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Post by jdl on Aug 3, 2020 9:16:32 GMT
Thinking why this might be, I wondered if there were simply more northern clubs in L2. But it's actually pretty balanced - 13 north & 11 south (2019/20). I also wondered if it was the recent arrival in the NL of aggressively financed northern clubs, intent on getting into the EFL. But, again, this isn't really true - apart from Salford and Harrogate, the last club buying it's way into the EFL was FGR, 4 seasons ago. Perhaps it just tends to be northern clubs who get promoted? But, not even that - over the last 10 years it's been pretty close, with 9 southern clubs promoted and 11 northern. Given that each year's NL intake is always 2 northern and 2 southern, this remains a bit of a mystery. The simple explanation is that the Football League was originally an exclusively northern competition so there are actually many more northern former League clubs than southern. A valid point, but the composition of the league, and the status of the southern clubs, has changed a lot over the decades. Whilst I think this is part of the answer, I don't think it's the whole explanation.
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Post by sword65 on Aug 3, 2020 10:10:14 GMT
The simple explanation is that the Football League was originally an exclusively northern competition so there are actually many more northern former League clubs than southern. A valid point, but the composition of the league, and the status of the southern clubs, has changed a lot over the decades. Whilst I think this is part of the answer, I don't think it's the whole explanation. Well hopefully when we finally do go back up,and we will never doubt it,the more Southern teams the better ,I would be happy with 22 from the South and two from up t'north.
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Post by Sennockian69 on Aug 4, 2020 18:08:47 GMT
A valid point, but the composition of the league, and the status of the southern clubs, has changed a lot over the decades. Whilst I think this is part of the answer, I don't think it's the whole explanation. Well hopefully when we finally do go back up,and we will never doubt it,the more Southern teams the better ,I would be happy with 22 from the South and two from up t'north. Yes let's hope the Southern clubs shall rise again.
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Post by jdl on Aug 4, 2020 20:28:17 GMT
I had a bit of a boo-boo with my Altrinchham/Boston post the other day - I lost the 79/80 season!
The upshot is that Alty have been in the NL one season longer than I said (28) and they won the Alliance twice - they were champions both the first and second seasons.
In those pre-automatic promotion days, their chances of going up were pretty remote, as they had to face an election where all the other candidates were FL clubs - and guess who was voting? The results of Alty's two attempts illustrate nicely how stacked the odds were against non-league sides.
1979/80:
Darlington 49 22nd Div 4 Crewe Alexandra 48 23rd Hereford United 48 21st Rochdale 26 24th Altrincham 25
Unusually close - but that was only their first season as Champions, surely, having won the APL twice on the trot, they'd so even better next season?
1980/81:
Tranmere Rovers 48 21st Div 4 Hereford United 46 22nd York City 46 24th Halifax Town 41 23rd Altrincham 15
That first season's vote put the shits up the Old Boys, they weren't going to let that happen again...
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Post by jdl on Aug 4, 2020 20:44:12 GMT
Something similar happened to us. We Applied for election to Div 4 when we were 2nd in 83 (champions Enfield's ground wasn't up to FL standards), and, again, when we won the year after.
1982/83:
Blackpool 52 21st Div 4 Crewe Alexandra 49 23rd Hereford United 49 24th Hartlepool United 36 22nd Maidstone United 26
1983/84:
Chester City 52 24th Div 4 Halifax Town 52 21st Rochdale 50 22nd Hartlepool United 32 Maidstone United 22
Our vote held up better than Altrincham's, but still went down on the second vote - when we had actualy won the bloody APL!
Mind you, that was probably down to JT's slicker than slick PR campaign. I remember thinking at the time "if anything is designed to get up the noses of the Div 4 Chairmen, this is it!".
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Post by jdl on Aug 4, 2020 20:50:04 GMT
Interesting to see where most of the those reelected Div 4 sides have ended up after automatic relegation came in...
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Post by sword65 on Aug 4, 2020 20:56:44 GMT
Interesting to see where most of the those reelected Div 4 sides have ended up after automatic relegation came in... And they all still think they are too BIG for non league.
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Post by sword65 on Aug 11, 2020 20:39:36 GMT
Stevenage get a reprieve and the MACC LADS are coming down
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Post by jdl on Aug 11, 2020 22:24:32 GMT
Stevenage get a reprieve and the MACC LADS are coming down Some sauce for you: www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2020/08/11/macclesfield-town-relegated-national-league-four-point-deduction/The right result, I think. I was happy to see Macclesfield go up and wished them all the best, but they are clearly a troubled club, and aren't up to the standards required in the EFL (said almost not tongue-in-cheek). I think Stevenage fans would have been mighty pissed off if they'd seen Macc deducted 4 points at the start of next season. Funny old game, football...
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Post by Nick on Aug 12, 2020 15:04:58 GMT
Lewis Knights signs for Billericay. Clear intention of their title ambitions !
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Post by bear5 on Aug 12, 2020 15:38:39 GMT
Lewis Knights signs for Billericay. Clear intention of their title ambitions ! Not sure whether this is tongue-in-cheek? I thought he was unimpressive and a liability with the ball at his feet.
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Post by Nick on Aug 12, 2020 16:26:56 GMT
Still a decent signing for Billericay, from a Stones point of view.
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Post by Bernie on Aug 14, 2020 21:57:56 GMT
Someone on Facebook claiming Ebbsfleet lost £2.6 million for the second year running. If true, am I the only one who finds it obscene?
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Post by sword65 on Aug 14, 2020 22:10:00 GMT
Someone on Facebook claiming Ebbsfleet lost £2.6 million for the second year running. If true, am I the only one who finds it obscene? No!
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Post by hongkongstone on Aug 15, 2020 2:47:16 GMT
Someone on Facebook claiming Ebbsfleet lost £2.6 million for the second year running. If true, am I the only one who finds it obscene? That is surely far greater than even their playing budget. As such the question should be HOW can they lose that much money? Do they have gold plated toilets or is it some nefarious (accounting) practices?
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