Slightly weaker in my view. Today's result is good news for us.
Sunderland would have been stronger than Wayne Rooney's Derby County. Barnsley and Rotherham are similar, but Wigan have bigger resources than Peterborough.
I think Wycombe will be weaker next season. The squad is ageing but I suspect Bolton will be stronger. They have brought well this last few windows.
The L2 promoted teams are a similar size to those relegated. Indeed Afc Wombles, Doncaster and Gillingham had been fancied by some to do well last season.
Slightly weaker as above. But I'm really looking forward to next season. Forest green the new ground for me. I'm expecting us to do nothing next season but plan to be at 18 of the away games.
all depends if the main teams can keep their star players and/or strengthen during the close season .. Wigan were outsiders to go up this season, so it's too early to jump to conclusions .. we need a manager and at least half a dozen quality players in a s a p to have a hope of competing .. I would say next season's teams look at least as strong as this season's
I’ll be very surprised if next season sees as many teams with 80+ points. I think the standard of the top 7 or 8 this season was ridiculously high for this level.
all depends if the main teams can keep their star players and/or strengthen during the close season .. Wigan were outsiders to go up this season, so it's too early to jump to conclusions .. we need a manager and at least half a dozen quality players in a s a p to have a hope of competing .. I would say next season's teams look at least as strong as this season's
Smaller clubs that overachieve tend to get picked off in the following summer for their best players, and indeed their manager.
Ipswich, Wednesday and Bolton will all be strong. Totally unclear how the 3 relegated will fare; you would expect them to be strong. Oxford, MKD and Plymouth will all lose players so will need good recruitment to stay up near the top. Pompey have owners who can spend if they want.
Overall the better teams look slightly weaker or at least a couple smaller in number but the lesser teams look better to me.
At this moment with our squad I don't know which end we will be competing in.
I think the division is stronger than last. Derby problems get solved they are likely to have buying power. Barnsley will keep most of their team and the same with Posh. Then Bolton have been improving as have Ipswich. Sheff Wed depends on how they tweak their squad as they will be cost cutting. Oxford, Plymouth and Pompey still look like top 8 material. I don't see them making wholesale changes. Wycombe, depends if the manager sticks around.
Then there is always a dark horse that you don't expect to be up there.
A club of our stature and budget should be up there in the mix. You would expect lessons have been learnt regarding our recruitment and there in lies next seasons hopes together with the right manager appointment.
Derby could be absolutely anything , if they get the new ownership done and keep Rooney they could do a Wigan and just turn it completely around in one season but then on other the hand could go the other way and sink even further.
Of the other two relegated clubs I suspect Barnsley and Peterborough to be right up there in a similar way to Rotherham both are always good league one teams when in this division and both retain players who have done well at this level previously
Plymouth still have plenty of good players under contract as do Oxford and both were very unlucky to miss out on the playoffs with their repspective points totals , they along with MK Dons will all face the prospect of holding on to their best players after a season of over achieving this though and as we’ve seen with likes Lincoln this year , can fall apart very quickly, I think Wycombe can be put in to this bracket too now
Bolton , Sheffield Wednesday, Charlton , Portsmouth and Ipswich are all in the bracket of sleeping giants in this division but with so many teams getting stuck down here for seasons don’t just assume if you have a big budget and fan base that means automatic success as we’ve with all of these clubs it does not.
Of the rest you always get one of the smaller budget teams who just play horribly enough to grind out horrible wins.
I imagine MKD and Plymouth are vulnerable to having their best players poached, whereas Wycombe are to me more typical lower division scrappers who maximise their points via playing to their strengths. Wycombe have quite an old team too
I don’t think anyone can predict anything with any kind of real confidence right now. Even in the next couple of weeks by around 6th June you’re likely to have a lot of change.
We ought to have a manager and signed at least someone. That will somewhat change our outlook on things.
I do agree though that I feel Bolton are likely to be stronger next season. They have a nucleus of a good side and seem to have recruited well recently.
We will also see a couple of clubs do far better than people think right now.
MK finished 13th and Plymouth 18th last season, this season it was 3rd and 7th.
Wigan stayed up by a point last season yet won the league this season, albeit spending a lot of money.
Gillingham finished 10th yet ended up going down this season with much of the same team.
Pre-season is just around the corner and we have to get a move on getting things in place: a manager, recruitment, friendlies, are we going away on a short trip? There is a lot to do in very little time.
The season starts in 10 weeks. We have had almost 25% of the time between season ending and new season starting already.
I don’t see how Sandgaard can think we will be okay if we went to pre-season without a manager in place. That’s delusional. I feel we will make an appointment this week and really look to kick on. Last thing anyone wants is a worse summer than last year, but it is possible the longer this drags on.
I don’t think anyone can predict anything with any kind of real confidence right now. Even in the next couple of weeks by around 6th June you’re likely to have a lot of change.
We ought to have a manager and signed at least someone. That will somewhat change our outlook on things.
I do agree though that I feel Bolton are likely to be stronger next season. They have a nucleus of a good side and seem to have recruited well recently.
We will also see a couple of clubs so far better than people think right now.
MK finished 13th and Plymouth 18th last season, this season it was 3rd and 7th.
Wigan stayed up by a point last season yet won the league this season, albeit spending a lot of money.
Gillingham finished 10th yet ended up going down this season with much of the same team.
Pre-season is just around the corner and we have to get a move on getting things in place: a manager, recruitment, friendlies, are we going away on a short trip? There is a lot to do in very little time.
The season starts in 10 weeks. We have had almost 25% of the time between season ending and new season starting already.
I don’t see how Sandgaard can think we will be okay if we went to pre-season without a manager in place. That’s delusional. I feel we will make an appointment this week and really look to kick on. Last thing anyone wants is a worse summer than last year, but it is possible the longer this drags on.
Great post Sage. You are correct in that this week is the crunch week imo. If we dont have a Manager in place by the end of the week ready to start the rebuild even I will start to worry that the negative posters may have a point. If you look at the teams in League One this season it isnt the time to mess about and not get things right, if we leave things as late as last season things could get messy
I agree with Sage that Thomas Sandgaard will have a new manager installed by June 1st by the latest. I know sometimes there isn't a crossover with business acumen to football acumen but Thomas Sandgaard realises he needs to sell season tickets and get the process moving. Words won't cut it any more; only action. There will be no repeat of last season and playing the waiting game, as there was with players.
He can't have a situation where some of the crowd turn on the players so early in the season again. If you weren't there you won't understand how depressing it is to hear that when new players need encouragement not abuse. @Stu_of_Kunming
Barnsley and Rotherham and a poor man's Fulham and Norwich, they seem to swap divisions most season. So that's like for like for me.
Wayne Rooney's Derby Country are very much in the same situation Wigan were last year and it could go either way.
Peterborough aren't Sunderland by any stretch but already have a very good core of league 1 players. I cant see them finishing outside the top 8.
Bolton and Ipswich will be better than last season.
Oxford will probably get about 75 points again and not go up.
Wycombe and Plymouth will probably lose some players, Plymouth have a different manager to last summer Wycombe might as well. I can see them being worse.
MK Dons and Portsmouth will probably be about the same level as last season but I expect the points totals to be less different, even if the place difference is the same.
We should finish above Accrington.
It's going to have to be a dramatic turn around for us to get top 10. Of course it can happen.
Why do you say that Callum as it difficult to tell at the moment ? Is 4/1 great value when there are about 10 teams who could all come good. Ipswich will strengthen again and are rightly favourites.
I thought Bolton played with adventure which was a strength in that they go for the jugular (Cafc 1 Bolton 4) but also snatched defeats from the jaws of victory with their attacking intent.
Daft odds. No one's been bought or sold yet. We might suddenly sign 6 players worth £5m each. At least wait until the start of the season & see how all 24 squads match up.
Daft odds. No one's been bought or sold yet. We might suddenly sign 6players worth £5m each. At least wait until the start of the season & see how all 24 squads match up.
I hear that Golfie overheard a businessman at his golf club who has a box at Cafc and is in the medical business that we are going for it big time to blow the opposition out of the water.
Daft odds. No one's been bought or sold yet. We might suddenly sign 6 players worth £5m each. At least wait until the start of the season & see how all 24 squads match up.
Not really, you can have a punt on promotion a minute before the first game of the season but you’ll get market value odds, the team signing 6 5m players will probably be odds on then.
Comments
Sunderland would have been stronger than Wayne Rooney's Derby County. Barnsley and Rotherham are similar, but Wigan have bigger resources than Peterborough.
I think Wycombe will be weaker next season. The squad is ageing but I suspect Bolton will be stronger. They have brought well this last few windows.
The L2 promoted teams are a similar size to those relegated. Indeed Afc Wombles, Doncaster and Gillingham had been fancied by some to do well last season.
Ask me again on the eve of the season.
But I'm really looking forward to next season.
Forest green the new ground for me.
I'm expecting us to do nothing next season but plan to be at 18 of the away games.
Overall the better teams look slightly weaker or at least a couple smaller in number but the lesser teams look better to me.
At this moment with our squad I don't know which end we will be competing in.
8 new grounds for me. Can’t wait to see how many of them are on a Tuesday night.
Then there is always a dark horse that you don't expect to be up there.
A club of our stature and budget should be up there in the mix. You would expect lessons have been learnt regarding our recruitment and there in lies next seasons hopes together with the right manager appointment.
Of the other two relegated clubs I suspect Barnsley and Peterborough to be right up there in a similar way to Rotherham both are always good league one teams when in this division and both retain players who have done well at this level previously
Plymouth still have plenty of good players under contract as do Oxford and both were very unlucky to miss out on the playoffs with their repspective points totals , they along with MK Dons will all face the prospect of holding on to their best players after a season of over achieving this though and as we’ve seen with likes Lincoln this year , can fall apart very quickly, I think Wycombe can be put in to this bracket too now
Bolton , Sheffield Wednesday, Charlton , Portsmouth and Ipswich are all in the bracket of sleeping giants in this division but with so many teams getting stuck down here for seasons don’t just assume if you have a big budget and fan base that means automatic success as we’ve with all of these clubs it does not.
Of the rest you always get one of the smaller budget teams who just play horribly enough to grind out horrible wins.
Early prediction
Peterboro
Barnsley
Sheff Wed
Oxford
MK Dons
Ipswich/Bolton/plymouth
We ought to have a manager and signed at least someone. That will somewhat change our outlook on things.
I do agree though that I feel Bolton are likely to be stronger next season. They have a nucleus of a good side and seem to have recruited well recently.
We will also see a couple of clubs do far better than people think right now.
MK finished 13th and Plymouth 18th last season, this season it was 3rd and 7th.
Wigan stayed up by a point last season yet won the league this season, albeit spending a lot of money.
Gillingham finished 10th yet ended up going down this season with much of the same team.
Pre-season is just around the corner and we have to get a move on getting things in place: a manager, recruitment, friendlies, are we going away on a short trip? There is a lot to do in very little time.
The season starts in 10 weeks. We have had almost 25% of the time between season ending and new season starting already.
I don’t see how Sandgaard can think we will be okay if we went to pre-season without a manager in place. That’s delusional. I feel we will make an appointment this week and really look to kick on. Last thing anyone wants is a worse summer than last year, but it is possible the longer this drags on.
If you look at the teams in League One this season it isnt the time to mess about and not get things right, if we leave things as late as last season things could get messy
He can't have a situation where some of the crowd turn on the players so early in the season again. If you weren't there you won't understand how depressing it is to hear that when new players need encouragement not abuse. @Stu_of_Kunming
Wayne Rooney's Derby Country are very much in the same situation Wigan were last year and it could go either way.
Peterborough aren't Sunderland by any stretch but already have a very good core of league 1 players. I cant see them finishing outside the top 8.
Bolton and Ipswich will be better than last season.
Oxford will probably get about 75 points again and not go up.
Wycombe and Plymouth will probably lose some players, Plymouth have a different manager to last summer Wycombe might as well. I can see them being worse.
MK Dons and Portsmouth will probably be about the same level as last season but I expect the points totals to be less different, even if the place difference is the same.
We should finish above Accrington.
It's going to have to be a dramatic turn around for us to get top 10. Of course it can happen.
11th favourites for promotion, 18/1 for the title.........
New Manager and first couple of signings will tell us alot about which way we are likely to go
Why do you say that Callum as it difficult to tell at the moment ? Is 4/1 great value when there are about 10 teams who could all come good. Ipswich will strengthen again and are rightly favourites.
I thought Bolton played with adventure which was a strength in that they go for the jugular (Cafc 1 Bolton 4) but also snatched defeats from the jaws of victory with their attacking intent.
I hear that Golfie overheard a businessman at his golf club who has a box at Cafc and is in the medical business that we are going for it big time to blow the opposition out of the water.
Pass it on.