EFL Rule OUT B Teams!

[Samuel Barrett]

We used to get bigger crowds in the Ryman leagues than we do now. Surely playing against teams from places people have actually heard of has to have some impact on that?

8 years ago today we played Ramsgate at home in front of 1,400. Less than 800 turned up for the Forest Green game.

Right, I did not really want a first post to be a rant, but this post really is dog-turd in my opinion.

Firstly Ramsgate are not a big name, a far less well known club than FGR that's for sure, you got a big crowd because they are local, which enforces the point that Chris FGR made earlier.

Secondly don't try to blame Dover's quite frankly appalling attendances on us, Dover just does not seem to have much interest in football as a town, which is a shame but you need to look much closer to home.

Thirdly FGR got over 1600 against Braintree last season, they are not well known, but most people go to watch their club, not the opposition.

Anyway good match that your crowd of 700 odd watched against FGR, I hope that helps add to your crowds, as a town the size of Dover should be better supported, your team certainly deserves it.

 

[DarkSithLord]

Right, I did not really want a first post to be a rant, but this post really is dog-turd in my opinion.

Firstly Ramsgate are not a big name, a far less well known club than FGR that's for sure, you got a big crowd because they are local, which enforces the point that Chris FGR made earlier.

Secondly don't try to blame Dover's quite frankly appalling attendances on us, Dover just does not seem to have much interest in football as a town, which is a shame but you need to look much closer to home.

Thirdly FGR got over 1600 against Braintree last season, they are not well known, but most people go to watch their club, not the opposition.

Anyway good match that your crowd of 700 odd watched against FGR, I hope that helps add to your crowds, as a town the size of Dover should be better supported, your team certainly deserves it.

Another FGR fan. Welcome!

 

[Samuel Barrett]

I know! Sorry matey just adding to the FGR clan!! Loving the debate and banter that goes on in here.

 

[Pablosammy]

With all due respect (and I mean that for once), before we dropped down to this league I had absolutely no idea who or what a Forest Green Rover was. I had even less idea where I could find one.

At least I knew Ramsgate was a real place.

 

[The Jovial Forester]

With all due respect (and I mean that for once), before we dropped down to this league I had absolutely no idea who or what a Forest Green Rover was. I had even less idea where I could find one.

At least I knew Ramsgate was a real place.

What a sad indictment of modern education. Probably wasted your time doing sums when you could have been memorising lists of hamlets in Gloucestershire.

 

[Cheese & Biscuits]

What a sad indictment of modern education. Probably wasted your time doing sums when you could have been memorising lists of hamlets in Gloucestershire.

Hamlet was Danish, not from Gloucestershire. Don't criticise others when you're not up to scratch either.

 

[Samuel Barrett]

With all due respect (and I mean that for once), before we dropped down to this league I had absolutely no idea who or what a Forest Green Rover was. I had even less idea where I could find one.

At least I knew Ramsgate was a real place.

Respect me as much as you want. I still do not see why knowing Ramsgate is a place makes a thousand more fans attend a football match!

Arsenal is not based in any place at all, I bet you would turn out and watch that game!!

Question for you.. Do you really think Ramsgate as a footy club is better known than FGR?

All with respect; (I mean it too)

 

[Chris FGR]

With all due respect (and I mean that for once), before we dropped down to this league I had absolutely no idea who or what a Forest Green Rover was. I had even less idea where I could find one.

At least I knew Ramsgate was a real place.

With all due respect, I didn't know Tranmere was a real place either until fairly recently. But I'd heard of Ramsgate (near Margate dreamland, jolly boys outing etc). Ramsgate is definitely more famous then Tranmere or Forest Green.

That being said, not having heard of "The famous black and white stripes" as we used to be known a few years back is something you should be ashamed of. We're a BIG deal, and were back then too. Twice FA Trophy finalists, twice FA Cup third round and longest ever shoot out in the FA Cup proper v Macc. And Jack Russell was our goalkeeping coach. And then when DV bought us we got even more famous, had behind the scenes tour on Sky Sports News and everything.

And if you hadn't heard of us for any of those things, you should know us from Football Manager as we were always one of the most popular Conference teams to take to the Prem.

 

[rudebwoyben]

This is all very silly when now you can type in any team's name into google maps and the location comes up instantly.

 

[EnglishRed]

I've heard of Ramsgate. I wasn't aware they had a football team, although it doesn't surprise me.

Prior to being non league I'd heard of Forest Green Rovers. Although I didn't know where they were from.

What are we doing?

 

[GodsGift]

New plans could mean 14 National League sides will join the Football League, not 8 as previously planned.

Telegraph story

 

[Habbinalan]

New plans could mean 14 National League sides will join the Football League, not 8 as previously planned.

Telegraph story

Essentially the driver seems to be no promotion to the Championship and 4 relegations instead of 3, in one season, to get them down to 20 teams. That enables a winter break. Do Championship teams want (and can they afford) a winter break?

I'm not sure what L2 gains from a 22 team league rather than 24 - but it sounds like they've heard we can't afford to lose 4 home league matches.

If we/they keep at it, we'll eventually get to EFL taking over a 24 team National League as L3, possibly with everyone reverting to 3 up 3 down promotions.

I'm still not sure where the driver will come from for a 90% vote of EFL clubs - other than a lot more cash for those that will lose out from the changes.

 

[LeWhites]

Right, I did not really want a first post to be a rant, but this post really is dog-turd in my opinion.

Firstly Ramsgate are not a big name, a far less well known club than FGR that's for sure, you got a big crowd because they are local, which enforces the point that Chris FGR made earlier.

Secondly don't try to blame Dover's quite frankly appalling attendances on us, Dover just does not seem to have much interest in football as a town, which is a shame but you need to look much closer to home.

Thirdly FGR got over 1600 against Braintree last season, they are not well known, but most people go to watch their club, not the opposition.

Anyway good match that your crowd of 700 odd watched against FGR, I hope that helps add to your crowds, as a town the size of Dover should be better supported, your team certainly deserves it.

Dover doesn't have an interest in football yet we used to regularly hit 1500 against shite like Ramsgate, Folkestone Invicta and Tonbridge Angels. People are more interested in watching Dover v Folkestone or Dover v Tranmere than Dover v Forest Green or Dover v North Ferriby. Just a fact of life. We're not a wealthy town, people can't always afford to go every week so if you're going to pick and choose games you're going to choose big games. That's why our attendances aren't the best.

Too much was made of our attendances last season when Parmenter made a heat of the moment comment after being beaten in the FA Trophy in front of 600 supporters - I was there and it was boring and wasn't that arsed about the result in all honesty. Why would/should people go? Also bear in mind that season ticket holders had to pay entry as it was a cup game. Our average is about 1k which isn't bad considering 3 quarters of our catchment area is the English Channel and a lot of people living in the town aren't from the area (commuters & immigrants).

 

[Chris FGR]

People are more interested in watching Dover v Folkestone or Dover v Tranmere than Dover v Forest Green or Dover v North Ferriby. Just a fact of life.

Tbf at our place people are more interested in watching FGR v Cheltenham or FGR v Man Utd then watching games like FGR v Dover or FGR v The Dog and Duck or FGR v The Girl Guides. Just a fact of life.

 

[LeWhites]

Tbf at our place people are more interested in watching FGR v Cheltenham or FGR v Man Utd then watching games like FGR v Dover or FGR v The Dog and Duck or FGR v The Girl Guides. Just a fact of life.

Which would explain why you brought about 50 for a play off semi final?

 

[Chris FGR]

Which would explain why you brought about 50 for a play off semi final?

I was there. It was over 100.

But it being midweek and on the box didn't help. Long way to come plus a lot can't knock off early enough to even attempt a trip like that including driving through the M25 rush hour. If it had been on a Saturday we'd have brought 300+ easy.

 

[FGR Stroud]

Tbf at our place people are more interested in watching FGR v Cheltenham or FGR v Man Utd then watching games like FGR v Dover or FGR v The Dog and Duck or FGR v The Girl Guides. Just a fact of life.

Remind me Chris but when did FGR play Man U ***** nited?
I missed that game.

 

[Chris FGR]

Remind me Chris but when did FGR play Man U ***** nited?
I missed that game.

Pre season a few seasons back. Got a 3000+ crowd.

https://www.forestgreenroversfc.com...t-team/pre-season/a-manchester-united-xi-home

 

[localhero]

This might sound like a bit of a sweeping statement, which to a large degree it is, but I don't think many Man Utd or City fans really care about any football other than what their club is playing. I know that we can all bang on about our own teams, but if you engage the average Man Utd fan in a conversation about football then you have to be prepared to be bored to death about their team! It is immediately apparent that they know little else, lack of knowledge is usually greatest amongst those whose teams regularly finish near the top of the Premiership. It would be wonderful to think that all those who go to watch Premier League and Championship teams will go to a non-league game if their team is on a winter break, but I'm not too optimistic that all that may will do.

I got in to a conversation with a Liverpool fan in work about the whole B teams debacle. His opinion was basically that it was a shite idea because it wouldn't really benefit Liverpool. When I pitched that it would kill off smaller teams who's fans had no interest in watching their team play an opposition's reserves, his stance was pretty much fuck 'em as they're small and irrellevant and Liverpool are one of the biggest teams in the world. This was a guy who's probably been to Anfield no more than a couple of times but streams every game (home and away) on Kodi. Given that these type make up the majority of the LFC, MUFC, AFC etc fanbase, I don't think they'd be particularly arsed if the lower leagues were destroyed if it benefited the Premier League behemoth.

 

[Pablosammy]

Pre season a few seasons back. Got a 3000+ crowd.

https://www.forestgreenroversfc.com...t-team/pre-season/a-manchester-united-xi-home

You're boasting about teams you've played in pre season friendlies now, as though that somehow puts you a bit closer to their level? Even though it was only a Man U XI?

Top tinpottery!

 

[Chris FGR]

You're boasting about teams you've played in pre season friendlies now, as though that somehow puts you a bit closer to their level? Even though it was only a Man U XI?

Top tinpottery!

Eh? I was using it as an example of how fans around these parts would be more interested in a game like that then watching us play Dover.

Oh and we also played Arsenal in pre-season a couple of years back. That attracted more interest then a game against most tinpotters in this league would too. So

https://www.forestgreenroversfc.com/games/match-reports/first-team/pre-season/arsenal-xi-home

 

[Greenacres]

That game against Arsenal youth, or whoever they were, was one of the best games I have ever seen. Some of their players were so skilful it was scary, it was a real credit that ours never gave up trying and managed to score a fourth goal deep into injury time when the game was already lost.