1994 – 1995 REVISITED

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Back in TTP 37 I revealed the contents of the crystal ball with a view as how Division 2 would pan out in 1994/95. Now’s the time to own up and see whether or not I’m the bookies friend.

When you look back over the season it was certainly one of disappointment as far as we were concerned. The Bergara fiasco and the months that preceded it saw to it that a mid table position was our just reward. The Cups brought little comfort with early exits at Wrexham, Sheffield United and Rochdale respectively it was hardly what was wanted nor, more to the point, what looked likely after that convincing opening day win over Cardiff. The Division as a whole was very mediocre which made our lack of reward even more frustrating.

So we have bid farewell to 7 clubs at least on a temporary basis. It’s difficult to argue with Birmingham as champions – after all if there were umpteen millions to spend at EP anything less than the top would be a complete failure. I still stand by my comment that the place is like Fred Karno’s Circus – you can’t argue with the stadium, but am I the only one who got increasingly irritated as the season went by with Fry’s attitude, (irrespective of the Francis saga).  It came across that he felt it was an affront having to play minions like us. Although I didn’t fancy them before the season I’m glad they’ve gone up, if only because it’s good riddance. Which brings me to my tip as champions – another outfit with a superb arena, but a team who sadly for me was successful in the play-offs. Huddersfield were a mediocre team – the only satisfaction I got from them going up was the certainty that they will return in the style that Burnley did.

Of those who failed in the play-off lottery the presence of all three wasn’t in the least surprising. Brentford were my original tip as runners up, and in my view certainly deserved to go up in place of Huddersfield. As for Bristol Rovers, I thought they were a reasonable team, and they backed up my original statement that “….they’ll have an interest in the promotion stakes”.  My views on Gradi as a manager have been well chronicled in TTP, and once again he proved his ability by taking Crewe to the play-offs which was better than I originally envisaged but not in the least unexpected

Down in the basement the Deva Stadium was predicted “to be in for a sorry nine months” and so it turned out – their incomprehensible decision to dispense with the services of Graham Barrow rebounded on them as he picked up Wigan and led them to safety. I foresaw Cardiff surviving with ease with Eddie May at the helm. Well he started and finished the season with them but missed the middle after being sacked  – maybe it was those intervening months which caused the drop. Whatever the reason I won’t be shedding tears that we’ll be missing their company this time round.

Leyton’s many years of underachievement finally caught up with them. I always thought of them as a permanent fixture in Div 2 but when they were up for sale for a fiver the writing was on the wall. I thought Cambridge would have a hard winter and so it proved but the final relegation spot was taken by a side which I suspect nobody thought would be anywhere but near the top. Clearly Shilton’s financial problems and rows with the Chairman gave him precious little time to do his job, and  by the time the parting of the ways came it was too late for McCall to do anything.

So out of the 7 clubs who have departed for pastures new I managed to pick three – hardly a performance to get rich on. As for the rest some performed as expected whilst others were a surprise. I don’t know who was voted as ‘Division 2 Manager of the Season’ but it wasn’t Mel Machin at Bournemouth then there’s something wrong.  My original forecast that finding themselves adrift at the end of September would mean there would be no coming back looked to be on target until Machin sorted things out. Oxford did far better than I expected and provided one of the worst moments in the season,  as those standing in a maelstrom on the open end of the Manor Ground seeing a total capitulation by County will all too readily recall.

Wrexham did reasonably, had their bit of Cup glory, but fell away badly towards the end and Hull managed to maintain a higher placing than either I, or I suspect their own followers, envisaged as did Blackpool. The replacement of Henson by McGovern and Gemmill at Rotherham meant they ended up with better prospects for the future, and Wycombe performed far better than I thought possible only just missing out on the play offs. In terms of predictions, Bradford and Peterborough were a sore disappointment – indeed the home team’s performance at Valley Parade in our game there in April was possibly the worst effort I saw all season. My dark horses were Shrewsbury who eventually found themselves as near to the bottom as I thought they would be to the top.

All in all a career as a tipster wouldn’t keep the wolf from my door. Whatever the case, as they say  it’s all history now.  August 12^th beckons with the promise of another campaign. In the next issue I’ll have a look at the prospects for 95/96 –  at the time of writing it’s the beginning of July and the transfer market hasn’t yet hotted up. In another three weeks there’ll be a lot clearer picture – it’s at that point that we’ll form our own views as to whether this is the season!

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July 1995