What follows are merely my own views of course.
Whilst one could mention a number of areas where the business model appears lacking, I also have considerable sympathy with SC, who has taken this club to a level not reached before.
The National League has been allowed to grow hugely, such that there is little difference in playing ability between League Two and the NL and the wages paid in the NL often exceed those in L2. The gap now between NLN/S and the NL is now ridiculous and has spiralled out of control. There should be nothing wrong in Clubs wanting to be successful and gain promotion but promotion to the NL is a poisoned chalice. I am not sure how clubs promoted to the NL are expected to adjust. It is very noticeable that the 4 teams promoted last year occupy the bottom 4 spots in the NL...just above them are York and Dorking who were promoted the year before.A recent interview with the Fylde Chairman was telling, when he admitted that they hadn't fully understood how the NL had moved on in the last few years and that as a consequence they had recruited inadequately over the pre season and were now having to look at trying to strengthen the squad.
Rewind 2 years to Lynn's pre season recruitment whilst in the NL...........desperately trying to find players of the right calibre, whilst trying to stay in budget. Recruited Omotayo, Ponticelli, Bird et al. Very few, if any were NL standard, but it was still important to be full time and pay rel. big bucks, just to get them.. SC realised what a gulf it was between the leagues and how difficult it would be to get back, if relegated and felt it vital to try and stay in the NL.....hence the loan and appointing Widdrington.....but to no avail. One last throw of dice to get back up the following season, which narrowly failed............and now the money has started to run out and the Club is in a pickle.
Someone on here (apologies for not remembering who) suggested we were suffering from Hughes' poor recruitment. I would suggest we are still suffering from the NL recruitment with presumably high wages still being paid to some of those recruits, who are now struggling to perform at the NLN level.
In a way, SC's desire to get to EFL standard has been achieved by getting to the NL.....it is just that the landscape altered on the way. I personally feel that there has to be a much more even distribution of money , away from the NL to the lower leagues, if non league football is to survive in its current format.....the NL (and clubs therein )is way too powerful.
Money has become such an issue , that probably only one league higher than Thurlow Nunn, would be a financially safe level for a Club the current size of Lynn, if funded merely by football related income streams it might currently generate....any higher and the costs might be too much. Here's hoping we won't have to go there and some solution can be found to the current predicament.
