Sam Allardyce gives his take on the help needed to keep Non-League clubs alive
SEEING Notts County in the National League is a great shame for me. I managed the Magpies for two-and-a-half wonderful years.
We won promotion from the old Division Three and had some great lads like Gary Jones, Ian Richardson and Steve Finnan.
A club of their stature shouldn’t be anywhere near Non-League. But what’s happened is proof once again that any football club is only as good as its owners.
If the wrong people take control, problems are inevitable. That is what the EFL has allowed for many years and that’s why you see clubs like Bury, Bolton and so many others get into trouble. Putting the wrong person in charge, even for one season, can be so devastating to a club’s long-term future that it might take ten years to fully recover. Some never come back at all. You need an investor who loves the football club. Who wants to put money in. Who can afford to invest, and not borrow in order to do so. If you’re not rich enough to do that, you need to be responsible and allow the club to run on its income. A club like Rochdale has done that for years and years, yet still remained competitive. Then you have to rely on long-term policies; supporting a good manager, building a progressive youth system, or a recruitment strategy that allows you to sell players on and creates a steady flow of income. That’s how small clubs flourish.
Under the previous regime, Notts County didn’t do any of that and paid the price. Hopefully they have learned their lesson and can come back stronger.