Teams in the wrong leagues | Page 3 | Vital Football

Teams in the wrong leagues

mick745 said:
Arent all teams where they are on merit?
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Yes. But that’s not the point of the thread.

Phil said in the OP -

“bit of New Year's Day whimsy. I know that with the pyramid system every team has the chance to proceed on merit but.....”
 
HerrLjunga said:
Salford City should be in the North West Counties League Division One where they belong.

Crawley, National League South.

Harrogate, Northern Premier League.

Any more "chuck money at it" clubs I've missed?
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Like it or not, Salford City will, one day in the not too distant future, be a Premiership team in a large stadium ! Salford has immense wealth behind it and also has the benefit of a heavily populated area from which to grow its fan base. It is also run, seemingly well, by a group of ex-Man Utd players, principally, Gary Neville, who is an ultra-driven character. I`m afraid we will be overtaken by them in the near future but , hopefully, not before we`ve had a chance to experience an away day at what would be a new ground for most of us.

Unlike Salford, the "chuck money at it" little (non-League) club that I like to watch when I can`t get to GFC games is AFC Fylde. I admit to enjoying watching the blue collar game there whilst, at the same time, benefiting from comfortable, outstanding facilities for fans - a place where I can go and be respected, treated well and not ripped off.

TBH though, personally, I don`t see how AFC Fylde can really go much further than the National League or maybe L2 as its fan base is drawn from a small semi-rural area. Unless Blackpool goes down the pan, lack of crowd numbers will always be a problem.

But then the Fylde owner would say that he is primarily building a wide sporting brand for the area. And in that regard he`s already established a thriving Fylde hockey club, Fylde Ladies Football club etc and has provided them, and the community, with superb facilities. AFC Fylde also has a high quality academy and schooling facilities. So whilst the club has a wealthy owner, without whom, admittedly, it could not exist, the money chucked at it has been spread a whole lot further than the footy pitch. To my mind, unlike some of the "chuck money at it" owners, the man at Fylde is neither self indulgent nor a narcissist. The Fylde sporting brand is instead an ambition by a wealthy well established local man to improve the areas general sporting profile and enable more folk to benefit.
 
OneSirKeefy said:
Thats the spirit Chris. And I agree with that analysis of that group. How Notts C could get to where they currently are is a mystery to me.

Has anyone mentioned Grimsby yet? They should be L1 or L2 imho.
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It is a Grim place slightly better than Cleethorpes I suppose definitely league 2 for me or below.
 
Gills 58 said:
Went there a couple of years again when holidaying in Cockermouth. Town appeared dead and that was pre Covid. Fairly hideous out of town shopping centre where we went to the cinema. Won't be rushing back.

Feel sorry for them. Let them have a league team again, if only for the fact that one of my fondest football memories is of HRH Alan Wilks scoring a hattrick (yes Nobby) against them in 73/4 which included a back heel.
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A friend of mine was being interviewed in local radio and I was asked to go along for moral support..To say I wasn't impressed was a understatement. Never went to the footy ground mind.
 
chris who said:
Ebbsfleet United maybe????
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To be fair, it is a long established club, but the current Ebbsfleet United has something of an enigma tag. Unless there is a wider longer-term plan in place for Ebbsfleet Utd., why did the wealthy backers of the multi-billion pound London Resort (Swanscombe) theme park acquire the club in the first place and continue to own and operate it to this day ? Surely it`s part of a wider business plan, unless, of course, the middle-eastern owners just love watching National League North football. I subscribe to the notion that, a bit like Salford, big plans lie ahead for Ebbsfleet United.
 
Cheers Phil, i`m enjoying this thread.

Workington Town - used to be a L2 club but the team and the place are out in the wilderness. Since moving up here i`ve been to Workington and I would say that it is a town unlikely to make a fortune via tourism !

Grimsby Town - on a previous trip there to watch GFC I can honestly say, I had the best fish & chips i`d sampled in a long long time. GT is an EFL club and should remain so, they have good support and a fine tradition - though, as mentioned already by another poster - look what happened to Notts County ! BTW, I have a memory of GT followers being very naughty back in the day. I recall at home match against the mariners when, for some reason, Priestfield was targeted by a Grimsby War Party who decided (in the days prior to segregation) that they would run round the ground and attack the Rainham End. It led to an ongoing affray that eventually spilled over to the back of the GFC Main stand. There had been no rivalry to speak of (IIRC) and no-one had expected any trouble - weird !

Southport and Barrow. Southport firmly entrenched in National League North and though the town is a wealthy one and a decent place to visit it seems a good bet that Southport`s day in the EFL is long behind them.
Barrow is a very long trip from Kent - time-wise it might even be a longer journey than Carlisle. A big problem for Barrow is player recruitment - the town is so far out on a limb that getting Manchester area players to sign, let alone train, is difficult. Unlike Workington, Barrow is cornered in a very attractive area of the southern Lake District so is a pleasant drive. The town has a great maritime museum too, and it`s free ! But Barrow will do well to remain an EFL club - hope they do as it`s a ground i`ve never attended.
 
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LancsGordoRoad said:
Cheers Phil, i`m enjoying this thread.

Workington Town - used to be a L2 club but the team and the place are out in the wilderness. Since moving up here i`ve been to Workington and I would say that it is a town unlikely to make a fortune via tourism !

Grimsby Town - on a previous trip there to watch GFC I can honestly say, I had the best fish & chips i`d sampled in a long long time. GT is an EFL club and should remain so, they have good support and a fine tradition - though, as mentioned already by another poster - look what happened to Notts County ! BTW, I have a memory of GT followers being very naughty back in the day. I recall at home match against the mariners when, for some reason, Priestfield was targeted by a Grimsby War Party who decided (in the days prior to segregation) that they would run round the ground and attack the Rainham End. It led to an ongoing affray that eventually spilled over to the back of the GFC Main stand. There had been no rivalry to speak of (IIRC) and no-one had expected any trouble - weird !

Southport and Barrow. Southport firmly entrenched in National League North and though the town is a wealthy one and a decent place to visit it seems a good bet that Southport`s day in the EFL is long behind them.
Barrow is a very trip from Kent - time-wise it might even be a longer journey than Carlisle. A big problem for Barrow is player recruitment - the town is so far out on a limb that getting Manchester area players to sign, let alone train, is difficult. Unlike Workington, Barrow is cornered in a very attractive area of the southern Lake District so is a pleasant drive. The town has a great maritime museum too, and it`s free ! But Barrow will do well to remain an EFL club - hope they do as it`s a ground i`ve never attended.
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There are rumours that both Barrow and Workington players glow in the dark thanks to Sellafield.
 
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