Am I not missing it. Boreham wood at home last night v Torquay go second top with a massive crowd of..........701!

Halifax v Notts County 3rd top crowd 2023!

Then we have Wrexham v Chesterfield crowd 9,147 proper teams with good support.

It's good to be back in a proper league with crowds and atmosphere.

UTP!!!

National league North on saturday, South Shields 2100.Harrogate 1667

Definitely shades of us in Southend. Came down with shite owners, struggling against very poor sides, every away game is a default loss.

I know I've said it a hundred times but its amazing how Challinor rebuilt the team into what it is now. And thank god we got promoted, the finances of the likes of Wrexham are crazy.

It says a lot when the bankrolled teams of yesteryear, Solihull and Boreham Wood, don't seem that rich anymore...

Chester look like they are in the brown stuff after losing their FA Cup replay at home to Marske 0 - 4 last night

Think the ex Salford pair might be spending some time on gardening leave.

Grimsby fans also must be over the moon - looks likely a straight bounce back up, not many do that. So fair play to them if it happens. But we all know what can happen in that league. As such we see a Dag & Red team who where miles off the pace last year become front runners this. Same with Boreham Wood, loose their 2 star strikers and still sitting well.

funny owld league that, makes it even sweeter seeing Torquay and Stockport without so much a sniff. Chesterfield are the ones to watch for me. I think its them who go up. Their forward line is league 2 quality and im slightly envious they have such a good strike force.

again glad we are out and shows how good of a manager DC is UTFP !

Grimsby have been in the God awful league before and were in it quite a while. They look like they knew what to expect and so far are handling it. Good luck to them.

I think if i was a manager at a fairly big club with half decent backing going down into that league id deffo say a Big frontman who can score and an experienced defence is key. Throw in some nice to have creative midfielders (but in reality some shithouse workhorse would do the job) and i think you are guaranteed a promotion push.

our fortunes changed when we had the arrival of Armstrong who started banging in the Goals and Sterry who wasnt just doing a mint job defending but also attacking. Plus Feaths turning it on and becoming a none league Pirlo at times. I truly believe our season wouldnt of ended the way it did had it not been for those lads.

Dag and Red are playing well. It often seems rather mid table teams usually have good seasons after. Sutton and us werent too much to write home about the season before we got promoted, same with Orient when they won it.

I think it's a more a case of who you keep opposed to who you obtain.

in the end i can see a sutton type club like say bromley or woking going up on the quiet with the big spenders fighting each other in who can spend or wastes the most money to reach the play offs.

even morecambe, accrington and rochdale would have been ashamed of harrogates gate when they were really shit. surely their owner will end up being peed off and depart when the town seem to have far less interest in his toy than he has. his money would have been appreciated more with us plus darlo for that.

South Shields aren't even in the National League North yet, they're still in the Northern Premier and get incredible numbers.

Who knows...maybe someday the "hotbed of football " may actually come to fruition.

I noticed that Simon Weaver made a comment about needing more fans through the doors.

A threat from the FA over FFP I hope...

Bromley have all the right attributes - mint striker in Cheek - good midfield who work for the team and if i remember rightly - their right back (if hes still there) was very good and kept Oates at bay. Even their CB's where big lads who did their jobs right.

Thought that FFP was a thing of the past. Imagine there are numerous ways to get around it as these owners are business men who spend their lives paying the minimum amout of wages and taxes as possible along with their legal teams and accountants.

Reason teams like Wrexham and Stockport throwing money at it this year is a cap comes into force from next season and I remember reading somewhere that any wages etc that in place prior to the cap coming into force wont be taken into account. That report could have been wrong but if not explains the money being spent this season

even without the free money coming in its not the spending of wrexham who got over 9k gate this week and stockport a 8k plus one in their last home game that bothers me. its when teams who wet themselves with a 1,000 crowd able to compete with them.

You really do have to question the basic financial logic of investing in a football club where there isn’t the possibility of expanding your fan base...Little Snoring on the Wold F.C. population 346 are always gonna a lag behind in the massive fan base stakes. It’s a sort of football mid life crisis for men of a certain age, doing it because they can. sustaining them to prove a point is even sadder.
Joining the top leagues is not just about splashing the cash on players but having the fan base to give it credibility, that’s what normally decides the level to which most clubs can aspire.
Otherwise, it’s the F1 of football, an over pampered, expensive minority pastime.

surely harrogate with about 150,000 population and hartlepool about 90,000 they should be selling out every week with the size of their ground. we all have a laugh about the residents and betty,s tea room but imagine there is as much interest in the game as any other town. they have their own local adult leagues playing also. not everyone wants to trail to nearby leeds in terrible traffic every week and bradford and york are hardly exciting options either. can feel a bit sorry at times for their owner when locals do not buy into his vision and money. i personally would withdaw every penny from the club and attempt to get as much as possible back and bankrupt them. its what the town diserve.

Clubs get more fans through older ones indoctrinating younger ones than they do winning titles or getting bankrolled. You may get new "followers" from Mexico and Bangladesh by winning, but they're not in the stands every week.

Some places just aren't football places. And even if you do like football in Harrogate, chances like most towns, Man U, Liverpool, Chelsea will be prevalent and finally a mix of Leeds and Bradford. In fact, with a population of around 500,000 you could argue Bradford City are among the worst supported clubs on earth. That's how big Leeds United are.

[quote="Brasil Brush"] In fact, with a population of around 500,000 you could argue Bradford City are among the worst supported clubs on earth.
if they played rugby league on a saturday and bradford had a top RL club again the crowds would be less with more going to the other side of the city to odsal rather than valley parade or whatever its called this week.

Harroate’s population is 75,000.

Isnt Harrogate full of retired Docs and Accountants from Leeds - Most of the Youth play Rugby or Cricket and the other half are off to Unis to follow in daddys footsteps. Then a presume there is a few rich farmers kicking about (do they even like anything). Then a suppose whats left support Leeds. No wonder they dont have a decent following.

Don’t forget Betty’s.

think some have a totally OTT idea about harrogate. be interesting to know how many residents of the town actually use the expensive town centre shops there and like us shop in aldi and lidl. its a tourist hot spot and there will be poverty there like everywhere else. some parts away from the tourist trail are bang average but expensive because of the post code.

I went to Harrogate a few years before Town were even in the National League. I found it rather bland and average all round. I personally found Knaresborough nicer.

That was a horrible league. I have a very good friend who is a seriously passionate Torquay supporter. It's very difficult to talk to him about football at the moment.

do think fans of ex league clubs look at the league a different way than those who support typical non league clubs. we like the rest of them would never really accept being down there but fans say at kings lynn will love it as its the highest level they have played in or barring a miracle of new wealth the highest they,ll ever reach. think acceptance of non league football shows when you actually order the non league paper and having tiverton town as a second club.

Maybe you shouldn't start every conversation with "What about that penalty shoot out then?"

Seriously, I'm rooting for Torquay this season (any excuse for a trip to the Devon Riviera) - and Notts County. Got a mate who's a real Magpie (not one of these Geordie parvenus) and he's suffered enough.

I've spoke to a lot of fans of NL clubs and Notts fans seem the nicest and most similar to us. I'd be happy to see them go back up, or even moneybags Chesterfield.

I see Phil Brown has left Southend, he was a name linked with us before we got Richar Money in if I remember correctly.

And England managers like Gareth Southgate

you would never guess that county and forest fans come from the same city. got great respect for the former but cannot stand the trees. bit like manchester when city played at maine road.

Armstrong didn't score any of the 6 Harrogate goals yesterday. They had their record crowd of 3,180 which included 1,000 Scunthorpe supporters.

Thats a good turnout for scunny fans being the bottom of the league. imagine there were a few neutrals amongst the rest with the international break on a nice autumn afternoon with nothing else to do.

Forest are the same ilk of Derby and Leeds. Hyped up on glories that were decades ago. Like another of the above, all they have is thanks to Brian Clough, as soon as he left shit hit the fan.

As for Harrogate I was wondering how they managed over 3,000 and then realized it was the international break!

Betty’s vouchers and a free cruise with every ticket.

if they do that it will be why the gates are so low. the latter is rock bottom of my wish list.

Grimsby at it again - wonder if they become this Seasons Torquay though ? Bromley also very impressive.
Still think id like Cheek in the side should we be able to offer him / Bromley something for his services. Reckon he would do a job in this league with the amount of service he would get off the flanks

Michael Cheek would be a hit no doubt, Big robust striker whos hungary.

I know lots of people hate the National League, But its a god send for young players
Who have had thier bubble burst by the so called big boys.

Many of them prove thier worth not only in the NatLge but also by winning contracts in
The EFL.

Don’t tell me you don’t like a trip around the bay.... better still in deep waters
My idea of heaven.

with my history of sea sickness you,d never go to the docks never mind board a ship. worst must have been being sick in liverpool harbour before the sodding thing set off. the fish sands are too close for comfort.

If Cheek continues to perform then there is no doubt we will see him gracing League 2 next season at least - hes the perfect mould for a team coming into the league (like us) looking for a target man who can score. Baffles me why Sutton never took the punt on him (southern club etc). But I suppose they took their gamble on Bennett (By the way if they are bored with him can we have a go of him again please, wouldnt say no to having him in the side at the minute). Tshimanga is another forward in fantastic form. Be sure we see some club pay big cash for him should Chesterfield not get promoted.

[quote="Eiphos_3"][quote="Grayhoundend"]Michael Cheek would be a hit no doubt, Big robust striker whos hungary.



If Cheek continues to perform then there is no doubt we will see him gracing League 2 next season at least - hes the perfect mould for a team coming into the league (like us) looking for a target man who can score.
well if its a possible pools signing i think we should rule him out. he is 30 and at 5ft9inch he is hardly what pools need. do not know if i have seen him or not so if i had he didn,t leave much of an impression on me. spent the whole of his career in the south east and more likely he,ll finish it down there unless someone comes in with a real stupid offer for him.

Surprised no one made a move for Maidenheads Sam Barratt during the close season, he scored that superb hat-trick against us at the Vic last season and is currently their top scorer even though they started the season with him in midfield but is now playing central defence, aged 26 so hitting his prime.

We will be back next season with this squad

Funny how you never feel the urge to post after Pools win a game. Bet you fill your boots when the unbeaten home record finally goes.

Chorley.

That is all. Just felt the need to post the word Chorley. Don't mind me, nothing out the ordinary. Chorley.

There is one or 2 of the Grimsby players id take over a few of the on field fuds we had playing yesterday. Id call that the B team to our B team and it would struggle in the NL. Still we are 11th and doing better than Oates’ Mansfield and Our Cumbrian Neighbours. DC stated quite clearly in his post match that new faces would be through the door come Jan. I think the likes of Fondop will only be on short term deals anyways. Cullen must really have upset DC if an 18 yr old with a bad backs getting 60 mins ahead of him.

mind you he would be right if they shut the vic and we had to play every game on foreign turf. we are up in the clouds one week and dashed to the ground the week after.