the Football League off?  

Quoted from Meza

Why does this BR result feel like brown envelopes to me.

Scunthorpe had 7 teenagers out, they were always gonna get tonked. Imagine they're the recipients of much Cobblers ire right now

Quoted from immariner

Scunthorpe had 7 teenagers out, they were always gonna get tonked. Imagine they're the recipients of much Cobblers ire right now

Good. I dislike Northampton nearly as much as I dislike Scunny, personally.

Quoted from immariner

Scunthorpe had 7 teenagers out, they were always gonna get tonked. Imagine they're the recipients of much Cobblers ire right now

makes you wonder though, anyway scunts got tonked so thats a bonus haha.

Yes it looks like they fielded the local secondary school team including in goal.
Are their investigations likely on for this?? A nice points  deduction to start next season with?  

Well that was a really good Swan Song.
What a way to leave the football league.
Need to check the odds for another relegation for them next season.

http://www.thehotelend.co.uk/
From the Northampton forum. Solid gold

Sorry the link didn't work. Go "Cobblers corner"/"can i just say"

Scunny streight down next season me thinks.

Quoted from Meza

Why does this BR result feel like brown envelopes to me.

Fielding a team with lots of kids in a game with so much at stake for the other club could well see Northampton raise a complaint.

Quoted from Jackal

Yes it looks like they fielded the local secondary school team including in goal.  

The keeper is a future England international, according to Keith Hill last week. 😮

The top of League two has been really close this year.

Looking at the table had Bristol Rovers lost today they wouldn’t have made the playoffs!

Our 43 points last season would have been enough to avoid relegation this season.

Have to say that with just 4 wins all season and a measly 26 points, it looks like there is absolutely nothing to build on at Scunny.

They will need a complete new squad to stand any chance of avoiding back to back relegation. the National league is rough and competitive, no place fro a team of kids that's for sure.

Quoted from Marinerdan

The top of League two has been really close this year.

Looking at the table had Bristol Rovers lost today they wouldn’t have made the playoffs!

And had they won 6-0 today they would have been in the play-offs!

Objectively VERY funny, but Kieth Hill is completely out of order for effectively putting out a youth team in game where the opposition need at least 5 clear goals. The Memorial Ground’s a hard place to go at the best of times, but it would’ve been absolute murder today, and you’re handing out debuts, playing second year scholars and putting a 17-year-old in nets. Couldn’t care less about Northampton or the integrity of the game, but that could absolutely fúck those young lads - the young keeper apparently got punched in the pitch invasion.

Hate to think how many times that keeper is going to get told about Ray Clemence.

Quoted from ska face

Objectively VERY funny, but Kieth Hill is completely out of order for effectively putting out a youth team in game where the opposition need at least 5 clear goals. The Memorial Ground’s a hard place to go at the best of times, but it would’ve been absolute murder today, and you’re handing out debuts, playing second year scholars and putting a 17-year-old in nets. Couldn’t care less about Northampton or the integrity of the game, but that could absolutely fúck those young lads - the young keeper apparently got punched in the pitch invasion.

Future England No1 according to the comedian.

One reason and one reason only why these kids are being given first team games and bigged up in the media; it increases their value at tribunal or makes a club pay an obscene amount for them to hoard in their U23s.

Maybe 2 reasons, Keith Hill probably earns a percentage of transfer income too.

The future is very, very concerning for them.

Quoted from Jackal

Yes it looks like they fielded the local secondary school team including in goal.
Are their investigations likely on for this?? A nice points  deduction to start next season with?  

Looks like they fielded an under strength side,but on the other hand you could argue they have been all season.

Haven’t looked into it in detail but apparently they have been playing the kids for the last month to avoid having to pay senior pros appearance money, goal bonuses (😂) etc.

So doubt they will get into trouble on that basis.

Scunts were shite. Bristol is kicking off tonight it’s chaos, we had a couple of Mariners chants.

Football, eh. Just when you think you have seen everything something else incredible pops up!

I thought the most amazing thing this season was Reading coming from 1-4 down with half an hour to go against Swansea to earn a point and send Derby down. But I think 5 second half goals to get promotion on goals scored just about pips it.

Even if it was against the Scunts!

I wonder if Northampton will be able to pick themselves up after this in the play offs.

Just seen the highlights - that was some very poor goalkeeping.  If I was a Northampton fan I'd be fuming.  I'm happy for Bristol Rovers - good club, and they did what they had to do.... but that was pisspoor from Scunthorpe and that team they put out was a lack of respect for the other teams in that league.

One other thing though - just imagine if it was Town sticking 7 past Scunthorpe to get promoted and them relegated!!!  Bliss.

I think a travel warning should be issued - advising people from Scunthorpe not to travel to the Northampton area unless absolutely essential.

Could argue that Northampton were only playing Barrow, hardly world beaters and concede a lot of goals, they then conceded and didn’t score enough. Rovers didn’t pick the fixtures, it just happens that their last game was against the worst team by a country mile…

Quoted from aldi_01

Could argue that Northampton were only playing Barrow, hardly world beaters and concede a lot of goals, they then conceded and didn’t score enough. Rovers didn’t pick the fixtures, it just happens that their last game was against the worst team by a country mile…

i think personally there is a little bit more to this though, like Scunny fielding their weakest team of the season alot of U18s (maybe preparing for next season to use them), and if rumours are true about an additional payment for Loft on BR getting promoted.  Some might say that looks a bit dodgy after all JB isn't really a nice honest guy and neither is Swann.

Quoted from Meza

i think personally there is a little bit more to this though, like Scunny fielding their weakest team of the season alot of U18s (maybe preparing for next season to use them), and if rumours are true about an additional payment for Loft on BR getting promoted.  Some might say that looks a bit dodgy after all JB isn't really a nice honest guy and neither is Swann.

Surely not...they could get the book thrown at them.

Quoted from Limerick Mariner

Surely not...they could get the book thrown at them.

I dont think the EFL give a crap if i'm honest.  Unless a complaint comes from Northampton.  I cant remember where i read up about this, it might have been on here, twitter.  Its probably bullcrap anyway.

I read somewhere on Twitter Scunny are looking at making a complaint that during the pitch invasion a Brizzle fan threw a punch at their keeper.


Luckily he thought it was the ball and so he dived out of the way.

Quoted from tashee69

The keeper is a future England international, according to Keith Hill last week. 😮

I'd really like him to be signed by a big club and sent on loan to Northampton...

Quoted from Yossarian

Just seen the highlights - that was some very poor goalkeeping.  If I was a Northampton fan I'd be fuming.  I'm happy for Bristol Rovers - good club, and they did what they had to do.... but that was pisspoor from Scunthorpe and that team they put out was a lack of respect for the other teams in that league.

One other thing though - just imagine if it was Town sticking 7 past Scunthorpe to get promoted and them relegated!!!  Bliss.

I was there when Town did put 7 past Scunny.

Quoted from arryarryarry

I was there when Town did put 7 past Scunny.

With Clemence in goal and a young lad called Keegan playing .Whatever happened to him 😁

That keeper was bad!! After every goal he tried getting the ball to slow Bristol down but he couldn't even keep hold of the ball then

Quoted from arryarryarry

I was there when Town did put 7 past Scunny.

Me too.... although I only saw two of our goals

It was back in the day when you could get in for free at half time so that was when I went along with my dad for lots of games then....  

I see Northampton have now raised an official complaint.

https://www.theguardian.com/fo.....tol-rovers-promotion

Not sure if this has been mentioned but apparently the only time Bristol Rovers were in an automatic promotion place this season, was on Saturday at about 4:45pm!

I’m actually sort of inclined to stick up for Scunny here. It’s not their job to worry about the integrity of the league or any of that stuff, it’s Keith Hill’s job to think about the future of their team. He’s put the young pros into the fire to see how they manage, and whilst he might have been underwhelmed, would his stellar first team have done any better? There are arguments to say no.

And anyway, the majority of that 1st team squad will be gone, he’s probably had those conversations already - he’ll have probably got more commitment from the young ‘uns on the day.

Their budget is probably going to be modest next season, and he knows those youngsters might be relied upon more in the conference than in the league if they’d stayed up.

Quoted from Norseman

With Clemence in goal and a young lad called Keegan playing .Whatever happened to him 😁

Keegan didn't play in that game. The 7-1 game was in 1966, Keegan didn't make his Scunny debut until 1968.

Quoted from Les Brechin

Not sure if this has been mentioned but apparently the only time Bristol Rovers were in an automatic promotion place this season, was on Saturday at about 4:45pm!

Something very similar happened to us but the other way round and it was a Northampton goal that initially knocked us out of it (obviously Leyton Orient made it worse a minute later). Northampton celebrated massively and made sure we knew all about it on the day, so when I saw what happened to them on Saturday I took a moment to remember what they must be going through...







and I flipping drunk myself

Quoted from Yossarian

I see Northampton have now raised an official complaint.

https://www.theguardian.com/fo.....tol-rovers-promotion

I don't think Northampton have a leg to stand on here, Scunny have been playing a weakend side since game one  

But in seriousness, they dumped the majority of their senior squad for a number of weeks now, with more and more under 18s getting more and more game time as Keith Hill prepares for a budgetless season next year

Quoted from Heisenberg

I’m actually sort of inclined to stick up for Scunny here. It’s not their job to worry about the integrity of the league or any of that stuff, it’s Keith Hill’s job to think about the future of their team. He’s put the young pros into the fire to see how they manage, and whilst he might have been underwhelmed, would his stellar first team have done any better? There are arguments to say no.

And anyway, the majority of that 1st team squad will be gone, he’s probably had those conversations already - he’ll have probably got more commitment from the young ‘uns on the day.

Their budget is probably going to be modest next season, and he knows those youngsters might be relied upon more in the conference than in the league if they’d stayed up.

Keith Hill did show his hand last week on RH

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0c0s53m

3:05 or thereabouts and he says some clubs won’t be happy but that the season is not just about one game 🤔

I think the EFL could start going through Keith Hills line-ups with a fine tooth comb and having a look at his contract because I bet he financially benefits from transfer fees of these players whilst he's manager. If the likes of Dan Gallimore, Finn Shrimpton etc decide to go somewhere else instead of signing a contract at Scunthorpe, their EFL appearances will significantly increase their tribunal fee and ultimately Mr Hills bonus.

The small matter of allegedly being due £50k for Ryan Lofts if Rovers got promoted also adds weight to things.

The rules are a recommendation and I'd hazard there are other things in there about fielding a strong team. I accept that their first team players have been terrible but on paper, they have considerably more experience and I don't think you can legitimately say first year scholars are first team players. Has this future England No1 of theirs actually played for England at any age levels or is it just more public hyperbole to boost his eventual transfer fee too?

I know the complaint is with the EFL and Scunthorpe aren't under their jurisdiction as of Saturday evening but I wouldn't be surprised to see them heavily fined and starting next season with a points deduction; if they get that far.

As for Bristol Rovers, result will probably stand but they I think they will get fined for not controlling their fans.

The rules say you must have ten outfield players on the team sheet (including subs) who were on the previous team sheet. Scunny did that, albeit with at least two of those players on the bench. So they adhered to the rules.

They made three changes to the starting 11, when perhaps they could have left a couple of the experienced players   in the starting line up, but there is nothing illegal about that.

So though they undoubtedly put out a very weak team, it was within the rules.  Just.

Be interesting to learn more regarding the Ryan Lofts payment.

If Northampton hadn't conceded a goal when they were 3-0 up on Saturday they'd have been promoted.

Moan as much as you like lads, I'd be 1-10000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 the result stands.

Quoted from RonMariner

Be interesting to learn more regarding the Ryan Lofts payment.

I hear there going through the roof.

The club have insulated themselves from any criticism.

Didn't he used to be a central defender, then he became a striker.

That was a Lofts conversion.

His fee can't go above 50k. There's a ceiling on it.

Quoted from RonMariner

The rules say you must have ten outfield players on the team sheet (including subs) who were on the previous team sheet. Scunny did that, albeit with at least two of those players on the bench. So they adhered to the rules.

They made three changes to the starting 11, when perhaps they could have left a couple of the experienced players   in the starting line up, but there is nothing illegal about that.

So though they undoubtedly put out a very weak team, it was within the rules.  Just.

Not sure that's true. A few years back, a PL team (I think Wolves) were fined for fielding a weakened side against one of the top teams when they had a 6 pointer a few days later. Don't know if those rules still apply or are valid in the EFL, but unlikely to be anything come of it since they've been doing that for weeks and not just that game.

Quoted from pen penfras

Not sure that's true. A few years back, a PL team (I think Wolves) were fined for fielding a weakened side against one of the top teams when they had a 6 pointer a few days later. Don't know if those rules still apply or are valid in the EFL, but unlikely to be anything come of it since they've been doing that for weeks and not just that game.

Didn't Villa do it against Liverpool in the League Cup and got fined? I seem to recall their weakened side beat Liverpool though but my memory may be tricking me.

Weakened side or not, it wouldn’t have mattered which side scunny put out, there was always a good chance they’d get pumped by rovers Becauee they’ve been flipping abject all season.

Northampton were hardly playing a side that were water tight defensively…

Quote [Scunthorpe made three changes from their previous game against Hartlepool]

For me scunthorpe have done nothing wrong because of the above. If they hadn't have fielded any of the 8 that started againnstt Bristol in the previous game then I'd 100% believe Northampton have a case.

Quoted from pen penfras

Not sure that's true. A few years back, a PL team (I think Wolves) were fined for fielding a weakened side against one of the top teams when they had a 6 pointer a few days later. Don't know if those rules still apply or are valid in the EFL, but unlikely to be anything come of it since they've been doing that for weeks and not just that game.

EFL rules of at least 10 players must feature from the previous match are over a squad of 18.
So "legally" 7 new players could start, whilst 7 "old-previous" players could sit on the bench.
The rules got tightened up due to the Birmingham v Huddersfield clash where H had already made playoffs and rested their first squad, playing B who needed a win to survive the drop.
B won, and survived, H had a rested team for playoffs and got promoted. The EFL defined what a "full-strength team" was, which is now the rule.
I'm not sure what the rules are in the National League, but if Town are in a lucky position of playoffs and needs to rest the squad, I would hope PH uses it to the full.

Quoted from GrimPol

.
I'm not sure what the rules are in the National League, but if Town are in a lucky position of playoffs and needs to rest the squad, I would hope PH uses it to the full.

Sadly, no matter what result happens tonight, we're playing for something on sunday so we can't really risk it. Unless we win something crazy like 10-0 tonight, but even then it isn't worth the risk.

Quoted from lukeo

Sadly, no matter what result happens tonight, we're playing for something on sunday so we can't really risk it. Unless we win something crazy like 10-0 tonight, but even then it isn't worth the risk.

A point or a win tonight and we make the play-offs; the only thing to play for on Sunday would be 6th place.

It looks likely given final day fixtures that 7th with travel to Halifax whilst 6th will travel to Notts County. Given that the winner of 4th v 7th avoids a trip to Wrexham, I’m fairly indifferent as to which place is most advantageous.

Assuming we get something tonight I don’t think we’ll see wholesale changes against Eastleigh but I do think we might see a couple rested, the likes of Taylor for instance, and perhaps a final, sentimental run out for Macca.

When we played Tranmere the year we went up I remember Hurst playing a proper mish mash…even Warrington was in goal…

For me you'd have to look back when they started to make a lot of changes, and if each of the changes falls under the rules then fine.

Quoted from pen penfras

Not sure that's true. A few years back, a PL team (I think Wolves) were fined for fielding a weakened side against one of the top teams when they had a 6 pointer a few days later. Don't know if those rules still apply or are valid in the EFL, but unlikely to be anything come of it since they've been doing that for weeks and not just that game.

Just repeating what was in the article. It says they were within the rules.

However, even if it's within the rules regarding the numbers, I do wonder if it's permissible to give a young kid his debut in goal in such a situation. Maybe it's within the letter, but not the spirit of the rules.

I remember one year when we played Newport in the last game of the season. They had already secured their place in the play offs. They made loads of changes, 8 I think, and we beat then 3-0.

We played them four days later in the playoffs, and they fielded almost an entirely different side and beat us 1-0.

If they had played their strongest team in the league game and won, I might be wrong but I don't think we would have made the playoffs.

Quoted from RonMariner

I remember one year when we played Newport in the last game of the season. They had already secured their place in the play offs. They made loads of changes, 8 I think, and we beat then 3-0.

We played them four days later in the playoffs, and they fielded almost an entirely different side and beat us 1-0.

If they had played their strongest team in the league game and won, I might be wrong but I don't think we would have made the playoffs.

We made the play-offs by a clear 13 points that season. It was a dead rubber, but from memory they were quite happy to give us the points not only to keep their players fresh, but because they fancied playing us over Wrexham. I’m sure someone from their camp rather brazenly said as much at the time.

The late Justin Edinburgh was their manager.

Back in the day(early 70's) I remember when Leeds had to play a league match a couple of days before a European Cup semi final against Celtic so they played their reserves and lost 4-1.

The FA went crazy, and forced them to play several games the following season behind closed doors as a punishment. They did pretty badly in those games and so it probably went a long way to costing them the league title.

Today of course the top teams have massive squads and make changes willy-nilly whenever they like.