It’s going to be interesting to see whether Chris Beech can retain the players he wants for next season, especially with Carlisle’s financial situation. As he’s said, it might come down to persuasion rather than being able to offer big pay packets. In terms of who Carlisle will be playing against next season, there’s only the two promotion places from the National League to be decided.
It’s looking like either Torquay or Sutton for the automatic spot. It’s mainly former Football League clubs in the mix for the play-offs. I like to see old league teams coming back. Nothing against the teams that have broken through in recent years – it’s open to everybody and some of them have gone on to establish themselves. But I’ve got a soft spot for the old league clubs. I’d love to see play-off contenders like Stockport, Hartlepool, Notts County, Chesterfield, Wrexham and Halifax get back in. The likes of Hartlepool and Stockport are good fixtures for Carlisle, not just from a travelling point of view but in terms of rivalry.
When you think of some of the clubs that have sunk even further, like Darlington, it shows you what can happen. And what could have happened to Carlisle if they hadn’t got back in the league at the first attempt in 2005. I was really pleased when Accrington got back in. How well they’re doing now shows what can be achieved with a bit of ambition.
Talking about ups and downs, we’re in one of those spells you sometimes get with clubs yo-yoing between the Premier League and the Championship. Norwich and Watford are straight back into the Premier League while West Brom and Fulham have gone straight back down.
File photo dated 09-05-2021 of West Bromwich Albion's Kyle Bartley. Issue date: Monday May 10, 2021. PA Photo. West Brom captain Kyle Bartley is already aiming for an immediate return to the Premier League after relegation was confirmed following defeat
When you look at how a team can storm out of the Championship then hardly win a game in the Premier League, it comes down to budgets. Before the Premier League starts you can pick your top six and be unlucky if you don’t get at least five of them right. Leicester are the only ones usually up there who aren’t one of the ‘Big Six’, but they’ve established themselves now.
Then you’ve got the middle teams – the likes of Everton – while Watford and Norwich will be happy to finish fourth-bottom. Like Sheffield United last season, it’s exceptional management that keeps those teams in the Premier League. The difference is that the top teams can afford the best players in the world. And it often still comes down to having a goalscorer. I wasn’t at Carlisle during their First Division season. But even back then, what cost them was not having a cutting edge. They were tough to beat. They gave nearly everybody a hard game. But they were punished for not taking their chances.
This column is written before Thursday night’s rearranged Man United v Liverpool game, so I’m leaving myself at the mercy of that result. But I think Leicester’s win at Old Trafford on Tuesday leaves Liverpool with too much to do to qualify for the Champions League. I’ve kept waiting for them to become the Liverpool side that we’ve seen for the past few years but it just hasn’t happened.
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