2025 mid-table thread

[thewwfc]

The very essence of glory.

A reminder of the rules:

• First team to hit the beach, whereby you're too crap to stand any chance mathematically of going up, but you're not crap enough to be able to go down.
• In the event of a tie, the winner is crowned by having the GD that is closest to zero, to reflect TRUE mediocrity.
• If that's still a tie, then the team closest to the sacred mid-table havens of 12th or 13th.
• ...and if that STILL hasn't decided it, then the team with the most draws.

Still very open at this stage of course, but Exeter are the current favourites, lodged firmly in 12th, with a tasty near-zero GD.

They might want to stop swinging from wins to defeats though, and get more draws on the board.

Lincoln lost their old reputation for draw specialists a little bit over the last season or so, but never rule them out if they can rediscover the wonderful sense of result equality they once had.

Very much anyone's game right now, however.

 

[E10rifle]

I will laugh my tits off when Bolton win it.

 

[Muzzle]

I will laugh my tits off when Bolton win it.

What do you mean when? we are already there mate, give us that trophy now, the players seem to be on a metaphorical beach right now

 

[Conker]

Before the season started I’d have been buzzing to win the mid-table trophy.

 

[denzel ecfc]

The very essence of glory.

A reminder of the rules:

• First team to hit the beach, whereby you're too crap to stand any chance mathematically of going up, but you're not crap enough to be able to go down.
• In the event of a tie, the winner is crowned by having the GD that is closest to zero, to reflect TRUE mediocrity.
• If that's still a tie, then the team closest to the sacred mid-table havens of 12th or 13th.
• ...and if that STILL hasn't decided it, then the team with the most draws.

View attachment 21225

Still very open at this stage of course, but Exeter are the current favourites, lodged firmly in 12th, with a tasty near-zero GD.

They might want to stop swinging from wins to defeats though, and get more draws on the board.

Lincoln lost their old reputation for draw specialists a little bit over the last season or so, but never rule them out if they can rediscover the wonderful sense of result equality they once had.

Very much anyone's game right now, however.

I don't think we are favourites as we are too close to the playoffs. Someone like Wigan or Blackpool have a better chance

 

[EricSabin]

We won this last year. Life comes at you fast.

 

[folletto]

Think we will win this. We are nowhere near good enough to challenge for playoffs but equally have a decent enough squad to usually get a result against the bottom sides.

 

[Stocky]

I can see us winning this. The talk is 50 points and let's step up the development of the academy players plus the young players we've brought in from home and abroad.

We're not financially ready to mount any challenge for the Championship, we need to keep bringing through more and more of these sellable assets. Talk already that Ethan Pye may go for over a million in the summer. We need to keep on this path and the rest of this season could be a great opportunity to take it up a notch.

 

[ForzaCounty]

I can see us winning this. The talk is 50 points and let's step up the development of the academy players plus the young players we've brought in from home and abroad.

We're not financially ready to mount any challenge for the Championship, we need to keep bringing through more and more of these sellable assets. Talk already that Ethan Pye may go for over a million in the summer. We need to keep on this path and the rest of this season could be a great opportunity to take it up a notch.

Nah mate. I enjoy showing showing how humble we are as much as you, but we're not going to be troubling 12th this season.

 

[Stocky]

Nah mate. I enjoy showing showing how humble we are as much as you, but we're not going to be troubling 12th this season.

I don't think we'll be far off 12ish to be honest. We're in a slightly false position in my opinion. Don't think there's much between us and a Charlton, Blackpool, Wigan etc. A few results here and there but we're in that middle range of teams particularly with Barry going. Nothing wrong with it but we're not a play-off team in my opinion.

 

[AmberAndy]

Wigan way too poor for these heady heights, surely between Exeter, Lincoln and Mansfield?

 

[AdamStag]

Wigan way too poor for these heady heights, surely between Exeter, Lincoln and Mansfield?

We’re still to new to this league to really work out the lay of the land, that there’s currently 16 teams somehow worse than us is both interesting but somehow concerning also, like how?

You offer me 12th now and i’d be delighted.

 

[Pilot_Phonic]

I'd hazard a guess it is between Charlton and Wigan. Wigan don't like scoring but don't like conceding many either. Didn't they have a spell of about 4 consecutive 0-0s? Thats mid-table nonsense right there.

 

[Conker]

We’re still to new to this league to really work out the lay of the land, that there’s currently 16 teams somehow worse than us is both interesting but somehow concerning also, like how?

You offer me 12th now and i’d be delighted.

We need to work on a few things, depth upfront and pace overall but we had to be really good last season to get automatic promotion and it’s showing now at a level above, especially considering we lost our star player, DKD and Swan was over 40 goals contributions.

 

[Stocky]

Didn't you spend quite a bit on Evans from Newport who was touted by quite a few League One clubs? I know you sold Keillor Dunn and Swan quite late but I got the impression the Evans signing was spent with money you knew was coming in?

 

[Conker]

Didn't you spend quite a bit on Evans from Newport who was touted by quite a few League One clubs? I know you sold Keillor Dunn and Swan quite late but I got the impression the Evans signing was spent with money you knew was coming in?

£150k up to £200k with add ons, great business to be fair. His signing was nothing to do with outgoings.

We made around a million quid out of DKD and Swan, we replaced Swan with Waine on loan from Plymouth who isn’t good enough and nobody to replace DKD who is a 10.

We signed Gregory and Evans because we barely had any proper strikers last season, a lot of time we went Akins up top with DKD behind, Oates was injured all season and Bowery is a defender now.

 

[Pilot_Phonic]

What has Gregory been like overall? We were linked with him in the summer till he signed for you lot. I know he had an off day at our place...

 

[Stocky]

£150k up to £200k with add ons, great business to be fair. His signing was nothing to do with outgoings.

Fair play to the owners, absolutely fantastic backing.

 

[Conker]

What has Gregory been like overall? We were linked with him in the summer till he signed for you lot. I know he had an off day at our place...

Very, very good, been out injured since that game and we’ve missed him massively, our best player. His first touch and leading the line is ridiculously good, almost feels like he’s to good for us to be honest but obv with his age and location it works out nicely.

He’s missed out 12 games and he’s on 7 goals. If we keep him fit he should hit 20.

 

[Conker]

Fair play to the owners, absolutely fantastic backing.

Took him ages to adjust to life without Gregory but started scoring again now, on 9 goals so it’s been shrewd business. Only his third proper season in full time I believe….

 

[Pilot_Phonic]

Very, very good, been out injured since that game and we’ve missed him massively, our best player. His first touch and leading the line is ridiculously good, almost feels like he’s to good for us to be honest but obv with his age and location it works out nicely.

He’s missed out 12 games and he’s on 7 goals. If we keep him fit he should hit 20.

I feel like Fletcher is the same, albeit he can't hack a 90 minute game, but great for him to come off the bench. His first touch is class and can knock a few goals in too.

 

[Conker]

I feel like Fletcher is the same, albeit he can't hack a 90 minute game, but great for him to come off the bench. His first touch is class and can knock a few goals in too.

Gregory does 90 minutes like he’s the fittest player on the pitch, the only issue is he’s picked up a knee injury doing it, got injections in it I believe it’s all about if he keep it playable until the summer.

 

[Millerbri]

When many were tipping us for promotion I said that it would be too much to ask for given the turn around in personnel and thought we would be 8 to 10th.

I would snatch your hand off for that right now.

 

[BarrieOwl]

When many were tipping us for promotion I said that it would be too much to ask for given the turn around in personnel and thought we would be 8 to 10th.

I would snatch your hand off for that right now.

Flasher Steve not pulling up many trees?

 

[Millerbri]

Flasher Steve not pulling up many trees?

I think not enough!

 

[masi51]

I will laugh my tits off when Bolton win it.

Well if Evatt pulls anymore stunts like putting two wingbacks on to join the two already on when leading 1-0 at home against Barnsley., meaning we had a midfield of one you may be right.
My fear now is we go on and get to the play-offs and barring a complete disaster i expect that as a minimum.
Since this time last year we have had 7/8 players missing every game. As it stands we have two who are both close to returning Dempsey and Sheehan. Add Morley to that and i think we may have a second half of the season like we did when we was in lge2 in Evatts first season.
The only thing stopping us is Evatt and his 5/2/3 system and leaving his 20 goal a season on the bench......though strong rumours up here Charles is off in January.
If we get to the play-offs i am afraid we will have same ole next season with Evatt again in charge

 

[masi51]

Well if Evatt pulls anymore stunts like putting two wingbacks on to join the two already on when leading 1-0 at home against Barnsley., meaning we had a midfield of one you may be right.
My fear now is we go on and get to the play-offs and barring a complete disaster i expect that as a minimum.
Since this time last year we have had 7/8 players missing every game. As it stands we have two who are both close to returning Dempsey and Sheehan. Add Morley to that and i think we may have a second half of the season like we did when we was in lge2 in Evatts first season.
The only thing stopping us is Evatt and his 5/2/3 system and leaving his 20 goal a season on the bench......though strong rumours up here Charles is off in January.
If we get to the play-offs i am afraid we will have same ole next season with Evatt again in charge

Scrap that i also forgot about Chris Forino and now Baxter is out with a broken nose

 

[Grumpy Grecian]

Masi.
To make the chase for this prodigious honour even more exciting perhaps we could agree to a gentlemanly draw next Saturday?
Please!

 

[masi51]

Masi.
To make the chase for this prodigious honour even more exciting perhaps we could agree to a gentlemanly draw next Saturday?
Please!

I am stuck, never would i want us to lose, but i want him gone....You may get your wish
Exeter have had a great record against us these last five years........May even get a double over us

 

[AdamStag]

Fair play to the owners, absolutely fantastic backing.

The thing is with clough (joking aside from previous banter about him) is that he won’t just spend the money for the sake of it, he’ll go and get someone cheaper who’ll probably do better than who you think he’d go for.

Given (as conker said) we got around a million for DKD and swan and another £250k min for getting through to the 3rd round of the cup we knew we had funds available if we were struggling.

Whereas we’re not struggling it’s obvious where we’re short and that’s probably why we’re where we are compared to stockport.