The Vanarama Non-League Football Thread

[DavidMarrio]

2 minutes ago, MDK said:

I meant the one legged playoffs...

If it means Salford advancing to a playoff final having only played one semi final game. 

Just liquidate football

(Basically, fuck Salford)

[MDK]

1 minute ago, DavidMarrio said:

If it means Salford advancing to a playoff final having only played one semi final game. 

Just liquidate football

(Basically, fuck Salford)

I was against Salford getting promoted until I heard that Fyled are backed by Captain Brexit Nigel Farage.

[DavidMarrio]

8 minutes ago, MDK said:

I was against Salford getting promoted until I heard that Fyled are backed by Captain Brexit Nigel Farage.

Sounds like voiding the game and neither team getting promoted would have been the best course of action

[MDK]

2 minutes ago, DavidMarrio said:

Sounds like voiding the game and neither team getting promoted would have been the best course of action

If it keeps Notts in the league then I am all for it.

[Bobfoc]

Either that or revert to the old system of having just one team promoted. Orient go up, Notts don't go down and neither Salford nor Fylde go up. Everyone's happy.

[Adam]

Shame Salford went up.

[MDK]

Gonna be some crazy attendances in the conference next season.

[Nelson]

I don't get all this hate for Salford City. Yes, they have the money and have been able to recruit well because of it. I live literally around the corner from the stadium and you don't see what else they've done. They've clearly not invested in the club to make money. They've set up an academy structure, they've created a women's team (who won their league this year) and do a lot of work around the community. They couldn't have done any of that if they were still in the Northern Premier League First Division just barely staying up every year and to get kids involved, it will be more attractive to them getting involved in a Football League club that an 8th tier club averaging about 200 every week. Salford have never come close to having a Football League club and it was always made a lot harder with Old Trafford literally a 2 minute walk over the Salford/Trafford border so I think this is awesome for the city.

[Adam]

It's about the unevening of the playing field that they create. And they aren't the only ones. But they have got promotion because they have been able to spend far more money than any club can at this level.

The constant media fawning over them doesn't help either. I watched the highlights of the final and there were so, so many cuts to the box that the Nevilles and Beckham were in. It shouldn't be about them.

Also, I highly doubt any of that "Class of 92" gave a toss about Salford until this business opportunity came up. The Nevilles support Bury. Scholes is an Oldham fan. Beckham is from London.

These clubs who buy their way up the leagues in double-quick time make a mockery of non-league football and what it's about. I'm glad they do good things in the community and I'm happy for the proper fans these clubs have, but it leaves a bad taste in the mouth. That goes for Fleetwood, Crawley, Billericay and all the clubs like that.

[GA!]

48 minutes ago, Adam said:

These clubs who buy their way up the leagues in double-quick time make a mockery of non-league football and what it's about. I'm glad they do good things in the community and I'm happy for the proper fans these clubs have, but it leaves a bad taste in the mouth. That goes for Fleetwood, Crawley, Billericay and all the clubs like that.

That's my issue. They're all a bunch of Gretnas. Forest Green can get in the fucking bin too.

[The Lusophone]

No one seemed to have a problem when Bournemouth did it. They weren't non-league but they wouldn't be where they are today without the mega rich oligarch they have as an owner.

[Lineker]

tbf Bournemouth had already started climbing the leagues before Demin came aboard.

[Bobfoc]

1 hour ago, Adam said:

The constant media fawning over them doesn't help either. I watched the highlights of the final and there were so, so many cuts to the box that the Nevilles and Beckham were in. It shouldn't be about them.

Also, I highly doubt any of that "Class of 92" gave a toss about Salford until this business opportunity came up. The Nevilles support Bury. Scholes is an Oldham fan. Beckham is from London.

This is my problem. The fact that the media's been head-over-heels about the Class of '92 instead of the actual players has been grating. They all, perhaps with the exception of Beckham, seem like massive tossers too.

As far as wealthy people bringing clubs up the divisions goes, I'm not going to completely speak out against it because I'm sure I'd be quite happy if it happened at my own club. There have been several fourth tier clubs that have risen to the Premier League through significant investment beyond the range of most other clubs, and it's just the way it is. As long as they keep their identity and community spirit, good for them.

With Salford, the perception of them seems to be that they're Class of '92 FC, and it's hard to think of them as anything else with the way the media's presented them. They'll almost certainly get a disproportionate amount of attention in League 2, and it puts a dampener on things when an entire division becomes all about one club.

[GA!]

27 minutes ago, MexicoJack said:

No one seemed to have a problem when Bournemouth did it. They weren't non-league but they wouldn't be where they are today without the mega rich oligarch they have as an owner.

Bournemouth wouldn't be where they are today if Grimsby hadn't shat the bed against them in 2009. But in all seriousness, when you're an established football league side and your rivals are all being bought up and cash being thrown around, it's (begrudgingly) perfectly acceptable as that's the reality these days.

A non-league football team plundering Aberdeen for their top striker and then paying him £4,000 a week is not reality in the Conference. In the bin.

[Adam]

1 hour ago, MexicoJack said:

No one seemed to have a problem when Bournemouth did it. They weren't non-league but they wouldn't be where they are today without the mega rich oligarch they have as an owner.

Believe me, plenty of people did, particularly divisional rivals of them in League One and the Championship. Can attest to that from experience. But it does seem most have forgotten about it since they became a Premier League club.

[DavidMarrio]

16 hours ago, Adam said:

Believe me, plenty of people did, particularly divisional rivals of them in League One and the Championship. Can attest to that from experience. But it does seem most have forgotten about it since they became a Premier League club.

See I think there is the key thing. 

I wouldn't be massively paying attention to Bournemouth when they were in the football league cause they weren't gaining much attention for the likes of me. I keep an eye out on the football league and watch the odd game but I'm a Liverpool fan born in Liverpool. Really the only team I have any other sort of ties to is Wigan through my cousins. 

Whereas I know about Salford because of how much attention and press has been given to them. So it's easy for me to look at it and go "it's that club owned by a billionaire and a bunch of former man utd players" and then see them paying the amount of money they are in the Conference and the wages they are paying. 

[Nelson]

I get everyones point of view, but for me, I remember when Salford were playing in front of less than 100 people in the North West Counties league. They only went up to the Northern Premier First Division when they created the Conference North and South and between then and when the Class of '92 came in, they've only just stayed above the water. I remember when they were managed by Rhodri Giggs and when they had Ben Thornley on the left wing whilst he was working for the local taxi company and those big steps with planks of wood nailed in them in their old stand wasn't comfortable so as my local team, it's great to see where they are now.

[Lineker]

Here you go @Bobfoc

[Bobfoc]

Tough league, eh?

[Lineker]

Robbie Savage signs for Stockport Town in 10th tier