Next season - Early thoughts

[Si Robin]

I just remember back to when Dan Holman was gonna rip this division to shreds.

But for picking up an injury in pre-season he bloody well would have. Such a shame to see how his career tailed off.

I sincerely hope Salford don't come up. Not just because they're a vanity project with no fans who the media will masturbate over for 46 games solid and pretend they're some kind of Cinderella story when actually the fairy-tale that best describes them is Rumpelstiltskin (for the uninitiated, it's a cautionary tale about the perils of being able to magic gold out of thin air).

Mainly, I hope they don't come up because they will ruin everything. They're like a pisstake when you get bored of ChampMan and hack the database.

By some distance this is the truest thing I've ever read on here.


Regarding ourselves, our budget is apparently being cut, but we're hopeful of a playoff push next season. Duff has really got the fans onside this summer and with out form in the last 20 or so games being playoff form there's a hope it continues. The summer will be massive though.

 

[LeonTheGreen]

Hate to come down here feeling snobby but if we get this managerial appointment right, I really think we should be chasing promotion. When we got relegated in 2011 we were in admin and had a squad full of kids. Completely different circumstances now. This team should never of been relegated from League One.

I’d like Paul Hurst myself. Financially I’d expect us to be one of the big boys as well, our chairman has got a lot of money and he’s an Argyle fan himself, just boils down to how much he’s willing to put in.

 

[LeonTheGreen]

We also have 20 goal a season strike Freddie Ladapo under contract... given his past career before joining us, I think that was the biggest shock of the season! We rejected 400k from Sunderland in January.

 

[Son of Cod]

I'm sick of these squads that are good enough to do well in L1 coming down, à la Bury, MK Dons, Plymouth, probably Walsall. Just do your fucking job the season before and send some crap teams down please.

 

[Indian Dan]

Oi, do you mean us?

 

[Son of Cod]

Oi, do you mean us?

Yeah exactly, send more Swindons please!

 

[LeonTheGreen]

I'm sick of these squads that are good enough to do well in L1 coming down, à la Bury, MK Dons, Plymouth, probably Walsall. Just do your fucking job the season before and send some crap teams down please.

Hahaha, to be fair that post could come back and bite me in the Arse this time next year!

 

[Son of Cod]

Hahaha, to be fair that post could come back and bite me in the Arse this time next year!

Bookmarked just in case! Hurst would be a good appointment though, he'd sort your defence out and if given a top 5 (I'd imagine that you'll maybe have this?) budget I'd back him to get you to at least the playoffs within two seasons, maybe higher and maybe sooner. I still think he could get a L1 job though.

 

[shoddycollins]

Yeah exactly, send more Swindons please!

Just a couple of Chesterfields would be more than enough for me.

 

[ProfessorGreen]

Would like to think we'll be top 7 and with a good season top 3.

Fingers crossed FGR and Newport stay down. Be nice to have a few shorter trips this season with Swindon and Cheltenham too. L1 is north as f*ck.

 

[Posh Harry]

Fenty gave us the 17th best budget in league 2 and we finished 17th! He’s cutting the cloth for next season..........figure!

Why have you said that?

Fenty has publicly admitted that the budget was too low and is something he would be looking to rectify next season.

 

[Son of Cod]

Assuming you meant to say L2... don't worry you'll get used to it.

How so anyway? The only teams North of the M62 next season will be Carlisle, Morecambe, Oldham, Bradford and either Salford or Fylde; and you were with Bradford in L1 so you can hardly use them as an example.

At least one of FGR and Newport will definitely be here next season and there's a chance of even fewer Northern teams should Tranmere go up.

L2 has been South as fuck for about two years now. Currently it's looking like the majority of the league will be in one of two broad bands of clubs, either in the South or across the North Midlands / Cheshire.

Looks like the L1 you were in last season was significantly more Northern/distant from Plymouth with Sunderland and a swathe of Northern teams strung out between Fleetwood and Donny while Bristol Rovers were the only other south-western team.

No, that's what he was saying...he's hoping FGR and Newport stay down because L1 is well North. Usually a safe pair of hands at the back, but Shoddy has dropped a clanger there.

 

[shoddycollins]

Would like to think we'll be top 7 and with a good season top 3.

Fingers crossed FGR and Newport stay down. Be nice to have a few shorter trips this season with Swindon and Cheltenham too. L1 is north as f*ck.

Just looked at the L1 you came down from. When you got promoted a couple years back we should have just arranged for you to stay down here while we go up to L1.

Comparatively it looks like teams will be fairly spread out in L2 next season with most split between two broad bands, one between Merseyside and Humberside and the other between The Severn and The Wash

 

[shoddycollins]

No, that's what he was saying...he's hoping FGR and Newport stay down because L1 is well North. Usually a safe pair of hands at the back, but Shoddy has dropped a clanger there.

I blame ProfessorGreen for using the wrong tense. L1 WAS North as fuck... L1 IS North as fuck makes it sound like he's referring to the division Plymouth are competing in now. The cross he put in to me there was bending all over the place, not my bad if I fumbled it.

 

[shoddycollins]

By some distance this is the truest thing I've ever read on here.

Salford coming up could be a blessing in disguise if Operation Premier League fails spectacularly. If they were to go back down again they'd surely disappear without a trace, and we don't even need to feel guilty about wishing relegation on them as they have no fans so nobody will shed a tear if they do go down. Not even likely their number one fan considering he's an Oldham fan who got bored of league football about nine years ago.

Surely FFP will have an effect on them, they won't be able to poach players from two divisions above. They'll be in a catch 22 where they can't make enough money to avoid making cuts in line with FFP unless they increase their ticket prices, but if they try and do that they'll then find that nobody in their right mind wants to pay more than a tenner to watch Salford, or travel away to watch them if they aren't given free transport and a pie and chips.

 

[Casey]

That was hilarious when you took Poleon and Vincelot off us, can we interest you in one Josh Wright barely used?

Vincelot played every game under Harry Kewell as a centre back and got found out for being too small. When Cioffi came in (Kewell went to save the pies) he didn't play again and was allowed to leave for Shrewsbury where he helped them stay up.
Poleon has been our sub nearly all season. The only time he got a run of games was when Palmer had Xmas off and to be fair he did ok.

I'd have Hope Akpan back!

Casey

 

[LS Bantam]

Vincelot played every game under Harry Kewell as a centre back and got found out for being too small. When Cioffi came in (Kewell went to save the pies) he didn't play again and was allowed to leave for Shrewsbury where he helped them stay up.
Poleon has been our sub nearly all season. The only time he got a run of games was when Palmer had Xmas off and to be fair he did ok.

I'd have Hope Akpan back!

Casey

Get in touch re Akpan, free to a good home as we’re desperate to lose as much of our under contract crap as possible.

 

[Bottega Don]

Sounded like Dawson was gonna get it permanently the other day but now it sounds like we're going to announce Paul Hurst as our manager tomorrow.

I would be very happy with that appointment. Will maybe give us the motivation to actually win a local derby this year.

 

[E10rifle]

Hate to come down here feeling snobby but if we get this managerial appointment right, I really think we should be chasing promotion. When we got relegated in 2011 we were in admin and had a squad full of kids. Completely different circumstances now. This team should never of been relegated from League One.

Enough about how brilliant your relegated squad is; what I want to know is how are your ballboys coping with their PTSD now you’re playing us again?

 

[E10rifle]

Don’t think there’s going to be much of an overhaul at Orient. No more than four or five in as the majority of the squad will be kept together. We’ll almost certainly lose Josh Koroma - which is a shame because he provides the x-factor in tight games - but I think we’ll hang on to Ekpiteta, Bonne and our other better players. The ageless Jobi McAnuff will lace them up yet again, but we have glaring deficiencies at both full back/wing back slots and in midfield depth. I’d take a season of mid-table consolidation.

 

[Indian Dan]

Brophy won’t cut the mustard.

 

[Son of Cod]

Sounded like Dawson was gonna get it permanently the other day but now it sounds like we're going to announce Paul Hurst as our manager tomorrow.

I would be very happy with that appointment. Will maybe give us the motivation to actually win a local derby this year.

Haha, somebody sound the Fishy meltdown klaxon please.

 

[The Terminator]

Brophy won’t cut the mustard.

He is an odd one, talented and was too good for the National League - But sometimes you just don't think mentally he has it to go with his talent and speed - Hence why he ended up with us in the National League.

 

[LeonTheGreen]

Enough about how brilliant your relegated squad is; what I want to know is how are your ballboys coping with their PTSD now you’re playing us again?

I see despite your stint in the National League, you lot are still the same

 

[Sydney Posse]

Now our retained list is out there, it looks very youthful, with a significant percentage of the squad with few or no appearances between them. This could be a really blessing, as Matt the manager managed them all as they came through the academy and knows them well. We definitely need to add some experienced pro's in key areas though. I think we are fine in midfield with what we have even if Boateng goes, but we need a decent new keeper (Pym definitely going by all acocunts) and at least 2 more front men. In my view a RB and LB would not go amiss either. We have to hang onto Law. If we recruit well, I expect us to make the playoffs. As for others, not really sure, a bit early as need to see who signs well etc, but money talks so expect Bradford to do well, and Mansfield if they are still with us. Not sure about the Janners, they SHOULD do well, but you never know with that lot down the road !