[Lord Snooty]

I suppose Man City should have packed in when they got relegated to the third division then. What's the point in trying to compete with Man United?

[Devongone]

Hereford racecourse still exists, but point-to-point and arab racing are hobby sports. Buckfastleigh in Devon used to be a NH course, but now it stages the odd point-to-point and could never be resurrected to the circuit ....

The racecourse and the football club are a big loss to a small city like Hereford ....... especially for an amount of money that a Man City player could provide from his back pocket without straining his gluteus maximus.

[St Charles Owl]

Cannot believe what I've just seen a Manchester City fan write.

"Too many lower league and non-league clubs in the UK that don't have a future, they should give up if they don't win anything"

Stupid quote from what I really hope is just a very young and naive Man City fan!! As Snooty said, he needs to remember where his team have come from in the last decade or so!!

However I do think he has a bit of a point with the number of teams in the lower leagues!! I don't think there are too many of them, but I do think there are too many that are fully professional teams, rather than operating on a semi-professional basis. We are seeing too many of the lower league teams overstretch themselves and getting into trouble like Hereford have, partly due to the structure and expectations of the game and partly due to crap ownership, and unfortunately they are going to the wall for such small amounts of money because they have no chance to raise the revenue streams!! Darlington went bust over 250k, now Hereford for 116k and I am sure Chester only owed a small amount!! Sure there is too much money being kept at the top of the game rather than being spread a little bit more, but it is incumbent on owners of lower league teams to make sure they are better run!!

Ironically, I think (but have no figures to back it up) that the non-league set up is probably on a better financial footing in a lot of cases than some teams in the FL!! Chasing a dream is great, but teams need to do it sensibly!!

[spireitematt]

The Premier League clubs need to spread there wealth and share some of the money down the Football League, Non-League and Grassroots level. Without funding at grassroots how are we going to produce future England players?

Also look at teams like Manchester United and QPR they are in millions of debt but still being allowed to carry on and play.

[St Charles Owl]

I've no problem with MU operating with debt, their revenue is easily capable of taking care of it, but you are right about QPR, its criminal what they are doing, just like it was with Bolton (160m in debt) and quite a few others!!

The point is as well that it wouldn't take a lot of revenue to help the lower leagues, but the prem will never sanction it because their focus is beating Real Madrid, Barca, B Munich etc and that takes a ton of money!! But th teams in the divisions below the prem do need to be more responsible and make sure they are run effectively and within their means, start the solution in their own house and then complain to those above with the money!!

[spireitematt]

It wouldn't take a lot of money to help lower league or non-league teams. I think the FA need to change the fit and proper test because most of the reasons why clubs go out of business is due to the owner. The way football is going there will be a lot more clubs in L1 and L2 going to the wall unless there is a change.

Clubs who get relegated from the Premier League are alright because they get £80-90 million parachute payments. Blackpool got something like £80 million from getting relegated from the Premier League but Oyston has got hold of it still.

Hereford needed £116,000 now £116,000 is not a lot when you compare it to a Premier League's wages like Rooney or Yaya Toure.

Sooner or later certain clubs in the Premier League will go under and the ceiling will cave in.

Money is ruining football.

[St Charles Owl]

Problem is the money for the teams in the PL is self perpetuating at the moment, especially with a new TV deal around the corner, so the chances of one of them going under is very remote. What will happen is one of the teams that gets relegated will go under once the parachute payments end and they haven't managed to get back up!! Problem is they will not be a Prem team at that point and the powers that be won't care, neither will the media!! Portsmouth are the classic case of this, QPR, Leicester or Bolton could go this way if the owners hit financial problems, or of course teams like Forest, Bournemouth, L**ds could go under just trying to get to the Prem with the amount of money they are spending or losing!!

[themaclad]

New version of Hereford have won about 25 games on the trot, also good news is Hereford racecourse is re opening

[spireitematt]

I heard that they set up a phoenix club and have been doing well. Yeah I read that they are reopening Hereford Racecourse again and are holding 4 meetings this year and more next year.

[St Charles Owl]

They are currently 10 points clear at the top of the Midland League, level 9 of the league set up.