national league

[Shrimper]

Only team saying right now that they aren’t going to continue is Dover. The fact there are 7 teams who voted against and only 1 is saying they won’t continue or even make public they voted against would suggest to me that the others will play on despite losing

Wonder if they'll play now they know there's no relegation. Reckon the others will play

 

[rowe23]

The league set out the rules for a vote 50% majority wins they have 13 so thats it. Don’t know why some of our fans seem hellbent on us getting a free pass. The only team saying they aren’t going to continue is Dover. We are going to have to finish 22nd or above, get over it

Jim, I don’t think people are hell bent on there being a free pass or maybe that is my hope that people don’t feel that way. I agree our focus should be on finishing 22nd or higher, but it does open the question around the EFL’s stance and feeling on the matter. Last year they weren’t comfortable with relegating the two sides without guarantee that the national league would begin, so if the same stance is applied or the EFL take a stance and say no relegation then it is bound to also have an impact on the teams in league 2 especially the likes of ourselves, Barrow and Grimsby and probably a few others as with limited income at the moment and big losses could see clubs furlough players again and then as a result see weaker teams deployed and this will then have an impact on result especially for teams higher up the table fighting for promotion, if there is no threat of relegation and for example ourselves have no threat of relegation then it means the competitive edge will be lost as we could loose every game playing our u23’s safe in the knowledge we won’t be relegated, and this is the same situation in the NL.

So I can understand the interest in the situation I am interested to understand what will happen as I think this will have bigger impact not only on the season but potentially the whole set up of the league and football pyramid as whole. So I think it is important to maybe understand peoples interest in the matter, maybe there are a few hoping for a free pass, I mean you wouldn’t turn your nose up at would you, the same way you wouldn’t walk past that £20 note on the floor, you didn’t set out for that £20 but you would pick it up if the opportunity presented itself.

As I say I think there is a lot more in this to run and it will be interesting to see how the FA and EFL view the situation and their reactions to the outcome announced tonight.

Personally I think we will have just enough about us to stay up, but it will be right and possibly come down to last 2 games of season.

 

[crangoner]

Last year they weren’t comfortable with relegating the two sides without guarantee that the national league would begin

Last season they only had to relegate one side and that was somewhat dodgy anyway, considering Stevenage were given a reprieve after Macclesfield's financial woes were laid out for all to see...

 

[brigg blue]

Doesn't the vote still need FA approval? I seem to remember last season L2 wanted to have promotion but no relegation and were told it wasn't acceptable

 

[onceknownasrab]

Teams in the National League, that complete the season finishing in the promotion places, have earned the right to go up. Neither us, or any club, deserves a free pass. If the shoe were on the other foot and we were in the NL this forum would be hotter than hell if we were refused promotion. We will deserve our status if we get the necessary points. If we don't then we will deserve relegation.

 

[Justleavingwork]

Perfect time to reasses the league structure between the various league.

turn national league into league 3 as most are professional with 3up/down across all leagues, then regional leagues there after with a four doesnt from this league to the regional leagues.

Or complete change with, premiership (20 teams with 3 down) championship (24 teams with 3 up, 4 down), then regional leagues there after (24 teams with 2 up/4 down) to improve the gates at games as there would be more local teams. May make it harder to get promoted though but improved gates would be offset

 

[mfurok]

Perfect time to reasses the league structure between the various league.

turn national league into league 3 as most are professional with 3up/down across all leagues, then regional leagues there after with a four doesnt from this league to the regional leagues.

Or complete change with, premiership (20 teams with 3 down) championship (24 teams with 3 up, 4 down), then regional leagues there after (24 teams with 2 up/4 down) to improve the gates at games as there would be more local teams. May make it harder to get promoted though but improved gates would be offset

Less promotion places means more meaningless games means less interest means lower crowds........unless you’re very near the top or (wait for it) very near the bottom.

 

[Stuart W]

Perfect time to reasses the league structure between the various league.

turn national league into league 3 as most are professional with 3up/down across all leagues, then regional leagues there after with a four doesnt from this league to the regional leagues.

Or complete change with, premiership (20 teams with 3 down) championship (24 teams with 3 up, 4 down), then regional leagues there after (24 teams with 2 up/4 down) to improve the gates at games as there would be more local teams. May make it harder to get promoted though but improved gates would be offset

A cynic might say that it's funny how the idea about integrating a non-league division into the EFL has been bandied about in the same year that our beloved club is at its greatest risk of going into this non-league division..........or is it just coincidence?

 

[rigsby]

Its not a coincidence, the idea of 5 divisions of 20 have been suggested for a while now.

PL, L1, L2 and then L3N and L3S. Makes good sense to me as the all non league would be regional as it should be.

The idea is the PL share just about 2% more with the rest of us to make up for the loss of 4 home games. It would rule out Tuesday fixtures, apart from rearranged. No overnight stays, less mid table games and bigger crowds as we would play plenty of local fixtures.

Gets my vote

 

[Mick]

A cynic might say that it's funny how the idea about integrating a non-league division into the EFL has been bandied about in the same year that our beloved club is at its greatest risk of going into this non-league division..........or is it just coincidence?

Indeed. Our current plight has spawned a whole host of "experts" on the non-league scene. I hope they maintain their interest if we manage to deservedly avoid joining it, on merit, with 22nd place or above - a feat which looks at least a possibility of late.

 

[kaymac]

Perhaps there are some on here who take genuine (and ongoing) interest in the non-league game?

 

[Stuart W]

Perhaps there are some on here who take genuine (and ongoing) interest in the non-league game?

231 comments thus far suggests otherwise to me.

 

[Tommy2holes]

Teams in the National League, that complete the season finishing in the promotion places, have earned the right to go up. Neither us, or any club, deserves a free pass. If the shoe were on the other foot and we were in the NL this forum would be hotter than hell if we were refused promotion. We will deserve our status if we get the necessary points. If we don't then we will deserve relegation.

Have they earned the right though.

I mean if you beat you nearest rivals during the early part of the season when teams are all playing for promotion and to avoid relegation.

Now there is no relegation, teams can play whatever team they like. Register local park players and completely devalue the competition.

So you may find that a team has a run against such teams and gains promotion when other promotion candidates played them when they were actually trying.

We could see some cricket scores and record scores coming soon.

It's not fair on those that are genuinely trying and have kept their squad motivated.

The fairer option would be to finish the league on a points per game and have an early play off match to determine promotion before league 2 ends.

That would just leave league two to determine who goes down.

 

[kaymac]

231 comments thus far suggests otherwise to me.

Then think again....

 

[londonblue]

Wonder if they'll play now they know there's no relegation. Reckon the others will play

Their game on Saturday is shown as postponed on the BBC.

 

[Chris Powell's mate]

I'm wondering how many NL sides have a reserve pot?
Most of their clubs' 'financial streams' are based on gates and takings from social bars and other matchday revenue.
I know the haul from the rather large open-to-all social club at Woking is substantial.
So it's not just gates, but the extra that's missing.
Last season, Notts Co (average 5,210) were head and shoulders above the rest. Stockport, Wrexham and Chesterfield were also up there.
But by the time you get to Bromley in 10th, gates are barely above 2,000.
I just don't know how the rest are surviving, and they must already have debts.

 

[Justleavingwork]

Indeed. Our current plight has spawned a whole host of "experts" on the non-league scene. I hope they maintain their interest if we manage to deservedly avoid joining it, on merit, with 22nd place or above - a feat which looks at least a possibility of late.

hardly an expert, just something that I’ve suggested to may friends and fellow supporter at our games when national league teams started to go professional. We have more than enough teams of similar quality in this country competing for the same few promotions places, we all talk about little difference between middle of league 1 down to middle to bottom league 2 and middle of league 2 to top half of thenational league.

I’m also an advocate of the league cup becoming the Uk cup with an europa league space, with clubs from England, Scotland, wales, Northern Ireland and crown dependencies taking part but that has nothing to do with this thread.

it’s the ideal time to discuss these changes, like other topics discussed in the past with football becoming a March to December season. or naming all your available squad as asubstitute instead of a limited number.

sure Southend situation helps, but many type of changing how football operates are discussed with fans at a lot of clubsregardless of positionin their respective league.

 

[crangoner]

crown dependencies

At least you stopped at the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands! The Coupe de France is open to teams from all over la Métropole (this means there are eligible teams from the Caribbean Sea, South America, Indian Ocean and even the Pacific Ocean). The FFF provides grants to facilitate their travel to Europe or for European-based teams to the rest of la Métropole, but often the far-flung amateur teams need to apply for passports and transit visas, and the travelling European teams may require innoculations for certain locations! I guess most Essex folk have their immunities up to date before taking the QEII/Dartford tunnel anyway!

 

[southendkid]

It's good to read this on the BBC website and for it not to mention us!


I spoke to someone in the EFL earlier who said promotion and relegation between the two leagues is still expected.But will Barrow and Grimsby - the current bottom two - feel it is fair to be relegated if the league below has had a season where just over the half the teams completed it?

I can see how teams that miss out promotion could feel aggrieved but I don't see how the bottom 2 can feel aggrieved. It's not like how the NL decides to deal with who gets promoted has any affect on who the bottom 2 will be at the end of our season. It's entirely their fault if they get relegated, it makes no difference who the two are that come up.

If there's no promotion from the NL then that's a different story since that would leave League 2 short on teams next year (which I believe is what the EFL were worried about last year) but as long as the NL decide to still do promotion it makes no difference to us who comes up and there's no reason relegation from League 2 should be cancelled, it would just be an attempt from the bottom 2 to worm out of the consequences of being crap.

 

[Justleavingwork]

I can see how teams that miss out promotion could feel aggrieved but I don't see how the bottom 2 can feel aggrieved. It's not like how the NL decides to deal with who gets promoted has any affect on who the bottom 2 will be at the end of our season. It's entirely their fault if they get relegated, it makes no difference who the two are that come up.

If there's no promotion from the NL then that's a different story since that would leave League 2 short on teams next year (which I believe is what the EFL were worried about last year) but as long as the NL decide to still do promotion it makes no difference to us who comes up and there's no reason relegation from League 2 should be cancelled, it would just be an attempt from the bottom 2 to worm out of the consequences of being crap.

as long as some premiership clubs don’t do a deal with the national league clubs that can’t/won’t play to pay them to play their premiership clubs u23 players and use that as a back door to include their u23 going forward