Salford (Disgustingly Rich) Lads' Club - Conference National 2018/19

[Diable Rouge]

The bandwagoners go top, but thankfully both Wrexham and Orient look poised to be title contenders until May. Fylde ominously enter the playoff zone...

[slackster]

12 games in, and Orient go top whilst remaining the only unbeaten side in tier 5, after dispatching former leaders Harrogate 3-0 at their place.

Os fans aren’t used to this, but the side has really clicked. So expect us to step on a proverbial rake imminently.

[Capybara]

My family is from Harrogate (as am I) and I visit regularly though I haven't been to see Harrogate Town for decades - my only recent attempt to do so was for a game that was called off. I can't really add much to what jobi1 says. They only went full-time last season after a couple of seasons of going close to promotion. They have been talking of getting to the National League and beyond for some years but promotion isn't really in the club's DNA as they have generally drifted up the pyramid thanks to reorganisations, and only once by promotion (until last season's play-offs) if I remember correctly. The owner has plenty of money, as jobi1 says, though they claim to be run responsibly. Having said that, they have only recently begun to get crowds in four figures.

The plastic pitch is probably a factor, though it is claimed it was installed without proper council permission and neighbours complain that it's being used later in evenings than agreed. But you expect that sort of thing in Harrogate. The other reason for installing the plastic pitch, other than for community use, was because of a long-standing drainage problem that caused the club to play home fixtures as far away as Doncaster a few seasons ago. The pitch would have to go if they were promoted any further and that, and the fact that the ground is pretty much hemmed in on all four sides and therefore difficult to develop further, has led to conjecture that in the event of further elevation they would have to relocate. Not easy in Harrogate, as the town's historically higher-profile rugby club discovered.

[Jobi1]

They have been funded significantly by the owner (who is the manager's dad), but claim they aren't spending silly money. A few rumours have come out with one or two players who've left recently, including one who came along the road to York because we are apparently still offering more money. It's hard to believe they aren't spending more than they would be generating through the gates with the kind of crowds they get though. People will also say the plastic pitch plays a part too.

[Patrick Thistle]

Sorry to be dense. Are Harrogate doped? What's the story there?

[Patrick Thistle]

That's good from the board. Glad to see Wrexham topping the table. I'd like to see them back in the league.

[Bizarre Löw Triangle]

Wrexham supporters seem to be covering themselves in glory. Not content with subjecting Megan Reid, physio for the visiting Borehamwood team, to a quarter of an hour of songs about her chest, a handful of them have spent the last couple of days hassling, insulting and stalking one of their own fans who dared to complain about it. From the club? No comment (let alone action) as yet.

There was a message in the matchday programme yesterday about this incident, reminding Wrexham fans that sexist chanting will not be tolerated by the club. Hopefully that's going to carry over into how stewards are briefed.

There was also a letter from Kate Simmons (the Borehamwood Physio who was on the receiving end of the sexual harassment) in the NLP thanking the Wrexham board for writing to her to apologise.

[Bizarre Löw Triangle]

On the pitch, Wrexham are starting to look like the real deal.

Four played, three wins, zero conceded. Can't wait for us to get a stupid number of points only to get pipped by the poster boys of financial irresponsibility again.

[Bizarre Löw Triangle]

Wrexham supporters seem to be covering themselves in glory. Not content with subjecting Megan Reid, physio for the visiting Borehamwood team, to a quarter of an hour of songs about her chest, a handful of them have spent the last couple of days hassling, insulting and stalking one of their own fans who dared to complain about it. From the club? No comment (let alone action) as yet.

Yeah, it's grim as fuck. I've written to someone on the trust board about it - tbh the club need a dedicated liaison to handle stuff like this cos it's not the first time they've been less than proactive about challenging supporter behaviour.

[Snake Plissken]

https://twitter.com/FreeSportsUK/status/1029037163260915712

[laverte]

Wrexham supporters seem to be covering themselves in glory. Not content with subjecting Megan Reid, physio for the visiting Borehamwood team, to a quarter of an hour of songs about her chest, a handful of them have spent the last couple of days hassling, insulting and stalking one of their own fans who dared to complain about it. From the club? No comment (let alone action) as yet.

[Via Newbury Park]

I wouldn't. Not unless someone in black and amber remembers what a goal is.

Yeah, Dagenham had already sold all of the decent forwards before Still had the chance to take any with him...

Frustrating game last night, the new Daggers team of kids, loanees and those not good enough for Barnet were excellent for 40 minutes, then got caught on the break and never quite got back into their stride. Impressions from the first couple of games are that they're a likeable team but if they can't work out fairly average sides like Boreham and Maidstone it doesn't bode well for when they have to play anyone decent.

Maidstone are a sort of budget Sutton - cynical, sneaky, all shoves and constant chatter at the ref and tactical 'injuries', except whereas Sutton can play a bit Maidstone just hoofed it at a massive forward. Suspect they'll end up safely in mid-table and nobody will be overjoyed to see them again next season.

[steveeeeeeeee]

"No, I meant 'take heed' as in listen and pay attention..."

This gets nominated for post response of the year, surely?

[E10 Rifle]

Salford beaten at Gateshead, another club who've had a cash injection lately, last night. Chesterfield looking like convincing early front-runners after seeing off Aldershot. O's chuck away victory by conceding a soft injury-time equaliser to a fluent Ebbsfleet side, but it was a decent match, the second consecutive absorbing 1-1 draw for our mid-table battlers.

[colinwasp]

I'd go for Barnet or Wrexham for value, and definitely lay Salford if I trusted myself enough to have an exhange account.

I wouldn't. Not unless someone in black and amber remembers what a goal is.

[pebblethefish]

All 8 wins in the division on Saturday were by the more Northerly team.

[jwdd27]

I'd go for Barnet or Wrexham for value, and definitely lay Salford if I trusted myself enough to have an exhange account.

[Satchmo Distel]

Odds:

https://www.oddschecker.com/football...-league/winner

In terms of value, I'd have some money on the O's or Chesterfield if I were a betting man. The Salford odds are like England's at World Cups: market biased by non-rational criteria.

[E10 Rifle]

And Salford's first of doubtless dozens of live TV appearances this season sees them held by a resilient O's performance. Pretty pleased with that in the circs (and that we made up well over a quarter of the crowd), just pissed off that this most eagerly anticipated of trips came at a time I had no chance of making it. Salford are going to be in contention but the assumption that they'll run away with the league is overstated.

[EIM]

It's Salford, mate. You're lucky you made it back over the Irwell alive.

[john chapman]

For the benefit of Conference fans, especially of the bigger clubs, I just hope Salford have spent some of their riches on safety and security within the ground. On the day they won Conference North they were beaten by us (Boston) and at the end of the game fans of both clubs were on the pitch in celebratory mood (we still had a very faint chance of getting the last playoff spot).

It might have been quite hard to stop the Salford fan concerned entering the ground with a flare (I don’t recall my bag being searched on the way in, though) but perhaps the many stewards could just have done something about him lighting it at the end of the game? Or maybe when he walked onto the pitch with it? Or when he deliberately came down the Boston end to wind up our fans? Or when he threw it towards a Boston fan?

But no, the Salford stewards let him do all this – it was left to Boston players to remonstrate with him whilst he was ignored by the security staff. Fortunately nobody was injured but the dangerous idiot then just wandered off – to be fair one steward did pursue him as he left the ground (mainly due to requests from Boston fans and players) but then was told by one of the supervisors to let him go.

Whilst they are clearly ready for all this promotion on the pitch, Salford hadn’t thought it all the way through off the field - particularly for occasions when they might be getting a big crowd with a decent number of away fans. I hope this has changed.

[Sits]

Maidenhead United look unlikely to repeat their mid table of last season, despite Alan Devonshire and his flat cap.

Challenging for relegation I fear.

[slackster]

https://www.oddschecker.com/football...-league/winner

The current outright winner odds.

[slackster]

Losing out on Ebou Adams to Ebbsfleet (!) after a successful loan period that transformed our flakey central midfield was a blow, but I’m expecting Orient to continue their improved form under Justin Edinburgh and be in the playoffs shake-up this time around.

Salford are obviously splashing the cash and made a decent manager’s appointment in Graham Alexander, but whether they gel from the off is questionable (we play at their place first game & it’s on BTSports).

There’s nearly always one dark horse in this League who unexpectedly get their act together and challenge (eg Macclesfield last season on one of the smallest budgets), and both relegated sides might well be quick to regroup this time around.

As ever, with only 1 auto-promotion spot it’s going to be a tough league to clamber up from. No doubt they’ll be the usual few financial implosions and clubs short of cash that determine who’s mostly going to struggle again at the other end,

[sw2borshch]

That's how bad things had got.