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[blackpoolalty]

I disagree

I think there is room for a few part time run clubs in the BSP, Histon, Burton (?) ?

If we build a good enough team and sign some players with quality I think we could push on for 12th-15th in the league. There IS good enough players out there we could sign who are good, want to stay part time and accept our wages

The coming season is basically it, either we push the boat out a little and go for it or struggle again, and then rightly be relegated....

[blackpoolalty]

If you look at the facts, Altrincham have struggled for three years in the Conference.  Heathcote has commented in the past that its a long struggle to stay in this league.  I love to see the Oxfords and Exeters at Moss Lane but we are not playing a level playing field.  The Conference is now so full-time based that the Altys of this world will continue to struggle for the forseeable future in the non-league top flight.

The only way Alty can compete in the Conference is to go full-time and we all know where that can lead............

The Blue Square North is not a "level playing field" either.....and I suspect that we we would struggle in that league (and in front of lower home attendances, too).

Very true, what league are Br£dford P£rk Aven£e in now.. ?

[Jezza]

I wonder how a lot of clubs who know they are over stretching themsleves feel about themselves?

Do they think they are "doing it on merit?"

I like alty 365's retort.....but I also like the unemployed coalminers posts......why do we always have to argue?...you bunch of w&&&kers.

(that was a joke before someone decides to take me seriously and accuses me of starting aggro just coz it's hot and I'm bored)

[jiminlondon]

Knutsford Alty, the summers of 1980 and 1981 still live in the memory. I'm happy to be called "stuffy" and "lucky" rather than "devastated" and "cheated" like we were then. In my eyes if we get reprieved for the next 10 years it still won't be compensation for us not being able to see how far we could've gone as a FL club. If fans of the very clubs who denied us that opportunity don't like the fact we're in the same league - its even sweeter.

totally agree

i dont really know why everybody is so defensive about staying up like this. obviously it would be better to finish out of the relegation zone, but if the only reason teams have finished above you is that they have massively overspent then i dont see staying up instead of them as anything shameful

[Cheshire Terrier]

I am with jiminlondon on this one, if these clubs did not overspend we would be a couple of places further up the table. There is no guilt in taking a reprieve when our club has been run properly. I do feel sorry for their fans though.

[Ballers]

If you look at the facts, Altrincham have struggled for three years in the Conference.  Heathcote has commented in the past that its a long struggle to stay in this league.  I love to see the Oxfords and Exeters at Moss Lane but we are not playing a level playing field.  The Conference is now so full-time based that the Altys of this world will continue to struggle for the forseeable future in the non-league top flight.

The only way Alty can compete in the Conference is to go full-time and we all know where that can lead............

I'm beginning to think the football league were right to keep us out in 81. We'd have been a part time club in a full time football league.

I pray to God that side would have had a bit more fight and belief about it.

[Darren]

I had a bet in the pub on saturday for a tenner that we will finish in the play offs next season and i wasn't drunk.
There Dave its in writing you will get your tenner this time next year.

[Bath Alty]

In order to qualify to play in the BSP in the follwoing season you have to be one of the top 20 solvent teams this year.  We have achieved this.  No luck, no benefitting from others misfortune / mismanagement.

Last year we were extremely lucky as we didn't achieve that target (Boston we're not in our league) and we got let off in much the same way as Hucknall did.

[Hugh]

Let's get a few things straight. What we are getting if we get reprieved now is only what we should have got in 2006 when we finished 18th on the pitch but got treated much more harshly than Wimbledon or West Ham (how can the FA say it's justified when it's not even a unanimous decision from their panel?) and had to wait til the AGM to start preparing for the Conference. If we had had the whole pre-season we might not have needed a reprieve in the following seasons. Hopefully we have a bit extra time to prepare this time and can improve on 18th now we are out of debt. We will finally be able to see how well a debt free part time club can do in this league. Hopefully we can get a few players on loan like Ryan Shotton who go back to their own club to train and are therefore effectively full-time, that seems to be the way forward.

As for Halifax, yes, it is sad, and I dream of the day when the Conference is decided purely on the pitch. I wouldn't count on it being any time soon though. If Halifax go the way of Telford and get back to the Conference North in a few seasons playing at their own ground, it won't be too bad for them. And let's remember they had 12 "reprieves" when they were in the football league, including 1979 and 1981 when they finished just above Altrincham in the voting.

If they had spent 800k on tax instead of players , perhaps they wouldn't have finished above us anyway, and let's remember the 10 point deduction is a totally arbitrary figure.  And besides I have bad memories of some "sheikhs"!

[AltySi]

I pretty much completley agree with Knutsford Alty here.

I am finding this whole situation very uncomfortable indeed, and it's quite hard to explain how I feel, because of course I would much prefer us to be playing in the BSP than the BSN, but it seems like everyone seems to hate us, if not they just see us as some tinpot joke club, and none of this is our fault.
The unfortunate situation surrounding Canvey Island, Scarborough, Boston and Halifax is of course not our fault, but it seems to me that we're being slammed by others for our good fortune. I think we could have some uncomfortable times next season with opposition supporters and officials. We don't seem to be coming out of this with many friends in this league.
As I say, it's hard to put this into words but I am very uncomfortable with it all. Of course I will give my full support to the team home and away next season and I hope we have a great season, and just hope we can stay up on merit. I can't help thinking though that even if we do stay up on merit we will get no credit from anyone because they'll just say we shouldn't be there anyway.

[VofD]

Knutsford Alty, the summers of 1980 and 1981 still live in the memory. I'm happy to be called "stuffy" and "lucky" rather than "devastated" and "cheated" like we were then. In my eyes if we get reprieved for the next 10 years it still won't be compensation for us not being able to see how far we could've gone as a FL club. If fans of the very clubs who denied us that opportunity don't like the fact we're in the same league - its even sweeter.

Spot on.

[JTH]

I'm beginning to think the football league were right to keep us out in 81. We'd have been a part time club in a full time football league.

I pray to God that side would have had a bit more fight and belief about it.
[/quote]

Trouble is we'll never know - although I think Wimbledon got promotion from Div 4 with many of their Southern League team still playing part time.

[jiminlondon]

Trouble is we'll never know - although I think Wimbledon got promotion from Div 4 with many of their Southern League team still playing part time.

certainly it had reached a point where beating 4th and 3rd division clubs wasnt considered surprising any more. whether they could have done it over the course of a season is another matter. i think you would have to take into account that the fitness levels of pro's in those days were nothing like as high as they are now.

[Unemployed Coalminer]

For crying out loud take off the hair shirts some of you! If Altrincham do get the official word that we stay up then it's on merit. Why feel any embarrassment because this club did the job the right way and another club didn't? As they might say on Conference Forum, HTFU!

[Hamilton]

If you look at the facts, Altrincham have struggled for three years in the Conference.  Heathcote has commented in the past that its a long struggle to stay in this league.  I love to see the Oxfords and Exeters at Moss Lane but we are not playing a level playing field.  The Conference is now so full-time based that the Altys of this world will continue to struggle for the forseeable future in the non-league top flight.

The only way Alty can compete in the Conference is to go full-time and we all know where that can lead............

The Blue Square North is not a "level playing field" either.....and I suspect that we we would struggle in that league (and in front of lower home attendances, too).

I'm not a habitual Cult Goodwiner, but that is such a good point.

Note that at the beginning of the season many on here said they would be happy merely to survive in the BSP: this we have done - with good management! Maybe not by GH, but by GG and the rest of the board.