Today the Labour council have basically rejected giving a 10 year lease to Gateshead. Sorry times ahead with no promotion prospect and now probably needing to relocate to another stadium in order to get a ten year lease agreement in place. Unless the new stadium owner is willing to give them a 10 year lease which looks extremely doubtful.

Ah well, one less hammering for Pools.

They will loose alot of players - thats very harsh for them that.

see York city offering open trials for players - step 4 and above and released academy lads. imagine we did that, they would be absolute hell on.
thought they would be past that with the money they have. very tin pot that

actually what have they to lose. it will be costing them very little and one good find would make it worthwhile. better than splashing out the cash on a failure.

depends if they are just happy to fulfill fixtures at this level and hope for good cup runs to keep em going. there will be more clubs at the start of the season with little chance of getting into the play offs and there reasons to play are to avoid relegation.

The NL is basically the top end of the non-league pyramid; the NLN and NLS are full of part-time clubs. Having so many full-time clubs in the NL is a very recent development. It's really not working with only 2 chances of promotion a year into the EFL.

Ideally the NL should be changed to EFL 3 with four up, four down with EFL2 and only the champions of the NLN and NLS eligible to be promoted - IF their grounds are up to snuff and they are prepared to go full time. That would take away most of the fear factor and financial consequences of dropping out of EFL 2 and all the clubs who want to stay part-time could scrap it out without breaking the bank for their league titles and the FA Trophy - and a run in the FA Cup.

I think that you are on the right track but I would go a little bit further. Amalgamate the National League and EFL 2 and form EFL 2(North) and EFL 2 (South). That would cut down on clubs travel costs & hotel costs but would also lead to bigger attendances because supporters would be able to afford to go to more (closer) away games. I'd keep NL North and South and promote 2 teams from each league to their corresponding EFL league.

agree with that. its not just the extra away games that fans can get to its the interest home fans have when certain teams are coming to town. on a saturday with opponents in a similar league position more home fans would turn up for a game against york than any southern based outfit even an ex league club one we have played many times before.

Would just be as bad as the NLN and NLS, far too many southern teams around.
We have to go to Needham Market next season, near Ipswich. However thats a shorter journey for Needham to come to us than go to Truro......

True. And I'm not keen on regionalisation anway. I wouldn't care if I never saw the likes of Rochdale, Crewe and Mansfield in a game again. Seen them loads of times at home and as for away trips - they're not derbies, just shitholes. Trips to the likes of Torquay, Bournemouth and Orient were much more fun.

As always Stomper you talk so much sense If ever I win the lottery I would ask you to run the club on my behalf.

fine if you enjoy long journeys back after a defeat or you are loaded and can afford to make a weekend out of it.

You're forgetting that back in the day trains and BnBs were cheap - you didn't need to take out a second mortgage for a return ticket to Torquay. And why not make a weekend out of a long trip to somewher decent?

think you answered your own question there about no cheap digs and train travel anymore. even if you own a decent car that you can get 60 to the gallon out of like me trailing to the SW of england to find somewhere decent or different is an expensive exercise unless your life and interests just revolve around pools.

That a is a simple but extremely sensible, practical and commendable suggestion that ticks all the boxes and I wish I’d though5 of…but the arseholes who run the out fit will tut tut it.