29 May 2021. Who will be Top of the National League?

[standupsitdown]

One good thing is that if we beat Stockport then Hartlepool will know that a win at Sutton will probably give them third place so they’ll have a lot to play for.
If we fail to win tomorrow it will be play offs for us but we’ll still need two points to be sure of third place - hopefully to be gained v Barnet.
Best we can do is beat Stockport and hope that Sutton don’t beat Hartlepool. I wonder if that game will be moved for TV.
Sadly I don’t think we’ll beat Stockport and expect Sutton to beat Hartlepool on their pitch.

[Kingsgull83]

The way we need to look at it is that we need to keep performing. We have players coming back and the playoffs look likely. Anything extra is a massive bonus.
If we keep momentum going into the playoffs we have every chance. On our day I haven’t seen a team to match us.
No point moaning about what might of been or how unlucky we are.
If we go up through the playoffs it’s a couple of extra games and a trip up to Bristol and next year no one will remember who finished where if we are in league 2.
Keep the faith, in Gary we trust.
COYY

[standupsitdown]

Being able to watch us win a home play off semi and final at Bristol would be a more enjoyable way to go up than winning the league at Altringham with no away fans.

[UnitedinDevon]

Being able to watch us win a home play off semi and final at Bristol would be a more enjoyable way to go up than winning the league at Altringham with no away fans.

This is one of the most stupid things I've read on this forum

[gullsgullsgulls]

This is one of the most stupid things I've read on this forum

Charming

[PlainmoorB0b]

Gotta keep believing.
Gary will be telling the players that Sutton will still drop points and the only mindset worth entertaining is to believe that too - I’m convinced they will.
Similarly, we have to be certain that all three games are ours for the taking.
As someone said earlier, nobody has looked close to our quality when we turn it on and we still have those performances in our locker, even with a few missing.
We’ve avoided relegation with much less in the tank than we have now on the brink of the title!

[brucie]

We are not really on the brink of the title though. That's Sutton.

With so much at stake now with promotion to the football league maybe its time the National League stopped acting like a three ringed circus and took a serious look at banning artificial surfaces, in the same way as the Football league. Its the 5th tier of English football for goodness sake.

Its all very well buffoons like the Sutton chairman slagging off the Football League management as "dinosaurs" for failing to allow artificial surfaces but he fails to mention that their pitch is in a complete state of disrepair because every team and its dog uses it. They've only really rose to prominence since 2015 when they installed their artificial surface.

Lets have a look at some figures: Suttons goal difference for the season is +35. Most of that is made up of home advantage on their plastic shit heap ie +24, so a fairly big discrepency.

Last year Harrogate Town finished second and got promoted. They had a less spectacular goal difference of +17. The differencial there is staggering Home goal difference +16 Away Goal difference + 1

These figures seem to indicate that these pitches do provide a considerable advantage to the home teams and if there is to be any integrity in the National league they should be outlawed.

[SouthHams]

So if Sutton end up in a promotion spot, do they have to rip up their astroturf?
If they won't, do they stay in the NL?

[MellowYellow]

So if Sutton end up in a promotion spot, do they have to rip up their astroturf?
If they won't, do they stay in the NL?

Yes - if they don't that's when promotion means relegation. It's a bizarre twist, should they win promotion and refuse to lay grass turf they would be demoted to National League South. However, I know they are too rip up their 3G pitch if promoted. They tried to fight it but were told 'on yer bike' so a grass pitch will cost them £300,000. The pitch change will mean Sutton will more than likely have to ground share in the opening weeks of the season while the pitch is laid - like Harrogate who had to share Doncaster Rovers’ ground when they ripped their 3G pitch up.

This is a double whammy for Sutton as they will also lose their 3G pitch hire income, although the additional revenue from playing in the League Cup and guaranteed entry to the first round of the FA Cup, as well revenue from television coverage, should make up the difference.

The other thing Sutton will have to do if promoted is move from their current “three-quarter time” model (players training three mornings a week) to expecting their squad to go full-time. That brings with it a great deal more expense, and probably significant personnel changes. To give a sense of the leap, Sutton don’t currently stay overnight for their away games, even for trips as far away as to Torquay or Hartlepool, because it would eat into their playing budget.

This is the bit I like - the only current full-time member of staff is the bar manager - at least they got their priorities right!

.

[Minneapolisgull]

Yes - if they don't that's when promotion means relegation. It's a bizarre twist, should they win promotion and refuse to lay grass turf they would be demoted to National League South. However, I know they are too rip up their 3G pitch if promoted. They tried to fight it but were told 'on yer bike' so a grass pitch will cost them £300,000. The pitch change will mean Sutton will more than likely have to ground share in the opening weeks of the season while the pitch is laid - like Harrogate who had to share Doncaster Rovers’ ground when they ripped their 3G pitch up.

This is a double whammy for Sutton as they will also lose their 3G pitch hire income, although the additional revenue from playing in the League Cup and guaranteed entry to the first round of the FA Cup, as well revenue from television coverage, should make up the difference.

The other thing Sutton will have to do if promoted is move from their current “three-quarter time” model (players training three mornings a week) to expecting their squad to go full-time. That brings with it a great deal more expense, and probably significant personnel changes. To give a sense of the leap, Sutton don’t currently stay overnight for their away games, even for trips as far away as to Torquay or Hartlepool, because it would eat into their playing budget.

This is the bit I like - the only current full-time member of staff is the bar manager - at least they got their priorities right!

.

Great post mellow yellow. I had heard Sutton were prepared to rip up the 3G pitch if and a big if they get promoted.
If they do make it they are in for some other big changes too!
Lets hope they do not have to worry about all that stuff you mention!
Come on Torquay!

[Nick Potkins]

I know one of the directors of a company quoting for the pitch being put to grass. It is a huge cost, I told him to double it to put them off promotion. Trust me Sutton are ready to make the move to grass, while still against it.

[brucie]

The thing that gets me is that both Sutton and Harrogate have whinged to buggery about having to change their pitches to grass.

Its like they think the rules don't apply to them. In all fairness to Sutton they've done better away from home than Harrrogate did last year, as the latter gained promotion on the back of their artificial surface.

Its not just the pitch either - their ground needs a hell of a lot of work to get it up to football league standard. Think all the turnstiles need to be replaced for starters. Promotion if they get it isn't going to come cheap.

Its all very well having an artificial surface but completely knackering it by using it 24/7 as Sutton have done doesn't make it fit for purpose for the standard of football it hosts.

Seems like they want the finances from the use of the pitch and are quite to play their national league matches on a sub standard surface. With the advantage removed if they go up they could well face a difficult season next year.

[DWB]

I have said in a previous post that if we win at Stockport we will go on to win the league and I still think that will be the case as the pressure on Sutton will be huge. Would have been handy if that last minute chance against Bromley had gone in though!
I feel we can, and will, win our last 2 games and Sutton have Hartlepool who are fighting for top 3 and Barnet AWAY (which is crucial) and I don’t think that will be easy.
COYY

[Mo Gull]

Our game at Stockport is the equivalent to theirs against Hartlepool. There’s no reason to think ours is going to go better than theirs. Then it’s just a straight shoot out in the other games, which sadly makes them massive favourites. But a win today is huge and does have the added affect of motivating Hartlepool even more. I just worry Stockport might be too strong for us to get the win we need. Most likely a draw.

[Wolborough]

We need something spectacular to achieve a win - the team can do that but at times they can also be mundane. Just have to hope they charge out of the blocks and get the advantage!