National League 2017-18

Bendubz

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We now know everybody who will be playing in the National League next season. Congratulations to Lincoln City and Forest Green Rovers on getting promoted to League 2, and commiserations to York City, Braintree Town, Southport and North Ferriby United for falling through the trap door. Replacing them from below we have Maidenhead United and Ebbsfleet United from the National League South, and AFC Fylde and Halifax Town from the North. also dropping out of the football league to join us there are Hartepool and Leyton Orient. Welcome to all of you.

Here is the full list:
AFC Fylde
Aldershot Town
Barrow
Boreham Wood
Bromley
Chester
Dagenham & Redbridge
Dover Athletic
Eastleigh
Ebbsfleet United
Gateshead
Guiseley
Halifax Town
Hartlepool
Leyton Orient
Macclesfield Town
Maidenhead United
Maidstone United
Solihull Moors
Sutton United
Torquay United
Tranmere Rovers
Woking
Wrexham
 
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Farleigh

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Although we may lose two or three big name clubs, I'm guessing the trend towards full-time professionalism continues.
 

Coaster

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Very excited for this. Can see quite a few leaving. But they wouldnt make the step up anyway. Keeping Rowe is number 1 priority.
 

Silver Stone

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Looking forward to Orient should they survive the summer, and hopefully either Gravesend or Dartford. The north doesn't matter too much, maybe Kiddy as old Conference buddies.
 

Monkey Tennis

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Couldn't stomach Salford coming up as well. I guess we'll be competing with the likes of them and Fylde for players as it is, though I believe that Cox probably knows the players that he's planning to sign already - he's predicted promotion, the chairman says that he's going to give us the best shot at promotion as possible.
Looking forward to it.
 

Chris FGR

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At least with Fyle up Barrow have a localish game for a change. INVASION fixture surely?
 

Coaster

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Big game that Barrow. We want revenge more than anything haha.

I agree with you though about Salford. There going full time next season and the money there throwing at it will make us look tiny. There be very dangerous next season. Yes we have invested very well, but not as much as people make out. So I would rather them not go up.

We will have a decent budget next season and will be interesting to see who we actually go for.
 

RLC

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If we stay down I would imagine we will be strong favourites for the title next season, with FGR second faves.

Of the relegated clubs, Orient are in dire straights and I am not sure Hartlepool will be in a position to challenge, unless they appoint a Johnson / Still figure. Wrexham will no doubt improve, but probably only enough to mount a play-off challenge. From below, bankrolled clubs like Fylde and Ebbsfleet will be competitive, but not enough to go for the title I would imagine.

The main challenges could come from an improved Barrow and Aldershot, if neither of us go up. I don't know Dagenham's financial situation, but they will probably be there or thereabouts again under Still.

I certainly think the top end of the division will be weaker next season.

However, hopefully all of the above will be irrelevant to us.
 

Bendubz

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For the stattos, here is the table for the 16/17 season from February 1st onwards:
39 Tranmere
38 Lincoln
37
36
35 Aldershot
34
33
32
31
30
29 Dagenham, FGR, Maidstone
28
27 Gateshead, Dover
26 Barrow
25
24 York
23 Woking, Guiseley
22 Macclesfield, Sutton
21 Bromley
20
19
18 Solihull, Torquay
17 Braintree
16 Wrexham, Eastleigh, Boreham
15
14
13
12 NFU
11
10
9 Chester, Southport
 

Fyldefan

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Looking forward to next season already. I don't know much about the teams in this division other than the odd game I've seen on BT Sport and the sides that we've met in the past. I watched Tranmere destroy us in pre season and backed them to win the league, that didn't pay off and i know it was only pre season but i remember thinking "christ, if thats the standard of the league above we'll have to massively strengthen" as good a side as we've ever faced.

Looking forward to a few decent away trips and playing Barrow again. Would you say more football gets played at this level or is it similar to the previous division with 4 or 5 good footballing sides and the rest hit it up in the air to their 6 foot 5 forward
 

doveranddover

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Dover went all season hitting up in the air to a 5 foot 6 centre forward :bg:
 

Luke Imp

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Be a bit of a gap towards the east next season with us and NFU going.
 

Sparrow

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With any luck Guiseley will finally be punished for WHAT THEY DID.
 

Monkey Tennis

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Looking forward to next season already. I don't know much about the teams in this division other than the odd game I've seen on BT Sport and the sides that we've met in the past. I watched Tranmere destroy us in pre season and backed them to win the league, that didn't pay off and i know it was only pre season but i remember thinking "christ, if thats the standard of the league above we'll have to massively strengthen" as good a side as we've ever faced.

Looking forward to a few decent away trips and playing Barrow again. Would you say more football gets played at this level or is it similar to the previous division with 4 or 5 good footballing sides and the rest hit it up in the air to their 6 foot 5 forward

Without exaggeration, there is a huge gap between the two levels. A player like Simon Grand is probably the best example to use - he's been promoted from Conference North about 4 times and been useless at this level. He's still bossing it with Salford. With our squad that won that division, only really Cook and Livesey were good enough for the National League (though they shouldn't really have down that far anyway), and even the lad that won all our awards that season, Andy Burns, wasn't deemed good enough to make the step up.

Some teams have come up and done alright (not sure how much Maidstone, Bromley and Sutton improved their squads after promotion), but I'd suggest that anyone that wasn't setting the world alight in Conference North won't be of much use in the division above.

Also, Danny Rowe was garbage in the Conference...
 

Silver Stone

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Yeah it's a huge step up, our team was mostly the same as last season's and was totally not good enough. Mid season reinforcements kept us up.
 

GuiseleySteve

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We only have three players left from our conference north play off winning squad and we still struggled.
 

Fyldefan

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I know it's a huge step up. I thought the tranmere reference would of made that clear. I would happily take just staying in the division next season. As for Danny Rowe, I really don't know how he will get on in this division. He's been top scorer and player of the year in the previous division twice in the last 3 seasons and in my opinion he was a lot better than Andy Cook and scored more goals when they were in the same division and Cook seems to be doing fine. That's if we keep Danny Rowe, we've had scouts down all season watching him.

Silver - are you a Solihull fan?
 

Silver Stone

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Haha no, Maidstone.

I get the Tranmere reference but at the same time, they could easily have been champions this season - not a run of the mill Conference side. We were getting turned over left and right by middling teams.
 

Bendubz

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From those that were in the team in the playoff final last season:

STARTING XI
Worgan - Not the best keeper in the league, but probably in the top 10 and definitely good enough for this level
Driver - Got injured early in the season, never got back into the team (tbh he may still be injured, I'd completely forgotten about his existence, but his replacement Twumasi is superior and this is probably Twumasi's level
Coyle - Went from deserved player of the season in the Conny Sarf to benchwarmer, not good enough to be a starter at this level but okay for backup for the lower sides. Expected that he may continue to make his move into coaching now, either as player/backroom staff with us or joining the ex-stones contingent at Margate.
Parry - One of the few cuts made last summer, initially moved to Margate then sold to Braintree. Looked Braintree's best player when we played them away so may have made the step up, but Braintree did get relegated so maybe not.
Mills - Along with Flisher (more on him later) the only players to still be here that were here when we returned home. Definitely good enough for the division, with the potential to play higher if he can become more comfortable with weak foot tackling.
Rogers - As with Coyle a mainstay of the promotion season that failed to make the step up. Put into an awkward position by a certain somebody who we'll get to, he spent the first couple of months in limbo knowing nobody would be coming into fight for his spot, but he really didn't do enough, and when Lewis and Prestedge did eventually join the upturn in results said it all. A loyal servant but not up to the grade, and he was as a result he joined the Stones old boys on the coast.
Karagiannis - Not really given much of a chance by Saunders this season. Would be in the team for a few games, then shipped out on loan for a month or two, then a few more games, and repeat. The few chances he did get I felt he looked bright, possibly good enough, but Saunders clearly disagrees and I'd trust his judgement over my own.
Taylor - A similar situation to Karagiannis, only instead of going on loan it was to the bench. From the games he did get in the early part of the season he was one of our best players, likely good enough for this level. Can do a job for a side down near the bottom for sure, but I get the feeling he wont be with us for much longer.
Healy - BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO JUDAS, YOU'RE A ****, JUDAS JUDAS YOU'RE A **** ahem, good player, seems like when he bothers to turn up he's okay for Dover, still a dick though
May - In all honestly I'd say it was clear to everybody at the start of the season he would not make the step up. Likable chap but ultimately midtable 6th tier/7th tier promotion chasers is probably his level, got away with having him upfront in the NLS as our defence was brilliant, but as we've covered already only a couple of them made the step up and our biggest strength became our biggest weakness.
Flisher - He hasn't been the same since his injury, and yet even with that there is a clear correlation between when Flish plays well and our best performances. Shown signs he's getting back to near his old self over the last couple of months as well, if he can do that, with his better fitness now and us going full time then the world is his oyster.

BENCH
Sweeney - As with Rogers and Paxman the first couple of months were harsh on him as Healygate left all 3 in limbo. Made a few howlers, but then also put in a few great performances. Circumstances suggest the fan's opinion on him (that he was crap) was wrong, since he wasn't dropped by Saunders and attracted enough attention to get a move to League 2 Barnet.
Paxman - Pre-Lewis/Prestedge easily our best central midfielder and he's only getting better with their experience being passed on to him.
Dumaka - The playoff hero, but he didn't last long up here. When Odubade first signed as his replacement I questioned Saunders' reasoning as imo at the time DD was better (judging from Yemi's first few games with us). Not only was I resolutely proved wrong quite quickly, but then when DSY came in he completely showed up Yemi. I do not expect Odubade to still be in the squad next season. If it was DD? No chance.
Davies - Completely forgot about this guy. I believe he was Driver's back up and nowhere near as good, so take the comments about Driver and make your own judgements
Godmon - A local lad. Kind of unfair to judge him as the backup goalie, especially considering I think I remember it being said on Stones Live prior to the FGR away game last week that Worgan has only missed one game in 4 years with the club.

AND
On the other team that day.....

Acheampong - Liability. Not good enough for this level, fully expect to see him gone this summer.
Lewis - January 20th 2017 = Signs on loan for the Stones, April 29th 2017 = Supporter's Player of the Season. Irreplaceable.
 

Monkey Tennis

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I know it's a huge step up. I thought the tranmere reference would of made that clear. I would happily take just staying in the division next season. As for Danny Rowe, I really don't know how he will get on in this division. He's been top scorer and player of the year in the previous division twice in the last 3 seasons and in my opinion he was a lot better than Andy Cook and scored more goals when they were in the same division and Cook seems to be doing fine. That's if we keep Danny Rowe, we've had scouts down all season watching him.

Just backing up the point that, yes, Tranmere are evidence of the step up - think they've dispatched the majority of teams outside the play-offs fairly easily on the whole. But even the lower mid-table sides are, naturally, far above the title contenders in the divisions below.
On Rowe, I think there are more competent defenders that will "do a number" on him in this division - Cook can be kept fairly quiet if the defence are on top of their game. He'd probably still be good for 15-20, assuming the rest of the side makes the step up.
 

Raymondo316

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Flisher - He hasn't been the same since his injury, and yet even with that there is a clear correlation between when Flish plays well and our best performances. Shown signs he's getting back to near his old self over the last couple of months as well, if he can do that, with his better fitness now and us going full time then the world is his oyster.
If rumours are to be believed hes unlikely to be returning next season...
 

Joe.

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I have a bad feeling about our play offs. Can see Hampton doing it you know.
 

Silver Stone

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If rumours are to be believed hes unlikely to be returning next season...
Yeah I don't think he'll be back; I don't think he wants to go pro. Maybe another ex-Stone off to Margate?
 
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