Play-offs

[bring back the cowshed!]

After FGR's win at Dover (the new manager has turned it round), Braintree have won their first leg away at Grimsby. When you consider what this club is, you realise how much they are overachieving - and by implication how we are underachieving. You can't even make the excuse that it's GB's first season. The Braintree manager was only appointed last year. To rub salt in, he's only part-time as his day job is teaching! There's an interesting article on the BBC website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/36161411 .

 

[Ian]

They are having a fantastic season. That's a great result at Grimsby. Good luck to them.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

If and when brabin departs, Cowley is someone we should seriously consider if we are still in this division.

 

[Boz]

I read that when Cowley took over at Braintree, having managed Concord, he did media training and made a great deal of effort to get the supporters on board. Rather different to our current manager.

 

[Boz]

Forest Green Rovers make the play-off finals. Surprised they saw off Dover tbh, amazing what changing your manager can do. After their thuggish performance at PP, hope Braintree/Grimsby can see them off at Wembley.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

Like Boz, I don't want that mob to get to the Football League, much as it might be to our advantage to have them out of the division next season. I thought Dover were the better side and were unlucky tonight. They have a number of decent players who might now become available, so hopefully our manager and chairman are taking note.

 

[Ian]

Yeah disappointed they got through. Good effort from the part timers.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

Grimsby into the final, which means we will at least lose one of the wealthier clubs next season.

In Conference North Fylde (bankrolled) and North Ferriby (bankrolled) are the finalists; in Conference South it is Ebbsfleet (bankrolled) and Maidstone. So it is possible that there will be five heavily funded teams with limited support in the division next season, not a change for the better in my view. If you add in the ex-league clubs, I think the NL will be at least as competitive next season as it was this time around.

 

[Boz]

I think the two teams best equiped to go up are contesting the final, even if the quality of the playing staff and management was as good with the part-timers. I'd prefer to see Grimsby win it, purely because of how Forest Green played at PP.

Think North Ferriby are up for sale due to current chairman's ill-health,so less of a danger than Fylde. Ebbsfleet have Kuwaiti backers. I agree with RLC that it's unhealthy you can seem to buy yourself up the leagues and feel there's an argument for some FFP at this level.

 

[Ian]

Good luck Grimsby!

 

[Cowshed Kid]

My god.
Reality dawns yet again.
We are now anticipating fixtures and see names such as North Ferriby, Ebbsfleet.
Bring back the likes of Exeter...... all is forgiven!

 

[Cowshed Kid]

And good luck to Grimsby, at least they are a 'genuine' club.

 

[bring back the cowshed!]

Either way, we lose one of the more powerful teams. I hope it's Grimsby too, but I wouldn't miss FGR. At least York City and Dag & Red coming down will not be too strong. No matter what, we'll have to find a way of beating teams at home.

 

[Sparky]

The irony is that some (not all) of our poor home performances have been against some of the so called smaller teams in the league e.g. Welling, Boreham Wood, Barrow. Even early season wins against the likes of Halifax & Woking were far from spectacular, as was the end of season 1-0 win against Grimsby reserves.

Much for GB to do in the summer. Both in terms of personnel (not as much as last season admittedly) and also from a tactical point of view to improve the home form.

 

[bring back the cowshed!]

I see Danny Cowley (Braintree manager) has been approached about the Lincoln City job. If he takes it, it will certainly make them a force to be reckoned with next season.

 

[bigmart]

I see Danny Cowley (Braintree manager) has been approached about the Lincoln City job. If he takes it, it will certainly make them a force to be reckoned with next season.

just because he was a success at Braintree doesn't mean he will be a success elsewere.

 

[Boz]

just because he was a success at Braintree doesn't mean he will be a success elsewere.

But isn't that true of every appointment?
Danny Cowley did well at Concord, so got the Braintree job. He's done well there, so gets the chance at a historically bigger club, Lincoln, don't know if he's accepted it yet. On what I've seen, would be happy to have him managing Rovers. It also makes more sense to me appointing a manager who's star is in the ascendant.

 

[Tartantranmere64]

Just want to mention that one of my teams got promoted to the League via the play-offs this weekend: step forward Edinburgh City - an amazing achievement by a fan-run team who were playing on a dog-mess strewn potato field 20 years ago. Hope it's Rovers turn next year!

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

Great news tt64, did you go to any of the play off matches ? I must admit i was a bit sorry to see east Stirling lose their league status, a famous old name. Incidentally, my parents' home town team missed out in the conf south play offs today having been miles ahead in 1st place for most of the season. It would have been surreal to see rovers play at stonebridge road, but perhaps we will meet up in 2017-18......

 

[bring back the cowshed!]

Congratulations to Grimsby Town on their return to the Football League. It took 6 years during which they reached the play-offs four times and were losing finalists last year. Let's hope we don't have to wait that long.