[Paul]

I see the National League as it's own entity like the Premiership and Football League are their own. When it was created non-league football ceased to be what was below "League Two". In my mind the Southern League and below are non-league football. It's hard enough trying to sell the club to the Gloucester public as a National League team, trying to do it in the Southern League will be nigh on impossible.

As for the football, we got relegated 24 years ago. We started the next season with Tommy Callinan as team co-ordinator (not Manager, I don't know why), and we seemed to have a Billy Big Bollocks attitude. After the initial good run there was a spell in 2001 after the ground had flooded that we lost eight games on the bounce. We were ****.

Don't ever think that going down might have some kind of positive effect. It won't.

Agree. I can understand the 'might be a lesson in humility' for someone stance, but in the end that's cutting off our nose to spite our face. I don't think it would make AP leave, or if it did then what sort of investor would we get at that level? Ever forward? Gate and other revenues won't be as high, the crowds will fall away and we'll be back playing toy town clubs. It won't do us any good at all.

[SHANDY LOVE MACHINE]

Agreed - don't accept second best, or in this case anything below 19th best.

You'd never hear Roy Hodgson use the R word!

[Andrew R]

I think much of it depends upon what’s happening off the field. If we have stable leadership, a clear vision, and a settled manager and squad, we’re more likely to mount a promotion challenge than if we don’t have those things.

[Paul]

I think much of it depends upon what’s happening off the field. If we have stable leadership, a clear vision, and a settled manager and squad, we’re more likely to mount a promotion challenge than if we don’t have those things.

There's the rub. It's been chaotic this season. Am now resigned to relegation. Where is the stable leadership and where will it come from next season?

[Gladfans]

There's the rub. It's been chaotic this season. Am now resigned to relegation. Where is the stable leadership and where will it come from next season?

It has to start with the retention of MC ( if he wants it) otherwise we will be in the same position as this season - new manager threadbare squad almost having to start from scratch again.

[Darran]

I think it's much harder for a team to go down into the NPL and flourish. That really is a tough old division, with some we'll backed and supported Clubs in it. It took South Shields long enough to escape. Darran suggests we'd go into the SL Central, but in that or the Southern i think we'd maintain one of the higher attendances, and would be right up there. I desperately hope we pull off a miracle, but if we don't, i'll still be looking forward to Saturday every week, as i'm sure would many.

Dulwich have by far the highest attendance in the Isthmian and they struggled to start with, but have improved and have an outside chance of the play-offs. It's tricky to say, but my gut feeling is at the moment the SL Central is the weakest of the 4 divisions at that level.

As for Neil saying the league would be a hard sell? Do no regular's really understand the difference between the NLN and the SL? I'm not so sure. I think it would take us getting into the NL for that to make much of a difference.

As for us playing 'toy town' clubs. Granted at the moment we do get to play the likes of Scunthorpe and Hereford, but look at plenty of the others. They are all clubs like us essentially that have come up from the league below. Rushall Olympic might well survive at our level ahead of us and if they were still in the league below we would be grouping them under a 'toy town' club. The difference will be in away numbers but then there would be plenty in the league we are currently in who don't take many away anyway. 

At the end of the day we need a minor miracle to stay up so I think we all need to get used to the fact we could be playing Step 3 football next season.

[SHANDY LOVE MACHINE]

It has to start with the retention of MC ( if he wants it) otherwise we will be in the same position as this season - new manager threadbare squad almost having to start from scratch again.

Nail. The. Head. On. Hit

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Nail. The. Head. On. Hit

The

[Daveangel]

As for Neil saying the league would be a hard sell? Do no regular's really understand the difference between the NLN and the SL? I'm not so sure. I think it would take us getting into the NL for that to make much of a difference.

That's very true, actually, and not something i'd thought of. We are all experts (to varying degrees) on football at this level, but to many day trippers, how much more tinpot is step 3 than step 2, and winning more (PLEASE!!!) may well make a bigger difference than the slightly lower level.

This, added to the fact all us masochists will still turn up, makes me feel a little better about our likely impending doom.

I'm clutching at straws, aren't I?

[Dave68]

What we forget is that there is always one team who are unexpectedly funded to win the league.
Then that leaves the rest to fight out for a play off place,which becomes a lottery.
Repeating the efforts of 2009 will not necessarily be easy,assuming we are relegated.

It would be interesting to know what the "New Boards" views are ?
We have heard nothing since the announcement of the new board.

Still I suppose it's not far to Bishop's Cleeve if they get promoted through the play offs.

[Tommy11]

I think Darran is right, that if the club did go down and had a good promotion run, then the attendances would be higher. I would miss the games against the former league clubs though, especially Hereford - but there will more localish games I suppose. - If selected for Central. I too have looked out for your Telfords and Leamington's out of curiosity and It won't be easy. Some people have suggested that having the 2 year contract players is a benefit as we will have some NLN players in that division. I think they are more SLP players in the NLN anyway, so that won't make any difference. Whatever happens, the club needs to have some stability in the summer, on, off and the fans all together to generate a good atmosphere and place to go too. I know people will say that is what the Chambers were trying to do. Personally, I have been guilty of being too negative on many occasions so ill hold my hands up there. Must win game on Saturday. If City win, I still believe there will be a fighting chance. Draw or defeat, I think it will be goodnght Vienna.