From ill-judged comments to ill-judged sackings, the EFL has not been short of incident this weekend. James Clement takes you through some stories that you may have missed.
Grilling The Aussie
Embed from Getty ImagesWhen Leyton Orient lost 1-0 to Stockport County on Saturday, Orient boss Ritchie Wellens was perhaps not in the mood for questions. Quizzed on the impact of injuries to his squad, Wellens replied: “I’m not going to make excuses, I’m not Ange Postecoglu.”
Perhaps reflecting on the relationship between the two clubs, including two current loanees from the North London side and former Spurs frontman Harry Kane sponsoring their front of shirt for three years, Wellens reneged on his comments.
“I am deeply embarrassed and regret what I said,” said Wellens.
“Ange Postecoglu is a world-class coach, and I want to apologise for my comments and wish Spurs all the very best for the second half of the season.”
The Strangest Overhead Kick You’ll Ever See
In League Two, Grimsby Town ran at 2-0 winners away at Bromley courtesy of one of the most bizarre goals of the season. Less than a minute after the restart Danny Rose (no, not that one) opened the scoring in incredible fashion.
With a low cross finding the Grimsby frontman in the six yard box, he fell to the ground in a collision with Bromley midfielder Ben Thompson. Remarkably, Rose took the ball between his feet whilst seated, and lofted the ball over the helpless Grant Smith. A Puskas nominee it wasn’t, but it certainly won’t be forgotten by those in attendance.
Interesting Timing
Carlisle United today announced the sacking of boss Mike Williamson. The former Newcastle man took to the helm in September after leaving his post at MK Dons to do so. However, just five wins from his 25 in charge have left the Cumbrians rooted to the foot of the League Two table.
Embed from Getty ImagesWhat is perplexing is the timing. Given the looming threat of successive relegations, Williamson had been given the reins to overhaul the faltering squad, bringing in 11 new additions in January. Therefore his enforced departure on the final day of the transfer window seems like a bold strategy. Let’s see if it pays off for them (cotton)…
Old Faces Ommitted
10-year Swansea City stalwart Matt Grimes underwent a slightly unceremonious departure from the Welsh club to join up with Frank Lampard at Coventry City in the week. Naturally, his first opponent in sky blue: Swansea City.
Embed from Getty ImagesGrimes was not included in the squad – perhaps sensibly given the tone around his departure. Swansea boss Luke Williams has said that “he won’t be hard up for a couple of quid” upon signing with the midlands club – where he is rumoured to be amongst the top earners. Swansea fans have been left perplexed by what may have transgressed behind the scenes, whilst Coventry will be looking forward to bedding in their new midfield star.
Back to Winning Ways
In one of the shocks of the weekend, Plymouth Argyle recorded their first league win in 15 games – an unwanted club record. A 2-1 win at home to West Brom halted the Pilgrim’s woes, with a late Ryan Hardie double enough to overturn Jason Molumby’s opener.
Having parted ways with head coach Wayne Rooney on New Year’s Eve, new head coach Miron Muslic has finally tasted victory in the Argyle hot seat. This result still leaves the Pilgrims four points shy of safety, whilst West Brom cling on to the final playoff position.