Grimsby boss Paul Hurst weighs in on ‘League Three’ debate

Grimsby Town boss Paul Hurst weighs in on ‘League Three’ debate, something which has had plenty of discussion in recent years.

The Mariners are hoping to win immediate promotion back to the EFL and right now sit 4th in the table, picking up 32 points from 17 games played.

The champions of course go up, but it’s down to six clubs to the battle it out to be promoted via the playoffs.

After around 17/18 games played, there are just six points are separating 1st and 8th place in the division, in what has been widely regarded as the strongest set of teams in the history of the fifth tier.

As mentioned by GrimsbyLive, there is a growing imbalance with League Two as no team has ever been relegated back to non league at the first time of asking and a large number of National League side now boast larger budgets than those a tier above.

Paul Hurst was questioned about the relationship between the two leagues.

“I think there should be three promotion spots and three relegation spots,” Hurst told Grimsby Live.

“In League One, there are four up and four down, I don’t really understand why there is an imbalance and why there aren’t three promotions and relegations from each division.

“For me, I think, in the league that we’re in, at least six or seven clubs would very easily compete in League Two. Probably more behind that too.

“In terms of fan base and infrastructure, that’s not to say other clubs can’t grow. Financially, certainly, we have some teams that would blow a lot of League Two budgets out of the water, maybe even the league above.

“That’s always been around to a degree, that’s clubs at certain moments of teams. In terms of the quality, I believe, recent results might say otherwise, but if we were in League Two, I’m convinced we wouldn’t be in the place we were last year.

“It’s difficult. People say it’s the most difficult league to get out of, I don’t see it being any different this season. Overall, with each year that goes by, a Boreham Wood and Bromley are building, their investment is getting greater, even if it’s small steps.

“You get left behind if not. All these clubs come into the equation and make things difficult.”

It wasn’t long ago that Torquay United boss Gary Johnson said that he wanted the National League should be recognised as ‘League Three’, in a shake-up to the pyramid system.

“You could do that but then behind it would argue it could be League Four but I get his sentiment,” Hurst said on that suggestion.

“There are few part-time teams in the league now if that was the way of saying you’re a professional league.

“They (Torquay) are an example where they lost in the play-offs and have found it more difficult this year, although there’s a long way to go. Speaking to people, it’s not just me saying it, they truly believe this is the best the league has been for some time.

“Whether that’s bad luck on our part, that is what people have said to me. There are a number of clubs in the league that would go up and be comfortable.”

A few weeks back, Bolton Wanderers boss Ian Evatt also wants more teams should be promoted automatically out of non league.

Evatt said: “It is crazy the clubs in that division now – it’s daft that there is only one automatic promotion place and another through the play-offs.

“For me, we have to sort that out. There has to be a fairer split.

“You can’t have three from the Premier League, three from the Championship, four from League One and then two from League Two. It doesn’t make any sense.

“It should be at least three to allow these clubs a chance to get back up again because the gulf in finances between the National League and League Two in terms of revenue is ginormous. It is too big.

“The amount of money being spent at that level means there should be a fairer split.

“The problem – and we saw it in the summer with the votes – is that it becomes a case of self-preservation. Football League clubs don’t want to give it up lightly, whether it is fair or not.

“Hopefully the powers that be will override that eventually and give clubs a fairer chance to get promoted but it is a graveyard and a challenging division to get out of.

“You have your Notts Countys, Wrexhams and Chesterfields but then also the Dovers and Boreham Woods, the really tough ones.

“Whoever gets out of that league will deserve to do it and you have seen with the recent record of teams that do, I don’t think anyone has ever been relegated. The levels are very even.”

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