Bananarama conference playoffs

[veggieeater]

It's probably worth noting that, after a cursory glance at the Non-League forum, Forest Green supporters appear to be both prevelent, outspoken and composed of an idiosyncratic mess of values and shoulder based potato products.

Anyway, in terms of competition at the top next year, Grimsby don't appear as strong as us, Luton or BR (obvious exception ro everything) when we were in the Conference so I'd expect the customary transition season if they make it. FGR don't even have a manager. Weird. Dover, Cheltenham and Braintree wouldn't trouble the top.

Hi, just to let you know we do have an interim manger, Scott Bartlett, a former player and in charge of our successful Acadamy. He has an unbeaton record as a manager and will I suspect proove tio be a very good manager in the future for someone. We were in trouble leading up to the play offs, 5 home games with only one goal, 2 away matches where we were 2-0 up and drew 2-2. The players just didnt seem to have any confidence. Things have changed hugely with our manager and team leaving, now we are in the play off finals of course.

Will leave the outspoken bit to you, cheers from a potato head and maybe see you all next season.

PS Congrats to The Gas, back to back promotions fantasticachievement, will be sad to have missed more derbys if we get to League 2 though! I wouldnt put it past Cheltenham to do the same, with Wright and Holman scoring away you will all find them hard to match

 

[AtaturkOzgutson]

''Interim manager'' being the key part, nowt wrong with that just a little unusual, Clearly working though!

 

[Kenneth E End]

A potential FGR v Braintree final played in front of 1,531 at Wembley.

Braintree's ground (and pitch) is a disgrace and shouldn't be allowed in the Football League.

 

[Si Robin]

I've just put out a plea to Grimsby begging them to get their act together.

It's win-win, if they do go up they'll have to keep Hurst, who is their Achilles heel, meaning they won't trouble the top end next season. I can't see Braintree beating FGR at Wembley, so Grimsby are the last hope.

 

[veggieeater]

Think you are one of the few CTFC fans who will shout for anyone other than FGR in the final Si, theres always been good relationships between FGR and CTFC, a shared dislike of Gloucester for a start. There were a few CTFC fans spotted in the play off last night.

Hoping for more local Derbys like this seasons has seen. If we dont go up our most local match will be at Solihull, 72 miles away with Kidderminster down.

 

[AtaturkOzgutson]

Do you reckon that'll remain the case if the eco park goes ahead, and you're sharing divisons for a few years?

The proposed site is a lot closer to Cheltenham's "turf" and Gloucester show few signs of life at the moment.

 

[ambernuts]

I'm very interested to see if Wright and Holman will be any good in L2.

I'm rooting for Braintree, best of a terrible bunch but they've a tactically astute manager in Cowley. He'll go onto better things soon enough.

 

[GTFCfish]

Well we have played away at Braintree 5 times before and in those 5 games we have scored a total of..........
1 goal!
And today we have to win, i'd say we are red hot favourites!

 

[Urban]

I'm very interested to see if Wright and Holman will be any good in L2.

I'm rooting for Braintree, best of a terrible bunch but they've a tactically astute manager in Cowley. He'll go onto better things soon enough.

I don't think either will have the success Taylor and Akinde have had this one.

 

[Shrimper92]

Come on Braintree!

Would they have to do work on their stadium if they went up?

 

[veggieeater]

Do you reckon that'll remain the case if the eco park goes ahead, and you're sharing divisons for a few years?

The proposed site is a lot closer to Cheltenham's "turf" and Gloucester show few signs of life at the moment.

Its not that much closer TBH, just head up Frocester Hill and down and you are at The New lawn- say 10 mins or so, the aim is more to attract people from up and down the M5 corridor, Thornbury outskirts of Quedgeley North Bristol. This seasons matches were played in great atmosphere, playing in the same division again would probably mean a few of each others fans will be watching other teams, has happened a fair bit this season.

Course thats all fine as we ended up as the lower team result wise this season, so things may change. You only need one event to sour years of good relations as weve seen between clubs over the years.

Its odd, historical rivalry (Non football, going back centuries really) in Gloucestershire has always been Cheltenham V Gloucester as they are so near and so different, Gloucestershire has always had 5 axies, Rich landed gentry - Cotswolds, butt of jokes-Forest Of Dean, then Stroud Glos (Fairly rough and working class) and Cheltenham.

Us in Stroud are seen as the harmless eccentrics, even before Vince came in to confirm it.

Come on Braintree!

Would they have to do work on their stadium if they went up?

Yes! The ground isnt too good, but the pitch is shocking, allegedly its on London clay and doesnt drain. Last 2 seasons have seen endless matches postponed. The pitch would probably need more work than the ground. TBF they have done extra well this season as the last 2 months have seen a fairly large number of 2 matches per week to make up the postponed games.

 

[dedwardp]

Come on Braintree!

Would they have to do work on their stadium if they went up?

Would need to up the capacity a bit and add in some seats.

 

[hellogregory]

Thank fuck for that. Let's hope Grimsby finish the job in the final.

 

[wasi]

Agreed.

Come on Grimsby.

Proper club, Proper fans, and a decent away day (with the best chippys ever) !

 

[pride_of_notts]

Yeah agree with that it's about time Grimsby returned to the football league adding another North based side is another bonus.

 

[GTFCfish]

Thank fuck for that. Let's hope Grimsby finish the job in the final.

Agreed.

Come on Grimsby.

Proper club, Proper fans, and a decent away day (with the best chippys ever) !

Yeah agree with that it's about time Grimsby returned to the football league adding another North based side is another bonus.

We'll do our best, to be honest it feels like we have already won it after scoring twice at a ground where we had managed 1 goal in 5 previous visits.
Fingers firmly crossed!

 

[genesimmons]

A potential FGR v Braintree final played in front of 1,531 at Wembley.

Braintree's ground (and pitch) is a disgrace and shouldn't be allowed in the Football League.

Thats what i said. They should not have been allowed in play offs. Football league used to be alot stricter on ground gradeing. Thankgod they never won

 

[Si Robin]

Think you are one of the few CTFC fans who will shout for anyone other than FGR in the final Si, theres always been good relationships between FGR and CTFC, a shared dislike of Gloucester for a start. There were a few CTFC fans spotted in the play off last night.

Hoping for more local Derbys like this seasons has seen. If we dont go up our most local match will be at Solihull, 72 miles away with Kidderminster down.

I don't like what FGR have become. I used to love the small club on the hill who were punching way above their weight, I used to go regularly when Cheltenham were too far away to get to. They're now little more than a marketing division of Ecotricity, whose staff is "obliged" to attend games in order to swell numbers, whether they like football or not.

I don't class FGR as a rival, the true rivalry will forever be Gloucester City, but I wanted Grimsby to come up with us from day one.

 

[veggieeater]

Fair enough, it is good marketing for a green energy company, just like its good commerce for The World of Smiles stadium to be so named I suppose on a different level. For FGR it was possible financial doom (Much debated, but pretty likely) or rescue in 2011. Think you are being a bit harsh on the forcing to come charge, not sure theres much evidence of it. If you look at our crowd a huge number are elderly folk and not likely to be employees. There is a lot of kids offers, but thats encouraging the future support isnt it? As for the overall debate on financial backers, guess it would be a brave club that turned round and said f off- and IIRC it was former Labour MP David Drew who made some of the approach to Vince and remains vice chair of the club (And a very active one at that.) Strange one as he is pretty much on the left of the party and wouldn't tolerate rampant commercialism usually. Maybe it isnt as commercial as you feel it is?

 

[Murphy]

In two minds about this.

As a Conference club next season, I'd quite like FGR to go up because I don't want to go there and they'd obviously be very competitive again next time around. But at the same time, and despite me supporting Dagenham, I don't want a club like FGR with their crackpot owner getting into the league - plus Grimsby would be a top away day.

 

[BRFC_Gas]

FGR looked worse than when we beat them in the play offs last season, and they were woeful then.
Cant see them winning the final but its a one off game where anything can happen, that league looks a lot poorer than last season, somehow.

 

[The Terminator]

The away end at Grimsby is one of the worst I've ever been in for a view.

Would prefer FGR as its a new ground, but ultimately I'm not bothered

 

[shoddycollins]

I think part of the resistance people have towards FGR as a club isn't so much the money, but the extent to which Vince has turned a football club into effectively a marketing arm of his company. I mean the guy who owns most of or club owns a meat processing company but you don't see our kit being changed to make us look more like butchers (red and white stripes), or a pig being butchered as half-time entertainment. I get that FGR didn't have a lot of options to keep the club alive, and that at least some of the changes are down to Vince's own code of ethics rather than just to raise Ecotricity's profile; but while I've nothing against environmentalism or veganism, I'm not overly excited about how a football club that used to have it's own identity has become just 'that green club owned by the eccentric vegan'.

 

[veggieeater]

You assume the fans are overly excited? its a tolerance worn of not biting a hand that feeds us. He does go by the sustainability and of course we hope that he will continue to support us- thats the big worry for some, hopefully most.
Thing is he likes it that FGR is thought of as that. It leaves the fans a dilemma, do we just leave the club that many have supported for generations (125th anniversary last year) or do we have to tolerate the worst excesses and hope that the board manage to reign in the worst excesses. Think most of you would choose the tolerate route, hard as it is for many.
Yes in the meantime we have attracted a lot more fans, but new ones, not just converts from Swindon Bristols Gloucester or Cheltenham but new fans- again some may think thats wrong sad for them, footballs a great game and the more the merrier.
We remain a friendly smallish club, at least he cant change that, oh and the beer cider and Cotswold welcomes a bonus, though the queue down the hill is a pain at times, busy matches now have park and ride from the town. Bring your own milk and Bovril...
May see you next season, who knows. Personally think GTFC or us will be good additions to your division. Interesting posts TBF, we are used to more spite in the NL forum from some.

 

[AdamStag]

I'll throw my hat into the ring and readily plump for Grimsby.

We've already got Crawley and fleetwood hanging around who average about 4 people a game, forest green who average a bus stop load of fans every game, meh, no thanks, go back to the veggie shit.

Come on Grimsby, lew,SOC etc

 

[genesimmons]

I would happily want either team in football league. Pity braintree aint got a dale vince guy to invest in such poor facilities

 

[Si Robin]

Fair enough, it is good marketing for a green energy company, just like its good commerce for The World of Smiles stadium to be so named I suppose on a different level. For FGR it was possible financial doom (Much debated, but pretty likely) or rescue in 2011. Think you are being a bit harsh on the forcing to come charge, not sure theres much evidence of it. If you look at our crowd a huge number are elderly folk and not likely to be employees. There is a lot of kids offers, but thats encouraging the future support isnt it? As for the overall debate on financial backers, guess it would be a brave club that turned round and said f off- and IIRC it was former Labour MP David Drew who made some of the approach to Vince and remains vice chair of the club (And a very active one at that.) Strange one as he is pretty much on the left of the party and wouldn't tolerate rampant commercialism usually. Maybe it isnt as commercial as you feel it is?

My sister is all the evidence I need. She is an Ecotricity employee and been to a number of games this season. She doesn't like football and actually refers to going to games as going to work.

The main issue I have is that FGR have all the hallmarks of another Rushden and Diamonds, and we all know what happened to them. I actually fear for what will happen to the club when Dale Vince pulls the money out.

 

[FrankTheTank]

My sister is all the evidence I need. She is an Ecotricity employee and been to a number of games this season. She doesn't like football and actually refers to going to games as going to work.

The main issue I have is that FGR have all the hallmarks of another Rushden and Diamonds, and we all know what happened to them. I actually fear for what will happen to the club when Dale Vince pulls the money out.

Most long term fans have had concerns about Vince but I think they a dissipating with time and he seems in it for the long haul.

And your sister is either bonkers or bullsh!tting, I know at lest half a dozen people that work there and no one is obliged to attend games, I think they offer ten or so employees a spot in a box each game. No one would you go to football if they didn't like it?

 

[Si Robin]

You're right, you know my sister so much better than me. She loves football, can't get enough of it. I've only known her all 31 years of my life, what could I possibly know about her.

As I said, she's been to a number of games this season, I asked why when she doesn't like football and her response, as clear as day, was, "if offered then we are obliged to attend".

But what do I know...

 

[The Jovial Forester]

I work at one of the subsidiaries and never heard of compulsory attendance. Could believe she might feel obliged by peer pressure in her team but never heard anyone mention that either.