Football

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Delete, repeat post.

 

[GS250]

At National League level there are two clubs of which deserve a big mention. That's Altrincham and Wealdstone. Both running traditional part time training regimes and both finishing comfortably above the relegation zone. It's all about recruiting the right players and maximising use of the loan market. Most part time players look after themselves these days and fitness isn't really a concern. If you are playing full timers every week, you gain fitness here too. Where the part time teams really lose out is contact time with the players and rehab. Compare this to Kings Lynn who put non league journeymen on full time contracts. They were relegated.

It appears Altrincham will go full time next season where as Wealdstone will move towards a hybrid regime.

I fancy Solihull Moors to sneak into the EFL via the play offs. Loads of pressure on Wrexham.

 

[Loppylugs]

I fancy Solihull Moors to sneak into the EFL via the play offs. Loads of pressure on Wrexham.

I hope they do. Neal Ardley is a good manager and he would be up against his old club AFC Wimbledon if promoted.

 

[DarloRich]

Yes an excellent result. AFC Fylde on Sunday. A very tough ask.

Beat them easy

 

[GS250]

I hope they do. Neal Ardley is a good manager and he would be up against his old club AFC Wimbledon if promoted.

Yep. Another traditional non league club doing well will only upset the BELT's

Sutton did it big time last season.....

 

[DarloRich]

Yep. Another traditional non league club doing well will only upset the BELT's

Sutton did it big time last season.....

I am extremely unhappy to be below these tin pot little clubs in the hierarchy. Not right.

 

[GS250]

I am extremely unhappy to be below these tin pot little clubs in the hierarchy. Not right.

Oh well...if your username is your club then you got one over our wretched lot in the Trophy last season.

One club that could annoy many in the NL next season....Dorking Wanderers. Very small Town club that have generally been in the lower reaches of the Isthmian League. They will take barely any away support but no doubt will have a half decent team courtesy of one man and his money. Another plastic pitch too. Playing Ebbsfleet in the play offs this coming weekend.

 

[DarloRich]

Oh well...if your username is your club then you got one over our wretched lot in the Trophy last season.

One club that could annoy many in the NL next season....Dorking Wanderers. Very small Town club that have generally been in the lower reaches of the Isthmian League. They will take barely any away support but no doubt will have a half decent team courtesy of one man and his money. Another plastic pitch too. Playing Ebbsfleet in the play offs this coming weekend.

There are quite a few coined up clubs in the northern section of the leagues but there seem to be fewer in the southern sections. The standard of football is also lower imo.

The resource battle is a hard one as fan owned clubs like ours just cant compete with project clubs.

 

[AlterEgo]

The resource battle is a hard one as fan owned clubs like ours just cant compete with project clubs.

That bubble has to burst at some point.

 

[GS250]

That bubble has to burst at some point.

We keep expecting it to....but it doesn't. If anything the ante just keeps on getting higher in spite of World economic events.....

 

[youngiecj]

Beat them easy

A surprise! York away another tough ask. Sadly the final is being overshadowed by a massive ticket farce. Only 800+ tickets allocated to Boston.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Sadly the final is being overshadowed by a massive ticket farce. Only 800+ tickets allocated to Boston.

Interesting! Normally for National League play-off games, away teams get 15% of the ground capacity (which has been set at a reduced figure of 7,500 for Saturday).

 

[DarloRich]

A surprise! York away another tough ask. Sadly the final is being overshadowed by a massive ticket farce. Only 800+ tickets allocated to Boston.

that is York for you - there was some issue with one of their home ties and some chew with Chorley

 

[THC]

Oh well...if your username is your club then you got one over our wretched lot in the Trophy last season.

One club that could annoy many in the NL next season....Dorking Wanderers. Very small Town club that have generally been in the lower reaches of the Isthmian League. They will take barely any away support but no doubt will have a half decent team courtesy of one man and his money. Another plastic pitch too. Playing Ebbsfleet in the play offs this coming weekend.

I think you may be conflating them with the former Dorking FC. Dorking Wanderers are a relatively new club that were only founded in 1999. They played at county league level until 2015, when they were promoted into the Isthmian League set-up. Their founder, Marc White, is also the manager, so this "one man and his money" jibe is a little misplaced. Anyway, good luck to him and them this weekend - it will be good to see a new name coming up into the National League top flight rather than yet another yo-yo club returning.

THC

 

[Rob F]

Extremely nerve wracking last night at the City Ground but Forest finally return to Wembley after a 30 year absence. Played poorly on the night but just did enough and Brice Samba in goal was absolutely magnificent all evening, what a player!

Shame about the idiot who charged into Billy Sharp, he is an absolute disgrace and let the club and the city down badly.. It seems he has been arrested and the club have banned him for life. What on earth drives people to do such moronic things?

 

[DarloRich]

That bubble has to burst at some point.

We keep expecting it to....but it doesn't. If anything the ante just keeps on getting higher in spite of World economic events.....

It is much harder to "burst" at lower levels because the level of investment required is quite low. I would maintain it is harder to coin up in the northern sections of the leagues as the competition is tougher and the standard higher ( caused by several years of not taking promotions - hence the issues with the National North having Brakcley et al in it.)

To do well at low level doesn't need that much coin really. Clearly it needs more than any of us will ever have but not THAT much. The step up to full time is where many get found out. That is a much bigger financial commitment.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Extremely nerve wracking last night at the City Ground but Forest finally return to Wembley after a 30 year absence. Played poorly on the night but just did enough and Brice Samba in goal was absolutely magnificent all evening, what a player!

Shame about the idiot who charged into Billy Sharp, he is an absolute disgrace and let the club and the city down badly.. It seems he has been arrested and the club have banned him for life. What on earth drives people to do such moronic things?

I was certainly less nervous watching your game last night than I was at ours on Monday... at least until the shoot-out!

Agree on the minority of idiots who invaded the pitch at both games. I've probably said this before but I fear that there's a new generation of hooligans on the rise, who don't remember the consequences of such behaviour back in the 70s and 80s. Just as the police are finally realising that football supporters are just ordinary people, there's a growing number of ****heads ready to ruin it!

Whatever happens in the final we've had a great season. We'll need to play far better than we did in either leg of the semi to have any chance of success, but it's one game... and it's almost a cliché at this point but in the Championship anyone can beat anyone on their day. One thing in our favour is that we've managed to win games when not at our best, but in a play-off final I don't want to be relying on that!

Getting to the final (or rather, getting home afterwards) will be a pain thanks to the game being on a Sunday at teatime. If ET and pens needed (quite likely given our play-off record!) there's no way back to Huddersfield by train. Travelodge it is then. Thanks, Your Majesty/Sky/EFL/RMT/TPE!

 

[GS250]

It is much harder to "burst" at lower levels because the level of investment required is quite low. I would maintain it is harder to coin up in the northern sections of the leagues as the competition is tougher and the standard higher ( caused by several years of not taking promotions - hence the issues with the National North having Brakcley et al in it.)

To do well at low level doesn't need that much coin really. Clearly it needs more than any of us will ever have but not THAT much. The step up to full time is where many get found out. That is a much bigger financial commitment.

Yes the National North has generally been of a higher standard than the South. The quite alarming prospect of Hemel Hempstead or even Wealdstone ending up in the NLN was close to a reality 5-6 years ago. This was due to every club that was relegated from the NL being based below London. May have been Woking, Torquay, Ebbsfleet and Aldershot (who were given a reprieve).

 

[DarloRich]

Yes the National North has generally been of a higher standard than the South. The quite alarming prospect of Hemel Hempstead or even Wealdstone ending up in the NLN was close to a reality 5-6 years ago. This was due to every club that was relegated from the NL being based below London. May have been Woking, Torquay, Ebbsfleet and Aldershot (who were given a reprieve).

Hemel suits me - 20 minutes on the train

 

[Runningaround]

I was certainly less nervous watching your game last night than I was at ours on Monday... at least until the shoot-out!

Agree on the minority of idiots who invaded the pitch at both games. I've probably said this before but I fear that there's a new generation of hooligans on the rise, who don't remember the consequences of such behaviour back in the 70s and 80s. Just as the police are finally realising that football supporters are just ordinary people, there's a growing number of ****heads ready to ruin it!

Whatever happens in the final we've had a great season. We'll need to play far better than we did in either leg of the semi to have any chance of success, but it's one game... and it's almost a cliché at this point but in the Championship anyone can beat anyone on their day. One thing in our favour is that we've managed to win games when not at our best, but in a play-off final I don't want to be relying on that!

Getting to the final (or rather, getting home afterwards) will be a pain thanks to the game being on a Sunday at teatime. If ET and pens needed (quite likely given our play-off record!) there's no way back to Huddersfield by train. Travelodge it is then. Thanks, Your Majesty/Sky/EFL/RMT/TPE!

With price of Alcohol in pubs hitting £4.00 or more a pint in pubs the trend is to buy in bulk from a supermarket meaning it's forced down before you get to the ground or dump it and Cocaine for the equivalent hit is far cheaper and easier to hide or scoffed down before meeting the sniffer dogs. So therefore more are going to be drunk or high as a kite well before kick-off, and as drinking isn't allowed in the stands fans are ramming as many down as they can at half-time.
There isn't any easy answer;
Cheaper drinks in controlled environments?
Relaxed attitude to non-aggressive drugs to encourage those who are going to, to use them instead?
Longer drinking hours and allow it in the stands to encourage consumption to be spread out over a longer time without needing to rush?
Or complete ban on all alcohol and intoxicated people within 10 mile radius of stadium?

European football and Rugby is often cited as an example, both have their own problems with drink and idiots yet they seem less severe or is British football under far more scrutiny so it's publicised more.

 

[Darandio]

Or complete ban on all alcohol and intoxicated people within 10 mile radius of stadium?

A bit extreme. Such a rule instantly removes thousands of pubs around the country.

 

[Runningaround]

A bit extreme. Such a rule instantly removes thousands of pubs around the country.

Did you read the other points or focused just on that one? You'll find the others are relaxing drinking around games.
Scotland forces pubs to close before big games and it's been used in England for high risk games before. That doesn't stop buying beforehand from a shop the night before or for away fans travelling in. I find the more restrictions you have the more concentrated drinking time gets the more problems encountered.
But then extending the licence laws didn't really cut down violence outside the pub it just spread it out over a longer time.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

A bit extreme. Such a rule instantly removes thousands of pubs around the country.

I think that what you mention above pub about pub closures has already happened. I wonder how many have closed since supermarkets entered the trade and these seem quite happy to sell boxes of the stuff which are always well displayed.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

With price of Alcohol in pubs hitting £4.00 or more a pint in pubs the trend is to buy in bulk from a supermarket meaning it's forced down before you get to the ground or dump it and Cocaine for the equivalent hit is far cheaper and easier to hide or scoffed down before meeting the sniffer dogs. So therefore more are going to be drunk or high as a kite well before kick-off, and as drinking isn't allowed in the stands fans are ramming as many down as they can at half-time.
There isn't any easy answer;
Cheaper drinks in controlled environments?
Relaxed attitude to non-aggressive drugs to encourage those who are going to, to use them instead?
Longer drinking hours and allow it in the stands to encourage consumption to be spread out over a longer time without needing to rush?
Or complete ban on all alcohol and intoxicated people within 10 mile radius of stadium?

European football and Rugby is often cited as an example, both have their own problems with drink and idiots yet they seem less severe or is British football under far more scrutiny so it's publicised more.

The old "Colombian Marching Powder" does seem to be a growing issue among the "neo" hooligan set. Alcohol is not really the intoxicant of choice among those groups, and many thousands enjoy it in moderation without getting lairy, so yet more extreme measures on that front would do more harm than good.

It is somewhat annoying that I can't take a beer to my seat watching Huddersfield Town... but if I was watching the Giants in the same stadium I could do.

 

[roversfan2001]

With price of Alcohol in pubs hitting £4.00 or more a pint in pubs the trend is to buy in bulk from a supermarket meaning it's forced down before you get to the ground or dump it and Cocaine for the equivalent hit is far cheaper and easier to hide or scoffed down before meeting the sniffer dogs. So therefore more are going to be drunk or high as a kite well before kick-off, and as drinking isn't allowed in the stands fans are ramming as many down as they can at half-time.
There isn't any easy answer;
Cheaper drinks in controlled environments?
Relaxed attitude to non-aggressive drugs to encourage those who are going to, to use them instead?
Longer drinking hours and allow it in the stands to encourage consumption to be spread out over a longer time without needing to rush?
Or complete ban on all alcohol and intoxicated people within 10 mile radius of stadium?

European football and Rugby is often cited as an example, both have their own problems with drink and idiots yet they seem less severe or is British football under far more scrutiny so it's publicised more.

Cheaper drinks in football grounds could go either way. Some folk would spread out their drinking over the day but the typical troublemaker would just use it as a chance to drink even more. There is already a more relaxed attitude to the more chilled out drugs, but I reckon the number of people who would swap a couple of lines for a spliff or two before the game is somewhere in the region of zero. The cocaine problem in English football does seem to be a recent phenomenon, I noticed it creep in just before Covid then it blew up once fans were allowed back in grounds.

I'm a big fan of the idea of drinking being allowed in the stands, but probably only in dedicated sections (and I don't mean 'everywhere except the family stand'). It's allowed at every other sport in the country and as far as I'm aware isn't a big driver of trouble.

 

[Runningaround]

Cheaper drinks in football grounds could go either way. Some folk would spread out their drinking over the day but the typical troublemaker would just use it as a chance to drink even more. There is already a more relaxed attitude to the more chilled out drugs, but I reckon the number of people who would swap a couple of lines for a spliff or two before the game is somewhere in the region of zero. The cocaine problem in English football does seem to be a recent phenomenon, I noticed it creep in just before Covid then it blew up once fans were allowed back in grounds.

I'm a big fan of the idea of drinking being allowed in the stands, but probably only in dedicated sections (and I don't mean 'everywhere except the family stand'). It's allowed at every other sport in the country and as far as I'm aware isn't a big driver of trouble.

There has also been a recent increase in matches being held up for medical attention in the stands could this be the necking down of your remaining beer before or quickly getting rid of your stash before the dog smells it or both.
I've also witnessed away fans who'd usually enter the home end cautiously and keep quiet becoming bolder. I wonder if it's a few lines of courage.

Before the match if fans know they can get decently priced pint at the game or around town they'll be less inclined to buy in bulk before hand, in some cases it'll before you head off which can be early morning with another 8 hours before the match add a substance to keep you awake then realising your coming to your destination with a few cans and a line of Coppers and dogs, Some will ''rather use it than lose it''

I've seen the reaction of EFL/EPL fans who go to the Rugby or lower league or Europe and think all there christmas' have come at once and can't believe they can drink pitchside and make tits out of themselves.

I do wish we were more Dutch in regards to drugs and beer, no need to rush both in moderation and in terms of Cannabis more choice of strength. The appetite for anything else tends to wane.
I've sat next to pensioners in Rotterdam skinning up at the match Pint in one hand Spliff in the other and nobody gave a damn the atmosphere was chilled but not dull. But being drunk and incapable is not seen in the same light there.

 

[DarloRich]

European football and Rugby is often cited as an example, both have their own problems with drink and idiots yet they seem less severe or is British football under far more scrutiny so it's publicised more.

I live very close to the MK Dongs ground. The most chew on we have ever had is when the rugger bu$$ers use the ground. Football fans parking badly or peeing in the street or vomming in a bin or chucking pint pots about outside the pub would get dealt with by the police.

All good natured Tory toff banter when the rugger bu$$ers do it!

The old "Colombian Marching Powder" does seem to be a growing issue among the "neo" hooligan set.

That is a problem in society generally. Coke use ( and apparently the use of bad quality coke) is out of control.

 

[Runningaround]

I live very close to the MK Dongs ground. The most chew on we have ever had is when the rugger bu$$ers use the ground. Football fans parking badly or peeing in the street or vomming in a bin or chucking pint pots about outside the pub would get dealt with by the police.

All good natured Tory toff banter when the rugger bu$$ers do it!

That is a problem in society generally. Coke use is out of control.

Where I'm from Rugby certainly ain't a Tory sport. And Rugby isn't immune from irresponsible drinking (ask the kid who got his hood full when thrown up on)it's being reigned in at The Millenium. But then it's extraordinarily expensive to drink there it's unlikely they got drunk at the stadium or even packed Cardiff city centre so drunk on the way with piles of cheap booze before hand.
If controlled legal substances are to expensive or unobtainable then get off your head other stuff.

 

[Kite159]

I see Everton fans have decided to invade the pitch during the game earlier tonight to celebrate when they scored the 3rd goal.

The moment the fans invaded, the game should have been called off and Everton given a 10 point deduction for failure to control their fans. The attack on the Sheffield player the other night by a Nottingham fan should have been a wake-up call for player safety when the fans decide to jump the fence. Plus any fan who decides to invade the pitch banned from all football stadiums for life.

 

[roversfan2001]

There has also been a recent increase in matches being held up for medical attention in the stands could this be the necking down of your remaining beer before or quickly getting rid of your stash before the dog smells it or both.

Judging by the typical age of those requiring treatment, I doubt it's linked to drugs or alcohol. The football world has just recently started to take incidents very seriously, so whereas in previous years the match would have carried on while someone was receiving treatment, now they stop the game and it suddenly becomes very noticable.

I see Everton fans have decided to invade the pitch during the game earlier tonight to celebrate when they scored the 3rd goal.

The moment the fans invaded, the game should have been called off and Everton given a 10 point deduction for failure to control their fans. The attack on the Sheffield player the other night by a Nottingham fan should have been a wake-up call for player safety when the fans decide to jump the fence. Plus any fan who decides to invade the pitch banned from all football stadiums for life.

I personally don't see anything wrong with a celebratory pitch invasion, it's a sudden show of passion. Attempting to be heavy handed with the punishment simply doesn't work when thousands of fans pour onto the pitch - you can't ban them all.

The attack on Billy Sharp was a rarity and has been universally condemned. I do believe that the bloke has already been jailed for 6 months for the assault too.