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Topics - Hugh

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1
Altrincham FC First Team / Bury merger sees Gigg Lane return at last!
« on: May 08, 2023, 02:07:28 AM »
From next season, after a merger between Bury FC and Bury AFC, the merged club will play at Gigg Lane from next season. 90.1% of Bury FC Supporters' society members, and 97% of Bury AFC members voted to form one club playing at Gigg Lane after a previous vote fell narrowly short of the two thirds majority required. Council and government funding of over one million pounds (!) will now be available. Good to see positive news for Bury at last, but a pity it took four years.

2
Altrincham FC First Team / Average National League crowds this season
« on: May 01, 2023, 06:37:46 PM »
The average crowds for the NL this season were approximately 3,341 - though obviously this would be slightly more if play off matches were included. This is a new record for the NL. Significantly, this is also the first time that every club has averaged over 1,000. Even Boreham Wood got an average of 1,185 - more than the 1,173 Workington averaged in the 4th division in 1973-74, when they were nonetheless voted back into the football league after finishing second bottom. If they were good enough for the league, so is anyone currently in NL. And obviously Wood would get considerably higher crowds as a league team. Even the lowest crowd of the season was over 700 (702 for Gateshead vs Dagenham and Redbridge) - more, for example than the third division crowd of 450 between Rochdale and Cambridge United in 1974.

With at least one of Chesterfield and Notts County going to miss out on promotion, and Crawley Town staying up after finishing third bottom, surely now would be the time for three up - at least if common sense had anything to do with it!

I'll also say this. Whilst there may be some understandable irritation at the Hollywood portrayal of Wrexham triumphing against the odds, because of them, English non-league football has been brought to an audience of probably millions world wide, surely a positive going forward, and something that we could scarcely have imagined back in 1991 when the first ever non-league match was televised!

3
Altrincham FC First Team / Good enough
« on: April 29, 2023, 08:42:17 PM »
It might not feel it now, but only because we lost a Cup final and a Trophy semi. Whilst there is much that could be improved, there is also much to be positive about:

We got more points than last season (admittedly only because of the now defunct Macc Town);
We stayed up by 8 points;
We got the (joint) most points we've ever had in a 46 game season;
We reached a Trophy semi for the first time in 32 years, only missing out on a Wembley return with FC Halifax's last kick of the game;
We reached a first CSC cup final for 12 years;
We ended the season with a 4 game unbeaten run (in normal time);
We coped reasonably well with the switch to FT football.

If you'd offered me 17th after the Aldershot Town home game, I'd have snapped your hand off. I'd have settled for 60 points all day before the start of the season, and we were only four points short (probably partly because of the Welsh FA). With the money from the Trophy run, Seedrs and transfers (plus I suppose a little from the CSC), we should be well placed to improve again next season. If it is 71 points for the play offs again, we shouldn't be too far away.

4
Altrincham FC First Team / Average league crowds for season: 2,115
« on: April 22, 2023, 07:24:38 PM »
According to Football Web Pages. They would I think be slightly higher if you count Cup and FAT games. Once again attendances were down due to restricted capacity (for Wrexham and FC Halifax). I recall that ML was by no means completely packed for the Wrexham league game, also the corner of the pop side is still closed, hopefully this can be addressed for next season. Overall, very encouraging attendances once again, hopefully we will get even more next season if we challenge for the play-offs, and the relegation of Rochdale and probably Hartlepool (and, dare I say it, the possible promotion of Chester "City") will make up at least somewhat for the loss of the promoted teams.

I might add that I for one will never complain of the large numbers of young people at games in recent times, behaving as young people do. I would be more worried if there were only a few young people. Always remember that they represent the future of the club. And that there are other places to stand.

5
Altrincham FC First Team / Curzon v Fylde Tuesday anyone?
« on: April 22, 2023, 06:47:17 PM »
A win for Curzon would see them up to 6th (or 5th with 3-0 or better), whilst a win for Fylde would put them in a strong position at the top and leave Curzon requiring snookers. Naturally I'll be rooting for Curzon, though admittedly Fylde would be more convenient than King's Lynn (unless you're planning to visit Norfolk Like me).

6
Altrincham FC First Team / Rochdale relegated to the non-league!!!
« on: April 22, 2023, 05:09:53 PM »
I would like to welcome them to the wonderful world of non-league football, and congratulate them on being the last of the really rubbish teams elected to the third division North to be relegated out of the league, and on their extra 43 stolen years of league football. I wish them many happy years - in the National League North.

7
Altrincham FC First Team / What was Freeman's best goal apart from Chester City?
« on: April 21, 2023, 09:46:49 PM »
He certainly scored other thunderbolts (plus others which came close), and some say the Chester goal wasn't even his best that season. I can't for the life of me remember the games the others were in though.

8
Altrincham FC First Team / Dale down unless they win at County!
« on: April 18, 2023, 10:56:24 PM »
I urge you all not to go to the Edgeley Park game on Saturday (assuming it's not sold out already). There will be plenty of time to let it sink in during two National League games next season, should Dale fail to win there, and to get several other results in their favour. Should the worst happen, I hope their stay in the National League "Premier" is a short one. And I would add that step two is far better today than when we got relegated in 1997 and thought we were garden gnomes at Bamber Bridge, or got the highest crowds in that league in 1999 with average gates of around 800. I look forward to welcoming Dale to the JD next season. Should the worst happen...

9
Altrincham FC First Team / Repair the segregation fence.
« on: April 16, 2023, 01:39:54 AM »
Or come up with some other arrangement. I checked at the Gateshead game, there are still the same defects I reported after the Notts game where I got assaulted through a hole in that fence. Such a situation must not be allowed to happen again.

Some may feel this trivial, however I was  watching footage relating to the 1985 European cup final where failure to keep rival groups of supporters bent on trouble apart caused quite serious problems. If we are going to have at Moss Lane the likes of those Notts County supporters who reacted violently to the teasing of some of our supporters, we have to have measures in place to control this. Historically, we have dealt with things and driven change for the better in football. We must do so now and ensure our supporters can watch games safely.

10
Altrincham FC First Team / Sc**thorpe down now (barring AGM cups)
« on: April 10, 2023, 08:31:41 PM »
Scunny could yet have a local derby next season against Gainsborough.

As for Curzon, if they win their next two, away to Blyth and Darlington, they should have quite a good chance of the play-offs. Quite a big if though...

(Also South Shields up - at last!).

11
Altrincham FC First Team / Altrincham's league record since Aldershot Town
« on: April 09, 2023, 09:27:09 PM »
I thought it would be interesting to take a look at our league record from the Aldershot win to date and see what sort of level we are currently at. It reads as follows:

played   wins   draws   losses   for   against   points   points per game

32         14      6         12         52    54          48        1.5

If replicated over a season, one observes that we would not be far off the play-offs, which tend to require a points total around the mid 70s (eg Chesterfield on 74 points to finish 7th last season). Perhaps inevitably we had a slow start with the loss of the "magnificent seven" plus Mooney, and the unavailability of players like Kosylo, Byrne and Marriot. I expect a much lower turnover of players for next season. With a bit of strengthening - which should be possible with the Trophy run and probably slightly increased crowds this season - and a good pre-season, plus hopefully Notts and Wrexham out of the way, there seems reason to be optimistic about having a real push for the play-offs next season.

I offer my congratulations to the players and management who have got us to this level, and particularly to the players who have come in recently and taken us so close  to a Wembley final. Next time!

12
Altrincham FC First Team / Well done to Chris Millington
« on: April 02, 2023, 11:17:21 PM »
Congratulations to former Altrincham under 18s coach and local Timperley lad Chris on his achievement in his first season as manager in senior football at FC Halifax Town. I should say I am biased as I know him well from church, but he is a smashing bloke who has previously attended Moss Lane with his family (before Halifax) and I wish him all the best in the final.

13
Altrincham FC First Team / FAO Wayno
« on: April 02, 2023, 10:31:59 PM »
Dear Mr. Wayno comma

with reference to your recent thread on chants for Altrincham AFC, you may be interested to know that, some years ago I compiled an inevitably non-exhaustive, exhausting list of those Alty chanty thingies. 'Appily I still 'appen to possess the sed list, and would be 'appy to share it with you upon request, no questions asked. Whilst I got as far as chant number 177 ("O Macclesfield is full of sheep), I do not doubt that by now, and in my time watching Alty alone (since 1990) there will easily have been over 200 chants, even under a strict definition of an Alty chanty I should think.

I remain, sir, your 'umble and obedient servant,

yours teasingly etc. etc.

Hugh Cooper esq.

Wayno Wayno give us a song (preferably not the "half a pound of tuppenny rice" one)!

14
Altrincham FC First Team / "[The referee] has played longer than he should have done".
« on: April 02, 2023, 09:45:44 PM »
In a good, heartfelt interview with PP after the Town semi, it is suggested that the referee has "played longer than he should have done" (see link).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAA7saFpg3I

This brings me back to a point I think I've made before. When the 4th official holds up his board saying two minutes added time (something I am against personally as I feel it causes as many problems as it solves), what does it actually mean? Literally 120 seconds stoppage time plus any additional stoppages and discretionary added time? Anything from 60 seconds to 120 seconds? Anything from 120 seconds to 180 seconds? Some random approximation by the referee? And how much discretion does the referee have to add on additional time not for any stoppages if a team is attacking? I believe this started after a world cup match where the referee blew for time as the ball was put into the net from a corner as the referee's stopwatch said time up. After an outcry, referees made sure they didn't do this in repetitions of this situation. But surely you have to draw the line somewhere - how much time is too much? And would any referee (such as a certain David Rock) ever admit that they may have played the wrong amount of stoppage time? It would be nice to have some clarity on this.

Over to you Phil (or Anthony if you're reading!).

15
Altrincham FC First Team / Runcorn Linnets match thread
« on: April 02, 2023, 06:34:12 PM »
May as well look to the rest of the season.

So far as I'm concerned we should play a strong team, and certainly Linney (presumably no cup-tied issue?) so if it goes to pens that's at least one we should score. (I seem to remember we won about 1-0 on pens against Vauxhall!). Nothing much to play for in the league, and it'd be nice to take something from the season, it's been a while since we won a trophy.

I think it'd be nice to do a joint Kingy tribute with Runcorn, but in any case, it's about time we played them again in a competitive match. I fancy they'll be up for it.

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