https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-l ... e-58664777

Small town clubs bankrolled by dodgy chairmen. I don't know if it is the case here but it wouldn't be the first or last time.

Oh dear....oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. Ah well.
I’ve driven past the Fisherman’s Friend factory several times in Fleetwood and have yet to see a single fisherman sucking one. Fact!

Fisherman's friend owners (Lofthouse) have been philanthropists who supported their local town. Nothing to do with the club or current club owners of the football club.

Never said they were, just an observation of my varied travels through the place. Never been there when the sun shines either, just like Blackpool.

I think someone here last year during the pandemic said they were wondering if clubs like Fleetwood would survive the pandemic considering its basically just a one man operation with no fans whatsoever.

The end of the Blackpool fan exodus will certainly hurt them as well. Absolutely mental that TWO clubs managed to exist at high levels just because of Blackpool fan boycotts. It's the equivalent of Easington Colliery reaching League Two and Horden reaching the National League North in the Coxall era.

week in week out blackpools results are when i know the pools one are the first i want to hear. every win i regard as another nail in the fleetwood coffin. If blackpool could do a burnley getting into the premier league fleetwood would be laughed at by morecambe and barrow fans due to their lack of fans. highbury stadium my big hairy arse. cod row would be closer to the mark.

You could argue Morecambe are the third club to play at a high level thanks to Blackpool.

Mind you, unlike Fleetwood and Fylde, Morecambe have never overspent and have got where they are through hard work. I've always had a soft spot for them to be honest.

Well everyday is a school day - i did not know that because of Blackpool Fan Exodus it propt up the likes of Fleetwood and Fylde haha wow.
Alot of big clubs over that way - relative in size to the North East though yet still has more League clubs past and present than we have ever had over this way.

its always baffled me how no other club in the Teesside area managed to play at a better higher level. I know the Boro and Pools make up most of that Teesside / Durham Fan base but how have a Durham City never got to the heights Spenny has ? Sunderland seem to mop up most of the Seaham and Peterlee fan base so i can only presume this being one of the reasons.

Fylde were originally founded as Kirkham and Wesham before getting took over by David Haythornwaite, who proceeded to rebrand the club as Fylde after he unsuccessfully tried to purchase Blackpool. Don't know the backstory of Fleetwood as much, but once again bankrolled and took advantage of several years of Blackpool boycotts.

As for the northeast, the lack of teams at higher levels is due to southern bias, bad luck and mostly laziness from the Northern League not joining the football pyramid until the 90s. By that point many north west teams (I.e. Altrincham, Colne) had grown into established non league sides, some even joining the league.

Durham City have consistently struggled and have been on the verge of folding since the 2010s. They no longer have a ground, although they did almost reach the National League North before financially collapsing.

As much as they're technically competitors, I'm glad so many ambitious north east clubs like Spennymoor and South Shields have appeared. Would be great to see them along with Darlington back in the league. No doubt the likes of Exeter would never stop whinging about it mind.

Because Sunderland have hoovered most of County Durham over the past 100 years. Not forgetting Durham City with a population of 20,00 does not have a large population.

I believe the Wearside League was a higher level through the 50's/60's/70's. I have recollections of the likes of Horden CW being football league standard at the time.

It was, not to mention wearside league sides back then could enter the FA cup, which in turn was the golden age of wearside/east durham teams in that competition.

Even today at its level the Wearside League is still the best league, far better than the Tyneside equivalent Northern Alliance, and far far better than North Yorkshire's North Riding League.

fans in the north east might be fickle but i doubt they are like those on the fylde coast who would swap clubs to follow a bit of success. Really doubt sunderland fans whose club was run by some oyston types would move to some other made up durham based club like blackpool lot did. me all moan about our clubs but we stay with them no matter what. might stop going to games but i doubt many start going to other local clubs games though.

There will definitely be some Sunderland and Newcastle fans at South Shields, and probably even some at Spennymoor Town as well. Albeit not to the extent of closet fans at Lancashire clubs.

The amount of plaztic jordys in our town 25 /30 years ago was unreal.
Some of the cranks would even talk with a false jordy accent.

Looks like the class of 92 have got bored with turning Salford into a future Champuonshio club.
Good luck to Bury on their road back to the EFL

You still see them wandering the streets in the fine weather in their time expired shirt, now 20+ years out of date and the worse for wear, allegedly still looking for the promised land and giving out random involuntary spasmodic cries of....’SHEEEEEERA’ .....like winos recounting past glories that never happened.
Don’t feel sorry for them , they’re just glory seeking opportunistic twats.

[quote="kevin pooles gloves"]

Looks like the class of 92 have got bored with turning Salford into a future Champuonshio club.

Thats the first i have heard of that. good news if true. we will see shortly that the position of their ground and total lack of parking even getting there early is impossible without a brisk 15 minute walk to the ground. all was fine there as a low standard non league club but surprised they got planning permission to enlarge the place but money always talks.

[quote="kevin pooles gloves"]

Looks like the class of 92 have got bored with turning Salford into a future Champuonshio club.

Thats the first i have heard of that. good news if true. we will see shortly that the position of their ground and total lack of parking even getting there early is impossible without a brisk 15 minute walk to the ground. all was fine there as a low standard non league club but surprised they got planning permission to enlarge the place but money always talks.

Same at FC United of Manchester, no parking and the residents hate them. Shame as theyve actually built a nice ground that's probably bordering on EFL standard.

Been there once, arrived 2 hours early the same as i did at salford with a similar sizes attendance and managed to park opposite the ground entrance at FC. killed over a hour walking my dog around the big park there. i,m going to salford when pools are there again but part of me is dreading it due to the parking problems that may have got worse rather than better since we were there last.

I can't go back to Salford, the cops have got me marked.
Enter the Dragon, exit Johnny Clarke....

I’d deffo avoid taking my dog .....