I have a mate who's a Shrewsbury Town fan who suffered relegation to the conference a few years, and he's given me a few insights as to what it's like.

He said its one of the best seasons ever as they won loads of games and had the highlight of winning the play off final, and they came back at the first attempt.

Speaking to a Donny fan after the game yesterday he basically concurred with that sentiment of enjoy the difference and winning more often, just don't stay too long.

They both say it's not a league for blooding young talent. It's a mans league, full of good solid ex league players and lads who work all week in proper jobs. A good keeper, solid midfield with a bit of flair and a big striker with a goal poacher and we'll be fine. Same as any league.

What we must do is be ruthless in the retained list. Get rid of anyone not league standard and replace with men.

If we keep Carson, Magnay, Donnelly, Walker and Harrison, Amond, Allesandra we have a solid start. We need a new midfield clearly and I'd scatter them all.

I'd keep Paynter, he could be our Matt Rhead type player, and him and Amond could get 30 odd between them. Never thought I'd say it but Rodney could thrive too. Oates could develop well in a more confident side and his work ethic might suit that league.

Occasional exposure for players like Richardson, Martin, Rodney, Blackford and Simpson could be the making of them. Much better playing in a winning side with confidence.

Deverdics?? He has pedigree at that level.

New ownership structure with the leaches gone and a fans owned majority running the club for the clubs benefit. What's not to like.

I'm desperately trying to find solace here. It sound great In theory but it could happen. Couldn't it??

I expect Pam is at her desk now using her years of football experience to plan the campaign.

Yes it could happen!

I'd like to see Bignot appointed, an up and coming manager who did wonders with Solihull and was doing fine at Grimsby until a major falling out. He knows the league, will have much better players than he did at Solihull, yes we won't have a huge budget but add 6/7 to that group and we really could challenge.

Here's my retained list:

Carson, Donnelly, Magnay, Harrison, Walker, Alessandra, Amond, Oates, Richardson, Deverdics, Rodney, one of Featherstone/Hawkins.

That'd leave us needing a back up 'keeper, left back, a centre half, three midfielders, a winger and another striker.

We can do it, as a club we can!

No mention of Thomas or are you expecting him to be sold? Totally agree with this.

Expecting him to be sold of course! Maybe even Carson too.

Suppose we can safely assume that we will not be buying any players just acquiring players on a free.

Financially losing £350k per year means realistically we have to take any money for anyone who can command a fee to steady the ship. Carson, Thomas, Amond and Walker are probably the only players saleable.

Oates and Paynter would do well in Conference.

Would love to keep Fryer when Carson goes but unlikely.

Woods and Featherstone have been a massive disappointment especially as a pairing and even more so given their "pedigree" so time to thank them and move them on.

Wonder what Toto and Carroll are thinking right now, I suspect if we had kept them we would have survived.

Was it magnay who's legs looked like they weee the wrong way round for his comedy clearance for their goal yesterday?

Did he commit for the foul for the freekick that led to it

And for a brilliant hattrick was it him that did a comedy clearance for the initial cross?

Magnay played well yesterday, he made a mistake so fuck that happens he's the type of fully committed player we'll need next season.

A small number of our current squad have seen off 5 managers and the majority 3. Yes Jones was terrible and an arrogant bell end but non of them put the effort in for him they did yesterday and for a professional sportsmen not to try their maximum is unforgivable and despite Big Dave's short comings this is a major factor in why we went down.

For people to suggest we keep as many as 12 players is ridiculous. Their will be players who are in contract so unfortunately cannot be got rid off anyway Harrison being 1 how he got a new deal I will never understand.

Liam Donnelly would not get in the squad of another full time professional squad. Oates likewise yes he will run about and I will not fault the lads effort and commitment but he is simple not up to any standard of professional football. They are not the only 2 mind.

Players are going to be sold Carson, Thomas and at a push someone may take Amond as for the rest I would not be bothered if they all went and in the cas of most of them I would be pleased.

Have to say I agree, magnay was one of our few poor players yesterday, at times he seemed a little too enthusiastic, racing out to meet the ball and being caught out of position a couple of times and conceding needless fouls.

I have to say though he would be a more than capable full back to have around next season, if he can stay fit and build some momentum could become a really key player for us.

Thought the defence as a whole did pretty well yesterday, I would have been happy to not see Donnelly play again for us but thought he was excellent. And for all sky wanted to laud over John marquis, I can't actually remember him doing anything at all other than a shite free kick and tangling with Hawkins.

For me, if we keep allesandra, amond, oates, I think we have a very decent forward line for that level. The midfield needs scrapping completely there's only really woods I would keep around as a squad player.

It might just have been my view of it but didn't look like a free kick in a million years. Certainly less of a free kick than when their keeper did a Harold Schumacher on Oates!

Opinions I know but I thought Magnay was good yesterday.

Got to keep in mind that Magnay was also starting games just after coming back from a lengthy injury, and probably still not back to full match sharpness. But he is one of only 1-2 leaders in our team and will be a good player at national league level

Yeah the free kick looked a very poor decision at the time it looked like a good tackle.

Magnay and Amond are proven at National League level so I would be looking at keeping them, as well as Carson and Thomas, though they will almost definitely be sold. Personally I would scatter the rest, but cant see that happening. With a good spine , comprising a nasty , tough tackling midfielder and a 6ft 3in heavyweight boxer type striker, no reason why we cant come straight back up like Shrewsbury, on the other hand if we keep most of the players from this season, and the club continues to struggle financially we could also end up like York or Stockport, the latter looks more likely at this moment in time.

We could go for experience, building a team just to get us back up and no more, bringing in players like Michael Nelson and Jermaine Easter, though even at their age , I doubt they would fancy playing on the minimum wage.

Nelson would walk back here for a contract, I said we should have signed him last summer hardly anyone agreed at the time!

I don't believe it, Magnay criticised for being too enthusiastic.

Are we officially down then?

I still think that bloke at Newport is going to miss in the 89th minute whenever I see it

Points deduction for playing on a ploughed field?

He wanted to come back, he told me himself, he even said on Twitter the other night to someone he wanted to come back & Pools didn't want him

Featherstone has to go he's been awful of late he getting hooked yesterday was the turning point. Oates and Richards aren't even National League standard.

Apart from youngsters I'd only look to keep Magnay, Donnelly, Carson, Deverdics, Thomas and Amond build a new team around those.

Yes I'd keep him as well I think he'll be decent at that level potentially 15-20 goals.

I feel like you might be being a bit harsh on Oates & Richards.

I know Richards is never going to set the world on fire but surely he's capable enough in the National League?

We played Deverdics there for chunks of this League 2 season and that was one of the most baffling managerial decisions I've ever seen. He got ripped apart every single game he played there.

I'm not blaming the lad, he's not a right back, but my God. I'd have had Richards there over him in a heartbeat.

I probably wouldn't of agreed either, and probably still wouldn't if we were still in league 2, but he has had a good season at Barnet, and would be ideal for us next season. If you say he would walk back, then we need to see if we can sign him, at that age, he probably would for another season or 2 playing, a return to the North East and then a possible backroom job after he finishes playing.

Oates is awful, the lad tries his best but Christ he will never be a footballer he can trap it further than I can kick it. How many years has Richards been a pro? Far too many. We don't want good enough or ok we need to build a solid experienced team capable of the top five at least.

I just don't see who is going to work out what is best from a playing point of view. Bates conducted himself very well over the last couple of weeks but not sure he would be ruthless enough. Can't see a proven lower league manager moving to us at the moment, other than Ronnie, who to his credit is desperate to come back (I don't think he's the right man unfortunately btw).
The whole Coxall thing is a massive millstone round our necks, which will hold us back and we can't afford to fanny about in whatever f-king league we've just gone into.
The only glimmer of hope is that the players achieved something yesterday (too little too late) but they need to be reminded what is possible every game next season- with total commitment and a crowd behind them anyone is beatable. That's the attitude we need to come back up.
It also feels like there has been an awakening for the fans as well, you can see that from the numbers there yesterday, people getting behind the Trust and messages of defiance on twitter.
If Coxall goes very soon there is hope. If he hangs about, everything is very uncertain.
And by the way, I can't see how he is due a single penny, the twat.

Woods has to go for me. Always sensed ability in there but only seems to show it one in ten games

Another who seems a canny lad who does his best but falls short of good enough far too often. Featherstone, Hawkins, Woods you can scatter that entire midfield for me.

The thing I've always liked about Richards is he seems to be able to cross a ball, and let's face it we've lacked a good delivery this season.

With Oates, he's young. I've seen glimpses that suggest he's got potential and given that we're going to be a non-league team next season I'm not sure we can afford to be THAT picky. He also has pace and shows desire and unfortunately not enough of our squad has that right now.

We are probably going to have a smaller squad we can't retain people who are not good enough.

Just going to copy my post from another thread:

Oates will run all day and he bust a gut yesterday, but 'intensity' isn't everything. His lack of composure first half when a rebound put him clean through on goal was really poor. Contrast with the chances Rodney put away.

There was nothing to suggest him and Amond were on the same wavelength; on the contrary, they had a good shout at each other towards the end of the first half. Amond is the guy who can score 20+ goals for Pools next season (per the post from the Bristol Rovers fan) and he needs a strike partner he can play off and work with.

If the lad stays it will be as a squad player again.

Yeah always comes across as someone who cares as well, but any sentiment has to go out the window now.

When Woods and Featherstone left the field it livened up.

Wonder if James Coppinger can still cut it in league 1? or maybe he fancies a crack at management. I would be looking at signing someone like Liam Noble if Forest Green fail to go up, but yet again, probably on a better wage than at FGR we could offer.

To be fair the pedigree of two midfielders signed from Harrogate Town is always going to be questionable to regularly play well at league two level.

There is a decent core squad there to keep and build around. It's important to get a manager who can get the best out of them though. Quite possibly the most crucial 2 - 3 months in he clubs history off the field coming up. Got a feeling this roller coaster has just started really.

See if we can finally bring in some of these quality free agents that where kicking about in January apparently.

He has signed a new contract with Donny. I think he is still quality as well -ran the show at their place in November.

Do they get an EU grant for leaving it as rough grazing land/ ploughed field?

Just watched the skysports video of Stelling's reaction. Must of been hard keeping it together on TV.

They showed Newport at full time and the crowd were on the pitch, I just hope they manage to get it back up to standard before next season.

Massive achievement by Newport in fairness, it pains me but their massive gamble hasnt half paid off.

Their board wanted it more than ours, by a million miles.

I feel we threw it all away after Xmas, it must have been a massive kamikaze stroke by us to get it soooooooo wrong. Things that bad should be made into a training DVD of how to fuck things utterly and leave a scorched earth policy as a legacy.

To be fair Gary had more pressing things on his mind in January than signing players. Things like selling several first team players, handing the club over to the fans, planning houses and hotels and not forgetting that crucial management signing.

We can't be keeping players like Richards, he's simply not good enough, I would never knock his attitude and effort but like a lot of this squad he lacks quality. Oates will run all day but we want footballers not long distance runners, his second touch is usually a tackle. I'd love to keep Carson but can see him wanting to play league football to stay in the Ireland squad.
I think deverdics did well when he came on yesterday probably because he got to play in his actual position , he would be a good asset in the national league.
As for the rest I'd keep amond, alessandra,magnay, donnelly and sadly we will be stuck with Harrison and bates (pretty sure he has a year left on his contact).
Obviously some of the younger lads will stay and I'm in two minds over paynter!

Agree 100%.

Ponderous and we can't play them together as the last few seasons have demonstrated.

Fresh start required.

Love the idea of Nelson coming back and I'd see if Jason Kennedy would come too. The hardworking type of midfielder we lack and he has a knack of scoring too.

Richards and Hawkins will be the barometer of our ambition for me.

Keep them and we're fucked. Release them and others in their mould and we might be able to get out the league.

7

Watching the channel 5 highlights the referee cleary indicates the free kick is for a shirt pull which happened just before the well timed tackle

Oh quite right.

We will do a lot worse with Hawkins and Richards next season.

They simply aren't good enough. Don't for one minute think we'll win the National league with them in the squad and that is what we'll need to do. That or win the playoffs

Who says he got it wrong.

I have a feeling he has managed exactly what he was planning.

He has been drawing a wage, and now appears to be on the verge of getting himself another £500k.

He also has a small group of fans, a few quite influencial if you read most social media, one of whom has the others drooling to suck his cock and hanging on his every word, in his pocket. Coxall could tell them the moon was made of cheese, and it would be classed as fact in no time.

Pam appears to wielding the same magic.

This couldnt have gone any better for them.

But hey, in Pam we trust.

Even though she has stated that she wants her money back. But so what, just believe her, and get your season ticket money in.

You know you want to.

One thing about Rodney really stood out for me yesterday - his fooking footballers thighs! And I don't mean that in a gay way for once. It was good to have at least one bloke who looked like he could have a crack at a brick wall - rather than be poleaxed by a seagull's slipstream like the rest of the fuckers!