Who will do best in Division 1?

[Gas1883]

I know there is a play off final to complete but I would be interested in your opinions to which promoted club will do best in division 1.

FGR
Exeter
Bristol Rovers
Mansfield or Port Vale.

 

[chipmunx]

I know there is a play off final to complete but I would be interested in your opinions to which promoted club will do best in division 1.

FGR
Exeter
Bristol Rovers
Mansfield or Port Vale.

As the question is being asked by a Bristol Rovers fan i'll say Exeter or Mansfield/Port Vale.

 

[Agombar stool]

Exeter.

 

[shoddycollins]

Take away their dreadful start and Bristol Rovers must have been the best team in this division. Ergo also being the biggest and richest of the promoted teams, I imagine they'll do best of the bunch.

Can't see any of them doing all that well though. Mid table safety should be the target for all.

 

[AdamStag]

port vale

 

[BRFC_Gas]

Take away their dreadful start and Bristol Rovers must have been the best team in this division. Ergo also being the biggest and richest of the promoted teams, I imagine they'll do best of the bunch.

Can't see any of them doing all that well though. Mid table safety should be the target for all.

I can't see much to worry about after seeing the L1 play off games

 

[Bartonyellow]

I can't see much to worry about after seeing the L1 play off games

They are pressure games. Over 46 games there is a distinct step up from league 2 trust me.
Pompey, Ipswich, Wednesday, Oxford all getting better each season.
Impossible to say who would cope best. Answer is I suppose who strengthened the most.
Rovers probably have the best change purely on crowds and the fact barton has managed at this level already.

 

[Chris FGR]

Well with 4 wins in 17 we are coming up in great form, some of our best players have left/are leaving and we don’t have a manager. So we’re obviously going to piss the league.

 

[PuB]

The bestest best team to ever be in league two was Bolton, but they recruited better and became the bestest best team in league one, confirming it by not even troubling the playoffs.

The bestest best team is always Bolton, regardless of the question.

 

[GEORGE]

We may lose a couple of our loanee players but Barton has been promised a competitive budget to be able to compete with Wednesday and Derby. Whether that is enough is anyones guess.

 

[DearneValleyRover]

We may lose a couple of our loanee players but Barton has been promised a competitive budget to be able to compete with Wednesday and Derby. Whether that is enough is anyones guess.

Given that Wednesday had a budget 20x greater than most teams last season with an embargo in place I doubt few budgets will compare, add Derby, Ipswich to the mix plus Portsmouth, Charlton and the Boltalona budgets go out of the window. It’s all about using what you have better than others. Love him or loathe him, Barton does appear to be able to make the best of what he has

 

[BRFC_Gas]

Wycombe is enough to give anyone hope tbf

 

[AdamStag]

I don’t look at any of the sides that went up being any better than mansfield.

clearly they’re up and there’s a chance we won’t go up, i wish rovers and exeter the best - we owe rovers technically as i’d have much rather played northampton than bristol and well yeah here we are.

I was 19 when we were last in league 1 and nearly 38, we’ve had 7 seasons in league 2, would be lovely to give it a go again!

 

[Lancs@(Bantam)]

Very tough call to make, I was very impressed with Mansfield at our place for MH first game in charge, Bristol Rovers looked very good also at there place, Port Vale not so much but still managed to get the better of us over the season, Exeter and FGR no doubt have succeeded with the smallest budgets and that points towards a great togetherness/team spirit etc. And I do think down at these lower levels that counts the most, so on the back of that I'm going for Exeter.

 

[Kauto Star]

Too early to say. All depends on recruitment. Take away key loan players that the clubs had this season, and they would all struggle in league 1.

 

[kieran_vale]

Probably Bristol Rovers but it’s far too early to make any judgment on that. In Rovers case their best players are all loanees so do they get to keep them or find ones as good? All comes down to recruitment really. FGR most likely to struggle as I think their squad appears set to be raided by clubs from higher up so victims of their own success there.

 

[Agombar stool]

The bestest best team to ever be in league two was Bolton, but they recruited better and became the bestest best team in league one, confirming it by not even troubling the playoffs.

The bestest best team is always Bolton, regardless of the question.

Please don't tempt the manchild to come onto this forum, it's been partially blissful without him. Now Exeter are in league 1 the forum's dickheads should now hopefully be gone.

 

[AdamStag]

Please don't tempt the manchild to come onto this forum, it's been partially blissful without him. Now Exeter are in league 1 the forum's dickheads should now hopefully be gone.

oh christ there’s him and masi in league 1.

So there would be a benefit of stopping down after all.

 

[kieran_vale]

oh christ there’s him and masi in league 1.

So there would be a benefit of stopping down after all.

That depends who comes up from the conference. I think Halifax had one poster before they moved over that made them two look like Mensa members.

 

[joethegill]

Personally I'd be surprised if any of the promoted sides finish in the top half next year.

Too many big, well-financed sides clogging the way at the top end of the league for anyone without a fair bit of finance to have a sniff at the play offs. Sheff Weds, Ipswich, Bolton, Pompey, Barnsley, Posh, maybe even Derby depending on their summer. There's 7 clubs already who you'd expect to be at the top end of the league. Plus the regular League One-rs who are likely to do well - Oxford, MK, Wycombe.

Anyone finishing above any of that 10 has done very, very well.

 

[AdamStag]

Personally I'd be surprised if any of the promoted sides finish in the top half next year.

Too many big, well-financed sides clogging the way at the top end of the league for anyone without a fair bit of finance to have a sniff at the play offs. Sheff Weds, Ipswich, Bolton, Pompey, Barnsley, Posh, maybe even Derby depending on their summer. There's 7 clubs already who you'd expect to be at the top end of the league. Plus the regular League One-rs who are likely to do well - Oxford, MK, Wycombe.

Anyone finishing above any of that 10 has done very, very well.

If we were fortunate enough to go up i’d be very happy with somewhere like 16th or whatever.

If lincoln cambridge and morecambe can go up and survive then there’s absolutely no reason why either mansfield or port vale wouldn’t.

But you’re right there’s some proper whoppers of sides in there.

 

[valefan16]

It’s always hard to judge, we finished third last time we went up and no one gave us much chance then finished 9th, Gillingham who won the league struggled far more.

You’d anticipate Vale, Mansfield and Bristol Rovers investing and having good managers, Exeter seem to bring through good kids, FGR losing key players would be a blow and might find it hardest but depends how well they invest and their manager situation. Not sure how long Stephens is out too?

 

[Essex2Wessex]

As we're going to have to largely rebuild, I forecast a struggle for us. Think this would have been true had Edwards stayed, in any case, but his buggering off maybe makes things worse, even if his shortcomings were already becoming evident.

Hoping for better than a repeat of our first season in L2, or of what happened to Barrow after Evatt left them having gained promotion. We have a decent DoF and a good owner so maybe not everything is terrible. But we'll see.

On the other hand, if Accrington Stanley, especially, can stay up year after year, there must be a way, with good leadership and teamwork, to make it work...
I'd expect our Bristolian neighbours to do well, if they keep up what they were doing late the past season and if their manager stays out of trouble.
Exeter should stay up, and I don't see why Mansfield or Vale wouldn't either.

That said, looks like a tough division next season, so many big clubs. The three up-four down system and, at the moment (presuming all works out for Derby) absence of obvious crisis clubs who will plummet are additional factors.

As for us.... We'll see

 

[valefan16]

If we were fortunate enough to go up i’d be very happy with somewhere like 16th or whatever.

If lincoln cambridge and morecambe can go up and survive then there’s absolutely no reason why either mansfield or port vale wouldn’t.

But you’re right there’s some proper whoppers of sides in there.

The main aim would be finish as close to top of League One B… As there seems a massive split between the top 10/12 and the rest in terms of quality.

 

[leedsvaliant]

If we were to get up, I'd imagine that Carol would throw a fair budget at it. Their company, Synectics, have thrived during Covid and our crowds and income have been up this last season. Nowhere near some of the bigger clubs of course, but with smart recruitment you just never know.

 

[Gassy]

Based on the squad of players in the last game(s) of the season, the top 3 would stay up - but would be astonished if any finished above 10th. Probably 12-18th more realistic.

From what I saw in the games, FGR & Exeter were streets ahead. But FGR look set to be raided and anything could happen there. Exeter I fully expect to get midtable.

Ourselves, it’s so hard to say. All our best players were either loans or on 1 year deals, depends if we get them back and improve or have to rebuild again. Like has already been mentioned though, Barton can certainly work a group of players and he can definitely attract them in.

Of the play off teams I’d say none have looked good enough tbh. Vale looked good at our place in December though. Both have good managers though so would have a good chance.

L1 is sadly becoming a mini championship at the top. I’m pleased that Sunderland are finally up. But you can be fairly confident that Ipswich, Wednesday, Derby, Pompey, Barnsley, Peterborough, Charlton, Bolton will always be look at top 10. Then of course you have the MK Dons, Oxford, Plymouth, Wycombe etc who will be competitive. Tough league

 

[Conker]

I can see JR getting cheque book out a bit more significantly if we got promoted, not that’s it’s a sure way to success but we do have a manager that’s very experienced at the level.

Everyone predicted Cambridge to get relegated mind.

 

[AdamStag]

I can see JR getting cheque book out a bit more significantly if we got promoted, not that’s it’s a sure way to success but we do have a manager that’s very experienced at the level.

Everyone predicted Cambridge to get relegated mind.

I think if we did make it up we could realistically be looking at averaging 7,000 or so given the away followings. Given he won’t have budgeted for larger crowds at the end of the season or the money from the playoffs i think it’s fair to say clough would get backed.

 

[masi51]

Based on the squad of players in the last game(s) of the season, the top 3 would stay up - but would be astonished if any finished above 10th. Probably 12-18th more realistic.

From what I saw in the games, FGR & Exeter were streets ahead. But FGR look set to be raided and anything could happen there. Exeter I fully expect to get midtable.

Ourselves, it’s so hard to say. All our best players were either loans or on 1 year deals, depends if we get them back and improve or have to rebuild again. Like has already been mentioned though, Barton can certainly work a group of players and he can definitely attract them in.

Of the play off teams I’d say none have looked good enough tbh. Vale looked good at our place in December though. Both have good managers though so would have a good chance.

L1 is sadly becoming a mini championship at the top. I’m pleased that Sunderland are finally up. But you can be fairly confident that Ipswich, Wednesday, Derby, Pompey, Barnsley, Peterborough, Charlton, Bolton will always be look at top 10. Then of course you have the MK Dons, Oxford, Plymouth, Wycombe etc who will be competitive. Tough league

A good and fair review

 

[BarrieOwl]

A good and fair revue

Review you fucking moron.