Blyth...

[LoidLucan]

I wonder how their budget compares to ours. I see they are saying they need to raise their attendances from 700 to 1,000 to remain competitive and financially viable at this level and would need 1,500 if they go up. They'll be crappin themselves if they did somehow sneak up. Armstrong has done a good job there on what must be limited resources and they benefit from a reliable goalscorer in Maguire.

[Darlo_Pete]

They've always punched above their weight, in getting performances better than their crowds deserve, much like Spennymoor.

[shawry]

They've always punched above their weight, in getting performances better than their crowds deserve, much like Spennymoor.

Yup, exactly Pete, only big crowds deserve decent performances!

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[Beano]

Blyth is also in the greater Newcastle area giving them much better access to the talent coming from that area and cast offs from Newcastle, primarily, and Sunderland.

[super_les_mcjannet]

Listening to Armstrong's latest interview he is putting the pressure on the board as much as he can for more money. Seems like a manager who has greater ambition than the club currently, from reading some responses the fans back the manager rather than the board and some think they need to find investors.

Either way it sounds like it could turn very messy at some point, they risk what they have been about by trying to get someone to put money in and where that may take them or try to live within the means which it seems will put a wedge between the board and the manager/fans.

On a side note another rumour doing the rounds is that 2/3 of their players have been offered contracts for next season but currently aren't signing due to the offer given. Armstrong remind me of Gray, ambitious beyond what the club can afford, wonder how far the Blyth board are willing to change or push themselves to keep him.

[LoidLucan]

In May last year Blyth pushed the boat out when they handed Armstrong a pay rise with a new two-year contract, plus one-year option, after he had previously been linked with every North-east managerial vacancy that came up.

[Gow9900]

Armstrong sounds exactly like our previous manager. Very well supported and held in high esteem but seemingly ungrateful and constantly pushing for more, more, more, and then getting annoyed when the money isn't there. There seems to be a lot of younger 'ambitious' managers that loathe it when clubs try and live within their means and only spend what they can afford. They then call for investment which leads to clubs playing russian roulette with their future for the sake of a few years of success, and clubs then land themselves in financial difficulties. The situation up there sounds very, very similar to our situation in April/May 2017.

He applied for our job and wasn't far off getting it, and also applied for Gatesheads job when Steve Watson got it, he'll be off as soon a club with a sugar daddy propping them up with loads of money comes along. Word was he applied for our job to force the Blyth board into giving him a payrise and also a bigger budget, which they did. Now he wants more.

As for Blyth getting bigger crowds, most of the football liking population in Blyth and the surrounding areas will be obsessed with the Mags, it's bad enough in Darlo with plastic Mags everywhere so I'd imagine it's worse up there, and Blyth isn't a huge place so they will struggle to grow the crowds that much more than what they already are.

[shildonlad]

Im not sure if Armstrong applied for the vacant managers job at gateshead a couple of year back and the various times hartlepool have needed a manager recently but hes sure been linked to jobs at both clubs. Im guessing he will stay with blyth as there simply no other vacancies for in and around his level in the region.

[spen666]

Armstrong sounds exactly like our previous manager. Very well supported and held in high esteem but seemingly ungrateful and constantly pushing for more, more, more, and then getting annoyed when the money isn't there. There seems to be a lot of younger 'ambitious' managers that loathe it when clubs try and live within their means and only spend what they can afford. They then call for investment which leads to clubs playing russian roulette with their future for the sake of a few years of success, and clubs then land themselves in financial difficulties. The situation up there sounds very, very similar to our situation in April/May 2017.

He applied for our job and wasn't far off getting it, and also applied for Gatesheads job when Steve Watson got it, he'll be off as soon a club with a sugar daddy propping them up with loads of money comes along. Word was he applied for our job to force the Blyth board into giving him a payrise and also a bigger budget, which they did. Now he wants more.

As for Blyth getting bigger crowds, most of the football liking population in Blyth and the surrounding areas will be obsessed with the Mags, it's bad enough in Darlo with plastic Mags everywhere so I'd imagine it's worse up there, and Blyth isn't a huge place so they will struggle to grow the crowds that much more than what they already are.

Bizarrely there is also a somewhat suprisingly large amount of support for Sunderland in the Blyth/ Bedlington/ Ashington Areas as well. Probably due to miners moving from Co. Durham pits to the collieries in that area.

[Ghost_Of_1883]

Although Blyth have a smaller budget than us, they always seem to have no bother attracting some decent players.

Buddle, Rivers and Maguire are 3 local players that would improve our team, so I don't buy the idea that there are no local players of the right calibre without paying silly money, otherwise how are Blyth where they are?

I bet Henshall is on more than Rivers, Ainge on more than Maguire or Buddle etc - and how much dough are we throwing at the likes of Burn and Maddison etc?

[spen666]

Article today on back page of the NLP suggests Armstrong facing huge budget cuts and is possiblygoing to walk in summer

[Ghost_Of_1883]

Huge budget cuts, why? I thought they lived within their means.

Of course Wright will not have the intelligence to look at the likes of Maguire if they become available will he?

Then again South Shields will be looking to sign better players and Spendy might feel they need a 9th quality forward.

[LoidLucan]

Blyth might just get picked apart by the new kids on the block, Morpeth, and their minted backer. They'll be in the NPL next season but are aiming for National North after they add a few more players. They were second bottom of Northern League Div 2 in 2010-11 playing in front of 75 fans but haven't looked back since appointing Nick Gray as manager.

[50 years]

Blyth made a lot of money out of the cup run the other year which gave them substantial amount. Money, that then starts to run out so may well be 're assessing what they can afford. Nice little ground and reasonable support and able to draw on a large area on Tyneside for tallent. As wthl us a promotion this year would financially cause them problems. Manager may be like MG, really wants to go higher and test his ability, but may be club can't afford it. We have been there and could have ruined club!

[D_F_C]

Blyth might just get picked apart by the new kids on the block, Morpeth, and their minted backer. They'll be in the NPL next season but are aiming for National North after they add a few more players. They were second bottom of Northern League Div 2 in 2010-11 playing in front of 75 fans but haven't looked back since appointing Nick Gray as manager.

Is it purely down to the manager or did a new owner come in and flash a bit of cash? Is their ground up to standard or have they made improvements?


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[shildonlad]

Having read the article in the nlp it seems blyths board lack ambition and dont even want them in the play offs but odly enough they are. Its as though the players are sticking two fingers up at the board