New Merthyr management team

[Des Parrot]

Really pleased for Paul Michael & his side kick Smudger . I became friends with Paul during his successful time managing Cinderford. Smudge I’ve known for decades, he took Monmouth Town to the league title. They then moved onto Yate, rebuilding a side that had been stripped of players.

Paul is a great guy, a very good manager & a progressive coach, as well as being a local lad, he makes a great team with Smudge.

I’ll now be watching Merthyr with interest & hope they can reinvigorate a club who should be higher than they are.

[Father Dougal]

Yeah another relegation for them this season. Really struggling to stay alive so be good to see them survive if nothing else.

[tforturton]

I wish someone would put a bit of money into that club. It wouldn't take much to get them back up two or three Divisions. I bet the temptation to drop into the Konica...er, sorry, the Welsh Premier.. is getting stronger by the day.

[Eric the Half a Bee]

I wish someone would put a bit of money into that club. It wouldn't take much to get them back up two or three Divisions. I bet the temptation to drop into the Konica...er, sorry, the Welsh Premier.. is getting stronger by the day.

European football has to be the lure.

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

Merthyr doesn't have enough of a population to survive as a league team or even in the gm conference or whatever its called

I wish them the very best though

[Father Dougal]

Merthyr doesn't have enough of a population to survive as a league team or even in the gm conference or whatever its called

I wish them the very best though

Merthyr population 46,000. Burnley population 88,000. So Merthyr about half as big as Premier league Burnley?

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

Merthyr population 46,000. Burnley population 88,000. So Merthyr about half as big as Premier league Burnley?

Burnley have a huge catchment area and a history of league football

Merthyr simply cannot compete in the league pyramid

There isn't the money or the support base up there although those that do follow Merthyr are very loyal to the club

Of course you sometimes get exceptions such as the success of forest Green and Yeovil but a brief glimpse is all these clubs are going to get

Having said that when they played County in the Welsh Cup in 87 was it ? most of the city fans there seemed to be supporting Merthyr

[J R Hartley]

Guys talking a good game but maybe he should walk before he runs. The league Merthyr have just been relegated from is probably their ceiling now unless for a serious investor on board.

[J R Hartley]

Burnley have a huge catchment area and a history of league football

Merthyr simply cannot compete in the league pyramid

There isn't the money or the support base up there although those that do follow Merthyr are very loyal to the club

Of course you sometimes get exceptions such as the success of forest Green and Yeovil but a brief glimpse is all these clubs are going to get

Having said that when they played County in the Welsh Cup in 87 was it ? most of the city fans there seemed to be supporting Merthyr

711 through the gate Easter Monday. Not bad for a relegated club from 7th tier.

There’s a real buzz around the club at the moment, which is bizarre considering it’s just had a terrible season on the pitch.

However, club is thriving off the pitch and has more or less cleared it’s debt. The pitch is leased out most nights a week to the community and the club house is thriving. Bands or DJs on twice a month on Saturdays and this Sunday big event with Jonny Owen and his daughter on the decks.

[stan butler]

Merthyr doesn't have enough of a population to survive as a league team or even in the gm conference or whatever its called

I wish them the very best though

I disagree.
Merthyr are more than capable of having a good few thousand at home games.
I remember them getting decent crowds in the conference

[stan butler]

711 through the gate Easter Monday. Not bad for a relegated club from 7th tier.

There’s a real buzz around the club at the moment, which is bizarre considering it’s just had a terrible season on the pitch.

However, club is thriving off the pitch and has more or less cleared it’s debt. The pitch is leased out most nights a week to the community and the club house is thriving. Bands or DJs on twice a month on Saturdays and this Sunday big event with Jonny Owen and his daughter on the decks.

Isn't Jonny Owen involved with the club?

[JamesWales]

I disagree.
Merthyr are more than capable of having a good few thousand at home games.
I remember them getting decent crowds in the conference

I agree. The valleys is actually a very large area to not have a league team. I would suggest there is no more densely part of the country to not have one?

And look at Forest Green - Nailsworth is much smaller and faces competition from Cheltenham, Bristol and Swindon

[J R Hartley]

Isn't Jonny Owen involved with the club?

He’s one of the sponsors but he’s not on the board or anything. He subsidised the 2 supporters coaches to Hendon last Saturday. They just had to pay £5 a head.

[Armitage Shanks]

How they have fallen sadly.
I remember when they finished 4th in the vauxhall conference

[Rjk]

I agree. The valleys is actually a very large area to not have a league team. I would suggest there is no more densely part of the country to not have one?

And look at Forest Green - Nailsworth is much smaller and faces competition from Cheltenham, Bristol and Swindon

I think that there are no league teams in the whole of Surrey- population is probably similar Id guess, but there's a lot more money floating about surrey

[Des Parrot]

Guys talking a good game but maybe he should walk before he runs. The league Merthyr have just been relegated from is probably their ceiling now unless for a serious investor on board.

He's just left Yate (who poached him from Cinderford after Yate beat them in the play-off final). Yate then got stripped of players due to Covid & leaving for bigger clubs. He still took Yate to just outside the play-offs whilst Merthyr got relegated.

He's got a bigger budget & salary than at Yate. He's extremely good at luring players and uses both the loan system and university system very well. I think he's got enough skills and connections to get Merthyr up two divisions.

[J R Hartley]

He's just left Yate (who poached him from Cinderford after Yate beat them in the play-off final). Yate then got stripped of players due to Covid & leaving for bigger clubs. He still took Yate to just outside the play-offs whilst Merthyr got relegated.

He's got a bigger budget & salary than at Yate. He's extremely good at luring players and uses both the loan system and university system very well. I think he's got enough skills and connections to get Merthyr up two divisions.

Like I said, I think he should walk before he should run. I admire his self confidence but he should be concentrating on bouncing straight back before you start talking about promotion from a league you've just been relegated from. Gavin Williams had Merthyr challenging for play-offs before they cut the budget every season and inevitably the relegation happened, not helped of course by a year off for Covid and building a team from scratch again.

I have been to watch Merthyr most home games this season, some of the teams in this division are of a decent standard, especially teams around the London / M25 belt and the pool of young players they have got to choose from. Merthyr might be bigger than Yate but they are from the biggest clubs in the division. Even with Merthyr having a bigger a budget than they started this season with, its nowhere near the kind of budgets other teams have in this league.

It will be interesting to see how he fairs as a Newport lad too. If things dont go so well on the pitch I doubt he will get as much good grace from the fans as the local lads / ex players who have managed the Town in the last 5/6 years.

[JamesWales]

I think that there are no league teams in the whole of Surrey- population is probably similar Id guess, but there's a lot more money floating about surrey

Good stat that!

[Mr Soul '68]

I agree. The valleys is actually a very large area to not have a league team. I would suggest there is no more densely part of the country to not have one?

And look at Forest Green - Nailsworth is much smaller and faces competition from Cheltenham, Bristol and Swindon

I've always thought there is the catchment area, and the money, if a Cornish team, say Truro City, got into the football league.