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Post by housemartins on Jul 28, 2017 21:43:59 GMT
Sorry for this but we need a (this is where we finish conundrum)
I will say with the squad we have now and everyone fit till the end of the season 6th
With the top 7 being
Tranmere
Aldershot
Dagenham
Eastleigh
Fylde
Chester
Wrexham
I think both orient and Hartlepool will do ok but like most teams coming down for the first time struggle first season in. Anyway I am optermistuc for the forth coming season glass half full not half empty and all that rubbish
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Post by Rio Doherty on Jul 28, 2017 21:55:34 GMT
I too am optimistic for the season and can't contain my excitement. With the squad we have put together I am going to predict a top 10 finish. My heart says a play-off place which would be outstanding, but my head says we will finish 9th, which would still be excellent considering the competitiveness and all of the money floating in our league. I'm sure that would be counted as a very successful season 🔵⚪️.
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Post by dmcnally on Jul 28, 2017 22:23:11 GMT
Mid table. 12th-14th.
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Post by whopper1 on Jul 28, 2017 22:37:43 GMT
19th
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Post by Deleted on Jul 29, 2017 5:19:47 GMT
I'd be over the moon if we finish top 10.
I'm predicting 11th, we will better our 12th from a few years back but only just. Going to be tough with a small squad this season.
No way we are going down so we can shove that down the throat of the majority of bookies.
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Post by bitbbh on Jul 29, 2017 7:19:28 GMT
It's that old conundrum of quality v quantity. There is no doubt this squad is probably the most experienced squad we have had since our return to the Conference. That said we are going to need a lot of luck with injuries and suspensions to go through the season unscathed. We are still light in certain areas and hopefully we will have room in the budget over the course of the season to strengthen when the inevitable injuries and suspensions bite hard. I hope the board and manager realise that last season they played with fire by making the decision not to strengthen mid season which ultimately nearly cost us our tenure in this division. In terms of prospects for this season we could threaten the top 10 which would be conditional on the above but likewise we could threaten the bottom six of the table with any long term injuries to key players and no funds being made available.
What im ultimately hoping for is to see progression with more players stepping up from the Youth system, the manager learning lessons from last season both on the pitch and off it. Tom Shaw for me has a key part to play this season in my opinion by giving Macca the support he will need but also given the size of the squad will be required to put on those boots from time to time. Our home form will be key and we need a home win desperately to erase the stigma of last season.This squad can give us optimism for the season ahead but it still needs numbers to get into the top half so my prediction will be 14th.
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Post by sqzl on Jul 29, 2017 7:58:18 GMT
Playoffs is still out of our reach in my opinion with the money in this league. I don't think Fylde will get promoted despite their spend. I'm going for a 12-15th finish. If I was pushed to pick just one position I'll go unlucky for some 13th.
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Post by Matt on Jul 29, 2017 8:10:19 GMT
Playoffs is still out of our reach in my opinion with the money in this league. I don't think Fylde will get promoted despite their spend. I'm going for a 12-15th finish. If I was pushed to pick just one position I'll go unlucky for some 13th. Agree with this. I think a sense of reality is still needed with some fans. I know we're the same fan base as City 1885 but this Club was only formed 7 years ago and we've only Just started throwing out 2 year contracts! The financial competition against us is David and Goliath. Tranmere, Eastleigh, Fylde and now you've got Orient and Hartlepool on top of that. |
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Post by RonD on Jul 29, 2017 8:22:45 GMT
Half way will do for me . . . say that every season though. It looked comfortable last season . . . until the wheels came off!!
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Post by Hannibal on Jul 29, 2017 8:44:39 GMT
I think we will finish somewhere between 15th and 19th. What we do need is a good cup run, preferably into the 3rd round.
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Post by Matt on Jul 29, 2017 8:50:41 GMT
I think we will finish somewhere between 15th and 19th. What we do need is a good cup run, preferably into the 3rd round. It would help a lot. From Just selling Sam Hughes we've been able to get Turnbull, Halls, Hannah, White and James. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 29, 2017 8:50:52 GMT
I think we will finish somewhere between 15th and 19th. What we do need is a good cup run, preferably into the 3rd round. Agree Cup run is more important than ever this year with the money sloshing around in this league - I live in hope! |
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Post by Jack on Jul 29, 2017 9:54:58 GMT
I'm happy with the improvements with the squad but I'm just very wary of the amount of bodies we have within in. There's no way we can go through a season without losing players to injury and suspension and that's why I think we may struggle. I'm hoping to see JM bring in 2 loanees to pad the squad out, which will help.
I think we'll finish about 15th as long as we do so without any disastrous runs of form like last season, then that'd be an acceptable season. Not to sound like Bob Gary, but a good cup run would be an enormous boost.
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Post by superman on Jul 29, 2017 10:41:19 GMT
60 points, 11th place. This would be good progress and something to build on. 3rd round FA cup away to Spurs at Wembley would be fun and lucrative!!
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Post by sqzl on Jul 29, 2017 11:18:48 GMT
There's no reason we couldn't make the FA trophy final this year, we've got a squad capable, my Wembley dream is on the cards I reckon.
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Post by Wortleyblue on Jul 29, 2017 12:39:08 GMT
There's no reason we couldn't make the FA trophy final this year, we've got a squad capable, my Wembley dream is on the cards I reckon. I hope your right sqzl I've been dreaming of going to wembley since 1961 but will only go when the Blues play there so sooner rather than later for me |
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Post by tarvinblue on Jul 29, 2017 15:50:13 GMT
Injuries will define our season. If we can stay injury free and JM can get the most out if this squad, with a few additions, we should be looking at a 10-14th finish. Injury crisis or a repeat of what happened in the second half of last season tactically and we could be in the dogfight at the bottom.
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Post by trev on Jul 29, 2017 20:01:37 GMT
Based on today, our first choice 11 will be solid. The four forwards (If fit) should also give us far more fire power than last season. The only concern is that the squad has little depth, (unless loan signings are due) particularly when you saw the subs bench today. Brown (No 23?) looks tiny and about 14. As you say TB, any key injuries will be a huge setback. Also McCarthy played a solid 442 today, but with Mahon given role to support front 2. But I fear defensive injuries will doubtless tempt him to tinker with formations and tactics , with the similar unsuccessful outcomes as last season. However, we looked good today, midfield was competitive and a massive improvement on last season, which bodes well. If all goes well, I feel a 10th place finish is possible. And of course we need a cup run !
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Post by bluboy79 on Jul 29, 2017 20:16:41 GMT
I foresee a lower midtable finish ( around 15th) due to no strength in depth , only 4 defenders in squad. Surely Tom Shaw needs to be on bench , far too important player to just give up and coach ? We do appear to have a very experienced core which could make us tough to beat .
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Post by dmcnally on Jul 29, 2017 20:36:40 GMT
I foresee a lower midtable finish ( around 15th) due to no strength in depth , only 4 defenders in squad. Surely Tom Shaw needs to be on bench , far too important player to just give up and coach ? We do appear to have a very experienced core which could make us tough to beat . Don't forget Kingsley James can operate as a centre back (obviously not preferable though as we need him in midfield!) and Joyce can cover right back. Again, not ideal but that's the kind of instances we have to deal with, with our budget. |
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Post by Firestick Frank on Jul 30, 2017 6:15:57 GMT
This league can be broken down into three mini-leagues and our aim should be to break into the middle league (9th to 16th). I think we'll finish towards the bottom end of that middle league.
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Post by agl on Jul 30, 2017 7:59:35 GMT
Anywhere out of the bottom 4 will do me. This league seems to be getting tougher all the time.
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Post by Lobster on Jul 30, 2017 8:48:58 GMT
Think we need to be aiming for a comfortable season. Another relegation scrap would be really draining.
Anywhere from 13th-16th would be good. Top half would be excellent.
I don't really think anyone should be expecting us to challenge for the playoffs. I admire the optimism and stranger things have happened, but you're really just setting yourself up for disappointment.
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Post by Lobster on Jul 30, 2017 9:10:47 GMT
I'm happy with the improvements with the squad but I'm just very wary of the amount of bodies we have within in. There's no way we can go through a season without losing players to injury and suspension and that's why I think we may struggle. I'm hoping to see JM bring in 2 loanees to pad the squad out, which will help. I think we'll finish about 15th as long as we do so without any disastrous runs of form like last season, then that'd be an acceptable season. Not to sound like Bob Gary, but a good cup run would be an enormous boost. I worry a bit that the back four picks itself, which isn't ideal if one of them starts playing badly. I'm thinking back to the season before last when Higgins was dire week after week but we had nobody else who could play right back, so we ended up changing the system and playing without full backs, effectively meaning Hunt also got dropped as a sacrificial figure. However, I have heard McCarthy say he wants to bring in a loan defender who can play across the back four, which makes sense. |
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Post by sqzl on Jul 30, 2017 18:47:24 GMT
Based on today, our first choice 11 will be solid. The four forwards (If fit) should also give us far more fire power than last season. The only concern is that the squad has little depth, (unless loan signings are due) particularly when you saw the subs bench today. Brown (No 23?) looks tiny and about 14. As you say TB, any key injuries will be a huge setback. Also McCarthy played a solid 442 today, but with Mahon given role to support front 2. But I fear defensive injuries will doubtless tempt him to tinker with formations and tactics , with the similar unsuccessful outcomes as last season. However, we looked good today, midfield was competitive and a massive improvement on last season, which bodes well. If all goes well, I feel a 10th place finish is possible. And of course we need a cup run ! Just a bit of Intel, Brown was one of the brightest prospects in our successful youth set up. Doesn't matter how old he looks or what size he is if e can perform on the pitch really. Nobody tells Iniesta he's only 5'5 and looks 52 years old. |
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Post by Rio Doherty on Jul 30, 2017 21:09:04 GMT
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Post by steveo1 on Jul 30, 2017 21:17:06 GMT
Avoiding any kind of relegation scrap would be my idea of where we need to be at, mid table or higher would be outstanding.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 31, 2017 17:34:07 GMT
For what's it worth I can see yourselves finishing between 9-12 with an outside chance of the play-offs.
Can see us finishing between 4-8.
We are both in a similar situation as I see it. Both got young, unproven managers trying to be a success in their first jobs. Both seem to approaching it similar as well, small squads with the emphasis being on quality over quantity.
Can see us both having slow starts while it takes time to gel. Just got to hope the fans don't get on players/managers backs from the off.
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Post by Matt on Jul 31, 2017 17:48:56 GMT
For what's it worth I can see yourselves finishing between 9-12 with an outside chance of the play-offs. Can see us finishing between 4-8. We are both in a similar situation as I see it. Both got young, unproven managers trying to be a success in their first jobs. Both seem to approaching it similar as well, small squads with the emphasis being on quality over quantity. Can see us both having slow starts while it takes time to gel. Just got to hope the fans don't get on players/managers backs from the off. It won't take long before Keats and his Leather Jacket find the pressure if they don't start well. Unless you get a striker in it looks like you'll struggle going forward. Defence looks to be your main strength this season and I guess it isn't such a bad this as building from the back is best. |
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Post by bluegazza on Jul 31, 2017 17:53:00 GMT
Probably 12th to 14th if we don't suffer too many injuries
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