Essex Senior v Eastern Counties (Ridgeons)

[Grounhopper Mark.]

I was wondering today, what makes the Ridgeons League such a strong step.5 & step.6 league...

 

some of my thoughts.

 

1, Is it the F.a's fault, should they have forced the Ridgeons to relinquish the Essex based clubs, Halstead, Harwich & P, Fc Clacton & Stanway making both leagues competitive. Ridgeons would still have two divisions including all of Norfolk, Suffolk & Cambridgeshire.

 

2, Could it be that because they are based in that part of East Anglia, Suffolk & Norfolk & Cambridge they have no real feeder league to go up into. AFC Sudbury ended up turning down promotion at least 5 times if not alot more, until them and Bury Town got their wish of going into the Ryman rather than the Southern League Midland division, now they have both been stitched up by the F.a and put back in the Southern League even Lowestoft turned down promotion 3 years ago because they were going to have to go in the Midland division and travelling to Birmingham, but have now accepted a Ryman move. With Bury, AFC Sudbury promotion Soham then accepted.

 

3, Could it be because the ESL so easily mingles in with the Ryman the ESL has been made weaker by the loss over many years of good facilities like Brentwood, Gt Wakering, Tilbury, AFC Hornchurch, Concord Rangers (forget the horrible gas smell) and Canvey I

 

4, Or could it be that they (Ridgeons) are just lucky that they do not have to compete with London and the many bigger clubs and can attract support because they really only have Ipswich & Norwich as a football alternative.

 

5, Could it be because even at step 6 they have far more better grounds, Cornard United who regularly sit at the bottom of Division One have a ground that would embarass the worse two grounds in our division, Stansted & Hullbridge. They have good stadiums for middle table sides like Halstead, Dereham & Norwich Utd and the better sides like your Needham Markets and Wroxhams can compete with the Ryman League in terms of facilities. Where we have in the ESL many good grounds like Burnham and Bowers & P but with all due resepect to Hullbridge, they dont even have stands with cover or any seating and please dont even get me started on Stansted who have two sides of their ground not even enclosed. We got told on a Saturday visit that we could not even go behind the dugouts, and the bottom goal on the cricket pitch is a joke for this level of football, seen better Intermediate grounds.

 

anyone else got any thoughts?....

[coach et 64]

Yeah.....take your two bobs club and piss off to the Ridgeons!We won't miss ya

[Grounhopper Mark.]

Yeah.....take your two bobs club and piss off to the Ridgeons!We won't miss ya

 

 

Do you agree with point 1, if we had Fc Clatcton and the likes we would have a better league, i thought i made some good points, if you wish to turn it into insults then......

[never been]

I was wondering today, what makes the Ridgeons League such a strong step.5 & step.6 league...

 

some of my thoughts.

 

1, Is it the F.a's fault, should they have forced the Ridgeons to relinquish the Essex based clubs, Halstead, Harwich & P, Fc Clacton & Stanway making both leagues competitive. Ridgeons would still have two divisions including all of Norfolk, Suffolk & Cambridgeshire.

 

2, Could it be that because they are based in that part of East Anglia, Suffolk & Norfolk & Cambridge they have no real feeder league to go up into. AFC Sudbury ended up turning down promotion at least 5 times if not alot more, until them and Bury Town got their wish of going into the Ryman rather than the Southern League Midland division, now they have both been stitched up by the F.a and put back in the Southern League even Lowestoft turned down promotion 3 years ago because they were going to have to go in the Midland division and travelling to Birmingham, but have now accepted a Ryman move. With Bury, AFC Sudbury promotion Soham then accepted.

 

3, Could it be because the ESL so easily mingles in with the Ryman the ESL has been made weaker by the loss over many years of good facilities like Brentwood, Gt Wakering, Tilbury, AFC Hornchurch, Concord Rangers (forget the horrible gas smell) and Canvey I

 

4, Or could it be that they (Ridgeons) are just lucky that they do not have to compete with London and the many bigger clubs and can attract support because they really only have Ipswich & Norwich as a football alternative.

 

5, Could it be because even at step 6 they have far more better grounds, Cornard United who regularly sit at the bottom of Division One have a ground that would embarass the worse two grounds in our division, Stansted & Hullbridge. They have good stadiums for middle table sides like Halstead, Dereham & Norwich Utd and the better sides like your Needham Markets and Wroxhams can compete with the Ryman League in terms of facilities. Where we have in the ESL many good grounds like Burnham and Bowers & P but with all due resepect to Hullbridge, they dont even have stands with cover or any seating and please dont even get me started on Stansted who have two sides of their ground not even enclosed. We got told on a Saturday visit that we could not even go behind the dugouts, and the bottom goal on the cricket pitch is a joke for this level of football, seen better Intermediate grounds.

 

anyone else got any thoughts?....

 

 

I think you are jealous of Stansted !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and Hullbridge.

 

Why are you so concerned with Stansted, is it that they have played you 3 time and won twice and while you lay out BIG wages, they do not.

What is the point of getting fantastic grounds and facilities when you are only attracting 50 people????.

 

Your fascination with Stansted intrigues me and hopefully when we meet at your place(good facilities) but still at present lower in the league than us, you will give me the honour of buying you a pint and talking through the good points of this league of which there are many.

 

Apart from this I think you have to look at the number of clubs which players have a choice to go to as in and around the ESL I am sure this is the case.

 

Happy New Year

 

:dance (2): :dance (2): :dance (2): :dance (2): :dance (2): :dance (2): :dance (2): :dance (2): :dance (2):

[Grounhopper Mark.]

I see you have ignored all the points and wish to brag about how you beat us..... well congratulations..... do you wish to have a serious debate on points 1-4 or are you still angry that we dared to draw with you. Dont give it all big mate, many seasons Stansted start like RedRum and end like Blackpool Donkey, a few years back you had a great start in the Vase and then you crashed and burned.

 

I have found out why you only have two sides...

now stop kicking the pannelling and you would have four sides to your ground.... enjoy the intermediate next year.... ground not upto scratch.....

[never been]

I see you have ignored all the points and wish to brag about how you beat us..... well congratulations..... do you wish to have a serious debate on points 1-4 or are you still angry that we dared to draw with you. Dont give it all big mate, many seasons Stansted start like RedRum and end like Blackpool Donkey, a few years back you had a great start in the Vase and then you crashed and burned.

 

I have found out why you only have two sides...

now stop kicking the pannelling and you would have four sides to your ground.... enjoy the intermediate next year.... ground not upto scratch.....

 

You still going to let me buy you a drink??????? :coffee (2):

[Grounhopper Mark.]

I see you have ignored all the points and wish to brag about how you beat us..... well congratulations..... do you wish to have a serious debate on points 1-4 or are you still angry that we dared to draw with you. Dont give it all big mate, many seasons Stansted start like RedRum and end like Blackpool Donkey, a few years back you had a great start in the Vase and then you crashed and burned.

 

I have found out why you only have two sides...

now stop kicking the pannelling and you would have four sides to your ground.... enjoy the intermediate next year.... ground not upto scratch.....

 

You still going to let me buy you a drink??????? :coffee (2):

 

Sorry don't drink as drive and will have my son with me. Thanks for the offer..

[never been]

I see you have ignored all the points and wish to brag about how you beat us..... well congratulations..... do you wish to have a serious debate on points 1-4 or are you still angry that we dared to draw with you. Dont give it all big mate, many seasons Stansted start like RedRum and end like Blackpool Donkey, a few years back you had a great start in the Vase and then you crashed and burned.

 

I have found out why you only have two sides...

now stop kicking the pannelling and you would have four sides to your ground.... enjoy the intermediate next year.... ground not upto scratch.....

 

You still going to let me buy you a drink??????? :coffee (2):

 

Sorry don't drink as drive and will have my son with me. Thanks for the offer..

 

No problem.

 

Also can you advise when Stansted started like Red Rum as I have only been with the club 2 seasons and from hat I have heard the previous 5/6 seasons before that they were always near the bottom, however I have also heard that out of the current ESL teams they are the only winners of the Vase ( I could be wrong though).

[Grounhopper Mark.]

Dont know the exact year, but remember reading that you had a great Vase run and you started well up the league and then fell down the table, it cant be more than 8 years ago as remember Dave Griffiths writing an article for the non league website. If you can remember what year you did well in the vase that will give you a clue to the year that you started the season well. Best i can do from memory

[coach et 64]

Yeah.....take your two bobs club and piss off to the Ridgeons!We won't miss ya

 

 

Do you agree with point 1, if we had Fc Clatcton and the likes we would have a better league, i thought i made some good points, if you wish to turn it into insults then......

 

On a serious note,i really like the Ridgeons league.Over the years we always played teams from that league in pre-season and cups(Diss Town,Lowestoft,Hadleigh Utd,Clacton,Walsham-le Willows,Harwich & Parkeston)and i appreciated the hospitality and facilities they have.The football technically is good and the crowds are better than Ryman 1.The ESL has been victim of their own success and so many clubs have progressed up the Pyramid over the years and we have struggled to replace them(Got to say the FA hasn't been helpful in this).I don't agree with the ones denigrating the ESL.It's a tough league and whoever topped our league was as good as any other top sides from step 5.What has happened in the last 4 years is the bottom clubs(Stansted,Hullbridge,Sawbo,Eton Manor etc) have raised their game and made the league even more difficult.Also the presence of so many local rym and Conference clubs around them hasn't helped crowds wise.Still i would like one day a job in the Ridgeons league but i have to say the ESL toughness can't be beaten!!!

[Grounhopper Mark.]

Yeah.....take your two bobs club and piss off to the Ridgeons!We won't miss ya

 

 

Do you agree with point 1, if we had Fc Clatcton and the likes we would have a better league, i thought i made some good points, if you wish to turn it into insults then......

 

On a serious note,i really like the Ridgeons league.Over the years we always played teams from that league in pre-season and cups(Diss Town,Lowestoft,Hadleigh Utd,Clacton,Walsham-le Willows,Harwich & Parkeston)and i appreciated the hospitality and facilities they have.The football technically is good and the crowds are better than Ryman 1.The ESL has been victim of their own success and so many clubs have progressed up the Pyramid over the years and we have struggled to replace them(Got to say the FA hasn't been helpful in this).I don't agree with the ones denigrating the ESL.It's a tough league and whoever topped our league was as good as any other top sides from step 5.What has happened in the last 4 years is the bottom clubs(Stansted,Hullbridge,Sawbo,Eton Manor etc) have raised their game and made the league even more difficult.Also the presence of so many local rym and Conference clubs around them hasn't helped crowds wise.Still i would like one day a job in the Ridgeons league but i have to say the ESL toughness can't be beaten!!!

 

Without going all mushy thanks for your serious reply

So we agree the likes of GT Wakering etc leaving as had an effect on the league.

[knowitall]

a brief list of the teams to leave the ESL over the years Thurrock,,East Thurrock United,Billericay Town,Canvey Island,Great Wakering Rovers,Hornchurch,Tilbury,Leyton,Waltham Abbey,Enfield Town,Heybridge Swifts,Redbridge,Brentwood Town.

clubs leave knowing that they move up to a step 4 league where the travelling is not much greater than in the ESL.

[coupwotcoup]

a brief list of the teams to leave the ESL over the years Thurrock,,East Thurrock United,Billericay Town,Canvey Island,Great Wakering Rovers,Hornchurch,Tilbury,Leyton,Waltham Abbey,Enfield Town,Heybridge Swifts,Redbridge,Brentwood Town.

clubs leave knowing that they move up to a step 4 league where the travelling is not much greater than in the ESL.

 

Proof that you don't actually know it all.. you can add Ilford, Basildon, Wivenhoe, Witham, Concord and Romford to that list.

[Grounhopper Mark.]

a brief list of the teams to leave the ESL over the years Thurrock,,East Thurrock United,Billericay Town,Canvey Island,Great Wakering Rovers,Hornchurch,Tilbury,Leyton,Waltham Abbey,Enfield Town,Heybridge Swifts,Redbridge,Brentwood Town.

clubs leave knowing that they move up to a step 4 league where the travelling is not much greater than in the ESL.

 

Proof that you don't actually know it all.. you can add Ilford, Basildon, Wivenhoe, Witham, Concord and Romford to that list.

 

Didn't realize Wivenhoe came from the ESL, i assumed they would of been Eastern Counties before their stint in the Ryman..... educational too.

[coupwotcoup]

Billericay moved to the Athenian League before gaining promotion to the Isthmian and Woodford left in 1993 to join the Spartan. And Saffron Walden also left in 93 hoping to join the Eastern League, but got a dose of the strops when told they couldn't swap directly and took a year out before restarting in the Eastern in 2004-5. Shame really as it was probably my all-time favourite ESL ground.