League Allocations 2018/2019

[andy]

Again interesting info. For me I want to be as high as possible for little or no regionalisation. I think it's great that Torquay can play Hartlepool in the 5th division. It makes our football. My real arguement against this is it has gained virtually nothing whilst lowering the standard. My tongue in cheek comment about promoting a couple of hundred teams to this level is not what I want, but it would solve the travelling distances that they seem to want to eradicate. Using a play off system between leagues it would work. I hope it never comes in as the football would be dire.
Also in the countries that you mention the chances of rising to be a top club are virtually non existent. With our straight promotions it makes every club feel that high standard football is just round the corner. Remember Wimbledon went from non league to the top division and won the FA Cup in TEN YEARS. It's not so many years back we were matching Burton, Cheltenham, Crawley etc and look where they are now. Equally with teams able to fall as quick we are only one promotion away from playing Stockport or Torquay. It was fine as it was.

[YeltzDoc]

Also in the countries that you mention the chances of rising to be a top club are virtually non existent. .

Castel di Sangro!

Ok, a poor example but I know you like your Italian football...

[andy]

Also in the countries that you mention the chances of rising to be a top club are virtually non existent. .

Castel di Sangro!

Ok, a poor example but I know you like your Italian football...

Molto bene Doc, hai ragione.
Well kind of right. They really only rose from a region of Serie C if memory serves and several have done that. Several recent Serie A clubs now languish there also. I would struggle to think of any team coming from the sort of level we play at though. There rarely seems to be the fairytale rises in Europe that we regularly get here. I'm sure there are examples but in England the system seems to work very well for lower league teams that really go for it. There are many countries without automatic promotion through the system and clubs only get promoted occasionally. In others the top teams B sides compete in the lower divisions and the whole promotion/relegation just becomes lottery if there is any at all. Our system is great. It's also why we have such a great cup competition, in other countries very few lower league teams are allowed to compete and most are eliminated before the bigger clubs come in. Long may our system remain.

[andy]

Chiedo scusa
Doc i apologise, you have floored me with one straight away.
Castel di Sangro did indeed come from below Serie C2 many years before and rose to the heady heights of Serie B before falling back and folding. So rare was it though that there is a book celebrating it!

[The Reasonable Man]

I agree with everything you've said, Andy. I think our system works much better and allows greater fluifldity between the levels. Ditto the FA Cup, which I'm sure won't surprise you!

The thing is, you can't have your cake and eat it. With our system you are always going to have some long journeys at relatively low levels. The reorganisation has done exactly what it was always going to do, no more and no less. It's improved matters for those clubs at the periphery. Workington don't have to travel to us, Kings Lynn aren't in the same Division as Weymouth and Tiverton, and so on. For some clubs a bunch of long trips has been swapped for a different bunch of long trips, but they are at least no worse off. For a handful - notably around West London - they are worse off. That was inevitable (and has been in the cards for a while, even without a reshuffle), and they shouldn't really be surprised by it.

[andy]

TRM, you're right that a few clubs have to travel less but for the vast majority it changes little apart from the pool is now diluted. Hammer to crack a nut IMO. But I appreciate that you are in favour of the system and we will have to agree to disagree on its ramifications.

[andy]

Also in the countries that you mention the chances of rising to be a top club are virtually non existent. With our straight promotions it makes every club feel that high standard football is just round the corner.

After checking more up to date information it does seem that some other top European nations are basically following our model of no holds barred promotion and relegation as long as those teams are not bigger teams B sides. Would be interested to hear from our contributors in Spain if teams way down the pyramid ever break into the big time.

[YeltzDoc]

Chiedo scusa
Doc i apologise, you have floored me with one straight away.
Castel di Sangro did indeed come from below Serie C2 many years before and rose to the heady heights of Serie B before falling back and folding. So rare was it though that there is a book celebrating it!

A great book, that’s the only reason I know the story. Although they did sink like a stone, then go bust and reform.
If you haven’t read it, another recommendation for a book on the “colourful” side of Italian football is “A Season With Verona”.
They’re a bit like Millwall’s finest from 40 years ago...

[valenciayeltz]

Also in the countries that you mention the chances of rising to be a top club are virtually non existent. With our straight promotions it makes every club feel that high standard football is just round the corner.

After checking more up to date information it does seem that some other top European nations are basically following our model of no holds barred promotion and relegation as long as those teams are not bigger teams B sides. Would be interested to hear from our contributors in Spain if teams way down the pyramid ever break into the big time.

Depends on your definition of "way down the pyramid" Andy. In recent years Leganés, Alavés, Getafe, Girona and Eibar have all made it from their traditional home in the Segunda B into La Liga. Getafe made it to the cup final a few years ago, and them, Girona and Eibar were all challenging for a European place most of this season and all 5 have stayed up. Segunda B is the 3rd tier, but with 4 Regional Leagues and so kind of goes from Level 3 to Level 7 and (apart from some of the bigger teams "B" teams) is basically semi-pro. Girona have made it up from the Tercera, which is probably equivalent to NLP North/South or lower (the players don´t get paid in the tercera).

[andy]

Also in the countries that you mention the chances of rising to be a top club are virtually non existent. With our straight promotions it makes every club feel that high standard football is just round the corner.

After checking more up to date information it does seem that some other top European nations are basically following our model of no holds barred promotion and relegation as long as those teams are not bigger teams B sides. Would be interested to hear from our contributors in Spain if teams way down the pyramid ever break into the big time.

Depends on your definition of "way down the pyramid" Andy. In recent years Leganés, Alavés, Getafe, Girona and Eibar have all made it from their traditional home in the Segunda B into La Liga. Getafe made it to the cup final a few years ago, and them, Girona and Eibar were all challenging for a European place most of this season and all 5 have stayed up. Segunda B is the 3rd tier, but with 4 Regional Leagues and so kind of goes from Level 3 to Level 7 and (apart from some of the bigger teams "B" teams) is basically semi-pro. Girona have made it up from the Tercera, which is probably equivalent to NLP North/South or lower (the players don´t get paid in the tercera).

Excellent stuff! Thanks for that. Interesting to see that Girona have made it from so low down, never realised that. Do the B sides of the bigger sides muddy the waters too much in Spain in your opinion?