Football team demises

[Loafer]

Just read that Scunthorpe are nailed on almost to get relegated down to National League North despite being in League 1 only 4 years ago. That's some drop!

Any other noticeable ones you can think of? I know Yeovil went up and down in a short time, and Stockport went down to NLN too

[Sutekh]

Just read that Scunthorpe are nailed on almost to get relegated down to National League North despite being in League 1 only 4 years ago. That's some drop!

Any other noticeable ones you can think of? I know Yeovil went up and down in a short time, and Stockport went down to NLN too

Next season they could be playing at the same level as Slough, Hungerford and maybe even Bracknell

[Dirk Gently]

Just read that Scunthorpe are nailed on almost to get relegated down to National League North despite being in League 1 only 4 years ago. That's some drop!

Any other noticeable ones you can think of? I know Yeovil went up and down in a short time, and Stockport went down to NLN too

York City are down in NLN after a slow demise.

[Winston Biscuit]

Chester & Darlington both in the 6th tier.

[Dirk Gently]

Chester & Darlington both in the 6th tier.

But both of them are Phoenix clubs after the old entity went bust. So they're effectively new clubs on the way up rather than old clubs on the way down.

[ayjaydee]

Chester & Darlington both in the 6th tier.

But both of them are Phoenix clubs after the old entity went bust. So they're effectively new clubs on the way up rather than old clubs on the way down.

This prompted me to look up Scarborough (Mrs is from there and we may retire to that part of the world in the next year or so). Can't believe it was as long ago as 2007 that Scarborough FC went bust and were replaced by phoenix club Scarborough Athletic who began life in the 10th tier (Northen Counties Eastern League Div 1) and have since crawled there way back up to National League North, 6th tier.

[Dirk Gently]

Chester & Darlington both in the 6th tier.

But both of them are Phoenix clubs after the old entity went bust. So they're effectively new clubs on the way up rather than old clubs on the way down.

This prompted me to look up Scarborough (Mrs is from there and we may retire to that part of the world in the next year or so). Can't believe it was as long ago as 2007 that Scarborough FC went bust and were replaced by phoenix club Scarborough Athletic who began life in the 10th tier (Northen Counties Eastern League Div 1) and have since crawled there way back up to National League North, 6th tier.

Yep - and they now have their own ground back in the borough after many years playing in Bridlington.

I helped found them - I stress my contribution was very, very small - and I've been a joint owner of them since day one.

[ayjaydee]

But both of them are Phoenix clubs after the old entity went bust. So they're effectively new clubs on the way up rather than old clubs on the way down.

This prompted me to look up Scarborough (Mrs is from there and we may retire to that part of the world in the next year or so). Can't believe it was as long ago as 2007 that Scarborough FC went bust and were replaced by phoenix club Scarborough Athletic who began life in the 10th tier (Northen Counties Eastern League Div 1) and have since crawled there way back up to National League North, 6th tier.

Yep - and they now have their own ground back in the borough after many years playing in Bridlington.

I helped found them - I stress my contribution was very, very small - and I've been a joint owner of them since day one.

Good on you. My bro in law lives in Norfolk now but keeps me updated as he goes back a couple of times a season and he was chuffed to bits when they moved "back home".

[Loafer]

Anyone remember Gretna fc who had the Dentist or Dr upfront? Absolutely smashed their way up all 4 divisions in Scotland and then literally disappeared overnight

[Hendo]

Not UK based, but Deportivo de La Coruña in Spain has to be one.

Champions League semi finalists 2003-04. Relegated from La Liga 2017-18, now playing in 3rd tier. Their stadium capacity is 32,660 against the league average of 10,317.

[Hendo]

From a local/non-league point of view - Basingstoke made the Conference South play-off semi-finals twice in 2011-12 and 2014-15, so were very close to the Conference, which is nuts really considering the size of the team and facilities they had at the time.

Now playing step 8.

[Dirk Gently]

Anyone remember Gretna fc who had the Dentist or Dr upfront? Absolutely smashed their way up all 4 divisions in Scotland and then literally disappeared overnight

Because their funder either went bust or lost interest or fell ill or died (forget which!) See also Rushden & Diamonds - unnatural merger at the whim of a sugar daddy who eventually see went bust or lost interest or fell ill or died and they ceased to exist - their purpose-built ground has since been bulldozed.

[Loafer]

Not UK based, but Deportivo de La Coruña in Spain has to be one.

Champions League semi finalists 2003-04. Relegated from La Liga 2017-18, now playing in 3rd tier. Their stadium capacity is 32,660 against the league average of 10,317.

Malaga aswell

Think they were 30 seconds from the CL semis and now bottom of la liga 2

[paultheroyal]

Gretna, nowhere to the top to nowhere in a flash.

[Sutekh]

Gretna, nowhere to the top to nowhere in a flash.

Gretna played in the English league system until around 2002 when they applied to the Scottish League and were finally accepted into the third division at the expense of Airdrieonians. In the early 90s they had FA Cup runs that led to them almost knocking Rochdale and then Bolton out of the competition.

They were owned by grass roots football philanthropist Brooks Mileson and following election to the Scottish League achieved 3 successive promotions (scoring 297 goals over the 3 promotions, 130 in one season alone) and reached the final of the Scottish Cup in 2006.

They were promoted to the SPFL in 2007 but were forced to play home games at Motherwell’s Fir Park as their ground wasn’t considered to be up to SPFL standard. Brooks Mileson fell ill in early 2008 and died later that year meaning the financial support for the club disappeared pretty much over night and consequently the club couldn’t pay wages and went into administration resulting in the club’s relegation. A buyer couldn’t be found for the club and the Scottish League relegated the club to the third division. After that decision the club was formally wound up with debts of over £4m and assets of just £812,000 (their stadium).

They were replaced in the league system by neighbours Annan Athletic and a Phoenix club (Gretna 2008) was formed playing at the original club’s home ground (Raydale Park). Gretna 2008 are currently 17th in the Lowland League.

[From Despair To Where?]

I was was watching A View From The Terraces the other week and they had a feature on Gretna. Kenny Deuchar went to MLS after Gretna went tits up.

That had a feature on the Inverness Merger last week. There are a handful of Inverness Thistle fans who still refuse to acknowledge Caley Thistle as a real club.

I remember Colne Dynamos, a similar story to Gretna. A local businessman bankrolled the club through the non league pyramid in the 80's then shat the bed at the cost of ground improvements for entry to the Conference and promptly folded the club a week before the start of the 1990/91 season. Apparently he'd even offered Burnley £½m to groundshare at Turf Moor.

.

[Sutekh]

I was was watching A View From The Terraces the other week and they had a feature on Gretna. Kenny Deuchar went to MLS after Gretna went tits up.

That had a feature on the Inverness Merger last week. There are a handful of Inverness Thistle fans who still refuse to acknowledge Caley Thistle as a real club.

I remember Colne Dynamos, a similar story to Gretna. A local businessman bankrolled the club through the non league pyramid in the 80's then shat the bed at the cost of ground improvements for entry to the Conference and promptly folded the club a week before the start of the 1990/91 season. Apparently he'd even offered Burnley £½m to groundshare at Turf Moor.

It was rather odd as I think the club had just unveiled plans for a new stadium so can only presume the money/cash flow had suddenly dried up for the owner necessitating the club to shut down - of course he then apparently received death threats from some of the less than intelligent support. The club was resurrected as Colne FC in 1996 and are now in the North West Counties League Division 1 West.

[From Despair To Where?]

https://www.wsc.co.uk/the-archive/the-c ... s-debacle/

[Stranded]

Another Scottish one - Cowdenbeath were in the 2nd tier in Scotland as recently as 2014/15 - now 15th in the Lowland League where they play alongside the new Gretna, Berwick Rangers and East Stirling.

They also have to play the B sides of Celtic, Rangers and Hearts.

[Winston Biscuit]

Kaiserslautern won the Bundesliga in 2010 and but were down in the 3rd tier last season (got promoted and now may get a play off spot in the 2nd tier)