on their official website it says they are not playing again and have furloughed they staff and sent loan players back to their parent clubs. At least that saves one away game and will lose no points for us.

Put them right down at the bottom of the pyramid. I haven't looked but I hope Torquay and Sutton have played them (preferably twice).
This league is getting more ridiculous by the day.

could be a blackmail attempt by the to get more money as there may be others wanting to do the same to make the league a bigger farce than anything brian rix ever thought up.

Missed that you had already flagged this Mr A. Here's my post in the right place:

http://www.doverathletic.com/news/club-statement-11/
“The club will be unable to fulfill further National League fixtures until appropriate funding is made available.”

Nowt to do with the fact that they're already nailed on for relegation, obviously.

Makes a bit of a mockery of the NL vote at the end of the month, doesn't it?

They might get a shock if HM Inland Revenue question their application for furlough. It's not a Government decision to stop them playing, they have made it themselves. This is going to be interesting.

would imagine clubs will vote to null and void season. If by a miracle though they don't , you have to wonder about the credibility of the rest of the season. Would there be mutiny, with some clubs refusing to play/take part? Would clubs just play kids? would some clubs just go through the motions? with all the subsequent punishments / sanctions rolling on into and mucking up next season . The perfect storm brewing, probably for the best if clubs do what I believe is the right thing, and knock the season on the head. A season on reflection that probably never should've started.

Any clubs acting like Dover should be severely dealt with with relegation 3/6 leagues down.

I've said it so many times I know I sound like a broken record, but if the NL had the same system step 3 had, then around 600 fans could of attended (and eaten and drank) until november. While that would of been very few games, it would of at least been something. Especially if the season began in September, quiet frankly the season probably could of began in August if not for players needing fitness

Also, I'd bet my bottom quid that pubs will be open by Easter for a good two months before fans are let into grounds, just like last time.

How the fuck could I drink in a pub, fly to Spain from around July yet couldn't legally go to a game until August 22. What the actual fuck are the FA doing? Fuck the FA.

Until fans are let in football at this level just isn't sustainable in the long term. I don't get how people cannot understand that.

Why fuck the FA ? It's not their call to let fans in its the government.

Because they didn't communicate with the DCMS good enough, the English Cricket Board did and had fans in much earlier.

The NL committee connected to the FA also wrongly assumed loans were grants, which is essentially why we're in the position we are right now.

Considering spurs, newcastle, liverpool and many others furloughed staff i doubt they'd start looking at dover's furlough application now.

The National League Committee shud of had reasonable regulations in place bfor the season started.
Just incase shit like is happening now popped up.
PPG bfor 75% of games completed and I ain't just saying that becos POOLS r Avin a good season.

Anyway what will be will be.
The votes r due in by the end of the month.
Still reckon it could go 12/11 either way.

UTP!

None of those teams you mention refused to fulfil their fixtures though did they??
It's not a given that they'll be refused furlough money but I firmly believe the application will be looked at. Dover will have to pay the Employers national insurance and pension for anyone furloughed as well. The rules have changed since furlough was first started. The company have to sign a document stating clearly that they are going to pay national insurance and pension BEFORE the 80% is forthcoming.

People arguing, I think I'll keep out of this.

It would help our league position if Dover had their results voided as we haven’t played them but a lot of the top teams have beaten then so would lose points

King's Lynn now furlough all players and announce that they won't play again untll appropriate funding is in place.

And the anarchy begins................

There was discussion of where things are at in the first 15 minutes of The Non-League Show yesterday (it's on the BBC iPlayer). The one bit of good news is that Ollie Bayliss and co. reckon the results of the club voting will be announced this week - maybe within a couple of days. It looks like the NL will vote to continue the season but the NLN and NLS seasons will be abandoned.

If that happens the NL board will try to insist that all clubs in our division fulfil their fixtures. Whether they can enforce it is a different matter. One possibility is that the likes of Dover and King's Lynn field scratch sides while their pro footballers stay furloughed, just as a way of fulfilling what the Dover chairman called "meaningless fixtures" - because there will be no relegation to the NLN/NLS if their seasons are voided.

That would actually work to Pools' advantage because we've still got to play Dover twice and Kings Lynn away. There would be hell on though because it would be blatantly unfair and raise questions about the integrity of the competition. It would surely be better to just void the results of clubs that refuse to play and carry on with a smaller division. In the worst case, will the EFL even agree to 2 of its sides being relegated into the National League after a season of meltdown? Whatever happens, it's hard to imagine Tiers 6 and 7 carrying on with their current governance model beyond this season.

The ECB had just as many games with crowds for test events as football did, if not less, other than that there’s been no crowds at the cricket?

I have some sympathy for the likes of Dover and Kings Lynn as the NL and Government have moved the proverbial goalposts with regards to the funding - but the Dover chairman was involved in the distribution of the grants - which was not in accordance with what had been initially agreed. Whatever, you can't allow folk to join something and then leave if things don't suit them - there must be some form of sanction. So if the likes of Kings Lyn and Dover don't want to play anymore fair enough, you drop three leagues and repay the grant - their fixtures are voided. Simples.

funny how owners are willing to bankroll these clubs in the good days are quick to more or less cry the poor tale when something goes wrong. is it a case of not actually being able to afford to carry on or the chance of some free money if they hold out. football club owners and politicians have one thing in common. its hard to trust any of them.

A bit like leaving the UK leaving the EU then

[quote="derwent"]Put them right down at the bottom of the pyramid.
yes in the french NW football combination league sponsored by some lousy french food producer to save em on travelling up places like hartlepool .

funny how owners are willing to bankroll these clubs in the good days are quick to more or less cry the poor tale when something goes wrong. is it a case of not actually being able to afford to carry on or the chance of some free money if they hold out. [/quote]




Aye,they should have taken into account a deadly virus spreading around the world before they took these clubs on.

According to the Non-League Show the NL board has admitted that it didn't get anything in writing from DCMS and the National Lottery to the effect that the 'funding' offered from January would be grant aid. The Dover chairman claims that this wasn't his cock up as he and other 'affiliated' board members - those directly connected to individual clubs - weren't directly involved in the negotiations. He also reckons that despite having one of the lowest playing budgets in the division Dover need another £300-£400K to play on to the end of the season without crowds.

There's going to be another meeting with Sport England on Friday. They've already promised they won't let any club go to the wall financially but I doubt clubs refusing to play on is any of their concern - it just means they'll need less cash to be saved from insolvency. Agree with you Mr.Foot - boot them down a few levels to a standard of football they CAN afford.

If Dover were top they would want to carry on, bit like darlo crying saying its on safety grounds the other week, but quite happy to then play in cup games.

8 of the top 9 NLN clubs have voted to continue the season. Fair play to Chester, who are second in the League but voted to declare the season null and void because of the failure of the NL board to secure grants to continue. They are continuing to fulfil their obligations by playing on till the final decision is known.

Maybe Darlo would do the same if they were in Chester's position, maybe they wouldn't. One thing's for sure, Chairmen like the bloke at Dover would be all for playing on if they had a sniff of glory.

Aye,they should have taken into account a deadly virus spreading around the world before they took these clubs on.[/quote]
shit has always happened before the virus was ever heard of. thats why clubs have folded and have got into bother in the past. it isn,t fans that caused it directly.

The greed in football over the last 30 years or so hasn't helped, and this has been exposed during this pandemic, all the rule changes over the years to help the bigger clubs, to bring in more income, expansion of tournaments and play offs etc.

Take for example the Euros due to take place during the summer. Used to be 8 teams, then 12 now 24, used to be held in once country, now games due to be played in several countries.

Makes things difficult when unforseen circumstances like a pandemic strikes.

And its all down to greed, all about the money.

Oh,come on,just let us play another round of the cup..nobody will notice.



The FA Trophy elite.

Get it right, its on safety AND funding grounds.
For the FA trophy there is prize money that can be used to offset getting the players tested beforehand.
With the league, we would be expected to complete 30 league games in 3 month with no testing available unless we pay for it and no funding in place either.

So you want to pick and choose games depending on prize money? What happens if you get to the final? Are you only going to pay players when they play in the cup. The final will be in 3 months time after these 30 games will of been played.

I'm sure you aren't as dim as you are making out here. Read my first reply, the reasons are all in there.

Well I may be dim here if you get to the fa trophy final it’s in 3 months time, how are you going to fund the team for three months to compete in just two or three games? Or don’t you pay them during this time?

never heard of flexible furlough then?

To be fair to Darlington, I also imagine if they refused to play a trophy game the FA would probably go ballistic.

Games with prize money are sustainable, league games with no or little income are unsustainable. All the power to teams not playing in the league while picking up trophy money. The FA and National League committee deserve little but contempt. They lied about grants, I can guarantee if clubs were told from the start the funding would be in loans, the season wouldn't of got off the ground.

If you want to end the season then furlough should be used, but you shouldn’t just be coming in and out when you feel like it because you fancy playing in a cup that’s worth peanuts. I hope you win the quarter final and get Torquay away, lets see how attractive that appears then, with all the costs that incurs.

See what I mean

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/fear ... 6d7ae0dc31

See what I mean

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/fear ... 6d7ae0dc31[/quote]
just let em all go to some european league with no promotion or relegation that they really want. let the rest with even less tele money cut their coats according to their cloth and just carry on. it certainly would not bother me if the 2 manc clubs and the red scouse were missing from english fixtures.

just let em all go to some european league with no promotion or relegation that they really want. let the rest with even less tele money cut their coats according to their cloth and just carry on. it certainly would not bother me if the 2 manc clubs and the red scouse were missing from english fixtures.[/quote]

My point being Mr Accy it things like this have a knock on effect down the leagues. It already has and it will continue. It put pressure on the Championship to ramp up its brand, then the EFL follows , then the NL etc etc.

Then you have an unforseen pandemic and BOOM! All these clubs , heavily in debt , who have been living above their means in their over hyped leagues , start bleating about having no money to carry on.

We may not have anything in common with those at the top are an interest in their affairs, but what they do impacts on the rest of us further down the scale.

For example, if Euro 2021 consisted of just a dozen teams, played over a fortnight, that would give some scope for leagues to be extended this season etc, but because of greed its now 24 teams over a month, same with World Cup , also meaning lots of meaningless qualifying games v Albania and the Faroe Islands etc , but this is what the greedy buggers want, any excuse to create revenue for the FA ,Wembley and tv.

I wonder if the big clubs managers start moaning about fixtures congestion now? Fans will soon get sick of watching the same teams playing eachother year after year.

Why not? Thats what flexible furlough is for! You can call the staff back in when its prudent to do so then furlough them again afterwards.
As for Torquay away if it happens, we as fans have paid for overnight stays for Swindon, Bristol Rovers and Weymouth. See no reason why we wouldnt do the same again for a semi final with a chance of going to Wembley again.

[quote="billinghampoolie1908"][/quote]

If you want to end the season then furlough should be used, but you shouldn’t just be coming in and out when you feel like it because you fancy playing in a cup that’s worth peanuts. /quote]



It did make me laugh this,naughty Darlo eh ?. ..and they're jumping the furlough fence whenever it suits them .Dead right we are.

Your whole point of playing in this cup is that you are in it to make money an overnight trip to Torquay, paying for wages for a week, then paying for testing will more than outweigh the 5 grand for a losing semi final so will be making losses on that game if it happened. A bit rich of darlo to bring money into it but yet are happy to play in games where they will potentially make a loss.

[quote="horden"][



Then you have an unforseen pandemic and BOOM! All these clubs , heavily in debt , who have been living above their means in their over hyped leagues , start bleating about having no money to carry on.

We may not have anything in common with those at the top are an interest in their affairs, but what they do impacts on the rest of us further down the scale.

its already had an impact on non league football for a start. most clubs in our league are full time in what only less than 20 years ago was a part time pro league. i can imagine there will be odd clubs in the northern and southern sections who are also full time clubs. the whole thing is over hyped and it wont be long where someone gets bankrolled in the northern league and go full time with the rest having to spend money they have not got just to compete with em. the virus has shown the frailty of the game but will be as quickly forgotton as it quickly arrived with no long term lessons being learned.

Same as society / economy Accy. Nothing will change, because the money men will see to it that it doesn't change, because things as they currently are, work for them , and thats all that matters. If at the end of the day a few clubs or people fall by the wayside, so what, collateral damage, thats the way they think, but the show must go on.

just wonder out of those clubs who voted not to continue our league this season will do a dover. just because there is a majority in favour of one thing does not mean they,ll join the majority to make it work. brexit being a fine example.

Now they can't be relegated this season, I reckon some clubs may have a change of heart.

there certainly will if the EFL says there will be no relegation from div.2 beause of the state of the national league this season.

SSSHHHHH They might hear you.