Vanarama National League 2015/16

[George Reilly's Hairpiece]

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?

23 players on £1k per week for 52 weeks is about £1.2m. Add in the Employer NI and you get to around £1.35m basic pay before bonuses.

 

[Monkey Tennis]

23 players on £1k per week for 52 weeks is about £1.2m. Add in the Employer NI and you get to around £1.35m basic pay before bonuses.

Hmm... my estimates might be a bit off, but there'll be no first teamer on less than £700 and I would expect we'd have to pay around £1.5k to any ex-league players we've got our eye on. The £1m mark doesn't seem too far-fetched to me, and the chairman has repeatedly said he's after promotion within two seasons.

 

[localhero]

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.

I don't think we were top six at any point that season though, it was only a late playoff surge which saw us miss out in the 90th minute of the last game. The last time we made the top six of any division was the 2004/05 season when we finished third with an average attendance of 9,014.

 

[Mr Scooty]

All this Tranmere Rovers average crowd talk is awesome.

So how low are the crowds going to be next season if they aren't competing for promotion? Apparently ours dropped from 4234 in our relegation season to 3292 in our first conference season. Could Tranmere go sub 4000 average?

 

[rudebwoyben]

Just wait until the first late autumn midweek match against someone like Guiseley..when it's cold, dark and raining (or worse)
I don't think the Wirral and Birkenhead football-going public will find it an enticing fixture to go to, especially if Tranmere are floundering in 11th place.

 

[DarkSithLord]

On the subject of Guiseley whats their stadium capacity? Someone told me it was less than the Impact which was 3,600!

 

[Imp in Branston]

On the subject of Guiseley whats their stadium capacity? Someone told me it was less than the Impact which was 3,600!

It's 3000 with around 500 seats. No disrespect to the likes of Guiseley but it's a very non league ground, if they were to go up the leagues, would surely have to do a hell of a lot of improvements!

 

[Southern Shayman]

Nethermoor park is far far less developed than the Impact... and that's saying something!

Behind each goal is just flat from memory with no cover. There's a seated stand on one side and a gazebo with a few steps in it on the other.

 

[Habbinalan]

Hmm... my estimates might be a bit off, but there'll be no first teamer on less than £700 and I would expect we'd have to pay around £1.5k to any ex-league players we've got our eye on. The £1m mark doesn't seem too far-fetched to me, and the chairman has repeatedly said he's after promotion within two seasons.

Welcome MT. Glad to see a proper Barrovian has found this forum. Can you send a few more over to provide some balance?

Despite all the money talk and ambition, this will be a big step up for the core of players and in particular the manager. I think that Darren is going to have to play a blinder in both signings and management through the season for Barra to get near to the play-offs. I only saw 4 matches last season so am not best placed to judge but I'm not sure how many of the following are "National League Top 5"

Management Team/Physio
Darren Edmondson
Alex Meechan
Sean Riley

Goalkeepers
Aaron Taylor

Defence
Simon Grand
Niall Cowperthwaite
Andy McWilliams
Danny Livesey

Midfield
Paddy Lacey
Izak Reid
Dan Pilkington
Alex-Ray Harvey
Alex Newby

Forwards
Jason Walker
Anthony Wilson
Andy Cook
Lewis Guy

That said, I look forward to following the effort and I'm sure the season will end at the right end of the table.

 

[Gibber_McGee]

Welcome MT. Glad to see a proper Barrovian has found this forum. Can you send a few more over to provide some balance?

Despite all the money talk and ambition, this will be a big step up for the core of players and in particular the manager. I think that Darren is going to have to play a blinder in both signings and management through the season for Barra to get near to the play-offs. I only saw 4 matches last season so am not best placed to judge but I'm not sure how many of the following are "National League Top 5"

Management Team/Physio
Darren Edmondson
Alex Meechan
Sean Riley

Goalkeepers
Aaron Taylor

Defence
Simon Grand
Niall Cowperthwaite
Andy McWilliams
Danny Livesey

Midfield
Paddy Lacey
Izak Reid
Dan Pilkington
Alex-Ray Harvey
Alex Newby

Forwards
Jason Walker
Anthony Wilson
Andy Cook
Lewis Guy

That said, I look forward to following the effort and I'm sure the season will end at the right end of the table.

Livesey is a good player - he finished the season with us last year and we offered him a permanent contract but were outbid by Barrow. Fortunately that meant we signed Manny Smith instead who is at least twice as good!

 

[Monkey Tennis]

Welcome MT. Glad to see a proper Barrovian has found this forum. Can you send a few more over to provide some balance?

Despite all the money talk and ambition, this will be a big step up for the core of players and in particular the manager. I think that Darren is going to have to play a blinder in both signings and management through the season for Barra to get near to the play-offs. I only saw 4 matches last season so am not best placed to judge but I'm not sure how many of the following are "National League Top 5"

Management Team/Physio
Darren Edmondson
Alex Meechan
Sean Riley

Goalkeepers
Aaron Taylor

Defence
Simon Grand
Niall Cowperthwaite
Andy McWilliams
Danny Livesey

Midfield
Paddy Lacey
Izak Reid
Dan Pilkington
Alex-Ray Harvey
Alex Newby

Forwards
Jason Walker
Anthony Wilson
Andy Cook
Lewis Guy

That said, I look forward to following the effort and I'm sure the season will end at the right end of the table.

Yep, totally agree, not many top 5 players among them, but I do believe we'll be bringing in quite a few established names in the next few weeks (and January if we're not up there).
Livesey has come good after an unspectacular start, and Grand is definitely up there with the best in the division - I know he's had a few clubs, but seems to have settled into a role of leader and good on the ball.
I think Wilson is capable of getting some goals if injury free, but obviously, time will tell.

Not sure Guy and Reid are being kept on, so other than that, only maybe 2 or 3 others are going to be starting regularly. Guess it's down to how well the manager can make a team of new players gel.

 

[Clarkey_GTFC]

Looking forward to Cook scoring a few against us next season. Will never understand how we chucked a player who guarantees 15+ goals a season out of the door. 4 out of 5 seasons as a first team regular he's bagged between 15-20 in both Conf North and Prem. Find it pretty funny we signed Palmer who is a carbon copy of Cook and almost hailed him a hero.

 

[pontoonlew]

Looking forward to Cook scoring a few against us next season. Will never understand how we chucked a player who guarantees 15+ goals a season out of the door. 4 out of 5 seasons as a first team regular he's bagged between 15-20 in both Conf North and Prem. Find it pretty funny we signed Palmer who is a carbon copy of Cook and almost hailed him a hero.

Don't put that out on the Fishy they'll fucking hang you, Cook was shit don't you know?

Personally I hope he's second top scorer in this league next season with one of our strikers ahead of him.

 

[Gladders]

Without bringing up the Cook argument again we don't need a striker who scores 15+ we need a striker who will score 25+ to win the league. Besides he hasn't scored 15+ in 4 out of 5 seasons, he has done it once for Barrow in the Prem and once for Barrow in the North, in a full season for us Cook didn't score 15+ league goals he only got 11, we need to find that Hearn, Vardy, Akinde or Green, not another average 15 goals.

 

[pontoonlew]

My final point on him is that he was still young when he did tha, he's still young now and will almost certainly consistently score goals throughout his career.

Matt Green has been released by the way....

 

[Southern Shayman]

Without bringing up the Cook argument again we don't need a striker who scores 15+ we need a striker who will score 25+ to win the league. Besides he hasn't scored 15+ in 4 out of 5 seasons, he has done it once for Barrow in the Prem and once for Barrow in the North, in a full season for us Cook didn't score 15+ league goals he only got 11, we need to find that Hearn, Vardy, Akinde or Green, not another average 15 goals.

I'm sorry but your argument is massively over simplified. You need goals in your team - whether that comes from one man or two or the whole team! Akinde had to score the lion's share of the goals for Barnet because they played 1 up top. So if you have two up top and they both contribute 15-20 each then that's fine. A 25+ goal a season striker would certainly help but the way you describe it is just wrong IMO

 

[George Reilly's Hairpiece]

Akinde had to score the lion's share of the goals for Barnet because they played 1 up top.

We played two up top for the majority of the season. MacDonald, Hoskins or Gash partnered Akinde. Playing 1 up top we did sometimes, especially in difficult away games.

 

[Southern Shayman]

We played two up top for the majority of the season. MacDonald, Hoskins or Gash partnered Akinde. Playing 1 up top we did sometimes, especially in difficult away games.

I stand corrected then

 

[Habbinalan]

I'm sorry but your argument is massively over simplified. You need goals in your team - whether that comes from one man or two or the whole team! Akinde had to score the lion's share of the goals for Barnet because they played 1 up top. So if you have two up top and they both contribute 15-20 each then that's fine. A 25+ goal a season striker would certainly help but the way you describe it is just wrong IMO

Barrow scored 81 league goals last season, shared around 13 players. I think only Cook and Walker scored more than 6. Walker rarely played a full 90 minutes but Andy Cook (23 goals in all competitions) played more games than anyone else (38) and had an important part in a lot of those 81 goals.

 

[rudebwoyben]

But you're right about needing to have goal scorers throughout the team. The 13 that Lusima and 9 Weston scored from midfield were very important as well.

 

[Gladders]

I don't just mean you need one 25+ striker and that's it, you obviously need goalscorers throughout the team. Cook played over 40 games for us in one season and scored 11. He doesn't guarantee 15+ as Clarkey put it, and we already had 15+ last season with LJL. Our next highest was Pittman on 10 and Disley with 9. If we had a 25+ striker with either LJL or Pittman we would have done much better.

If we want to win the league we need someone who is going to score lots of goals, as the previous 5 champions have had, along with 2 or 3 others on or close to double figures, we already have those (if they re-sign) so its finding that gem if we want to win the title.

 

[Clarkey_GTFC]

Cup games are part of the football season as well so yes Cook does guarantee 15+ goals a season and I am certain had he been a regular for us 2 seasons back he'd have bagged 15 goals then as well. While it's a slightly above average return over one season, over multiple seasons it's nothing to be sniffed at, more than could be said for John-Lewis so far.

As we all know football fans aren't allowed to change their minds, they're just fickle but here goes. This time last year I was seething at Cook being shoved out the door in favour of LJL and I wasn't wrong in thinking that. Now I am in complete acceptance of the decision. The preferred scenario would've been Cook to be the regular and LJL to be the sub, I still believe that would've worked to a much better effect, but LJL has proved his worth so I can't really moan. Cook needs to play regularly, when he does he shines.

But anyway, you're right in saying we need a reliable out and out goalscorer. Whether it's LJL or Cook up top, that fact doesn't change.

 

[Gladders]

To be honest, I only want to win the league now, we have had three shots at the play-offs, now its time to win it or get close to win it, as we did this season, if it wasn't for the poor start.

I am glad Hurst and LJL has won the fans over, and that Hurst has proved he can do better and since Christmas has made big decisions on releasing players and signing players which worked.

So for me it doesn't matter how many goals are scored in cups, its all about the league, and I thought at the time it was right to release Cook and keep LJL and it has proven so, LJL played less games than Cook and scored more goals in a season, that's enough for me, whether it was a one season thing or not remains to be seen.

Now Hurst has one more thing to prove to me and others and that is find a striker to partner LJL which will see us go one better next season.

 

[Clarkey_GTFC]

Yep my only quarrel now is whether LJL can keep up his goals like Cook can. There's no reason to suggest he can't as I think he gets better every time I see him. Like Hearn, I sincerely hope Cook does well as there's a quality player in there but as of right now I wouldn't want him back. In this case I think the grass is greener on our side.

 

[Monkey Tennis]

I'll have to admit, I don't think Cook guarantees 15+ goals. Andy Cook with confidence would, but when he hits a dry spell, nothing he does goes right. That said, most Conference North defenders were useless against him, and I'm not that sure the ones in this division are always that much better are they? I also don't think he'll play 40 games this season, and more likely to be on the bench if he's on a drought rather than stick with him.

There are other players in Conference North that could make the step up, and Guiseley have a couple of them.

 

[Gladders]

Didn't know where to put this but for all you Tranmere fans (& Cheltenham) here's a blog on what to expect from the Conference

https://toogoodtogodown.wordpress.com/2015/05/22/tranmere-a-message-to-you-tranmere-cheltenham/

 

[Reginald Fodstain]

We won 3-0 at Braintree in our first visit there actually

 

[DarkSithLord]

We won 3-0 at Braintree in our first visit there actually

But that wasnt a league fixture!

 

[Si Robin]

Didn't know where to put this but for all you Tranmere fans (& Cheltenham) here's a blog on what to expect from the Conference

https://toogoodtogodown.wordpress.com/2015/05/22/tranmere-a-message-to-you-tranmere-cheltenham/

Doesn't even mention Cheltenham...to be honest though, I think people expect us to know what to expect, little realising that for the majority of our fans next season will be their first taste of non-league football. Even for the rest of us the Conference is completely different to the one we left in 1999.

I can't wait.

 

[Mark kavanagh]

Its spot on that we have sold our training ground and are throwing that money into the hat. Palios is famous for turning around ailing businesses so although i dont expect to win the league i am cautiously optimistic