Embracing the national league

[brigg blue]

Yes that's true, well done for that bit of positivity. I believe that this will not apply to cup games, but in our case, I'm sure we get do without a beer for just one game.

The downside for me personally is that the vast majority of teams are southern based so it's unlikely I'll get to many games....bit like this season really

 

[ChesterfieldFan]

You boys are in for a big shock when you drop into the National League. After a double relegation we (Chesterfield) thought there is no way it could get any worse and it would be a doddle getting back into the EFL..couldnt of been more wrong. When your so used to losing like you are it’s extremely hard to turn around. Our first two seasons we only just survived getting relegated to the NLN...terrible start this season aswell until we got new ownership and took a chance on a Young manager and backed him with the right players which has turned out very well. Contrary to what you may believe you won’t be able to get any player you want like Michael Cheek for example because some of the tinpot clubs at this level (Solihull for example) are spending an absolute ton on players which is why its so hard to get out of this league. Adam Rooney on over 2k playing for Solihull,Cheek on a fair whack at Bromley. When you get passed the small money driven clubs then you have to take on the ex-league clubs who for example (Stockport & Wrexham) have extremely rich owners. Then the likes of us,Notts,Hartlepool,Yeovil who dont have a ton of money but more than enough to compete.

You may think because you get 4/5/6k at home you will attract the best players but you won’t as there are several clubs that pull in the same numbers that have tried and failed (Us,Notts,Stockport,Wrexham). The referees at this level are abysmal,the away followings minus the above mentioned aswell as Hartlepool are shocking. You will get beaten on a Tuesday night at home by Maidenhead and they will only bring 20 odd fans (fond memories of getting beaten 3-1 on a tuesday night by them...bringing 17 fans and singing ‘Your f***ing sh*t’ as everyone left the ground). Your players will get smashed about away at Boreham Wood by a team of 7ft giants for 90 mins. You may wonder at times how you yourself are not a National League football player with some of the quality on show.

If you can clear out all your deadwood (they won’t do a job in the National League we thought that aswell) and get off to a good start you never know...but with 1 automatic and 1 playoff it will be very tough. I wish you luck and hopefully see you next season.

Chesterfield fan coming in peace!

 

[Jai]

You boys are in for a big shock when you drop into the National League. After a double relegation we (Chesterfield) thought there is no way it could get any worse and it would be a doddle getting back into the EFL..couldnt of been more wrong. When your so used to losing like you are it’s extremely hard to turn around. Our first two seasons we only just survived getting relegated to the NLN...terrible start this season aswell until we got new ownership and took a chance on a Young manager and backed him with the right players which has turned out very well. Contrary to what you may believe you won’t be able to get any player you want like Michael Cheek for example because some of the tinpot clubs at this level (Solihull for example) are spending an absolute ton on players which is why its so hard to get out of this league. Adam Rooney on over 2k playing for Solihull,Cheek on a fair whack at Bromley. When you get passed the small money driven clubs then you have to take on the ex-league clubs who for example (Stockport & Wrexham) have extremely rich owners. Then the likes of us,Notts,Hartlepool,Yeovil who dont have a ton of money but more than enough to compete.

You may think because you get 4/5/6k at home you will attract the best players but you won’t as there are several clubs that pull in the same numbers that have tried and failed (Us,Notts,Stockport,Wrexham). The referees at this level are abysmal,the away followings minus the above mentioned aswell as Hartlepool are shocking. You will get beaten on a Tuesday night at home by Maidenhead and they will only bring 20 odd fans (fond memories of getting beaten 3-1 on a tuesday night by them...bringing 17 fans and singing ‘Your f***ing sh*t’ as everyone left the ground). Your players will get smashed about away at Boreham Wood by a team of 7ft giants for 90 mins. You may wonder at times how you yourself are not a National League football player with some of the quality on show.

If you can clear out all your deadwood (they won’t do a job in the National League we thought that aswell) and get off to a good start you never know...but with 1 automatic and 1 playoff it will be very tough. I wish you luck and hopefully see you next season.

Chesterfield fan coming in peace!

It's a good insight but I challenge you to find a single person on this forum saying it will be easy.

Most of us are preparing for the Conference South.

 

[ChesterfieldFan]

It's a good insight but I challenge you to find a single person on this forum saying it will be easy.

Most of us are preparing for the Conference South.

Don’t get me wrong I didn’t mean it in that way, I also havent seen a post from your supporters (minus the banter pages on Facebook) saying you would go straight back up. Just thought I’d let you know exactly what your in for once you come down if you had any doubts about what its really like.

To be fair its not the worst division ever, now with the editions of yourself and Grimsby (unless there is a miraculous escape from either of you) I’d argue there are better teams in this division than there is in league 2! Southend,Grimsby,Chesterfield,Notts County,Wrexham,Stockport,Yeovil,Torquay,Hartlepoolits not all bad. It’s just when your going away to the likes of Boreham Wood who when I went before Covid,we took 650 and the attendance was 980 odd that it really hits home some of the teams your facing. Sort of feels like a pre-season friendly except they will actually be better than you. It’s sad initially but once you turn that corner and start going upwards again the love for the game and the club will come back stronger than ever. I think promotion out the National League will be the most feel good one of any promotions you may have as it’s such a difficult league to get out of. I hope to get that feeling one day..maybe this season we’ll see.

 

[Martin Out]

Would the National League even accept us if we have debts owed to HMRC and Ron Martin cannot show proof that we are able to pay it off?

 

[Jai]

Don’t get me wrong I didn’t mean it in that way, I also havent seen a post from your supporters (minus the banter pages on Facebook) saying you would go straight back up. Just thought I’d let you know exactly what your in for once you come down if you had any doubts about what its really like.

To be fair its not the worst division ever, now with the editions of yourself and Grimsby (unless there is a miraculous escape from either of you) I’d argue there are better teams in this division than there is in league 2! Southend,Grimsby,Chesterfield,Notts County,Wrexham,Stockport,Yeovil,Torquay,Hartlepoolits not all bad. It’s just when your going away to the likes of Boreham Wood who when I went before Covid,we took 650 and the attendance was 980 odd that it really hits home some of the teams your facing. Sort of feels like a pre-season friendly except they will actually be better than you. It’s sad initially but once you turn that corner and start going upwards again the love for the game and the club will come back stronger than ever. I think promotion out the National League will be the most feel good one of any promotions you may have as it’s such a difficult league to get out of. I hope to get that feeling one day..maybe this season we’ll see.

It's very worrying seeing the amount of former league sides stuck down there. It won't be long before League Two is full of the likes of FGR, Sutton, Morecambe, Salford, Boreham Wood etc and the National League is full of much bigger clubs who have just been run into the ground by dickheads who think they know best.

I see Chesterfield have turned the corner, and that's great. You had arguably an even tougher few years than we have just had.

With the pandemic, it's been a double whammy, not being able to go to games and suffer with fellow fans. Hard to describe how bad it has been when you work all week, look forward to the weekend and then watch them lose heavily, shut the laptop and instantly have to get on with childcare etc.

I am looking forward to watching football with mates and seeing some faces I haven't seen for a while. With Ron Martin in charge, I am not expecting anything better than 15th or 16th in the National League, but I guess we can only hope.

 

[FarmdogSUFC]

Well after reading that I feel much better. Cheers

 

[ChesterfieldFan]

It's very worrying seeing the amount of former league sides stuck down there. It won't be long before League Two is full of the likes of FGR, Sutton, Morecambe, Salford, Boreham Wood etc and the National League is full of much bigger clubs who have just been run into the ground by dickheads who think they know best.

I see Chesterfield have turned the corner, and that's great. You had arguably an even tougher few years than we have just had.

With the pandemic, it's been a double whammy, not being able to go to games and suffer with fellow fans. Hard to describe how bad it has been when you work all week, look forward to the weekend and then watch them lose heavily, shut the laptop and instantly have to get on with childcare etc.

I am looking forward to watching football with mates and seeing some faces I haven't seen for a while. With Ron Martin in charge, I am not expecting anything better than 15th or 16th in the National League, but I guess we can only hope.

I remember oh too well how utterly depressing it is being constantly at the bottom especially when the downward spiral seems like it will never end. I remember dropping out the EFL at FGR tears in my eyes thinking that was it there was no way back. However one day you will turn a corner it just can take a hell of a long time,slipping further down the the National League to the NLS would be nothing short of a complete disaster and then thats when you really have to start worrying about the future of your club. I don’t think you’ll have that problem. I can’t begin to tell you how bad we were them first two seasons in the National League you wouldn’t believe it and if we survived you would have to be something beyond horrific to go down again. I know you think your probably that bad already but trust me you aren’t.

Yeah we have had a shocking 5/6 years since them L1 playoffs its far too much to write but we’re passed that now (I think anyway god I hope so). The reason I found myself on your forum is because you have done a near identical decline to what ourselves and Orient did with the double relegation and it all stemmed from the exact same thing...the ownership!
I think until you can sort that out you’ll find it hard to turn the corner because it always seems to filter its way down onto the pitch. If something at the top isn’t right then everything below won’t be either.

We are currently owned by the Club Community Trust who have the best intentions for the club at heart. Finally people are in charge who care though they will only be able to take us so far with the limited resources they have. I think if we made it to the EFL they would look for more outside investment though I do know they are looking anyway as every little helps.

 

[ChesterfieldFan]

Apo

Well after reading that I feel much better. Cheers

Apologies about me ?

 

[ChesterfieldFan]

Would the National League even accept us if we have debts owed to HMRC and Ron Martin cannot show proof that we are able to pay it off?

Yes when we went down (Chesterfield) we had debts totalling something like 11m!

 

[FarmdogSUFC]

I remember oh too well how utterly depressing it is being constantly at the bottom especially when the downward spiral seems like it will never end. I remember dropping out the EFL at FGR tears in my eyes thinking that was it there was no way back. However one day you will turn a corner it just can take a hell of a long time,slipping further down the the National League to the NLS would be nothing short of a complete disaster and then thats when you really have to start worrying about the future of your club. I don’t think you’ll have that problem. I can’t begin to tell you how bad we were them first two seasons in the National League you wouldn’t believe it and if we survived you would have to be something beyond horrific to go down again. I know you think your probably that bad already but trust me you aren’t.

Yeah we have had a shocking 5/6 years since them L1 playoffs its far too much to write but we’re passed that now (I think anyway god I hope so). The reason I found myself on your forum is because you have done a near identical decline to what ourselves and Orient did with the double relegation and it all stemmed from the exact same thing...the ownership!
I think until you can sort that out you’ll find it hard to turn the corner because it always seems to filter its way down onto the pitch. If something at the top isn’t right then everything below won’t be either.

We are currently owned by the Club Community Trust who have the best intentions for the club at heart. Finally people are in charge who care though they will only be able to take us so far with the limited resources they have. I think if we made it to the EFL they would look for more outside investment though I do know they are looking anyway as every little helps.

Hold my ****ing beer ?

 

[Lambs Beret]

If Ron carries on his current funding I can genuinely see us having the lowest budget of all the full time sides in the National League.
The issue for us clearing out the deadwood is that you'd clear our entire squad out and we'd be left playing a youth team, again.
Right now if someone offered me 20th place next season I'd snap their arm off.

No offence to the Chesterfield fan but I'd rather Hartlepool and Sutton went up, you're a much better away day.

 

[harveyoe]

Would the National League even accept us if we have debts owed to HMRC and Ron Martin cannot show proof that we are able to pay it off?

Our perilous financial situation has also worried me for this reason, and I think that if we had been trying to move into the National League in an upward direction, this would certainly have been a stumbling block. I have been slightly reassured that they would have to accept us in a downward direction. However, this reassurance comes to me from some fairly unreliable sources.

I guess we won't have too long to wait before we find out for sure.

 

[Murkey_Mouse]

Essex is an hot bed of non league talent, as EFL clubs like Peterborough always explore it by signing players from Non League side in Essex area. It’s something we should be exploring in future and signing the best experienced players from Conference side around M25 area.

 

[East Devon Shrimper]

One positive thing is that we can enjoy a pint within view of the pitch, which will be a bit like iFollow just with less lagging

I’m afraid you can’t in the NL but yes in north and south.

 

[brigg blue]

I’m afraid you can’t in the NL but yes in north and south.

Buggeration

 

[Leigh_Seasider]

If you can clear out all your deadwood (they won’t do a job in the National League we thought that aswell) and get off to a good start you never know...

Thanks for the insight mate. The bit above is what did for us this season. We got off to a shocking start. We were stuck with too many players with a losing mentality scarred from last season and never replaced league 1 quality players like Simon Cox and Tom Hopper. We couldn’t sign a striker and were reduced to loan signings and past their best, out of contract players (not helped by being under an embargo). The result was a squad even Guardiola would’ve struggled with but some fans blamed the manager, believing we could do better or could sign better (we couldn’t).
We absolutely need a clear out and we need players with two relegations to their name gone as Dieng, Demetriou, Elvis and ****ing Goodship won’t get us out the National League.

All the best to Chesterfield.

 

[Napster]

Why?

Freedom of speech works both ways. I dont have to read stuff I dont want to if its bonkers.

 

[joffonon]

I echo tp21, that reads much like Orient's experiences in NL. Losing 1-6 at Bromley early in our first season - in the 11-game run without a win that did for Steve Davis - was a particular low. Many away matches where the available tickets were far fewer than the demand. Oh god, the referees.

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

Freedom of speech works both ways. I dont have to read stuff I dont want to if its bonkers.

Thanks for the reply.I'm not quite sure what you'd define as "bonkers" though I think it'd be a pity if it's anything you disagree with strongly.