23/24 season

[Rammy03]

Recruitment needs to be good but top 2 should absolutely be the target. It's taken Sheff Wed 2 seasons to get back, should be the same for us really.

[Andicis]

Top two is the target. Top 6 is the very bare minimum. Any less than that is an abject failure. We've had a year to acclimatise and get settled under Clowes, time to get out of this rubbish league. 

[Ramslad1992]

Top 1 or bust

[Andicis]

2 hours ago, Topram said:

Reading Bolton Barnsley blackpool Pompey etc still a very tough league, we have to recruit well to get us in a position where we can get enough points for top 2 .. 

Ipswich, Wendies and Plymouth are very likely stronger than the clubs that have replaced them. If we're honest it doesn't look like a particularly tough division next year compared to how it has looked in recent years. None of the named clubs have anything close to the finances of Ipswich/Wednesday or probably even us in our current form. 

[Sheff Ram]

My HOPE is Top 2. My expectation is Top 6. With more of a run-up and a year's experience under our belts, we have to improve on this year's 7th position. Anything else would be a step backwards and a failure for me.

But nothing is certain in football and it is fine margins. But surely we can't be the subject to such piss-poor officiating that we have suffered this season?

COYR

Edited May 29, 2023 by Sheff Ram

[Ambitious]

Considering the commercial benefits of having nearly 10,000 more fans than the second closest team in the league and all the associated sponsorship opportunities we should be afforded to us over our league counterparts. The club would have to make some bad decisions and essentially be poorly run not to be promoted next season. Obviously, nothing is given, but its definitely a test of competence for everyone at the club from the top down to see if we have the right people in the building for a progressive football club or do we need to go back to the drawing board with a few key appointments. 

[Ram1988]

4 hours ago, Kernow said:

It's impossible to say until we've signed some players. We could have a really good window, or a terrible one. Either way it guarantees nothing come the first day of the season.

But with the potential for us to recruit, and almost everything we can offer as a club being better than our League One competition, this really is a big chance for us. Bookies have us at 5/1 to win the league, it was 6/1 before the final so it shows that they think our biggest competition is now gone. I'm surprised the odds are so short given the squad we currently have. Maybe in a couple months, but that isn't a great bet right now.

I agree. Until we have started to sign some players how can compare our squad to others? And if we feel the team has improved or not. Right now we have surley the smallest squad in the league.

[maydrakin]

I would like to think we should be able to push for promotion this season, but until we know who we’re bringing in, we can only hope.

We do look extremely light up top, and getting a decent striker or two is never simple.

[BramcoteRam84]

My hope is we win the league. My expectation is promotion, either top 2 or via  the playoffs.

If we started next season with the same squad I think we would get top 6 given the competition. The recruitment needs to be right but the bookies have us favourites for a reason. With less restrictions this summer and a full recruitment team and full preseason there’s no excuses. 

[Tamworthram]

9 hours ago, Ramslad1992 said:

Top 1 or bust

Heck. Mel really is back on the forum.

[BuckoBeast]

Top 6

[Foreveram]

The bookmakers have us 5/1 favourites to win the league.

[MadAmster]

Hope is Champions. Expectation is top 6. All will, of course, be dependent on recruitment but, especially now we are allowed to pay moderate fees, we should be able to improve the squad in both quantity and quality and go on to finish higher than last season.

Those mentioning we will still be everybody's Cup Final are correct.

Referees? Those expecting anything better than this season (Rebecca Welch apart...) will be disappointed. Refereeing standards will be much the same as this season. Poor. 

With regard to opposition, I'd have preferred Barnsley to go up. They have a young team that will be at least as good next season. Wendy have an old squad and, IMO, this was last chance saloon for them as they wouldn't have lasted the pace. Chuffed for Darren Moore but he now has a huge job on his hands replacing about half the squad with younger players. 

[IlsonDerby]

3 GKs 

3/4 proper WBs 

5 CBs 

4 CM 

6 Forwards (10s, attacking mids, strikers - anyone to play in his front 3) 

GK: JW, ?, ? 
WBs: ?, ?, ?, ? 
CBs: EC, CF, ?, ?, ?
CM: MB, CH, KS, ? 
Forwards: JC, LS, NML, ?, ?, ?
 

Squad of 22 with Rooney, Thompson, Oduroh and a few other youngsters like D Robinson utilised in the JPT etc 

I would let Barkhuizen go if we’re not playing with wide forwards. 
Also assume Knight and Bielik are heading out. 
 

13 signings minimum. 
Hope Didzy and Roberts resign. 
I’d also quite like Dobbin back as something different the way he just gets on and runs at players. Granted his finishing needs some work but he’s an exciting player. 
10 new players. Granted some will have played with Warne previously but that’s still a hell of a lot of players to gel. 
 

Going to be a slow start and hopefully a season that improves as the players begin to gel. 
 

Let’s say that Loach resigns as does the lad from FGR, that’s down to 8 outfield signings left to sign. 
 

 

[TomTom92]

1 minute ago, MadAmster said:

Hope is Champions. Expectation is top 6. All will, of course, be dependent on recruitment but, especially now we are allowed to pay moderate fees, we should be able to improve the squad in both quantity and quality and go on to finish higher than last season.

Those mentioning we will still be everybody's Cup Final are correct.

Referees? Those expecting anything better than this season (Rebecca Welch apart...) will be disappointed. Refereeing standards will be much the same as this season. Poor. 

With regard to opposition, I'd have preferred Barnsley to go up. They have a young team that will be at least as good next season. Wendy have an old squad and, IMO, this was last chance saloon for them as they wouldn't have lasted the pace. Chuffed for Darren Moore but he now has a huge job on his hands replacing about half the squad with younger players. 

Believe Duff is linked with the Huddersfield job, so hopefully he'll go down this route and they'll appoint a plonker.

[MadAmster]

10 minutes ago, TomTom92 said:

Believe Duff is linked with the Huddersfield job, so hopefully he'll go down this route and they'll appoint a plonker.

Hope you're right Tom lad but all we can go on is how things currently are. With that in mind I still think we'd have been better off with Barnsley getting promoted due to Wendy's aging squad.

[Ram@Lincoln]

As others have said, the only teams that I thought were actually any good and outplayed us we're Plymouth and Ipswich, then Wednesday were just solid and efficient doing their jobs well. All three are promoted so now aren't of concern.

Barnsley for me are the greatest threat to us especially after destroying us at their place. If they keep hold of their squad nucleus and strengthen they'll be up there. Can see it being us two for the top two. 

[Ambitious]

18 minutes ago, MadAmster said:

Hope you're right Tom lad but all we can go on is how things currently are. With that in mind I still think we'd have been better off with Barnsley getting promoted due to Wendy's aging squad.

Wednesday could easily recycle players out and invest in getting new players in within a similar banding to ourselves. When you look at Barnsley's attendances over the course of the season, even yesterday at Wembley, there is a sense of apathy over the way the club is being run by the owners. 

Some players are going to leave them this summer and it will be harder for them to replace than Wednesday. Not to say they won't be competitive, but they have to work twice as hard as us (as a club) to compete with ourselves. The turnover of their whole club is between £8-9m at this which is roughly what we take just in gate receipts. When you add in everything else, its roughly half what we're turning over. 

Barnsley weren't a team that dominated games either, typically in their wins they have less of the ball but know teams at this level give you opportunities and their attacking phase coaching was extremely good. I read that before yesterday, their previous 4 losses were all games they had more of the ball than the opposition and their previous 4 wins were all when the opposition had more of the ball. Duffy took a decent team, made them very competitive with his coaching. If he sticks around, I have no doubts they will be competitive but I'd absolutely take Barnsley here next season over Wednesday. 

[May Contain Nuts]

52 minutes ago, MadAmster said:

Those mentioning we will still be everybody's Cup Final are correct.

Are they? I think it's a myth. It's a ready-made excuse.

It didn't happen (or rather it scarcely happened) last season so I'm not sure why mostly the same teams are suddenly going to turn up the heat this season.

Edited May 30, 2023 by Kokosnuss

[Big Trav]

When we entered the league there were 3 'big' clubs in Ipswich, Wednesday and us. 2 of them are gone and replaced with Blackpool, reading and wigan. No one in the league will come near us revenue wise. We should be looking at top 2 and top 6 minimum.