Accrington......

[Pete Martin (CTID)]

........are an enigma.

Currently joint top of League One, a pokey old ground and an attendance of just 2,465. Take out the away fans and they just scraped over 2,000. How do they do it? They remind me of how Burton were (and still L1 today).

 

[sign of the chimes]

John Coleman is incredible. He knows the lower leagues and, perhaps more importantly, he knows lower league and non-league football in the northwest. Given the number of clubs in that region and, by default, the number of youngsters who drop out of the system and end up playing at that level, there's a hell of a pool of talent there for a lower league manager if they know their onions, as Coleman does.

When we got promoted out of League 2 under Paul Cook, our talisman was Gary Roberts - who'd been playing in non-league for Welshpool before Coleman picked him up for Accrignton in the mid 2000s - he made a decent career for himself at a higher level for a number of years including a stint in the Championship (this was when Stanley were still non-league).

Pound-for-pound has to be a contender for best lower league manager of the past decade.

 

[Trapdoor]

Surely their best players will get hoovered up in January? They must pay the worst wages in the entire league pyramid?

 

[i8cornwall]

There owner seems very sensible, clearly doesn't take any shit from the EFL and actually cares about the club and the fans who he both puts first. I've family in the that area and they often bring up how Stanley operate in the community with schools, family's and older people plus the work done on there ground has set them up for the future.

I'd imagine as said above they have a huge pool of players to choose from and like ourselves those players probably use Stanley as a stepping stone to bigger things.

Along with Bolton I hope they manage to get promoted to the championship.

 

[Banksy]

Good for them , nice to see a small club do well. Not trying to derail this thread with an ‘ if they can do it we can too’ , but we’ve seen a few ‘little’ clubs make it up there ,wouldn’t it be nice if we could too.Same old , same old , League two palls a bit these days. Cue ,’ but we could be non league so be happy ‘ comments.

 

[Hants_red]

Anyway, on topic. I love that away end, suppose it'll get knocked day soon and replaced with one with a roof on.

 

[Avening Posse]

I’ve no idea how they manage it, but very glad they do, really like going there to watch City. Last time I went I think we lost 4-2, I met exeweb member contra and went in the great boozer next to the ground. I suspect like others have said they are good at attracting the cream released by the bigger clubs on the doorstep