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Post by nws on Jul 29, 2018 20:55:07 GMT
...we've tonked a big club like Nottingham Forest 5-0, a Folkestone side that did very well in their league last year, 5-0, and stuck four past a newly promoted Dulwich I can only see a bright season ahead. I hope the naysayers shush up and get behind the boys cos we are play offs at least.
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Post by sonthestone on Jul 29, 2018 22:12:58 GMT
Think your in for a big shock this season then...
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Post by 61666 on Jul 30, 2018 7:19:17 GMT
Not the play offs, please.
League rules still say we go down if we go up. The ground is not yet suitable. We can't pay league wages. If we are successful, other teams will come in and take our best players - Finney, Phillips, Turgott, Loza even.
A solid season, decent home form, a couple of cup runs, no huge winless streaks and anywhere between 9th and 14th on average will do us nicely.
Consolidation, in a word.
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Post by daveu on Jul 30, 2018 7:56:48 GMT
Not the play offs, please. League rules still say we go down if we go up. The ground is not yet suitable. We can't pay league wages. If we are successful, other teams will come in and take our best players - Finney, Phillips, Turgott, Loza even. A solid season, decent home form, a couple of cup runs, no huge winless streaks and anywhere between 9th and 14th on average will do us nicely. Consolidation, in a word. Not a problem. Unless we get the Riverside stand built we won't be eligible for the playoffs anyway. The fact that the ground isn't up to FL standard means the pitch won't be an issue. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 30, 2018 8:47:31 GMT
Not the play offs, please. League rules still say we go down if we go up. The ground is not yet suitable. We can't pay league wages. If we are successful, other teams will come in and take our best players - Finney, Phillips, Turgott, Loza even. A solid season, decent home form, a couple of cup runs, no huge winless streaks and anywhere between 9th and 14th on average will do us nicely. Consolidation, in a word. Not a problem. Unless we get the Riverside stand built we won't be eligible for the playoffs anyway. The fact that the ground isn't up to FL standard means the pitch won't be an issue. The riverside plans have gone very quiet following the public comments about the price of the land required to carry out that development. As thats still not settled as far as I know then those plans we be unlikely to realised by the end of this season as was originally Olivers statement. As Dave says we wont be able to compete unless we have planning permission and can complete the work by the leagues deadlines |
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Post by davec on Jul 30, 2018 11:09:44 GMT
...we've tonked a big club like Nottingham Forest 5-0, a Folkestone side that did very well in their league last year, 5-0, and stuck four past a newly promoted Dulwich I can only see a bright season ahead. I hope the naysayers shush up and get behind the boys cos we are play offs at least. I can't believe your lack of ambition. Anything less than title sewn up before Christmas and FA Cup semi final delivered is a failure and the whole Board must go and drag their sorry Management team with them |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 30, 2018 11:39:20 GMT
Love it when you play devil's advocate NWS. Presumably you were bored yesterday!
If we finish mid table we'll have done alright. That's honestly where I think we are at with this squad but I'm not complaining. As Dave said we aren't ready to go up and can't go up. If the boys play some decent stuff at least sometimes and entertain us, and don't get sucked into a relegation battle, I for one will be happy.
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Post by jdl on Jul 30, 2018 15:26:45 GMT
As good as our squad seems (compared to last season, at least), a realistic look at the signings other teams have made and the money they have available shows just what a battle we've got on our hands. Gone are the days when a good manager on a limited budget could build a side over two or three seasons and do well in the Conference. Nowadays it's only money that counts in the National League. The big teams and the rich newcomers will spend whatever they have to to get out if this league, teams like us will just be left in their wake.
This isn't pessimism, it's reality. Fleet, Fylde, and especially Salford will all be doing their utmost to make it to the promised land of the EFL. The recently relegated EFL sides – Barnet, Chesterfield, Orient – will be pulling out every stop to get back up. And the teams that did well last year – Bromley, Sutton, Boreham Wood , Aldershot, Dover, Wrexham – will almost certainly be having a serious second go.
If you take the likely relegation candidates out of the mix – Barrow, Solihull, Braintree – you're left with a mini 'also-ran' league of Harrogate, Halifax, D&R, Eastleigh, Gateshead, Maidenhead, H&W, Hartlepool – and us. Far from 'worrying' about the play-offs, the reality is that we'll be doing well to come much higher than the last two season's placings.
On the positive side, that's not a bad 'mini league to be part of, and one we could do well in. Our last two placings might make this sound like rampant optimism, but just one more draw in our first season, or a single extra win last season, and 14th and 19th would have been 11th and 14th – and we'd all have been happy with that start.
And that was with a NS team that had to be rebuilt mid-season the first year, and a team that never really clicked last year, and again had to be largely rebuilt. This year's squad looks better than both of those – if Jay can get them working as a team, and we can avoid serious injuries, there's no reason why we can't aim for a good mid-table finish.
The key will be avoiding our by now almost traditional mid-season collapse. That cost us dearly both seasons – without the goals shipped and the points thrown away in those two or three months, our seasons would have been very different. Avoid that this time round, and next year we really will be able to discuss the 'problems' of being in the play-offs!
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Post by daveu on Jul 30, 2018 15:36:04 GMT
As good as our squad seems (compared to last season, at least), a realistic look at the signings other teams have made and the money they have available shows just what a battle we've got on our hands. Gone are the days when a good manager on a limited budget could build a side over two or three seasons and do well in the Conference. Nowadays it's only money that counts in the National League. The big teams and the rich newcomers will spend whatever they have to to get out if this league, teams like us will just be left in their wake. This isn't pessimism, it's reality. Fleet, Fylde, and especially Salford will all be doing their utmost to make it to the promised land of the EFL. The recently relegated EFL sides – Barnet, Chesterfield, Orient – will be pulling out every stop to get back up. And the teams that did well last year – Bromley, Sutton, Boreham Wood , Aldershot, Dover, Wrexham – will almost certainly be having a serious second go. If you take the likely relegation candidates out of the mix – Barrow, Solihull, Braintree – you're left with a mini 'also-ran' league of Harrogate, Halifax, D&R, Eastleigh, Gateshead, Maidenhead, H&W, Hartlepool – and us. Far from 'worrying' about the play-offs, the reality is that we'll be doing well to come much higher than the last two season's placings. On the positive side, that's not a bad 'mini league to be part of, and one we could do well in. Our last two placings might make this sound like rampant optimism, but just one more draw in our first season, or a single extra win last season, and 14th and 19th would have been 11th and 14th – and we'd all have been happy with that start. And that was with a NS team that had to be rebuilt mid-season the first year, and a team that never really clicked last year, and again had to be largely rebuilt. This year's squad looks better than both of those – if Jay can get them working as a team, and we can avoid serious injuries, there's no reason why we can't aim for a good mid-table finish. The key will be avoiding our by now almost traditional mid-season collapse. That cost us dearly both seasons – without the goals shipped and the points thrown away in those two or three months, our seasons would have been very different. Avoid that this time round, and next year we really will be able to discuss the 'problems' of being in the play-offs! Almost traditional? Even in years when we've done well/got promoted we always have a mid season slump. I'd say it's a lot more than "almost" tradition, it's more of a nailed on certainty. |
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Post by jdl on Jul 30, 2018 15:48:59 GMT
Can't argue with that! But as long as it's only a slump, and not a collapse...
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Post by pedant on Jul 30, 2018 16:13:37 GMT
Can't argue with that! But as long as it's only a slump, and not a collapse... Bet you could ! |
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Post by Bernie on Jul 30, 2018 16:59:02 GMT
Given that...a large chunk of our profit is being spent on increased wages. And given that...no new income streams are apparent, don't expect any shiny new stands any time soon..
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Post by jdl on Jul 30, 2018 21:06:06 GMT
Can't argue with that! But as long as it's only a slump, and not a collapse... Bet you could ! Oddly, I rarely, if ever argue. I may disagree or contradict, but I have a personal rule never to reply to posts disagreeing with me more than once (imagine if nws or DaveU did that!). After all, arguments are generally pontless, just two sides constantly repeating their own views. So, once one has made one's point, and then perhaps clarified/corrected it, their is no real point in further 'discussion'. Debates, on the other hand, are worthwhile - but also rather rare on here! My apologies if this seems rather pedantic... |
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Post by jdl on Jul 30, 2018 21:08:26 GMT
Given that...a large chunk of our profit is being spent on increased wages. And given that...no new income streams are apparent, don't expect any shiny new stands any time soon.. Our finanial situation couled now effectively be described as 'no good cup runs, no new building'. |
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Post by nws on Jul 30, 2018 21:58:48 GMT
Oddly, I rarely, if ever argue. I may disagree or contradict, but I have a personal rule never to reply to posts disagreeing with me more than once (imagine if nws or DaveU did that!). After all, arguments are generally pontless, just two sides constantly repeating their own views. So, once one has made one's point, and then perhaps clarified/corrected it, their is no real point in further 'discussion'. Debates, on the other hand, are worthwhile - but also rather rare on here! My apologies if this seems rather pedantic... Another lie. Oh well... |
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