League Two 2021/22 (very) early discussion

[shoddycollins]

Yeah yeah I know it's very early, there's still a lot to play for this season and we don't know who's going to be down here next season yet, but that shouldn't stop those of us for whom this season is effectively over from discussing the next one, what signings might happen in the summer and who is expected to be involved at either end of the table.

 

[Devon_Lad]

How do you know who's going to be involved at either end of the table when you don't even know what teams are in the league or before the transfer window is even open. Jesus Christ.

 

[shoddycollins]

How do you know who's going to be involved at either end of the table when you don't even know what teams are in the league.

I don't know, but I can speculate... for example should Exeter miss out on promotion this season I can still see them being up there next season. Port Vale fans are already optimistic for next year and if Salford stay down will they spend even more money? Are any of the teams coming down or likely to come down, basket cases who could go down again similar to Southend? Doesn't look like it this year.

It's not as though every new season is a complete reset, we know most of the clubs who are going to be in this division and what sort of state they're in.

 

[Devon_Lad]

We are due to have our biggest ever spending spree in the transfer window, according to both our manager and the Trust.

 

[kieran_vale]

I don't know, but I can speculate... for example should Exeter miss out on promotion this season I can still see them being up there next season. Port Vale fans are already optimistic for next year and if Salford stay down will they spend even more money? Are any of the teams coming down or likely to come down, basket cases who could go down again similar to Southend? Doesn't look like it this year.

Not going to say we’ll do this or that next season as too many variables right now not least if we end up selling Conlon for one. We need to focus on getting our recruitment right before anything else but all being equal I anticipate we could be competitive.

Same could be said of any number of teams though. Three of the four coming down I expect will be up there plus whoever misses out in the playoffs and the Orients and Carlisles etc. The only team I have down as a major struggler right now is Scunny but lots can change.

 

[shoddycollins]

As far as we're concerned, I think we have to be targetting promotion. Up until a coronavirus outbreak and unprecedented number of postponed games, we were the best team in the division and we're already well on our way to keeping our best players for next season. We should be one of the best teams on paper going into August.

Had it not been for that January then I'm sure we'd be at least planning for a playoff campaign. A spell of 13 games with only one win ended our automatic promotion hopes and terminally damaged our playoff hopes.

Obviously that has to not happen next season, it may have been triggered by the outbreak/postponements but it did reveal a soft underbelly. A stronger team would have recovered before finding themselves in the bottom half and we need to sort that out. We went into this season with the most changed squad in the entire EFL and the least experienced in L2 to boot and started poorly. When things became tough we looked a bit like that again, but next year we should have one of the least changed squads and the likes of Hayden, Guy, Tanner, Riley, Mellish etc will have another year under their belts.

I do think we need a couple of things to address the issues, both of them I think better addressed if we can bring in experienced players. We could do with someone to lead the line next year. xG shows us to be one of the best teams in the division at both attacking and defending but up front in particular we just haven't scored enough goals. We need someone who if they get the ball in the right areas, are deadly. We could also do with someone who is a real bastard to play against because we've been too easy at times. You look at the likes of Scott Quigley at Barrow or Kevin Ellison at Newport and though they aren't the most talented players in their positions, you could see how scared we were of them when we played against them. We have Dean Furman as our experienced midfield option and despite having captained his country he doesn't look like a leader, he's tidy on the ball and composed but pretty unassuming and generally a nice guy. He probably won't be with us next season.

Sort this out and I think we could be up there next year.

 

[shoddycollins]

Not going to say we’ll do this or that next season as too many variables right now not least if we end up selling Conlon for one. We need to focus on getting our recruitment right before anything else but all being equal I anticipate we could be competitive.

Same could be said of any number of teams though. Three of the four coming down I expect will be up there plus whoever misses out in the playoffs and the Orients and Carlisles etc. The only team I have down as a major struggler right now is Scunny but lots can change.

Big summer for FGR now whether they manage to get promoted or not. They've ended this season on a real slide and have to find a permanent manager. Could easily see them challenging for the title once again but could also see them having a real season of mediocrity.

 

[kieran_vale]

Big summer for FGR now whether they manage to get promoted or not. They've ended this season on a real slide and have to find a permanent manager. Could easily see them challenging for the title once again but could also see them having a real season of mediocrity.

Very true. There is a lot to like about FGR though have seen them fall off the cliff like this in the past to the point it is a bit of a pattern. May well be the case changing managers gets them over that hump but I’m almost putting them in the Vale and Mansfield category of could be good on paper but they need to show it now and until then will reserve judgement.

Bradford will the other one to watch. A pretty big job recruitment wise there I feel.

 

[hellogregory]

We’re at a cross roads. Depending on our summer business it really could go either way.

The first half of the season we were in form and looked promotion candidates, the second half of the season, we’ve been in relegation form. It’s concerning as half a season isn’t just a blip as some would have you believe. It’s a genuine concern.

We need to strengthen in certain areas. Defensively I think we’ll be ok if we keep Feeney and he gets a good preseason under his belt, maybe 1 or 2 more additions to replace Bennett who will no doubt move on to better things and some full back cover.

We could do with adding some creativity to the midfield, someone who can play that final pass to the forwards. No goals from open play in 7 games says it’s the forwards that are the problem but for me it’s the lack of service. Probably only need one addition to this area but it’s an important one that we need to get right otherwise we’ll be in a relegation battle.

Forwards... probably need strengthening down the middle but how many depends whether we can renew Zanzala’s contract. A couple of wide players who can actually pass or cross to a blue shirt. Please.

We’re not a million miles from being a good team, but we’re also not a million miles from being relegation candidates. Important summer ahead.

 

[Agombar stool]

We are due to have our biggest ever spending spree in the transfer window, according to both our manager and the Trust.

Out of interest how many members does your Trust have?

We are currently going through a movement where we are trying to get Lee Power to sell the club to new owners who will be closely aligned to our Trust. (Including to have Trust member(s) on the STFC board) he has recently come out and excommunicated club and Trust, he basically said that the Trust had only 270 members and therefore didn't properly speak for the fan base. Since he said this the numbers have now hit 1,000 as of yesterday. I was just curious as to how many members a similar club to us had and I see Exeter as an excellent barometer for a Well run club with Close links to a supporters Trust.

 

[shoddycollins]

The first half of the season we were in form and looked promotion candidates, the second half of the season, we’ve been in relegation form. It’s concerning as half a season isn’t just a blip as some would have you believe. It’s a genuine concern.

I don't think it was a blip but I don't think it was indicative of the quality of the team either. We started a bad run of form and then just changed as a team and couldn't get out of the losing habit. That needs addressed but at the same time I don't think we would have started such a bad run if we didn't go into February with such issues of fitness.

 

[Casey]

For Crawley it depends on how much money is available...same for us all really.

We don't do transfer fees any more but quality players don't play for peanuts. How much of that Watters transfer fee will be put back in as wages is the key question. Not a dig at our owners because he does make put his hand in his pocket but they ain't as deep as some.

He may be a grumpy sod but Yems knows football and can see a player but he does tend to go for tippy tappy types which is great on good pitches in nice weather but in the middle of winter on the beaches of league 2 it can be an issue.

I presume Doherty will not be back from Colchester so we will need a left back. Tsaroulla looks OK but he seems to disappear which means we have centre backs playing large parts of the season there.

Our midfield needs some strength and power and someone to get beyond the strikers.

Still think we need a back to goal forward. He doesn't have to be the proverbial big lump but just someone who can receive the ball and hold onto it.

Casey

 

[GTFCfish]

The only thing I’m pretty confident of that will happen next season is that by the end of it Scunny will be joining us in the National League.

 

[Chris FGR]

The only thing I’m pretty confident of that will happen next season is that by the end of it Scunny will be joining us in the National League.

You writing off your promotion hopes already then|?

 

[GTFCfish]

You writing off your promotion hopes already then|?

For the first year yeah, I think Hurst will have us in the play offs though so there will be a chance we could get back up but Wrexham should win it with the cash they will spunk at it and our play off record down there is not the best to say the least.

 

[Chris FGR]

For the first year yeah, I think Hurst will have us in the play offs though so there will be a chance we could get back up but Wrexham should win it with the cash they will spunk at it and our play off record down there is not the best to say the least.

Yeah true, only a really shit team would ever have lost to you in the playof...oh

 

[Son of Cod]

Forest Green Rovers League Two Champions 2021/22.

For the first year yeah, I think Hurst will have us in the play offs though so there will be a chance we could get back up but Wrexham should win it with the cash they will spunk at it and our play off record down there is not the best to say the least.

In all fairness, how many sides lose back to back to back playoffs and then come back and win at the fourth attempt? Of the teams off the top of my head that have been perennial playoff bottlers there's that Lincoln side in the mid 2000s, Wrexham in the Conference, Exeter over recent years...it takes a lot of character and resolve to keep coming back after defeats and then finally get the job done.

 

[huddsmoose]

Took us three play off finals to finally escape the hell of the Conference.

 

[Monkey Tennis]

How do you know who's going to be involved at either end of the table when you don't even know what teams are in the league or before the transfer window is even open. Jesus Christ.

Do you always have to be such an anal prick about everything? Why discuss who might win the Champions League when we don't know who's in the final? Why make predictions for the weekend's games when we don't know the starting elevens? Why look ahead beyond the immediate future at all?

Anyway, why are you still checking this site every half hour? Thought it was beneath you?

 

[Chris FGR]

Forest Green Rovers League Two Champions 2021/22.

In all fairness, how many sides lose back to back to back playoffs and then come back and win at the fourth attempt? Of the teams off the top of my head that have been perennial playoff bottlers there's that Lincoln side in the mid 2000s, Wrexham in the Conference, Exeter over recent years...it takes a lot of character and resolve to keep coming back after defeats and then finally get the job done.

Why do you think we'll win the league next season. We're almost certain to have another huge turnover of players and a new manager who could literally be anyone, especially as Vince seems tempted to go for a publicity stunt type of appointment.

 

[Son of Cod]

Why do you think we'll win the league next season. We're almost certain to have another huge turnover of players and a new manager who could literally be anyone, especially as Vince seems tempted to go for a publicity stunt type of appointment.

Well I was only a few months off getting it right this season, so I'm going with the same prediction.

 

[Devon_Lad]

Automatic +30% on fees and wages applied by agents in response to the statement. Well done.

Not really the case if clubs are fighting over free transfers. 2.5k a week at Exeter is better than 2k somewhere else in the division for comparison. It's all relative and down to negotiation at the end of the day. Our budget for the last 7-8 years (I've lost count how long we've been down here) has always been a very low budget compared to other teams, coming out and saying we are going to spend for a change isn't going to change too much.

 

[Devon_Lad]

Do you always have to be such an anal prick about everything? Why discuss who might win the Champions League when we don't know who's in the final? Why make predictions for the weekend's games when we don't know the starting elevens? Why look ahead beyond the immediate future at all?

Anyway, why are you still checking this site every half hour? Thought it was beneath you?

Simply saying not even half of league 2 has been confirmed for next season yet and nobody has made a single transfer as the transfer window isn't even open so making predictions at this stage is a bit pointless. Heaven forbid differing opinions on a football forum. You're a bit too sensitive to be using the internet if you think that implicates someone as being an anal prick, but your attitude shows why this forum is dying. Comparing it to the CL where they're at the semi final stages (nearly at the end of competition) or weekend predictions when you know the squads and opponents with form is more of a laughable comment than an intelligent one.

 

[Si Robin]

Not really the case if clubs are fighting over free transfers. 2.5k a week at Exeter is better than 2k somewhere2 else in the division for comparison. It's all relative and down to negotiation at the end of the day. Our budget for the last 7-8 years (I've lost count how long we've been down here) has always been a very low budget compared to other teams, coming out and saying we are going to spend for a change isn't going to change too much.

That's not strictly true though is it? We've beaten teams to players purely due to location, like Matty Blair and Luke Varney in recent seasons. Varney, for example, was offered nearly double what we offered to play in League One with Blackpool.

Whilst Exeter isn't as far south as, say Plymouth, it is still miles away from most places in the Football League

 

[Monkey Tennis]

Simply saying not even half of league 2 has been confirmed for next season yet and nobody has made a single transfer as the transfer window isn't even open so making predictions at this stage is a bit pointless. Heaven forbid differing opinions on a football forum. You're a bit too sensitive to be using the internet if you think that implicates someone as being an anal prick, but your attitude shows why this forum is dying. Comparing it to the CL where they're at the semi final stages (nearly at the end of competition) or weekend predictions when you know the squads and opponents with form is more of a laughable comment than an intelligent one.

See the title of the thread or Shoddy's post? Where does it say predictions?
It's a discussion of where people think their team needs to strengthen and what they should be looking at achieving.

Those examples I gave are future events where all the variables aren't yet known. I think you understood that but you're being an anal prick.

 

[Devon_Lad]

That's not strictly true though is it? We've beaten teams to players purely due to location, like Matty Blair and Luke Varney in recent seasons. Varney, for example, was offered nearly double what we offered to play in League One with Blackpool.

Whilst Exeter isn't as far south as, say Plymouth, it is still miles away from most places in the Football League

Yep and it definitely deters players away from us, but that's not the point I was making. It was in regards to just because we've said we'll splash a few quid this transfer window we are now nailed on for higher wages and higher agent fees. Evidently not the case.

 

[Devon_Lad]

See the title of the thread or Shoddy's post? Where does it say predictions?
It's a discussion of where people think their team needs to strengthen and what they should be looking at achieving.

Those examples I gave are future events where all the variables aren't yet known. I think you understood that but you're being an anal prick.

Not sure if you need a lesson on the English language or what not, but discussing where teams will finish and the upcoming season is evidently pointless [AND A PREDICTION] when nobody knows who is going to be in the team or what transfers are going to be made (Yes i know that part is part of the discussion). If you want to try and pretend discussing/predicting CL winners when they're in the semi final stages already is even remotely similar to predicting next season in L2 in April, then you stick to your guns fella. You tried to make a pathetic comment just so you could chuck in a sly dig for the sake of it, now you've got egg on your face.

In response to the OP, Barrow to be relegated on less than 25 points.

 

[Monkey Tennis]

Not sure if you need a lesson on the English language or what not, but discussing where teams will finish and the upcoming season is evidently pointless [AND A PREDICTION] when nobody knows who is going to be in the team or what transfers are going to be made. If you want to try and pretend discussing/predicting CL winners when they're in the semi final stages already is even remotely similar to discussing next season in L2 then you stick to your guns fella. You tried to make a pathetic comment just so you could chuck in a sly dig for the sake of it, now you've got egg on your face.

Haha, fuck off with your lessons on the English language - you're a simpleton.

I EXPECT us to finish bottom 10 regardless of who's in the division.

I EXPECT us to be on the look out for a central midfielder.

That wasn't difficult, was it.

 

[shoddycollins]

Not sure if you need a lesson on the English language or what not, but discussing where teams will finish and the upcoming season is evidently pointless [AND A PREDICTION] when nobody knows who is going to be in the team or what transfers are going to be made (Yes i know that part is part of the discussion). If you want to try and pretend discussing/predicting CL winners when they're in the semi final stages already is even remotely similar to predicting next season in L2 in April, then you stick to your guns fella. You tried to make a pathetic comment just so you could chuck in a sly dig for the sake of it, now you've got egg on your face.

In response to the OP, Barrow to be relegated on less than 25 points.

I didn't say I wanted to discuss where teams were going to finish either, I just said who do we think will be at either end. It's not as if we have no information at all on which to base our expectations for next season, most of the managers and players will be the same.

If you don't want to discuss it then don't, you've made your point... but then also offered your thoughts on Exeter's plans for the transfer window so

 

[Indian Dan]

I’m looking forward to next season already! Could be right up against it if Power hasn’t gone. How easy it is to absolutely ruin a football club.