From The Ground Up

With Chesterfield set to crown their debut season in the b2net Stadium as League Two champions, Nobes looks at how other clubs did after they move grounds.

John Sheridan' Chesterfield are on course to win the League Two title this season

So serene has Chesterfield's unflagging quest for the League Two title been that it's easy to forget the Derbyshire side and focus instead on the more competitive areas of the basement division.

It's a sign of just how imperious John Sheridan's men have been in a campaign that will surely see them crowned as worthy League Two winners and end their four year spell in the basement division.

Even more impressively, it has been done despite leaving their home of years in Saltergate and having to adjust to the new surroundings of the b2net Stadium.

However, as I reported earlier in the campaign, the move seems to have been the catalyst behind Chesterfield's renaissance for a dream debut season.

Not every club has welcomed a new ground in such a positive manner though. Here's my look on how it worked out for some of the others.


Oxford United 2001/2

The Oxen were relegated to League Two in their last season at the Manor Ground and hopes were high that they'd bounce back at the first attempt.

However, life in their new three-sided Kassam Stadium was difficult - losing their first two games in a campaign where they struggled towards the bottom and changed managers.

United ended the season in 21st - winning as many matches at home as they lost.


Leicester City - 2002/3

Having waved goodbye to Filbert Street by crashing out of the top flight, the financially troubled Foxes moved into the Walkers Stadium hoping for a change in fortunes.

And they got it. With a little help from a very generous CVA arrangement, City bounced back to the Premier League at the first time of asking as runners-up to Portsmouth.

Leicester won 16 games and lost just twice on their own patch as it served as the foundation for an impressive promotion under Micky Adams.

Leicester won promotion in their first season at the Walkers Stadium

Hull City - 2003

Hull made the unusual step of switching from their Boothferry Park home to the KC Stadium midway through an underwhelming 2002/3 season.

However, having got to grips with their new surroundings in the second half of their mid-table campaign, the Tigers made amends in 2003/4.

They finished as runners-up to Doncaster to gain promotion to League One with a record of 16 wins and three defeats at their new home.


Coventry City - 2005/6

The Sky Blues signed off from their Highfield Road ground with a 6-2 win and began life in the Ricoh Arena with a 3-0 victory.

However, while their final year at their old ground saw them flirt with the drop, their inaugural campaign at the Ricoh saw them post their best finish to date during ten years in the Championship.

Micky Adams's side won 12 and lost just four of their home matches that season and ended up in 8th.


Swansea City - 2005/6

Ending their final campaign at the Vetch Field by winning promotion to League One, the Swans set about welcoming in their new Liberty Stadium in the same fashion.

Kenny Jackett's men were amongst the front runners all season, albeit a late dip in form saw them having to settle for a place in the play offs.

No third tier side scored more goals at home that year than the Welsh club, who won 11 and lost just three on their own patch. They went on to be defeated on penalties by Barnsley in the play off final.

It was nearly a second successive promotion for the Swans at their new home

Doncaster Rovers - 2007

Like Hull, Rovers decided to opt for the mid-season switch as they changed grounds from the antiquated Belle Vue to the more modern and plush Keepmoat Stadium.

They ended the 2006/7 season in mid table before winning promotion to the second tier for the first time in half a century 12 months later.

Donny won 14 and lost five in their first full campaign at the Keepmoat, eventually succeeding through the play offs with a Wembley win against Leeds.


Milton Keynes Dons - 2007/8

The forerunners of Chesterfield. The Dons finally vacated the National Hockey Stadium and moved into their own home in 2007.

The new stadium:mk was given a rude awakening when Bury rolled into town and beat the Dons in its first match. Indeed, four other sides won there that year.

However, Paul Ince's men did win 11 on their own patch, and their formidable away record helped propel them to a double of the League Two title and Football League Trophy.


Shrewsbury Town 2007/8

Salop had gone out with a bang at their Gay Meadow home, reaching the play off final at Wembley - where they had lost to Bristol Rovers.

They were confident of building upon that when making the move to the New Meadow, and even opened up their new ground with four successive victories.

However, that bright start soon evaporated and they finished the campaign in a hugely disappointing 18th with nine wins and eight defeats in their new home.

Shrewsbury didn't do as well as expected when moving to the New Meadow

Colchester United - 2008/9

Having punched above their weight in the Championship for two seasons at Layer Road, the Essex outfit began life in their new stadium in League One.

However, a poor start to the season saw it take them seven matches to record a victory at the Weston Homes Community Stadium.

That sluggish opening saw them end the campaign in mid table, with just seven wins and 12 defeats in their new surroundings.


Cardiff City - 2009/10

A disastrous end to the previous season had seen the Bluebirds depart from Ninian Park with a 3-0 loss and agonisingly missing out on the end of season play offs.

They bounced back in fine style though, winning their first two games at their new stadium 4-0 and 3-0.

It was to remain a fortress for them, with 12 wins and five losses in a season which took them to Wembley and a Championship play off final defeat against Blackpool.


Morecambe - 2010/11

Like Chesterfield, the Shrimps also began this season in new surroundings. However, they have found life a lot harder than their League Two rivals.

Finishing 4th in their last season at Christie Park and qualifying for the play offs, they had hoped to continue from where they left off at their new Globe Arena.

To date though they've won six and lost eight at the new stadium and are languishing in 15th. A far cry from last season's home form of 14 wins and three defeats.

Three Is A Magic Number?

As Bristol Rovers appoint Stuart Campbell as their third manager of the season, Nobes looks at how other sides who went through as many bosses during a campaign fared.

Dave Penney has been shown the exit by Bristol Rovers after two months

When Dave Penney reflects on his managerial career, it will include a tale of two Rovers. At the first, Doncaster, he established his reputation as a promising young coach.

He led Donny back into the Football League in 2003 before taking them to the League Two title a year later. He then consolidated the Yorkshire side in the third tier.

At Bristol Rovers, however, he hardly had time to get his feet under the desk. The 46-year-old took charge of just 13 matches at the Memorial Stadium as he struggled to turn around the League One outfit's fortunes.

Just two wins and nine defeats - conceding 28 goals along the way - later and the Gas had shown him the door, handing senior player Stuart Campbell the job until the end of the term.

He began his reign with a 1-0 win at Tranmere in midweek, taking the West Country outfit to within a couple of points of safety.

Not that having three different managers during the campaign is an ideal scenario. It paints a picture of instability and panic, pinning blame on one man rather than looking at collective responsibility.

Rovers are banking on their latest switch making the difference though, but what do the history books tell us about sides going through three different bosses in just one season?


Exeter City 2002/3

He now drives a milk tanker around Devon but, at the start of the 2002/3 season, John Cornforth [pictured] was in charge at Exeter.

As boss at St James Park though, he failed to deliver, and was removed from his position at the start of October.

The Grecians, just three points above the drop zone, turned to rookie Neil McNab.

However, the Scot managed just three wins from 20 games and with City rock bottom at the beginning of March he was axed.

Former Preston boss Gary Peters was drafted in for the last 13 games to try and save the Grecians.

Result: Despite collecting 20 points under Peters, City ended up 23rd, just a single point off safety, and were relegated to the Conference.



Northampton Town 2002/3

Cobblers had only narrowly avoided the drop the previous year - when they had turned to Kevan Broadhurst to replace Kevin Wilson.

However, the boot was on the other foot a season later, when Broadhurst was given the push and in came former England international Terry Fenwick [pictured].

His reign lasted just seven games though - five losses and two draws - dumping Town to a point off the bottom of League One.

Chief Scout Martin Wilkinson then assumed control for the last 13 matches of the season.

Result: Wilkinson hardly fared any better. Cobblers finished bottom of the division, a full 11 points from safety.



Macclesfield Town 2003/4

Macc began the season under the stewardship of David Moss, but after a third of the campaign found themselves only out of the drop zone on goal difference.

In came club legend and assistant boss John Askey into the top job.

However, he struggled to lift the Cheshire side out of relegation danger.

With seven games of the season remaining, and the Silkmen three points adrift of safety, he was moved back down to assist veteran manager Brian Horton [pictured].

Result: Collecting 13 points from 21, the experienced hand of Horton ensured Macc beat the drop comfortably in the end.



Millwall 2005/6

The Lions had already got through one manager before pre season had even ended.

Steve Claridge was swiftly removed after 36 days over concerns about his managerial style and the club's prospects for the season.

Ex-Wolves boss Colin Lee was drafted in, but Millwall struggled towards the bottom.

When he left just before Christmas the club were bottom of the Championship and five points from safety.

His assistant, and former Lions player, David Tuttle [pictured] then took over the reins with more than half the season to keep them up.

Result: That worrying pre-season proved correct, with Millwall finishing the season second bottom, and relegated with two games of the season still to play.



Torquay United 2006/7

Only a late great escape had saved the Gulls from relegation to the Conference in the previous campaign.

It had been engineered by Ian Atkins, who led the side into the new season.

However, a bright start soon evaporated and he was given the boot by new owner Chris Roberts with United just outside the bottom two.

Roberts hired former Czech Republic international Lubos Kubik to take over, but his disastrous reign saw the Devonians collect just a single win from 12 matches.

By the time Keith Curle [pictured] took over in February, Torquay were rock bottom and five shy of safety.

Result: Curle guided the side to two wins from 15 as they crashed to a dismal relegation to the Conference.



Leicester City 2007/8

Milan Mandaric hailed the summer appointment of Martin Allen [pictured] at the Foxes - then parted company with him after just three games.

Next up was Gary Megson, but it was roles reversed when Megson walked out on the club after just 40 days to join Bolton.

Mandaric then turned to Plymouth's Ian Holloway to bring some much needed stability.

With more than 30 games of the campaign remaining he was charged with guiding the club up the league table.

Result: Only he didn't. The goal-shy Foxes were permanently staving off the drop until, on the final day, slipping into the bottom three and being relegated.



Bournemouth 2008/9

A ten point deduction had resulted in Kevin Bond's men being relegated to League Two in 2008.

They then had the daunting prospect of beginning the season on minus 18 points.

Failure to win in their first four games saw him axed and ex-Cherries striker Jimmy Quinn being brought in to win their fight against the drop.

By the end of 2008, although back in positive numbers, they still sat seven points adrift of third bottom with half of the season remaining.

Popular former player and Quinn's assistant Eddie Howe [pictured] was thrown into a baptism of fire to keep the Dorset side up.

Result: The rest is history. The 29-year-old rookie garnered 39 points in the second half of the campaign as Bournemouth comfortably stayed up in the end.



Queens Park Rangers 2009/10

The revolving door was in full spin at Loftus Road as Rangers kept up their extraordinary managerial turnover last term.

Jim Magilton [pictured] began the campaign, with the Rs picking up after a slow start to be in contention for the play offs.

An alleged dressing room bust up saw Magilton leave and Paul Hart in as his replacement.

Hart's reign lasted just four matches though before he resigned.

Caretaker Mick Harford presided over Rangers slumping into the bottom five and were just three points above the drop zone when Neil Warnock was appointed.

Result: The outspoken Yorkshireman quickly turned things around in West London, and QPR ended up in 13th - well clear of any relegation danger.



Peterborough United 2009/10

Posh had just won back-to-back promotions into the Championship under Darren Ferguson's management.

A poor start that saw them bottom after 16 games led to the Scot being fired.

He was followed by Kettering boss Mark Cooper, [pictured] plucked from the Non Leagues.

His nightmare tenure only produced one win from 12, and he was given the push in January.

Jim Gannon was the next in the hot seat but, despite a relatively productive spell, he turned down the chance to stay on at London Road.

Result: Gannon's final game saw Peterborough condemned to relegation and Gary Johnson took over for the last four matches of the season.



Notts County 2009/10

Big-spending County were everyone's tips for the League Two title last term.

An inconsistent start saw the club's ambitious owners axe Ian McParland with the club only in the play offs.

They brought in Swede Hans Backe, [pictured] a close friend of Director of Football Sven-Goran Eriksson.

However, after a similarly erratic tenure, he was gone by the time the club's ownership fell through and a new regime turned to Steve Cotterill.

Result: Cotterill picked up the pieces, got the best squad in the division to play to their maximum, and an incredible late run took them to the predicted title.


Sheffield United 2010/11

Like Rovers, United are onto their third manager of the campaign.

The early sacking of Kevin Blackwell [pictured] was then followed by a four-month spell at the helm by Gary Speed.

When he quit for Wales though, they turned to Port Vale boss and proud Sheffielder Micky Adams.

He has struggled to turn around the club's fortunes though, and they currently look likely to be relegated to League One.

The Gas will hope to not suffer a similar fate.

Like The Fox On The Run

With Leicester City surging into promotion contention in the Championship, Nobes looks at other clubs who have come up with a late run to win promotion.

Sven-Goran Eriksson's Leicester are the form side in the Championship

Sure, Steve Claridge may have predicted as much on the BBC's The Football League Show, but so did our very own Doctor Lakes last month - Leicester City are on the march.

In fact, since Sven-Goran Eriksson took charge at the Walkers, no Championship side has done better than the Foxes with the Swede collecting 43 points from his 22 games at the helm.

Now lying 7th and just five points off the top two, City, who were propping up the rest of the division in the first few weeks under Paulo Sousa, are firmly in the promotion mix.

After his team's recent 4-1 loss in the East Midlands, Barnsley boss Mark Robins declared Leicester the best side in the division - and current form backs his judgement.

Should they indeed gain entry back to the Premier League though, they won't be the first side to win promotion off the back of a storming second half season run.

Here's my look at how some of their potential predecessors managed to do it.


Birmingham City - 2001/2

Perennial top six candidates, Birmingham parted company with long-serving boss Trevor Francis in 2001.

They then made an enemy for life in Simon Jordan in poaching Crystal Palace boss Steve Bruce to turn around their fortunes.

However, with nine games of the season remaining, it appeared promotion in his first season at the helm would be beyond former Blues player Bruce.

Not so. A combination of a late run coupled with rivals Preston, Burnley, and Coventry wobbling saw City get back into contention.

Five wins and four draws from their remaining matches secured 5th place and a shot in the play-offs.

There they saw off Millwall over two legs. Then they recovered from a goal behind to defeat Norwich on penalties in the final at the Millennium Stadium and reach the Premier League for the first time in their history.



Wrexham - 2002/3

When the Red Dragons went down to a loss at struggling Exeter at the beginning of March they were still just three points off 3rd in a congested top half of League Two.

However, they were a mammoth 21 points behind league leaders Hartlepool with only 42 points left to play for.

They dropped just eight of those points though, winning ten and drawing four, to finish the season promoted in 3rd.

They ended up three points off top of the table Rushden, a single point behind Hartlepool, and with the largest goal difference in the league.

It earned boss Denis Smith the Manager of the Year award in the basement division. In truth, had the season gone of for a couple more weeks, Wrexham would have been crowned Champions.

Remember when this man used to have the Midas touch? No, seriously.

Crystal Palace - 2003/4

God bless Iain Dowie.

You don't hear those words very often, but the remarkable run his Crystal Palace team went on in 2004 has provided great comfort to many a Championship club and boss since.

Should their side be struggling at Christmas, you can guarantee - in an appeal for more time to turn things around - that they will mention the dramatic turnaround in fortunes Dowie engineered in South London.

True, the Eagles were in the relegation zone at the start of December, but soon surged up the table until, with ten games left, they were just five points shy of the top six.

In those last ten, they won seven and drew one to end up 6th, having only moved into the play off positions for the first time in the penultimate round of fixtures.

Once in the play offs they saw off Sunderland on penalties in the semi finals before earning a sweet victory over Capital rivals West Ham in the final to end the season promoted to the top flight.



Sunderland - 2006/7

It was a run which made Roy Keane a legend on Wearside and established managerial credentials gradually destroyed over 18 months as Ipswich manager.

Still, before we discovered Keane's scouting network was reserved simply for former players, Irishmen, or Manchester United youngsters, he seemed to have the Midas touch in 2007.

The Black Cats rounded off 2006 sitting in 12th after a 1-0 loss to Preston at the Stadium Of Light. They sat six points off the play offs and a massive 16 behind leaders Birmingham.

However, in their final 20 games, Keane's charges won 16 and drew 3 to oust Birmingham from the top after game 42 and stay there to secure the league title and promotion.

The original late run and Blackpool play off win came under Simon Grayson

Blackpool - 2006/7

If Ian Holloway guiding Blackpool to play off success last term was a surprise, their promotion in 2007 was every bit as unexpected, and owed much to a good late run.

The Seasiders had only just avoided relegation the previous season and seemed to be in for a year of mid table mediocrity in League One.

A loss to Millwall in the back end of the campaign left them 10th, a full 12 points off second place.

However, Simon Grayson's men then went on a storming run of 11 wins and two draws to end up in 3rd spot, just two points off promoted Bristol City.

In truth, there was only going to be one winner in the play offs that season. Blackpool swotted aside Oldham in the semi finals before putting surprise package Yeovil to the sword 2-0 in the final.



Bristol Rovers - 2006/7

Clearly 2007 was the year of late runs, with Bristol Rovers filling that particular role in the basement division to win promotion.

When the Gas suffered a 2-1 defeat at Boston, they sat 16th in League Two with only 11 games of the season remaining.

Nobody could have envisaged what was to happen next. Rovers discovered a run of form and won eight and drew two in the run-in.

It culminated in them finishing 6th and they saw off play off veterans Lincoln over two legs to make the final.

There a 3-1 win at Wembley over Shrewsbury secured them the most unlikeliest of promotions to the third tier.

Coming to a concert hall near you soon - Phil Brown on top of the world in 2008

Hull City - 2007/8

Remember when Phil Brown wasn't known for being that eccentric orange-skinned man who enjoys berating his players on the pitch and singing badly?

I know, it seems hard to believe now, but Brown was making a name for himself in East Yorkshire - first saving Hull from relegation from the Championship and then progressing them up the table.

When they lost to table topping Bristol City at the beginning of March, the Tigers sat 11 points off 3rd place with 12 games of the campaign left to play.

Eight of those games were won, and another drawn, as Brown guided City to 3rd place, just four points behind promoted Stoke.

They went into the play offs strong favourites and, after casting aside Watford over two legs, a 1-0 win over, appropriately, Bristol City secured them top flight status for the first time in the club's history.



Notts County - 2009/10

Now, you might be spotting a pattern here - as well as rejoicing that we have the play offs in English football. Late run of form, qualify for play offs, win them.

You're not wrong. However, in the case of Notts County they didn't leave their chances to the end of season lottery.

In truth, County had been the title favourites last season with an expensively assembled squad that nobody thought they could afford - and they were right. They were also right about them winning the league though.

Notts did it the hard way, however. Their third manager of the season, Steve Cotterill, took over at Meadow Lane with them 7th in the division, trailing leaders Rochdale by a full 14 points.

In Cotterill's 18 games in charge, the Magpies won 14 and drew three of them. Coupled with Dale imploding, they secured the title by a decisive ten point margin.



While 14 games may be too few for Sven's men to close the ten point gap separating them and Championship leaders QPR, current form suggests that just points, rather than any other sides, will separate the Foxes and the Rs come May.

Doctor Lakes - Leicester City

Here at Soccer AM/MW, we were relieved to learn that the Coalition Government weren't planning any cuts for the NHS.

Why? Because we didn't lose the services of our very own Doctor Lakes.

Some might say he's a danger to his patients, regularly displaying negligence and failing to spot even most the basic of diagnoses, but we fundamentally disagree.

No, our good Doc is actually an astute physician who is always the first port of call when checking on the state of Football League clubs.

His latest case took him to the East Midlands to check the pulse on Sven Goran Eriksson's Leicester City.


Happy New Year one and all. Sorry I'm a few weeks later with these remarks, I've only just finished my celebrations. It would appear I had one too many Tequila Sunrises and ended up in Peru - married to a young peasant girl.

Long story short, it took a while to sort a visa and we're now looking for a house in Woking.

Onto business. I've been told to pack my medical bags and head up the M1 to Leicester. After finding my stethoscope in my dog's kennel, I was on my way.

As I write this, Leicester are sitting in 13th place and are six points off the play offs.

It's not a bad position to be in but, when you consider the Foxes were a penalty shoot out away from the play off final last season, most Leicester fans will have disappointed with how the season has gone so far.

The problem has clearly been a lack of consistency. After winning League One and just missing out on promotion, Nigel Pearson packed his bags and left for Hull in the summer, leaving Milan Mandaric to look for another manager.

Fortunately for him, he found one in South Wales. Paulo Sousa put on his cardigan and made the journey to the East Midlands to build on the impressive foundations that Pearson had left.

He had a terrible start to the season, but this wasn't a massive shock at Soccer AM/MW towers, simply because we realised that Pearson and Sousa had two completely different ways of playing football.

Pearson preferred a direct approach - although I will need to add that it would be unfair to label his team as long ball merchants - while Sousa likes his teams to build slowly with the ball remaining on the deck.

It was always going to take time for Sousa's new methods to settle into the Leicester team, but Mandaric couldn't deal with the bad results - resulting in Sousa's dismissal in October.

A bad start to the season was starting to have an effect on the Leicester fans and it was with great relief that the next man to step into the managerial hot seat was the Swedish masseuse, Sven-Goran Eriksson.

He promised to relieve the aches and pains that had been plaguing the Leicester faithful and, slowly but surely, he is doing that. Leicester look good to make a dash for the play offs in the back end of the season.

They've just sealed a deal to take the Everton striker Yakubu on loan until the end of the season. Although The Yak has been dismal in front of goal this season, there's no doubting he has the ability to run riot in the Championship.

If he can score early on in his terms at the Walkers Stadium, then I have no doubts he will start banging them in for fun. Especially when you look at the men who are feeding him.

Yuki Abe, Andy King, and Richie Wellens have formed themselves into one of the best midfield combinations in the division. They completely dismantled Manchester City in the FA Cup and look very accomplished on the ball.

King has already scored ten goals in all competitions and is certain to be playing in the Premier League next season. King's goals have been helpful because, without them, Leicester have looked a little goal shy - hence the importance of Yakubu.

The experienced Sven-Goran Eriksson is plotting a second half of the season push

My only concern with Leicester's midfield is that it looks a little lightweight, especially on the road - and I think this has contributed to Leicester's dreadful away form.

Eleven points from 14 games is not the form of a team fighting for promotion and, although their home form - 25 points from 13 games - has kept them within touching distance of the play offs, I can't see them bridging the gap unless they start picking up points on their travels.

They leak goals away from home as well with 31 conceded. 31! Only Crystal Palace have conceded more on their travels and they're rubbish. This is something that has to be addressed before they can start to move forwards.

Sol Bamba has joined up with Sven's men and, at £250,000, he looks like he could be a bargain, but it might be more to do with how they set themselves up rather than a personnel issue.

I don't have the answers, but it looks like they don't keep it tight early on in games. In three of last five away games, they've conceded within the first 15 minutes - and have gone on to lose every one.

When you are playing away, you can't afford to be as expansive and as attacking as at home. You have to sit tight, see out the opening 20 minutes, and kill the crowd noise. Get a foothold in the game and build on that.

If you go a goal down in the opening 15 minutes, you're in trouble and the crowd are right behind your opponents.

I fancy Leicester to make the play offs. They seem to be getting better with every passing game and they are making some quality additions to their team during the transfer window - Kyle Naughton is a good acquisition.

They're playing good football and, although this season looks to be as tight as ever, I feel they will have the strength to shine when needed.

What could be a problem is their last five fixtures of the campaign. They travel to Reading, Doncaster, and Nottingham Forest, and host Watford and Ipswich.

They will be very lucky to get anything more than a few points in their away fixtures, as all three teams have impressive home records and Forest will be looking for revenge after losing 1-0 at the Walkers earlier in the season.

Although the Tractor Boys are a bit lame at the moment they're certainly not a pushover when they click and Watford, well, just ask QPR what Watford are capable of. They still seem to be reeling from that schooling.

They would like to be pretty secure in the play offs going into those final games, but the way this league works they could win or lose all of them - it's that difficult to call.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I've just heard that Peterborough's owner is suffering from memory loss, so I've got to see how he is doing.

In Defence

After a glut of goals and high-scoring games in recent weeks in the Football League, Turls analyses the case against the defences.

There were ten goals as Preston came from behind to stun Leeds

It's Saturday afternoon and I'm listening to the football results come in. I tend to zone out most results because I'm usually moaning at how crap Forest are, or jumping up and down and thinking that we'll win the league.

Both these reactions tend to last for a few seconds until I calm down and realise that it's only a game. However, after back-to-back 1-1 draws, I was allowed to bask in the insanity of the remaining scores.

In midweek, ten goals were scored at Elland Road as Preston came from 4-1 down to win 6-4. Incredible game, and the type of thing that rarely happens.

Then I heard that Norwich had beaten Leicester 4-3 at Carrow Road. I wasn't sure what to make of this and then, when the scores kept coming, I heard three games that ended 3-2 and another that had ended 4-2.

Wow! When I looked at the scores online, I realised there were another ten games that involved four goals or more.

Now I'm only a young lad and haven't got many seasons under my belt, but it seemed quite remarkable that one day could provide such a flurry of goals. I worked it out that 98 goals had been scored - that was despite eight games ending 0-0.

It took me until the weekend to recover from that attacking onslaught and I thought I would be looking back on that Tuesday night with a sense of awe.

Instead, I wandered into my house at 5pm - after a day with the lady - to find that another 88 goals had been scored in one day's play.

I didn't know what to say. I just stood there with the remote in my hand trying to figure out what had happened in the last week. Accrington won 7-4 and Chesterfield and Crewe drew 5-5. On the back of that 6-4 and 4-3, I was shocked.

186 goals. In 72 games. At over 2.5 goals a game. Only ten games remained goal-free.

I woke up on Sunday thinking that everyone would be going on about how exciting the Football League is but, when I drew back the curtains, it was raining. A lot.

This dampened my mood, but it also made me realise that, although goals are good for some, they also represent a complete inability to defend.

I'm not one of these people who believe that goals make a great game. I must admit that I do enjoy a game with goals in, but I also love a tactical game of football that ends goalless.

Now this last week has got me thinking. Have strikers got better or have defenders got worse? Maybe a bit of both?

So far this season there have been 19 games that featured six goals or more. Huddersfield have finished either side of a 4-2 score, Peterborough have played in a 5-1, a 4-2, and a 5-2.

Gillingham have lost 5-4 and 7-4. Leicester, Leeds, and Preston have all been involved in two high-scoring games.

I decided to look at the highlights for the following games to see what the quality of defending was like for the following games:

Norwich City 4-3 Leicester City
Leeds United 4-6 Preston North End
Chesterfield 5-5 Crewe Alexandra
Accrington Stanley 7-4 Gillingham

I'll stress that I have only seen the highlights of each game, so can't provide a full picture of the match. If you were at any of the games and can shed some more light on the defending then get in touch with us at soccerammw@gmail.com

Norwich City 4-3 Leicester City

Norwich 0 Leicester 1:

First of all, the Foxes winger is allowed to run about 20-25 yards without anyone putting a tackle in.

Then, upon reaching the area, the Norwich centre back refuses to charge him down and, instead, stands on the corner of the six yard box with his arms out.

He should have closed the gap and stopped the winger from getting the shot away. Still, the keeper should have saved it.

Norwich 1 Leicester 1:

This is a difficult one to claim as bad defending, but it is very much a case of ball watching. As the ball was played in from the left, two Norwich players were allowed to run into the box unaccompanied, thus giving them a numerical advantage.

The ball is then played across the box from the right where a Norwich player is standing with nobody marking him. All a little haphazard in my eyes.

Norwich 2 Leicester 1:

Penalty. Arms raised. Silly.

Norwich 3 Leicester 1:

Can't blame the defence here. The left winger just outpaces Leicester's right back and a beautifully weighted ball frees the scorer down the middle. Good finish.

Norwich 3 Leicester 2:

Bizarre, and quite fluky. A mishit is flicked in a Leicester player's path, he then has his shot cleared off the line before hoofing in the rebound.

A picky man could say the guy who flicked the ball on shouldn't have been able to turn so easily, but it looked like a good piece of play to me.

Norwich 4 Leicester 2:

A 25-yard screamer. Nothing the defence could do.

Norwich 4 Leicester 3:

Good through-ball, good touch past the defender, good finish.

Leeds United 4-6 Preston North End

Leeds 0 Preston 1:

Good wing play down the right, skidding a cross/shot across goal. Keeper can only parry it into the striker's path. Good attacking football.

Leeds 1 Preston 1:

Left winger cuts inside too easily. Shouldn't have been allowed to go inside with that much comfort. Then, when the ball is played in, Preston are outnumbered right in the centre of the goal. Poor defending all round.

Leeds 2 Preston 1:

Long ball pumped in from the left flank towards the back post. When the ball is headed back across goal, Preston are caught ball watching resulting in three Leeds players to line up and head it in.

Leeds 3 Preston 1:

Right winger goes down the flank. Never looks like going past his man after some good jockeying from the full back. He pokes it inside to a player about 15 yards out in acres of space.

How has he got that much space in the box? It's shocking. This guy then scores - unsurprisingly.

Leeds 4 Preston 1:

Preston look a little stretched, despite it only being the first half. The ball is played out to the left where the winger cuts inside past one player, sells a dummy to another, and then drills it into the goal.

Allowed to go inside far too easily and should have been shepherded towards the byline.

Leeds 4 Preston 2:

Ball picked up in the middle after a weak Leeds challenge. It's played out to Preston's striker, who makes a little space to create a shooting chance. Keeper beaten at near post. Rubbish keeping.

Leeds 4 Preston 3:

Scored straight from a corner. Rubbish keeping again.

Leeds 4 Preston 4:

Penalty. Ball played out right, full back does the right thing by herding the winger to the byline but, instead of following his plan through to the end, he decides to dive in when the players is running away from goal.

Ridiculous penalty to give away.

Leeds 4 Preston 5:

Long ball to a fat Preston striker who uses his bulk to turn his man and fire past the keeper. Good strike work. Defender could have stayed squarer instead of getting turned, but Jon Parkin is very good at working defenders over.

Leeds 4 Preston 6:

Long diagonal ball from left to right. Preston man ghosts in at the far post and heads it back towards the far post.

Again, another example of ball watching rather than following the man. There is no way a ball should be travelling that far without being cut out by a defender.

Chesterfield 5-5 Crewe Alexandra

Chesterfield 0 Crewe 1:

Nicely weighted ball aiming towards the back post that splits two players. The onrushing striker nods it in at the far post. The guy who made the cross was closed down well and it was a very well taken goal.

Chesterfield 0 Crewe 2:

Free kick. Don't know why it was given - blame the BBC for that, for me - but it was a beautifully taken goal.

Chesterfield 0 Crewe 3:

Long ball from the back. Nobody attacked the ball properly and when a Chesterfield player did come out to meet it he completely misjudged the bounce and saw the ball fly past him.

Awful defending. They were outnumbered at the back as well, so take your pick on the mistakes made in defence.

Chesterfield 1 Crewe 3:

Nice cross, and the striker gets in front of his man to nod it into the net. You could maybe could argue that the defender should have seen the run, but there is a reason these guys play in League Two.

Chesterfield 1 Crewe 4:

Now this is a great goal. Man cushions it down to a team-mate, makes a run through the middle and receives the return pass and rounds the keeper.

However, nobody is near the goalscorer when he originally brings the ball down and his run is straight. No deviations. No clever stop and starting. Just a straight quick run through the middle.

Defence done for pace, but they should have learned by then that this guy was quick - they were already 3-1 down.

Chesterfield 2 Crewe 4:

Cross from the right. Jack Lester ghosts in at the back stick and nods it in. Clever run, but the full back was caught ball watching.

Chesterfield 3 Crewe 4:

Penalty. Dived in close to the byline. Stupid challenge.

Chesterfield 3 Crewe 5:

Free kick drifted in from the right, headed towards goal, and turned in by a striker. The guy who headed it looked to have no pressure on him, but he seemed to engineer his room well.

Chesterfield 4 Crewe 5:

Another penalty. This one wasn't as stupid as the last one. A good lay off allowed the striker to run through where he was bundled over.

Contact was made, but it wasn't an overly stupid challenge. Over excited shoulder barge would be one way to put it - but a definite penalty.

Chesterfield 5 Crewe 5:

Shot from outside the box. Well taken, but should have been closed down. Crewe were probably mentally and physically tired, but it still doesn't excuse how he just sauntered to the edge of the box to have a pop.

Accrington Stanley 7-4 Gillingham

Accrington 1 Gillingham 0:

Smart work down the right freed up space for the cross where the man was picked out brilliantly.

Maybe he should have been marked, but the winger turned the defence around and put them out of position with his skills. Well taken goal.

Accrington 1 Gillingham 1:

Long throw in flicked in at the near post. Long throws are difficult to deal with, as anyone who has played Stoke will tell you, so it's hard to question the defending here.

Accrington 1 Gillingham 2:

Although the start of this was a long ball, the end was nice. Big man flicks it on to another big man, who flicks it down to a little man, who flicks it on to the original big man who has made a run into the box. Goal.

It happened quickly so Accrington shouldn't be too hard on themselves. I wouldn't be.

Accrington 2 Gillingham 2:

Another well worked goal - the player had the defence twisting and turning before the ball was slotted into the corner. Can't do too much as a defender apart from drop a reducer in there.

Accrington 3 Gillingham 2:

The ball has been played inside and two players are running on to it - attacker and defender. Defender slides in - meaning he has to win the ball or foul the man.

He did neither, allowing the attacker to chip a beauty inside the far post. If you're going to go to ground as a defender, you have to win the ball.

Accrington 3 Gillingham 3:

Not sure how the winger broke free, but the way he got round the last man is ludicrous. The defender thinks a shot is going to come in, so jumps in front of the onrushing attacker to block it.

Said attacker pokes it past him and lifts it over the keeper. If that were me, I'd be looking back and asking myself why I didn't just stand my ground.

Accrington 4 Gillingham 3:

Penalty. Looked a little harsh, but he had his hands all over him so the ref had to give it if he saw it.

These types of penalties should be given more often but, because they aren't, defenders think they can get away with giving an attacker a hug.

Accrington 5 Gilingham 3:

Penalty. Wingers dances past full back on the left and cuts inside. Full back gets back and makes the tackle. Looks like he wins the ball in a very good tackle. Harshly given.

Accrington 6 Gillingham 3:

Long ball down the right. Man is in acres of space. Defence has clearly tried to play an offside trap that hasn't worked. Striker keeps going and slips it under the keeper.

Accrington 6 Gillingham 4:

Penalty. Who knows what was happening here? Long ball flicked on and the ball is then allowed to bounce. Defender nods it back to the keeper who makes a right hash of it and ultimately brings down the striker.

Accrington 7 Gillingham 4:

Ball lifted cleverly over the top down the right and the attacker hammers it into the far corner. Done and done.


Conclusion:

Out of those 38 goals, I calculate that at least 14 of them came as a result of bad defending. That means about a third of the goals could have been stopped had the defence been more organised.

Unsurprisingly, five of these examples of poor defending came in the Leeds/Preston game. Neither team has a particularly good defensive record - and it's easy to see why.

Maybe I'm being a little harsh on the defenders, but it seems to be that the quality has reduced over the years. Maybe they are struggling to adapt to the change in centre forwards?

Gone are the days of a huge lumbering striker leading the line, instead, more emphasis appears to be placed on quick and lightweight players who are able to create space and turn the defence more easily.

For many of the goals, the defenders are caught ball watching - a problem that should not be affecting professional footballers. Ball watching should be an issue saved for Sunday League football, not the Championship.

Diving in also appears to be a problem. Most of the penalties were conceded in positions that didn't pose a direct threat to the goal and a few of them when the attacker was running away from goal.

They are silly fouls to give away, and the managers should be forcing the issue that you should not dive in on a man who is on the edge of the area at the byline.

Goals make games more exciting for the majority of fans so maybe we shouldn't be complaining too much.

However, I honestly feel that if the defensive lines aren't shored up, we could see more and more games finish with at least six goals in them.

Turls will be analysing the defending for goals in our Big Matches over the coming weeks as part of his focus on the state of defences.