dof
1st team skipper
Posts: 2,116 
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Post by dof on Mar 22, 2018 15:08:59 GMT
Interesting debate going on in the Chester FC forum...Question is why is it so difficult to get out of the National League? They predict more Southern Clubs at the expense of traditional Northern Ex league clubs, is it money they ask?
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Post by Andy K on Mar 22, 2018 16:09:55 GMT
Interesting debate - if you look at the current top 8, it's a pretty even split between North and South, although 3/4 North sides are ex-league, whilst only 1/4 South sides are the same.
The current league make up consists of 11 sides who would be classed as "North" and 13 classed as South, so you could argue at the top end of the tree, northern sides just edge it.
At the bottom it's a different story where you look at the bottom 6, only Torquay are "South".
If you look at the stats from the previous few years (Promoted/Relegated/Relegated from L2)
2016/17 - 1N 1S/3N 1S/1N 1S
2015/16 - 1N 1S/3N 1S/1N 1S
2014/15 - 2S /3N 1S/ 1N 1S
2013/14 - 2S (although you could argue that both Luton and Cambridge could be classed as north) / 2S 2N (although if the bottom 4 went down it would have been 3N 1S)/ 2 S
2012/13 - 1N 1S/ 3N 1S / 2S
2011/12 - 2N / 2N 2S/ 2S
2010/11 - 2S / 2N 2S/ 2N
The pattern doesn't really show anything that conclusive either way at the top end, or really coming down from L2, but there's a pattern forming of those sides relegated from the national. For the last 5 seasons, the 4 worst performing teams in the league - 3 have been North and 1 South.
Of course money has something to do with it, but then which teams are high up because of it? I think most of us could argue that Eastleigh have been unsustainable for a number of years now (who wouldn't like a benefactor to be able to write off £5 million of debt), and others such as Ebbsfleet, Fylde, Barrow. But really is it "better in the South than in the North" - that's a bit of a stretch as far as I'm concerned.
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Post by baboonfish on Mar 22, 2018 20:01:04 GMT
Interesting debate going on in the Chester FC forum...Question is why is it so difficult to get out of the National League? They predict more Southern Clubs at the expense of traditional Northern Ex league clubs, is it money they ask? Chester look to be doing a sterling job of "getting out of the National League". Seems all you need to do is spend all the fans' hard earned cash on unsustainable wages for players you can't afford and hey presto! |
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