The First Ever Official ‘GOING FOR IT’ Thread

[Conker]

I'm not sensitive about it, I couldn't give a monkeys what you think about Wrexham. However, lets not pretend it's only Wrexham, FGR and Salford that have been throwing the wedge about to get out of The Conference.

I've got Mansfield's accounts here. Creditors are listed as follows:

June 2011: £2.6m
June 2012: £3.9m
June 2013: £5.7m

Does that mean Mr Midlife-Crisis spent/put in £3.1m over turnover in 24 months? I'm no accountant, so apologies if that isn't how it works.

Not sensitive but let’s find some 10 year old accounts that I’m not entirely sure about due to a remark about Wrexham spending insane amounts to get promoted?

Mansfield spent more than anyone bar Luton in the season we got promoted, In fact we signed about 10 players just so divisional rivals did not sign them, nobody is denying that.

I’ve seen the advertisement regarding the Wrexham ‘underdog story’ which it clearly was not in any shape or form, which I’m sure you agree with, so why your trying to argue with something you agree with is anyones guess.

 

[Indian Dan]

All these recently non-league fans squabbling.

 

[The_Viking_Magpie]

Sadly it's the level most of us have to drop to, to be able to enjoy any genuine success.

 

[Master D]

It was weak in so far as the top two were streets ahead of anyone else. Only Wrexham or Notts were ever going to win that division.

That said the league as a whole is stronger than it was a decade or so ago. Clubs are more professional across the board-- there are almost no part time teams anymore.

When we first went down there were always half a dozen clubs who would get hammered 8 or 9 nil at times and would also just dump all their players towards the end of the season to save money which really skewed the run in. Back then you wouldn't have got three clubs like Scunthorpe, Yeovil and Torquay getting relegated (maybe just Scunny who were a basket case).

It wasn't weak IMO, no weaker than the previous season anyway. Last season just had the 2 best teams ever seen at that level setting records that will likely never be broken, so it's probably easy to say the rest of the league was shite. Look at the playoff semis, it could so easily have been Borehamwood v Bromley in that final. Barnet and Woking were also really strong most of the season but fell away in the playoffs.

Next season I see Barnet winning that league. Old man Cook just can't seem to get it done over at Chesterfield.

 

[GlynTheMilk]

Not sensitive but let’s find some 10 year old accounts that I’m not entirely sure about due to a remark about Wrexham spending insane amounts to get promoted?

Mansfield spent more than anyone bar Luton in the season we got promoted, In fact we signed about 10 players just so divisional rivals did not sign them, nobody is denying that.

I’ve seen the advertisement regarding the Wrexham ‘underdog story’ which it clearly was not in any shape or form, which I’m sure you agree with, so why your trying to argue with something you agree with is anyones guess.

Nope, the 10 year old accounts (I'd use newer ones, but we're talking about events 10 years ago, so thought they'd be most suitable) are not me being sensitive, they are merely to show that this quote:

I’m not sure without looking back, but nothing close to what Wrexham spent obviously; less than Luton though so we overachieved! Don’t see the relevance to my post mind.

...is a load of bollocks.

Both teams threw a few million quid about. Agreed? Nice one.

Now, where is this "advert" about Wrexham being an "underdog story"? I've Googled combinations of the above words, but I can't find anything.

Wherever it is, just ignore it. Nobody who knows anything about football thinks it's an underdog story. It's people chatting shit like that get on our nerves as much as yours.

The underdog time was when Forest Green, Fleetwood and Salford were arriving at The Racecourse by helicopter, and we were throwing two pence pieces into buckets to save Andy Bishop from malnutrition. These days, Paul Mullin has Krug on his Frosties, and we're the most hated team in the world. Bring it on.

 

[EnglishRed]

Nope, the 10 year old accounts (I'd use newer ones, but we're talking about events 10 years ago, so thought they'd be most suitable) are not me being sensitive, they are merely to show that this quote:



...is a load of bollocks.

Both teams threw a few million quid about. Agreed? Nice one.

Now, where is this "advert" about Wrexham being an "underdog story"? I've Googled combinations of the above words, but I can't find anything.

Wherever it is, just ignore it. Nobody who knows anything about football thinks it's an underdog story. It's people chatting shit like that get on our nerves as much as yours.

The underdog time was when Forest Green, Fleetwood and Salford were arriving at The Racecourse by helicopter, and we were throwing two pence pieces into buckets to save Andy Bishop from malnutrition. These days, Paul Mullin has Krug on his Frosties, and we're the most hated team in the world. Bring it on.

Andy Bishop... Jesus.

Sad thing is if I was to write a 'Worst team of the NL era' he wouldn't even make the bench.

 

[AdamStag]

Not sensitive but let’s find some 10 year old accounts that I’m not entirely sure about due to a remark about Wrexham spending insane amounts to get promoted?

Mansfield spent more than anyone bar Luton in the season we got promoted, In fact we signed about 10 players just so divisional rivals did not sign them, nobody is denying that.

I’ve seen the advertisement regarding the Wrexham ‘underdog story’ which it clearly was not in any shape or form, which I’m sure you agree with, so why your trying to argue with something you agree with is anyones guess.

Well said, when someone’s had to go and look at accounts for 10 years ago (while not being sensitive apparently) shows the argument is lost . Also let’s remember the biggest spenders that season were luton by a comfortable margin and they didn’t even make the playoffs such was the competitive nature of that season.

Also regarding the underdog, you can only be an underdog when you’re exactly that, not the one out spending any other team by a massive margin.

Ultimately i wonder if the 3 up 3 down argument (something i’ve always been firmly in favour of) will change how clubs there operate.

 

[EnglishRed]

Money isn't a guarantee at that level, but it does help. Sutton are the only team who have gone up through a whole season and probably been some way off the big spenders in the league and even they their FA Cup run money which I think they invested well into building a team over a couple of seasons prior (Barrow also weren't big spenders relatively but if the season hadn't ended prematurely it's highly liked Notts County were catching them based on form).

Luton wasted money for years before they went up. FGR too. Eastleigh, Barrow (Casson years) Ebbsfleet, Fylde have all had big spending seasons where they were nowhere near promotion.

I hope things are different in this league so our big spending lets us process right through.

 

[northstandexile]

I'm not sensitive about it, I couldn't give a monkeys what you think about Wrexham. However, lets not pretend it's only Wrexham, FGR and Salford that have been throwing the wedge about to get out of The Conference.

I've got Mansfield's accounts here. Creditors are listed as follows:

June 2011: £2.6m
June 2012: £3.9m
June 2013: £5.7m

Does that mean Mr Midlife-Crisis spent/put in £3.1m over turnover in 24 months? I'm no accountant, so apologies if that isn't how it works.

£2m of that we’re buying the ground. The club lost half a million a year in the last two seasons of the conference when JR was the owner.

 

[GTFCfish]

Now, where is this "advert" about Wrexham being an "underdog story"? I've Googled combinations of the above words, but I can't find anything.

Not sure where you’re looking but within 10 seconds these had come up:

 

[BarraMatt]

Money isn't a guarantee at that level, but it does help. Sutton are the only team who have gone up through a whole season and probably been some way off the big spenders in the league and even they their FA Cup run money which I think they invested well into building a team over a couple of seasons prior (Barrow also weren't big spenders relatively but if the season hadn't ended prematurely it's highly liked Notts County were catching them based on form).

Luton wasted money for years before they went up. FGR too. Eastleigh, Barrow (Casson years) Ebbsfleet, Fylde have all had big spending seasons where they were nowhere near promotion.

I hope things are different in this league so our big spending lets us process right through.

Anything could've happened in that run in that never was and it goes without saying I'd much rather have got it done properly but they were still 7 points behind having played a game more after they beat us in the final game before lockdown. It was also only our second loss in something like 20 games. We lost Quigley to suspension but goals were coming from all areas of the pitch. To say it was highly likely they were going to catch us is a stretch, Harrogate were in a far better position.

 

[Monkey Tennis]

Anything could've happened in that run in that never was and it goes without saying I'd much rather have got it done properly but they were still 7 points behind having played a game more after they beat us in the final game before lockdown. It was also only our second loss in something like 20 games. We lost Quigley to suspension but goals were coming from all areas of the pitch. To say it was highly likely they were going to catch us is a stretch, Harrogate were in a far better position.

And Harrogate and Notts still had to play each other (and again in the Trophy). But it makes a good story for them to say that Covid stopped them catching us…

 

[Conker]

Nope, the 10 year old accounts (I'd use newer ones, but we're talking about events 10 years ago, so thought they'd be most suitable) are not me being sensitive, they are merely to show that this quote:




...is a load of bollocks.

Both teams threw a few million quid about. Agreed? Nice one.

Now, where is this "advert" about Wrexham being an "underdog story"? I've Googled combinations of the above words, but I can't find anything.

Wherever it is, just ignore it. Nobody who knows anything about football thinks it's an underdog story. It's people chatting shit like that get on our nerves as much as yours.

The underdog time was when Forest Green, Fleetwood and Salford were arriving at The Racecourse by helicopter, and we were throwing two pence pieces into buckets to save Andy Bishop from malnutrition. These days, Paul Mullin has Krug on his Frosties, and we're the most hated team in the world. Bring it on.

We spent a lot that season but less than Luton and obviously a lot less than Wrexham who spent more than a lot of L1 teams to win the 5th tier, still an achievement I suppose because County did such a good job making it incredibly competitive.

It’s not a load of bollocks it’s blatantly obvious to anyone that Wrexham spent obscene amounts and previous moneybags do not compare, I’m not even completely against the idea, it’s a bastard of a league and we did to a much lesser extent ourselves all those years back.

Regarding the ‘underdog story’ I’ve noticed FX or whatever posting it all over socials mostly, it’s definitely a thing. Now let’s build some thicker skin

 

[Youpies]

The Bart Simpson moment where everyone is waiting for him to say it..

*I still think we'd have caught Barrow*

 

[EnglishRed]

I think the Underdog thing is one of these divided by the same language things. When we are taking about underdog stories in football we mean something else - so Wrexham beating Arsenal in the FA Cup =underdog story. Wrexham spending large amounts of money to get a record points haul and winning the legaue) = not an underdog story. But from an American perspective it's a story about promotion and relegation and they see it as the Biloxi Shit kickers coming up from the minor leagues to win the World series.

The blanket media coverage is annoying to everyone over here, but it's all for the Yankees.

 

[cookiemonster]

It'll all end in tears, probably.

 

[Son of Cod]

It wasn't weak IMO, no weaker than the previous season anyway. Last season just had the 2 best teams ever seen at that level setting records that will likely never be broken, so it's probably easy to say the rest of the league was shite. Look at the playoff semis, it could so easily have been Borehamwood v Bromley in that final. Barnet and Woking were also really strong most of the season but fell away in the playoffs.

Next season I see Barnet winning that league. Old man Cook just can't seem to get it done over at Chesterfield.

21/22 was stronger than 22/23 based purely off the fact that without us and Stockport the majority of the playoff spots were taken up by tinpotters. We had to beat two proper teams away to get to the final. The 22/23 lot also committed a cardinal sin in allowing Bromley and Borehamwood a shot at the playoffs, your punishment for that by default is having to hold your hands up and admit that it was a weaker season.

 

[EnglishRed]

21/22 was stronger than 22/23 based purely off the fact that without us and Stockport the majority of the playoff spots were taken up by tinpotters. We had to beat two proper teams away to get to the final. The 22/23 lot also committed a cardinal sin in allowing Bromley and Borehamwood a shot at the playoffs, your punishment for that by default is having to hold your hands up and admit that it was a weaker season.

Not a chance. We finished second in 21/22 with a team weaker than Notts in 22/23, and we were far stronger last season than Stockport had been as champions. You finished in the play offs despite losing 24 consecutive games in the middle of the season.

 

[spireite]

Not a chance. We finished second in 21/22 with a team weaker than Notts in 22/23, and we were far stronger last season than Stockport had been as champions. You finished in the play offs despite losing 24 consecutive games in the middle of the season.

I think you'll both find that this coming season is the strongest the NL has ever been. York Citys apparently bottomless funds making Wrexhams splurging on players seem like a weekday top up shop in Aldi by comparison. Oldham are using old man Rothwells credit card like it's about to expire (not unlike him), and you sent us down proper clubs like Hartlepool and Rochdale rather than any of the tinpotters you've got knocking about in this league. It's gonna be murder down here this year

 

[Son of Cod]

Not a chance. We finished second in 21/22 with a team weaker than Notts in 22/23, and we were far stronger last season than Stockport had been as champions. You finished in the play offs despite losing 24 consecutive games in the middle of the season.

I'm talking about the division as a whole though not just the best two NL teams of all time ever. As a collective a weaker crop of teams made up the playoff spots. As well as the aforementioned Bromley and Borehamwood, Woking and Barnet made it. As opposed to 21/22 when we had a Wild managed Halifax and Solihull with some of the best players in the division over the last couple of years joining us, Notts, you and Chesterfield.

I'm not having this "far stronger" than Stockport. A bit stronger maybe but Stockport had a ridiculous run and were a quality fifth tier side that season and would have been up there last season as they were also perfectly capable of beating Maidstone at home every week like you and Notts did.

 

[EnglishRed]

I'm talking about the division as a whole though not just the best two NL teams of all time ever. As a collective a weaker crop of teams made up the playoff spots. As well as the aforementioned Bromley and Borehamwood, Woking and Barnet made it. As opposed to 21/22 when we had a Wild managed Halifax and Solihull with some of the best players in the division over the last couple of years joining us, Notts, you and Chesterfield.

I'm not having this "far stronger" than Stockport. A bit stronger maybe but Stockport had a ridiculous run and were a quality fifth tier side that season and would have been up there last season as they were also perfectly capable of beating Maidstone at home every week like you and Notts did.

I'm basing that on the fact that at the end of the 21/22 season we were on a level with Stockport (before we lost a few key players through injury)- we beat them twice in the last few weeks of the season after all and last season we were a lot stronger than we had been the year before. I agree Stockport of 21/22 would have been up there as they were an excellent team but us and Notts were better than they had been.

Woking, Barnet , Bromley and Borehamwood, and Southend were also better last season than they had been the year before. I don't think there was much in it between the two seasons when looking at the division as a whole.

It's a bit of a pointless discussion though so who knows. I don't think it looks weak this year either, it's a tough division despite there always being a couple of whipping boys.

 

[GTFCfish]

Sorry but having that pathetic Scunthorpe side in there in 22/23 drags the whole league toughness levels down with it making 21/22 unequivocally the tougher league.

Thanks for asking.

 

[EnglishRed]

Sorry but having that pathetic Scunthorpe side in there in 22/23 drags the whole league toughness levels down with it making 21/22 unequivocally the tougher league.

Thanks for asking.

They were pretty bad. Even after buying a completely new team at the midpoint. Even fellow basketcase Oldham bullied them into selling Nuttall.

 

[The_Viking_Magpie]

I'm talking about the division as a whole though not just the best two NL teams of all time ever. As a collective a weaker crop of teams made up the playoff spots. As well as the aforementioned Bromley and Borehamwood, Woking and Barnet made it. As opposed to 21/22 when we had a Wild managed Halifax and Solihull with some of the best players in the division over the last couple of years joining us, Notts, you and Chesterfield.

I'm not having this "far stronger" than Stockport. A bit stronger maybe but Stockport had a ridiculous run and were a quality fifth tier side that season and would have been up there last season as they were also perfectly capable of beating Maidstone at home every week like you and Notts did.

"A bit stronger maybe" ...
To steal a movie quote.

"......You never fought that war. You weren't even there, man"

I saw Stockport, I saw Wrexham, I saw Notts. I know.

Two amazing sides, the two best sides the NL if all time ever, as you rightly say. So much ability they made everyone else look poor.

Great season.

 

[jacobncfc]

I'm talking about the division as a whole though not just the best two NL teams of all time ever. As a collective a weaker crop of teams made up the playoff spots. As well as the aforementioned Bromley and Borehamwood, Woking and Barnet made it. As opposed to 21/22 when we had a Wild managed Halifax and Solihull with some of the best players in the division over the last couple of years joining us, Notts, you and Chesterfield.

I'm not having this "far stronger" than Stockport. A bit stronger maybe but Stockport had a ridiculous run and were a quality fifth tier side that season and would have been up there last season as they were also perfectly capable of beating Maidstone at home every week like you and Notts did.

I think that’s just a bit of a case of you (understandably) not having paid as much attention to the division having got out of it. Woking and Barnet, in particular, were comfortably as good as those Halifax and Solihull teams from the year before. Woking actually I would probably argue better than both, they just ran out of steam in the last couple of weeks. They’ll be a proper threat to Ches this season, bit of cash behind them and a really good manager in Sarll.

 

[GlynTheMilk]

Well said, when someone’s had to go and look at accounts for 10 years ago (while not being sensitive apparently) shows the argument is lost .

You try telling that to the judge when the police have your hard drives.

Not sure where you’re looking but within 10 seconds these had come up:

Yeah, I saw those too. I meant proper websites. Anyone can cobble together a WordPress site and run a story about how Rekeil Pyke is banned from Barn Doors R Us for the amount of damage he's doing, but it doesn't turn him into Clive Allen.

We spent a lot that season but less than Luton and obviously a lot less than Wrexham who spent more than a lot of L1 teams to win the 5th tier, still an achievement I suppose because County did such a good job making it incredibly competitive.

It’s not a load of bollocks it’s blatantly obvious to anyone that Wrexham spent obscene amounts and previous moneybags do not compare, I’m not even completely against the idea, it’s a bastard of a league and we did to a much lesser extent ourselves all those years back.

Regarding the ‘underdog story’ I’ve noticed FX or whatever posting it all over socials mostly, it’s definitely a thing. Now let’s build some thicker skin

It's not about growing thicker skin, it's about standing up for your club. It's what we all do, isn't it, to a certain extent? If Wrexham are getting shit from fans of clubs who did the same thing a few years ago, I'm going to call it out.

On the plus side, it appears that in ten years' time, nobody will care, because that is considered "ages ago". Maybe it depends on how old you are.

For the record, I think Wrexham should've stuck to the model The Trust had: only spend what you earn. If a club averages gates of 10,000 and gets $2,000,000 sponsorship deals, then people can't really complain that they've got a bigger budget. It certainly didn't bother me that Bristol Rovers went up, compared to how much it did when Salford managed it.

But, Ken & Barbie decided to throw the kitchen sink at it, and we're pretty much Fleetwood Town now. I get it, I suppose. Eight more years to go...

 

[Son of Cod]

I'm basing that on the fact that at the end of the 21/22 season we were on a level with Stockport (before we lost a few key players through injury)- we beat them twice in the last few weeks of the season after all and last season we were a lot stronger than we had been the year before. I agree Stockport of 21/22 would have been up there as they were an excellent team but us and Notts were better than they had been.

Woking, Barnet , Bromley and Borehamwood, and Southend were also better last season than they had been the year before. I don't think there was much in it between the two seasons when looking at the division as a whole.

It's a bit of a pointless discussion though so who knows. I don't think it looks weak this year either, it's a tough division despite there always being a couple of whipping boys.

I think that’s just a bit of a case of you (understandably) not having paid as much attention to the division having got out of it. Woking and Barnet, in particular, were comfortably as good as those Halifax and Solihull teams from the year before. Woking actually I would probably argue better than both, they just ran out of steam in the last couple of weeks. They’ll be a proper threat to Ches this season, bit of cash behind them and a really good manager in Sarll.

I'll give you both the benefit of the doubt and concede that Woking and Barnet might have been decent but ER I'm absolutely not admitting that Borehamwood and Bromley were better. There two sides are exactly the same every season and merely act as a barometer for overall divisional standard. The lower down the table the better the division.

 

[jacobncfc]

I'll give you both the benefit of the doubt and concede that Woking and Barnet might have been decent but ER I'm absolutely not admitting that Borehamwood and Bromley were better. There two sides are exactly the same every season and merely act as a barometer for overall divisional standard. The lower down the table the better the division.

To be fair, B Wood would’ve finished above both us and you the season before probably if they didn’t go on that mad cup run and then lose about their last ten league games because they were knackered. They’re both annoying, I wouldn’t describe either as good but they’re a nightmare in one off games.

 

[Son of Cod]

To be fair, B Wood would’ve finished above both us and you the season before probably if they didn’t go on that mad cup run and then lose about their last ten league games because they were knackered. They’re both annoying, I wouldn’t describe either as good but they’re a nightmare in one off games.

We played them both times after that Everton match so I might be a bit biased with this but they were terrible both matches. So negative. I'm struggling to remember a single attack of note from either match. Very solid at the back mind. Think I saw them twice on BT too and they were brilliant once but the same as the two matches vs us in the other. The matches they had against us were big playoff showdowns, it was quite frankly bizarre that they offered so little threat.

 

[GTFCfish]

We played them both times after that Everton match so I might be a bit biased with this but they were terrible both matches. So negative. I'm struggling to remember a single attack of note from either match. Very solid at the back mind. Think I saw them twice on BT too and they were brilliant once but the same as the two matches vs us in the other. The matches they had against us were big playoff showdowns, it was quite frankly bizarre that they offered so little threat.

Yeah especially the game at their place as they were well above us at that time and yet set up completely for the 0-0 which was bizarre.