Ups and Downs

[Luke Imp]

Hardly a great four teams to be choosing from, is it?

Eastleigh's money runs out this season (Chairman, who sold them and bought Sunderland, left enough money there to cover this seasons contracts) so it's a last chance for them, although they've hugely under-performed in previous seasons, even if their transfer approach was flawed but continuously signing ex-FL players on their way down over the age of 30.

Salford are self-explanatory, Fylde have money behind them, too, and so do Solihull to a point but not the extent of the other three sides.

 

[shoddycollins]

Solihull are the obvious choice now that Wrexham and Harrogate are gone. Harrogate would have been nice to have, another northern team, a nice day out, not bankrolled and with Paul Thirlwell as their assistant manager as a little bonus.

If AFC Fylde come up then Nailsworth's status as smallest town ever to host a football league club will prove short lived as Wesham is even smaller. Fylde's stadium can hold twice the population of the town it's in (although they've bumped around the villages that occupy the space between Preston and Blackpool quite a bit since being formed from a merger of two teams, they definitely live up to their name in that they represent a region rather than a town)

 

[TimeyWimey]

Bring back re-election.

 

[Soup Ladle]

Solihull are the obvious choice now that Wrexham and Harrogate are gone. Harrogate would have been nice to have, another northern team, a nice day out, not bankrolled and with Paul Thirlwell as their assistant manager as a little bonus.

They are

 

[gijsbert_bos]

I'm rooting for Solihull Motors, mainly for the lols. I've no idea how that ground will be acceptable in the FL. I definitey don;t want Salford, and Fylde are just Fleetwood MK2. Lost track of Eastleigh but they used to be one of the more likeable bankrolled tinpotters.

But fuck me, Wrexham. Useless twats.

 

[gijsbert_bos]

They are

Yup, Irving Weaver (the manager's dad) owns them. He owns a house builder, Strata Homes. Took them a fair few years to get out of NLN despite being seriously bankrolled, so was a little surprised how well they did (relatively) this year in the NL.

 

[Si Robin]

Isn't Tim Flowers the manager?

 

[Luke Imp]

Isn't Tim Flowers the manager?

Solihull, yes.

He was Yates' assistant manager before he left for Macclesfield in the summer.

 

[Si Robin]

Sorry, I was speaking in crossed terms - I thought you said Irving Weaver was Solihull's owner and clearly you meant Harrogate. I misread Shoddy's post and SL's response.

 

[shoddycollins]

They are

Well their owner has been in place since 2011 so if they are getting ahead based on spending money they're doing it very slowly.

 

[gijsbert_bos]

Well their owner has been in place since 2011 so if they are getting ahead based on spending money they're doing it very slowly.

Yup, as I said above, Simon Weaver took ages to get them out of NLN but his dad owns the club so presumably he's immune from the sack. Went straight into the playoffs this year, though. I dont think its obscene levels of bankrolling, but they're definitely getting some assistance.

 

[Soup Ladle]

They're definitely getting assistance.

Even with the 4th highest home crowds & parachute payments, our budget was described by our owners as 'around mid table'.

Our budget is going to be increased next season as we've covered some legacy debts but Hignett has said we still won't be able to compete with the top spenders and have to 'box clever'. Considering there's only 3 sides who pull more fans, it's obvious that a lot of smaller teams are spending well above what they should be able to.

 

[Luke Imp]

Well their owner has been in place since 2011 so if they are getting ahead based on spending money they're doing it very slowly.

Correct, and in the first years of them being bankrolled, both Weaver's were getting lots of stick for seemingly spending like crazy and having nothing to show for it. If it was any normal Chairman/Manager relationship, he'd have been given the boot years ago.

 

[The Terminator]

For what its worth:

Salford - I don't want them up, but it will help everyone else out in the NL if they're out of it. They've fucked up the system down there with their investement, the wages they pay are outrageous. If they come up, expect Peter Lims cheque book to be opened again. The class of Nerdy2 ain't mucking around. If Man Utd are at home their crowds suffer.

Solihull - They've had investement, but deserve big pats on the back for how quickly they've turned it around. Their chairman Mr Eayles is no idiot and did a sterling job at Oxford. This could well be there year, hard to play against and a very hard working side - If a bit dirty. Their grounds slowly going to be done up.

Fylde - Hope they win it as they did us a big favour in beating Salford in the run in. Decent club for what its worth IMO, neat and tidy ground and play some good passing football under Dave Challinor. Danny Rowe would be one to watch at this level, he's been the best natural goalscorer in Non League Football for the last 3 seasons. Had investement, but appear to be doing things the sensible way.

Eastleigh - They won't win it IMO, not got the fitness or ability the other 3 sides have. Awful away day though, unless you go to Southampton and go back on yourself. Ground in the middle of nowhere although IMO I think its quite smart now.

 

[shoddycollins]

For what its worth:

Salford - I don't want them up, but it will help everyone else out in the NL if they're out of it. They've fucked up the system down there with their investement, the wages they pay are outrageous. If they come up, expect Peter Lims cheque book to be opened again. The class of Nerdy2 ain't mucking around. If Man Utd are at home their crowds suffer.

Wouldn't put it past the EFL to arrange the fixtures so that Salford and ManU aren't home on the same day

 

[Vanni]

I'm expecting another poor season from us, so I want the side with the least competitive budget to come up. That side is Wrexham

Seriously though, I guess that would be Eastleigh? I know they probably won't come up but stranger things..........

 

[TimeyWimey]

Salford are a disgusting vanity project that will be a media vacuum for the rest of the League. Disband them with immediate effect and do us all a favour.

The other three are complete tinpottery in the arse end, arm pit and toenail fungus of the country but I guess we could put up with one of them for a bit if it stopped Salford.

 

[shoddycollins]

For fuck's sake, this national league playoffs is giving us nothing but shit!

 

[shoddycollins]

Salford are a disgusting vanity project that will be a media vacuum for the rest of the League. Disband them with immediate effect and do us all a favour.

The other three are complete tinpottery in the arse end, arm pit and toenail fungus of the country but I guess we could put up with one of them for a bit if it stopped Salford.

Hear hear!

The thing that annoys me most about Salford is that because they've no fans and barely anyone that actually cares whether they succeed or fail and whether they change their colours to match ManU's, they're at a massive advantage, the perfect blank canvas ready to be painted in the egos of their owners, free from consequences with no infrastructure nor relationtionship with the fanbase to maintain.

I wouldn't put it past them to reduce the ticket prices to tuppence (or you get in free if you retweet them) and try and claim the moral high ground for 'real football for real people'.

I present to you Salford's #1 fan

https://twitter.com/x/status/968455686999822336

Now, got to be balanced as this guy has been pretty honest in the video and has done nothing wrong. None of this is a criticism of him, just of the fact that he finds himself in the position of superfan. Salford's biggest fan, and from what I can gather, only remaining fan from the pre-takeover days, started supporting the club in 2007 because he enjoyed the whole non-league ethos (his league team is Oldham by the way). He still defiantly wears tangerine but seems like he accepts that the money will benefit a team he cares about.

Good on him, but that this is literally the best Salford can do is kinda sad if they end up as a football league team. Let it sink in that Salford's biggest fan is an Oldham fan and his reason for supporting them was he wanted to support non-league football. Then he has to decide whether he wants to follow them ahead of Oldham when they're in the same division.

 

[denzel ecfc]

Welcome to Walsall, Scunny and PLYMOUTH ARGYLE. Something to look forward to next season at least

 

[Bottega Don]

Scunny, Walsall, Plymouth and Bradford.

Three big clubs and Walsall.

 

[Liam_SWFC]

League Two is going to be a tough league next season, some big clubs coming down from League One, Orient back from the abyss, potentially still going to have Tranmere as well depending on play off outcome.

 

[Luke Imp]

Terrible 2nd goal from Scunny today. Bit out of order.

 

[Bottega Don]

Terrible 2nd goal from Scunny today. Bit out of order.

We've been helping teams all season with starting Rory McArdle, was only fair we cheated a bit to help us.

In all seriousness, what we did was stupid and wrong. Our caretaker manager has no backbone and wouldn't dare tell the players to let Plymouth score which is what we should've done.

 

[immariner]

I present to you Salford's #1 fan

https://twitter.com/x/status/968455686999822336

Now, got to be balanced as this guy has been pretty honest in the video and has done nothing wrong. None of this is a criticism of him, just of the fact that he finds himself in the position of superfan. Salford's biggest fan, and from what I can gather, only remaining fan from the pre-takeover days, started supporting the club in 2007 because he enjoyed the whole non-league ethos (his league team is Oldham by the way). He still defiantly wears tangerine but seems like he accepts that the money will benefit a team he cares about.

Good on him, but that this is literally the best Salford can do is kinda sad if they end up as a football league team. Let it sink in that Salford's biggest fan is an Oldham fan and his reason for supporting them was he wanted to support non-league football. Then he has to decide whether he wants to follow them ahead of Oldham when they're in the same division.

Wow, the cognitive dissonance is off the charts. Will he go support Altrincham or Ashton United when Salford are promoted, I wonder.

 

[Moomin]

Ha ha Argyle have made my day....Welcome back

 

[Limerick Mariner]

Terrible 2nd goal from Scunny today. Bit out of order.

Cheerio Luke, I think you may be gone for some time. Nice to have some old neighbours move back into the area to replace you.

 

[MrGloverLover]

We spent the same number of days in the play offs as we did in the relegation zone

 

[F!RTHY]

Looking forward to next season. No, honestly.

 

[Chris FGR]

For fuck's sake, this national league playoffs is giving us nothing but shit!

Nice local derby (ish) with Fylde?