Unofficial Halesowen Town FC Forum

After a few days of reflection I think someone on here ought to get someone from the fa to answer some questions about shifting us south. And my questions would be -
1. At home a lot of yeltz people have a book called Halesowen Town the Southern League years, so after only 2 seasons are we back there when we applied to go north?
2. How are we expected to pick players up from Tamworth services when we are traveling down the M5 every other week?
3. Why when the club has just come out of recession from a certain era with certain people I shall not mention do we miss out on a big money spinner home and away with fc United?
4. Are you really more interested in a B league than non league?
Those are what I would ask and wouldn't mind answered by someone in the hierarchy.

I'm playing devil's advocate here.

1 - The balance of North/South teams means we have to go South again despite applying to go North.
2 - They have no influence over who we decide to recruit, its up to them to make travel arrangements.
3 - See 1, anyway the derby will compensate for it.
4 - The Premier League and its money determine this policy.

I personally think that the FA have been appalling on many decisions lately, showing a total disregard to anyone involved with a non-Premier League club. As for getting answers from them to the 4 points made, there's more chance of finding gold in the Clent Hills.

Thanks for your answers CRH yeltz but it still doesn't stop me from feeling disappointed and bashing my head several times just like poll and doc are doing. A nice trip back to Arlesey for the doc though. Your right about finding gold in the Clent Hills or getting blood out of a stone with the fa though CRH.

Ricardo- I share your frustrations, but in the last few days have come to terms with it. For two reasons I think it sort of makes sense from the league perspective:

1. There's not really any teams in the Northern Prem that are further South than we are.
2. It would be, quite frankly, a bizarre situation to have Halesowen and Stourbr*dge in geographically separate leagues, given the fact that we are more-or-less next door to one another. (And Redditch, similarly.)

If I were to argue a case (and I was most certainly in the Northern camp last week) I would base it upon the way that we represented the Northern league in the last few years and also the fact that we keep getting moved around from season to season! I don't think the FA are going to reconsider on the basis that we need the FC United money spinner more than other teams, or that we need to pick up players from Tamworth.

My initial thoughts were that we should appeal, but I think if we did that it would make us look small time and petty. We were always going to be the most northernmost team in the southern league or the most Southernmost team in the northern.
Besides, it'll give Mr.Boble the chance to see his team and have the opportunity to legitimately have a moan.
Let's just back the team, back the management and break some attendance records along the way. There's absolutely no reason why we shouldn't be the most supported club in this league.

As a Stour fan (for those of you who weren't aware) I'll have a stab at some sensible answers to the original questions.

1. You may think you "applied" to go to the NPL two years ago, but that's not the case. You expressed a preference, which is a different thing altogether, in that direction should the possibility arise, and the FA (ie. the Leagues Committee) may or may not have taken that into account when placing you in NPL 1 South after your relegation.

You have been allocated back to the SLP now as a result of being back at the same level as Stourbr*dge. The LC had three choices - leave us in separate Leagues, move you or move us. The first choice could easily have happened (look at Hinckley and Barwell 12 months ago), but once they deceided it would make sense to place us together it was probably always more likely they would move you than us, as you are changing Divisions anyway so will be less disrupted than we would. I'm not saying that's right or wrong, just that it's the way they would come to a decision. Of course, it also means they've moved Corby the other way despite them not being relegated or promoted, but I would guess that they took the view that Corby is more accessible from the North via the A1/M1 and the M6 Toll than Halesowen AND Stourbr*dge would be if we were moved to the NPL.

2. That's not their problem. It simply isn't. I believe some clubs in the past (Hednesford and Worcester to name two) have got agreement from the authorities that they would not be "re-transferred" between North and South for at least 3 seasons. Did you get a similar assurance? If so, you should be either (a) appealing, (b) seeking compensation or (c) both.

3. Again, not the LC's problem and not (nor should it be) part of their rationale.

4. Probably not - the Leagues Committee is made up of dyed-in-the-wool "real" Non League people. They know their stuff. However, I'm sure some of them have their own personal agenda with these things. In particular, the Isthmian League representatives seem reluctant to allow their little empire to stray anywhere to the north and west of the M25, which is why Cambridge/Histon and Kings Lynn are in the SL/NPL when it would be far better for clubs like Workington/Blyth/Whitby and Truro/Bideford for them to be in the IL so that the SL and NPL foot[prints are smaller.

Ultimately it's about 72 clubs at Step 3, not just about Halesowen (or Stourbr*dge, come to that - we would prefer to have gone to the NPL with you for what it's worth). While the boundary is where it is, and likely remain roughly thereabouts we are both living with the potential of being moved sideways any season. If Stour don't like it we should have got ourselves promoted instead of missing out again. If you don't like it you should have stayed at Step 4.

EDIT - Flip me! Are you lot that childish that you need an autocorrect for our name???

And this is why there should be a Midlands Prem. It really seems the FA don't think the same as the rest of us. Despite the prospect being there for over 20 years and no obvious reason why it wouldn't be a success, how come the FA still can't get it into their heads that's what's needed to improve step 3/4?! There'd easily be enough teams to go into the league from steps 3 and 4, more local derby games, less travelling for midland teams, the list goes on!

That, Greg Dyke, is how you secure the future of English football. Not with some crappy League 3!

Also, just out of interest, which players do we have to pick up from Tamworth? I didn't even know that was the case until now...

Some rational points from RM, seems that Stour had a similar preference to us but it is what it is.

BBNOW, fully agree over a Midlands division. At the moment you have 3 feeder leagues into Conf North and South, it doesn't stack up. With 4 you would have Isthmian Prem and SLP feeding Conf South with NPL and Midland Prem feeding Conf North. Every midlands non-league fan/club can see the benefit, less travel, enough teams to make it work, etc.

So you want a "Midland League" at Step 3? A fourth region to feed into the two Pretend Conference Divisions? Brilliant idea, all for it, couldn't agree more. And 4 into 2 makes much more logical sense than 3 into 2.

Now try to make it work in reality.

An extra Step 3 Division means 24 more clubs (assuming we stick with 24 per Division, and there seems no appetite amongst the clubs to go back to 22), and they will come from where? When the two Pretend Conference Divisions were created, the clubs were taken pretty much equally from the three then Step 2 (now Step 3) Divisions, and that's how the FA would find 24 clubs this time round - four from each of the current Step 4 Divisions. There would be no way they'd "cherry-pick" clubs from a certain geographical area to fit the "Midland Division" template.

Let's say they wanted to do it this summer, and assume that they took the remaining top six clubs from each of those Step 4 Divisions - ie. the ones that weren't champions or play-off winners.

Now start from the North and work down. That gives a "North" Division (what would probably still be the NPL) made up of (in no particular order):

Workington, Blyth, Whitby, Darlington, Lancaster, Bamber Bridge, Skelmersdale, Ashton Utd, Trafford, Marine, Frickley, Curzon Ashton, Ramsbottom, Buxton, FC United, Worksop, Matlock, Warrington, Grantham, Ilkeston, Witton, Nantwich, Belper, Mickleover.

Now the tricky bit - the South West, probably still known as the Southern League. Let's start with the obvious ones:

Truro, Bideford, Weymouth, Dorchester, Poole, Frome, Chippenham, Cirencester, Paulton, Merthyr, Tiverton, Swindon Supermarine, Shortwood, Hungerford. That's 14. We need 10 more.

Working along the M4 corridor (ish) and south of that, you can add:

Bognor Regis, Burnham, Slough, Chesham, Hampton & Richomd, Leatherhead, Met Police, Kingstonian, Burgess Hill and Guernsey (officially considered to be based at Gatwick Airport!). That makes 24 and you're almost into Kent!

(The alternative to that is to come up the M5 and put us, you, Redditch and one or two others into the South West, which immediately ruins the concept of a "Midland League".)

So, the Midland League then...

Leek, Rushall, Stourbr*dge, Halesowen, Redditch, Sutton Coldfield, Banbury, Coalville, Barwell, Daventry, Rugby, Kettering, Corby, Kings Lynn, Stamford, Histon, Cambridge, St Neots. That's 18 and it's already looking a bit bloated for a "Midland" League.

The other six would probably have to be Biggleswade, Hitchin, Arlesey, Barton, Dunstable... and then you're stuck with one of Harlow, Bury Town or even Leiston ( near Lowestoft) to make up the 24.

It ain't much of a Midland League. It's workable as a four-Division concept, and it could obviously be tweaked at the boundaries to fit better. I've knocked that up in about half an hour.

The point is I wish people would stop bleating about a Midland League without having the faintest clue about how the pyramid works, or the geography of this country, or where the extra clubs would come from.

I'm tied when it comes to a midland league. It would be beneficial in some ways for us as we would have less distance to travel for away games and it would be the same for other teams, which could encourage more away fans for both parties. And, forgive me for stating the obvious, the more away fans that comes through a teams gates the more revenue they can make from admission, bar income, food sales and programmes. And a coach would cost less for the club if the games were close. So when it comes to travelling and finance, everybody is a winner.

However, I think the current system is more interesting. We get to travel and explore different places when it comes to away games, I personally feel the football is more entertaining in the north and some northern teams have very good away followings and some that are superb (FC United, to name one). And also I enjoy long distance away trips more (if on the train or by coach) than close distance ones as you can make a day out of it.

So a midland league would be beneficial but I don't think I would like to change the current system. I know a lot of people think differently but I just find the North and South structure more entertaining. There are advantages and disadvantages in both options