Pukka Pies for goalposts - a Football League/ National League thread

[FalknerHinton]

Are there any Bristol City fans who want to give an opinion on Tyreeq Bakinson? He's supposed to be close to coming to Ipswich on loan.

[The Culture Bunker]

From following Workington's (very good) recent results, I did check out some of the attendance figures in the Northern Premier League, West Division, which is tier 8 in simple terms.

Workington pulled a crowd of 763, which seems a healthy number. However, Marine got just over a thousand, Clitheroe 900 and Prescot Cables 776.

Are these crowds the norm for this level? I wondered if there's been an increase in interest in non-league as some fans drift away from PL nonsense. When I used to go watch Workington in the old NW Trains League, it'd be usually around 400 others at most.

[Ted-Maul]

If you scroll to the bottom of this page, attendances are logged and there's a change % compared to (im guessing) last season. Nearly everyone has big increases except for my team who've gone negative due to playing home games in a different county this season.

There were covid restrictions last year which might explain the large increases but if you click on the 2018-19 butoon, the highest average attendance for any team was just 400. So there's definitely more interest at the moment.

I think the massive Marine increase is due to that FA cup match with Tottenham. Loads of local people must have seen that and realised other football that isnt the Premier League does actually exist in the area. I have a mate who is a lifetime season ticket holder there and he admitted to me the other week that him and his crew prefered it when there was just a few hundred there.

[Inspector Norse]

Oldham have under the weekend appointed John Sheridan as manager.

For the sixth time.

I mean, club legend who's done at least two half-season quick-fix rescue jobs before, but since his last spell in 2017 he seems to have been bouncing around shitly from club to club. As long as he brings in a few (about 11) half-competent players in the last week of the window, saves us from relegation out of the league and blasts the owner and his brother out the airlock, his reputation will be intact.

[jobotic]

From following Workington's (very good) recent results, I did check out some of the attendance figures in the Northern Premier League, West Division, which is tier 8 in simple terms.

Workington pulled a crowd of 763, which seems a healthy number. However, Marine got just over a thousand, Clitheroe 900 and Prescot Cables 776.

Are these crowds the norm for this level? I wondered if there's been an increase in interest in non-league as some fans drift away from PL nonsense. When I used to go watch Workington in the old NW Trains League, it'd be usually around 400 others at most.

The SCEFL top of the table clash between Chatham Town and Sheppey United a couple of weeks ago got over 1800 - that's tier 9. Chats usually pull in a few hundred, and it probably helps that Gillingham are particularly shit at the moment and Priestfield isn't a happy place to be.

Mind you on the same day some of the other teams in the same division had attendances in the thirties and forties. You get teams that pretty much play in parks at that level.

[Kankurette]

Sheridan? Again?!

[Herbert Ashe]

Definitely been some big crowds down my way, and in the Isthmian league in general from what I've read here & there. Likewise for some of the SCFL clubs.

Hastings & Worthing are both averaging over 1000, Bognor and Lewes are doing 800ish (about 1400 when I went along to Lewes v Bognor the other week). Sure, helps that they're all doing well, but still good numbers.

[Wentworth Smith]

James Rowe suspended by Chesterfield 'pending an investigation into allegations of misconduct'.

Not ideal news.

Perhaps we can get John Sheridan in to replace him, he's bound to have annoyed someone at Oldham, he's been there a day.

[The Culture Bunker]

Interesting replies re my comment about crowd sizes down the tiers, thanks.

I suspect in the case of Workington, there's a glass ceiling that they're never going to consistently break through in this context, which always scuppers any real chances they have of climbing up the ladder. Cumbria isn't exactly big on football (rugby league country) - even when Carlisle were in the old second division in the mid 80s, they'd rarely pull in more than five thousand. Clubs elsewhere, like Marine, have potential to tap into a large market of people who want to watch live football, but Workington is a real "end of the world" location where you only have the population of the town itself and a few others - and that's before taking into account the shite state of the local economy.

There's been a few 1000+ plus games at Borough Park over my lifetime - big cup games and play-offs, that kind of thing, so it'd be interesting if they keep winning whether they can touch four figures before the season ends. It does look like it'll be a tight race to top the table and go straight up.

[finnquark]

James Rowe suspended by Chesterfield 'pending an investigation into allegations of misconduct'.

Not ideal news.

Perhaps we can get John Sheridan in to replace him, he's bound to have annoyed someone at Oldham, he's been there a day.

Reading Chesterfield's forum. Do you agree it was a matter of time before he imploded, as some on there suggest?

[Wentworth Smith]

Reading Chesterfield's forum. Do you agree it was a matter of time before he imploded, as some on there suggest?

Dunno about that, but no one seems that surprised, and I include myself in that. He is obviously quite an unpleasant individual (and I would guess we will find out just how unpleasant) which could be seen in his interviews and the number of staff coming in and then leaving, but he is also good at his job which gave him a pass (obviously as fans we don't see the 'real' James Rowe, I bet he was a complete dick to work for).

[The Lurker]

At least now he'll stop promoting posts on my Instagram feed

[Gurke and Hare]

Deyovaisio Zeefuik just made his Blackburn debut on loan. I noticed him when I went to Groningen vs PSV Eindhoven two years ago, he'll be great in the Championship.

[Yussef Dent]

Dunno about that, but no one seems that surprised, and I include myself in that. He is obviously quite an unpleasant individual (and I would guess we will find out just how unpleasant) which could be seen in his interviews and the number of staff coming in and then leaving, but he is also good at his job which gave him a pass (obviously as fans we don't see the 'real' James Rowe, I bet he was a complete dick to work for).

I've seen that footage which has surfaced of him at Maidenhead threatening to bite someone's nose off 😄 but I think that is just the final straw. Alan Biggs has tweeted tonight about the rumours of him behaving disrespectfully to staff and well, if you've got experienced journalists publicly saying things like that then they must know what is to come out. Chesterfield have had to act quickly or the whole thing would have been leaked anyway and it would have been made to look like a cover-up, so from a crisis management perspective swift action has been vital. It doesn't matter if you are top of the league, and it's a big shame for the team and its fans, but sometimes these decisions have to be made to protect the reputation of the football club.

[Kankurette]

He sounds like an absolute thug. I follow Biggs, I'll have to keep an eye on his timeline for any hot Chesterfield gossip.

Hull fan friend informs me that Grant McCan't (his nickname, not mine) has been replaced by some Georgian bloke called Shota Arvedladze who played for Ajax and Rangers and has managed in Israel and Turkey. Fuck knows how he'll do here. Any Hull fans in this thread? Didn't know they'd had a transfer embargo either, apparently their vile owners took out a COVID loan?

[monkfromhavana]

I think he will do shite, a controversial opinion I know. If he was any cop he would have worked his way down the the Dutch league to Azerbaijan and not been unemployed since 2020.

A minor point, but it was the now ex-owners who took the COVID loan. The new owners are Turkish and mates with Arveladze.

[Kankurette]

What, the Allams are gone?!

[monkfromhavana]

What, the Allams are gone?!

Yes, they've been bought by a Turkish bloke who was enthralled by the long history of Hull Tigers.

[Hat FM]

i'm off to the big six pointer at bromley tomorrow. any notts county fans on here? i dont think i've seen any?

[Kankurette]

Off to Grantham v FC United, round 2. If I don't come back I'll have died of cold. Hope FC United win this time, Grantham are dreadful, but knowing my luck they won't.

[jobotic]

i'm off to the big six pointer at bromley tomorrow. any notts county fans on here? i dont think i've seen any?

is your manager going to Gillingham then? Or what?

[Brian Freeze]

They said on the radio that they were playing tunes that mention meat before the Tranmere v Forest Green match to wind up the Forest Green chairman.

Whats the story with the bad feeling there?

So far 4 nowt to Forest Green. Love it when a pisstake backfires spectacularly.

[Kankurette]

Meat?

FC United won. Revenge is sweet. I did like Grantham's keeper though.

ETA: their stadium is indeed very windy.

[finnquark]

One win in eighteen league games for Alty now, yet remarkably still 10 points clear of abject Weymouth in the last drop spot. #trusttheprocess

[Wentworth Smith]

After a strange week for Chesterfield last minute THUNDERBASTARDS are the ideal way to win a crap game.

[monkfromhavana]

One win in eighteen league games for Alty now, yet remarkably still 10 points clear of abject Weymouth in the last drop spot. #trusttheprocess

What's the deal with Dover? I thought they were basically just sitting out the season and getting relegated without playing any games in order to save money, but it seems they signed a player on loan in the week, so they must be playing games (but are still on zero points).

[finnquark]

They started the season with a 12 point deduction and a £40,000 fine. This was because they refused to play last season after claiming that they had been misled over the status of monies that were being doled out to clubs in order to complete the season. I have some sympathy, but simultaneously they were able to furlough their squad and mothball Crabble for 6 months, whilst other clubs adhered to the wishes of a majority of the league and took out loans to complete the season. So far they have won once, which was actually Tuesday night just gone, and drawn four times.

Then there is the hilarity that is Kings Lynn (check out their chairman) and Weymouth, both of whom seem to keep losing  at the same rate as we do.

[Psybro]

It was interesting to read the non-league attendance chat earlier as my local club Hallam had gone in the last few years from getting around 200 on a Saturday and about 100 in midweek to managing 300 a few times a season just before the pandemic.  This season it's exploded to to getting 700+ and an insane 1128 on the 28 December.

People were definitely enjoying the community feel before the pandemic, but I don't know how much is the novelty after lockdowns, the failure of both Sheffield clubs on the pitch, off pitch factors, people being put off League football by COVID measures or avoiding larger crowds.

[monkfromhavana]

Then there is the hilarity that is Kings Lynn (check out their chairman) and Weymouth, both of whom seem to keep losing  at the same rate as we do.

Had a cursory look at him, his Twitter Profile is a strong look, but apart from that he seems an alright sort, or am I missing something?

[Kankurette]

Is he Grantham ex-chairman levels of cunt?

Given that Wednesday are in League 1, and ticket prices are ridiculous, I'm not surprised more Sheffield natives are watching Hallam instead. My ticket only cost me £12 at Grantham/FC United. Incidentally, stadiums with race tracks? No thanks. There's too big a gap between the fans and the pitch, though I guess there's less chance of being twatted in the face by a rogue ball.