Local Non League Thread 2022-23

[Bristol Rob]

36 minutes ago, Oh Louie louie said:

I wonder what the tea lady out the rovers ground gor for scouting nigel martyn, reckon dunford bought her a new kettle.

Hope so.

Bet she didn't urn very much.

[RedLionLad]

6 minutes ago, Bristol Rob said:

Hope so.

Bet she didn't urn very much.

Earl grey little kettle lasted for years

[Davefevs]

45 minutes ago, Sheltons Army said:

Never understood chucking money around at these levels Dave - What ‘dream’ are you ‘chasing’ ?

Unless you are a Club , with a serious sustainable plan to reach the Football League (A pipe dream in %99 of cases) .....why ?

By all means aim to improve , get promoted , but to do it by throwing silly money around is crazy 

Like virtually all football , you don’t make money , even in progressing , or not for very long at best

If you have a good local club , part of the community , be as good at that as you can be and try and provide good football , a local focal point and social / football centre for players and supporters alike

Egos.

Far cigars eh @BigAl&Toby?

[Oh Louie louie]

10 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

Egos.

Far cigars eh @BigAl&Toby?

Yep the bloke who bought fc hallan on the way to avonmouth, because thet play in a hamlet....

[Davefevs]

Just now, Oh Louie louie said:

Yep the bloke who bought fc hallan on the way to avonmouth, because thet play in a hamlet....

Spanish bloke, Castella?

 

 

(Digress, as a kid did you ever get one of those choccy cigars in a tube, in your stocking?)

Edited October 24, 2022 by Davefevs

[Eddie Hitler]

53 minutes ago, Sheltons Army said:

Never understood chucking money around at these levels Dave - What ‘dream’ are you ‘chasing’ ?

Unless you are a Club , with a serious sustainable plan to reach the Football League (A pipe dream in %99 of cases) .....why ?

By all means aim to improve , get promoted , but to do it by throwing silly money around is crazy 

Like virtually all football , you don’t make money , even in progressing , or not for very long at best

If you have a good local club , part of the community , be as good at that as you can be and try and provide good football , a local focal point and social / football centre for players and supporters alike

 

If you have the money to put in, rather than throw around like a madman, then I can understood why a successful businessman or businesswoman might wish to put in sufficient each year to raise their local club to Conference South or even Conference level.

Along with this will come a good stadium, training pictches, a youth programme, meeting rooms that other organisations can use: geniuine community assets like the Lansdowns are building in Bristol but for a small fraction of the price.

And you will be playing name clubs. 

In The National League you have Notts County, Wrexham, York, Southend, Yeovil, Torquay.  And of course a few years' back there was Bristol Rovers.

In the National League South you have big local clubs Bath City and Taunton Town.

 

There will be no financial return on their investments, as is the way for all football outside the Premiership, but it is a way of "putting something back" into your local town rather than building a huge mansion nearby and assembling a collection of expensive impractical cars.

If I won £200m on the Euromillions then I could see myself putting £200k a year into my local club to lift its status.  Not that I do the Euromillions.

[Sheltons Army]

32 minutes ago, Eddie Hitler said:

 

If you have the money to put in, rather than throw around like a madman, then I can understood why a successful businessman or businesswoman might wish to put in sufficient each year to raise their local club to Conference South or even Conference level.

Along with this will come a good stadium, training pictches, a youth programme, meeting rooms that other organisations can use: geniuine community assets like the Lansdowns are building in Bristol but for a small fraction of the price.

And you will be playing name clubs. 

In The National League you have Notts County, Wrexham, York, Southend, Yeovil, Torquay.  And of course a few years' back there was Bristol Rovers.

In the National League South you have big local clubs Bath City and Taunton Town.

 

There will be no financial return on their investments, as is the way for all football outside the Premiership, but it is a way of "putting something back" into your local town rather than building a huge mansion nearby and assembling a collection of expensive impractical cars.

If I won £200m on the Euromillions then I could see myself putting £200k a year into my local club to lift its status.  Not that I do the Euromillions.

That’s fair points Eddie , and I would do the same

There are some good examples around of such , but a lot of money is thrown at players rather than infrastructure etc in many many cases , chasing ‘a dream’

I had experience of trying to manage in a Club where there was a significant and strong split of opinion between those who wanted to push the boat out to ‘progress’ and those who saw ‘their Club ‘ being taken away 

Its not always an easy path

And the cost of progressing through the Leagues / pyramid is significant (In requirement of facilities etc alone)

My will includes a decent amount for a small village cricket club in Cornwall where I lived for a few years as a lad and spent many happy days and evenings playing , with a condition that it is used for youth cricket 

Id be loathe to leave to a football club and have more faith it would be used in cricket , 

I love both sports but football can attract a different mentality

 

Edited October 24, 2022 by Sheltons Army

[Engvall’s Splinter]

2 hours ago, Davefevs said:

Back when we were playing Shuffs the Western League big spenders were Tiverton, Taunton and Mangotsfield (all playing a higher level now)…and I think they had the locale, backing and grounds to resource it, albeit likely local businesses funding it ultimately.

The problem comes when that backing disappears.

Money came into Brislington (after I left) and I think it changed the whole fabric of the club, from being “one club” to a first team with mercenaries and the rest of the club.

Must say I totally disagree re Brislington, Dave. I hear this comment a fair bit from those outside of the club looking in, many I would suggest with a tad bit of jealousy. I enjoyed a couple of spells with Brislington as a youngster and must say the spell with Nigel Webb in charge would be as close as you’d get to a unified club (perhaps not as close as the 70’s and 80’s with the local lads) from first team to the 18’s. Some superb non league talent graced Briz during this period, far from mercenaries I can assure you - likes of Rob Claridge, Don Forbes, Tony Cook et al. 
 

Perhaps you are referring to present day. I’m not close enough to speculate. 

Edited October 24, 2022 by Engvall’s Splinter

[jj77]

Job for Cotts?

[Shuffle]

49 minutes ago, Engvall’s Splinter said:

Must say I totally disagree re Brislington, Dave. I hear this comment a fair bit from those outside of the club looking in, many I would suggest with a tad bit of jealousy. I enjoyed a couple of spells with Brislington as a youngster and must say the spell with Nigel Webb in charge would be as close as you’d get to a unified club (perhaps not as close as the 70’s and 80’s with the local lads) from first team to the 18’s. Some superb non league talent graced Briz during this period, far from mercenaries I can assure you - likes of Rob Claridge, Don Forbes, Tony Cook et al. 
 

Perhaps you are referring to present day. I’m not close enough to speculate. 

Badger is one of the good guys and someone you’d want to play for.  Was there for over 6 seasons and played with  some great people who are still involved now I believe such as Phil Brake.  Played under Derek Robbins, Jamie Patch, Steve D’Arcy and Chris Elston and loved it there.  Believe that they are known to throw money about recently & mostly funded by the manager from what I hear.  No way are Ash Kington and Joe McLeman paying for the love of the club as both were at Bitton. Could be wrong but it’s a great club. 

[RoystonFoote'snephew]

The Western League is now dominated by Devon and Cornwall clubs and with a few Dorset clubs thrown in the mileage has certainly racked up in recent years. I begin to feel the SW Peninsula League needs to be raised a level. I'm not sure that the restructuring of the leagues by the FA that saw nearly all Wiltshire clubs moved to the Hellenic has helped. 

[Portland Bill]

2 hours ago, RoystonFoote'snephew said:

The Western League is now dominated by Devon and Cornwall clubs and with a few Dorset clubs thrown in the mileage has certainly racked up in recent years. I begin to feel the SW Peninsula League needs to be raised a level. I'm not sure that the restructuring of the leagues by the FA that saw nearly all Wiltshire clubs moved to the Hellenic has helped. 

There is a total restructure of the Western League starting next season.

There will be two Premier divisions, north and south, and then three divisions feeding into the Premier division. Think these will be north ( Bristol etc ) middle ( Somerset, parts of Dorset and Devon) and south ( rest of Devon and Cornwall) 
This will cut down all the travelling distances for the clubs.

Potentially up to 8 clubs from the various county leagues ( facilities dependent ) could get promoted to the feeder leagues. 

I imagine some of the Bristol/Wiltshire clubs will return to these leagues from the Hellenic league, to play in the northern divisions.
 

[GreedyHarry]

7 hours ago, Miah Dennehy said:

I hate to sound like an old fart, but the Western league isn't what it was and I think much of that is the money that can get chucked around at that level. When I was younger, the league was of a standard that players could be taken from that level and relatively easily slip into the pro game. Off the top of my head , Rovers got Paul Randall, Gary Penrice, Nicky  Tanner, Phil Purnell and Nigel Martyn from that-or similar- levels.  Western League clubs were established at that level and there wasn't really too much movement among the pyramid (if it was even in place back then) In relatively recent times it has become possible for teams with ambition (and money) to shoot for the stars - I remember Bitton being a Bristol & District side and Forest Green Rovers being Western League (possibly even County League?). 

I used to be involved with AEK Boco, who as AEK Rangers were just a parks football side, but once the merger with the kids side (Boco) came about, there was an injection of cash and that added with the ambition of some dedicated people, the senior side are now Western league with a large clubhouse and floodlights. Now they, like most other clubs at that level, have a relatively high turnover of players as young lads chase the money , and who can blame them with the cost of rent and mortgages?

As long as there is the money at this level, there will be more clubs like Yate, Bitton and Mangotsfield who soar too high and come crashing back down.

Even happens at local rugby now.

 

Yes Forest Green were County League. Remember them playing at Almondsbury Greenway late 70’s early 80’s I think?

[GreedyHarry]

6 hours ago, Davefevs said:

Spanish bloke, Castella?

 

 

(Digress, as a kid did you ever get one of those choccy cigars in a tube, in your stocking?)

No, it was Henri Winterman I think.

[RoystonFoote'snephew]

2 hours ago, Portland Bill said:

There is a total restructure of the Western League starting next season.

There will be two Premier divisions, north and south, and then three divisions feeding into the Premier division. Think these will be north ( Bristol etc ) middle ( Somerset, parts of Dorset and Devon) and south ( rest of Devon and Cornwall) 
This will cut down all the travelling distances for the clubs.

Potentially up to 8 clubs from the various county leagues ( facilities dependent ) could get promoted to the feeder leagues. 

I imagine some of the Bristol/Wiltshire clubs will return to these leagues from the Hellenic league, to play in the northern divisions.
 

Interesting. How does that work from Step 5 to Step 4 and entry into the Southern. 

[Jim Davey]

7 hours ago, Davefevs said:

Spanish bloke, Castella?

 

 

(Digress, as a kid did you ever get one of those choccy cigars in a tube, in your stocking?)

yep and the smokers kit

[Lanterne Rouge]

23 minutes ago, Jim Davey said:

yep and the smokers kit

The JUNIOR smokers kit which makes it even worse.

Them candy fags were lush mind, as was the `tobacco` you got in a wallet.

[Hamdon Mart]

2 hours ago, Portland Bill said:

There is a total restructure of the Western League starting next season.

There will be two Premier divisions, north and south, and then three divisions feeding into the Premier division. Think these will be north ( Bristol etc ) middle ( Somerset, parts of Dorset and Devon) and south ( rest of Devon and Cornwall) 
This will cut down all the travelling distances for the clubs.

Potentially up to 8 clubs from the various county leagues ( facilities dependent ) could get promoted to the feeder leagues. 

I imagine some of the Bristol/Wiltshire clubs will return to these leagues from the Hellenic league, to play in the northern divisions.
 

That's pretty much spot on, Bill. The fine minutiae of the restructure will come later on, I think, depending on who finishes where and how.

We've had meetings over past few months on this (I'm secretary of a TWL club) and it received widespread support with some hoping it might have been introduced in time for this current season which would have proved nigh on impossible to implement at such short notice. I think the ultimate plan is to have the two Premier Divisions + the three feeder divisions with 18 teams each, totalling 90 clubs. That may not happen in time for season 23/24 due to ground grading issues etc but it is the stated aim. I think the two TWL divisions + the two SWPL divisions currently have 78 teams between them so quite a few extra clubs to come in from below.

[Lanterne Rouge]

13 minutes ago, Hamdon Mart said:

That's pretty much spot on, Bill. The fine minutiae of the restructure will come later on, I think, depending on who finishes where and how.

We've had meetings over past few months on this (I'm secretary of a TWL club) and it received widespread support with some hoping it might have been introduced in time for this current season which would have proved nigh on impossible to implement at such short notice. I think the ultimate plan is to have the two Premier Divisions + the three feeder divisions with 18 teams each, totalling 90 clubs. That may not happen in time for season 23/24 due to ground grading issues etc but it is the stated aim. I think the two TWL divisions + the two SWPL divisions currently have 78 teams between them so quite a few extra clubs to come in from below.

It sounds interesting. Anything that cuts costs across the board has to be worth doing.

[stephenkibby.]

2 hours ago, Portland Bill said:

There is a total restructure of the Western League starting next season.

There will be two Premier divisions, north and south, and then three divisions feeding into the Premier division. Think these will be north ( Bristol etc ) middle ( Somerset, parts of Dorset and Devon) and south ( rest of Devon and Cornwall) 
This will cut down all the travelling distances for the clubs.

Potentially up to 8 clubs from the various county leagues ( facilities dependent ) could get promoted to the feeder leagues. 

I imagine some of the Bristol/Wiltshire clubs will return to these leagues from the Hellenic league, to play in the northern divisions.
 

It's all nuts to me. All this striving to push on and who dose it benifit ?

Going back a bit Newton Spurs,Teignmouth, Dartmouth and many more were South Devon Premier League.

Now gone up the ladder and maybe hoping to join Buckland in the Western League.

But a few good clubs went while chasing the dream, Newton Abbot, Formerly Newton  Dynamos  being a prime example.

When the Devon County League was formed, the side i had played for Buckfastleigh won it with all the side coming up from  Plymouth.

With no local players the people from the town soon lost interest and once the money dried up, well you know what happens.

Now it's so many levels Devon league North and South,Peninsula North and South then Western League .

Maybe lack of interest in local football now but The South Devon League has lost 3 Divisions.

Gone are those times of 8 divisions, happier days for me.

[Portland Bill]

1 hour ago, RoystonFoote'snephew said:

Interesting. How does that work from Step 5 to Step 4 and entry into the Southern. 

I’m not sure tbh, I imagine the winners of both Premier leagues would get promoted. Potential play offs I guess as well. 

[Lanterne Rouge]

46 minutes ago, Hamdon Mart said:

That's pretty much spot on, Bill. The fine minutiae of the restructure will come later on, I think, depending on who finishes where and how.

We've had meetings over past few months on this (I'm secretary of a TWL club) and it received widespread support with some hoping it might have been introduced in time for this current season which would have proved nigh on impossible to implement at such short notice. I think the ultimate plan is to have the two Premier Divisions + the three feeder divisions with 18 teams each, totalling 90 clubs. That may not happen in time for season 23/24 due to ground grading issues etc but it is the stated aim. I think the two TWL divisions + the two SWPL divisions currently have 78 teams between them so quite a few extra clubs to come in from below.

I`ve just been looking at the leagues. How is it sustainable for Falmouth, Helston or Mousehole to travel to the Bristol area for most of their away games? The one I feel sorry for mostly though is Sherborne Town. Every away game is a pig for them - shouldn`t they be in with the Wiltshire/Dorset/Hampshire clubs? Bridgwater looks to be the closest and even that is over an hour on crappy roads.

[Hamdon Mart]

21 minutes ago, Lanterne Rouge said:

I`ve just been looking at the leagues. How is it sustainable for Falmouth, Helston or Mousehole to travel to the Bristol area for most of their away games? The one I feel sorry for mostly though is Sherborne Town. Every away game is a pig for them - shouldn`t they be in with the Wiltshire/Dorset/Hampshire clubs? Bridgwater looks to be the closest and even that is over an hour on crappy roads.

I'm not sure how they fund it, LR, as my team are Div One and therefore don't play any of them. Our longest trip each season is Bishop's Lydeard (46 miles) unless we are unlucky & get a long trip in the Vase or FA Cup. 

I think someone further up suggested Mousehole are funded with some connection to the holiday camp nearby, I'm not sure. From next season, the travelling will be cut right down which will help everyone really, maybe about time too. To be fair, the Cornish clubs grumble less about coming up here than the Bristol clubs do about going down there, that's been all too obvious. 

I guess Sherborne will be one of the beneficiaries of the new structure as they'll be almost certainly in the more Northern of the two Step 5 divisions so far less travelling. 

[Portland Bill]

 

58 minutes ago, Lanterne Rouge said:

I`ve just been looking at the leagues. How is it sustainable for Falmouth, Helston or Mousehole to travel to the Bristol area for most of their away games? The one I feel sorry for mostly though is Sherborne Town. Every away game is a pig for them - shouldn`t they be in with the Wiltshire/Dorset/Hampshire clubs? Bridgwater looks to be the closest and even that is over an hour on crappy roads.

Clubs like Sherborne, Bridport, and Portland are out on a limb. Bridport we’re always in the Western League, ( the Premier last season) now playing in the south west peninsula league. Portland in the Wessex league, and obviously Sherborne in the Western league. All three clubs lose out on geography position. There just aren’t enough clubs close to them at the level they want to play.

I guess Sherborne could go into the Wessex league, but their travelling distance would be far worse than now.

There is a very good Western League weekly podcast, and they actually talked about Sherborne’s trip to Mousehole, saying that Sherborne treated it as a ‘special’ trip, and enjoyed everything about the day.

Next season will be interesting, and journey times will be massively cut.

 

 

[Barrs Court Red]

Sounds like Bitton have learned the hard way, and not really taken warning from Mangotsfields lesson. 
 

I assume the youth sides are unaffected? 

[Portland Bill]

2 hours ago, Barrs Court Red said:

Sounds like Bitton have learned the hard way, and not really taken warning from Mangotsfields lesson. 
 

I assume the youth sides are unaffected? 

Just the first team mate.

[Barrs Court Red]

1 hour ago, Portland Bill said:

Just the first team mate.

Ah ok, my boys got them in a couple of weeks. 
 

I wonder how much impact Longwell Greens rise has had on them. 

[Red-doug]

On 24/10/2022 at 10:49, Miah Dennehy said:

I hate to sound like an old fart, but the Western league isn't what it was and I think much of that is the money that can get chucked around at that level. When I was younger, the league was of a standard that players could be taken from that level and relatively easily slip into the pro game. Off the top of my head , Rovers got Paul Randall, Gary Penrice, Nicky  Tanner, Phil Purnell and Nigel Martyn from that-or similar- levels.  Western League clubs were established at that level and there wasn't really too much movement among the pyramid (if it was even in place back then) In relatively recent times it has become possible for teams with ambition (and money) to shoot for the stars - I remember Bitton being a Bristol & District side and Forest Green Rovers being Western League (possibly even County League?). 

I used to be involved with AEK Boco, who as AEK Rangers were just a parks football side, but once the merger with the kids side (Boco) came about, there was an injection of cash and that added with the ambition of some dedicated people, the senior side are now Western league with a large clubhouse and floodlights. Now they, like most other clubs at that level, have a relatively high turnover of players as young lads chase the money , and who can blame them with the cost of rent and mortgages?

As long as there is the money at this level, there will be more clubs like Yate, Bitton and Mangotsfield who soar too high and come crashing back down.

Even happens at local rugby now.

 

This is spot on, but has been recently recognised by the Somerset FA and getting promotion to Western L1 is becoming more difficult for county teams, as the competition was being degraded.

[Shuffle]

On 24/10/2022 at 10:49, Miah Dennehy said:

I hate to sound like an old fart, but the Western league isn't what it was and I think much of that is the money that can get chucked around at that level. When I was younger, the league was of a standard that players could be taken from that level and relatively easily slip into the pro game. Off the top of my head , Rovers got Paul Randall, Gary Penrice, Nicky  Tanner, Phil Purnell and Nigel Martyn from that-or similar- levels.  Western League clubs were established at that level and there wasn't really too much movement among the pyramid (if it was even in place back then) In relatively recent times it has become possible for teams with ambition (and money) to shoot for the stars - I remember Bitton being a Bristol & District side and Forest Green Rovers being Western League (possibly even County League?). 

I used to be involved with AEK Boco, who as AEK Rangers were just a parks football side, but once the merger with the kids side (Boco) came about, there was an injection of cash and that added with the ambition of some dedicated people, the senior side are now Western league with a large clubhouse and floodlights. Now they, like most other clubs at that level, have a relatively high turnover of players as young lads chase the money , and who can blame them with the cost of rent and mortgages?

As long as there is the money at this level, there will be more clubs like Yate, Bitton and Mangotsfield who soar too high and come crashing back down.

Even happens at local rugby now.

 

Not to mention my mate Steve Badock who remains the easiest gas head to wind up.  My local club is AEK and great set up with some good people involved.

Edited October 25, 2022 by Shuffle

[BigAl&Toby]

On 24/10/2022 at 12:12, Davefevs said:

Egos.

Far cigars eh @BigAl&Toby?

@Davefevs big fat and fat cigars.

And curly mullets….

Started to go down hill when the Fatman arrived in what was then the Great Mills Western League. Threw money around like confetti and bought success.

You should’ve seen him in the bar post match holding court…. My Christ…. Twas the Western League after all.

Then he moved on. Players et al moved. Success followed elsewhere.

Then there was the double glazing salesman….. Took a small club into the mighty Western League. Similar to the Mercedes Man from Cossham Street…. Bought success and moved on……

Oh yes. Those was the days…….

Shame about Bitton. My closest County League side at the time. Along with the mighty Cadbury Heath.

Mind you that was over 20 years ago. A lots changed and a lot hasn’t.

What’s the difference between Bitton folding and Wasps and Worcester folding? None. All boils down to greed. And egos…..

Talking of which wonder how Steve’s portfolio is doing at the moment? Does he get a winter fuel allowance?

What? What have I said?