Next season's prospects

[juanillo]

Now that it's confirmed we'll be in the new Midland set up next season (barring any mishaps), I just wondered how many of the squad will be around.

Several people have already suggested that there is a core of half a dozen or more players who would be good enough to form a team challenging near the top.

However, under normal circumstances we'd have been comfortably relegated and we have scored fewest goals in the division and ordinarily, I doubt people would be so positive about the squad as it has fallen well short.

So I am not sure how we would have the makings of a promotion chasing team, even allowing for some changes.

At least on current form, there are a few poor teams we could finish above next season, such as St Ives, Lowestoft (if they survive), King's Langley and Dunstable.

As a postscript we may now get Bishop's Stortford instead of Dunstable after Gosport won 7-0 against Frome yesterday. Previously all season they had won 2 drawn 5 and lost 35 with a goal diff of -114. So how does that happen?!

[offmehead]

RE Gosport, Perhaps Steve Claridge has returned there. He`d be better than his Radio Punditry!

[The Reasonable Man]

As a postscript we may now get Bishop's Stortford instead of Dunstable after Gosport won 7-0 against Frome yesterday. Previously all season they had won 2 drawn 5 and lost 35 with a goal diff of -114. So how does that happen?!

Don't know all the circumstances but Frome kicked off with ten men and no subs. Injuries and suspensions, and with the deadline passed the League wouldn't allow "emergency" signings, is one explanation I've seen, but whether there's more to it I don't know.

[The Reasonable Man]

Compare goal differences this season.

NPL top five:

Altrincham +56
Warrington +24
Grantham +34
Ashton +24
Farsley +12

SL top five:

Hereford +73
Kings Lynn +58
Kettering +63
Weymouth +52
Slough +57

NPL bottom two:

Halesowen -30
Sutton -55

SL bottom two:

Gosport -107
Dunstable -107

I've always felt that the NPL is far more competitive from 1 to 24 as a League than the SL, regardless of the comparative qualities. Those figures seem to bear that out.

[piearce9]

The three months in between now and August will have a strong bearing on how next season plays out. More than anything, we absolutely must have change in the boardroom before anything else can progress, so just cross fingers and toes until that's all been done and dusted.

Everything "on the pitch" (and/or touchline) hangs on this as well, but you do need some level of continuity between seasons and so we should try and retain at least five or six of this season's key performers.

The change in leagues should favour us. Firstly, it does cut travel times (and costs) significantly, and we should again be one of the better supported clubs in this new set-up. Secondly, the reduction to 22 teams will be better; a 46 game season is way too much at this level. Thirdly, it looks as though it will be a very open division - there aren't any of the (major) phoenix clubs or crazy spenders in the mix as things stand- so you'd struggle to pick a winner. And lastly, I honestly believe our time in the NLP will have improved us.

So lots of reasons to feel positive- I just hope it all comes together.

[old git]

It was interesting talking to a guy at one of our recent matches who said he was with the FA and travelled around all matches at step 1 to 3 gauging progress of referees
He made the point that he had now seen nearly every team in the Northern, Southern and Isthmian play this season, some more than once, and his opinion was that the majority of the NPL teams making up the new league would dominate it, as the quality in the Southern is not good and the Isthmian is even poorer.
Be interesting to see if he is right.

[The Reasonable Man]

I think Kettering and King's Lynn will challenge (assuming one of them doesn't win the play-offs). Slough almost certainly won't be in the Division, Weymouth certainly won't. Those goal difference stats mark the top five out as a cut above the rest. I'm not convinced of the strength below those - but it's four years since we've played any of those clubs. Hitchin, Chesham (who probably won't be in the Central Division) and Banbury are good clubs but I don't know their playing strength these days. Look down the SL table and there's a few clubs with shaky recent pasts there. The NPL just seems to be a very solid Division in comparison, almost all clubs with some kind of substance to them throughout our four seasons there - no easy games, as the cliché goes. Even clubs like Belper, Ramsbottom and Skelmersdale who have struggled at times seem to have had a bit about them off the field.

[juanillo]

A possible line up, based on current positions:

I think it may be the weakest of the four divisions, which may be just as well...

A.F.C. Rushden & Diamonds - v likely
Alvechurch - likely
Barwell
Biggleswade Town
Bishop's Stortford - dependent upon promotions/relegations, could be Dunstable
Coalville Town
Halesowen Town
Hednesford Town
Hitchin Town
Kettering Town - could be King's Lynn or both, dependent upon promotions/relegations
Leiston - likely but could be promoted to National League South
Lowestoft Town
Needham Market
Redditch United
Royston Town
Rushall Olympic
St. Ives Town
St. Neots Town
Stafford Rangers
Stourbr*dge
Stratford Town
Tamworth

[AwayDayYeltz]

It all depends what happens in the summer with regards who stays and who goes player wise, but regardless of who is manager I’d expect a play off push as a minimum.

We are better than second bottom at this level and such positions shouldn't be the accepted standard.

[juanillo]

I agree we need to set our sights higher, but we're going to have to improve significantly to do that, as I don't think we currently are better than a bottom 4 side. Last season was poor, let alone this season, so in order to be pushing for a top 6 finish we'd need to have even more of a turnaround than Wolves managed this season. It's all relative, but that kind of upturn involved wholesale changes at managerial and player level, and money of course.