This season's prospects

[juanillo]

So on the eve of a new season, I was wondering what the consensus is on how we will get on this season.

Pre-season has been generally underwhelming, although I'm never quite sure what level of success those results indicate.

I think we look weaker than last season when we didn't go up, and by and large it wasn't a high standard in the division, so I hope I am proved wrong there. It's difficult to ascertain who's going to be strong, although you'd expect Chasetown and Stamford to challenge again. Also there may well be one of two of the promoted teams with momentum.

We really need to get out of Step 4. We have a fanbase which is comfortably larger than most clubs at Step 3. I know that doesn't give us a right to get promoted, but I fear if we don't get out, we could end up meandering along.

[Jonah221]

I hope I’m proven wrong but I think the playoffs is the best we can hope for again. Definitely a weaker team than last year, I know what he did in the playoffs was awful but McCone will be a big miss.
Insall needs to get off to a good start, he works hard but can he turn that into goals? I’m looking forward to the game today but I think it will be tight.

[Rich]

I am very optimistic about this season.
Think we have 3 good centre halves and impressed with both full backs.
Turton and Haywood bring experience to the midfield and both seem to have good engines along with much needed
Manning/Holmes will make us a threat out wide and Insall/Gregory/Cobourne/Smith different options up front.
With Birch Fuller and the 'young lads' on the bench all full of energy to change a game along with Charlton's influence I would say we are in a better position than this time last season.

Also last season was the first pre covid and the Management team knew nothing really of our opponents.
I think we have the best management team in the lreague and they have had a season learning about teams so all in all as I said I think a good season lies before us

[Tranter78]

I think Last seasons team looked stronger but disappeared when it was needed most. This season’s team has that bit of grit about it and somehow seem tighter as a unit. So my prediction is playoff winners

[lutleyyeltz]

Plain and simple - we'll be promoted as Champions.
This squad, from what I have heard from a reliable source, has the best togetherness and team determination that a fans' favourite and a well respected player has ever known.
Put this with, in my opinion, the quality of players we have on board then we are on course for a league winning season.

[AwayDayYeltz]

Without wanting to sound arrogant, promotion has to be the only aim. If we don’t earn promotion this season, it will ultimately be a disappointing campaign. I think most fans will agree with that sentiment, as will players and coaching staff, and Karen and Keith. I think that’s a fair expectation, given our level of support, and budget. (I don’t claim to know our, or the rest of the leagues budget, but surely it’s a safe assumption to believe we’re up the top of the budget table?)

However, the difference between this season, and last, from a personal point of view, is last year I expected us to win the league and gain promotion via that means. That was probably an unrealistic expectation from me, as it was clearly a very strong league. We had a second chance via the lottery of the play offs, and although I feel we were desperately unlucky not to beat Chasetown, after being the better team on the night, and suffering a crushing loss due to a moment of madness, we ultimately failed in our promotion goal.

Whereas this season, I expect us to reach the play-offs and would be happy with that, and if we win the league, that would be a bonus (I see no reason why we can’t, but I’m trying to be more realistic). Chasetown, Corby, Stamford, ourselves, and perhaps a dark horse will all be vying for automatic promotion. It’s going to be another tough season, which will no doubt see plenty of twists and turns. It will be a tough league to win. However, if it is to be the play offs, again, we need to win them.

In terms of squad – I do, in all honesty, believe we are weaker in terms of footballing quality. I expect there will be a number of games this year where teams could out-football us, which will be a first under Paul Smith. The likes of Hawker, Lait, Finn and Bunn will be a miss in terms of playing possession football, and creativity. I also believe McCone will be a big loss, no matter what happened in his last game, he was still a colossal player, and leader, for us overall.

That being said, I think this squad maybe more balanced, have a better work ethic, and won’t get bullied out of games, like we have done in the past. Whilst the quality may not be as good, we may just have a better ‘team’, that will grind out results that we couldn’t last season, such as the likes of Stamford away, Corby away, Shepshed away, Belper away.

I think the XI that started Saturday was a very strong line-up. Then you add in injured players like Manning and Redhead (Some player, if he gets back to anything like he was before his injury), together with some talented youth players (Funge in particular, who I hope will force his way into the starting line-up) means we have a very solid looking squad.

I’m actually very cautiously optimistic. Time will tell.

[old git]

won’t get bullied out of games, like we have done in the past.

Agree with most of what you say, but the above is the absolute key point for me. I couldn’t believe how it was so easy last season for some teams to bully us. Crap footballing sides like Coleshill, with their Sunday morning mentality, wound us up and we just lay down without a fight.

[andy]

That's probably just it. We need players who have got that bit of everything. It's no good ultimately having 3 or 4 good quality players who maybe aren't up for the fight. 9 good solid all-rounders who do their job well and a couple of 'who knows what's coming next game changers' could be just the ticket. Who knows, maybe this year's might be better in the games where we are up against it. I'm with Lutley though, we really do have to win this outright. Play offs are nothing but a lottery for even the best of teams.

[andy]

Also I know most people think Hawker may be the difficult one to replace but for me it's McCone. Whether we are playing a 4 or a 3/5 he marshalled it very well and was a quality centre half to boot. If we get that partnership right we're halfway there. Puts a confidence through the whole team.

[piearce9]

I was previously of the view that we needed to keep McCone. However, as preseason has progressed, I’ve changed my mind. I think it’s best for the team, and McCone himself probably, to have a fresh start.

Same goes with a few of the other players. Sad to see them leave but the squad needed a facelift. The mentality of the dressing room has changed, for the better.

This squad is very strong and I’m firmly in Camp Lutley. I’m feeling positive, even if the season is only a few days old.