League 2 News

[SEA Grecian]

That sounds like the best compromise even if does mean we lose out.
Still, a chance to go up as Champions next season.

You just know that whatever happens next there will still be clubs willing to gamble on splashing the cash. I can see Salford, for example, being very hard to compete against next season.

 

[SEA Grecian]

Just one more illustration of how the game we grew to love being destroyed by money and greed . And I am particularly saddened and disappointed with League 2 "wanting their cake and eating it" with the resolution for no relegation to the Conference but still promotion to League 1.
#notinmyname.

This is a very good point. I've been so distracted by trying to work out how the hell the play-offs are going to take place that I've haven't really thought about the other end of the table. I think both Bradford and Grimsby have both publicly said they support relegation and it would be great if we did the same; maybe it's time to e-mail Nick Hawker and make our feelings known.

 

[RedPaul]

This is a very good point. I've been so distracted by trying to work out how the hell the play-offs are going to take place that I've haven't really thought about the other end of the table. I think both Bradford and Grimsby have both publicly said they support relegation and it would be great if we did the same; maybe it's time to e-mail Nick Hawker and make our feelings known.

I still think this 'no relegation' thing has been tacitly endorsed by both the EFL and National League. Barrow would still come up to replace Bury in the pyramid so no relegation does not equal no promotion. What is does do is stop the National League being handed a problem. They have already finished their season and if they were now asked to provide another team to come up, they'd have an awkward job sorting out a second team given the second team is supposed to be a play-off winner. Much as I would love to see Stevenage relegated, and think they deserve to be.

 

[SEA Grecian]

I still think this 'no relegation' thing has been tacitly endorsed by both the EFL and National League. Barrow would still come up to replace Bury in the pyramid so no relegation does not equal no promotion. What is does do is stop the National League being handed a problem. They have already finished their season and if they were now asked to provide another team to come up, they'd have an awkward job sorting out a second team given the second team is supposed to be a play-off winner. Much as I would love to see Stevenage relegated, and think they deserve to be.

From what I can work out the clubs were given a set of suggestions by the EFL which they were asked to agree to and this is presumably where the surprise inclusion of the play-offs came from. However, the EFL have also said they want consistency across all 3 divisions which is hard to reconcile with the proposal for no relegation from League 2.

Good article in the Guardian about the uncertainty being faced by Harrogate which is another reminder that the most important thing is to decide all this as quickly as possible.

Harrogate's dream of League Two on a knife edge – along with building plans | Andy Hunter

Manager Simon Weaver thinks EFL rules mean the side second in the National League will go up but he faces an anxious wait

www.theguardian.com

 

[Banksy]

But if no one comes down from League 1 what’s the point of the playoffs or have I missed something?

 

[Red Devon]

I really like the proposal from the EFL to only have a 20 man senior squad + 8 academy graduates, definitely sounds a much better way for a manager to get more value from his playing budget.

 

[Colesman Ballz]

I really like the proposal from the EFL to only have a 20 man senior squad + 8 academy graduates, definitely sounds a much better way for a manager to get more value from his playing budget.

Are you sure that you have that right RD ? BBC Football are reporting it as a maximum squad size of 20 senior players INCLUDING 8 home grown players. They could have it wrong of course, what happens to those clubs without an academy ? Also what constitutes a senior player ?

 

[Red Devon]

Are you sure that you have that right RD ? BBC Football are reporting it as a maximum squad size of 20 senior players INCLUDING 8 home grown players. They could have it wrong of course, what happens to those clubs without an academy ? Also what constitutes a senior player ?

I make you right CB, I originally read it as 20 seniors + the 8 academy lads...probably 18 seniors + the 8 would strike the right balance!

 

[iscalad]

Are you sure that you have that right RD ? BBC Football are reporting it as a maximum squad size of 20 senior players INCLUDING 8 home grown players. They could have it wrong of course, what happens to those clubs without an academy ? Also what constitutes a senior player ?

Great. What we do is sign up our Academy players to a 2 year contract.
We then sell those that we would've let go for shed loads of money to the club's with no Academy..

 

[Rosencrantz]

What are they counting as senior players though, anyone on a pro contract? Limiting it to a 20 man maximum squad will have to see a reduction in subs being named as you currently have an 18 man matchday squad. The investment in physio's and S&C staff will be critical. £1.25 million for a 20 man squad I see as no problem though, it averages out at £62,500 pa which should be plenty for any L2 side although perversely it could push up some players wages who do get a contract whilst obviously putting a lot of current pro's out of work.

One further thing though, if all the clubs have to have 8 homegrown academy players named in the squad, can we get the EPPP fiasco revised. It would be really perverse to enforce a number of homegrown players on clubs whilst still making it easy for the better ones to be poached so easily.