Cod Almighty | Diary

Just say no

2 June 2020

In the next day or three, we will know finally the outcome of the 2019-20 season. Or probably we will. It seems that our division is the only one in the Football League which is able to conclude on a mutually acceptable basis.

Play-offs will decide who joins the top three in the higher echelons next season. I don't think anyone can have much to complain about in that Swindon, Crewe and  Plymouth were the best three sides in the division, though the latter may wish to fix the roof while the sun shines.

The relegated club however will almost certainly be Macclesfield. Having failed once more to meet their payroll requirements they seem destined for the bottom spot. That will rescue the loathsome Stevenage. Their fans will justify their survival on the basis that clubs which can't pay their way should be punished. They will do so without any sense of irony given Stevenage and it's predecessor club's questionable history. That's Stevenage for you.

The debate surrounding how football should move forward continues. There are plenty calling for the return to regionalisation of the lower tiers. Casual Diary is opposed to this. The idea that regular derby games would be attractive both financially and in generating atmosphere is a fallacy. While travel costs and the need for overnight stays might be saved, these cannot form a large part of our budget.

There are very few teams who would bring numbers to Blundell Park, even amongst those teams likely to feature in a reborn division three north. At least some of the teams would be from the Conference, with small home followings, let alone the significant numbers to travel away. Should we languish in the proposed division for any length of time, the prospect of playing endless games, year on year, against Scunthorpe and Lincoln will soon lose its attraction. You don't need a great memory to recall Lincoln regularly bringing less than 1,000 to Blundell Park when they were also rans in the Conference. Its also questionable that Scunthorpe, in the lower reaches of the table would have bought a full quota of available tickets if the fixtures this season had been reversed.

The other issue will be the perceived strengths of the divisions, depending which existing leagues are integrated into a regional competition. A glance at the conference could indicate the future in prospect. Of the 24 teams in its top tier, 10 could qualify for a northern section. This suggests that the south has the majority of the better non-League teams. However, the Conference North has nine ex-League teams vying for their two promotion places while the Conference South has none. Promotion to the top tier must require greater financial commitment to achieve from the northern section with larger players budgets required to compete.

At the other end, a division three north comprising the likes of Sunderland, Bolton, Bradford and moneybags Salford would clearly require a far greater financial commitment than one which comprised only Portsmouth and Ipswich, both of whom may yet be promoted, in the South. With the clubs likely to be relegated into a new regional structure including Hull, Wigan and Middlesbrough - all of whom have recently played in the Premier League - and Barnsley it is not even a given that Town would not find themselves in the southern section. Any financial benefit would therefore be quickly lost. More worryingly from our perspective with would also be at a distinct financial disadvantage in trying to compete in the Southern section making our stay, in all likelihood, longer.

Finally, as a regular away traveller I am conscious that the diaspora of Town support is widespread and nationwide. To those whose unpleasant lot it is to reside in the south, the prospect of a regular five or six fairly local away games to watch the Town would be lost. The chance of a visit to the Exeters and Orients would be lost to a whole generation of Town fans, to be replaced once again with tedium of the regular trip on the TransPennine Express to some Manchester suburb or satellite town.

While I'm sure they will make a sound economic case for regionalisation, football is and always has been about far more than money.

UTM