National League 2017-18

[The Terminator]

Nut hugely enthused by the line-up for next year (but then again, do people really look forward to coming to Dagenham?)

It will make a nice change to have a proper local game on Boxing Day and New years Day though

 

[Murphy]

No.

Same tbh.

 

[Southern Shayman]

Congrats to FGR, enjoy the football league!
Should be an intriguing league next year. Tranmere are the favourites and with Mellon in charge for a whole season, should walk it.
Much more competition for the play offs though. I expect us, Daggers and Barrow to be up there, plus a few teams from mid table like Eastleigh, Woking and Sutton, then Fylde and Ebbsfleet might challenge too.

Bit of a left field shout?

 

[Mark kavanagh]

Congrats to FGR, enjoy the football league!
Should be an intriguing league next year. Tranmere are the favourites and with Mellon in charge for a whole season, should walk it.
Much more competition for the play offs though. I expect us, Daggers and Barrow to be up there, plus a few teams from mid table like Eastleigh, Woking and Sutton, then Fylde and Ebbsfleet might challenge too.

Look out for bromley too mate

 

[Master D]

Chester will be up there too.

 

[East Bank Shot]

Bit of a left field shout?

New young manager, going full tie, and seemingly a bit more money behind them.
They'll either be top 10 or bottom 4.

 

[Look Out There Are Llamas]

It will make a nice change to have a proper local game on Boxing Day and New years Day though

Boreham Wood are clearly our Boxing Day/ New Year games. Maidstone - Dover, Sutton - Bromley, Ebbsfleet - Dagenham, Orient - Wood...

 

[doveranddover]

I would think Bromley-Ebbsfleet, D&R-Leyton Orient, Sutton-Boreham Wood, Dover-Maidstone, Woking-Aldershot down south [unless I've missed someone]

 

[Look Out There Are Llamas]

I would think Bromley-Ebbsfleet, D&R-Leyton Orient, Sutton-Boreham Wood, Dover-Maidstone, Woking-Aldershot down south [unless I've missed someone]

That's how I would like it, but, I'm thinking with HS1 it's literally 11 mins from Ebbsfleet station to Stratford International and that may come into thinking, then again Sutton and Boreham Wood are on the same line I guess. I presume Eastleigh will get Torquay and Maidenhead will be lumped with Solihull. Really not a Midlands league next season.

 

[Silver Stone]

That's how I would like it, but, I'm thinking with HS1 it's literally 11 mins from Ebbsfleet station to Stratford International and that may come into thinking, then again Sutton and Boreham Wood are on the same line I guess. I presume Eastleigh will get Torquay and Maidenhead will be lumped with Solihull. Really not a Midlands league next season.

Trains don't usually run on Boxing Day do they? Kind of irrelevant in that situation.

 

[Look Out There Are Llamas]

Trains don't usually run on Boxing Day do they? Kind of irrelevant in that situation.

Fuck knows, I know the tube does, which, as an inward looking Londoner is all that matters really...

 

[Boz]

I would caution strongly against expectations of Tranmere strolling to the title next season. Ihiekwe moving to a FL club, Stockton interesting others and Cook disillusioned by being frozen out of the starting line-up may all be gone. The merits of building a defence around an ageing McNulty will need careful scrutiny. Micky Mellon's transfer dealings so far haven't been encouraging, his best work has been with developing players like Ihiekwe and Stockton who were already here. It may be better when he has the option of the wider range of players available over the summer, but even so a re-building exercise is likely, with things unlikely to gel from the off.

It is sides like Aldershot, who've got their best players already signed up, who are in the strongest position. The money-bags promoted teams may be in a similar position to Rovers with squad-strengthening, so I see as play-off contenders rather than title challengers. Woking situation is interesting, too early to call that one.

 

[Luke Imp]

Chester will be up there too.

Before slipping down to their seemingly annual circa 17th finish, although they'd probably take that after the second half of this season!

 

[Murphy]

Fuck knows, I know the tube does, which, as an inward looking Londoner is all that matters really...

Our line from Chad Heath/Romford to Stratford is always dead over the Christmas week, so I'd rather we had you lot.

To be honest, I'd much rather be at home on Boxing Day, means we don't have to fiddle about with travel arrangements. NYD away suits me fine.

 

[doveranddover]

HS1 often runs Boxing Day because Westfield opens

 

[yellow]

Boxing Day/NYD is going to be bloody horrendous now. Trying to do a five hour+ round trip (assuming it's Eastleigh/Aldershot/Woking) with no decent public transport options is almost not worth the hassle.

Boxing Day against FGR was one of the games I actually looked forward to - was waiting for a 13 goal thriller next time!

Also feel this league has got a lot stronger with the sides coming up so with our off-field situation it may be just 12 months before we really enter the abyss.

 

[Bluandwite]

Before slipping down to their seemingly annual circa 17th finish, although they'd probably take that after the second half of this season!

We've perfected the post Christmas slump to an art form.

Even prior to reformation, we were in the League 2 play-off hunt under the likes of Curle and Williamson before barely winning another game all season on both occasions!

 

[1884 Belmont]

Right, the king is dead, long live the king, etc, etc...

From a personal perspective, Aldershot are the favourites at the minute, mainly because, as Boz rightly says, they have their main men signed up and ready to go. Our entire defence is out of contract and I can see the likes of Ihiekwe and Ridehalgh being offered contracts in the League (rumours Ihiekwe is off to Barnsley). Up front, Stockton is out of contract and almost certain to leave and there are again rumours Cook has handed in a transfer request and could be off (to Scunthorpe?).

Then we have the people on the fringes, the likes of Dawson, Mekki and Steve Jennings who will all likely leave. Throw in the fact that of those contracted to next season, Tollitt, Harris, Vaughan, Kirby, Stephenson and Wallace are injured and we currently have about 5 players who are contracted and likely to be fit for the start of the season. Make no mistake, there's a massive rebuild on the cards over the summer, and that's why we just don't seem like favourites.

 

[Semi-skimmed Silk]

I wish we had 5+ players contracted for next season...(and money to replace those that leave).

 

[EnglishRed]

http://mobile.tranmererovers.co.uk/news/article/2016-17/chairmans-statement-3715904.aspx

Palios saying Tranmere have a 'Top Third' budget next season? Well what does that mean? We probably had a top third budget last year and it was probably about half what Tranmere apparently spent. Budget cut?

 

[GodsGift]

Strange. Surely he means top three?

 

[EnglishRed]

Strange. Surely he means top three?

Yeah it's either a slip of the tongue or hes cutting costs. He was pretty clear last season on what the budget was, so to be more cagey this year is interesting.

 

[Master D]

Let's be honest, even we had a 'top third' budget.

 

[Monkey Tennis]

That means that Tranmere will have a budget somewhere between the biggest and eighth biggest - I know which end of that third it will be closer to.
Can't see Tranmere cutting costs, though I doubt they're going to shell out much more than they are already - like another poster mentioned, there's a big rebuilding job to do. Just hope we don't get lumped with too many cast-offs.

 

[Master D]

All this "top third" speak absolutely stinks of Cowley.

 

[EnglishRed]

All this "top third" speak absolutely stinks of Cowley.

Top Furd

 

[CrazyImp]

Was our budget really top third? Who knows...

 

[RLC]

http://mobile.tranmererovers.co.uk/news/article/2016-17/chairmans-statement-3715904.aspx

Palios saying Tranmere have a 'Top Third' budget next season? Well what does that mean? We probably had a top third budget last year and it was probably about half what Tranmere apparently spent. Budget cut?

I think he is just being cautious. I doubt our budget will be lower than this season, but like any Chairman he won't know how it compares to other clubs in the league. Fylde and Ebbsfleet could come up and pay twice what we are for all we know.

I am not as pessimistic as other people on here. While we might lose one or two of the better players, they are not all going to be snapped up by League clubs and I think the bulk of the squad will remain. I am personally not too bothered if Stockton goes as I prefer Cook anyway. I doubt they will both leave. If Cole goes, Mellon will be able to pretty much guarantee Cook a starting place, in which case he will probably stay (he is under contract anyway).

 

[Mark kavanagh]

Mangan mekki dawson i would sell, cook is off to scunthorpe, ithy to barnsley and after his performances on bt in the last week it wouldnt suprise me if the national leagues biggest secret scott davies gets snapped up.... pilling is ready just ask maidstone.

On the upside connor jennings has been class since returning from Macc, tollitt is a class act as are harris and wallace , our full backs are the best in the division, hughes is decent, sutton will replace ithy...

Im not sure about norwood he is a class act but soooooooo wasteful.

 

[EnglishRed]

Mangan mekki dawson i would sell, cook is off to scunthorpe, ithy to barnsley and after his performances on bt in the last week it wouldnt suprise me if the national leagues biggest secret scott davies gets snapped up.... pilling is ready just ask maidstone.

On the upside connor jennings has been class since returning from Macc, tollitt is a class act as are harris and wallace , our full backs are the best in the division, hughes is decent, sutton will replace ithy...

Im not sure about norwood he is a class act but soooooooo wasteful.

I like Vaughan but Buxton? He's ....not good.

I think your biggest asset is Mellon. With the players he'll bring in and the players coming back from injury you've got a good solid platform to build a team capable of winning the league.