Vanarama National League 2015/16

[Southern Shayman]

5 or 6? Doubt that.

FGR, Tranmere and...? Grimsby haven't had one this season, Wrexham won't have, we won't, I doubt Barrow will, Gateshead have never had a budget that high...

FGR, Tranmere, Eastleigh and with the noises coming out of Barrow it certainly sounds that way.

I assumed Grimsby were but fair enough I'll stand corrected.

 

[Gladders]

FGR, Tranmere, Eastleigh and with the noises coming out of Barrow it certainly sounds that way.

I assumed Grimsby were but fair enough I'll stand corrected.

Ours is always close to a million and was over our first season down here, generally I think the budget is around 900k each year but may go over the millon by the time we strengthen and sign loan players thoughout the season.

 

[Gibber_McGee]

Ours is always close to a million and was over our first season down here, generally I think the budget is around 900k each year but may go over the millon by the time we strengthen and sign loan players thoughout the season.

According to the Non League Paper both Grimsby and Wrexham's budgets are in the £500k to £750k band. I don't know if that is true though.

If Tranmere really do have a £1m budget then they and FGR should have far and away the biggest budgets - though I don't know about Eastleigh and Barrow?

You have to question how Tranmere can afford it - they are not a "big" club which can pull in the crowds that a Luton or Bristol Rovers can, and they are going to lose a hell of a lot of income dropping into the conference. Unless Palios is a very wealthy man this could all end in tears.

 

[Urban]

To be fair any club that comes down to non-league could end in tears.

 

[localhero]

I don't even know that we are going to have a £1m budget. Palios said we'd have a top 4/5 budget but even that (I'm assuming) is based on how many season tickets we sell. We were well backed last season after Palios came in so maybe he'll put a bit of money in this year too. We also have/should soon have, a substantial amount of money from the sale of old training pitches, some of which will presumably be added to the playing budget.

 

[localhero]

You have to question how Tranmere can afford it - they are not a "big" club which can pull in the crowds that a Luton or Bristol Rovers can, and they are going to lose a hell of a lot of income dropping into the conference. Unless Palios is a very wealthy man this could all end in tears.

Not sure how accurate this is but it's the only stats I can find for attendances in this years conference: http://european-football-statistics.co.uk/attn/aveengnl.htm

Bristol Rovers average was 6,629, if we have the same season as them I'd be surprised if ours was below 6,500. 2012/13 in League one we got 6,127 and attendances really trailed off towards the end when people began to realise that we'd completely bottled it. If we'd have stayed around the top two for the entirety we'd have got at least 10,000, maybe more for the last couple of home games. The highest we had that season was 10,587 against MK Dons, despite the predictably woeful away following.

 

[Gibber_McGee]

Not sure how accurate this is but it's the only stats I can find for attendances in this years conference: http://european-football-statistics.co.uk/attn/aveengnl.htm

Bristol Rovers average was 6,629, if we have the same season as them I'd be surprised if ours was below 6,500. 2012/13 in League one we got 6,127 and attendances really trailed off towards the end when people began to realise that we'd completely bottled it. If we'd have stayed around the top two for the entirety we'd have got at least 10,000, maybe more for the last couple of home games. The highest we had that season was 10,587 against MK Dons, despite the predictably woeful away following.

There's a huge difference between away followings in League 1 and the Conference. For some games next season you will literally have less than a dozen away fans.

To me Tranmere are a similar sized club to Wrexham, Grimsby, Lincoln etc. All capable of pulling in decent crowds when doing well but not of the size that Luton, Bristol Rovers, Oxford and the like can.

 

[DarkSithLord]

Not sure how accurate this is but it's the only stats I can find for attendances in this years conference: http://european-football-statistics.co.uk/attn/aveengnl.htm

Bristol Rovers average was 6,629, if we have the same season as them I'd be surprised if ours was below 6,500. 2012/13 in League one we got 6,127 and attendances really trailed off towards the end when people began to realise that we'd completely bottled it. If we'd have stayed around the top two for the entirety we'd have got at least 10,000, maybe more for the last couple of home games. The highest we had that season was 10,587 against MK Dons, despite the predictably woeful away following.

Just a FYI but another good and detailed website for the Conference is FWP (FootballWebpages) http://www.footballwebpages.co.uk/confprem. Attendances and other stats are on there.

 

[localhero]

There's a huge difference between away followings in League 1 and the Conference. For some games next season you will literally have less than a dozen away fans.

To me Tranmere are a similar sized club to Wrexham, Grimsby, Lincoln etc. All capable of pulling in decent crowds when doing well but not of the size that Luton, Bristol Rovers, Oxford and the like can.

The bigger clubs things been done to death on here so I'm not going to start it off again. I won't argue that three teams you've named are bigger than us but I'd say we're capable of equaling or bettering Bristol Rovers attendances this season if we're challenging from the outset. It's a big if though, get into that position from the start and we'll be far better off financially to strengthen in the January transfer window.

 

[yellow]

To be fair any club that comes down to non-league could end in tears.

Too true...

 

[1884 Belmont]

We certainly don't deserve any 'favourites' tag. We'll (hopefully) be up there, but sides like Grimsby (who I was very impressed with in the playoffs) and Wrexham (Mills' record) have experience of this league and a squad to build upon. Brabin has experience of the league and I hope he can build a decent squad, but I'd take top 5 now if I was offered it.
As for the attendance misconception - we had sides in League 2 bring almost double figures last season. We have a core of about 4000 home fans based on the last couple of years. If we get a good team going, I think we could get 7/8000 each week. Either way, all this 'can we afford it?' is a bit premature. We've made one free transfer.

Far too early to predict anything, but if we recruit properly we should have a chance.

 

[Imp in Branston]

We certainly don't deserve any 'favourites' tag. We'll (hopefully) be up there, but sides like Grimsby (who I was very impressed with in the playoffs) and Wrexham (Mills' record) have experience of this league and a squad to build upon. Brabin has experience of the league and I hope he can build a decent squad, but I'd take top 5 now if I was offered it.
As for the attendance misconception - we had sides in League 2 bring almost double figures last season. We have a core of about 4000 home fans based on the last couple of years. If we get a good team going, I think we could get 7/8000 each week. Either way, all this 'can we afford it?' is a bit premature. We've made one free transfer.

Far too early to predict anything, but if we recruit properly we should have a chance.

Oh for those days, I remember it well us averaging 4000 home fans, it can soon tail off though down here if you continue to stay in this hell hole. We had 8000 for our last league game against Aldershot before relegation, we are happy to see 2000 now on a regular basis at SB. The other stark thing is how many sides visit with very few away fans actually turning up. Unless you have a wealthy chairman/board and a good budget (which you probably will have) with parachute payments etc, it's really hard to make an impact. No surprise that all the clubs in this seasons play offs had big budgets.

 

[1884 Belmont]

If we are here for more than 2 seasons, I can see our crowds dropping off. But for the time being, I can see them staying pretty static - especially with games against Wrexham (first league game for about 10 years), Chester (first for about 20 years) and Southport (first since they left the league). We'll have a good budget next year but I personally have no illusions as to how hard it will be to go up. Don't forget, we're not even the 'best' side coming down - Cheltenham finished above us.
Cautious optimism but nothing more than that. We'll have a decent budget but money can't buy success on it's own. It must be spent wisely. Over to Mr.Brabin...

 

[GEORGE]

If I had to pick two sides today that I think will be promotion candidates I would go for Grimsby & Wrexham. But as everyone knows a lot can happen between now and August. Think on yesterdays performance Grimsby will eventually do it. My one worry for next season is Torquay with all the uncertainty that is going on there.

 

[George Reilly's Hairpiece]

We'll have a good budget next year but I personally have no illusions as to how hard it will be to go up. Don't forget, we're not even the 'best' side coming down - Cheltenham finished above us.

Cheltenham should be competitive as they know this level of football. Wouldn't surprise me to see them battling for a play-off berth.

Tranmere have in their favour a big upside in attendances which should boost their budget if they are challenging come the new year.

 

[Master D]

Not sure why everyone's picking us, Mills has a massive job on his hands to get a load of players in and then implement his style of play which will take some time. A playoff challenge for us probably but let's see who he brings to the club. The most settled club in a position to win it is clearly Grimsby but playoff final heartache like that is hard to recover from as the stats show.

The 15-16 league doesn't look that strong right now but someone will emerge, I mean how many people thought Barnet would be top basically all season long? Tranmere might be a Bristol Rovers, they might be a Torquay, it's impossible to tell how they will adjust. Cheltenham will be up there I think because they have an incredibly good manager for this level who should attract some good players. If Eastleigh invest more vision money they will be there again.

 

[Master D]

So Tranmere's average for last season was 5100 ish but now there's talk of getting 8000 a week in the Conference? Deluded I'm afraid. Let's see what they look like when they lose a few early on to the likes of Braintree, Welling, Dover etc.

 

[Gladders]

Eastleigh will not win the league with Hill in charge.

Why not? Mellon managed to get Fleetwood promoted and Cox managed to get Mansfield promoted, throw enough money at it and a poor manager can still win.

 

[Gladders]

So Tranmere's average for last season was 5100 ish but now there's talk of getting 8000 a week in the Conference? Deluded I'm afraid. Let's see what they look like when they lose a few early on to the likes of Braintree, Welling, Dover etc.

Their highest average in the last 10 seasons has been 7211, and 9 of those seasons were in lge 1, not sure how they expect to average 8k in the conference with away crowds of 22

 

[Gashead]

Cheltenham should be competitive as they know this level of football. Wouldn't surprise me to see them battling for a play-off berth.

Tranmere have in their favour a big upside in attendances which should boost their budget if they are challenging come the new year.

Despite Cheltenham's signings underwhelming me a bit, also worth remembering that they have a manager who is very good at getting the best out of players when it's going well.

 

[rudebwoyben]

Why not? Mellon managed to get Fleetwood promoted and Cox managed to get Mansfield promoted, throw enough money at it and a poor manager can still win.

True, I just wasn't very impressed with Eastleigh last season. The fact that Ben Strevens has been given another year and will probably play in midfield despite being 35 doesn't make me think that Eastleigh will get there in their second year at this level. A well-drilled team will beat a collection of talented players shoe-horned into an unsuitable formation.

 

[Railway Blue]

Season starts on the 8th according to the conference twitter

Thank God for that. I thought I had an extra week to wait.

 

[Railway Blue]

According to the Non League Paper both Grimsby and Wrexham's budgets are in the £500k to £750k band. I don't know if that is true though.

If Tranmere really do have a £1m budget then they and FGR should have far and away the biggest budgets - though I don't know about Eastleigh and Barrow?

You have to question how Tranmere can afford it - they are not a "big" club which can pull in the crowds that a Luton or Bristol Rovers can, and they are going to lose a hell of a lot of income dropping into the conference. Unless Palios is a very wealthy man this could all end in tears.

I think they've just sold their training ground and are going to throw that money at it (according to Mark Palios)

 

[localhero]

Their highest average in the last 10 seasons has been 7211, and 9 of those seasons were in lge 1, not sure how they expect to average 8k in the conference with away crowds of 22

8k is well optimistic but 6.5/7 is definitely attainable. Bare in mind over the last 10 seasons we've been absolutely awful and have hardly even come close to getting promoted. When you're playing shit week in week out it's difficult to convince people to pay to watch it, give us a season where we actually look like going up and the crowds will (hopefully) begin to shoot up again.

Edit: Not this kind of shooting up by the way:

 

[Reginald Fodstain]

8k is well optimistic but 6.5/7 is definitely attainable. Bare in mind over the last 10 seasons we've been absolutely awful and have hardly even come close to getting promoted. When you're playing shit week in week out it's difficult to convince people to pay to watch it, give us a season where we actually look like going up and the crowds will (hopefully) begin to shoot up again.

Edit: Not this kind of shooting up by the way:

That kind of shooting up is more likely to happen when we do play shit. Might help to explain a few things about the population of Birkenhead, actually...

 

[Gladders]

8k is well optimistic but 6.5/7 is definitely attainable. Bare in mind over the last 10 seasons we've been absolutely awful and have hardly even come close to getting promoted. When you're playing shit week in week out it's difficult to convince people to pay to watch it, give us a season where we actually look like going up and the crowds will (hopefully) begin to shoot up again.

You finished 2 points off the play-offs in 7th one of those seasons with only three losses at home and only managed 5.8k average. Even in the early 90s with 3 play-off seasons in a row in the what now is the Championship you only just managed above 8k average for 2 of those 3 seasons.

 

[Clarkey_GTFC]

I don't think we'll finish in the play-offs again next season. I reckon it'll go one of two ways; we'll win the league comfortably or we'll barely finish top half. We'll know which one it is in a matter of weeks when the players decide to sign on or not. Mind you to win the league we still need a goalscorer, if by some miracle we keep everybody then Hurst's only job is to sign one. Surely he can't mess that one up. It doesn't even have to be a world beater, just someone to get on the end of LJL's work.

 

[Mark kavanagh]

That 10k v milton keynes was a sky game where the board did a special and charged either a fiver or a tenner, my memories not that great! If we are winning we will comfortably average 7k sides like wrexham and chester will bring big followings which will boost our average, i can see other clubs bringing a decent following to our place too as new boyitis will kick in as most conf supporters would never have visited pp and it will be another ground off their list.

If we have a great season and need a win to win the league i can see the 11k league record going as our place will be flooded by kopites and blues coming for the spectacle as they did in the 80s and 90s.

As for performance i can see playoffs for us as it will take us a year to settle , 4th or 5th then in front of a big crowd in the playoffs anything can happen, its all down to the signings we are not that far away all we need is a full back, 2 centre backs 3 midfielders and another goalscorer, other then that we are fine..... Oh a new goalie too....

 

[Monkey Tennis]

5 or 6? Doubt that.

FGR, Tranmere and...? Grimsby haven't had one this season, Wrexham won't have, we won't, I doubt Barrow will, Gateshead have never had a budget that high...

I haven't got the maths skills to figure it out, but I'd say Barrow will have a squad of 23ish, averaging around £1k a week (maybe a little more). Not sure what else people are including in the £1 million budgets, but there'll be a coaching staff of 7 or 8 too. What does that add up to?
For what it's worth, most Barrow fans had us down for missing out on the play-offs last season and we topped the league despite not playing amazing football. I reckon that we certainly won't be down near the bottom, and the difference between mid-table and top five will become clear in the next few weeks.
Everything hints at about 10 new players coming in, and there'll be a "marquee" signing at some point in the season.

Only other side in this division I've really seen anything of in the past two years is Guiseley, who always seem to pick up some good ex-Leeds and Bradford youngsters, and could stay up. Has the league seemingly gotten stronger or weaker since we were relegated?

 

[DarkSithLord]

Has the league seemingly gotten stronger or weaker since we were relegated?[/QUOTE]

Its more competitive now so its stronger IMO