Next season - Early thoughts

[hold'um Oldham]

So what do people think?

Who will bounce straight back up from those coming down?
Who will bounce straight back from the disappointment of missing out this time?
Who will make a break from the middle of the pack?
Will bolton get a double relegation?
Whose got their shit together and will have a decent summer?
Whose in for a summer of turbulence?

Always like these threads because you can guarantee when we look back on them in a year's time they are way out.

 

[AdamStag]

Maybe it might be wise to confirm the full list of the league before we do this?

*we’ll be in league 2 next season

 

[Tom_CUFC]

We will be in the bottom 5.

 

[Franchisor]

Leyton Orient will finish in the top 7.

 

[hold'um Oldham]

I fancy orient next year. Salford too if they come up. They have the clout to invest and I think the battle at the bottom will be much tougher next time round.

Same too for those coming down. Some good teams heading our way, and I reckon bradford will pull it out of the hat and bounce straight back.

As for those in the middle of the table Swindon take my fancy for mounting a challenge. One of the better teams I've seen.

We have the capability of doing something but there are far too many variables off the field to say anything for definate. No manager and our key players are either loanees or out of contract. Only Edmondson is under contract, and he is attracting interest from the championship

 

[valefan16]

Hard to say as it’s far too early and we don’t know all the sides we will be facing yet.

Seems a more level playing field financially as long as Salford don’t come up.

Vale should improve with the new ownership and a manager who actually has a plan in place (assuming as expected he is kept on)

I expect us not to be involved in the relegation thread now we can actually not be a basket case for the first time in years.

Mansfield it they lose in the play offs will likely be favourites with Salford if they come up.

Cambridge, Crawley and Morecambe would be favourites to struggle I think in early betting along with Macclesfield who despite their great escape have a few issues off the field which could lead to limiting what they can do.

 

[AnotherStagsFan]

After an early season slump from stags due to the horrible end to this season, DF might last till December and we’ll finish just outside of the playoffs.

Think Bradford and Plymouth will do well from League 1.

 

[MatthewArgyle]

If we get the right players and manager appointed we'll go straight back up

 

[Blue Lion]

No doubt we'll be aiming for 22nd again. Signing players is going to be a struggle given our well documented history of not paying wages on time.

 

[Indian Dan]

If we get the right players and manager appointed we'll go straight back up

Doesn’t that apply to every club?

 

[MatthewArgyle]

Yeah that's true

 

[Stringy]

Release them all.

 

[The Terminator]

We have a young talented side - With a few non league cloggers (which are needed to get out of the NL). Five of our most talented players may be sold: Macauley Bonne, Dan Happe, Marvin Ekpetita, Josh Koroma and one which may suprise a few - James Brophy.

Straight away you look at the sides who've come down and Plymouth are the obvious ones you'd say to bounce back. Bradford need to keep Bowyer and let him do what he did at Blackpool.

If Salford come up, they will fuck everything up around here though like they did in the NL last season, because they will open up the cheque book and start paying silly wages to everyone who they want to join.

 

[EricSabin]

Having been told who our first 3 signings are I’m cautiously optimistic, hopefully tomorrow when Curle reveals who’s gone it’ll be a bit of a cull

 

[F!RTHY]

Having been told who our first 3 signings are I’m cautiously optimistic, hopefully tomorrow when Curle reveals who’s gone it’ll be a bit of a cull

Do share?

 

[Crewelad87]

I have a feeling it will be very competitive, I'd expect us to challenge the play offs. I think virtually every team will expect the same though. I think Macc, Morecambe, Crawley, and Cambridge will struggle again. Vale also have an awful lot of work to do if they plan on atleast entering mid table mediocrity.

 

[Gladders]

Depends which of our side comes back from pre season as to how we do. The one from the beginning and end of season means another relegation battle. The one from October to Feb means a play off challenge.

 

[valefan16]

I have a feeling it will be very competitive, I'd expect us to challenge the play offs. I think virtually every team will expect the same though. I think Macc, Morecambe, Crawley, and Cambridge will struggle again. Vale also have an awful lot of work to do if they plan on atleast entering mid table mediocrity.

That work will be done starting Tuesday once the blue one has gone

 

[F!RTHY]

Gary Bowyer will be sitting down with the lads on Tuesday to tell them their fate. We have to find a way to shift a few players on, but I’m hoping a few of them will have release clauses activated following this seasons relegation.

Of the players we have contracted, we ideally need to shift the following;

Defenders:

Joe Riley
Anthony O’connor

Midfielders:

Hope Akpan
Josh Wright
Sean Scannell (if his £6k/£7k per week wages are rumoured to be correct).

Attackers:

Omari Patrick

There’s a few players on loan/short term contracts that I’d like to see return, such as;

CAM: Billy Clarke
MF: Jermaine Anderson
LB: Callum Woods (pay as you play)
CB: Paudie O’connor
ST: David Ball
CM: Lewis O’Brien

We will hopefully see Tyrel Robinson and Jake Reeves back in some capacity, following long term injury and a court case respectively.

I’m quietly confident of bouncing back, especially after seeing what Bury and MK dons have achieved this season - and what Bowyer achieved with Blackpool the other year in L2. We know this is a difficult league and it took us 6 season’s to achieve promotion last time (12/13). This time round, we’re far better equipped for a speedy return - financially speaking. I know some City fans will disagree with me and suggest that we’re skint because we’ve overspent this season by nearly £2m, but there’s a different between being over budget and being skint. The owner will back Bowyer, no question. The hard work is getting some players off the wage bill to give Bowyer that flexibility to bring players in that he needs.

Almost 14,000 season tickets sold means we’ll be backed - and the expectation to return back to L1 quickly will be the general consensus.

League Two, bring it on.

 

[Chris FGR]

I have a feeling it will be very competitive, I'd expect us to challenge the play offs. I think virtually every team will expect the same though. I think Macc, Morecambe, Crawley, and Cambridge will struggle again. Vale also have an awful lot of work to do if they plan on atleast entering mid table mediocrity.

Keep your squad together and you'll be going for top 3 imo.

 

[huddsmoose]

Its too early to say that Cambridge will struggle again IMO - we'll have a more competitive budget than the likes of Macc and Crawley and most of our squad are out of contract.

We also don't yet know the sort of impact Calderwood will have on recruitment (which has been incompetent in recent years).

We're a complete unknown at this point.

 

[Son of Cod]

I have a feeling it will be very competitive, I'd expect us to challenge the play offs. I think virtually every team will expect the same though. I think Macc, Morecambe, Crawley, and Cambridge will struggle again. Vale also have an awful lot of work to do if they plan on atleast entering mid table mediocrity.

I fancy Crewe to have a decent season if you can hang onto a few of your players who are borderline ready to step up. It sounds like Ng will be off, but you'll get a bit of cash for him I guess.

 

[The Alex]

If we get the right players and manager appointed we'll go straight back up

I think if you get more points than all the other teams there’s a good chance you’ll finish top.

 

[Mark kavanagh]

If we get the right players and manager appointed we'll go straight back up

Mr state the obvious, i think every supporter thinks thatbof their club..... sorry matthew

 

[Soz]

I have a feeling it will be very competitive, I'd expect us to challenge the play offs. I think virtually every team will expect the same though. I think Macc, Morecambe, Crawley, and Cambridge will struggle again. Vale also have an awful lot of work to do if they plan on atleast entering mid table mediocrity.

No we don't.

We've got the basis of a good squad. Our squad has under performed this season compared to last season which was simply a terrible squad.

Aspin shoulders a lot of the blame for this season on the pitch, his tactics from October-Jan were baffling. We were starting 7 defenders at times.

Had we had Askey all season we'd have been a mid table inconsistent team.

The big IF for us is obviously the ownership. If we get that sorted, and get Askey tied down (potentially both could happen in the next week) then I'm not worried about next season at all.

I've just seen there's early prices up for promotion next season with Skybet. We're 5/1. I wouldn't even back that with your money Crewelad

 

[PaulHaddock]

We’ve already released 4 players: Danny Collins, Martyn Woolford, JJ Hooper and Wes Thomas. Only Thomas is really capable at this level anymore so if there’s any teams interested in him, he’ll do a job (as long as it isn’t 3 hours driving for him!!). Seems a bad egg though.

In terms of signings, it depends if we are backed at all by Fenty (we won’t be). When the accounts come out, I imagine he’ll have skimmed any money that we made this year from the cup run. Having players like Welsh and Collins off the books should free up some wages. However, the fact that we 8 players who have come from our YTs in the squad probably tells its own story.

 

[valefan16]

No we don't.

We've got the basis of a good squad. Our squad has under performed this season compared to last season which was simply a terrible squad.

Aspin shoulders a lot of the blame for this season on the pitch, his tactics from October-Jan were baffling. We were starting 7 defenders at times.

Had we had Askey all season we'd have been a mid table inconsistent team.

The big IF for us is obviously the ownership. If we get that sorted, and get Askey tied down (potentially both could happen in the next week) then I'm not worried about next season at all.

I've just seen there's early prices up for promotion next season with Skybet. We're 5/1. I wouldn't even back that with your money Crewelad

Yep our issue was that spell from December to the end of Feb when Aspin really lost the plot, injuries hit and our form nose dived, at the half way point we had 28 points and looked very comfortable and form March onwards bar the dead rubbers at the end we were superb.

We need goals though; that’s crucial, defensively we are not too bad. Superb Away (best in EFL) so need goals and to sort the home form out.

Not a massive job but one that we need to get right and sure we will with the right owner who’s prepared to invest to succeed.

 

[Semi-skimmed Silk]

Just hope we sort out our manager situation asap. The delay in getting Yates in last season contributed to our recruitment and general problems. Sorting out a squad for a next year is going to be hard enough considering the way we've treated players this year, that could only be fixed with a change in ownership.

 

[hellogregory]

With pressley in charge we’ll be bottom 2 come September/October time. We’ll have to sack him and then it’s just a case of who we get to come in as to where we’ll finish.

 

[TimeyWimey]

I think we’ll have a good season in and around the play-offs. We’ve been the strongest team in the second half of this season and I can’t see why we can’t carry that on. Can understand why some of our fans are cautious about the dismantling of the team over the summer but I don’t think we’re in for any more changes than most teams at this level.

Sticking my neck on my line and reckon Vale might hit at last a historic 50 points next season too.