The Vanarama National League Preview 2021/22

[Farncombe Shot]

Thanks fellas. Buzzing at the feedback. I did send it to Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney on twitter - be amusing if I did get a retweet there (very much doubting it!).

Cheers those who've posted to their club messageboard for me. One Chesterfield fan had the cheek to call me a 'geeky non-league fan'. As if we all aren't!

Can any of you fellas post it to the Aldershot, Altrincham, Barnet, Bromley, Dover, Grimsby, Halifax, Notts County, Southend and Weymouth forums please?
karlready Kim Mitten Shrimper92 Alty Pieman #Beebot The Codfather pontoonlew GTFCfish AJS jacobncfc TheShayWay doveranddover Shrimpurh simsini Wooderson

Thanks

Just posted on the shots forum. Great work Lee.

 

[karlready]

Yep, spot on ,Lee. Great read.

 

[doveranddover]

I've put both the previews onto our forum

 

[spireite]

Brilliant that mate, read most of it, it's a good insight into some of the teams I know little about and obviously very well researched. Well done

 

[Colinmorriswalksonwater]

Good read for sure. On us, only thing I would disagree with is the prediction of Brown going. He has a 2 year contract with an option for a further year, which he was only willing to sign after last season finished, so we knew which division we would be in and what budget we would have.

He has bought well within that budget and we certainly look like a footballing side again that won't be bullied in games.

He has put a decent squad together, certainly alot better than the last 2 seasons and the players know what is expected of them.

I genuinely don't know what to predict regarding where we will finish, but looking at how we have prepared through pre season, anyone who expects us to be carrying a hangover after a double relegation and holding a losing attitude is in for a big shock, as we all know what Phil Browns expectations are and the way he sets a side out.

The only negative thing around the club is the Chairman imo!

Looking forward to next Saturday and seeing what we achieve and also the first home game against Stockport, which the backing for the team will be huge in both matches!

 

[chief]

https://leewilsonfootball.blogspot.com/2021/08/the-vanarama-national-league-202122.html

Annoyingly I can't sticky this thread anymore so forgive me for giving it a few boosts over the next few days.

The big preview is up above. It may have the odd typo in but as people point them out to me, I shall amend them.

Please, please, please - help me out by posting it up on your club's messageboard. I'll try and tackle the clubs who have no fans on here.

Finally, I'm sure you won't, but please don't be too offended by what I've written about your club. It's a bloody tough league to call this season and I've researched it until my eyes bleed and I'm still not much the wiser. There is some method in my madness but of course a lot of it is gut.

Enjoy

You're an absolute legend, really enjoyed that read.

No Mullin in the top 3 scorers is a bit surprising mind. Perhaps you don't believe our midfield is good enough to provide for him which is fair.

 

[Leewilson]

You're an absolute legend, really enjoyed that read.

No Mullin in the top 3 scorers is a bit surprising mind. Perhaps you don't believe our midfield is good enough to provide for him which is fair.

Had a few comments on Mullin. Can’t argue at all with them. He may well smash it. I just have a sneaking suspicion that Hyde may well take his fair share also.

Same could be said for Madden (Quigley) and Tshimanga (Rowe) I suppose but it’s all gut feeling isn’t it.

Just as easily someone like Paul McCallum, Ben House, Ricky Miller etc could storm it if their sides have a good season.

 

[AdamStag]

Fantastic and insightful read lee, what a wonderful effort there.

I reckon they’d be a lot of league 2 sides down there that would struggle this season in the conference, looks really competitive - like how it was when we were last there.

Some really decent quality sides when you look at the players and the money spent - stockport, notts, chesterfield, torquay all look as if they’ve had a decent chance - wonder if again the side with the best squad depth will win the race…..

 

[EnglishRed]

For goalscorers it will be interesting to see if people like Miller and Holman can recapture past goalscoring form. And Akinde if he ends up at Southend. I would suspect not but you never know

 

[Fyldefan]

Yeah brilliant read that lee. Well done

 

[MrGloverLover]

The Yeovil piece was spot on, I don't disagree with a word of it. Very good work.

 

[Soup Ladle]

Fantastic and insightful read lee, what a wonderful effort there.

I reckon they’d be a lot of league 2 sides down there that would struggle this season in the conference, looks really competitive - like how it was when we were last there.

Definitely would, I don't think many in L2 can compete with the money chucked around. Although even from seeing our first two games, i can see that the standard up here is higher.

 

[Leewilson]

Final boost for the blog before tomorrow in case anybody hasn't read it yet.

Please feel free to share it with friends or on social media as well. I had a personal target of 5000 views beforehand (which was ambitious considering last year's one got 2700). So far, I'm on 4555 views which I'm absolutely chuffed with.

Thank you everyone - the reactions have made it all worthwhile.

 

[Limerick Mariner]

Paul Hurst will have it pinned on his board - now he knows that top 7 will be an overachievement, not sure all of our fans will see it that way...

 

[spireite]

Definitely would, I don't think many in L2 can compete with the money chucked around. Although even from seeing our first two games, i can see that the standard up here is higher.

I think the bottom end of the conf is poor from a footballing standard point, probably even nearly the entire bottom half, but I think the top half of NL all the way up to the playoffs places in L2 is much of a muchness honestly. We've won L2 with worst sides than we have now (on paper!)

 

[Colinmorriswalksonwater]

Our squad line up at the moment:
1. STEVE ARNOLD
2. ROB HOWARD
3. NATHAN RALPH
4. ABU OGOGO
5. SHAUN HOBSON
6. JOSH COULSON
7. JACK BRIDGE
8. JAMES DUNNE
9. RHYS MURPHY
10. SAM DALBY
11. TERRELL EGBRI
12. TOM CLIFFORD
13. HARRY SEADEN
14. NATHAN FERGUSON
15. LEWIS GARD
16. HARRY PHILLIPS
17. LOUIS WALSH
18. MATT RUSH
21. CHARLIE SAYERS
22. HAMZAD KARGBO
24. JASON DEMETRIOU
30. MATT DENNIS
40. JOHN WHITE

 

[Soup Ladle]

I think the bottom end of the conf is poor from a footballing standard point, probably even nearly the entire bottom half, but I think the top half of NL all the way up to the playoffs places in L2 is much of a muchness honestly. We've won L2 with worst sides than we have now (on paper!)

I wouldn't go as far as the whole top half but I'll come back to that once we've played a few more games.

Already seeing signs that stuff you get away with at NL are punished much more in L2. Less time on the ball as well.

 

[OneDecentLester]

I think the bottom end of the conf is poor from a footballing standard point, probably even nearly the entire bottom half, but I think the top half of NL all the way up to the playoffs places in L2 is much of a muchness honestly. We've won L2 with worst sides than we have now (on paper!)

I agree with a lot of what you’ve said there but I wouldn’t go as far as saying this team is better than the 10/11 or 13/14 teams mate but this squads definitely the best we’ve had since that

Just imagine what a 10/11 strike partnership of Lester x Davies would do at this level with Danny Whitaker behind… nothing else needs to be said about that 13/14 side, one of the best we’ve ever had

 

[Leewilson]

Just to confirm, that the 2022/23 edition of this will be out on Thursday 4th August.

Hopefully it does as well as the previous one!