Dean Smith - Confirmed

[LeeB]

Ron and Graham didn't have to deal with 25 players leaving the club at the end of their promotion seasons!!

And don't forget, you could still buy and sell during the season then, not the mad rush we have now.

[LeeB]

Remember going to Derby in April with Mark Lillus and Steve Sims starting, against a good Derby side, thanks to injuries.

We weren't ready then, according to one of our greatest managers, and he'd had two pre-seasons with us.

Deano had come in mid-season, rescued it, and then had more to do with less time, due to the late play off final.
He deserves more time.

It looked grim for us after that Derby game. Darrell Duffy made his one and only appearance for us that day. After that his next club was Moor Green.

Christ on a bike, I'd completely forgotten about him.

It was grim, was the West Ham home defeat before or after?

[dave.woodhall]

Remember going to Derby in April with Mark Lillus and Steve Sims starting, against a good Derby side, thanks to injuries.

We weren't ready then, according to one of our greatest managers, and he'd had two pre-seasons with us.

Deano had come in mid-season, rescued it, and then had more to do with less time, due to the late play off final.
He deserves more time.

It looked grim for us after that Derby game. Darrell Duffy made his one and only appearance for us that day. After that his next club was Moor Green.

Christ on a bike, I'd completely forgotten about him.

It was grim, was the West Ham home defeat before or after?

Six weeks before. Derby was our last away game. 

[eamonn]

Darrell Duffy and Dean Glover...sounds like we were plucking names from the cast of Emmerdale in the late 80's! At least Alexander Tonev and, er, Niklas Helenius had an exotic sound to them 25 years later...

[sid1964]

i remember going to Norwich away (could have been April?)and drawing 2-2 - Mcinally scored both?, but we were very poor - good day out though.

i also remember I had to work late and listening to Liverpool beating West Ham in midweek to ensure we stayed up

How old am i!

[Drummond]

Remember going to Derby in April with Mark Lillus and Steve Sims starting, against a good Derby side, thanks to injuries.

We weren't ready then, according to one of our greatest managers, and he'd had two pre-seasons with us.

Deano had come in mid-season, rescued it, and then had more to do with less time, due to the late play off final.
He deserves more time.

Absolutely.

[SoccerHQ]

I always assumed final day was all games kicking off at same time as happens now (and I assume 1982). Strange given what is usually at stake on final day with relegation.

Was reading yesterday about Sunderland getting shafted by Coventry and Jimmy Hill in the 70s because they delayed the game and then with Sunderland finishing knew 2-2 was enough and Jimmy Hill put it out on the scoreboard!

[cdbearsfan]

I think ITV moved the Liverpool v Arsenal game to the last game of the season when it was the title decider, too. But, yeah, it was quite common for teams to have games in hand at the end of the season. That same season we had to wait for a couple of West Ham games after our final match to find out whether we had stayed up. There is also the famous case of Derby finding out they had won the league in the early seventies while on holiday in Majorca.

[dave.woodhall]

I always assumed final day was all games kicking off at same time as happens now (and I assume 1982). Strange given what is usually at stake on final day with relegation.

Was reading yesterday about Sunderland getting shafted by Coventry and Jimmy Hill in the 70s because they delayed the game and then with Sunderland finishing knew 2-2 was enough and Jimmy Hill put it out on the scoreboard!

It's a recent thing. In 1985 Coventry had three games left when Norwich had played all theirs and had to win them all to stay up.

[Exeter 77]

Wasn't Liverpool's game against West Ham later because it was originally postponed because of Hillsborough?

[WarszaVillan]

Ipswich still had to play two games I think after we won the league and if they had beaten Middlesbrough we'd have been sitting around waiting for them to play their games. 

[Exeter 77]

Ipswich still had to play two games I think after we won the league and if they had beaten Middlesbrough we'd have been sitting around waiting for them to play their games. 

Just one. They lost 2-3 at home to Southampton.

[Mister E]

I'd love to give this guy the job ... probably not going to ahppen but it would be fantastic, given the job he did at Sourhampton and Spudds.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/may/22/mauricio-pochettino-jose-mourinho-tottenham-spurs-interview

[CT]

i remember going to Norwich away (could have been April?)and drawing 2-2 - Mcinally scored both?, but we were very poor - good day out though.

i also remember I had to work late and listening to Liverpool beating West Ham in midweek to ensure we stayed up

How old am i!

We decided to go and stood on the Kop.

Half time was 1-1 and a lad in front said “Bet the Villa fans are shitting it now”. I tapped him on the shoulder and said “We are mate”.

[Steve67]

I'd love to give this guy the job ... probably not going to ahppen but it would be fantastic, given the job he did at Sourhampton and Spudds.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/may/22/mauricio-pochettino-jose-mourinho-tottenham-spurs-interview

Yes please.  Ain't happening though.